LudumData

Safer in the Dark by broknecho

[raw]
made by broknecho for LD32 (JAM)
Safer in the Dark

Objective:
========================
Remember when you were a child and you hid from monsters under your blanket? Or easier yet, just closed your eyes? In Safer in the Dark, most harm cannot fall on you while your eyes are closed.

But be aware, you must watch your step.

Try to get to the end of the level as fast as you can while spending as much time with your eyes closed.


Controls:
========================
Space bar: OPEN and CLOSE your eyes
Arrow keys: Move


Interface:
========================
Speaker Icon: Toggle all sounds
Music icon: Toggle Music


Tools Used
===============
- Construct 2
- Paint.net
- Audacity
- Freesound.org
- Art:
credit Scott Matott - http://www.indiedb.com/games/instant-dungeon
http://opengameart.org/content/instant-dungeon-v14-art-pack

- Music:

"Come Play with Me" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

"Past the Edge" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Web http://broknecho.itch.io/safer-in-the-dark
Windows http://broknecho.itch.io/safer-in-the-dark
OS/X http://broknecho.itch.io/safer-in-the-dark
Linux http://broknecho.itch.io/safer-in-the-dark
Original URL https://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-32/?action=preview&uid=45690

Ratings

Coolness 78% 2
Overall(Jam) 3.98 47
Fun(Jam) 3.84 72
Humor(Jam) 2.97 465
Innovation(Jam) 4.29 11
Mood(Jam) 4.29 15
Theme(Jam) 3.91 133

Feedback

VividReality
21. Apr 2015 · 06:19 UTC
Really nice idea! I've never heard of closing your eyes as a game mechanic! (might be because I don't know any games in the horror genre). Good job!
pixzleone
21. Apr 2015 · 06:21 UTC
Very cool mechanic! I like it!
j_peeba
21. Apr 2015 · 06:35 UTC
A very moody game and I like the visuals (the LOS effect in particular) and the audio really enhances the mood! :)

While I have to admit it's cool as a concept, the core mechanic of closing the eyes doesn't really add to the overall fun of the game IMO. When the best tactic is memorizing the level and then wandering around blindly, the experience is more frustrating than it is rewarding.
RoryD
21. Apr 2015 · 06:38 UTC
I like the mechanic, and the execution is good. The fact that the camera sometimes pans means you can lose your sense of motion. I wonder if it would be more intuitive if the camera were on fixed screens? I definitely started the double-tap space peek. Good job!
Luke Nizik
21. Apr 2015 · 06:40 UTC
I was a confused by camera movement when my eyes was closed, but the game is a nice job in general. I would like to see something similar in 3d :)
Kawaii Game Studios
21. Apr 2015 · 06:41 UTC
Great game, but in the end it get's a bit boring just searchhing for keys and when you die the monsters just dissapear. But overall a great game.
LandoSystems
21. Apr 2015 · 06:44 UTC
The simple art style really fits the gameplay and the theme interpretation is clever too. The audio track really adds the mood. This game is great!
Kyatric
21. Apr 2015 · 16:18 UTC
I have to agree that the despawn/respawn mechanic takes away from the fear/mood.
On the other hand, it feels like some of the monsters are to be "defeated" that way.

Nice idea overall, well executed.
bror_charlie
21. Apr 2015 · 16:27 UTC
Dammmmnn Dude that was great! A fresh idea, well implemented! A great atmosphere and intriguing story. Well done buddy!
Adreqi
21. Apr 2015 · 17:12 UTC
I liked the idea :) Cool game, cool graphics, cool audio, Well the only thing I didn't like so much was the ending x)
S0lll0s
21. Apr 2015 · 18:05 UTC
Well-conveyed mood and nice music. Gameplay is rather innovative idea and well executed, a lot of fun to play too!

Frankly, i had a very similar mechanic for my LD#28 game: http://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-28/?action=preview&uid=28620
AtomicVikings
21. Apr 2015 · 18:10 UTC
Really Really nice idea. Had fun to play it. Good job. Can you make a post combo version of that?
TheScragglyMan
21. Apr 2015 · 18:12 UTC
Omg what a game, Has to be my favourite concept so far, Amazingly executed, huge difficulty level, and the audio, God what ride :)
Kep
21. Apr 2015 · 18:27 UTC
I kinda stopped caring about dying when I realized that the monsters didn't respawn and I kept my keys, but I enjoyed it. Nice work.
rd127p77
21. Apr 2015 · 21:46 UTC
The game is great overall but it is really hard to know where the doors are. Maybe when close your eyes the area where the doors are could be black. But overall Great Job!
guigrillo13
22. Apr 2015 · 00:33 UTC
I loved the light effect,may I ask what is the math behind it?
🎤 broknecho
22. Apr 2015 · 00:38 UTC
@All Thanks so much for the feedback!

