The Good Ship Higgs Boson by Jezzamon 2012-04-25T07:30:00
A very nice spin on the gravity-control "genre". There are some clever puzzles that take a little time to figure out, the graphics are cute and the controls superbly tight.
Congratulations!
Foon → Ludum Dare Explorer → Users → TenTonToon
| Year | LD | Theme | Game | Division | Rank | Ov | Fu | In | Th | Gr | Au | Hu | Mo | Co | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 26 | Minimalism | Twinimalism | compo | 717 | 3.02 | 2.57 | 3.39 | 3.50 | 3.28 | 2.18 | 2.65 | 81 | ||
| 2012 | 23 | Tiny World | Attack on the Planet XXS-01 | compo | 815 | 2.27 | 2.02 | 1.98 | 3.07 | 3.15 | 1.74 | 1.84 | 2.09 | 81 |
A very nice spin on the gravity-control "genre". There are some clever puzzles that take a little time to figure out, the graphics are cute and the controls superbly tight.
Congratulations!
Very nice! :) I would've liked to have some more information about both the enemies and my character, though, in order to make the most out of every decision. The same goes for the sort of puzzle elements.
It has a cool "Desktop Dungeons" vibe to it, but it should give the player more information. As in a rogue-like, not having the necessary information is the quickest path to doom.
Epic... in a sort of cryptic way. The best thing about this game is how much it can empower your imagination, forcing to fill in the blanks.
On the other hand, that's not necessarily a good thing in a piece of interactive entertainment, unless it's extremely well done.
Keep working on it. Don't let the idea drop.
Quite the concept... Disturbing, in a certain positive way...
Great use of the theme! Not as much a game as an interactive experience, and what an experience it is! No wonder games like "Lone Survivor" can scare you shitless, even with their 8-bits style graphics. Awesome use of psichological resources to create anxiety and discomfort on the "player".
I hope you decide to take it further after the compo :)
Congratulations!
Very nice concept! As it is right now, it's not that playable - as you yourself said, it's really lacking feedback for the player to be able to know what to do and how to do it (maybe just aim from a sort of first person perspective?). But I found the idea very intriguing. I hope you manage to smooth the experience in a post-compo version.
One to keep an eye on!
Same problem as Shephiroth, here... :(
Interesting concept. I guess. I didn't quite understand how to advance, as the only way I could test whether I was getting closer to the objective was by injecting "color" to the bacteria.
A couple tutorial levels should make this game one to look forward to!
Congratulations!
Beautiful and moody, with a great sense of style.
The game parts, though, are a bit lacking. The controls are a bit unresponsive, and the rhythm of the action is a little bit strange. It is also quite unforgiving - maybe you should ease the player's introduction to the core mechanics.
Interesting idea, but became tedious after level 3. 15 is too high a number when the gameplay is that systematic. Myabe the later levels get better... I'll have to test if further, later.
Overall, though, the game feels solid and well thought-out.
Excellent, overall! And probably the most interesting use of the theme so far!
Congratulations!
I don't know where to begin... Nothing short of amazing! The graphics, the tight control, the awesome world-building, the thought-provoking story... The vision of the next shard floating on the background. The evoking soundtrack. Even the names of the power-ups are perfectly chosen! Everything falls into place to create an awesome, engrossing experience :D
Is "The Journey of Eko" related, story-wise, with this game? I certainly hope so! If not, please consider the possibility to finish this game!
Congratulations on an impossibly well crafted little gem!
Indeed I will, good Sir :)
Congratulations on a fun AND funny game!
John Blobbo for President!! He has the looks, already XD
Very nice strategy game! It feels a little bit overwhelming at first, with all the structures and resources at your disposal. But after playing for a couple minutes, everything falls into place. That's probably its strongest feature, but also its main weakness, as you end up worrying about a small subset of it all after a couple play-throughs.
Kudos for the movement of the tiles and the briliant effects of the disasters.
Congratulations! :)
Very cute, but quite hard, too! The last stage is specially unfair - not one second in and you're already getting a beating!! But it's the kind of "hard" that fuels the fire; I never stopped until I crushed that little sucker! I just wish you'd have included a "bite ear out" button for the ocasion! :)
Very fun and great use of the theme!!
Yeah, sorry about that... :P Didn't get the time to fix that issue. The fact is, whenever the direction you're pointing jumps from 360 to 0, or viceversa, the turret moves to the very same direction. Instead, I should have made the movement relative to their positions: if the crosshair is to the left, turn to the left; if it's to the right, turn to the right. But it was already quite close to the deadline and looks like my brain wasn't up to the task anymore XD
I'll fix that in a new, post-compo release, as I intended to finish this game.
@the8donut: it is actually quite frustrating, partially because of the turret's problem, but there's also a lot of tweaking that didn't got done. I think I'll have an updated version within the next couple of days. If RL allows me to, that is :P
@Toast: it was the smallest project I came up with, although I'm planning to build some of the other ideas I had. Also, the control is meant to feel detached, indirect. Thus, whenever the pacing is right, the game should feel as strategic (hence the inclusion of the satellites) as twitch-based
@orgarus: Thanks, man!! :D I did that background in Photoshop: a gradient, a couple textured brushes, and definitely too much time looking for the right feeling! :P I'm hoping I'll be able to crush those pesky bugs and post the link to the updated version ASAP. Thanks for the understanding!!
@LukeRissacher: thanks for your kind comments :) I'll go check out the Microbial game page.
@vigrid: yeah, sorry about that! :( The turret driver has already been fired. Literally. Out of the turret. New guy is doing quite better, really! I guess he's feeling enthusiastic about not being "fired" :D
@madflame991: The other way is to simply avoid the game altogether! XD
@Vic: I thought the same about your game. The "only" difference is that yours is a damn amazing piece of work, and mine is barely a game at all! :D
Thanks for giving it a try, guys! And just so you know, I already fixed that damned control problem. Now is time to balance the gameplay and I guess it'll get closer to a real game.
Please, stay tuned! :)
@Gabriel: I completely agree. But be it as it may, I feel like developing this idea's potential, whatever it is, and I must say it's already come a long way from the LD build
@DaveDobson: half-baked?? Well that's being quite generous, kind sir! :D I'm glad you found out about the rest of the gameplay that lurks beneath the surface; I think it will eventually turn out to be a fine little game. Also, I'm thinking about awarding you with a trophy for probably being the only one person that bothered to open the readme file! :D
Once again, thank you very much for playing, everyone! :)
@AirRider3: sorry about that. I'll have a web version, playable at YoYoGames, for the next release. Expect it within the next days.
@Raptor85: no sound?? How can that be?? [maybe it has something to do with my not adding any sound to it XD] Thanks for trying it on Linux, and I agree with you: there definitely is something more to its game mechanic - a whole bunch of problems! :D Problems that have already been fixed, luckily. Stay tuned!
@AdventureIsland: nobody said joining the military would be an easy life, son! :D The turret's speed has been improved on the new version, but the real problems are both the speed of the enemies, and the overall pace of the game. Pretty much fixed, too.
@uprightpath: you should take better care of your turret, mate! You take care of it, and it will take care of you :)
@xBlinkedx: you'll soon be able to test that theory. Affirmatively, I hope :)
Thanks everyone for trying this game and leaving a comment! They've been really helpful so far!
@j_peeba: Thanks! If by "just a few small tweaks" you mean "remake 90% of that crap", then we agree! XD
Thanks for playing it and posting a comment! :D
@summaky: true enough. As for the turret's freezing, it's an important part of the game's balance, as much off as it is right now. Getting hit by bullets or ships is not a part of the losing condition, so there must be a penalty associated in order to turn it into a valid mechanic: should I take / can I take the bullet? Otherwise, you could just stop every attack with a headbutt. The real problem lies in the pacing of the game. Now it's much more playable. Which wasn't too hard to achieve, comparatively :D
@artefon: I'm sorry to hear that. I haven't been able to test it myself, but Raptor85 posted that he could actually play it using wine. Thanks for trying, though!
