Crane Quandary by Strato

[raw]
made by Strato for LD 41 (JAM)

You've become trapped inside a prize-grab arcade machine! Utilize the crane to manipulate your environment and solve puzzles, enabling you to reach the stuffed animals!

Controls: arrow keys to move, up to activate crane, Z/A to pick up, X/S to throw

Controller supported

Combined genres: puzzle platformer & crane machine

All programming, design, & art was done by me, https://twitter.com/Starto_Sil

Music is by http://twitter.com/mobiusdisco

screen3.gif

Ratings

Overall 28th 4.238⭐ 63🧑‍⚖️
Fun 77th 4.008⭐ 63🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 103th 4.008⭐ 64🧑‍⚖️
Theme 251th 4.016⭐ 63🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 110th 4.336⭐ 63🧑‍⚖️
Audio 44th 4.161⭐ 61🧑‍⚖️
Humor 357th 3.297⭐ 61🧑‍⚖️
Mood 102th 3.966⭐ 60🧑‍⚖️
Given 33🗳️ 16🗨️

Feedback

JCMonkey
24. Apr 2018 · 04:54 UTC
this game was pretty fun to watch and play. nice job
Beetrootmonkey
24. Apr 2018 · 07:14 UTC
I haven't tried your game yet (but I certainly will), but alone from the visuals and especially the mechanical idea behind it, it looks very promising!
AL19890604
24. Apr 2018 · 07:25 UTC
Very very good game!!!!!!! I like all the elements of the game!!
alphazeba
24. Apr 2018 · 07:28 UTC
very nice
Raindrinker
24. Apr 2018 · 07:34 UTC
Whoa, this game is amazing and so well polished. And the idea works super-great. Maybe levels are a bit too repetitive and feel like just get more complex. It's the only bad thing I can say. Music amazing, Art amazing, idea so elegant. Great game!
dodoremi101
24. Apr 2018 · 07:42 UTC
uhm help i get this error whenever i start it up
how an i fix this???
btw i am runing on a 32bit (86x) version of windows 10


___________________________________________
############################################################################################
FATAL ERROR in Vertex Shader compilation
ShaderName: shd_pal_swapper

D3DXCompile failed - result

at gml_Script_pal_swap_set
############################################################################################
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
stack frame is
gml_Script_pal_swap_set (line -1)
gml_Object_oPlayer_Draw_0
Nehvis
24. Apr 2018 · 07:52 UTC
I love the concept of this. I can see a lot of potential in it! Good work!
TheMadPangolin
24. Apr 2018 · 08:17 UTC
The graphics are very nice, and the puzzles were quite cool! Nice job :D
antvelm
24. Apr 2018 · 08:53 UTC
Crane dows not work, music and art is nice
saoi-games
24. Apr 2018 · 09:11 UTC
Thanks for stopping by my stream https://www.twitch.tv/saoigames tonight.

I like the game, even though I'm bad at it. I strangely didn't mind suiciding very much. The puzzles were challenging but I think I could have gotten it eventually.

I hope you keep working on this in the future.
Shugor41
24. Apr 2018 · 09:51 UTC
Such a sweet little game! Very much enjoyed playing it, relaxing nostalgic feeling to it. Everything works really well together. Favourite game so far!
GiGiChef
24. Apr 2018 · 09:54 UTC
Whooow, so cute ! On of the best I've come across
PapyKent
24. Apr 2018 · 10:10 UTC
Favorite entry so far! Love the idea, the art, and the music! Got stuck at some point but will play again later to finish the game!
Jaime Paz Lopes
24. Apr 2018 · 16:10 UTC
very cool game, but i took sometime to understand how to play it, i didnt make the relation between coins and plays on the machine and i was trying to get the bear and bring it to me as a normal machine, but i need to clear the way to the bear. after i understood the game it became really fun to play
AVAVT
24. Apr 2018 · 16:40 UTC
Been waiting to play this game ever since I saw it on twitter. Great game is as I expected. Very good puzzle design that give me pleasant surprise when I find out the solution.

I think the pace of difficulty (for the LD build at least) could be improved a bit though, adding more "breather" levels. I stopped at this level because the level before it was a huge stress and I couldn't find the solution for this one...

