Let Me Out by Psyho

[raw]
made by Psyho for LD32 (COMPO)
[Important Stuff]

I highly recommend playing it on the full screen. Unfortunately I haven't figured out why web version sets wrong resolution when going full screen. Because of that, download is preferable.

If you're stuck, you can look at the walkthrough.

In the comments I also addressed the common critique to my game. So, if you didn't saw what the unconventional weapon was or you just want to write another comment about that stupid jumping level please read it before :) I'm writing this, because I'm fully aware of those issues (and fully agree with them), but at the same time, I'd love to get a feedback about different aspects of the game. And yes, transition effect between screens is awesome, I know! :) It's even more awesome in post-comp version.


[Controls]

Only keyboard is supported
WSAD/arrows: walking
space: jump
escape: suicide (you shouldn't ever need that)

[Game]

Creepy and minimalistic puzzle platformer.
Made with unity.
The game should take around 10-15 mins to finish.
It almost has a meaningful ending. I took a rather unconventional (and TBH cheap one too) approach to the theme. Unfortunately, I ran out of time to polish the ending, but I hope it's still clear.
Kind of finished and shouldn't contain any game-breaking bugs. At least, I'm able to finish it without any problems.
I haven't tested it on other machines, but it works on mine ;)
There's no way to mute that annoying ambient. It is annoying on purpose.
Placing of invisible walls is a little bit inconsistent. Sorry for that.

Oh, and Don't jump from the bridge!


[About Me]

I started my adventure with game development around 3 months ago (I'm working on my own project in a small team). This is my first LD and I thought I'll try to do something that I don't feel comfortable with. So instead of creating something fun & challenging game with innovative mechanics, I did something completely opposite.

Enjoy ;)


[Post-Compo Version]

I did the "post-compo" version, which adds XBOX gamepad support, fixes the physics (no more wall climbing, the movement is more responsive and it's easier to jump off the edges), fixes ending, improves level design in a few places (although only minor changes), adds proper intro and some other small changes/bugfixes. When using the gamepad, you can hit any of the "back" buttons to snap the movement to the closest "round" direction.

Links:
Unity (Web): https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/81733842/PostCompo/BuildWeb.html
Win: https://www.dropbox.com/s/sbcf6tyy0xip9j3/LetMeOutWin.zip?dl=0
Mac (not tested): https://www.dropbox.com/s/3svul6mn4itkw8i/LetMeOutMac.zip?dl=0
Linux (not tested): https://www.dropbox.com/s/spzldfp2zxic39i/LetMeOutLinux.zip?dl=0

Ratings

Coolness 71% 3
Overall 3.35 393
Audio 3.56 128
Fun 2.93 664
Graphics 3.18 464
Humor 1.81 916
Innovation 3.05 592
Mood 3.85 49
Theme 2.41 1037

Feedback

OccamsRazor
20. Apr 2015 路 02:51 UTC
I love the audio track in this, creepy and unsettling, and kind of trippy. It's a really good aesthetic all the way through.
randomperson42
20. Apr 2015 路 03:00 UTC
Is there a challenge? Seems like a bit of a walking simulator.
Boodog
20. Apr 2015 路 03:05 UTC
Great music! I absolutely loved your graphics style, and how those blocks expand and go small! Great job!
馃帳 Psyho
20. Apr 2015 路 03:07 UTC
@randomperson42:

Yes there is, although first 6-8 screens are pretty much just walking/jumping. Once the lights go out, pretty much there are no more "filler" screens.

But I agree that the beginning is too lengthy. Especially for LD.
AlfalfaStudios
20. Apr 2015 路 03:29 UTC
Very cool game! I love the ascetics with the music!

I ended up not being able to make a jump at one point to continue or I missed something but reminded me a lot of Solstice for the old NES.

Great job!
micahcowan
20. Apr 2015 路 03:32 UTC
Love me an isomorphic game.

That room like two before the lights go out is insane, though. So hard to tell where things are in spatial relationship to one another.

Didn't get past the four guys waiting for you at the bottom of the stairs, couldn't find the way to proceed there.

Great game!
togie
20. Apr 2015 路 04:20 UTC
is anyone else etting a problem when trying to jump while holding down 2 other keys??? lol
kaype
20. Apr 2015 路 04:22 UTC
This feels like a video game version of the GameCube intro thing and menu... I guess it's just the music/blocky aesthetic.

