Keep It Alive by Ismael Rodriguez - Ludum Dare 46 by Ismael Rodriguez

[raw]
made by Ismael Rodriguez for Ludum Dare 46 (JAM)

A Mad Scientist's experiment has separated his mind from his body. Now his spirit must watch over its body, and keep it alive as it navigates dangerous laboratories!

NES Cartridge.png

Keep It Alive 2020-04-21 18-28-57-822.gif

Keep It Alive 2020-04-21 18-36-32-16.gif

Bubbles.png

Ratings

Overall 1th 4.605⭐ 40🧑‍⚖️
Fun 11th 4.408⭐ 40🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 22th 4.351⭐ 39🧑‍⚖️
Theme 23th 4.458⭐ 38🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 67th 4.592⭐ 40🧑‍⚖️
Audio 57th 4.237⭐ 40🧑‍⚖️
Humor 199th 3.889⭐ 38🧑‍⚖️
Mood 126th 4.181⭐ 38🧑‍⚖️
Given 35🗳️ 47🗨️

Feedback

TeamNova
21. Apr 2020 · 01:19 UTC
This game is really appreciable! The graphics are just AWESOME !!! I love it! The sounds are really good, I like that we can change our character into a ghost!
Ribeira
21. Apr 2020 · 02:33 UTC
Nice job my friend, really fun :)
guilhermesouza
21. Apr 2020 · 02:37 UTC
WOW!! I LOVED the theme usage!!! And the graphics, and everything! Congrats!
FlashViper
21. Apr 2020 · 02:57 UTC
I love this game. The intro was especially hilarious!
Catalystl
21. Apr 2020 · 20:01 UTC
I just finished the game. I really liked it! The level design was great and taught me the controls instantly without any dialogue. My only problem is that the body wouldn't stop moving as soon as I clicked on it with the soul, unless this is just a design choice. It made one part of the game a little frustrating, since I felt like I had little control over what was happening (this part was near the beginning, when you raise a platform up after freezing the body). Regardless though, amazing job!
🎤 Ismael Rodriguez
21. Apr 2020 · 20:13 UTC
@catalystl Thanks for the detailed feedback. The stop/brake speed is somewhat by design, I could make it instant, but I like how it feels, gives the character "weight", if it lead to frustration I would start with the level design. Either way, chalk it up to game jam constraints ;) Could definitely use some tuning.
Catalystl
21. Apr 2020 · 20:24 UTC
@ismael-rodriguez If you want to give the character "weight" I would just speed up the brake speed, and maybe extend that platform a little bit to fix the issue. You're welcome for the detailed feedback, I like giving people tips.
blabberf
21. Apr 2020 · 20:32 UTC
I had to check this out after reading your comment, this game is awesome!! My only real critique would be that the hitboxes for clicking on objects felt a bit too small, especially in the faster-paced sections when it became easy to miss a click because the screen was scrolling with the action. However, this was a minor issue, and I was able to restore my mind back to its body with only 17 genetic reconstructions:) I think my favorite part was the bubble section, it was a ton of fun flinging the guy around. Music and sound effects were delightful as well!
🎤 Ismael Rodriguez
21. Apr 2020 · 20:46 UTC
@blabberf thanks for the feedback! Great minds think alike *wink wink*

