Persist by AdventureIslands

[raw]
made by AdventureIslands for LD26 (COMPO)
Read the post mortem: http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/2013/04/30/persist-post-mortem/

Note: Post compo version has fixed the annoying bug that makes the character stuck and unable to jump, and is slightly easier in general.

Use Arrow keys or WASD to move, and Enter to advance text.

Persist is a tale of small spirit trying to reach a mysterious goddess to seek for forgiveness for his past sins, so he can move on to higher plane of existence. Unfortunately, the goddess isn't feeling very helpful, and the further you travel in her sanctuary, the more sacrifices she demands from you in form of your limbs. Lose your arms, and you can no longer swim. Lose your legs, and you can no longer jump. As you trek deeper into the dungeon, you lose your skills one by one, making your quest more and more dangerous.

Can you reach salvation? Or are you doomed to lose all hope, and your whole existence, in the deep and dark sanctuary?

Ratings

Coolness 71% 3
Overall 3.93 45
Audio 3.59 96
Fun 3.54 144
Graphics 4.19 39
Humor 2.39 452
Innovation 2.91 728
Mood 3.96 34
Theme 3.41 680

Feedback

sparkleswirl
29. Apr 2013 · 03:26 UTC
I actually thought that your loading screen was part of the game since I couldn't see the bar moving, so I thought the game was frozen at first. I really like the mood/music/plot/mechanics/theme but I had to give up at the waterfall level. The controls were sticking and sometimes weren't responding, which was pretty frustrating combined with the challenging jumps.
CappaGames
29. Apr 2013 · 03:27 UTC
Nice entry. It might be my computer, but I experienced a little bit of choppiness, otherwise good job.
Cory Martin
29. Apr 2013 · 03:49 UTC
The narrative is nice, the graphics are very well done, the music is alright but its random generation shows, some of the sounds seem a bit unfitting and there are some issues with the character not jumping high enough when pressing against a wall. Overall, I enjoyed it.
BNeutral
29. Apr 2013 · 06:18 UTC
Nice and moody, but a little buggy, and I don't see much minimalism.
Crazi456
29. Apr 2013 · 06:26 UTC
Loved the art/mood. Kind of choppy for me also.
🎤 AdventureIslands
29. Apr 2013 · 06:56 UTC
Looks like the loading bar is a bit bugged and it doesn't move. The game loads normally though. Hope I am allowed to try to fix that even after deadline.
jijaweb
29. Apr 2013 · 07:41 UTC
Nice.
JaJ
29. Apr 2013 · 08:24 UTC
Music and visuals are great! The game is fun but at some points (waterfall) a bit frustrating.
Manuel777
29. Apr 2013 · 09:57 UTC
Excellent, first game I play and liked a LOT from the compo, well done!

As sparkleswirl pointed above, the loading screen should have something that says its a loading screen, since it give the impresion the whole thing got stuck (im on slow internet so it took a while to load actually, I really wanted to play this one!)
omaromeir
29. Apr 2013 · 12:51 UTC
Simply amazing, for this short amount of time you made an awesome game!

Despite a few small bugs, I wouldn't change a thing. But maybe you'd lower the difficulty in some parts :p.
agnulf
29. Apr 2013 · 13:46 UTC
Love the art and music. Great game :)
Colapsydo
29. Apr 2013 · 13:57 UTC
Excellent atmosphere, graphics and tunes suit perfectly.

