ENOCH'S SALT by KRP

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| Windows | https://krp.itch.io/enochs-salt |
| Source code | https://krp.itch.io/enochs-salt |
| Original URL | https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/42/enochs-salt |
Ratings
| Overall | 158th | 3.708⭐ | 26🧑⚖️ |
| Fun | 152th | 3.625⭐ | 26🧑⚖️ |
| Innovation | 400th | 3.125⭐ | 26🧑⚖️ |
| Theme | 577th | 3.063⭐ | 26🧑⚖️ |
| Graphics | 185th | 3.688⭐ | 26🧑⚖️ |
| Audio | 73th | 3.688⭐ | 26🧑⚖️ |
| Mood | 1th | 4.5⭐ | 26🧑⚖️ |
| Given | 33🗳️ | 8🗨️ |
If you don't bother take a look at our game when we focused on Graphics and visuals and see the results that we got:
https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/42/spacelab-42
The design is a pretty basic breakout concept, with only a few bricks actually necessary to beat each level. What I don't understand is why you keep some of the bricks around even after they're hit - this made for a really frustrating experience - especially in the level where the eye appears - because you'd place NEXT LVL bricks in places that are nigh-impossible to reach with the game's physics.
The physics are the source of my main complaint, though. I could not for the life of me predict where the ball would bounce when I hit it. One theory I have is that it's completely independent of the ball's velocity and depends only on where on the paddle it bounces. Another is that the paddle reflects the direction of the ball. It's very hard to tell. And because of this aiming felt difficult. I can appreciate breakout games with complex physics, but if you're going for a low-resolution game with flat surfaces and large bricks like this, and no powerups to overcome janky physics interactions, I end up feeling like I have no control over the game and it's just playing itself.
I understand you were going for a dark theme where the game would punish you for hitting the wrong blocks but only reward you sometimes for hitting the right ones. And it's nice that the game gets harder throughout the level. But because I didn't feel in control of the ball at all, any blocks I hit were a result of random chance. And while getting random rewards for random ball bounces is nice, being punished by randomness isn't particularly fun, mostly frustrating.
In summary: I think this game has a lot of polish and you executed a simple concept very well. I just couldn't get much enjoyment from it because the physics felt a bit off.
On my first playthrough the ball got stuck moving horizontally along the ceiling on the second level so I had to restart, so a level reset button or something might've been good, but on my second try I somehow managed to survive all the way through despite the difficulty! Didn't quite get how the basic gameplay was connected to the theme, but then I got the section with the walls closing in and there I had it~
Never quite understood what all the powerup blocks did. Some never turned red, which I assume is because I already had the upgrade, but then there were those crosses… Given the symbolism of the rest of the game I suppose there was something special about them… Having the bat also shrink after losing a ball felt quite punishing but it was nice to have it reset between levels.
Quite liked the "music". Reminded me of Great Bay in Majora's Mask… Nice touch shutting the application down at the end. Almost expected a spooky note to pop up in the game's folder or on the desktop. Seems you went for black, white and red again—do all your games have this scheme? :D
I think this would've worked even if it were just a variation on breakout with these "next level" blocks but you went above and beyond to make it more than that—great job. c: