Behind Mirror by SaintHeiser

[raw]
made by SaintHeiser for LD29 (COMPO)
This is a pretty hard adventure platformer.
Story is about reflections and mirror-Surface world.
You'll hate this game because of jumps.


Controls:
Arrow keys - move
Down key - list dialogues
Esc - permanent quit

P.S. Don't forget about double jump in vampire mode. Helpful.
P.P.S. And also low leaps are useful.

Updates(took about hour):
- Dialogues grammar fixes
- Sounds volumes fixes
- Bg fixes
- Unfinished area fixes
- Hard places fixes

Ratings

Coolness 100% 1
Overall 4.02 35
Audio 3.67 90
Fun 3.75 86
Graphics 4.28 53
Humor 2.88 295
Innovation 3.31 388
Mood 3.96 51
Theme 3.89 92

Feedback

NiallM
28. Apr 2014 路 13:34 UTC
Oh, this is gorgeous. Didn't get very far though :( Don't think my platforming skills are quite up to scratch.
VDZ
28. Apr 2014 路 15:15 UTC
Great game as always.

It might be helpful to some players if there was an alternate jump key, such as Z. I had to use numpad 8 to jump as I couldn't properly short hop using the up arrow key while simultaneously moving my character; it was a bit awkward to play that way.

Also, I managed to reach a place that shouldn't be reached and ran into an invisible wall: http://i.xomf.com/wsrrk.png
馃帳 SaintHeiser
28. Apr 2014 路 15:20 UTC
2VDZ
Thenks.
I know about wall. It's unfinished area. I had no time for castle reflexion. I'll complete and polish this game in few weeks =)

Sorry for english. I'll fix it in few days.
alvarop
29. Apr 2014 路 05:43 UTC
Crazy graphics!
BuriTeam
29. Apr 2014 路 05:46 UTC
Beautiful game!
Lissar
29. Apr 2014 路 05:46 UTC
I particularly loved the graphics and music, I thought they were quite cute. A little too difficult for me though, sadly!
Solifuge
29. Apr 2014 路 05:55 UTC
Hi, this is Vector from the Victory Garden team! (posting under Solifuge's account)

This is really beautiful! I wasn't able to get to the end, possibly because my platforming skills are rubbish, but I love the concept... it's not just underwater, but also on the reverse side of a mirror! That's too cool.

I'm not sure what critique I can offer from the audio direction, since I'm not sure if adding music and more sound effects would add or detract from the mood. Either way, this was a really nice entry. Good luck on the jam!
VDZ
29. Apr 2014 路 06:07 UTC
@Solifuge
You're missing a significant part of the concept by playing only the start of the game. For example, after some point you lose your shadow and become able to move through the mirror (going beneath the surface). The final part of the game also takes place in some kind of underworld.
馃帳 SaintHeiser
29. Apr 2014 路 06:07 UTC
2Solifuge
Thanks!
I'll improve sounds and music. I've spent on this 1.5 hours total. It needs more polishing.
And it isn't jam. I teared my ass to made it to compo from scratch ^_^
fueelin
29. Apr 2014 路 06:13 UTC
Awesome game. Really enjoyed playing (and beating) it, and it looks great too!
aeveis
29. Apr 2014 路 06:50 UTC
Wow, played up to the point where you get rejected (is that as far as you got?) Really well polished, I kept getting surprised every time the "new" thing was introduced. The jumping felt a bit too sensitive to me and the arrows felt a bit unforgiving (they would still kill you when they were blinking). Really hope people are able to get through to the game though and see what changes up!
holgk
29. Apr 2014 路 10:35 UTC
I tested the game on linux and it works very smooth. Nice game.
ezolotko
29. Apr 2014 路 13:00 UTC
Good limited palette graphics.
kbm
29. Apr 2014 路 15:40 UTC
Beautiful graphics, very minimal and low-key. I loved it! <3
tripleVisionGames
29. Apr 2014 路 15:43 UTC
Really awesome graphics and the difficulty is perfect, challenging but not frustrating.
DarkEngineer
29. Apr 2014 路 15:47 UTC
Great game and graphics!
davidwparker
29. Apr 2014 路 15:48 UTC
Looks really cool- can you port to web so I can play?
ComicSans
29. Apr 2014 路 17:47 UTC
Really well done. I had a really hard time making a short jump though, which I felt made it a little less fun than it otherwise would have been.
Marcellus
30. Apr 2014 路 02:08 UTC
Nice use of the theme, good graphic style, a nice entry.
arrogant.gamer
30. Apr 2014 路 06:45 UTC
Hitting it out of the park, as usual! That was pretty hard but I totally beat it. If you give this game a try, definitely play until you get to the purple area. Such a great level design, too!
javierecf
01. May 2014 路 04:40 UTC
Good game, really hard but the controls are really precise, good mood at the start of the game. Visuals are nice and the sound is not noisy, good entry.
sP0CkEr2
01. May 2014 路 04:47 UTC
so many ways to die - great game - added to my favorites - awesome job
kirbytails7
01. May 2014 路 04:54 UTC
Aww...sad ending.
Really cool! I'm digging the style, and it's a good challenge to get through. Well done!
Yword
01. May 2014 路 05:19 UTC
The character control is very good! And the graphics is very cool too.
Gazok
01. May 2014 路 05:31 UTC
I hate platformers, so bear that in mind when I say I loved this and played it to the end. The graphical style is great, and wonderfully consistent. the gameplay is solid and the level design is so good, accounting for the return trip; it manages to be consistently challenging without being frustrating.
I can't rate you for audio because openAL doesn't work on my system.
The enemies were generally good - I really liked the jellyfish. I found that sometimes the red enemies blend into the background a bit too easily, though, and arrows really shouldn't kill you once they've hit a wall.

