LudumData

The Beforlorne Wander by pvtroswold

[raw]
made by pvtroswold for LD 40 (COMPO)

Metroidvania thing! With bosses! And power upgrades!

screen2.png

Controls:

Z............................Jump

X............................Fire

Left/Right..........Move left/right

Up/Down...........Aim weapon up/down

A............................Pause

C............................Select Button

POST COMPO VERSION (below) [Bug fixes, new levels, various enhancements]

New areas and boss (with new powerup), new music, new intro screen! Final area with boss rush.. As well as bug fixes, sound/music mixing, and animations for main character

Here's a collage of screenshots so as to goad you into playing it:

screens.png

This is not from the compo version! Please rate the original for compo purposes

INFO:

It's been 2 weeks since LD40, and I decided to write (approx.) a paragraph about my entry, for those who may be interested:

My original plan was to be clever, and make the theme sort of a motif of the game's narrative, rather than (as per LD usual) a 'physical' game mechanic. However, that (story/narrative) is one of my weak points.. in fact, the only remnant of that idea visible in the finished entry is the 'dialogue box.' I really hoped to have a cute kind of story with interesting lovable characters and dramatic episodic 'quests' or what have you. As it is, I spent nearly the entire 2 days writing 1300 lines of C, finally submitting a bug-fixed version just after the deadline, technically.

So lessons learned (hopefully) for next time: get better at story telling, and also prioritize implementing the theme. Thanks for all the great criticisms and comments!

Source code https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=1h_CwHgFwbgGuNKkV1SEoUZyEmIXiu719
Source code https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=1bMd2QnUFVBUvdW3UD9ljh9A3O-djH0Ij
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/40/the-beforelorne-wander

Ratings

Overall 408th 3.25⭐ 48🧑‍⚖️
Fun 356th 3.239⭐ 48🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 642th 2.267⭐ 47🧑‍⚖️
Theme 676th 1.636⭐ 46🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 534th 2.761⭐ 48🧑‍⚖️
Audio 175th 3.386⭐ 46🧑‍⚖️
Humor 493th 2.086⭐ 37🧑‍⚖️
Mood 285th 3.179⭐ 44🧑‍⚖️
Given 48🗳️ 53🗨️

Feedback

CKlidify
04. Dec 2017 · 20:23 UTC
I couldn't quite tell what the implementation of the theme was, but otherwise a pretty good game all around! Walk speed is a little on the slow side and jump height feels far too low and limiting to the players size however.
wsKilljoy
04. Dec 2017 · 23:40 UTC
Creative levels, and alright graphics. However, the controls weren't great, and it didn't really fit the theme.
doosead
04. Dec 2017 · 23:43 UTC
The theme's got lost on me, but aside from that the platforming and fighting felt pretty good. Need some better reflexes though, i die on bosses
piscythe
05. Dec 2017 · 03:08 UTC
Legitimate boss fights in an LD? I don't care if you don't follow the theme if you have bosses. I found the graphics to be almost too abstract, but the music made the whole thing come across as almost mysterious. The platforming dynamics aren't quite as polished as I'd like, but I had fun fighting even against normal enemies. Oddly, I found the second boss easier than the first - the dodging and weaving that the first boss did was much more interesting than the simple routine of shoot and dodge I fell into with the second one. Good work!
Niphram
05. Dec 2017 · 11:29 UTC
Movement is a bit slow for my taste, and the use of zxc is really irritating on a non american keyboard (Z and Y are switched for me) which makes it quite annoying to play. The player hitbox is also a bit to big, but other than that it's a good game!
Lawrence
06. Dec 2017 · 00:42 UTC
I enjoyed the game, especially level design.

Bullets moved a bit slow & there was a little lack of animations, but it's a jam, I get it. :smile:
foolmoron
06. Dec 2017 · 06:33 UTC
Different music for different areas and boss fights are quite impressive. I wish the controls and movement felt better since it was a bit of a pain to actually play, so I stopped, but I wanted to see more of the content.
Antti Tiihonen
06. Dec 2017 · 09:37 UTC
I agree that the controls and jumping (especially with the double jump) could have been tighter and more forgiving but I dig the ambitiousness of the game. It was pretty fun to explore the place regardless and the boss fight I encountered was a nice surprise.
bog13
06. Dec 2017 · 09:39 UTC
The good :
- Very nice music.
- The game is complete and well polished.

The bad :
- No main character animation.
- The game does not fit the theme.

I enjoyed playing this game ! Good job !
Dave Siegel
07. Dec 2017 · 02:24 UTC
First, great job on the music. I was less hot on the sound effects, but the music was very well done. I won't repeat the criticisms already stated in this thread, but I did enjoy it. Is there a tie in to the theme that I am missing?
lawzy93
07. Dec 2017 · 05:02 UTC
Nice overall game, good level design.
BudgieM2
07. Dec 2017 · 18:28 UTC
Really cool game! The music was mostly good, but one was a bit screechy. I feel like you need an animation for when you aim the gun up and down and some sort of indicator when you've been damaged. Great boss fights, I really felt the tension when the music kicked in when I had very little health left
Shivur
07. Dec 2017 · 20:26 UTC
Fun game!
Kramdar
08. Dec 2017 · 17:53 UTC
Very cool! The music really sets the atmosphere but the sound effects could use some mixing as some seem too quiet and other too loud. I could get on board with the graphic design of the enemies especially if animations were added and if the level tile textures matched matched up better. I like the scan-line look they have. A slightly faster player speed would help it from feeling a little sluggish and some more leniency on jump heights would make platforming feel more natural but I do like some of the precise jumps. Level design was great giving the two areas different personalities. I was disappointed I couldn't take the best gun all the way back up the tunnels unless I missed a path. Big props for adding the boss fights. Overall it's a very enjoyable game! Glad to see a metroidvania entry!
AMastryukov
10. Dec 2017 · 23:08 UTC
**Pros:** The game is polished. Graphics are good. Music sets a good atmosphere. Different enemies and bosses were a good addition. Level design was well done.