Some trouble sometimes with the jump which not trigger while running.
tinytouchtales
29. Apr 2013 · 14:00 UTC
yes!
Hypnohustla
29. Apr 2013 · 14:07 UTC
Nice job as always. A really great mood and the graphics were really a pleasure to the eyes. Tile placement felt a bit odd in the first part after you lose your arms. Other than that, that was some grade A level design.
I experienced a bug numerous times that prevented me from jumping. I did not let that bother me though because of the nice and touching story. :) Loved the ending.
nicso
29. Apr 2013 · 15:03 UTC
awesome game. One of my favorites so far!
brxtr
29. Apr 2013 · 17:44 UTC
Nice pixels, as always. This felt like a traditional platformer with a few nice ideas and I think the difficulty was spot on. However, I found the platformer physics quite irritating at times such as jumping up against a wall or trying to float on the logs. All audio was generally fitting, except you really need to find a new jumping sound effect—I've heard that one too many times!
LZAntal
29. Apr 2013 · 22:06 UTC
Nice platformer! I could not jump high enough on level3 to finish it. Very polished and fun game :)
Yukon Wainczak
29. Apr 2013 · 22:22 UTC
A pretty nice game, although I did have a few problems with the controls, all of them leading to quite stupid deaths...
ddionisio
29. Apr 2013 · 22:52 UTC
Interesting take on minimalism, in this case the hero is forced into it! I like the controls, very fluid and the levels are pretty challenging. One little nitpick though is the text is kinda hard to read, it's too compact for that resolution.
elektron
29. Apr 2013 · 23:14 UTC
It doesn't jump every time I press up, but besides that it was excellent.
GertJohnny
29. Apr 2013 · 23:55 UTC
The controls felt fantastic until it started to chug a bit - running the swf locally (not in a browser) made a world of difference.
CogentInvalid
29. Apr 2013 · 23:59 UTC
Great graphics and music. Stencyl is ridiculously laggy even for Flash, and I wasn't able to jump high enough to complete the waterfall level, but what I saw was great.
KevinZuhn
30. Apr 2013 · 00:06 UTC
The game got more and more interesting the less I could do. The head level and the bodiless level became my favorite, although I admit I had a lot of trouble making the jumps while invisible.
I thought reducing the player to practically nothing was a pretty good use of the theme.
toonheart
30. Apr 2013 · 01:05 UTC
Very nice.
the controls were fine for me.
Challenging jumps :D

Done rating.

Please do show some love on my game too :)
http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-26/?action=rate&uid=21211
CoffeeOnimal
30. Apr 2013 · 06:53 UTC
WOW, this is gorgeous. The music is very nice.
My son was watching as I played as was totally mesmerised.
Jan Marcano
30. Apr 2013 · 17:10 UTC
The game had choppy controls sometimes, but everything else was really good! You kept minimalism to the art, could've applied it some more to the game mechanics, but it was simple enough.

Great game overall! Nice to see what you could achieve in 48 hours :)
Aaants
30. Apr 2013 · 19:19 UTC
Great game. I'm fairly sure I got to the end but I was just a head in a room - no text or movement, etc. Was that my eternal damnation or a bug? :)

One of, if not the, best entry I've played so far.
NightShadow0
30. Apr 2013 · 21:48 UTC
Really loved the game, did not expect that final "form"!
nddrylliog
30. Apr 2013 · 21:52 UTC
Controls were a bit rough, but otherwise nice graphic style, very enjoyable :)
Scott McBee
30. Apr 2013 · 23:19 UTC
Love the art.
pvwradtke
01. May 2013 · 01:33 UTC
Very nice, can't believe you did that in just 48 hours. Loved the graphics style, which remids me a lot the games I used to play on the MSX and ZX Spectrum. Character animation is also very well done, and also the music. Great work!
Potentialing
01. May 2013 · 01:48 UTC
Impressive work for a non-jam entry! The graphics look gorgeous, and the game plays rather well. The level design is pretty difficult, but gives a fair challenge, teaching most of the game mechanics through level design. Unfortunately, the audio was rather hard to listen to, both the SFX and music using harsh instrument choices that pierced through my ears in a negative way. I did love the mood the game gave though, using dark colors that blended well together, it reminded me of Kirby's Adventure in a sense. Overall, I enjoyed this entry, and again, is amazing for the work of a single person in 48 hours.
cadin
01. May 2013 · 02:17 UTC
Really impressive for 48 hours work. I love the art.
Apparently I am doomed to lose all hope in a deep dark sanctuary.
SaintHeiser
01. May 2013 · 02:17 UTC
Nice entry, dude!
I really like the story and game mechanics. I was very impressed when I take under control the soul =)