I considered tuning the hit boxes, especially on the Scientist, but it was good enough, especially with time constraints. If my wife would have complained or showed frustration with it, it definitely would have been fixed lol
Marco Le Van
21. Apr 2020 · 21:26 UTC
I really like the game! Everything works great and smooth, nice work!
khopa
21. Apr 2020 · 21:52 UTC
This is the best game i've played so far.
I really enjoyed it. Great job !
soldierbear
22. Apr 2020 · 11:16 UTC
Nice concept and great execution. Love the general look and feel of the game. Great submission.
Izokia
22. Apr 2020 · 21:36 UTC
This was an amazing concept! I love the art and music along with the puzzle/platformer mix. This game is polished and is well made. The little story hits the theme very well. This is one of the best games I've played so far. Good job!
marcusnystrand
22. Apr 2020 · 21:37 UTC
The running animation is soooo cute! Overall, well done!
heyycap
22. Apr 2020 · 21:41 UTC
Really well done! Excellent level design and use of mechanic with mini puzzles. Impressive.
heyycap
22. Apr 2020 · 21:41 UTC
Really well done! Excellent level design and use of mechanic with mini puzzles. Impressive.
StabAlarash
22. Apr 2020 · 21:47 UTC
Really nice game, congrats. I find a small bug though:
Somehow I managed to get stuck here:
![bug.png](///raw/592/z/32923.png)
🎤 Ismael Rodriguez
22. Apr 2020 · 22:02 UTC
@stabalarash I knew about this one x_x I thought I fixed it before uploading but I guess not lol
Tip: You can actually walk backwards from there back into the death box.
canonicalfunctor
24. Apr 2020 · 04:10 UTC
Got stuck at the first 'R' screen in the web version
mlho7
24. Apr 2020 · 10:18 UTC
This entry is so great... everything is working nicely, gameplay, graphism, music, everything, huge bravo. A developped story, more and more levels and you've got a true real game. Very well done. I hope you will keep working on it.
disperse
24. Apr 2020 · 18:24 UTC
A perfect entry in length, difficulty, and execution. I'm really impressed you were able to produce something so polished in 72 hours. I think this would be very playable on a mobile device, in some ways easier if you could tap the screen in multiple places at once.
thelemba
24. Apr 2020 · 18:27 UTC
the intro is so good, kinda reminds me to that old NES game that uses a robot to play as 2nd player. really neat!
🎤 Ismael Rodriguez
24. Apr 2020 · 20:52 UTC
@canonicalfunctor did you ever get past the R screen? Try reloading? Or it just never progressed? Don't know whats going on there.

@disperse thanks for the detailed feedback. I actually have plans to build an android version. It's actually very playable with touch controls.

@mlho7 Thanks! Puzzle platformers seem to be a good genre for game jams.
I do have ideas for expanding, but I'm not sure I'm ready to jump into this one full time. I have a "main" project I've been working on for the last couple years and I'm committed to finishing that first.

@thelemba thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Not sure what NES game you're talking about though. :)
RamonSimarro
24. Apr 2020 · 21:50 UTC
Creo que debes ser el justo ganador. Sinceramente lo quiero tener en el movil para jugar. La musica perfecta, facil de usar, pixelart muy bonito. Sinceramente creo que eres el ganador.
Really you should win. i want to have it in my celular.
🎤 Ismael Rodriguez
25. Apr 2020 · 00:16 UTC
@ramonsimarro Thanks! I'm proud of this entry. I don't really think about "winning" the jam, I just really like the feedback and score system of Ludum Dare.
But more than anything I'm glad I've created a new game for myself. I'm glad you like it too!
No Grapes Games
25. Apr 2020 · 02:02 UTC
Wow, just wow! I really liked this one. I like how there were checkpoints and the game had great level design. The ending telling you how well you did was a nice touch. Great entry!
🎤 Ismael Rodriguez
25. Apr 2020 · 02:28 UTC
@no-grapes-games Thanks, I appreciate your feedback. Checkpoint frequency and speed was key for me in the level design. Glad you liked it, thanks!
canonicalfunctor
25. Apr 2020 · 04:31 UTC
@ismael-rodriguez it works now for some reason. Great game!
🎤 Ismael Rodriguez
25. Apr 2020 · 18:19 UTC
@canonicalfunctor cool, Thanks for trying again. Glad you like it!
GOD COLO
26. Apr 2020 · 12:02 UTC
The pixel art in this game makes me go yess!! Interacting with the objects with your mind or soul is a very good idea! The music is awesome! :open_mouth:
Greato Jobu! :smile:
Ege686
27. Apr 2020 · 16:24 UTC
Graphics are very good. And the idea is also good. I think this is one of the best games in this jam.
🎤 Ismael Rodriguez
27. Apr 2020 · 19:27 UTC
@god-colo & @ege686 thanks yall, I appreciate the feedback!
AdamV
28. Apr 2020 · 03:13 UTC
Fun game! I liked it a lot! I was impressed with the level design and how much content there was :smile:
Kaappis
28. Apr 2020 · 12:17 UTC
I dig the NES aesthetics! I had some troubles with clicking the object I wanted, but complaining about hitboxes is part of NES-era :D Overall, good job, one of my favourites I've tried.
🎤 Ismael Rodriguez
28. Apr 2020 · 22:34 UTC
@adamv @kaappis appreciate the feedback! I did blow up the click box a little bit post jam. it helps, it is what is is though. Glad yall liked it!
Sibi
29. Apr 2020 · 06:43 UTC
My favorite game of the jam so far! It has a very polished feel and I love the "story"! Took me a couple tries at first to understand that I could pause him directly as well. But with the checkpoint placement and quick respawns it was very easy to play around an figure things out!
VL12345
29. Apr 2020 · 10:57 UTC
I used the HTML-Edition, but I didn't worked. I only saw a pink screen
Physiker2001
29. Apr 2020 · 15:30 UTC
Absolutely love the graphics! Cool concept and the music really fits. Controlls were sometimes a bit buged (HTML). Still one of the if not the best game if seen so far!
Karas
29. Apr 2020 · 15:41 UTC
Really nice game ! Love the mechanics, and the retro design. Really original ! Got stuck against a moveing block once, I had to restart the game to continue. Otherwise, great one !
royur
29. Apr 2020 · 15:46 UTC
really nice. well polished game.
🎤 Ismael Rodriguez
29. Apr 2020 · 19:18 UTC
@sibi @physiker2001 @karas thanks for the feedback! Much appreciated! @karas that sticky block bug is the hit boxes getting stuck on the corners of tiles, Im pretty sure I fixed it in the post jam.

