Oranges In Love With My Fly by ViliX64

[raw]
made by ViliX64 for LD33 (COMPO)
Lead your army of oranges, bananas and potatoes in a heroic quest to save your fly.

Warning: the gameplay takes about 20-40 minutes and rating based only on the first 30 seconds of the gameplay makes me sad.

If you get stuck, I made a complete walkthrough video. If you're interested in the story, there's also a video made out of the story cutscenes. Links are below this description. The controls should be pretty straightforward: pick a unit, then a row and get at least 4 units to the enemy side. Warning: there are long story parts in between the actual game.

Walkthrough: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhnww8fV_ng
Story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmcsiA82J5g

Ratings

Coolness 100% 1
Overall 3.23 375
Audio 2.74 455
Fun 2.44 819
Graphics 3.30 354
Humor 2.39 602
Innovation 3.15 374
Mood 3.56 147
Theme 2.75 789

Feedback

BortStudios
24. Aug 2015 路 03:41 UTC
The graphics are nice, and the mood is actually good. But the gameplay itself is boring. I wish it was just the story!
馃帳 ViliX64
24. Aug 2015 路 03:43 UTC
You may be interested in this video then: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmcsiA82J5g :)
Korso
24. Aug 2015 路 03:43 UTC
I'll leave the complete walkthrough for tomorrow. Graphics in cutscenes are awesome :D
JayWoody
24. Aug 2015 路 03:46 UTC
Nice grey feel to these graphics.

I didn't quite get why I was throwing little orange and banana men in three different lanes, but it was still fun, so who cares! :)

Nice little game!
kirilllosev
24. Aug 2015 路 03:46 UTC
not my type of games, but being objective, that's pretty nice. it has different levels and style. and yes, i watched the walkthrough video
Arg410
24. Aug 2015 路 03:46 UTC
Never thought i would see a Stickman with a orange for a head :D
Ethan Allwood
24. Aug 2015 路 03:47 UTC
try to explain it better and gameplay is also boring
otato
24. Aug 2015 路 03:47 UTC
Loved the graphic style, liked the story, but the gameplay felt incredibly slow. I don't know if it was the scale of the units or what, but compared to every other line battler I've played that was almost glacial in pace.
ferdbold
24. Aug 2015 路 03:47 UTC
Clicked on the first "level" (if I understand correctly the screen with the puzzle pieces) and got stuck on a black screen :/
boardtobits
24. Aug 2015 路 03:52 UTC
Love that Dali is making games for Ludum Dare. Very surrealistic but well put together.
weazen
24. Aug 2015 路 03:56 UTC
I didn't realize right away that I had to mouse over to the sides of the screen to observe the entire battlefield. Story driven games aren't particularly my cup of tea, but I really enjoyed the mood and graphical style of this game.
dalbinblue
24. Aug 2015 路 04:24 UTC
Okay, I played through the entire game, and I am still confused. I think I get that the player and his opponent are the same person; and I'm guessing the entire game is just "your" imagination playing out a few random items on your desk, but I'm still just very confused about the whole premise. Maybe I missed something.

In any case, the presentation was good, but the gameplay was a bit lacking. I can't quite put my finger on it, but the levels just seemed like a slow grind. I didn't see much of an advantage using any unit except sometimes the clock, and it seemed most effective to just rush either the top or bottom lane with oranges and hope that the spawns are on the opposite side.

I think the game play would be better if the different units actually felt like they had more drastic advantages/disadvantages than what was shown, and maybe if the gameplay was fast or if you could see the whole level at once, it would feel less tedious.
馃帳 ViliX64
24. Aug 2015 路 04:29 UTC
@dalbinblue The story should be about the fight between your inner irrational part. I should have made that clearer. That's the problem with surrealism, you never entirely knwo what it means.
Thanks for your constructive critics though :)
dalbinblue
24. Aug 2015 路 04:37 UTC
@ViliX64 no problem. I think the story might have been a little more clear if near the end and in the end scene with the mirror, that the "opposition" was a little more overt about either helping, or getting the the "imaginary" head to realize that there is something deeply wrong. I think a more dramatic mirror scene might have also helped (not sure if that means anything to you, but I have something in my head that's hard to describe).
mrjorts
24. Aug 2015 路 04:44 UTC
I think your game length estimate is a little optimistic. I played for an hour and got to the second to last level. The gameplay feels sluggish, and the maps drag on indefinitely with neither side able to press any advantage. The overall speed of the units, and the rate you gain units could be increased, and more information should be surfaced (like health bars) so that the player can see what's happening and intuit what to do differently.

