Torch by alexlarioza

[raw]
made by alexlarioza for LD20 (COMPO)
Torch is a simple platformer that I've whipped up for LD#20. Use the arrow keys to move/jump. Avoid obstacles and make your way down to your girlfriend. I was cut a bit short so the game is missing a proper game win screen as well as sound effects/music. Hope you enjoy! =]

[edit] You must stay within the torch's light, even if you are not holding it. If you are in darkness, you will slowly go insane. Your meter will refill if you are in the light. Falling from high places will cause you to drop your torch. Monsters also make you drop your torch or take it from you.

Bugs:
-After you die, torch light in not always reset. Kill your self again to fix.
-The world camera does not stop at level boundaries, hence grey areas outside the map.
-Torch some times gets stuck in walls
-Occasional physics hiccups.

I will be doing a post-compo version that addresses these bugs as well as a soundtrack/music. =]

-Alex

Ratings

Coolness 25% 3
Overall 3.30 75
Audio 1.37 257
Community 2.93 106
Fun 3.32 70
Graphics 3.36 82
Humor 1.84 240
Innovation 3.38 65
Theme 3.47 48

Feedback

jarnik
02. May 2011 路 10:57 UTC
Hey, I beat it and it's actually pretty good! Tough enough, but not too hard. I liked all these different creatures.
馃帳 alexlarioza
02. May 2011 路 19:44 UTC
@jarnik Thank you! I'm glad it wasn't too easy. ;]
erik
02. May 2011 路 23:22 UTC
I liked the art, and the game was pretty fun to play. There were a couple of blind jumps that I found frustrating.
Almost
03. May 2011 路 00:34 UTC
blind jumps, spikes, and fall dropping the torch are all annoying.
馃帳 alexlarioza
03. May 2011 路 00:54 UTC
There are no blind jumps.

Spoiler Alert:
There IS a section where if you go the wrong way, you have to drop down the cliff. If you go the right way, which is sorta hidden under a ledge, there should be no problem. If you were surviving that blind jump, then props to you because I couldn't do it. =P
Milo
03. May 2011 路 01:25 UTC
Fun! It was just easy enough for me to finish before I got frustrated. One more bat, and I would've been done. Excellent job.
Gopher
03. May 2011 路 02:17 UTC
reading your comments I suspect the "impossible jump" I was stuck at was this "wrong way" you're referring to. Other than getting stuck there, quite fun, I may have to come back later and see if I can find the RIGHT way :)
馃帳 alexlarioza
03. May 2011 路 02:53 UTC
@Milio Awesome!

@Gopher Yes, I think I will make the 'deadend' more obvious in the post-compo version.
馃帳 alexlarioza
03. May 2011 路 03:59 UTC
I've updated my entry with my post mortem. The post mortem show's the way around the 'blind jump' for people who were too frustrated to continue.
haqu
04. May 2011 路 04:39 UTC
i like your game. although it's really hard and i couldn't beat it :)
Knighty
05. May 2011 路 09:56 UTC
Pretty fun, although it was a little annoying having to wait for those disappearing blocks to reappear. Maybe make it so the blocks reappear whenever you die, so you don't have to wait.
馃帳 alexlarioza
05. May 2011 路 16:43 UTC
@haqu @Knighty

Thanks guys, I will be releasing a post-compo verion soon that addresses difficulty and annoying things. ;]
hexygen
05. May 2011 路 21:29 UTC
It's a nice idea, but I found it really frustrating (even though I eventually managed to stick around and finish it...).

I like the idea that the monsters drop your light source so you have a "second chance" of getting it before you go insane.
Dark Acre Jack
06. May 2011 路 00:20 UTC
Cool, like a micro-minimalist version of Amnesia.

Great job.
hamster_mk_4
06. May 2011 路 05:36 UTC
I like how the monsters are not insta kills, but some of the platform jumping got really frustrating.
馃帳 alexlarioza
06. May 2011 路 06:29 UTC
@hexygen Thank you for finishing it! =] Sorry the ending is so anticlimactic.

@Dark Acre Jack Someone said that in IRC too! It's funny because out of all the games I thought about borrowing ideas from, Amnesia was not one of them.

@hamster_mk_4 I have problems making things easy. =P Be thankful someone suggested checkpoints or I would have never considered putting them in there,
JosephKnight.com
06. May 2011 路 06:52 UTC
well done. great pixel game.
matthias_zarzecki
07. May 2011 路 11:55 UTC
That death-meachnaic is pretty good.
elbowroom
07. May 2011 路 22:01 UTC
It was rather callenging to say the least..
Interesting idea where the enemies grab the source of your sanity rather than target you directly.
It was fun but it started off too difficult.. mainly cause you could not see where you are going and had to plan from what you remember of your last death to find the right spot to jump to.
The was a minor bug where I often found myself going through the floor. I think with just some graphics for the main characters and a little bit larger light radius, this game would rock.
amassingham
09. May 2011 路 02:16 UTC
Nice little game. Though platformers generally frustrate me. I like the staying in the light concept.

I love the light-stealing bats.

It would be nice if the player's velocity dropped a lot faster. I found myself skating off a lot of ledges after a jump.
Daniel X. Moore
09. May 2011 路 06:29 UTC
I couldn't quite manage to make it all the way to the end with the time I have, but its quite fun. Spelunky tricked me into thinking I could walk horizontally through spikes. Some of the jump feel is a little cramped, but it works pretty well overall.
eli
14. May 2011 路 09:03 UTC
Devious monsters!! I felt I could skip a few parts if I could fall more skillfully (and not drop the torch too far). Exciting game. Maybe a bit too frustrating for some of the "complex" timed jumps, but at least I could rely on checkpoints. The torch mechanic works very well. Maybe future puzzles could deliberately separate you from the torch for certain parts.

The best part was the beady eyes in the darkness.
馃帳 alexlarioza
14. May 2011 路 18:58 UTC
@eli That was a bit of an oversight on my part, I didn't test for ways to cheat the game. The post compo version has fall damage though. =D
mwest
14. May 2011 路 19:20 UTC
Looks like a good entry, well done!

I think I may have missed the good parts :-(... got stuck at a jump near some lava pretty early on...
natpat
20. May 2011 路 15:29 UTC
Fun game! Nice concept, and the graphics were rather sweet too. :)
Blodyavenger
22. May 2011 路 20:30 UTC
I was angry at those bats! Stealing torch like it's theirs...grrr.
But hey, I had lots of fun playing this solid game, nicely done!