Only one thing is the lags with controls. Sometimes character started moving in one direction and can't jump.
PushmePullyu
01. May 2013 · 02:26 UTC
I like the story and the mechanics. The level design is top notch as well.
MinionStudios
01. May 2013 · 02:31 UTC
This one is fantastic. And hard. What a sad and fun title. I wish I could see what happens next, but its too hard. That music is absolutely great.
kidevil
01. May 2013 · 02:43 UTC
Really liked this one! Good level design, character and gameplay...apart from a few control issues. Kept getting stuck to things when I tried to jump.
zatyka
01. May 2013 · 03:20 UTC
Great art. A fun game overall. My major complaint is the player seemed to have way too much inertia, but that may just be me. Keep up the good work!
Ray_Mickelino
01. May 2013 · 03:35 UTC
This game was beautiful. I give it full marks. Simply amazing.
Uhfgood
01. May 2013 · 06:10 UTC
Pretty good, however, I couldn't really get past the second level without my arms
Skoggy
01. May 2013 · 08:50 UTC
Very nice game. Well done!
Smaxx
01. May 2013 · 09:25 UTC
My favorite game so far this time. Although I'm having some issues jumping from the platforms behind the third waterfall. Not sure I'm missing something.
galman
01. May 2013 · 11:58 UTC
Nice game, I liked your overall idea, but the buggy controls made the game too hard and annoying =/
🎤 AdventureIslands
01. May 2013 · 13:21 UTC
If the controls get on your nerves, you can now play the improved post compo version, with fixed controls and various other little adjustments.
Kiwiboi
01. May 2013 · 13:29 UTC
Great entry, I like the graphics a lot and it really fits the theme! And it was quite challening but I like that :D
Volute
01. May 2013 · 14:08 UTC
Great entry ! Very cool graphics, mood and music.
SonnyBone
01. May 2013 · 14:33 UTC
Great main character! I really like that little dude. Very nice sprites, a great challenge, and nice interpretation of the theme. Good work!
pearcev
01. May 2013 · 17:29 UTC
Very cute! I love the graphics and the game is simple and fun! Good job
olkeencole
01. May 2013 · 17:34 UTC
Excellent entry! Very well done. It matched the theme very well yet the graphics were still very appealing. The character design was charming. Loosing your body parts was also a nice development in story and gameplay. Excellent music and sound as well.

One sticking point: the friction created when the player comes up against a wall in the air made a lot of the platforming frustrating. A lot of the challenge was there by design, but that extra element added unnecessary loss of control.

Overall: fantastic game!
kill0u
01. May 2013 · 18:47 UTC
Comment by Gnux:
Nice graphics. Not very original tho.
savethejets1
01. May 2013 · 18:58 UTC
So awesome! I love the music.

I kind of wish your player moved with the moving platforms, that water part was difficult because your character stayed still.
3.14
01. May 2013 · 19:08 UTC
Hero's looks and animation are adorable :).
marnaouf
01. May 2013 · 19:42 UTC
Really fun game
Polar
01. May 2013 · 19:47 UTC
An amazing game, and an interesting spin on Minimalism :) My only issue was with how hard the final level was, although I managed to complete it in the end... after a few hours :P
theomnis
01. May 2013 · 19:51 UTC
Great game! I got a little confused by the menu too, but not for too long. One of the more complete experiences I've played this LD.
jadams
01. May 2013 · 21:38 UTC
Very nice game, really liked the art use of the theme. As others have said, it got a bit frustrating when I died due to the controls.
vapgames
02. May 2013 · 13:10 UTC
Nice, i like it!
GFM
02. May 2013 · 13:43 UTC
This was great!
And I really liked your take on the theme.
lekochen
02. May 2013 · 16:48 UTC
That was fantastic. Highly polished in all respects.
DrGeraud
02. May 2013 · 20:15 UTC
Amazing game...
I wish I could put in my games as much emotion as you put in yours.
PsenFilip
02. May 2013 · 20:52 UTC
Overall the game is fine but one of the core part of the gameplay (the jump) often behaves in a weird way. I can't seem to grasp how much it is a problem on the jump control itself or on platforms friction. It just feels incorrect sometimes, leading to frustration.