Oh, and it wasn't until I was a vampire that I realised there was a double jump.
angelk
01. May 2014 路 07:22 UTC
The graphics style is top notch. The game is beautiful and responsive, and although it is very difficult it's really fun to play. If this were released on the Nintendo I bet people would remember it fondly. Very good job!
micdoodle8
01. May 2014 路 07:23 UTC
Awesome graphical style. Music and sounds fit the style as well. Great job!
VDZ
01. May 2014 路 10:23 UTC
@Gazok
That's because there is no double jump until you become a vampire.
zaratustra
01. May 2014 路 11:34 UTC
excellent. Suggestions:

- More checkpoints.
- Make candle light more visible.
- Reduce vertical speed if the jump button is released earlier to make jumps more merciful.
Marcus_siactro
01. May 2014 路 12:09 UTC
Very good and very hard platforming game. I liked it, good job
CluelessGames
01. May 2014 路 12:26 UTC
This Game is amazing it is incredible you were able to squish that much content in only 48 hour this is an amazing game!
Zccc
01. May 2014 路 13:42 UTC
Perfect game! The level design was somewhat chaotic at first, but when I got used to it, it was pretty fun adventure, I'm glad I could complete it. I was surprised to find that underground world, I first tought it was a secret! And there was a strange hole near the key to the reflection, why?
馃帳 SaintHeiser
01. May 2014 路 13:58 UTC
@Zccc
Strange hole like all other strange places will be used for secrets in full version of this game =)
Zccc
01. May 2014 路 14:04 UTC
Oh cool :) can't wait to play the full version! I found alot of places where you could go but were super hard to pass! This already feels like a complete game tough :P
Managore
02. May 2014 路 01:29 UTC
Great story and environment, I really liked this game! There were some occasions where I would get killed by a sea anemone which I was standing above, and other times where I would briefly get stuck in a wall or the floor while temporarily dead, and these moments were sometimes very frustrating. Overall though, this is a fantastic, fantastic game!
Snoother
02. May 2014 路 21:11 UTC
Amazing graphics. The music and sound effects are really well-suited too. But by goodness, you were right about it being hard! Maybe I'm just bad at these games... Anyway, I enjoyed it!
awanegenebayo
02. May 2014 路 22:06 UTC
Wow, fantastic game! Amazing graphics and music, very good (and hard) level design!