@vl12345 Not sure what that is. Try again in another browser? Firefox is best for these Unity WebGL Games. Are you able to play other Unity web builds?
Disthron
08. May 2020 · 09:42 UTC
This was really fun. Definitly one of the more complete experiences I've played during the jam. I managed to get to the end. Died a few times but it wasn't too frustraghting. All the mechanics seemed to work well and it all fit the theme of "Keep it alive".

Really good.
🎤 Ismael Rodriguez
08. May 2020 · 20:26 UTC
@disthron Thanks for playing! I appreciate the feedback, glad you liked it!
Dis0rder
11. May 2020 · 21:20 UTC
This was quite cool! Gotta love 'em old-school NES-graphics.

At first when seeing the cart-image, I thought that this was going to be an actual homebrew NES-game.

You might be interested to know that some folks here like to produce those, such as [this guy.](https://ldjam.com/users/cppchriscpp/games)

---

I like how you tied the story to the game-mechanics in a very traditional way.

Playing the game was otherwise really fun, but I found the controls somewhat frustrating. I don't know if it's just me, but it would be nice if you could stop the character with the keyboard (SPACE, perhaps?), and interact with the environment with the mouse.

It would obviously make the game easier though. I had hard time stopping/starting the character or make him go where I wanted.

The controls felt much more natural the moment I entered the bubble-segment.

I guess it wouldn't hurt to implement multiple control-schemes for casual and more seasoned players.

---

I died 47 times on my first run, and 17 times on the second one.

---

BTW: It would be nice if you could compile builds of the game for Mac & Linux too. I've understood it's not too much of a hassle in Unity? (Of course you might be reluctant if you're not able to test your game on those platforms)

It might be due to my dated graphics-card/drivers but your HTML5-build showed me only a pink screen. Apparently @vl12345 had the same issue.

![game2.png](///raw/e4c/2/z/34034.png)

My browser is Firefox, and most Unity-web games work for me. My guess is that the issue has something to do with the effect/transition used in the beginning of the game.

I'm also a Linux-user, so I ran the desktop-build under WINE. It worked almost perfectly otherwise, apart from a few graphics glitches/flickering.

I've seen this happen with other Unity-games too, but naturally a native Linux-build would fix this for me.

It might require some extra-effort, but it's always nice if you can make the game accessible to a wider audience!