Good game!
internetpaulicy
20. Apr 2015 路 05:18 UTC
Neat perspective tricks. Maybe tweak the puzzle so that its possible without jumping? The puzzle loading effect is pretty cool.
Figglewatts
20. Apr 2015 路 11:51 UTC
I really like this. Especially the transition effect between levels, how did you do that?
馃帳 Psyho
20. Apr 2015 路 21:00 UTC
@Figglewatts:
The transition effect is actually pretty simple. I use wrapper methods for creating all of the level elements, instead of instantiating them directly. Those wrapper methods automatically disable physics & scripts while the effect is lasting. The animation itself is done with the help of Unity's coroutines.

I actually wrote the whole system for such animations and my goal was to use a random effect every time you change the screens. If you want to check the code, see the GameLoop class for the wrapper methods and ObjectEffects class for the effects itself.
esayitch
21. Apr 2015 路 22:37 UTC
Pretty cool, stylish game, but I didn't understand what the unconventional weapon was. The first three levels are all walking and you can't fall, and then you have a level with multiple jumps that is not very clear where they are... so the two things I have to point out are: 1) Usage of theme, 2) Difficulty curve.

Aside from that, I really loved the graphics and the sound. The game is very atmospheric and creepy. Good job on that!

Good luck!
43iscoding
22. Apr 2015 路 08:42 UTC
This is the most moody game I've seen so far at LD32. A very solid entry for the first time. Everything is simple and in it's own place. Good job!
nonetheless
22. Apr 2015 路 20:28 UTC
pretty neat game :)
TeamCalcium
23. Apr 2015 路 13:12 UTC
The animation at the end and at the beginning of a level are beautiful.
kabutakogames
23. Apr 2015 路 13:15 UTC
I like the style and the way the levels load in, but I find the controls a little tough to figure out where my character is going to go
Anshul Goyal
24. Apr 2015 路 00:01 UTC
Good game. I really like the level transitions!
Evergreen Games
24. Apr 2015 路 05:50 UTC
very cool! the gameplay was a little tedious but the mood was amazing. i love the level transition effect. the orthographic view made some of the jumps really hard.
Pinktreeleaf
24. Apr 2015 路 06:41 UTC
I had to stop myself from playing. that's a good thing. I like this a lot.
alex31016
24. Apr 2015 路 16:42 UTC
I do not understand the game and neither the unconventional weapon. Anyway is good average for a 2 day prototype and I really like the animation of cubes at the beginning of each level. Sometimes is really hard to visualize the depth and height of the platforms.
馃帳 Psyho
24. Apr 2015 路 17:11 UTC
Just a few words from my side referring to the common comments:

- The game is very minimalistic on purpose. The goal of the game is to get out. The ending is using a conventional weapon in a very unconventional way.
- Yes, the usage of the theme is very cheap pseudo-artistic one. I had to scrap 60-70% of the level design ideas (due to approaching deadline) and change the ending. The original idea had the unconventional weapon acquired at place where the ending happens. I guess someone can figure out what it was doing considering one unused door throughout whole game.
- Messing up with spatial recognition was done on purpose. All of the platforms start on the same level and you can use personal light to guide you. While I think it's a nice idea and the levels using those were quite decent, I absolutely failed at proper tempo of increasing the difficulty of the game. Such thing would probably be fine after 30 minutes or so of playing when the player is accustomed to the mechanics. So definitely this doesn't fit here under any circumstances.
- I don't really understand what's wrong with the controls, although I tried to improve them in my post-compo version, there are no bigger changes to them.
- If you're reading this and you're leaving comment. Please tell me, how far did you got. I'm guessing that a lot of people gave up either on jumping level or at "dead end".
Aaranos
24. Apr 2015 路 17:25 UTC
Found I couldn't trust my eyes for a few of the jumps, but I like how it eases you into the new stuff instead of just tossing you into a room with 50 things. Audio adds to the atmosphere.
mockthebear
24. Apr 2015 路 19:37 UTC
wow!
jplur
25. Apr 2015 路 20:41 UTC
loved the transition effects on the tiles, great audio too!
F. Wiktora
25. Apr 2015 路 21:48 UTC
Creepy. The simple design makes it even creepier. Good idea, but where is the unconventional weapon?

Anyway, the game feels catchy in a good way. Great game!
richiebranson
25. Apr 2015 路 21:55 UTC
The audio does an awesome job of setting the mood here. The isometric view point definitely adds to the challenge as the rooms progress. Well done!
SledKnight
12. May 2015 路 00:04 UTC
Whew!!! I made it to the blue balls without the walkthrough. Albeit with a lot of cursing and yelling, mainly at the guy following my light... lol

Difficulty ramp is too steep, and it has some spots that make you think "where do I go from here", but all-in-all, I loved it!

Great use of level spawn-in with enlarging blocks. I can't wait to review the code. Well done! (although, I don't know what the weapon was...)