**Cons:** Controls are a little weird. Didn't match the theme.

I like this game - it is simple and fun to play and the music created a unique atmosphere for each area. Controls were a little bit strange and I'm still not used to them. The game didn't match the theme, but it was a good game nonetheless.
dijaguy
11. Dec 2017 · 02:10 UTC
Epic boss music! Had fun exploring this one, enjoying what you built!
Zinkler
11. Dec 2017 · 08:42 UTC
An actual finished game? At LD? Are you kidding me?

This is just great. Too bad it doesn't fit the theme though.
fusionnist
11. Dec 2017 · 18:53 UTC
Didn't see much of the theme, and the boss A.I isn't all that convenient (it just flies to a corner, takes so much damage and lasts forever), but I really like the visual aspect of it, really charming!
Logan
11. Dec 2017 · 19:35 UTC
Very ambitious to do a Metroidvania for a Ludum Dare game! I admire the amount of work you put into this, especially with multiple music tracks and bosses and everything. It's a little bare-bones, but hey, Ludum Dare Metroidvania. The simple style works with the single-screen navigation. The first boss was pretty frustrating, though. The thing took WAY too much damage. And, like everyone else is saying, I have no idea how the theme applies here.

But it's a pretty neat entry nonetheless, and stands in its own right.
dodormeur
13. Dec 2017 · 22:51 UTC
Really nice metroidvania ! It's impressive you pulled of this for a ludum dare, the graphics are simple but really nice, and the music puts in the mood :)
The only default is the theme, but it's really just to find one ^^
Great job !
aeveis
14. Dec 2017 · 04:00 UTC
Nice small game! I had some trouble jumping, there really wasn't any leeway as the jump was basically just block height. I died a lot for the first boss, and the save dropped in the higher place that I couldn't reach so when I died I had to try again. I was able to beat the game though. I think there was a room where there was a save point very high up, but after beating the final boss I couldn't find a way back to that area. Anyway keep up the good work!
HuvaaKoodia
14. Dec 2017 · 21:48 UTC
Oh man! This looked like a top down retro shooter akin to Robotron, but no... Side scrolling MetroidVania is the name of the game. It doesn't help that I'm sick and tired of MetroidVania. Been there done that.

Ok, fine. Let's not poison the well to the brim. The graphics are pleasantly retro, somewhere between Spectrum and early DOS-era. If only the movement was authentically jagged. Looks way too smooth, even through my rose-tinted glasses. The music is weird; parts of it sound excellent, parts of it trashy. It does create an interesting mood nonetheless.

The interactivity is simple and lacks punch. Meatier sound effects would have elevated the anaemic shooting on their own, let alone a few more weapons and movement abilities. Prying the best gun from the death grip of the second bullet spongy boss monster at the very end of the journey was a sour reminder of the lack of variety. The *secret* room at the top right corner of the map spelled out the same song mere minutes earlier.

It works, there are no bugs... If only it was more exciting, more retro, more anything!

The post jam version adds a bit of needed polish and more levels (which are nice!), but does not touch on the fundamentals. Scoring is for the original, obv.

Overall: *Average (3.0)*
Fun: *Below average (2.5)*
Innovation: *Bad (2.0)*
Theme: *What theme? (1.0)*
Graphics: *Good (4.0)*
Audio: *Above average (3.5)*
Humor: *Average (3.0)*
Mood: *Good (4.0)*
MagmaFortress
17. Dec 2017 · 03:49 UTC
I may just be no good at these types of games but I found the enemy projectiles super hard to dodge due to how fast they went and possibly lack of warning before they fire?
ito yoichi
17. Dec 2017 · 09:32 UTC
Nice stage design. I little bit confused about jump and shot controls.
Mood and music is my favourite. Good game.
Billeclipse
17. Dec 2017 · 10:40 UTC
Really nice music and fun to play it :D The movement needs a little bit of tweaks so it doesn't feel like floating but other than that pretty cool game :D
BelowParallel_Ian
18. Dec 2017 · 02:56 UTC
I like the graphics and audio very much. The game is fun, but there's not much original about it. With that said, the level design is well done, so the game is enjoyable to play. And as everyone else has already said, this seems to have nothing to do with the theme.
pkenney
20. Dec 2017 · 03:19 UTC
Wow, an impressive amount done here, especially for a compo!! I was like wait a minute this is a boss fight with special unique theme music!? Awesome.

The controls were demanding but tight. There was only one scenario where I felt the controls failed me, and that was jumping up into a 1-unit-wide shaft from below. I would move left and right but it was hard to position myself exactly so I would overshoot. Then when jumping I'd catch the corner of my collider on the edge of the wall. No big deal, but I did have to shuffle around and re-attempt the jump a handful of times when I encountered this setup.

Otherwise the controls were solid. This game required a lot of planning because a mistake could easily lead to taking several quick hits in a row. So it was good that the controls were predictably reliable.

I liked the variety of enemies and areas -- again, impressive amount of content! If I could have tweaked one thing I would have moved the checkpoints a bit closer, I feel like a game jam is not the place to ask players to repeat the same content to earn more.