Dodge The Bullet by Apace

[raw]
made by Apace for LD 41 (COMPO)

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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

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🗨️

Feedback

Yanek
23. Apr 2018 · 08:30 UTC
That's a pretty fun game! I just made it through all the levels, and I think the difficulty curve is pretty good as the two last levels aren't easy. I think it could make a great mobile game.

The graphics are simple, but efficient. The animations, however, are quite jittering, they could have been smoother.
WongKongPhooey
23. Apr 2018 · 08:35 UTC
Enjoyed playing this! Simple enough concept but the gameplay is genuinely fun and it feels a lot more polished in the menus and animations than most jam entries are. Very easy to pick up and play quickly too. Well done!
Aaron Nemoyten
23. Apr 2018 · 08:37 UTC
So for the first few levels I was like "Eh, this is kinda easy, I like the concept but the level design isn't very interesting. I can just move back and forth in two spots and win every level."

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!"
Useless
23. Apr 2018 · 08:38 UTC
really neat idea and execution! the difficulty curve is really cool too! starts out easy but gets hard really quick!
spthiel
23. Apr 2018 · 08:49 UTC
I really liked it, managed to get through all levels without a stroke (needed some luck tho). But I think the difficulty curve is a little too steep to the 5th level. I think the first 4 levels together are as difficult as the 5th alone so yea
ditzel
23. Apr 2018 · 09:05 UTC
Really nice game. I enjoyed it.
It would be great to accept the mouse in the menu. Sometimes the graphic flickers.
DraperDanMan
23. Apr 2018 · 09:10 UTC
This was really great! That last level was definitely my favorite! It required me to think a bit more on my feet in the second half after the new bullets entered on screen. The movement was a little visually glitchy for me but it din;t inhibit gameplay. Great work!
Glassar
23. Apr 2018 · 11:29 UTC
Really fun game though I had some problem moving around in the menu
Swen
23. Apr 2018 · 11:30 UTC
Neat game. Love how easy but challenging the concept is at the same time.
Hanra
23. Apr 2018 · 11:31 UTC
That was fun. I'm not sure how much I actually "solved" the levels as "chose the only move that doesn't kill me" but that already speaks volumes. It was tight, there was challenge and there is scope for more.

Really showing off your level design skillz there, nice.
theviraldragon
23. Apr 2018 · 11:35 UTC
a fun little game. The UI could've been better
bcvery1
23. Apr 2018 · 11:41 UTC
This is really fun, great game.
Radical Dog
23. Apr 2018 · 13:15 UTC
Great game design, the levels taught the mechanics well. I would have liked to see the bullets zoom away once you win, and as others mentioned, the movement was a little stuttery.
Tomáš Selmeci
23. Apr 2018 · 14:42 UTC
Very good game. I have to play it to the end. This deserves attention
MariosManiatis
23. Apr 2018 · 17:57 UTC
Got really scared when the giant skeleton car started chasing me! Really nice game! Good Job!
MariosManiatis
23. Apr 2018 · 18:01 UTC
![Screenshot_2.png](///raw/fc5/f/z/11934.png)
Nice! Loved it! The animations are awesome!
SniperA
24. Apr 2018 · 00:36 UTC
Loved the game design. Great job! The levels were smart, required some thinking and in general was great fun. Just a tip though, I think when the bullets were facing opposite directions and were on top of each other, would have been easier to see if they were side by side, rather than being on top of each other, as it was easy to make a mistake thinking you were safe :).

Great job!
evanricard
24. Apr 2018 · 01:24 UTC
Bullet heaven.
stderr
24. Apr 2018 · 03:40 UTC
Awesome puzzle format idea! I don't think I've ever seen any other puzzle game with this concept before. My only real gripe is that you can't see all the bullets at the start of each level, but that's a minor thing.
rekeben
24. Apr 2018 · 04:17 UTC
Interesting idea, worked pretty well, some of the animations jumped back a little after they were done, good job though. Nice short game. Consider adding more levels?
GastricSparrow
24. Apr 2018 · 13:19 UTC
Seeing the bullets at the start of each level always gives me chills!

- 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.
EkkoEkko
24. Apr 2018 · 15:55 UTC
Simple but addictive game. Good job
🎤 Apace
24. Apr 2018 · 20:46 UTC
Hey everyone!

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!
Toulou
25. Apr 2018 · 10:58 UTC
I have to say, this is surprisingly a very cool and interesting puzzle game. I didn't expected the concept to be this engaging and challenging. Congrats !
designernap
26. Apr 2018 · 11:21 UTC
Very cool concept and great execution on the core mechanic. Addictive and well presented. Nice work!
Teo SK
28. Apr 2018 · 13:55 UTC
Very nice game, good idea! I liked it, would definitely play on mobile with more levels. Any plans on continuing the development? If you'd like you can check out my game as well :)
Kainkun
30. Apr 2018 · 06:03 UTC
cool idea! animations are nice too. simple sounds would add alot. what if some bullets moved slowly in real time?
alferbayter
30. Apr 2018 · 21:49 UTC
Good level progression, just needs more levels :)
Rewzu
01. May 2018 · 18:41 UTC
Very cool idea! I like the simple graphics and UI. Audio would be great addition though. I completed all levels and I wish it had more of them. :D
carlosvVk
06. May 2018 · 12:26 UTC
Hey there, I made it through all the levels! It's a great entry, the graphics are simple but works perfectly, and the level progression is great, so you can learn little by little how to pass the level. Nice job :D
rplnt
08. May 2018 · 13:49 UTC
The game mechanic is great, the levels weren't too easy or too hard, and graphics were fitting (explosion in particular was very nice). I like how the trail notified me of hidden bullets and their directions. Really good entry.