Shadow Possession by LaughingLeader

[raw]
made by LaughingLeader for LD25 (JAM)
**Update** Check out the new Post-Comp version for new sounds, a few gameplay tweaks, and a re-designed last level.

Man, rushed doesn't begin to describe this. This is the first game I've ever created and (sort of) finished.

Shadow Possession is a short platformer following a strange shadow-creature that takes over a person, and is hurt by light. There's 8 levels in total.

Submitted with about a minute left, I'm hoping no one encounters any game-breaking bugs. I hit a snag right in the last couple of hours before submission, so fixing that took a majority of my time.

Things I ran out of time for:

- Sounds (only got the footsteps in!)

- A gradually increasing difficulty curve / more difficult levels (the hard parts were going to be in later levels, after there had been time to learn the mechanics).

- NPCs that move around and/or follow the player (mobile lights).

- A main menu.

- More light objects.

Oh well. It's been a valuable learning experience, after all.

Updates:
12/17/2012 - 8:37 PM (CST):
Just fixed the crash bug right before the last room. Sorry about that! Believe it or not(sarcasm), the cause was something I added in at the last second.

12/17/2012 - 10:12 PM (CST):
Fixed all the game-breaking bugs I'm aware of (with the aid of some very helpful play-testers). Unless another one pops, this should be the final build.

Post Mortem:
http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/2012/12/18/shadow-possession-post-mortem/

If you like this game, feel free to up-vote it at Reddit here:
http://redd.it/153zd7

Thanks!

Ratings

Coolness 58% 3
Overall(Jam) 3.57 55
Audio(Jam) 1.88 247
Fun(Jam) 3.54 40
Graphics(Jam) 3.69 91
Humor(Jam) 2.76 128
Innovation(Jam) 3.34 75
Mood(Jam) 3.38 65
Theme(Jam) 3.12 194

Feedback

nickworks
18. Dec 2012 路 08:18 UTC
Nice mechanics and aesthetics! I love the art style.
BlockBrains
18. Dec 2012 路 17:54 UTC
When i "took" the body i fell in love. Amazing little details. It would be amazing with sound, great job!
Sgt Squirrelly
18. Dec 2012 路 23:47 UTC
I really love the humour art, and I really enjoy the spin when switching directions. I wish you had a little time to get some light atmospheric music in. I think it would have really taken it to the next level.
馃帳 LaughingLeader
19. Dec 2012 路 00:19 UTC
Thanks for the feedback guys!

@[Sgt Squirrelly] - I completely agree! I'm a huge sound effects kind of guy, and it was truly disappointing to not have enough time to put more sounds in. Every time I watched the "dark puff cloud" animate, I kept thinking how cool that'll feel with the right sound. Unfortunately the bugs took my priority, and I had the footsteps from my first (still unfinished) game, so putting them in was quick. Just wish that other game had some "darkness" sounds I could have used, haha.

I'll be doing a post-comp version though, so I'll get to put all the sounds and polish I want in there.
LTyrosine
19. Dec 2012 路 01:46 UTC
One of the best games at LD25 that I played.
eraldo
19. Dec 2012 路 01:50 UTC
Very smooth. :)
angrygeometry
19. Dec 2012 路 01:51 UTC
i love the idea and mechanics. light based games are wonderful. ghost/possession based games are wonderful, and sadly there aren't many.
lando walters
19. Dec 2012 路 01:51 UTC
very nice art, and fun too.
C谩ssio Eduardo
19. Dec 2012 路 01:53 UTC
Nice work. Its funny.
RosyPenguin
19. Dec 2012 路 05:12 UTC
Amazing shadow/light effects, I enjoy the little aesthetic details, like how the player slowly becomes the human again if he stays in the light too long.

I hit a bug at the beginning of the game, where I didn't bother to press space on the first "press space to close" popup. Once the new popup appears telling me to press space to flip, I could not flip and had no choice but to die.

Finally, I love how you got the goat in there. I can't wait for the post-compo version!
馃帳 LaughingLeader
19. Dec 2012 路 06:04 UTC
@RosyPenguin - Thanks for letting me know about that bug, and sorry about that. It's fixed now, so hopefully no one else will encounter it.

And thanks for the compliments! I don't want to give away any of the secrets, but there are definitely some interesting dialogue boxes you can get if certain things happen (some of them relating to how you died, or a certain special something you couldn't previously use before you obtained something necessary.../vague/vague).
saampahlavan
19. Dec 2012 路 07:49 UTC
Fun and a good amount of content! Wish there was more bodysnatching.
adnzzzzZ
19. Dec 2012 路 14:22 UTC
This was really good looking and actually fun to play. Good job.
DeathBySnail
19. Dec 2012 路 14:59 UTC
Like the VVVVVV-style wall jumping. Also liked the "you don't have hands!" line!
CireNeikual
19. Dec 2012 路 15:12 UTC
Fun mechanic, reminds me of VVVVVV. I think the particle emitter should emit particles a but faster though, but that is only a minor complaint (very minor).
impulse9
19. Dec 2012 路 15:26 UTC
Cool mechanics. Quite lovely.
arch.jslin
19. Dec 2012 路 16:09 UTC
I think the mood and the gameplay mechanism and level design are all pretty nice! Somehow it's like playing Alan Wake reversed. :P Though a lot cuter that's for sure, and the goat. :P
_Rilem
19. Dec 2012 路 19:35 UTC
This game is great!
It has to be one of the most original ideas I've seen.
The controls work wel the art is simple and fits the games purpose. I really like the amount of time that is put in making the gameplay gradually harder.
robcozzens
19. Dec 2012 路 21:44 UTC
That is really cool! Worked on my Mac.
馃帳 LaughingLeader
19. Dec 2012 路 22:00 UTC
@robcozzens Thanks for letting me know! I'll update the page with the AIR/SWF as a OSX option now.
1CoinTeam
21. Dec 2012 路 10:44 UTC
Very good mechanics, graphics and audio. Great job guys!
recursive frog
25. Dec 2012 路 15:52 UTC
At times it was a little difficult to escape the light once I found myself "falling" into it, but aside from that it wasn't bad at all. Very nice shadow trail graphics, and a good sense of mood.
Gungnir
30. Dec 2012 路 02:31 UTC
Great minimalist atmos and tight level design. Really enjoyed playing - and would love some more.
SonnyBone
06. Jan 2013 路 23:18 UTC
Very awesome concept and execution with the body control. Needs more, yeah... but what's here is really great. The theme isn't very strong here, but the graphics and gameplay are solid. Desperately needs audio to make the mood. Great job! Don't stop!