Don't Be a Square! by KingEthaniel

[raw]
made by KingEthaniel for LD35 (COMPO)
First Ludum Dare, and first time making any kind of music! Shoot geometric shapes to add or subtract sides from them in order to turn them into squares.

Controls: Jump wih Z, Shoot with C. Press X to change the charge of your bullets. An enemy shape shot with a positive, of blue bullet, will gain one side, while shooting an enemy with a red or negative bullet will subtract one of their sides. Kill enemies by turning them into squares.

Ratings

Coolness 58% 3
Overall 3.31 378
Audio 2.63 485
Fun 3.30 348
Graphics 3.67 184
Humor 2.75 274
Innovation 3.33 333
Mood 3.08 346
Theme 3.53 351

Feedback

Trash_Empire
19. Apr 2016 · 01:52 UTC
The bosses were actually quite difficult. I had a really good time with this one. The audio is quite repetitive but not bad if it is your first time. Good Job! Keep it up.
morrilet
19. Apr 2016 · 04:04 UTC
It felt a little unclear what the different bullet charges did, but i loved the simple, sturdy style.
Shatter Point Studios
19. Apr 2016 · 04:08 UTC
Very interesting use of the theme, but pretty difficult. I liked that it wasn't a typical 2D shooter. I really liked the art design, character expressions were humorous.
Decentsauce
19. Apr 2016 · 04:19 UTC
You web version, isn't a web version. :p Music in first map and title screen is nice. The rest not so much. Like how the title screen text bounces around. :) The art is neat! Especially like the smooth animations. The different bullets are weird and since they don't look different I had a hard time using them at first. Couldn't walk back to read the tutorial text again. Overall cool entry dude. :)
pirate_shell
19. Apr 2016 · 08:12 UTC
I quite enjoyed the pixel style you used, it was simple, but worked. It reminded me a bit of super meat boy actually. The game had an interesting mechanic, but I didn't really understand how exactly how it worked and why some enemies were only affected by certain weapon charges. Overall, a very difficult but well made entry!
Weeping Rupee
20. Apr 2016 · 04:25 UTC
Link isnt working! I really wanna try this one out :(
🎤 KingEthaniel
20. Apr 2016 · 04:31 UTC
Hold on one second please!!!
🎤 KingEthaniel
20. Apr 2016 · 04:34 UTC
That's odd, it works for me... are you on a mac?
santiagom
20. Apr 2016 · 04:38 UTC
funy game! so good!
Skipi
20. Apr 2016 · 05:15 UTC
Well, that ending woke me up O_O

I liked how the different enemies shot different types of bullets. Some of the platforming was a bit rough, but not too bad. Solid entry!
Alexandre Szybiak
20. Apr 2016 · 11:43 UTC
Hello, it tells me "file not found" when I click on the windows link :/
🎤 KingEthaniel
20. Apr 2016 · 23:00 UTC
The issue has been fixed. The link works now!
lightspeedlucas
21. Apr 2016 · 03:38 UTC
Very clever mechanic, enjoyed playing it very much. Felt a little betrayed by your "web version". Also, compo entries must include source code!
🎤 KingEthaniel
21. Apr 2016 · 03:44 UTC
I used Clickteam Fusion 2.5, and as far as I know, there is no way to retrieve the source code from the engine. :(
ChuiGum
21. Apr 2016 · 04:24 UTC
Great audio and great execution on the Shapeshift theme. The controls were a little funky, maybe make the Up key to jump and Z to fight? I don't know, but well done! :)
RNanoware
23. Apr 2016 · 00:35 UTC
Love the simplicity and appropriateness of the concept! Your "first shot" at music honestly exceeded my expectations; I didn't mute the game at all. Great work!
Studiosaurus
23. Apr 2016 · 01:15 UTC
Whoa, I was all ready for a boss fight at the end, I guess I'll just settle for a shit in my pants. I really liked this game in the end, but I didn't at the beginning. You throw the player in at the deep end a little, whichever direction you go you have to 1) be able to see the lasers, they are pretty invisible
2) know the controls well enough and anticipate the enemy enough to dodge the crazy frequent lasers, for 3 kinds of enemy in one case. 3) anticipate where the next enemy is going to appear and which polarity they will be. 4) Know the controls well enough to under pressure switch polarity accordingly. 5) learn that some lasers pass through the floor completely. 6) be able to jump and shoot at the same time, while dodging lasers. 7) not throw your laptop out the window and curl up in the foetal position.

oh and you have to realize that some of the projectiles are actually just harmless particles.

Good points:

I love a challenge, and once I got used to everything that was happening I really enjoyed the game. I just wished each aspect of difficulty has been introduced a little more incrementally.

I really like the music. At first I thought it was very basic, but with how hard the game was, this simple repetitive music really made me feel uneasy, and judging by the ending I guess that's what you were going for.

Love the triangle design and animation.

Very cool concept with the charges and adding/subtracting sides.

I like the art in general.

Very moody, opening the final door felt satisfying.

Well done man! The game was brutal but I love it :)
🎤 KingEthaniel
23. Apr 2016 · 05:30 UTC
Thanks for the feedback! Probably the most useful yet! :)
bentglasstube
23. Apr 2016 · 23:02 UTC
really liked the art and the +/- mechanic
thebrainfuse
28. Apr 2016 · 19:52 UTC
A bit difficult to play, but kind of a neat humorous concept.