Growing Out by superpokeunicorn

[raw]
made by superpokeunicorn for LD 42 (COMPO)

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Mr. Blob is a tiny blob trapped in a deep, dark dungeon. As Mr. Blob explores, he discovers magical gum which allows him to grow in size and grants him special powers. While the additional powers help Mr. Blob explore, the added size also makes it tough to fit into tight spots. If Mr. Blob keeps growing bigger and bigger, will he be able to get out of the dungeon before running out of space? Lets find out!

CONTROLS

Arrow Keys = Move

X = Jump

C = Shoot (Once Unlocked)

DOWNLOAD INSTRUCTIONS

Take the jar file out of the zip folder and double click it to run.

If the game won't start, make sure you have java installed: http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/jre8-downloads-2133155.html

Ratings

Overall 52th 3.948⭐ 50🧑‍⚖️
Fun 41th 3.989⭐ 49🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 273th 3.348⭐ 48🧑‍⚖️
Theme 357th 3.574⭐ 49🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 138th 3.809⭐ 49🧑‍⚖️
Audio 139th 3.442⭐ 45🧑‍⚖️
Humor 205th 2.841⭐ 43🧑‍⚖️
Mood 183th 3.317⭐ 43🧑‍⚖️
Given 40🗳️ 46🗨️

Feedback

JustinSix
12. Aug 2018 · 23:46 UTC
I don't understand how to open the .jar file that is downloaded from the windows itch.io page
🎤 superpokeunicorn
13. Aug 2018 · 12:15 UTC
@justinsix Just take the jar file out of the zip folder and double click it.

If you don't have java installed on your computer, you can download it here: http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/jre8-downloads-2133155.html
Jakub Kazimierski
13. Aug 2018 · 14:10 UTC
Game is really fun. I really like aesthetic of graphics and music.
GameJMunk
13. Aug 2018 · 14:15 UTC
Very lovely game. I haven't worked with Java, but i still think that it would have been nice of you to make a short description of how to start your game..
This is one of the best games i have tried during this Ludum Dare.. Good Work!!
Oh yeah, music absolutely beautiful.
trozen
13. Aug 2018 · 14:23 UTC
I really had fun with this game and I made it all the way to the end! It started off a little slow and difficult, but that quickly fell away and I was really enjoying the abilities that I unlocked.

The best part of this game is your level design. You managed to build a 5-10 minute long Metroidvania experience contained in a very small map. Your use of the theme as a game mechanic (getting bigger = unlocked more zones) was perfectly executed. Great game, and great job!
Teo Miklethun
13. Aug 2018 · 14:33 UTC
To make a metroidvania in only 48 hours is crazy impressive, so nice job!
bovandenberg
13. Aug 2018 · 16:09 UTC
cool game man, i realy like the concept
Nehvis
13. Aug 2018 · 17:20 UTC
This is the coolest entry I've played so far! Great job, man! The only thing missing imo is gamepad controls
Nehvis
13. Aug 2018 · 17:20 UTC
This is the coolest entry I've played so far! Great job, man! The only thing missing imo is gamepad controls
Jupiter_Hadley
13. Aug 2018 · 20:41 UTC
Cute platfomrer! I included it in my compilation video series of the Ludum Dare 42 compilation video series, if you’d like to take a look. :) https://youtu.be/VOykmSuQEhg
sylvie
13. Aug 2018 · 21:19 UTC
This is my favourite entry I've played so far! The graphics were super adorable and the world was very well constructed to allow traversing it at all the different sizes. Well done!
JSMCAG
13. Aug 2018 · 22:51 UTC
What an incredible feat for 48 hours! The graphics are impressive, the main character is *adorable*, the world has great design (really ambitious to design a metroidvania style game in only two days!), and overall one of the very best entries!