The art and setting is very good. The dialog feels a bit heavy handed, but overall I found that side of the game interesting and cool.
qkerguelen
24. Aug 2015 路 05:41 UTC
The mood is really cool, but I feel like there is something missing to make it a really cool game to play. But great entry ! ;)
K.Chplr
24. Aug 2015 路 05:42 UTC
This is more than my sleep deprived brain can handle (ended up watching the video), but I enjoyed the surrealist visuals.
Acerio
24. Aug 2015 路 05:47 UTC
It was kinda boring but it was very polished, especially with graphics.
FiveIronFanatic
24. Aug 2015 路 06:07 UTC
I tried the final level a few times before giving up and watching the last part on the YouTube video. Solid game, but I don't think the gameplay matches well with the story. The story is deliberate and well-paced, while the gameplay (in my experience) devolved into spamming a set rotation of enemies and hoping it would eventually pay off.

One writing critique: The phrase "Isn't it absurd to die for what you've until recently lived for?" is difficult to parse; I'd break it up into two sentences. "You've lived for this until recently. Isn't it absurd to die for it?"

Generally, the art is excellent and the mood is on the right side of surreal without being too much. I dig it!
Jamie Guillemette
24. Aug 2015 路 06:07 UTC
I like it.. simply that.
scottredrup
24. Aug 2015 路 09:27 UTC
The mood is amazing, and although some find it boring, I actually really liked the gameplay, it's my kind of game. I would have preferred there to have been more enemy types though. I didn't really get the story and would of preferred to have skipped it by the third cut scene as the walking takes too long. Good fun though, nice!
peterthehe
24. Aug 2015 路 09:31 UTC
Surreal but not much of a story to keep me (personally) engaged for more than a minute.
drakekin
24. Aug 2015 路 10:10 UTC
Gameplay is so slow as to be incomprehensible. Didn't make it past the first "battle" and not for want of trying. Five minutes of throwing apples and oranges at lanes before I realised you could scroll. Some instructions would be nice.
OxyOxspring
24. Aug 2015 路 10:28 UTC
I adore surreal stuff like this, but I tend to agree that the gameplay feels ridiculously slow. You captured a mood perfectly though with the polished pixel art and music. I enjoyed it!
Flygamer101
24. Aug 2015 路 13:40 UTC
Pretty cool game. I was one a quest to save my fly ;D. This is TRULY hard to believe it was made in 48 hours.
John Drury
24. Aug 2015 路 13:46 UTC
Hillarious, loved the the idea ahah. graphics were very good!
Joseaper
24. Aug 2015 路 14:13 UTC
Improve the gameplay, however the graphics and tone are set brilliantly with the story.
highlyinteractive
24. Aug 2015 路 14:57 UTC
Not really fun, but very thematic and moody.
BuddaKaeks
24. Aug 2015 路 15:23 UTC
Does anyone know Java's or C++'s answer to Math.sqrt(-1); ?
I don't thinkt they can handle complex numbers :D
conormn
24. Aug 2015 路 15:24 UTC
The cutscenes had a great vibe and I enjoyed the battles quite a bit. Well done :)
AdenMansonGames
24. Aug 2015 路 15:36 UTC
This is one of those really good games that leave you thinking. Well achieved.
Jani Nyk盲nen
24. Aug 2015 路 17:52 UTC
People are so impatient nowadays so I wonder if anyone bothers to play this game through. Let's hope they will.
Blobo
24. Aug 2015 路 18:11 UTC
Really good job on the story. i like the idea of fruit fighting back.
mantis
24. Aug 2015 路 19:01 UTC
Great idea :)
vividhelix
24. Aug 2015 路 22:44 UTC
Whoa, this was really trippy. Dug the art and overall b&w/pixel art dali feel, well done. When the bananas started shooting it just made my day.
NidzaKornjaca
25. Aug 2015 路 01:48 UTC
Graphics are nice, music is fitting - overall nice mood. The gameplay itself is a drag though. Wish there was an autowalk button for the cutscenes :D
Dizzyman572
25. Aug 2015 路 02:33 UTC
This game was very interesting and the cut scenes were very weird. Good game. :)
Dejvo
25. Aug 2015 路 06:16 UTC
Interesting game. Surprisingly long for a Ludum Dare game. but good job nevertheless.
DruhinM
25. Aug 2015 路 07:36 UTC
The mood of the game is quite good but i got lost somehow about the gameplay
Nikteddy92
25. Aug 2015 路 09:07 UTC
Damn.. the splash arts in the story moments are DAMN GOOD!
A strange gameplay idea and a strange mood..
You.. you did a good job, well done! :D
Druid
25. Aug 2015 路 10:09 UTC
Gameplay is simple, but amazing mood saves it! I really enjoyed this one!
ruerob
25. Aug 2015 路 10:58 UTC
Nice game with a nice story and wonderful graphic style! I love the slightly depressing music! Great atmosphere!
terop2
25. Aug 2015 路 14:30 UTC
Nice feeling in the game. I didn't figure out what you can do in the game, but the still feeling in the music and graphics makes up for lack of action.
Digitaldude555
25. Aug 2015 路 15:24 UTC
I think people are just impatient, most games in the jam are very fast paced.