I liked the sounds and the game theme is interesting (stopped playing after the first blue level - waterfalls).
karlin
02. May 2013 · 23:22 UTC
This is superb, certainly in the top 5 games I've played so far.
GeorgeBroussard
03. May 2013 · 01:44 UTC
Solid platformer with a unique angle.
Husky
03. May 2013 · 02:56 UTC
The music is really awesome!!
Good job!:D
avalonknight
03. May 2013 · 03:00 UTC
I enjoyed it, and really like how it starts out as a simple platformer, then each bit of control was stripped away. The last part, while tough to judge where you're jumping, is really creative.
Ragzouken
03. May 2013 · 08:52 UTC
The art style works really well, though I felt the torches seem to stick out. Trying to work out why your jumps fail when you are invisible is REALLY frustrating :p
mrexcessive
03. May 2013 · 20:18 UTC
Nice levels. Sensible approach to death. Very playable platformer
Pixelulsar
03. May 2013 · 20:32 UTC
Nice game, I really liked the graphics and it was fun to play.
mungoman1
03. May 2013 · 21:19 UTC
This is FANTASTIC! It's really just that good! I LOVED it.
Zccc
03. May 2013 · 22:46 UTC
This was amazing, I loved it! Perfect game!
I tried the compo version, so I had a bit trouble making through it (lag, bad colisions) but it was worth it!
Sylvain.p
03. May 2013 · 23:52 UTC
It looks like a commercial game, amazing job. Maybe the difficulty is too hard for the beginning but it's okay.
Porpentine
04. May 2013 · 04:15 UTC
waterfalls are unintuitive--great idea though
Jeremias
04. May 2013 · 08:42 UTC
Nice take on the theme (minimalism => minimalizing the gameplay). Graphics, music and sound effects fit very well. The non-post-compo game is really hard and sometimes the controls don't feel good, especially whil colliding with a platform where you want to jump on. Why not adding a skip button for entering the next level (for your next ludum dare entry...)?
BrothersT
04. May 2013 · 10:24 UTC
Nice game. A little easy but really well made. It was good how you laid out the level to show people what can hurt you and what can't - mainly by making jumps that are too long so you have to just go for it :) I didn't feel the character design fitted a bad guy. Couldn't really imagine him as an adult even. Looked like Casper the friendly ghost.
Nice art!
RealyUniqueName
05. May 2013 · 12:32 UTC
Amazing game. First track reminds me Michael Jackson's "Earth song" :)
henrykun
05. May 2013 · 20:48 UTC
Nice game! it seems you worked hard :)
alcazar
06. May 2013 · 14:51 UTC
Your game is just Amasing with a little big surprise at the end
I loved it...
Jorjon
07. May 2013 · 14:12 UTC
Wow what a story! Best 2D platformer of this LD.
Cake&Code
08. May 2013 · 05:46 UTC
Cute game!! I love the graphics style, and the mood is just amazing. I really enjoyed playing it too, the level designs were smart.
lasergans
12. May 2013 · 09:33 UTC
Amazing game! Plays smooth, you can feel with the character and the art is great :)
HD408
12. May 2013 · 13:59 UTC
Liked the game flow, and how you reused your water level mechanics from... some your previous game, I don't remember the name. But its character is right in your avatar. All in all, quite good.
pereubu
13. May 2013 · 19:29 UTC
nice concept. I liked to play it except for one little thing I found irritating, it's because jumping gets hard when it comes to avoid higher obstacles. It kinda breaks a good flow.

I also found the idea with the waterfalls changing their opacity great. There's a lot of little mechanics that make the player play all along.

Great job :D
Roupette
19. May 2013 · 14:22 UTC
A good experience, ambiance and story ! But... my hands have disappeared, I lost my ability to play :p.