![Screenshot 2018-04-24 21.44.57.png](///raw/b42/3/z/13949.png)
Jon_Nova
24. Apr 2018 · 16:59 UTC
Realy cool !!! and realy realy cute
Pixel-boy
24. Apr 2018 · 17:40 UTC
Lovely game, it's a bit hard but the mechanic is nicely done, really inspiring, nice work !
trivial171
24. Apr 2018 · 18:59 UTC
This is my favorite game of the jam so far. The concept is wonderful and it really feels like a professional finished product.

There really isn't anything bad I can say about this game: the art is fantastic, the music is adorable, the controls feel really nice, and the puzzles are quite well-designed and do a great job of teaching the player the mechanics. I wish some of the puzzles didn't require as precise an execution, but I think that's more my personal preference than an actual negative aspect of the game.

Thank you for making this great game!
joqlepecheur
24. Apr 2018 · 20:38 UTC
One of the best so far !

The art is very good, music doesn't hinder the experience, and the sound feedback is there.
I had a hard time figuring I was destroying the plush in first level, before grabbing a block ^^

The controls feel very good. An option to go from hold/release for initial movement to just tap/tap tap tap would be a good addition: you respawn a lot, the jump are short and plenty, to sum it up everything is very quick paced, and holding a key go against that flow.
Well, of course breaking the flow can also be good too ;)
Another idea would be to wait an additionnal tap once an item is grabbed to go back, it would give more time to ponder the actions (of course on the other hand it would slow down for skilled player)

People, don't let the graphics fool you, the person who made the game is MEAN!
The game made me feel dumb.
Puzzles are hard, execution is hard, and it ramps up real quick! I can definitely see the game get good success with youtubers etc ;)
I like how with puzzle you learn things as you go, just to be tricked by a new thing in the next level.

Overall, the quality and level of polish is amazing, it really is a must try of the jam: players will enjoy, and developpers will have their imagination stimulated !
This is excellent work, I will recommend.
pparadigm
24. Apr 2018 · 21:23 UTC
The controls are frustrating to me. Moving left/right with arrow keys and jumping with A just doesn't make sense to my brain. I agree with @Jaime-Paz-Lopes that it wasn't clear that you need coins and to press up to use the crane. I like the music and the art though.
Crabman
24. Apr 2018 · 22:14 UTC
Good game, here's mine: https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/41/stealth-trucking
Crabman
24. Apr 2018 · 22:19 UTC
Yeah no, I did enjoy this a lot, the art kind of reminds me of Super Mario Land 2 and it's surprisingly challenging. Tiniest bit frustrating at times, but good enough that I wanted to come back and try again until I made it :D

I agree with previous comments though, it did take me a moment to figure out the controls as well, so perhaps a small indicator the first time you do use a coin would be helpful, I tried pressing A for a while and also didn't realize the level had become unbeatable when I messed up. But otherwise, this is wonderfully polished and fun, like it a lot.
Nathalia Hohl
25. Apr 2018 · 00:14 UTC
Your idea is very innovative and the art is great. Sound is in it's place but I confess I found the background music a bit annoying, specially after getting so frustrated by the game.

Got really confused with the controls and and didn't figure out of what use the coins were. Had to see the gif on the itch page to pass the second stage and then understood.
The crane mechanic is very unforgiving, even more with moving targets, and despite the cute animation I got tired of restarting the level (the first one with moving bugs).

I'm pretty sure there's a good game here beyond the promising graphics. Please make it more approachable in a future release. Keep up the good work!
Royerson
25. Apr 2018 · 02:22 UTC
Solid puzzle game with a good amount of levels; Cute/10. I thought it was kind of weird that after breaking some levels and finishing with coins by offsetting blocks so I could jump on the edges the later levels seems to require doing just that(unless I unintentionally cheated those too). I almost feel like blocks should be forced to stay on the grid. Oh yeah, ripping of my own head was pretty hardcore. Also thanks for not having mixels.
Drums
25. Apr 2018 · 03:24 UTC
I loved this game. It took a bit of time to get used to the claw mechanic, but it was fun and adorable the whole way through. The music was excellent and the sounds were spot on. Awesome job.
RobertoHigor
25. Apr 2018 · 04:51 UTC
Your game is trully innovative but the fact that you can mess up any puzzle by pressing the wrong key or jumping in the wrong place, and having to do it all over, is really frustating.
Also, you should show ingame the key to reset (and maybe add a key to go backward in time?)
Axe
25. Apr 2018 · 06:48 UTC
very hard game but i was smiling the whole time. learning curve could be more a grassy foothill and less matterhorn 3: the blooderizer.

