Amalgame by Gnomik

[raw]
made by Gnomik for Ludum Dare 45 (JAM)

Concept

Flourish through your short lifespan in undefined scales.

Growth is an evolutionary decision-making process in this constantly shifting maze of beasts.


Amalgame3.png

Amalgame4.png

Amalgame5.png

Amalgame6.png


Instructions

  • Green enemies provide new cells

  • Blue cells provide speed.

  • Red cells provide a single-use passive defense.

  • Yellow cells are used-up red cells.

  • Survive 6min, your score is the number of cells in your body.

Controls

| Action | Keyboard | Gamepad | |------|------|------| | Move | WASD or Arrows | Left Stick | | Dash | Space | A | | Evolve Speed (Blue) | Q | X | | Evolve Shield (Red) | E | B |

Instructions.png

Ratings

Overall 421th 3.581⭐ 33🧑‍⚖️
Fun 553th 3.274⭐ 33🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 301th 3.548⭐ 33🧑‍⚖️
Theme 119th 4⭐ 33🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 477th 3.661⭐ 33🧑‍⚖️
Audio 476th 3.161⭐ 33🧑‍⚖️
Humor 853th 1.946⭐ 30🧑‍⚖️
Mood 700th 3.172⭐ 31🧑‍⚖️
Given 27🗳️ 32🗨️

Feedback

AskingQuestions
07. Oct 2019 · 23:58 UTC
Well done! I really liked it. Could have used an ingame notification telling me to press e or q
carloso
08. Oct 2019 · 00:02 UTC
Pretty fun! I like the innovation of being able to evolve different cells based on what you need in the moment. it would be nice if you could move without cells..?
thomazfilipe
08. Oct 2019 · 00:03 UTC
Loved the concept! Reminded me of the early game of 'Spore'. Nice Graphics! Good job!
SuperGamersGames
08. Oct 2019 · 00:05 UTC
Interesting, rather interesting.
hwaet
08. Oct 2019 · 00:08 UTC
This was a really fun game. It took me a while to figure out that I had to evolve the movement cells. I thought they floated into me like the green cells. Once I got moving, it was a blast. The graphics are beautiful and the controls feel good.
anticdope
08. Oct 2019 · 00:10 UTC
Great game! I was plesantly surprised that the complexity was so low. I expected to be confused right away but it was fairly straightforward.
ThePelranthean
08. Oct 2019 · 01:50 UTC
Simple but enjoyable. The game balanced itself well as I progressed and it was interesting that my health was tied to my early game success (i.e. the cells I had already collected).

It seems that the shield cells may not be as useful as I initially thought, since they don't add any benefit except they take two hits rather than one before they're removed. Of course, since the goal is to get as many cells as possible, that's not a bad thing. I guess you just need to find the speed you're most comfortable at and then shield away.

In any case, strategy aside, I think you did a good job on this game. It was easy to pick up and quite fun. As others have mentioned, a UI notification that you have available cells for evolution would be nice, since as you scale out, it becomes harder to see unevolved cells. However, the game works fine without the notification.
BustosMan
09. Oct 2019 · 06:29 UTC
Good entry and pretty challenging.
boyTurnedRobot
09. Oct 2019 · 19:07 UTC
Pretty cool concept. I think the shield upgrades are less valuable than the move upgrades, and the further away from the cell you get it hard to see if there is an upgrade available. Other than that, I found the game enjoyable. The music was cool.
Khud0
09. Oct 2019 · 19:22 UTC
I enjoy experimental art so it was pleasant to discover your game. Music could be better, but SFX is awesome! :)
cepblvl
10. Oct 2019 · 10:33 UTC
Intresting idea!) I think this game have a huge potential!
Jahwffrey
10. Oct 2019 · 16:17 UTC
Now thats a fresh take on the 'consume to grow bigger' game. I really like the choice and risk/reward involved, I only wish the choices had been more impactful - it ended up boiling down to 'choose speed until i have not alot of shilds health left, then get a couple more shields'. With a little more thought this could be really cool!
Pedro Rosa
11. Oct 2019 · 15:04 UTC
very creative and interesting game. The graphics look cool. At the start, I was a bit lost but after a bit, I read the instructions and I was able to move. Good job :)
Greon
13. Oct 2019 · 06:06 UTC
Really nice game, i enjoyed it and loved the concept as i like those kind of growing games and this one it's pretty polished for a jam game, got me fixed for quite a bit time. Good work on it! would love to see what it can become with more work on it
Taylor Reynolds
27. Oct 2019 · 20:50 UTC
Cool and interesting game! Nice SFX and i love growing games