Yes it's a bit slow but I have played games in similar genre(warfare 1944) and they were only slightly faster. The game play actually involved strategy to win and when you introduced the new units the level was modeled after them. like when you introduced fast units there was almost no cover on the level, when you introduced clocks there were many enemies in cover. I hated those enemy pots man.....too strong! Game play was among the best so far out of the games I played. Graphics pretty unique. Audio was bad but glad there is a mute button. Over all excellent game.
daydreamcorgigames
25. Aug 2015 路 17:12 UTC
Nice graphics which sets the mood of the game pretty neatly. But the game is too slow, walking needs spamming on mouse clicks. Also, it wouldn't load when I choose my first destination. So, I could not continue playing afterwards.
jrhee
25. Aug 2015 路 17:17 UTC
Interesting game - took a bit of poking around to figure out what I was supposed to do. Liked the surreal atmosphere but it felt slow (esp with 2000+ other games to try)
jofra
25. Aug 2015 路 17:24 UTC
An unexpectedly fun game! realy cool one.
some sounds would make it really great.
peterkirk
25. Aug 2015 路 17:46 UTC
I really like the visuals but the story is way too vague to understand what was going.
Combat felt unnecessarily drawn out, it needed to be much faster.
FortressAustria
25. Aug 2015 路 19:06 UTC
nice mood on this one, grat story!
jk5000
25. Aug 2015 路 19:19 UTC
Surreal and funny.
Insality
25. Aug 2015 路 21:13 UTC
a rly huge work was done
good job!
Mantlair
25. Aug 2015 路 22:47 UTC
Mood is really good. Piano sounds b/w and stuff. Gameplay was ok. I just wish thing were a bit faster. Ganerally i rushed levels on one lane but even though it was fairly balnced for a 48 hour game. Well done! (Also i didnt get story very well. But from your comment i get a little bit of idea yeah. I will have thoughts like this from now on. My wallet is trying to kill kinda stuff B))
crucknuk
26. Aug 2015 路 00:00 UTC
I liked the strategy part of the game, the story is a little bit strange but interesting. Maybe rhe overall is too confusing but I enjoyed it.
justinooncx
26. Aug 2015 路 05:40 UTC
A very nice tactical game that's actually challenging! Sadly I don't have enough time to play through the whole thing, only reached the potatoes.
Shaw
26. Aug 2015 路 06:27 UTC
Graphics and mood are excellent, really enjoyed the game play too, suffered only from being /if anything/ a little too slow, excellent job.
Vaida
26. Aug 2015 路 09:19 UTC
The music, the art (especially the very first scene) were good. The gameplay felt slow; what really shone to me was the story. I'm not sure I completely understand it but I know I like it a lot. Great interpretation of the theme! :)
Chris Olsen
26. Aug 2015 路 14:18 UTC
Real sombre affair. Quite enjoyed it though!
Josh H
26. Aug 2015 路 18:08 UTC
I love the mood you set here. I didn't play through the whole story, but long enough to get an idea of the game. A very interesting take on the theme and I think you did a nice job.
BoxedMeatRevolution
26. Aug 2015 路 20:25 UTC
Interesting game.
Jesse Freeman
26. Aug 2015 路 22:54 UTC
Interesting graphic style. Like others I was a little confused as to what was going on in the game. The art style makes me want to play it more.
bigbuggames
27. Aug 2015 路 01:05 UTC
Really good game! I liked the atmosphere and the mechanic, although the last one felt too slow.
BNeutral
27. Aug 2015 路 09:04 UTC
Very unique game, just wish the combat was faster.
glerikud
27. Aug 2015 路 11:36 UTC
I think this is a really good game. Both gameplay and storywise. It's a strategy game. It's not too slow, not too fast, ok the units come a little slowly but it's acceptable, especially when you compare it to the music and the whole setting because everything is melancholic. And that's cool. The art is beautiful and interesting. I won't pretend I understood the story, but it does make me think, and that's the point. Definitely a great entry
xvw
27. Aug 2015 路 22:25 UTC
I was so sad to let poor potetoes die for me while I used the poor clockwatches and apples finghting until die too... :'(

