Phobius by deejorg
This is our first entry in Ludum Dare and we are very satisfied with the result! Although lots of features got cut out and a great deal of bug fixes was still left to do, we managed to learn a lot and have fun with the experience.
Idea
We tried to tackle the "tiny world" theme by focusing on the character's inner world and that is how we got the claustrophobia idea.
So basically he will gradually panic and the world around him will get tinnier.
Plot
In our game you'll control a young.. something (even we aren't quite sure what race that is) who gets scared at every other turn and hates tight spaces.
The plot is very simple. He is going with his family to visit a building and he gets scared before going in, which results in being left behind. He then tries to catch up by going up the floors on his own.
The hitboxes didn't end up so good but we didn't have time to try and make them better. Also the panic bar times needed tweaking but we think the idea comes across.
Be patient with the loading, we didn't manage to get the pre-load working, it's just a few seconds.
*if you get stuck press R to restart level
Hope you like it :)
Idea
We tried to tackle the "tiny world" theme by focusing on the character's inner world and that is how we got the claustrophobia idea.
So basically he will gradually panic and the world around him will get tinnier.
Plot
In our game you'll control a young.. something (even we aren't quite sure what race that is) who gets scared at every other turn and hates tight spaces.
The plot is very simple. He is going with his family to visit a building and he gets scared before going in, which results in being left behind. He then tries to catch up by going up the floors on his own.
The hitboxes didn't end up so good but we didn't have time to try and make them better. Also the panic bar times needed tweaking but we think the idea comes across.
Be patient with the loading, we didn't manage to get the pre-load working, it's just a few seconds.
*if you get stuck press R to restart level
Hope you like it :)
Ratings
| Coolness | 100% | 1 |
| Overall(Jam) | 3.46 | 61 |
| Audio(Jam) | 3.73 | 34 |
| Fun(Jam) | 3.12 | 72 |
| Graphics(Jam) | 3.65 | 82 |
| Humor(Jam) | 3.40 | 35 |
| Innovation(Jam) | 3.69 | 30 |
| Mood(Jam) | 3.30 | 63 |
| Theme(Jam) | 3.55 | 41 |
The pickyness of the platforms robbed some of the fun for me. The transformations were an interesting element. Loved the sound. The music and the graphics and the sound worked together really good for a solid mood.
Good work.
Still, fix the hit-boxes, and add a few more levels, and I think you'd have a great game!
I think that the relaxing pill could have a visual effect in the main character, to point out that he can jump higher.
Also, I got a bug where I jump right before I should have melted, but instead lost air control and landed, without being able to move. I had to restart the game.
Nonetheless, I really loved this game, it's one of my favorites of this LD. Congrats!
R - to restart a level
M - to mute sound
@spooks Yea, we cam e across that as well after submitting but unfortunately we don't have time at the moment to release a less buggy version
@Jezzamon We thought about adjusting the panic timers according to each level but there was no time to implement it :)
@Make A Game First of all thank you for the nice compliment =D His color does change to a brighter blue but apparently it's not enough of a change to be noticed
In the 4th-5th level I got stuck into some block during the transformation, so I haven't been able to finish the game :/
The most annoying thing can be the hitboxes (like you mention), and that when you turn to left or right, the player moves a lot, possibly, the sprites are not centered.
But good game!
The game is almost completely devoid of challenge, though, and the idea of the level changing due to claustrophobia should be a little bit more dramatic.
Good job, congrats!
Anyway, it seems pretty cool.
@TenTonToon The idea around the levels would be that when you reached max panic you'd lose or the screen frame would go nuts and flashy as though he's really really panicking. You'd have to play with the melting / pills mechanic to be in the melted state just enough to get through some part and then transform back before you lost total control. Unfortunately we didn't get the time to do it and the levels are like a sample of what it could be xD
@BlackBulletIV Maybe you didn't notice but you can jump higher after you take the pill. He turns a brighter blue although it's barely noticeable
I know other people have addressed it, but I got stuck in walls twice, and I walked left out a door and got stuck there too. So collision needs a few tweaks.
The music and the animations in this are among the best in the competition. You guys are great.
Nice work guys :)