No Birds In This Game by Grahhhhh

[raw]
made by Grahhhhh for LD34 (JAM)
Game was made for the theme "2 button controls" and "grow", but the growing part is kind of a stretch. You control an ant with a sweet tooth. Each level the goal is to collect the candy by selecting which command to perform.

The only two keys to play this game is 'left' and 'right'.. not 'a' and 'd', because that would make it 4 controls wouldn't it?

This was my first attempt at more serious animating, feedback is appreciated. Made in approximately 48 hours.

Ratings

Coolness 64% 3
Overall(Jam) 3.35 487
Fun(Jam) 3.09 573
Graphics(Jam) 2.88 785
Humor(Jam) 3.31 207
Innovation(Jam) 3.53 230
Mood(Jam) 3.13 584
Theme(Jam) 3.68 508

Feedback

The Merge Conflicts
15. Dec 2015 · 20:44 UTC
Really creative, I like the concept! I'll be honest, I was lost as to what to do for the first ghost level (I just snuck between the holes :P).The sound effects are kind of odd, but not too problematic. Good job!
argowen
16. Dec 2015 · 02:04 UTC
At first I wasn't sure if I was going through a help screen then it all fell into place I loved the little platforms the ant didn't
_benhumphries
16. Dec 2015 · 02:08 UTC
Awesome! This is one of the funniest games I've seen so far. Please make more like this in the future!
hyperscope
16. Dec 2015 · 02:09 UTC
Forgive my ignorance but I made it to level 5 thinking I was still in the tutorial screen lol. I didn't particularly like the approach to 2 button controls but the game seems decently polished. Good work!
LoneStranger
16. Dec 2015 · 02:41 UTC
I beat the first couple levels without actually knowing what was going on. It wasn't until the third level that I saw the tiny ant on the screen. I initially was thinking that the controls (essentially scrolling through the list) were a detriment, but I realized that's what made it challenging, in a good way. Good polish. Well done.
Muel
16. Dec 2015 · 02:48 UTC
I spent my first 2 minutes of gameplay laughing on the music! So epic hahaha!
colinator27
16. Dec 2015 · 12:26 UTC
The game was great! You made a cool concept too. :)
AsixJin
16. Dec 2015 · 19:34 UTC
Pretty enjoyable game! I think level 9 is broken though..the button didn't work. I loved the graahhh track too
danidre14
17. Dec 2015 · 02:17 UTC
Lots of obstacles make it fun to play! Challenging too! :D
beetracks
17. Dec 2015 · 03:00 UTC
Nicely done! At first I was a bit lost, didn't see that the ant was already on the screen. Haha. But in the 2nd stage it made it clear. Interesting design!
crazya02
18. Dec 2015 · 22:01 UTC
Got a "Flash is not responding" message...
Xanjos
18. Dec 2015 · 22:14 UTC
My only gripe is that the ant is way too small to be seen on screen but I loved the way you worked around the two button limitations.
justinooncx
19. Dec 2015 · 02:16 UTC
God, that ant is TINY. Otherwise, a pretty interesting game with no birds in it. Great job!
Anachron
19. Dec 2015 · 03:04 UTC
Agree the ant could be bigger and a level select would be nice! Clever game mechanic though, and a unique take on the 2-button theme
Omiya Games
20. Dec 2015 · 00:37 UTC
Oh, no! At level 11, if I die, it doesn't let me retry the level! What an unANTicipated BUG!
nihilaleph
20. Dec 2015 · 02:50 UTC
Pro:
+ Grahhhhh music is awesome
+ Creative concept
+ Animations seem nice, the moving platform was a bit weird though...
Con
- I felt it was a bit awkward to chose the commands with only right and left, but it is a clever way to fit the theme
Obs:
o It was hard to understand what was going on in the beginning, maybe if the ant was a bit bigger would help?
o There could be another background... xp

FANTastic job!
drludos
23. Dec 2015 · 02:35 UTC
Nive entry, I love it! The music is just awesome, and totally set the mood! The game itself is quite original. The control system is a bit odd a first, but I quickly get used to it and got hooked up to complete the levels! ANTastic entry :)

My only complaint would be at the tiny size of the ant. I know you'll grow it in later level, but during the first level, I didn't figured out that something moved. You should put a red blinking arrow following the ant during the first level, so everyone can understand that we are controlling a moving ant before reaching level 2 :)
Aaranos
23. Dec 2015 · 18:01 UTC
The ant is very tiny and hard to see. I wasn't even sure I was playing until I was a few levels in. I'm not sure the theme works well with the game, but you did follow it.
Big Cow
28. Dec 2015 · 12:45 UTC
You really stuck to the two button challenge well: top marks for that! Great idea to do puzzles with this control system. Overal nice idea and odd sense of humour :P
dreamlogician
02. Jan 2016 · 20:58 UTC
Good job! I like the concept, and I thought the presentation was solid as well.

I also really appreciate the lack of birds in this game. Many games will *claim* to be bird-free, but as soon as you get a few hours in and you're thoroughly invested, lo and behold: birds suddenly start to appear EVERYWHERE. It's really a shame, and I'm so thankful for small indie games like this one that can take a different and (dare I say) more personal approach. Kudos to you for having the courage to stand by your convictions rather than simply taking the easy route and pandering to the "all birds all the time" mainstream audience, as most AAA game studios would have done in this situation.