The Hill by Strkl

[raw]
made by Strkl for LD25 (JAM)
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I recommend the windows version since you can play at a much better resolution
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Okay I had to put this into the jam, but I worked on this for like 20-25hrs, (And I stil managed to not get any sound done haha)

This is my take on the theme, I tried a more narrative approach...

I won't go too much into the story, I'd love to see you make your own interpretation :)
Also Please don't give up, the end eventually come (If you're too good, it may take some time, but still, it's not THAT long of a game)


I hope you like it (And I also hope there won't be many bugs :X)

You caim aim with up and down arrows


***POST MORTEM
http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/2012/12/20/the-hill-post-mortem-art-dump/ *****

Ratings

Coolness 55% 3
Overall(Jam) 3.23 119
Audio(Jam) 1.07 276
Fun(Jam) 2.66 198
Graphics(Jam) 4.33 22
Humor(Jam) 1.95 258
Innovation(Jam) 2.81 171
Mood(Jam) 3.37 70
Theme(Jam) 3.58 103

Feedback

Sestren
18. Dec 2012 · 01:01 UTC
Love the artwork, and the mood is excellent!
IndieWithASide
18. Dec 2012 · 13:11 UTC
Great job man, very nice looking. Shame about the lack of sound but overall enjoyable! Played to the end, good stuff.
DeathBySnail
18. Dec 2012 · 22:11 UTC
Nice looking game! neat concept too.
Joozey
18. Dec 2012 · 22:23 UTC
Excellent graphics, I like it. Great job on the cutscenes too! Finished the game, nice ending scene. Would have liked to hear some sound.
bigbadwofl
19. Dec 2012 · 05:45 UTC
Cool art and quite innovative. Well done.
Oreganik
19. Dec 2012 · 06:24 UTC
That was beautiful. I loved it. My only niggling complaint is the rock... what is it used for? =)
🎤 Strkl
19. Dec 2012 · 20:07 UTC
Thanks you everybody !
the thing I forgot to tell clearly is that with up and down arrow you can aim a bit with rock to make more efficient throws
Mago
19. Dec 2012 · 20:37 UTC
That was very touching game. Very deep.
Great graphics, simple gameplay but over all I really liked it
Team Superfluid
19. Dec 2012 · 20:39 UTC
Really emotional, I found this strangely moving! A wonderful take on the theme, very well executed with a strong dynamic arc. Presentation great, but I longed for sound -J
GreenPixelDev
19. Dec 2012 · 23:16 UTC
Love the artwork! More variety and depth to the gameplay would have been nice but, overall, a good entry with effective story-telling mechanics! :D
EatenAlive3
20. Dec 2012 · 20:52 UTC
Very nice art! Unfortunately the lack of sound brought down the mood as well, really could have used it.. but you probably know that.
OxyOxspring
20. Dec 2012 · 20:54 UTC
Absolutely bloody gorgeous looking. The mood and story are really deep too, I really enjoyed it!
bradleypollard
20. Dec 2012 · 20:54 UTC
The total lack of sound was jarring. The gameplay itself was a little lacking, I ended up just jamming on all the keys as fast as possible as I had no idea what roaring achieved, and didn't see why you would ever want to aim a boulder up or down.
Was the ending scene just floating up? I was expecting something... more.
BrothersT
20. Dec 2012 · 20:56 UTC
Nice graphics and storytelling, although I was a bit confused about how to keep the mob away. I didn't seem to have nearly enough rocks, but maybe that was the idea.
Clavus
20. Dec 2012 · 21:03 UTC
Great artwork, straightforward game, nice story. 4 outta 5!
DaviDeMo
21. Dec 2012 · 00:03 UTC
wow, very interesting art!
cwilloughby
21. Dec 2012 · 00:14 UTC
Nice artwork - would love to see the concept more fleshed out.
OrangeeZ
21. Dec 2012 · 00:31 UTC
The art is godlike, gameplay was somewhat lacking, but the game was touching, and I liked that small puzzle, where in description you said that if you're good at playing the game, ending will take longer to come, and I understood that only when finished The Hill :D
ilo
21. Dec 2012 · 00:46 UTC
Nice storytelling without the use of words, and the art is splendid. Animation and sound would have made the gameplay more satisfying.
Dark Acre Jack
21. Dec 2012 · 04:16 UTC
Very soulful. Great artwork and execution on the concept.
lotusgame
21. Dec 2012 · 07:16 UTC
Get them !
fishbrain
21. Dec 2012 · 07:52 UTC
Superb artwork!
feili
21. Dec 2012 · 10:01 UTC
nice work! =)
Christina Antoinette Neofotistou
21. Dec 2012 · 11:28 UTC
awww very touching. Fantastic graphics as well
caranha
21. Dec 2012 · 11:58 UTC
This is a gorgeous game. The story is clear enough that we have some idea of what's going on, but at the same time vague enough that it is open to different levels of interpretations. Congratulations on the great art - both in the visuals, as in the concept of the game.