I noticed a bit late that the shoots made the random piano note, very nice touch.

I quickly realized for the "irrational", but I have not guessed the struggle with himself before the end of the game. I was focused on the idea that the battlefield was a real battlefield, and that the hero considered these units as mere objects of no value. (it was a beautiful metaphor)

Game mechanics requires thinking, congratulations for that!

This game is one of my favorites, good work!
namrog84
28. Aug 2015 路 05:24 UTC
very interesting.
Integershift
28. Aug 2015 路 14:14 UTC
The Mouse controls get annoying fast cool gameplay but could have used some keyboard controls.
DaanVanYperen
28. Aug 2015 路 18:19 UTC
It's a bit too slow to keep me playing, the art takes me back to early PC days though, nice!
PurpleApes
28. Aug 2015 路 22:08 UTC
Nice Mood!!!!
guoboism
28. Aug 2015 路 23:18 UTC
Weird game and creative! The art and suggestion is great! But the mini-game is not as good as the story...
synchingfeeling
30. Aug 2015 路 06:21 UTC
Can't believe how much content you managed to put in in 48 hours. The story was incredible if massively surreal, gameplay was a bit slow paced for me.
ToloaGames
30. Aug 2015 路 08:22 UTC
Played it trough the end. I can't explain why, but this game really sucked me in. Great Job man! 5/5
dregamr
30. Aug 2015 路 11:47 UTC
Interesting game, but maybe some music will be great.
Good graphic work as well. :)
Linus123xbb
01. Sep 2015 路 19:59 UTC
Very nice music which makes for a very relaxing game. High rated game in innovation, audio and mood. One of the best games I've played in this LD :)
inbetweengames
02. Sep 2015 路 13:35 UTC
Really awesome in the mood stakes. Love the surrealism. And the audio is very effective. The gameplay is pretty crazy, and I didn't get how it ties in with the story. Could also do with some explanation of why you're getting these fruit and things to the end, and why you need 4 of them. And also some feedback for when you actually succeed in getting one to the end.
superfreak
10. Sep 2015 路 22:01 UTC
Interesting entry! Really enjoyed the artwork
Lianne Booton
14. Sep 2015 路 10:13 UTC
extremely interesting concept and game. Graphics are lovely and unsettling somehow (in a good way). great job!