Congratulations!
Wekaj
13. Aug 2018 · 23:17 UTC
I really like this entry, nice work! The way your perspective of the level changes as you grow is very cool.
Helen
13. Aug 2018 · 23:34 UTC
The typo is a bit hard to read. It took me some time to figure out that 'x' is jumping ^^"
I like the music and sound of your game.
croben
14. Aug 2018 · 00:51 UTC
I really like this one. Good job.
erebus
14. Aug 2018 · 02:35 UTC
Really great job! When I broke the bricks to go down the stairs on the left the item wasn't on the stand. Not sure if that was a bug or what. But I never saw the final phase.
Ossi
14. Aug 2018 · 03:54 UTC
What a lovely game! I really like how you take different paths through the same area as you get larger and larger. I found the enemies pretty tough, especially when you knock those ranged blob enemies back and they manage to snipe your last bit of heath mid-air ahaha! The pixel art is really well done too, love the metroid vibe going on here!
5Spectra
14. Aug 2018 · 07:22 UTC
Cool game, I feel that the game had to show more of the map, I died several times because I didn't know if where I was going to fall had an enemy or not.
Teelin
14. Aug 2018 · 11:57 UTC
Nice game. I like the feel of the art and the gameplay itself was really nice. Good Job :smile:
Mathiouza
14. Aug 2018 · 12:14 UTC
Very cool game ! I really enjoyed to play it ^^ The music is cool (quite repetitive but it's ok), the art is too and the level design is very well executed !

Congrats ! Keep coding :)
Fenderbate
14. Aug 2018 · 12:25 UTC
Breaking the walls after getting the big upgrade was really satisfying, good job! :D
mrerdalural
14. Aug 2018 · 12:46 UTC
Very good level design and artwork!
🎤 superpokeunicorn
14. Aug 2018 · 14:27 UTC
@erebus Thanks for playing the game! I'm glad you liked it. I'm not sure what would cause that powerup to not spawn. It's a jump boost that doesn't actually increase your size, so it's possible you picked it up without realizing. I just uploaded a full playthrough of the game if you're interested in seeing what the final phase looks like: https://youtu.be/XWrXhokz_Tc
Corbak
14. Aug 2018 · 14:53 UTC
Cool design and graphics! The gameplay is intresting but quite hard, the small enemies are really hard to avoid. It is really cool to get new powers as you grow!
AwiX
15. Aug 2018 · 06:04 UTC
Good Gaming Idea, Music needs to be improved Graphics good
ildfuglen
15. Aug 2018 · 15:01 UTC
Really nice challenging game. Wish there was background music and sound effect for shooting. Well done!
Jegus9
15. Aug 2018 · 15:35 UTC
It was commented before but I think it's worth saying, please find a better font. those small letters are pretty hard to read. Also it's great that you managed to make an OST in 48h, but I'd make a longer loop than that, it gets boring way too quickly.

Gameplay-wise, it's great. I didn't manage to complete it, but you've payed attention to things that are usually overlooked by compo entries, like check points. And a nice cross-platform format.
🎤 superpokeunicorn
15. Aug 2018 · 15:43 UTC
@ildfuglen There are sound effects and background music in the game. Is it possible that you have your volume muted? If it still doesn't work, do you mind telling me what type of computer you're playing on? Perhaps this is a platform specific issue. If you check out the youtube playthrough I posted in the comments above, you can listen to the music and sounds if it won't work on your computer. In any event, thanks for playing the game and I'm glad you enjoyed it.
ildfuglen
15. Aug 2018 · 17:02 UTC
@superpokeunicorn I've tried again, and still nothing.

I'm running:
Windows 10
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
32 GB ram
Onboard HD Audio, Realtek HD Audio
🎤 superpokeunicorn
15. Aug 2018 · 17:10 UTC
@ildfuglen Hmmm, I'm also on Windows 10, so I'm not sure what's up. Oh well, I'm glad you enjoyed it regardless. Thanks for playing!
RNGSilvercraft
15. Aug 2018 · 18:41 UTC
You walk left first instead of right!Nice touch!
I played for a few minutes,everything was great except for the sound effect for shooting-it kinda hurts my ear since I was wearing a headphone.Otherwise, fantastic game!
Jamie Rollo
16. Aug 2018 · 00:14 UTC
Awesome little metroidvania! All the later upgrades made me laugh, and it feels great to break all the blocks. Great job!
Pizzasgood
16. Aug 2018 · 03:47 UTC
This was excellent. I love Mr. Blob's face; he's just so cheerful. The way the paths through the level get reused, but differently each time, was also great.
Nam Nguyen
16. Aug 2018 · 04:35 UTC
Cute platformer. It really gives me the vibe of Mario for some reasons. You also starts out small then grow up and shoot, except that here you keep growing haha. I really like your game, the last stage is sooo badass. Good job!
Endurion
16. Aug 2018 · 15:58 UTC
Awesome little game :)