@eli: so my plan did work - they managed to distract you from the putrid gameplay! :D
Thanks for playing it, guys! Or, at least, for trying! :)
@RHY3756547: that problem's already solved. Luckily. Thanks for the nice pointer, anyway! :D
On wednesday I'll have been working on the new version of the game for one week. Hopefully, I'll be able to release something on that very same day.
Stay tuned - those of you who haven't run for dear life already, that is! :)
@deejorg: the controls are a lot funky, indeed! XD The problem you had with the shooting is one caused by your generosity: you shot too much and the turret ran out of energy. Check the energy bar on the funky HUD at the top right corner of the screen! ;)
Thank for playing this admitedly f(l)unky entry!
@Evil Sandwich Studios: you don't have Windows? No doubt you're an Evil Sandwich! ;)
@jmaasing: another Window-less person? Guys, you need to let some sunlight into your lifes! :D
@asfdfdfd: thanks! If you email me your address, I'll send you a box of Redbull!
@ericdpitts: thank you! The "Get Ready" message was supposed to mark the end of an enemy wave, but it turned out as just another rock thrown at the already suffering player :P I got rid of that mechanic in the post-compo version, and buried its body in a nameless (space) grave. If you try it out, you'll see how smoooooth the experience is now! ;)
Thanks for playing the game, or trying to from your windowless homes, fellas! :D I really appreciate it!
1st attempt:
"Send a Prophet" - "Civilization has ended because of war". On the first turn. That's not cool, guys...
2nd attempt:
"Rain" - "The land is fertile"
"Send a Prophet" - "Civilization has ended because of war". Damn! What's this prophet of yours telling people?? Also, they go from "don't know how to travel" to "learned space travel" in 1 turn. Smart guys! Except for the fact that they had already destroyed their civilization through war.
Don't know. I like the concept, but having to learn the "right" order to do things (as using a command eliminates it from the list) through trial and error, instead of letting me, a deity, choose my path, turns me off.
Sorry.
As kTwitch said, you never seem to get any clear indication on your progress. Nice pixel art.
Nice main character design and animations, and the ending was quite funny, too. The sound design is great, too.
The game is almost completely devoid of challenge, though, and the idea of the level changing due to claustrophobia should be a little bit more dramatic.
Incredibly brilliant! At first, I must confess that I didn't care to try this game for its name and premise sounded so shallow and gimmicky. But boy is this game well designed! Leaving the "sexually active" bunnies aside, every system fits with each other like a well-oiled machine... wait, that didn't come out alright XD
It may not be the game that best fits the theme of the compo, but it sure is the best game designing I've seen around in a while. You're certainly one to follow in the future!
Congratulations!!
Awesome mood and ambience on this one! The controls are tight, a nice perk when you're running around lava! :) Having to restart from the very beginning after getting to the puzzles is a little unforgiving, though, as it's already been pointed out.
Congratulations!
It's a fun game, but it slowed to a crawl after 3-4 minutes of play.
Absolutely brilliant concept! I just wish you'd have taken it even further, making the game more open-ended.
An amazing starting point anyway! Congratulations!!
Very nice look and feel. The game is a little bit slow and uneventful, but the mix of new and old works really well.
Great job on the ship's graphic and the physics. I've never been a fan of this kind of inertial controls, but they do work well.
Is there any losing condition? I tried to avoid the asteroid at first, but then I just rammed onto the thick of it, shooting like crazy, and collecting all the more easily.
Also, the ship disappeared when I crossed the edge of the screen. I was expecting it to swap around to the other side, but it just vanished.
Very well done! Dark and moody, with a compelling main character whose journey you get invested in. The puzzles are on the easy side, and sometimes the collision masks get a little bit on the way, but that's almost nitpicking.
Maybe you should add some sort of loading or splash screen, as in both the original and the post-compo versions the only thing I got once I clicked the links was a blank screen. The first time I thought the link might've been broken.
And both of the ending sequences were unexpected, if somewhat mean, even if they fit the tone.
Also, I should say that the post-compo build has a much better feel to it.
Congratulations!
The controls and the concept are both quite solid.
The 'jump' sound effect ended up being quite grating. And the backtracking after jumping down "the pit" and getting the double jump is a total turn off. Also, I think it would have benefitted from a more forgiving bounding box.
By the way: that's QUITE a house the guy lives in! :)
Failed on me a couple times, but the idea is interesting, and quite fitting to the theme.
Very nice concept! Almost slapstick for all its minimalism! XD Didn't see the ending coming, but I LOLed!
Also, great atmosphere for the theme.
Congratulations!
Very nice pixel art and use of the theme.
A little bit too short and straightforward, though. But it shows quite some promise for a future full-length game.
Congratulations!
Curiós!! :)
I'd never expected to find a game about Leo Messi amongst this LD's entries, considering the theme.
The game is fun and simple, a great recipe for a time killer.
Congrats!
Awesome presentation and probably the best theme interpretation so far.
On the other hand, it's barely a game, as there's no clear indication of consequence to your actions, or a win/lose condition, as pleasant as it is to simply roam around.
Quite clever take on the theme, and both the story and the names of the enemies are really funny.
Boy, and is that title a winner! XD
That said, the movement was too slow and had too much inertia for me. Also, maybe the Big Endians' (hehe!) shots should be slower, or fewer.
Cool little game, for sure!
I never had the feeling of being in control. It's so hectic and action-packed that I'm surprised I lasted as much as I did.
Or maybe not. Maybe that's what was supposed to be.
Intense, for sure!
Unable to play (no iOS platform) :(
Too bad, as it looks rad!
Quite an interesting idea!
Great game! It's fun and very responsive, and the spinning background is gorgeous.
That said, I missed some more variety on the action, and the music became a little bit grating after 15 minutes straight listening to it.
Having a very similar concept on my own entry, it's nice to see how it could've turned out should I'd went with the keyboard-based control, as I did originally, instead of using the mouse. The other difference being that your game is actually playable and fun, and it looks like that really makes a difference! Go figure!! XD
Congratulations!!
I'm glad I'm not the only want feeling there's a want of feedback on this game... And yet I won. So, huzzahh!! :)
Great concept and implementation! The Game Boy-esque graphics work really well, and you manage to ease the introduction of the player to the core mechanics gracefully.
Hopefully it will turn into a post-compo full-blown game.
Congratulations!
Really interesting experience... Left me scratching my head for a while. But then, that might be I have a dry scalp :)
No interactive experience where "I HEART HITLER" shirts are announced could ever be a bad one! :D
Feeling like squeezing some more fun out of it!
Very nice! Finally, a game that realistically depicts the sheer awesomeness of the penguins, and their struggle against nature's natural bombers, the cruel whales! :)
The controls are tight and very responsive, and the action is fun. I missed some more variety of enemies/dangers, though. And a two players version would be awesome: a seal and a penguin fighting it out for supremacy over the iceberg amidst a rain of bombs! Dramatic!! :D
Congratulations!
Just like ericdpitts, I couldn't get past the initial screen, even though I pressed every key and changed the input options what seemed like a gazillion times.
I was really looking forward to this one, even though I never had a C64 (I was an MSX user), so I'll put it on hold for a while.
By the way: "The Firing Button on your pole"??
XD
I'd love to read/see a post-mortem about this game!
Very interesting concept and execution! I like where you're going with this game. And I specifically say "you're going", instead of "you were going", because I'd really like to see an extended post-compo version.
