Last Dive by Gabriel

[raw]
made by Gabriel for LD29 (JAM)
Last Dive is a small subaquatic exploration / adventure game featuring a few underwater platformer mechanics, a little plot and the hope of sharing some of our feelings :)

As most of our dev fellows in Ludum Dare, we almost didn't sleep during the last three days. Today we had to cut some parts of the story as we started running out of time, but we hope it still manages to entertain you a little bit!

Music by Kevin McLeod at www.incompetech.com

Changelog:
-fixed crash (hopefully)!
-fixed game breaking bug where you could get stuck into a geyser near the ending, losing your game in the process

Post-Compo changelog:
-greatly improved performance
-minor tweaks in level and movements to help performance

Ratings

Coolness 49% 1314
Overall(Jam) 4.31 7
Audio(Jam) 4.18 20
Fun(Jam) 3.83 40
Graphics(Jam) 4.37 52
Humor(Jam) 3.02 208
Innovation(Jam) 4.03 18
Mood(Jam) 4.57 2
Theme(Jam) 4.30 2

Feedback

Bruno Massa
29. Apr 2014 · 01:56 UTC
you did it again, Gabriel!
Voxnexus
29. Apr 2014 · 21:22 UTC
Very well done! it seems like the only problem with the game is the crashing bug.
tomvert
01. May 2014 · 13:39 UTC
Wow very good :D I especially liked the different jumping mechanics.
Vulpus
01. May 2014 · 13:40 UTC
Nice lighting.
TheGreenTie
01. May 2014 · 13:56 UTC
Oh my God that was amazing!
At first I was like: "Uhh... not another water game..." but then I went through... well, I'm not gonna spoil.
The game is innovative in the way you control the character, oh, and pretty good storytelling!
Too bad that the game had a bug that made me definitely stuck RIGHT BEFORE THE END! Oh my... I REALLY wanted to see the ending... the story was just SO good!
Anyways, good job. This is on my top 5 from LD48. Congratz!
Azzar
01. May 2014 · 14:03 UTC
Amazing.
Simple but engaging game mechanics, lovely pixel art and a great atmosphere coupled with great storytelling - evety second I spent playing was totally worth it. Thank you for this great game!
Daskaund
01. May 2014 · 14:08 UTC
couldn't beat the last boss, i'm really disappointed :(
anyway, the game is great !
Nichii
01. May 2014 · 14:09 UTC
This game is perfect in every angle buddy. Congrats. Full score for you from me. Even if humor isnt in there but i guess i was laughing with joy due to the epicness of this game. There isnt anything wrong about this for me hahaha.
conno1234
01. May 2014 · 14:10 UTC
This game was awesome! I loved the controls and the idea behind this. Great work!
Ragzouken
01. May 2014 · 14:14 UTC
my favourite game so far! the atmosphere is great, the movement/feel is great, being a jellyfish was a really nice change at the end :D
fullmontis
01. May 2014 · 14:16 UTC
This was quite amazing to be honest. one of the most atmospheric ld entries I've played so far! Music and atmosphere is just top notch, amazing job. The controls are tight. My only complaint is that the games get a little bit dull in its later stages (slow movement doesn't help), and redoing the whole fall before the final boss if you die is quite annoying. The story is engrossing and atmospheric and the pacing was perfect. All in all an amazing job, be proud of it.
iSamurai
01. May 2014 · 14:17 UTC
The game looks nice, I want to have a try. But im on mac...
pLaw
01. May 2014 · 14:27 UTC
This is an awsome game. Really nice visuals and audio. Also, you touch the theme quite good and it has a deeper meaning. Has a little bit too much pathos for my taste, but still a really good game. Well done!
CluelessGames
01. May 2014 · 14:36 UTC
Incredible for 72 hours really liked the ending. Put a smile on my face :)
EpiphanyG
01. May 2014 · 14:37 UTC
Amazing game. The innovative game mechanics got me hooked on the game and the story got me to finish it.

Really beautiful work there! :)
AtkinsSJ
01. May 2014 · 14:37 UTC
It's unusual for a platformer to be so slow-paced, but I like it! The atmosphere is terrific. I did give-up after repeatedly failing to jump over a monster in a low corridor though.
hbocao
01. May 2014 · 14:51 UTC
CARAS! Looks amazing, sounds great, the movement feels so intuitive. It was a complex game too, in terms of how much you guys did. Dammit! I envy you too! :) Awesome job. Best game I played so far.
gettothechapel
01. May 2014 · 14:53 UTC
a-ma-zing game. the story is captivating. the visuals are stunning and i am stunned that this was made in just a weekend. great job!
GlowingSnail
01. May 2014 · 15:05 UTC
You just broke the moodometer. Good job!