---

But yeah, all in all, good work!

Keep making games!
Edalbung
12. May 2020 · 08:37 UTC
I was really blown away by your game, I was not prepared for the quality and the concept of your work, because it was marvelous !
Indeed, I really thought that I was on NES, you emulated it well on Unity, nice !

I have 0 criticism to do, so the only thing that I can say: very nice work ! Keep it up !
Ausstein
12. May 2020 · 23:11 UTC
Congratulations Man!
Catalystl
12. May 2020 · 23:39 UTC
Congrats on getting first in overall! :D
Alchemic
13. May 2020 · 00:09 UTC
This is incredible! Pretty much peak game jam right here. Every aspect of this game is outstanding. Was a bit short, but that's not always a bad thing! Wish I had had the opportunity to rate this, certainly would've been at least 4.5 across the board from me.

I particularly like how all the mechanics work together. It really felt like a properly-designed game all the way through. And I really appreciate the subtle efforts that were put into the graphics, it's one of the best-looking games I've seen.

Absolutely fantastic work, I can't wait to see what you create in the future!
magus77
13. May 2020 · 00:33 UTC
Grats !!
ShreyasRao_TS
13. May 2020 · 07:21 UTC
Really good game! loved the level design which thought me the controls easily. Which game engine did you use btw?
Mika la Grand
13. May 2020 · 14:51 UTC
Quite a lot of fun! I managed to reconnect the mind and the body. Though, it was a bit difficult to figure out the mechanic where you shoot from a bubble and open a gate at the same time.
Mika la Grand
13. May 2020 · 14:51 UTC
Quite a lot of fun! I managed to reconnect the mind and the body. Though, it was a bit difficult to figure out the mechanic where you shoot from a bubble and open a gate at the same time.
Mika la Grand
13. May 2020 · 14:53 UTC
Quite a lot of fun! I managed to reconnect the mind and the body. Though, it was a bit difficult to figure out the mechanic where you shoot from a bubble and open a gate at the same time.
Mika la Grand
13. May 2020 · 14:53 UTC
Quite a lot of fun! I managed to reconnect the mind and the body. Though, it was a bit difficult to figure out the mechanic where you shoot from a bubble and open a gate at the same time.
Nova31
14. May 2020 · 15:13 UTC
Very good game, you deserve this 1st place.
🎤 Ismael Rodriguez
17. May 2020 · 20:15 UTC
@dis0rder Thanks for taking the time to write up such detailed feedback! I'm glad you liked my entry!

I don't know if I would have the patience to work out an actual NES homebrew, but that would be really cool!
The space bar button suggestion is actually a good idea i never considered, maybe right click would work too. I had ideas of using right click for other things.
I should try to find time to make some other builds so others can play, it's hard to go back into this project because it really is a side-thing to break up work on my main project.
I suspect the pink screen bug is related to the camera-render-to-texture technique used to downscale the resolition for the pixel art, not really sure how to fix that for you without knowing more about shaders and such. Someday :(

@edalbung wow thank you! "blown away" is quite the compliment. Glad you like it!
@ausstein @catalystl @magus77 @alchemic Thanks yall!

@shreyasrao-ts Thank you! It's made in Unity. I tried my best to make the game intuitive, starting the player in the dark helps us feel smart when we can figure things out for ourselves ;) more "ah haaaa" moments!

@mika-la-grand Thank you. I thought the bubble-gate puzzle thing would be tricky, but I trusted people could figure it out. Glad you liked it!

@nova31 Thank you! Maybe you saw my twitter post, but I can't help but think about all the reasons I don't deserve this. I played and seen SO MANY other good games, they're more innovative, look better, sound better, etc... I just made another little pixel art puzzle platformer, doesn't seem like anything special to me (I also get the feeling other people will feel the same). Based on the feedback I guess it it came together well enough to edge out the 1st place finish. Thank you for your kind words!
KiisuK
25. May 2020 · 07:11 UTC
Reminds me a lovely game from my childhood : Mr. Snoozleberg :) Really cool !
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19. Aug 2020 · 08:41 UTC
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