Congratulations!
Nice, mindless fun! :) I found having to push a button to change direction distracting at first, but when I got the hang of it, it really made a difference. The controls are tight and the action, relentless.
And that's the most vicious flower I've ever seen! :D
having GM Lite embed a watermark INSIDE the game sucks! :P
Congratulations! Keep working on it!
Couldn't play it. Error on launch: "MSVCP100.dll missing"
Sorry.
Quite fun, indeed! :) With some cartoony graphics and balancing, you have a winning concept!
Same problem here.
Very nice primary mechanic, although the gameplay is too shallow.
Good use of the theme, and the IK of the lady's arm are really cool.
Congratulations!
Nice hotseat game - there should be more games like this.
I missed two things, though: change the cursor's colour to match the colour of the player whose turn is active, and move it to a closer position to the new player instead of having to move it across the screen (or, better yet, have a key to move from unit to unit to make the turns much more dynamic).
The game's fun, but a little bit slow. The explosion effect is very nice.
Man, this is real old-school, hardcore difficulty! We're talking almost "Abu Simbel Profanation" hard! I noticed your character does not move along with the moving horizontal platforms.
Also, FYI, I couldn't get the game to start on Kongregate.
Cool exploration game, with an awesome sense of humor! I agree that the stars feel a little bit too far away from each other, mainly because there's not a lot of action other than the initial pack of (space) wolves.
"The eruption was so awesome that the volcano itself blew up [...] After several decades humanity decided to send a giant bear head in space"
Where did that came from?? XD
Congratulations!
Other than the already pointed out problem with the controls, there's a distinct lack of feedback when shooting your enemies that makes the action less satisfactory. Some sort of audio effect would go a long way to improve that, and help empower the player.
Waiting for an iMac to play the game on...
Or the Windows build, I guess ;)
Great little game! The control is tight and the visuals are very moody! I like the fact the gaps on the globe stop you.
On the other hand, it was lacking a bit of a challenge, although the difficulty ramped up nicely.
My game is somewhat similar to yours, in a way. I really should take notes! :D
Congratulations!
A bit on the slow side, but cool nonetheless. I'd try to make more readily visible where the UFOs are (some kind of minimap?), and speed things up quite a bit. Make it more arcade-ish.
Good stuff!
We have very similar premises for our games, and both are made in Game Maker. The control is smooth, but not quite as precise as one would hope when you shoot.
Talk about shaking the proverbial beehive - that beast could blast you to kingdom come with its laser tail! :D Or, to put it another way: it's a damn hard game, man! XD
Well done!
Awesome! Both concept and content are top-notch, for sure. It's hard to believe that this much quality is the product of just 2 guys working for 72 hours O_o What could you not accomplish with simply a month of work?? :D
Congratulations!!
Nice gameplay design and feedback for the player, even though I think it would have benefited from somewhat larger (and more detailed) graphics, and (as already pointed out) differently colored bullets.
Like "Copulous", a showcase of what solid game design is all about.
Congratulations!
Tried it 4 times - twice it froze at the "Checking for Updates" step, and twice at the "Loading Libraries" one :(
Nice and frantic! It had a slapstick-ish, Benny Hill-esque feel to it! XD The first couple plays were challenging, but once you realize you an outrun the marauders by moving diagonally, it became quite easy.
Now for some variations on the island, both in size and shape, a handful of randomly placed bonus and environmental dangers, and you have a winner! :)
Congratulations!
Nice little game. Gameplay shold be ramped up a little bit, as should the backgrounds.
Well done, overall.
"Ninjas! I suppose that was inevitable"
Brilliant! XD
Being able to shrink your enemies to different sizes is cool, but I half expected to be able to make them disappear altogether. Or crush them under my pacifist boot a la Duke Nukem.
Also, you can't jump higher than a ninja - it's a proven fact :D
I'd say go for it: finish this game :)
Beautiful! The only problem I see, as I think it's already been pointed out, is the way the top of the tiles align with the grid, instead of their bottom; it's kinda confusing.
Other than that, a real gem!
Congratulations!
Very fun and compelling game! Love the NES feel and sound, and its minimalistic design (was that the theme that inspired the idea?).
I knew what the game was all about because I saw it at indiegames.com (congratulations on that!); shouldn't I had already seen it, I probably wouldn't have known what was going on, so I'd say some more instructions are needed.
Congratulations!
Kinda repetitive, especially considering the lofty goal. Not being able to shoot while you reload is a little bit frustrating.
I like the setting, though, and the way you interpreted the theme. One of the best in that particular area for me, so far.
I had the same kind of problem with the game's flow. I had to download the source file to see where to find the weapon with which I could "kill the humans". Maybe it's just me, but years of playing platform games have taught to jump over pits, and not into them... ;)
The art is awesome, and the controls are really tight. The music gets repetitive after a while, as has already been noted, and the use of the theme is circumstantial, as it is in most of the entries I've played so far.
All in all, a fun and great looking game. Congratulations! :)
Cool! Tough as nails, but very well put together :)
Congratulations!!
Very nice idea! Lots of fun and a replayability through the roof.
And the music just rocks! :)
Congratulations!
Quite fun, but a little too hectic. Sorting through the available abilities is too difficult, especially once your enemies start to shoot you. You should be able to simply grab them by going over them.
If you divided the abilities in different types (weapons, health, speed...) and made recognizable icons for each one (as you did for the weapons), the player could simply gravitate towards those (s)he liked the best.
And then you could add some negatively affecting abilities within the same categories, just to spice things a little bit (à la "Super Crate Box") :)
Congratulations!!
Awesome graphics (as per usual) and controls, yet a little bit too unforgiving. As is always the case with your games, it's hard to believe that it was made in only 48 hours - I guess you don't get to sleep too much during Ludum Dare! :D
The use of the theme, though... ;)
Félicitations!
The best use of the theme, so far. Amazing thinking outside of the box! The game is fun, albeit a little too easy, the controls are tight, and great looking graphics that I'd have liked to see reach the 16 bits era. A surprisingly large world and long playing time, too!
My only "complaints" are with the music, that doesn't sound 8 bit-ish at all (NES-esque is another great term XD), and the story. Or the lack of one, actually. I would love to see the concept pushed much further, with a sort of meta-story on top of it about the evolution of the industry, and our own evolution as players.
The "You Win" final screen was all sorts of disappointing! :)
Finally, why did we have to kill those exceedingly cheerie creatures?
Congratulations! An awesome entry!
Very fun game, with a brilliantly designed and implemented look. The action is smooth and the use of the theme is ok. But, above all, the amount of contents you crammed into this one in just 48 hours is simply staggering.
Being able to destroy the walls opens some neat strategies, but also makes the game easier, as you can aim directly for the color towers using an almost straight path and completely ignore the enemies.
Playing solo became somewhat tedious after a bunch of levels, as they offered little to no variation from one another. But I'm sure playing it with some friends has to be a blast.
As a comment, I found the initial statement to be frankly brilliant, as it really sets the tone for the action. Or the hue, in this particular case.
Congratulations! :)
The game's design is very intriguing, and its visuals are awesome - especially for a minimalistic game :) Very moody and capable of creating some real tension without leaving (as far as I've played) the same single screen. Kudos for that.
The set of available actions felt too constrained at times, though, leaving me the sensation that my decision were merely mechanic in nature, and not organic, and that some of the actions are there as filler: make sure the fireplace is lit (something you learn the hard way on your first night), repair the radio, repair the radio, talk to the one member of the crew that looks like is falling apart, repair the radio...
It left a lasting impression, for sure, and I'll come back to it again to fully grasp the possibilities of the mechanics.