very very very well done!
palsina
25. Apr 2018 · 06:52 UTC
It has a really well though concept and the execution is fantastic. Love this. Somehow it makes me remeber palying Solomon's Key on my game boy.
BlakeMcDeezy
25. Apr 2018 · 09:13 UTC
Very clever game! I enjoyed the mechanics, the puzzles, the graphics, the music - fantastic entry!
Sintel
25. Apr 2018 · 12:05 UTC
Simple but well exectued! Cute graphics and music. This is as good as jam games get!
dragonxvi
25. Apr 2018 · 12:13 UTC
Really cool! Took me a while to figure out what I was doing, but after that was a great set of puzzles!
randomphantom
25. Apr 2018 · 13:31 UTC
Loved it! I think the difficulty in later parts is astronomical but I managed to power on and complete it! Nice blend of mechanics, really cool puzzle design and great pixel art and soundtrack. I guess it has been echod that the controls aren't very intuitive but by looking at the itch io page I was able to understand it. Well done!
WalkDiGidong
25. Apr 2018 · 15:38 UTC
I like how it has a short story at the begining) Everything is good in this game.
Lost Dutchman Software
25. Apr 2018 · 16:42 UTC
Great puzzle platformer, I really like the mechanics or using the crane game to change the level and get places, I would buy it!
zeu31
25. Apr 2018 · 17:05 UTC
Great game! I really like the music and the art. The main mechanic is very interesting. Took me some time to understand how it works and I wish it was a bit more forgiving. But still a great game.
Lyrcaxis
26. Apr 2018 · 08:51 UTC
Well doney! The amount of content is insane for a 3day game-jam! especially one done by 2 people!
mobiusdisco
26. Apr 2018 · 21:47 UTC
@Lyrcaxis Strato is a one man dev army, I just did the music!
Lyrcaxis
26. Apr 2018 · 21:56 UTC
@mobiusdisco music is an important aspect of the game too :) You probably add more than you think :D

Well done with that!
HPMNK
26. Apr 2018 · 22:14 UTC
Excellent game, should definitely be in the top 50 Tier list !
Your concept is so simple but so new. The level design is really well sequenced. It remind me the Nintendo way of Level Designing, by showing an example of a new mechanic, and then a smart way to use it.

The graphism is simple but it really works like a charm, so i gave out a 4.5/5, where as i gave lower notes on more detailed designs

And man, the music is really really good. As a music designer myself, i think you truly got the feeling of the game, and make it work

Congratulations : )
Rombus
26. Apr 2018 · 23:54 UTC
You've got the mechanic right, super realistic 'cause I can't pick up the teddy bear, just like in real life :P
hahha no that's me sucking at the game.
Love the art, it's great!
tweedle
27. Apr 2018 · 03:13 UTC
controls took some getting used to. otherwise, this game is fantastic - congrats! :smile:
WERT
27. Apr 2018 · 14:42 UTC
well well done :D It was really intressting how you explored this mechanic but at times I got frustrated sometimes by the controls (in the beginning how do I do anything and a small jump) later by a hard learing curve but still i am very impresed :v: I played this game the longest of all jam games I played here
Ryunos
29. Apr 2018 · 13:55 UTC
Awesome game, I really enjoyed it. I'm really impressed by the number of levels that you made for the jam!
paulhocker
06. May 2018 · 01:16 UTC
this is just an amazing game and the genres work really well together - i would love to see more of this - great job
Mr ChocolateSalmon
08. May 2018 · 09:39 UTC
Beautiful. I love it. I can't pick much I don't like. The only thing I didn't understand was that you needed the coins to use the machine - but in hindsight it makes sense. Otherwise, a great game.
cristiano.m.garcia
13. May 2018 · 03:44 UTC
Good job! Cool game!

I left my rating of your game, if you can leave your feedback in our game, Witch's Escape.

I hope you continue with the project.

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/41/witchs-escape
Jupiter_Hadley
14. May 2018 · 21:35 UTC
Cute graphics, fun game! I included it in my Ludum Dare 41 compilation video series, if you’d like to take a look. :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI6TXc0bclc