Guidance by jadams
Above the surface the squares follow arrows. Unfortunately some tiles are missing. Below the surface you, a very stylish circle, are tasked with pushing arrow tiles into the gaps to guide the squares across the board.
Time pressure means there is no in-game tutorial so here are the fundamentals:
Arrow keys move you around the level. For every step you take, the squares on the surface take 1/3 of a step. You have to push arrows around the level to provide direction to squares that pass on top of empty tiles.
Space toggles between the surface view (green) where the progress of the squares and location of gaps in their paths can be seen, and the underground view (orange) where you are pushing blocks around.
If you want the squares to advance without moving yourself (such as at the end of a puzzle when you're waiting for the squares to reach their exits) press 'w' to wait.
'u' goes back one step at a time and can rewind back all the way to the start of the level.
'r' resets the level back to its original state.
'm' quits the level and returns to the menu.
In the menu the up/down arrow keys scroll between levels and space starts a level.
Enjoy!
03/05/14 : Added a link to a copy of the game that includes an attempt at on screen buttons to control everything. It should work with both mouse and touch inputs (i.e. should work on mobile as well). I'm not certain if this counts as porting to another platform after the deadline. If you're here to rate the game (and have a keyboard) then please use the fist link.
Time pressure means there is no in-game tutorial so here are the fundamentals:
Arrow keys move you around the level. For every step you take, the squares on the surface take 1/3 of a step. You have to push arrows around the level to provide direction to squares that pass on top of empty tiles.
Space toggles between the surface view (green) where the progress of the squares and location of gaps in their paths can be seen, and the underground view (orange) where you are pushing blocks around.
If you want the squares to advance without moving yourself (such as at the end of a puzzle when you're waiting for the squares to reach their exits) press 'w' to wait.
'u' goes back one step at a time and can rewind back all the way to the start of the level.
'r' resets the level back to its original state.
'm' quits the level and returns to the menu.
In the menu the up/down arrow keys scroll between levels and space starts a level.
Enjoy!
03/05/14 : Added a link to a copy of the game that includes an attempt at on screen buttons to control everything. It should work with both mouse and touch inputs (i.e. should work on mobile as well). I'm not certain if this counts as porting to another platform after the deadline. If you're here to rate the game (and have a keyboard) then please use the fist link.
| Web | http://jadams.me.uk/games/LD29/ |
| Source | https://github.com/oysterCrusher/LD29-Beneath_The_Surface |
| Web (updated to include mouse/touch controls) | http://jadams.me.uk/games/LD29updates/ |
| Original URL | https://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-29/?action=preview&uid=21588 |
Ratings
| Coolness | 79% | 2 |
| Overall | 3.33 | 398 |
| Audio | 1.21 | 1067 |
| Fun | 3.07 | 508 |
| Graphics | 2.33 | 1072 |
| Humor | 1.50 | 1050 |
| Innovation | 3.78 | 128 |
| Mood | 2.45 | 997 |
| Theme | 3.00 | 774 |
The mechanics imposed a set number of moves to solve a puzzle, which imposes a sense of every action mattering, a sense I had already begin to suspect the moment I saw it had an undo button (love the undo button, by the way). Whenever every move counts, it makes you really think several moves ahead, which honestly makes you feel rather clever whenever you solve a puzzle. Optimizing your solutions to squeeze out that final step too many is a nice feeling, one I quite appreciate.
Sadly, the graphics are lackluster, and there doesn't appear to be any audio (correct me if this is an issue on my end), and the font you've used for text clashes with the pixellated art style of the game. Making a game comprehensible with such a small colour palette is a noteworthy achievement, kudos for that.
I always prefer when the theme is implemented mechanically rather than through story, it makes the game feel far more tailored to the theme, rather than shoehorned in at the last moment.
The mechanics imposed a set number of moves to solve a puzzle, which imposes a sense of every action mattering, a sense I had already begin to suspect the moment I saw it had an undo button (love the undo button, by the way). Whenever every move counts, it makes you really think several moves ahead, which honestly makes you feel rather clever whenever you solve a puzzle. Optimizing your solutions to squeeze out that final step too many is a nice feeling, one I quite appreciate.
Sadly, the graphics are lackluster, and there doesn't appear to be any audio (correct me if this is an issue on my end), and the font you've used for text clashes with the pixellated art style of the game. Making a game comprehensible with such a small colour palette is a noteworthy achievement, kudos for that.
I always prefer when the theme is implemented mechanically rather than through story, it makes the game feel far more tailored to the theme, rather than shoehorned in at the last moment.
Congratulations!