Congratulations! :)
Awesome entry! The one-button mechanic is probably the best suited one for this compo's theme, and this is a game that takes it to the next level. And then it kicks the level's ass, and goes up two more levels, just in case. And that's thanks to an incredible level design.
And not just the level design, but even more difficult (and impressive): the level's flow. The fact that the levels are not only ingenious, but have a specific, water-proof tight timing, and that everything's been put together in just 48 hours is mind blowing, to say the least. Still trying to put the pieces of my brain back together.
It makes me feel ashamed I made a one-button game, too.
I hope this game wins the 48 hours compo. And even the Jam, what the heck! :) And gets to be President of the United States of America. God Bless Its Soul.
Congratulations! :)
Very interesting concept and fitting use of the theme. Too bad I suck at it! XD
I found it difficult to visualize both the right orientation of the obstacle to redirect the particles, prior to drawing it, and the very action of putting the vertices down. Maybe with a little visual aid, like drawing a line from the vertex to the mouse position, drawing the obstacle would become much more intuitive.
But that's just a limitation of mine. The concept is very cool. Congratulations! :D
@BigBlackBeard I had a great time playing your entry, too! :) Thanks for taking the time to try it, pal! And congratulations on the big, black beard! :D
@orgarus
Thank you very much, mate! And thanks for the bug hunting. Big Kudos to you for that! Big minimalistic Kudos, of course XD
And yeah guys, this is a must play entry. Must play... or else! XD
Or else you don't, actually ;)
Come on, guys! Post your high scores here :D
396 for me, thus far.
@CherryNukaCola
@gmaker
Thanks, guys! I really appreciate it :D
@pansapiens
It comes from a strange little person, so I guess that was to be expected ;D
I still hadn't thought too much about what to do with this game down the road. If anything at all. And that's an interesting idea to bear in mind :)
Thanks for playing this game! :)
@meszka
Thank you very much! :)
I tried your game, and it puts the one-button mechanic to great use. It looks like you wanted to squeeze some more gameplay into it than your typical one-button game, and you certainly passed with flying colors.
That's what I was aiming for with the one button/2 players idea. And yes, having both viewports side by side made the game not only much easier, but also less intense; this way, you can't easily move into "autopilot mode".
Thanks for trying the game and dropping a line! :D
@vandriver
Thank you! That was one of the driving ideas: to keep you on your toes, and throw your rhythm off. I guess it's sort of an anti-rhythm game! :) Go try and play "Guitar Hero" now!
Thanks for playing the game! :)
@KilledByaPixel
Thanks! :D That's an idea I had been pondering, but I dropped it to force the player to put all of its attention into the game. I want the player to suffe... I mean, to feel like (s)he's accomplished something after investing a little time and effort on the game.
Thanks for trying the game and dropping a comment! :)
@alts
Thanks! I appreciate it! :D
Having such a simple (minimalistic, even? ;D) main mechanic, I looked for a way to turn it on its ugly head, and that's what I came up with.
And, as it's such a simple mechanic, I had to make it as obtuse and opaque as possible in order for the player not to notice right away how simple it is XD
Thanks again!
@pjchardt
You bet it wasn't, mate! :D After 48 hours of minimalism, I couldn't stop the flow - I hemorrhaged word maximalism! Thankfully I'm feeling better, now; thanks for asking :)
I'm really glad you found the game and its main mechanic somewhat interesting. Thank you very much! :)
@Tyro
Thanks for the kind words! I really appreciate it. It wasn't that hard to design, though: I was on the toilet, hanging a clock, and I fell and hit my head on the sink. Then, suddenly, I had the idea: the flux capacitor! I didn't know what the heck was that, so I dismissed it. And then it hit me. The clock, I mean. It fell on my head and I had this other crazy idea: Mondrian, one-button, two players... Ludum Dare! :)
Extra points to you for the bad joke, mate! ;)
Thanks again for trying the game!
@Zim the Fox
Thank you for fixing your game for the minority of us who couldn't play it, and thanks for trying my game! :D
But I don't know if I love you or hate you for beating my highscore and posting it here :D
Thanks again for being so invested in the LD! You rock!
@TehSkull
Moving from panel to panel is not a core mechanic, in that it is basically there to put some more pressure on the player and keep the tension up. But you're wishing away my main mechanic with the space changing thing, mate! XD You take that away, and there's no game.
I wish I had more time to add sound this once. And a Nutella sandwich :D
Thanks for playing the game and leaving a comment!
@Covenant
Thank you very much, mate! I really, really, really appreciate it :D
@dick_claus
I think it would prove to be somewhat difficult to simplify them even more :D
The game can be a little bit taxing on the player, that's true. But no one said that being a painted character on a minimalistic painting (reference to my minimal ability to paint, that is) whose life is draining away by the second while it tries to avoid blocks that would crush it would be easy, right? ;)
Thanks for playing the game, sir!
@ethankennerly
Thanks for the appreciation. It's the first time I've tried my hand at digital watercolor, and it's been a mind-opener experience: I shall never try again XD
You see, these pixie painted character fellas are very nervous creatures that have a hard time staying in one place. But they're hardly to be blamed, bearing in mind that some invisible, foul-minded entity they call "The Game's Creator" put them in a position where they could be crushed by lovingly colored falling blocks at any time. And, to further they disgrace, they're stuck in a death-rebirth circle from which they cannot escape. Lousy, lousy karma.
God bless their inky souls.
Thanks for playing the game and leaving a comment! :D
@miotatsu
Thank you! But a word of advice: don't go wrapping your brain around things, pal! That must be messy, and hurt a lot! :)
I guess the learning curve may seem kinda steep, but the game plays fast, ends fast and restarts fast, so you can move from novice to pro to "this is it? this game sucks!" in no time! Also, everybody knows that curves are waaaay more fun that straight lines, right? :D
Thanks for playing the game, mate! :)
@stevejohnson
Thanks a lot! You bet it could have used some audio :) But, simple (and minimalistic ;D) as this game is, I ended up using every second of the final hours, literally, to finish a playable version. And no sound? That's as minimalistic sound design as it gets!
Was your whole playtime with the web version stuttery, or did you notice a change in performance as you played? This is the first time I've used GM: Studio's HTML5 export; I'll look into it. But after playing your truly smooth game, I can understand you feel "Twinimalism" is kinda bumpy :)
Thanks again!
@Oye Beto
I appreciate it! :) I never had the chance to add in-game instructions, even though I'd have liked to prepare a small tutorial-like level.
But that's the way true men learn. And some women. And 2 out of 3 ink pixies.
Bumping your head against a merrily colored killer block.
Again and again and again.
I wouldn't have it any other way for my players XD
Thanks for trying the game and posting your highscore! :D
@ghostinthesoft
Thanks, mate! I tried to make the most of the minimalistic playground.
Cheers!
@ashdnazg
You don't have to worry until you see your gray matter leeking down your nose. And then you won't have to worry anymore.
But that won't happen until you reach level 8, out of 9.
Level 9, you ask? Now that's reaaaaally messy... XD
Thank you very much for playing this thing and taking the time to comment! :D
@brodavi
Thank you, Sir! :)
This game is hard, 'cause it's meant to forge your character.
Or break you trying.
Probably the later.
But you know that I love you, and that I did this for your own good, right? Right?? XD
Thanks for playing the game!
@nimblegorilla
Thank you very much! :) I must point out that your skills have increased since you played this game, and now you sport a very nice Focus+4, with an additional 15% bonus in any saving throw against Colored Moving Blocks.
You're most welcome XD
Thanks again, mate!