It's great waltzing with the huge blob and breaking everything. Nice touch!
I forgot to get the little square thingy under the green floor :(
Deaymon
16. Aug 2018 · 17:13 UTC
WHAT A BIG BOI :eyes:

The game was kinda cute and the graphics were well done! (although the color palette striked me as a bit weird)

I forgot the little fella under the green floor, though :anguished: What does it do? I can't bother myself to play through the entire game again for that, sorry :P It's one of those genres that suffers on lack of replayability.
EpigramGames
16. Aug 2018 · 17:26 UTC
I thought it was fun, but at times the jump got a little annoying. The shooting was a great mechanic that I thought had to be used well with the jump.
Shell Pirate
16. Aug 2018 · 20:53 UTC
Everything about this game screamed NES to me and I liked that. You really nailed that style of game both in the gameplay and aesthetically with the graphics and audio (the music could have been a bit better but the fact you even have music to begin with in a Compo entry is impressive enough). I really liked the smaller touches that were nods to that era of gaming as well. For example, the moment I started I knew I couldn't go right and I had to go left just like the original Metroid on the NES. The shooting had that arch similar to Mario's fireflower and the game was rightfully rather difficult (at least for me) just like old NES titles. I focus on this mostly because it's really what gives the game charm and it's good to see someone make an 'oldschool' game in which the word 'oldchool' isn't just a substitute for 'lackluster pixel graphics and sound'. I can't say much other than impressive work done in just 48H!
Purrfexionator
16. Aug 2018 · 23:35 UTC
This was a super fun and awesome experience! It fits the theme ok, but I felt like I was gaining abilities more than I was losing space. But regardless of that, the game was still awesome and fun! I especially liked the end sequence where you got to crush and destroy everything as a giant blob monster. The graphics were beautiful, and the music was pretty good too! Gameplay was on point, just the right amount of fair! Well done!
Zeriver
17. Aug 2018 · 10:42 UTC
That is a really cute, Metroidvania like game with really smart designed map. It feels really fun to go through the same are multiple times but each time the gameplay is different. It almost remind me of The Alien, at first you sneak in the 'vents' and avoid enemies, later you are bigger and can be a threat and your final phase is a big MOFO who just wrecks everyone. The whole destructible blocks thing is really impressive. Graphics are also very neat, the sound effects really match. In overall it is a really good game!
suve
17. Aug 2018 · 20:11 UTC
Just plain awesome. I really liked the fact that the game plays on a single map - it's just amazing how each time the Mr. Blob enlarges, the level, despite staying the same, plays totally different. The graphics and audio fit together nicely, and create a very homely atmosphere. I love it!
cppchriscpp
18. Aug 2018 · 02:38 UTC
I really liked this entry a lot; well done! As someone else mentioned, I really like that you have checkpoints; that's something you don't see often and honestly kept me playing after a frustrating death! I also really liked the graphical style, and how you reused the same area of the level multiple times with the different powerups. (Plus rampaging through the level in the final form felt awesome)

My only complaint about this is that it was a little tough that enemies respawned the second they went offscreen - those little guys got some real cheap shots on me as a result. I was kinda surprised that block breaking was persistent but they weren't. That said, it didn't deter me much and I still beat it!

As a retro lover (and dev!) myself, this really hit a sweet spot. Thanks for a great entry!
TheFunAttic
18. Aug 2018 · 11:26 UTC
Really cool !! Obviously the retro graphical style and soundtrack are excellent, achieving perfectly what it set out to do - the use of color is particularily effective.
I'd like to note the quality of the level design. It's really witty, the same level changes as you gain abilities. The layout alone is a pretty impressive feat, I'd say ! The game is really intuitive and interesting. One of the ones I played the longer, too, it got quite a hold on me. Congrats for your work :)
suve
02. Sep 2018 · 22:08 UTC
Hey @superpokeunicorn, could you post the source on GitHub, maybe? I know it's available on itch.io, but having it on GH would make it easier to contribute. :)
shp
04. Sep 2018 · 16:20 UTC
This is fairly brilliant, the way the level design makes you go back through existing areas but in a very different context after growing is excellent. the visuals and sound are deceptively simple