I couldn't find out how to move on when i receive the 'imortality' power, i still can't go through the wall that block the way...
awanegenebayo
02. May 2014 路 22:32 UTC
Ok, i finally managed to finish the game :D
Dreii
03. May 2014 路 00:13 UTC
Great job really nice graphical style and gameplay.
Lyje
03. May 2014 路 22:18 UTC
Yeah so after progression to the V, the Beneath the Surface theme becomes more clear. Then you get to the U, and yet again things turn upside down on you. What a brilliant fucking game. Graphics are quality. Number of save points is perfect actually, and every death feels like its your fault which is a good thing. One of the best on the LD so far! Looking forward to the full version!
pansapiens
04. May 2014 路 11:26 UTC
Love the graphics, and the controls have a good feel (essential, and the downfall of many other 48 hour platformers) .. but hey, you weren't kidding about it being hard :) I made a Twitch stream of me floundering around in my first playthough if you are curious: http://www.twitch.tv/omgwtfgames/c/4187136 .. sadly I'm too hopeless to get up to the bit where the mirror/flip mechanic comes into play. When I play games like this it always makes me want to go and learn how to use GameMaker.
baykush_figtree
04. May 2014 路 14:22 UTC
Awesome entry! It was hardcore fo sho but dayum, DAT color-coding. Everything was coherent and fitting to the environment. However, I would love to see a better exploration of the "mirror" mechanic.
meszka
07. May 2014 路 22:42 UTC
Frustratingly hard but really satisfying. Nice twists keep gameplay interesting. Visuals and sound are also very fitting. Quite impressive for 48h, well done :)
Checkpoint frequency is about right, but it needs a save function... I started playing late in the evening and had to quit early... Hopefully I'll come back and finish it.
Romko Pidstryhach
09. May 2014 路 11:15 UTC
I like the art. Great game for those who love hardcore.
TobiasW
10. May 2014 路 11:21 UTC
I have to admit that I didn't get very far because I had problems doing the low jump. Is it intended that controlling low jumps is so hard? If not - this might be a good way to do it: http://meyermike.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/SuperMeatBoyJumpGraph.png

Apart from the difficulty (which I really can't complain about with my game, haha) - this game looks absoutely gorgeous with that pixel neon vector style. The music and sound effects work well enough, especially knowing that you only spent 1 1/2 hours on it! And the cutscene in the beginning was great to set the mood.

All in all, disregarding my low jump issues, everything felt really polished and works well. Great job!

PS: I'm not sure if that was intended, but I thought the intro cutscene was hilarious. For some reason, I imagined the characters to be totally deadpan-dramatic about it. :D
csanyk
10. May 2014 路 16:41 UTC
Loved everything about this except one touch kills you.
Draknek
12. May 2014 路 16:49 UTC
I really want to keep playing this, but there's just not enough checkpoints for me. If there were twice as many checkpoints, I'd probably enjoy it twice as much!

Looks lovely :)
馃帳 SaintHeiser
13. May 2014 路 09:53 UTC
Thanks all for your feedback.
But, I think, it has some strange lacks.
It will get pretty low rating
After the results waiting.
Promotions are decide everything,
Not quality, I think.
Or this game is really bad,
And I'm feeling that I mad.

Ahahahahah.
I'll be amazing if someone read this. At any case, It's time to work for full version =)
I have unstopable willing to make another one fully useless trash not-game about nothing as usual...
Myyyvothrr
14. May 2014 路 10:15 UTC
This looks awesome!
ripatti
16. May 2014 路 12:12 UTC
Really cool and so hardcore! Reminded me They Bleed Pixels because of colors, hardcore gameplay and good controls. Well done!
ripatti
16. May 2014 路 13:59 UTC
Fully finished the game. It's more enjoyable than I assumed. Increased some ratings to 5 stars.
Ditto
17. May 2014 路 05:35 UTC
This is incredibly beautiful! A bit frustrating though, i will come back to finish this one though!
klianc09
17. May 2014 路 14:49 UTC
Awesome game. It's fun and looks good. I liked the different phases of gameplay you play through.
Although the ending was a bit unsatisfying.
Almost
18. May 2014 路 07:29 UTC
Really nice looking and it seems to have enemy variety as well as a large map. Oh, and different areas as you progress, very cool.

I've been dying a lot and noticed that even though the screen flashes black, the enemies don't reset to their initial positions when I die which means that I can't perfect the timing of passing two monsters since they might be a different amount apart every time I respawn.

If I'm trying to become a vampire just so that I can go below the surface, why can't the dude that lost his reflection just go on his own underneath the surface?
馃帳 SaintHeiser
18. May 2014 路 07:39 UTC
@Almost
Who says that Mirror can't kill anyone except who already dead?
Almost
18. May 2014 路 07:51 UTC
Really nice looking and it seems to have enemy variety as well as a large map. Oh, and different areas as you progress, very cool.

I've been dying a lot and noticed that even though the screen flashes black, the enemies don't reset to their initial positions when I die which means that I can't perfect the timing of passing two monsters since they might be a different amount apart every time I respawn.

If I'm trying to become a vampire just so that I can go below the surface, why can't the dude that lost his reflection just go on his own underneath the surface?

I finally made it to the point where I am beneath the surface, it took me a while to realize that the coffins are now checkpoints, since I had previously determined that I couldn't interact with them. I also seem to be able to double jump now, although I don't remember it ever telling me that is possible.

The coffins seem to be too rare now, I end up having to do a lot of sensitive jumps only to die and go way back. I think I ragequit at the first checkpoint in the deep underwater because I can't find another checkpoint.