@Mekuri
Thanks a lot! :D I really appreciate your appreciation for the game. Especially concerning the difficulty XD Not every player takes on that one kindly, but that's where the real fun still lies. Well, to me, at least. Both as a player and as a tortur... I mean, as a developer ;D
Thank you for trying the game and leaving a comment! :)
@lorancou
Thank you, Sir!
You see, the fact is they're not rain drops - they're tear drops, from the painter that's pouring his soul into the canvas, à la Basil Hallward. And the pixies, being made of ink, get diluted by them, the same way they get strengthened by the ink drops.
Now everything makes perfect sense, right? Right??
Ok, you'll have to trust me on this one. But we're not going risk a friendship as old as ours for something like that, right? ;D
Thanks for playing the game!
@Alphonsus
Thanks a lot, mate! The Mondrian thing was sort of a hit-or-miss decision that panned out (conceptually) when I added the "avoid water - grab ink" mechanic, and interestingly brought the jump from panel to panel.
Frankly, I thought we'd be seeing Mondrian-esque designs all over the place, as a sort of "one size fits all" visual concept, and it's not been the case.
What's wrong with you, people!? XD
Thanks for playing the game and leaving a comment! I really appreciate it; especially at this stage of the compo, when playing seems to be slowing to a crawl :)
@mrexcessive
Yeah, it's kinda hard to play... but that's what actual brain training is all about. You learn to adapt, to improvise... to prevail!
Take that, Dr. Kawashima! XD
Thank you very much for trying the game! :)
@sP0CkEr2
I'm really glad you feel that way, Sir :D The mechanics may be minimalistic, but the challenge is not. It's old-school thinking: hard but achievable through practice.
Thanks for playing the game and writing a comment, mate! :D
A strong entry, with nice old-school gameplay, neat wireframe graphics and an arcade-like vibe. The controls are really tight, much more than they feel like at first, and the sense of speed is exhilarating. A really fun game!
I'm just not sure how much does it fit the theme, though. I don't care about the graphics, theme-wise. To me, what really makes or breaks an entry (again, theme-wise) is how much the overall design, encompassing both gameplay and mechanics, shows it's been created with the theme in mind, and not the other way around. And this game is more simple (arcade-like) than minimalistic.
Anyway, a huge accomplishment for the meager 48 hours we had available! Congratulations! :D
Best score: 5813
The pixel art is of an amazing quality, especially given the simplicity of its design. You managed to cram a lot of detail and personality in these sprites. I also like the color palette; it's easy on the eyes, and looks cool (no pun intended). The design is an ok fit to the theme.
As for the gameplay, the game controls well, but jumping was marred by platform positioning. The view should be wider around the character in order to avoid cheap deaths, which occurred a lot. Or maybe allow the player to look up and down beyond the camera's current position as some other platformers do.
The action is sort of eventless, as orbs where scarcely available (my best score so far is 1880, if I recall right, and that equals just 4 or 5 orbs), and it mostly boiled down to "jump blindly - die" or "get shot by an off-screen enemy".
Finally, I found the controls to be all over the place. It's stated on the description that 'S' moves your character right, but it's 'D' that moves you right. And having to press Enter to restart the game felt forced and unintuitive.
I see a lot of potential in the idea, especially concerning the visual design. But making the level design random plays against it; I'd rather play levels handcrafted, with a strong sense of purpose or narrative.
Definitely one game I'd like to play a post-compo version of, and one to follow down the road if you get it developed further.
A really fun game, with old-school visuals, sound and gameplay. I like the way the shield can work against you in certain areas, by obscuring your character.
The thing is: I don't see it fitting the theme very well - to me, simple visuals or mechanics doesn't equal minimalism.
Other than that, a very cool game on its own.
Congratulations! :)
Awesome implementation of the theme in every aspect of the game! It's artsy, moody and leaves a lasting impression. I especially liked the painted backgrounds; having your "signature" on the title screen (and after beating the game) is quite appropriate.
It's interesting to note how our two games have some basic similarities, yet they are vastly different.
Congratulations! :)
Excellent collection, and a testament to what can be done in 48 hours, which is absolutely mind-blowing, as some of these games aren't that obvious to recreate in such a short period!
My only complaint is that the controls could use some tightening on certain of the games; especially bearing in mind that some of those games want you on your feet quickly.
Also, it would be very nice to be able to restart a game from inside the very game, and not through the main menu.
As a side note, something like food for thought: any of the games on its own fits the theme perfectly. But can a collection of 8 minimalistic games be considered minimalistic as well? ;)
Congratulations! :)
Excellent idea, with a nice, stylized presentation, and some mind-bending level (or rug, in this case) design. The potential is huge for a post-LD version!
Also, quite fitting of the theme.
This one would be a winner in a touch screen. Just saying ;)
Congratulations!
Well, you sure fully embraced the theme like no other games I've seen on this compo, yet. Kudos to you for that :)
You could have mapped the 3 colors to some keys, and take the difficulty up a couple notches.
Congratulations! :)
Nice, old-school fun, and quite some content crammed in for a LD game :)
As I've seen in other games, this is a simple game, not a minimalistic one. To me, there's too much content and gameplay mechanics in there to be considered minimalistic.
The game is unbalanced, probably due to the random nature of the enemies' creation. At times it seemed almost a danmaku, with huge amounts of bullets flying around (without the benefit of the carefully designed patterns). Then I got the laser, upgraded it to level 2, and I was sweeping the screen like a Boss, clearing it like nobodies business, in a particle shower extravaganza, until I was left alone. And alone I was for the next 10 or so seconds, until a single missile entered the screen. The game kept throwing me single missiles like that for a while.
Best score: 4570
Keep it up! :)
Very interesting puzzle idea, although somewhat limited on its appeal if you do not happen to have someone to play against.
It certainly is minimalistic in its presentation and mechanics, yet takes some practice getting the gist of it. Luckily, the manual/tutorial you included was really helpful on that front.
Finally, I really dig the way you managed to "squeeze" the Mondrian-esque background in your overall design, and not just as an easy backdrop for the action. Kudos for that.
Congratulations! :)
Absolutely brilliant visually - I love this kind of geometric look. The sound design is great, too.
As for the game itself, it got old quite quickly for me. There's something about the passive act of letting enemies impale themselves on your sword that I don't find too exciting.
The use of the theme is 50/50 for me. The combat is minimalistic, indeed; a little too much, maybe, as I already pointed out. But the rest of the game's design is standard platforming fare. Simplistic, you may say, but not minimalistic.
Also, why the choice to use SPACE to jump, instead of 'W'? It seems counter-intuitive to me, and not too comfortable.
All in all, a very nice game with huge potential for a post-compo version that moves away from the theme, that I think doesn't add anything to the game.
Congratulations! :)
First of all, kudos to you for expecting your players to read a wiki in order to learn how to play your game. In this day and age of short attention spans, that's brave of you.
The use of the theme is one of the most uniquely appropriate I've seen so far, and again points to you for fleeing the most obvious and easy use of Piet Mondrian as a figure of reference (and I'm guilty of that as well, I should point out).
But gameplay wise, your game is ironically too thematically focused to be easily enjoyable. Maybe with enough investment from the player it is possible, but as I pointed out before, in this day and age, that's brave of you to expect.
Congratulations on daring to think outside the box :)
Amazing overall concept, even if there's not a lot of gameplay there. The introductory video is hilarious, and the game is quite fitting of the theme. It's awesome how destruction can bring a certain sense of community! :)
Also, the tech is put to surprisingly good use, and a destruction click feast... that never gets old!
Best score: 85890$ "Save the Bunnies" turned out to be unminimalisable ;)
Congratulations! :D
The game's looks are very interesting, but that's about what I could get from my playtime, as the game is almost unplayable (at least it is for me), due to the controls being very non responsive.