- It started on the very first screen, with a sunset by the sea.
- Immediately after, the cable, that only link between my panicky avatar and the safety of the surface, broke. Hmmm, could it be a symbol?
- Then the loneliness and otherworldliness of the depth conveyed by mean of darkness and ominous sound,
- The clumsiness of walking in a diving suit, the mysterious radio operator that spoke in "..."
- As I was about to reach for the light, you made me fall into the abyss. Expectable, but still.
- Then I see dead people.
- Including the remains of my own wife.
- Then you started quoting Edgar Allan Poe. Are you fucking kidding me?
- The false dilemma about facing my greatest far (which I ended up running away from anyway), and emerging into a tunnel of light after my reincarnation was just routine moodsploitation after that.

Anyway, it totally should have been Annabel down there.
muh_h
01. May 2014 · 15:32 UTC
I reaaly liked the mechanics, the art, the sounds. I think that in my pc it was running low but I enjoyed playing
Maxom
01. May 2014 · 17:15 UTC
Wow! Really enjoyed playing this. The atmosphere is just perfect!
DarkUser
01. May 2014 · 18:26 UTC
wow I'm not sure it gets any better then this!
Lacaranian
01. May 2014 · 18:35 UTC
Stellar! An impressive work on any time scale.
7heSAMA
01. May 2014 · 18:39 UTC
It was unplayably laggy for me with nothing else running.
Zyper
01. May 2014 · 18:45 UTC
A little bit predictable but I really enjoyed it! :)
I like this kind of games.
Good job!
Life is just a chapter in something bigger.
TeamFlare
01. May 2014 · 18:54 UTC
it crashed shortly after i touch the ground and then i cant the game restart :( (i have win8) its a nice mood and i would gladly play the game. can you fix the bug :) ?
nonentheless
01. May 2014 · 19:50 UTC
Beautiful game!
BuKaneerz
01. May 2014 · 20:53 UTC
Awesome work !
really nice mood and graphics !
Ithildin
01. May 2014 · 22:01 UTC
It took some time to finish, which speaks volumes about what you've accomplished. I really liked the jump mechanic, not to mention the mood. Brilliant entry!
gabbsson
02. May 2014 · 10:36 UTC
Very cool game! Refreshing ideas!
Nuclear_Hammer
02. May 2014 · 17:36 UTC
nice job!!
tenpn
02. May 2014 · 18:50 UTC
Absolutely amazing stuff. Incredible pixel art, great atmosphere, great use of sound. Really liked it!
xdegtyarev
02. May 2014 · 20:25 UTC
like the mood, congratulation guys, nice entry!
ArcturusDeluxe
03. May 2014 · 01:04 UTC
How on earth did you do this in 72 hours? This is amazing. By far my favourite entry so far. My only complaint is some of the dialog is a bit heavy-handed, but the storytelling in general is really good. The mechanics are interesting too, and jumping around in the suit feels heavy, like it should. Graphics and audio are top notch. Awesome stuff!
Thorig
04. May 2014 · 17:54 UTC
Simple amazing...
Snoother
04. May 2014 · 18:59 UTC
That was just incredible. Yes, as has been said, it is extremely polished graphically and musically, and has a challenging gameplay mechanic. But the gradual subversion of the story is also very well-composed. How on earth you managed all of these elements in 72 hours is beyond me. Obviously there are minor flaws -- the biggest probably being that the prose could be embellished a bit. But, regardless, the sleepless nights have seemingly paid off, because this is stunning.
Bruno Massa
05. May 2014 · 01:45 UTC
Gabriel and JP: my absolute congratulations. this game is fabulous.

the story arc is great. from desperation to salvation, start, middle, end. the finale is amazing. i would do a small editing in the dialog, that is sometimes a bit heavy.

visually, Gabriel, you did it. the game have a strong personality, the visual effects and general care is really really well done.

the gameplay is main complain. while it differentiates the game in the beginning, it reaches its full potential quickly.
also, the game is really easy. except for the final part, which might drive a less patient player nuts ans quit. almost all game i was just passing by.

the sounds and music were perfectly chosen for this piece.

in summary, it is an amazing adventure game. it should be placed as a personal mini masterpiece.

