Ignis by Fanatrick

[raw]
made by Fanatrick for LD30 (COMPO)
!NOTICE!
If your browser prevents download in terms of it being malicious it's a false positive. Second, zipped link should work with no problems. Scan the file before running to make sure I'm not pulling your finger.

WASD - Movement
Mouse click - Fire

Ignis is a 2D platformer with similar setup like Super Meat Boy, Boyshi and others that share the same "short levels - one life" gameplay.

There's a twist to why it fits the theme. Character's perception is off, and the player must find the truth in a huge-ass mirror below him. Worlds connected by reflection, per se. Your character has the ability to conjure fire, which helps in dark areas and lets you destroy moving enemies.

The game itself is really difficult, however there are 2 different modes, Medium and Heroic. Don't get discouraged if you die a lot. I spent almost 48 hours on it yet I barely finished the last level. But I'm no "pro-gamer".

The game is using Shader Model 3.0 GLSL shaders, machines with outdated GPU cards will either run into problems or feature crashes. I simply couldn't test this out more in such a short timeframe.

Ratings

Coolness 100% 1
Overall 3.40 363
Audio 2.48 674
Fun 3.02 578
Graphics 3.88 140
Humor 2.28 581
Innovation 3.16 552
Mood 2.98 564
Theme 3.76 179

Feedback

hyouko
25. Aug 2014 路 03:01 UTC
Getting a malware warning (not the 'uncommon download' one) on this one in Chrome.
Garrett Hoofman
25. Aug 2014 路 03:03 UTC
I am as well.
馃帳 Fanatrick
25. Aug 2014 路 03:08 UTC
It's a .zip file containing an .exe and a .dll. It's a false positive. Go to settings -> advanced -> privacy and disable malware/phishing protection. I'll upload a sandboxed version...
geekygenius
25. Aug 2014 路 03:10 UTC
Yeaa.. I didn't get very far. Very cool concept.
馃帳 Fanatrick
25. Aug 2014 路 03:18 UTC
If sandboxed doesn't help maybe check this out:
http://gmc.yoyogames.com/index.php?showtopic=614454
Jaloko
25. Aug 2014 路 03:47 UTC
Also didn't get very far but awesome reflection effect.
ianh
25. Aug 2014 路 03:50 UTC
This game is hard! I like the graphical style.
nintendoeats
25. Aug 2014 路 03:53 UTC
This is harder than I am able to do. But I appreciate the impressive production values.

I think the real difficulty is that trying to watch 2 things, one of which contains more threats and is obscured is pretty much the opposite of what human beings are designed to do. Multitasking is hard.
ViliX
25. Aug 2014 路 03:54 UTC
The menu is amazing! :)
Weaver
25. Aug 2014 路 04:27 UTC
Looks great! Super tough game, but really fun. I kept trying until I could progress.
pvtroswold
25. Aug 2014 路 05:04 UTC
Everything looks and sounds great! It's pretty challenging though!
CogComp
25. Aug 2014 路 12:57 UTC
Difficult was the right word :-) Some tweaking of jump mechanics might help. But otherwise a great production! Congrats!
馃帳 Fanatrick
25. Aug 2014 路 14:32 UTC
It's great to hear you guys didn't give up! I was scared people would label it as too hard and just quit early, but luckily that's not the case :D

I highly appreciate all the feedback!
Inateno
25. Aug 2014 路 22:18 UTC
Awesome graphics, nice effects on water but it's really hard to check the both at the same time, it's really hard !
FGM
25. Aug 2014 路 22:21 UTC
Yeah it's hard, but mostly due to the controls. They feel kinda stiff, making it difficult to maneuver. Awesome graphics. The title screen made me wow.
ReddogStone
25. Aug 2014 路 22:28 UTC
A really fun game with a nice visual style. It is horribly hard, though. I didn't even try heroic o_O and couldn't get past level 1. And I really would love to see more than just the beginning. Apart from that it's a really cool and polished game. I like it, a lot.
skullum
25. Aug 2014 路 22:30 UTC
Great game, best menu screen I've seen so far :)
馃帳 Fanatrick
25. Aug 2014 路 23:26 UTC
Thanks. I understand the game can be really difficult. I personally completed every level before releasing it. Obviously programming and heavy-testing the game myself I grew accustomed to the mechanics, but that also means everyone else is capable of beating the game as well :D
BillToWin
26. Aug 2014 路 00:57 UTC
Game was hard. I tried the start of each of the normal levels and tried to get as I could but it wasn't happening. So, I resigned to staring at the main menu for a couple minutes, it's mesmerizing (not to mention the amazing reflection effect). A+ for the menu alone. That broccoli makes me smile real hard.
saguaro
26. Aug 2014 路 02:03 UTC
I really like the concept. This game slaughtered me though.
OfficialDingbat
26. Aug 2014 路 03:07 UTC
It was pretty hard and the controls were a little tough, but I loved the idea of the game and the reflection affect on the water was really cool :)
Victory Garden
26. Aug 2014 路 03:26 UTC
Man, that Gif at the title screen and in your post got me all excited for a different sort of game... I want to play a flight sim like that.