Some suggestions for improvement.

1- Since you are so focused on the narrative, maybe you should abolish the opening screen altogether. Overlay the control description over the game screen for a few seconds, before removing them and letting the game begin.

2- Sound. The lack of animation did not bother me much (could be seen as adding to the "storytime" feeling), but the lack of sound did. Even with minimal sound effects, some music to set the tone would be welcome.

3- Interactivity: It made no difference at all whether you tried to defend yourself or not, whether you were good at it or not. Some people may think differently, but I think the interactive element is very important in the game. Something should change if depending if you defend yourself or not. It doesn't need to be the ending, for example, maybe the stronger looking enemies should not appear until a bit into the game.

Cheers, and congratulations on the very moving story!
blackmagic
21. Dec 2012 · 13:03 UTC
Nice, altought the control feels a bit hawkward.
Edocentrique
21. Dec 2012 · 17:06 UTC
It's missing some sounds and animations but it's good looking
🎤 Strkl
21. Dec 2012 · 17:47 UTC
God, thanks everybody for the (good or bad) comments !

@OrangeeZ : Thanks :D I didn't write that as a puzzle, but now that you say it, maybe it could be read as like !

Caranha : Thanks for the detailed comment ! I totally agree with you on all three points, I totally rushed the title screen because I needed to tell the control but I didn't have any time left, and the sound...well bad time managment

For the gameplay I realized that only very late, and it bummed me down : Weither you do something, or you don't even touch the keyboard, the game will end...and that just bad
bentog
21. Dec 2012 · 18:12 UTC
Beautiful, well done!
Jiggawatt
21. Dec 2012 · 19:23 UTC
Fancy, fancy. Another entry that's more like a short story than a game. Those are cool, but it really could've used more responsive gameplay.
hypp
22. Dec 2012 · 16:31 UTC
Excellent artwork. Wish I could do that! And a lovely story!
Hatscat
22. Dec 2012 · 17:50 UTC
nice art!
Gornova
23. Dec 2012 · 10:46 UTC
I like it your game because try to go beyond simple gameplay and tell something, well done! intro scene is too long IMHO
Winterblood
25. Dec 2012 · 23:35 UTC
Beautiful art and storytelling, but very limited gameplay. Is there a win condition at all?
jackspinoza
27. Dec 2012 · 19:43 UTC
a bit Frankensteiny, enjoyed this. short and succinct. Also liked the fatalistic nature of this piece.
haxpor
30. Dec 2012 · 07:40 UTC
I'm really feel sorry to be that guy, his faced when transformed into another instance is real deal in tragic.
Despite lack of sound, I love the art and how you convey the story pretty fast in the beginning.
mikemacdee
03. Jan 2013 · 11:10 UTC
its never established that i'm supposed to be the villain, only that i'm the town outcast, and hence the underdog. for that it fails where the theme is concerned.
justin c. rounds
05. Jan 2013 · 14:19 UTC
Well done on the art and story! The pixelation on the foreground is a little distracting. I felt like I needed more feedback on whether I was winning or losing, but I'm not saying it needs a score or a health bar. Maybe just make the character's injuries more obvious? The first time I played it I stopped playing after a minute because I didn't think there was any progression toward a win/lose state. I'm glad I played it again to see the end!