Thinking that maybe that was because I was playing the web version, I tried to download it. And then I was asked to register for an account to download the game? Man, did that piss me off X(
If you could create a mirror to streamline the download, using Mediafire or Dropbox, for instance, I'd love to try it again, as it really looks interesting. But as of now, there's no way for me to do so. And that's too bad :(
Keep it up! :)
Really fun game, if somewhat difficult to get into the first few times. You did a great job with the theme, distilling the essence of the tower defense genre.
I also dig the "Monaco" vibe of the graphics.
Congratulations! :)
Good first entry, with some nice ideas and quite fitting of the theme, both in terms of mechanics and presentation.
I agree the audio is hit or miss, but the fact there's audio at all is a winner to me - LD games not including audio at all is almost a staple of this compo.
Congratulations on your first of hopefully many LD games to come! :)
@lightsoda
Not making the theme the main drive behind the gameplay mechanics is the cheap way of taking on the challenge of a Ludum Dare. This is how we end up with hundreds of games that have been obviously shoehorned into it; lots of platformers with the theme pushed into their "story" or, in this case, a helluva lot of simplistic games with geometric visuals. And simplicity doesn't equal minimalism.
Having to "watch" a game is not the theme's fault; is a bad design's fault.
So Kudos to the developer for going all out on the design front :)
Very interesting entry! There's something fascinating about the behavior of those little fellas: the way they look for cover behind the gray squares; how they run for it when the line is pushed forward, or the doggedly resistence of the enemies once the line has gone over the last 10% of the field. And all of that, controlled with just 2 buttons.
It's a great example of the right use of the theme: distilling one of the genre mechanics to its purest form, stripped of all that's unnecessary. That's minimalism for you.
The music was nice, but became somewhat grating after a while. Maybe the loop is too short.
Congratulations! :)
I really dig the "Lost Vikings" vibe of this game, but the controls need some tweaking for the game to be fully enjoyable.
Also, I think it doesn't fully embrace the theme, having to control up to 3 characters - it seems more old-school than minimalist to me.
Congratulations! :)
Very interesting high concept and great potential for a post-LD follow up. The graphics are ok, but what's really nice is the transformation process that takes place.
It also sports one of the most "by the book" approaches to the theme, and I mean that as a compliment. I understand minimalism is about distilling a concept to its purest form, and that's what the game is doing, precisely: stripping "reality" from the distractions of shape and form, taking perception down to a deepest understanding.
As for the discussion about high or low perception, I think it would be both a high perception and a high concentration level what would allow you to abstract reality to the max.
In fact, you could plan two different, antagonistic, game mechanics, and have the player balance them out to keep the two attributes high. Something like push/pull, press/release, move/stand...
Then you could go all-out Plato on the setting, or have a guy transcend the limitations of the mortal flesh to find the keys to his Ferrari :)
Potential aside, there's not much game in there yet. But if you keep on working on it, I'd for one be very interested in trying whatever you come up with.
Congratulations! :)
Very interesting concept, and also well executed. It's surprisingly fun and addictive.
The music had me on edge pretty quickly, though :) Became grating fast.
Congratulations! :)
Nice little puzzle game. The idea is interesting, although I think some explanation of the core mechanics would be nice, even though you can understand everything that's going on after just 2 levels.
It lacks a certain punch, though; some more "daring" level design. And it certainly would benefit from a post-compo redesign on the visual side. But, all in all, the important thing is there: the core idea and game mechanics.
Keep it up! :)
Very moody, artsy experience, quite fitting of the theme, yet hardly a game. The sound design is truly brilliant, and the best part of 'Fold'. Being able to change the color scheme by pressing the space key is a welcome addition, as some of them are easier on the eyes than others.
The loose controls/camera are probably the main negative point for me. I guess you can get to really flow with the action with enough practice, but was sort of unwelcoming for me at first.
Keep it up! :)
I fail to see the point in releasing this as a jam entry. That's not to say this tool couldn't be useful to create assets for certain games, and it's a really cool initiative, but why not just wait until after the compo and announce it once actually finished?
Also, what are your plans about the contents you deliver? Will you create all the different bits and pieces that will come with the program, or is there gonna be an option to import data into it?
Nice spriting chops, by the way! :)
Keep it up!
That's kind of a bizarre game, indeed, but with some nice ideas worth exploring further. I like the idea of this kind of inverse-Tetris mechanic, and I think the tiger keeps things interesting by pushing you around in what would otherwise have been a pretty easy game.
On the other hand, I don't feel this game fits the theme that well. Having simplistic sprites that do not match the rest of the game, or nothing but a plain colored background, along with the plain ugly head that floats around makes it look underdeveloped, not minimalistic.
The poor implementation doesn't help on that front, either.
All in all, I think there's enough potential on the main idea to keep on working on this game beyond the constraints of the LD.
Congratulations! :)
Can't play your game. I get an error when trying to launch the .exe: "cx_Freeze: Python error in main script", followed by one heck of a traceback.
I took a screenshot that you can find here: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/101571362/PyError0000.jpg
Good luck! :)
Yo! Follow up on your comment: I'm running a Win 7 x64 PC, using a crappy integrated graphics chip from Intel, with the latest drivers (updated prior to LD).
Thanks for taking the time to look for a solution to this problem :)
Ok, I tried your game again, and now it works perfectly! :D Thanks again for taking the time to fix whatever bug was responsible for preventing some of us for playing!
I admit your main game mechanic didn't seem much at first. Boy was I wrong! You managed to pull off one of those rare "easy to learn, hard to master" designs, and had me thinking furiously to solve some of the later puzzles. Add some polish, and you'll have a cool game for mobile platforms.
Congratulations! :)
Very nice use of both the theme and the one-button mechanic. I found it easy to learn and (somewhat) difficult to master, and that's the mark of a great design.
Congratulations! :)
Nice entry, fast and fun. The controls are spot on and the action keeps you on your toes. The music is pretty cool, too. Heck, being an LD entry with music is pretty cool!)
I felt the design was more simple than minimalist, though, and the action became routine as I "seated" myself on the edge on the screen and just moved up and down - in fact, you could have distilled the concept even more and have disposed of the left and right controls altogether.
As an example of what I mean, my entry is very similar in spirit to your game. In it, you also dodge killer geometrical figures (what's wrong with all those triangles and squares?? So much rage! XD). But I just use one button to control the action.
Best score: 150950
Keep it up! :)
I didn't get it O_o The use of the abilities it pretty cool, but I'd like to know what every one of them does. Does the water whirlpool damage the enemies or just slow them down? And what about the earth ability?
And what was with the raddish-head guy, running from side to side like a mad man?? It was kinda weird...
Finally, the use of the theme was never apparent on my playtime, as I didn't manage to get far enough to see that degradation of gameplay you comment on the game's description.
I, like so many others around here, don't like having to install anything in order to play a game. A sign of the times of sorts, I guess. Sorry about that.
Is the problem with GM:Studio specific to your computer? Because I use GM:Studio and can make standalone exes without a problem. Or is it because of the version?
Too bad, because I was really curious about this one :(
The game's somewhat confusing, made worse by the view moving up and down following the mouse. The forest was so scarcely populated that I didn't have much to do for most of my playtime. And then, I ate a blue-headed guy and my health went actually down for no apparent (or explained) reason.
The graphics are cool, and I especially liked the sort of washed-out look of the overlay. Also, the overall game's design is quite fitting of the theme.
I just feels this game needs to better express what the player's supposed to be doing (and there's no need for any intrusive exposition or tutorial; just a more thorough design of the game's elements), and to keep you busy instead of having you just strolling through the forest with nothing to do.
A promising game to follow.
@arrogant.gamer I got stuck there, too, and got out using the Space key instead of the Enter key I'd used on the rest of the menus.