The "real world in a reflection" thing is a clever take on the theme (and another beautiful graphical effect), and made for a challenging platformer. It's a little frustrating, but It feels like that sort of platformer. Good work on your entry!
SoulGame
26. Aug 2014 路 03:43 UTC
Well done for achieving your work. On one hand the game looks nice with its pixel arts and overall design, plus the theme is pretty well respected. On the other hand the water reflect + the huge size of pixels + the cruelty of level design just make it no fun for me. I like runner/plate-former but this one is too much pain!
馃帳 Fanatrick
26. Aug 2014 路 04:06 UTC
I definitely know what you're saying about the cruelty of the level design! I tested them so much myself till the point where they started being easy. Just play testing this one took an enormous chunk of dev time, but it was time well spent indeed.
Sunflower
26. Aug 2014 路 08:47 UTC
Gosh, this really *is* hard. The fact that controls are WSAD doesn't help. >.< These are very nice effects here indeed, though (I didn't know why the title is "Ignis" until I tried out the heroic...). Still, I completed only the first level and it left me pretty exhausted; might have something to do with the fact that levels are long, which makes it more tiring than e.g. Meat-Boy ones.

(also, aside from typical developer bonus you already knew the arrangement of elements, which probably reduced the difficulty of discovering levels for you; not telling the game is impossible, rather that you had even more developer advantage than usual ^^")
KevinZuhn
27. Aug 2014 路 19:53 UTC
The effects are rather nice, especially the fire and reflections. I have yet to beat it due to the difficulty. I spent the whole time staring at the reflected world, as it seems like nothing in the above world actually mattered.
馃帳 Fanatrick
27. Aug 2014 路 23:08 UTC
@KevinZuhn:
Moving enemies (spiked balls) can be killed with fire with mouse buttons. In later levels killing them becomes simpler than evading them.
mcapraro
28. Aug 2014 路 05:45 UTC
well done on the reflection mechanic!
Criminon
28. Aug 2014 路 21:30 UTC
Looks good. Interesting concept! I would say its definitely unique. Very hard to play, but still fun. I would say my main gripe is the jump physics, and jump being on the up button instead of space. Other than that, solid work.
ghostinthesoft
30. Aug 2014 路 05:15 UTC
The game is hard but I like the idea. Nice effect on start screen.
LandoSystems
31. Aug 2014 路 20:00 UTC
Lovely art style, great shimmer effect for the water. Too difficult though... I couldn't get past the first bridge (since I kept falling through it for some reason?)
馃帳 Fanatrick
01. Sep 2014 路 01:18 UTC
^ You didn't read the info, that's the whole point of the "Connected Worlds" theme. The world is different in the reflection.
OxyOxspring
01. Sep 2014 路 02:39 UTC
The graphics are really juicy. I love the reflection in the water so much!
KingBolonzo
01. Sep 2014 路 20:26 UTC
Absolutely loved this game movement was kinda weird but still one of the most fun Ive played yet really like the theme that was awesome dude id ide gave you 5 stars if there was more sound
lowcade
02. Sep 2014 路 15:04 UTC
The reflection effect is awesome! Good work with the concept.
GFM
03. Sep 2014 路 02:30 UTC
Nice work with those shaders! :)

But controls could have used some more work... It's quite imprecise. Instead of instantaneously getting to the maximum velocity, you should (imo) have made it accelerate to its max speed. This way, movement would be smoother and more controlable.
馃帳 Fanatrick
03. Sep 2014 路 14:21 UTC
The movement is too precise. You press the key the character moves, you release it he stops. Problem is, he's moving too fast horizontally which makes it hard to aim platforms. If the movement wasn't this precise the game would've been even harder.
Stan Sypek
04. Sep 2014 路 01:04 UTC
Really love the reflection, but couldn't get anywhere to experience what it does. WASD is bad for me as a right hander. Sure I can use WASD, but you require more precision than I could give. I couldn't even get across the first bridge. I know what has to be done, just couldn't finese the jumps with my left hand. Love the opening screen.
馃帳 Fanatrick
04. Sep 2014 路 19:15 UTC
Pretty much spending 5 seconds in any of the levels lets you experience what reflection does. In fact you can't complete the very first jump of the first level without using the reflection......
Aglavra
04. Sep 2014 路 20:17 UTC
I liked the concept, although the game was too difficult for me. The graphics are done very good.
Jupiter_Hadley
05. Sep 2014 路 20:52 UTC
Difficult game, but well made. I included it in part 16 of my Ludum Dare 30 Compilation video series, if you鈥檇 like to check it out :) http://youtu.be/bMx3RCVCht0