regards,
Massa
Wertle
05. May 2014 · 02:01 UTC
This was a game with a lot of nice ambiance! My one note would be that it tended to drag on after the whale bone scene. Was very forgiving until the end boss as well.
sP0CkEr2
05. May 2014 · 04:43 UTC
simply an amazing game - I am speechless
VictoryGarden
06. May 2014 · 03:49 UTC
Thank you for the game! I played through to the very end. Graphical work and atmospherics were good, the concept of a "slow platformer" was fun and appropriate, and the audio was superb. However, I was not able to get into the story at all--the combination of Edgar Allen Poe and "Lost," along with what seemed to be homages to Metal Gear (maybe not? the voice on the walkie-talkie, along with the first names of the protagonists, the suit, etc. made me think of it), with other such dramatics, did not seem to mix very well. High melodrama requires, I think, a little bit more poetry to it--not merely borrowed, but invented, and the soul of poetry is restraint. There is an awful lot of game for not so much story to go with it, and in context of the identity of the voice on the radio, its dialogue seems unusually exasperated and uncaring. You can create a similar disconnect between the speaker and the context by forming a bond that seems too personal, for example, rather than too distant.

And furthermore--why did the pink jellyfish appear just then? Surely Lenore had some sort of purpose for being there, or was responding to some call--but I do not remember any particular emotional context for it.

Story aside, the game featured some nice jumping puzzles and the overall mechanics were extremely innovative. Good work.
GFM
06. May 2014 · 21:51 UTC
This game was great!! That ending... T_T
And the mood was good! Specially in the parts with music, it really felt like being underwater. Controls were also really innovative. I don't think I've ever seen a game like this. :)

Great job!
InfectionTeam
07. May 2014 · 02:19 UTC
Soooo good, feels like a complete game!
ChuiGum
07. May 2014 · 05:52 UTC
Pretty laggy for me but maybe it was because I was in full screen. Otherwise, great graphics, and great game. Love the jump mechanic
mortus
07. May 2014 · 12:21 UTC
Great mood, I was on hook and had to complete the game and see what the ending is. I liked the jumps mechanics.
mcapraro
08. May 2014 · 00:26 UTC
really nice atmosphere to this. i wish there were perkier controls but overall, really nice
SoupWithBits
08. May 2014 · 14:22 UTC
Sweet Jesus! Definitely one of the best games!
It has awesome art, ambient music, the story is emotional!
Jump mechanics are so different, this game is perfect!
FrederickK
09. May 2014 · 00:20 UTC
Wow, it shocked me how long and well made this game is, keeping the quality as usual pixel cows! :)
Loved the game, kudos!
Venturelli
09. May 2014 · 00:37 UTC
Wow :O
illugion
09. May 2014 · 04:58 UTC
This is so freaking awesome I don't even have words to express my feelings for this game. That story was just so deep I almost cried ( no kidding ) this is way more than i expected for a game jam! This is the greatest game I've played in months ! ( not just in this ludum dare ) Great job !
DanielSnd
10. May 2014 · 03:01 UTC
http://puu.sh/8G2sw
Mike Mezhenin
16. May 2014 · 20:12 UTC
Amazing game. Very intersting mechanics and a captivating story, although I didn't like the narrative itself - I think the dialogues could've been written better. Anyway, great work!
Striwx
17. May 2014 · 14:32 UTC
Omg one of the best games of this jam !!
Anoarith
19. May 2014 · 00:24 UTC
That story was so fucking amazing, I almost cried T_T

The gameplay was also very clever, awesome use of the theme !

Perfect game, probably my favourite for this jam. Good job :) !
jsmars
19. May 2014 · 07:45 UTC
Wow! I can't begin to say how impressed I am by this! The graphics! The Audio! The mood! The story! The references! The progression! The platforming! The ending! WOW! 5/5 all categories here. Simply lovely entry, so glad this is Jam because I would have no chance against this if it was 48h! :D Great job guys!
Only crit would be that the platforming was a bit slow paced, but I guess it fit the mood perfectly too.. I was a bit stressed when I started playing too. Awesome job guys!
thaaks
19. May 2014 · 20:56 UTC
Unfortunately I didn't make it too far into the game but the atmosphere is great. Graphics and sound match well and the story is nicely told. Cool stuff!
Managore
19. May 2014 · 22:04 UTC
This is fantastic. It's a real treat to be able to uncover a good story as the game progresses! The jump mechanic is also really unique and very well explored.