@guigrillo13 I am using the built in lighting features of the Construct 2 engine: https://www.scirra.com/manual/178/shadow-light
guigrillo13
22. Apr 2015 · 00:41 UTC
Oh okay! Thanks man
RyanNielson
22. Apr 2015 · 01:44 UTC
Great game! I love the concept, graphics, and the mood. It all just goes really well together. Only thing is I found it too easy since you're completely invincible in the dark, maybe there's some other way to balance that. Nice job!
randoman
22. Apr 2015 · 15:32 UTC
Very nice entry! Cool mechanics and the audio lights up the mood really nice.
Andrea
22. Apr 2015 · 17:07 UTC
Seriously? Best game I played this Ludum Dare! Game mechanics, music... everything is a hit!
I just wish it was longer!
natalye
22. Apr 2015 · 22:23 UTC
Very cool concept, and well executed. I liked how the area of vision is blocked by objects and changes with your position. Really fun!
It wasn't very clear to me which key I needed to get for which door, and I felt a bit like I was just going around collecting all the keys, without planning.
Crefossus
22. Apr 2015 · 23:18 UTC
Mood was good (fitting music/sfx) and the mechanic worked very well. Maybe you could show the outline of the level while in eyes closed mode.

I liked how you reset the enemy velocity so you don't get jumped instantly. Maybe you could have different enemy types like ones that charge when they see you.
LukeZaz
23. Apr 2015 · 01:36 UTC
Very good game, introduces the mechanics excellently and in general very well polished.
Dreyan
23. Apr 2015 · 04:45 UTC
A truly unique and innovative mechanic executed perfectly. Great game.
popcorn897
23. Apr 2015 · 05:36 UTC
Super spooky! I love/hate the feeling of not being able to see the baddies. So much fear and suspense in the moment of opening your eyes. Way to capture that! Good Work!
rogueNoodle
23. Apr 2015 · 20:51 UTC
Loved the mechanic - very original!
Dorgam
23. Apr 2015 · 23:22 UTC
Very creative concept, I would like to see it polished and with more mechanics added. Maybe put some planket gameplay XD
psychonull
27. Apr 2015 · 01:21 UTC
Cool game. The music, sounds, the graphics and the mechanic are great. Good job!!
SpringCabal
28. Apr 2015 · 00:27 UTC
Game is innovative and fun to play.
Omiya Games
28. Apr 2015 · 00:30 UTC
Exceptionally solid game mechanic that I really enjoyed. Very cool idea, and clever to boot.

I felt like the pits being real was kind of unfair. I'm like that. I totally like that the camera follows when you close your eyes, making it harder to make out your surroundings.
mike.cullingham
01. May 2015 · 17:04 UTC
Clever little game. Nice twist on the theme. Movement might be improved if you could slide around corners... but not sure. I definitely enjoyed it.
Xanjos
05. May 2015 · 23:08 UTC
Pretty cool concept plus I loved the mood you've set.
Mathieu Muller
06. May 2015 · 11:08 UTC
Very innovative game. I really liked it. However, I was a bit surprised that flames also disappeared when I was closing my eyes. I'd though this was some kind of additional constraint for a room where closing my eyes wouldn't have any effect.
🎤 broknecho
06. May 2015 · 18:56 UTC
@Mathieu Muller Yeah I had to decide on a few traps that stayed around and some that didn't. So the Pits stay around and the fire goes away when you close your eyes :)
radmars
07. May 2015 · 01:57 UTC
Awesome concept! I wish there was a bit more give and take on the camera movement so you could get your bearings more with your eyes closed, and the level design was a bit wandery later on, but otherwise really fun. Great work.
flummox3d
07. May 2015 · 14:47 UTC
Very cool mechanic! I kept luring all the monsters to the holes and after that it was a bit more calm adventure :D Nice work :)
SeriouslyCrunchy
07. May 2015 · 15:44 UTC
Excellent idea for the theme, very well executed, my only complaint is as others have said, you tend to walk around double tapping space.
tmpxyz
09. May 2015 · 10:46 UTC
nice work, well polished