Dodge The Bullet by Apace

About
I tried to go for a mix of bullet hell and puzzle, as these seemed very unlikely genres for a mash-up. I think the game has some potential, however I'm not much of a level designer so I guess my puzzles could be better. :D But I like the game elements! Also, there's no audio. ;)
The source code (Unity project) is available on the itch.io page, link below. :)
How to Play
There's an info screen in the game, just navigate the main menu using the arrow keys and space / return.
Changelog
Hey there! Today (April 24) I uploaded a new version of the game which addresses the visual glitch that occasionally happened when the movement of a bullet or the character finished. It was only a minor thing, but as so many reviewers mentioned it, I thought I'd better get it fixed. :)
Have fun! <3
| HTML5 (web) | https://apace.itch.io/dodgethebullet |
| Original URL | https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/41/dodge-the-bullet |
Ratings
| Overall | 55th | 3.956⭐ | 36🧑⚖️ |
| Fun | 62th | 3.868⭐ | 36🧑⚖️ |
| Innovation | 101th | 3.838⭐ | 36🧑⚖️ |
| Theme | 186th | 3.912⭐ | 36🧑⚖️ |
| Graphics | 284th | 3.397⭐ | 36🧑⚖️ |
| Given | 34🗳️ | 45🗨️ |
The graphics are simple, but efficient. The animations, however, are quite jittering, they could have been smoother.
Then I got to level 5. Oh yeah.
The last few levels really show off this concept. It's really fun, and the bubbly particle effects make the movement really satisfying to watch, even when I lose and have to restart the level. The more bullets there are on the screen, the more fun it is to watch.
It's too short! I really wanted more.
And - the player death needs to be way more visually stimulating. It's more like a "boop" than a "OH CRAP I GOT HIT BY A BULLETTTT!"
It would be great to accept the mouse in the menu. Sometimes the graphic flickers.
Really showing off your level design skillz there, nice.
Nice! Loved it! The animations are awesome!
Great job!
- Pros: Simple graphics that service the game well and convey every idea perfectly. Color scheme and learning curve well established.
- Cons: Too many ways to win. I only died once (and I'm not good at these games). I'm sure you'll do more with more time.
Overall, I liked it and don't mind seeing more. Good job.
Thanks to all of you for the kind words. It really means a lot to me to receive this much positive feedback. I also enjoyed trying out all of your creations, so check your comments for a review of mine if you haven't already!
I thought it was a really minor issue, but the stuttering that happened sometimes at the end of animations really annoyed me and seemingly a lot of you as well. So I put up a fix! :)
Whether or not to zoom out to show all bullets in a level from the beginning was a choice I considered, but since it made the level look really empty if zoomed out that far (you have to imagine that because all bullets are aligned with the axes of the walkable space, the corners of the screen would be completely blank) I decided against it. I also thought it was fine to let the player "think on their feet" a bit, as the game does not punish death a lot (you do not get set back far, or lose any points).
Anyway, I really enjoyed all your feedback and suggestions. :)
Cheers!