It looks like an overlook.
Nice entry, with an intriguing concept that unfortunately is kinda hard to play solo. On the other hand, it could be seen as a great way to improve your ambidexterity! :D
Congratulations! :)
Not working for me, either (Chrome, too). Left the page open for ten minutes, in case something was loading on the background, but all I got was a white rectangle.
On the other hand, if that's the idea to begin with, let me name you Emperor of this Ludum Dare edition, as this is as minimalistic as it gets ;)
I'll come back to check on this game again later :D
Sir, I hereby name you Duke of Ludum Dare and King of the Minimalistic Hill! The game, as a piece of software, gets the highest possible rating by being written in batch. The animations are hilarious, and do not get me started on "sound design". Pure genius!
On the other hand, gameplay seemed to boil down to basically get the character running in a straight line and mash the H key every time a stickguy got nearby. It almost became old, fast. Almost. The fighting animations kept me coming back for more XD
In more ways than one, this is the game against which every other entry should be judged.
Congratulations! :)
Thanks for the pro tip! I'll try the game again, running by my fellow stickdudes and clenching my teeth, fighting the urge to go all ascii-fu on their asses XD
And a post-mortem of this particular game's development would indeed be really interesting! :D
Nice game, and as minimalistic as they get :) The control is smooth and the action fast without becoming frantic. I like the sort of old-schoolish feeling you get by being kept on your toes by a game.
My own game is quite similar in concept to yours. In fact, I think the old theory about there being dragons beyond the rim of the world is false: I think all those colored squares of yours go to my game when they disappear through the left edge of the screen, and viceversa! :D
Best score so far: 3393 points
Very interesting concept on paper, but kinda hard to get into. I see now where the comments are coming from: it's hard to plan a strategy when you can't seem to understand how the gameplay works. The gray blocks seem to move using random patterns, or at least those patterns aren't readily obvious. As a result, you end up playing the game almost as a button masher. And I don't think that's the way this game's supposed to be played :)
I liked the way you integrated the main gameplay mechanic to navigate the menus.
Keep it up!
When I clicked on the download link I got this error: "File Belongs to Non-Validated Account."
Well, a lot has already been said about this game, but how come nobody's commented on its biggest asset, yet? The mime, people! The mime! :D A game in which you control a mime gets extra points and a hand-made wool scarf. That's a well known fact.
The concept is interesting, although I find it more simple than minimalistic, even if gameplay mechanics are kept to a bare minimum, as they should. The graphics, aside from the hilarious mime (love that walk cycle, mate!), are functional and easy on the eyes; maybe a little too functional, as there's a disconnection between the characters, richly drawn, and the bare-bones levels.
Too bad about the control issues, but what do we expect from a 48h-72h development? Yeah, been there, broke that :)
And yes, level 8 is frigging hard! ;)
The fact of the matter is that with a little polish and adding some more levels you'd have a very nice, very fun game on your hands.
Congratulations!
Well, I for sure didn't get it. I just saw a game with terrible control that, judging from the music and sound effects, may have a "secret agenda" or a meta use of the theme. But, again, I didn't get it.
So, it didn't feel as minimalistic as just simplistic. Not that that is necessarily a bad thing, mind you, but in this case, if your goal was to make us look at your game in a specific way, I think you may want to help us go beyond the first impression.
I agree with some of the other comments, here: asking for an XBox controller is not a realistic requirement.
Too bad! It certainly looks promising :(
Cool entry! I like the craftsmanship of the graphics and the way Steve's sprite changes over time. It's quite fitting of the theme, too, as much of the action is reduced to press (or rather, mash) the 'E' key. Although it doesn't seem to be the optimal choice for the action key when you use WASD to move around.
But the best part, by far, is the writing. The ending is funny as hell!
Not much gameplay in there, though, but a great one-time experience. And an awesome introduction to a character that I'd love to see in other games.
Best score: 207400
Congratulations!
I have mixed feelings on this one.
On one hand, I like the sort of freedom to experiment that it gives you, and it's aesthetically engaging.
On the other hand, I do not like its art for the sake of art vibe. It also has some serious issues with the control and collision detection, basic for a game. But, then again, this is not exactly a game.
I'd like to see this concept further developed, in order to fully grasp what you were aiming for.
Awesome! The fact that it's actually an Atari 2600 game is mind-blowing to boot, but it stands on its own merits as a real fun game, with a great main mechanic, and also fits the theme to a t.
Hands down, one of my favourite games of this LD! :D
Now, maybe you could contact the guys from RGCD to make some physical copies of this game? :) If you do, save one for me!
Congratulations! :)
Very nicely put together puzzle game, with some interesting design choices and fine level construction. Both the visuals and the sound are pleasing enough without being too distracting, although the first music loop, groovy as it was, became grating after a while.
I just don't see the theme, other than in the entry's description. Not having a player character per se could be considered somewhat minimalistic, as it's clearly unnecessary. But eventually the very blocks take on that role, so there's that.
The game is fun and becomes challenging without ever resorting to cheap tricks or getting unfair. And achieving that sort of balance as well as... well, actually making the game, in 48 hours... that, sir, is quite an accomplishment :)
Oh! And I found out that pressing the right mouse button skips the current level. A debugging tool you forgot to deactivate, or a cheat?
Congratulations!
Quite a bizarre entry... I'm still trying to wrap my head around the concept of having to guess which lane you're supposed to be driving in by identifying the origin of the words describing the vehicle you're about to encounter. It's kinda hard/unfair for the non-English speaking people, don't you think? And what surprises me more is that you sound like English is not your mother tongue, either. Genius or madness? Kudos for thinking outside of the box, anyway.
I like the visual style of the game, and the happy inclusion of a speed control; otherwise I may have fallen asleep at the wheel, and you know how dangerous that can be, people! :)
Keep it up!
As someone else pointed out, this is an awesomely artsy guestbook. A very neat idea, and a technical prowess for the time constraints, that shows you've got some deadly programming chops.
All in all, a nice collaborative experience, very fitting of the theme. I'm just not too much into games without any gameplay to them - yeah, the ages old debate about games as art :)
Congratulations! :)
Well, that sure was minimalism for you! :) I would have taken it a step further, though, and kept the mechanics down to just walk back and forth.
Oh, and I found the hidden potato. Yay! :D
Congratulations! :)
One of the most fun games I've played so far on this LD! It's really well thought out, with a number of very interesting game mechanics - maybe a little too many to be exactly minimalistic. Sound design is good, too, and a welcome addition in a LD game ;)
Even if, to me, it doesn't perfectly fit the theme, it's a terrifically designed game that I've played from top to bottom and that would look and play great on a touch screen.
If you develop this game further, post-LD, count me in.
Congratulations! :)
Awesome little jewel of a game! Had me thinking about it for a while after I played it.
I liked the mood, strengthened by every little detail you put in there. And there was a lot of those.
Graphics-wise, I loved it: from the NES-like pixel art to every effect to pulled out of your hat - the leaves, the particles, the change of scenery.
The music is also great, and the feeling of flying around is very, very nice.
My only complaint, if I had to name one, is the potato thing, that to me detracted from the overall experience.
Other than that, the best LD26 game I've played thus far. Hands down.
If this is what you can come up with with a theme you hate, I can't wait to play whatever comes out of a theme you actually like! :D
Congratulations! :)
Impressive "Minecraft" vibe for an LD48 game! The exploration of the mechanics is a nice concept, but needs the player to think outside of the box a little too much; it's easy to get bored of planting potatoes if you don't happen to find the way to get the giant potato and move the experience forward.
