anachroma by zillix
explore an enigmatic world devoid of color
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CONTROLS
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arrow keys to move
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UPDATES
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8/29/16:
- improved sfx balance
- addressed several difficult jumps
- increased view distance
- adjusted ending requirements
- ending can no longer be accidentally triggered
---------
CONTROLS
---------
arrow keys to move
---------
UPDATES
---------
8/29/16:
- improved sfx balance
- addressed several difficult jumps
- increased view distance
- adjusted ending requirements
- ending can no longer be accidentally triggered
| Web (enhanced) | http://zillix.com/media/anachroma_webgl/index.html |
| Web (compo, broken link) | https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/5333420/anachroma_webgl%20-%2048/index.html |
| Source | https://github.com/zillix/LD36 |
| Original URL | https://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-36/?action=preview&uid=2460 |
It felt a little unfocused. I just wandered around somewhat randomly. It seemed like there would be challenge in getting all the triangles, but it was easy to lose track of them if I couldn't see an obvious way to get to them.
I think I get what you're going for with the theme, but the connection isn't very clear. Maybe I missed some of the circle-info-thingies.
Overall, the movement mechanics are very interesting. I enjoyed playing it and want to play more.
Can you add your game on indiexpo.net ? (it's free)
So we can include also your game in the video ;)
p.s. write #LDJAM in the game's description.
My main crit - please add input delay after dying! Many times I missed a jump, died, then ran off the edge to die again! I only played the compo version, so maybe you added delay in the improved version.
Anyway, great job!
One thing that bothered me however was the fall damage. It felt a little arbitrary in height, and I never knew if I could jump a certain distance.
Great work overall though. Music was good as well.
I felt the mechanic reveal was a bit late into the game, I was about to just close it since it seemed so uninteresting without it.
The two mechanics worked well in this game.
One thing I want to mention is the goal's position. I didn't know where it is until I beat the game.
So I played it again, and then realised that in my first try, I didn't got all the items, and I didn't even realise there was a key to activate items!
The game was much more fun _after_ I discovered that!
So, I'd say this is probably one of the best metroidvania of this LD! It's just that I wished that the level design was better so that I could have figured out how the items work before completing the game. :)
My first impression was that the graphics remind me of N (the game). Simple gray tiles with slopes on a light gray background. Unfortunately, that likeness only went that far. Right away I thought the movement is just terrible. Clunky, no momentum, gravity absurdly fast. Fall damage? Really? And the camera should have been much smoother.
But, I played on, got used to the clunkiness a little bit, and eventually discovered the somewhat unique mechanics of the game. They do have potential. And discovering the little dialogue bubbles was also fun, made me smile a couple of times.
Then I wished the game wasn't as chaotic. The only way to get a little bit of an overview is at the bubbles. Maybe this was done on purpose, but exploring the same bits multiple times (albeit with more powers) is not a lot of fun for the player. I know it's very similar to the core mechanic of exploration in Metroidvania games, but I think this game is missing something in that respect. It's not as satisfying to discover new powers, especially when it's not immediately obvious how and -where- they can help you. I know guiding the player all the time is also tedious, but this feels too far on the other end of the spectrum. I would consider
- adding a map
- having arrows pointing towards interesting areas
- having an arrow pointing towards the original gravity direction
- separating the game into smaller, more manageable areas
The music is subtle, maybe too much so. It feels a bit overshadowed by the loud sounds. Also, collecting the colour triangles, I seemed to have too much red at once, making the graphics a bit painful to look at. Maybe add actual grayscale areas and only use the collected colours as highlights?
But anyway … Although it seems like I only spoke about the problems, the game was still enjoyable. So I wish it could be improved :) Good job!
I got a bit disoriented, but I take it that's the point. It might be helpful to have a mini map or a subscreen map that could help me figure out where I've been and where else I can go.
Other than that, I think this is one of the top games I've played this LD. Once I discovered/unlocked the room rotation mechanic, it went from a 3-star game to a 5-star for me.