There's also the "potato" thing, that it's sort of a love/hate matter in this edition, and I tend more to the later than to the former :)
Congratulations! :)
Nice game, and a perfect fit for the theme, both in terms of visual design and game mechanics. The dialogue was ok, and the music is pretty cool.
The pace was too frantic for me, though, and it made avoiding the enemies on the first and third stages almost impossible, which moved the game into "I don't care I'll just get the bonus pieces" territory. Also, there's no sense of progression; it's full on from the get go.
BTW: you don't ignore dancing llamas; dancing llamas ignore you. Everyone knows that.
Congrats! :)
Very moody and atmospheric, and I like the way you added the Mondrian-esque visual flair to the very gameplay, instead of simply using it as an "easy" backdrop for the action in order to get extra theme points.
The click thing, even though it's a feature and not a bug, still kinda seems detracting from the overall experience. And a free, 'endurance' mode where you can click you brains out would certainly be a nice post-compo addition :D
Congratulations! :)
One of the truly minimalistic games I've tried, so kudos to you for that. You distilled one of the mechanics of a Mario game to its purest form - stomping on enemies :)
But that said, it quickly became tedious. You could have added enemies with different behaviors to spice things up (there weren't any up until the point I played).
Also, bearing in mind how minimalistic the visuals are, maybe you could have used a simpler particle for the stomping effect. It looked somewhat out of place to me.
If you could manage to keep things fresh from level to level, this would be an awesome game for a touch screen device, and one that I'd personally like to play.
I think there's potential for a really fun 2-players game here. If you just streamlined a little bit the controls, to make the movement feel smoother, and added some gameplay mechanics that allowed the players to interact between them (like being able to paralyze your opponent for a couple seconds by hitting him/her with a ball of paint), it would become a frantic piece of old-school couch fun.
All in all, a nice effort with plenty of potential for further development :)
You had me at "Hyperborea" :)
I like all the little details that you put in there, and the way that you bothered to create a save system. But, on the other hand, I'd liked to know why I was walking around, looking for brightly colored spheres in the middle of that barren land. Not that it matters, but it would help me as a player to keep pushing forward.
Do the "monsters" track you using the footsteps the PC leaves on the snow?
Congratulations! :)
Interesting concept, and certainly a great fit for the theme. I like the retro graphics, and the music was nice, although I'd have liked something a little more chiptune-y in nature, more fitting to the graphics and gameplay.
My only complaint would be the level with the question mark, as I found it to be rather unfair, bearing in mind that the secondary objective of the game is to use as few moves as possible, and that's impossible by definition on that specific level. Thus, I felt it was somewhat detracting from the whole experience.
Congratulations! :)
Cool idea and a good take on the theme. But I think there's a vast potential left untapped, mainly due to level design.
See, the main mechanic is really interesting, but it's never put to good use. The puzzles are actually about the right sequence, not the right mix of colors. And the right sequence is always pretty obvious.
Controls should be a little tighter, too. The character should move a little bit slower - this is a puzzle game, so there's no rush :)
Finally, I had some trouble seeing the white blocks. Maybe you could make the wall blocks somewhat darker in tone.
All in all, a good idea with huge potential for mind-boggling puzzles. I had thought about this same color-mixing concept for my own game, but I tossed it aside, painting it (oops!) as too uninteresting. You proved me truly wrong.
Congratulations! :)
I like the core concept of having to navigate a maze using a "hot/cold" approach.
I had some trouble navigating the levels, though, as the character tends to hit the corners when moving horizontally. You could have made the collision mask smaller for the character, or the corridors a little bit wider.
Bearing in mind that many times you have to decide which way to go without any information, it would have been nice to have a reset key to restart the level and try a different direction whenever it becomes obvious you've taken a wrong turn.
Finally, the use of the theme is appropriate, but a little too much "on your face" a lot of the time, with so many repeated references to it.
Neat entry, although the pace of the game is on the slow side, and fighting that many triangles (even though I hate triangles! XD) at that speed quickly becomes tedious.
Also, I tried to play the web version, first, but even though it seemed to load correctly, the game never launched.
To begin, you get extra points for the game's title - it has to be one of the BEST game title's ever! :D
The gameplay is quite minimalistic, and I like its frantic, arcade-like quality. Graphics are also very nice.
That said, I became quickly frustrated by the randomness of the action. If you could have just added a small, subtle hint about when a laser is about to fire, that would have made all the difference in the world, as then you can make informed decisions. Split second informed decisions :D
Keep it up! :)
On the positive side, the game fits the theme ok, although it feels more simplistic than minimalistic, and the music was quite nice; the loop didn't get old.
On the flip side, I didn't have much fun with this game 'cause there was no real challenge to it. I just kept moving around without any sense of purpose or threat, avoiding the static red guy and the strange blue whirlpool that suddenly appears on screen. The victory condition is not clear enough, as you seem to be able to beat the levels without changing every tile's color.
Also, the graphics are really poor for a team effort/jam entry. If you only had added some small animation to the characters, it would've gone a long way towards completing the game's appearance.
Maybe if you added some more dynamic enemies moving around the game area, like in Qix, or a puzzle side to the color changing, like Q-Bert did, it would improve the overall sense of fun. But as it stands right now, there's nothing there to make me want to play it again.
Man, that was the leanest, meanest shinobi I've played in a while! :) Great use of the theme and nice implementation of the one-button concept.
I made a one-button game for this compo, myself, as I'm sure many others have, and it's quite interesting to see how such a simple mechanic can be used to make games that are so different.
I liked the ink wash background a lot.
Congratulations! :)
Very nice game, indeed! It's hard as nails at times, but that's the way games used to be, and that fits the look & feel of your game perfectly. I think games should leave you with a sense of accomplishment, and your game does that in spades.
My own game is a one button game, and it deals with changing directions in a similar, yet quite different, way. I also chose to put the player's brain to the work, and avoid visual hints that would make the game unnecessarily easy. Here, the platform's color clearly points to the direction the character will move - that's more than enough.
A game to follow, should you decide to keep on working on it post-LD!
Congratulations! :)
This entry has as lot of heart and personality, that shows easily. Both the visuals and the musics' quality are about what you can expect from a jam entry.
But, other than that, it's nothing more than a 3-4 seconds clickfeast. Bam, you're done. The other characters' behavior ranges from standing still doing nothing to throwing stuff between them at close range and completely ignoring you. Also, the theme is nowhere to be seen, besides the entry's description.
And it's too bad, because the concept seems to have a lot of potential, as this sort of zero-sum shooter. But, right now, there's not a game there, yet.
Keep it up!
A nice concept and very strong execution, with a top-notch presentation that would be at home in any AAA game. That makes the plainness of the menus all the more surprising.
Just not very fun for me, nor too funny, with the exception of the introductory text - I must be getting old, but I don't really care about fart jokes. Especially as a game mechanic.
The theme's nowhere to be seen, either.
I'd have liked to be able to visit the levels prior to putting together the creature, and not the other way around. Turning the game into a proper puzzle, rather than an exercise in trial and error.
The game is fun on its own, challenging yet accessible, and an awesome use of the theme. The controls are spot on and it manages to never seem unfair. But, above all, what I like about this game is how it manages to actually send across a couple messages about life.
For one, you have to be patient in this game. You must learn when to move forward, when to wait, and when to take a step back.
Getting bigger as time goes by, making obstacles more difficult to avoid is also a great design decision, both as a gameplay mechanic and as a comment on life.
Some of the death messages are a bit heavyhanded, like "You were beaten to death by your stepfather". Others seemed a little out of place, like "You died from trying to return the One Ring" - but still are funny as hell XD You must have had a blast coming up with all those texts!
All in all, it's impressively profound for a minimalistic game about a square jumping over triangles :)
Best score: 30 :(
Congratulations! :D