Losing the Signal by ByYiro

[raw]
made by ByYiro for Ludum Dare 49 (JAM)

Story

This is Rai, the protagonist of this story.

During his childhood, Rai heard certain stories about an antenna that granted freedom, to have signal forever, without worries.

The stories said that this freedom was to be found in the dungeon of Jeya.

The TVs around him tried to convince everyone that it was impossible, but Rai only became more determined to achieve his goal.

A neighbour always talked about how a friend's son had managed to get the antenna.

Rai prepared himself for his journey and finally, at the age of 15, he set off in his search of freedom...

LosingTheSignal.png

Controls

WASD - Movement

E - Levers

Changelog

The story has been slowed down.

Every text is always visible now.

The tutorial now explains that levers can activate one or more doors and that doors can be activated by one or more levers.

Changed link from https://byyiro.itch.io/losing-the-signal to https://firecoffeestudios.itch.io/losing-the-signal and added a screen with "Firecoffee Studios".

Improved post!

Ratings

Overall 662th 3.583⭐ 32🧑‍⚖️
Fun 1016th 3.177⭐ 33🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 285th 3.742⭐ 33🧑‍⚖️
Theme 256th 4.05⭐ 32🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 577th 3.79⭐ 33🧑‍⚖️
Audio 486th 3.5⭐ 31🧑‍⚖️
Humor 938th 2.63⭐ 25🧑‍⚖️
Mood 422th 3.7⭐ 32🧑‍⚖️
Given 31🗳️ 44🗨️

Feedback

Roxslon
05. Oct 2021 · 10:19 UTC
How can i interact objects? I found some switch but because of the noise i can't read text below:D
SmashPlays1999
05. Oct 2021 · 10:32 UTC
@roxslon With the E key You can interact the objects
Guilloteam
05. Oct 2021 · 11:55 UTC
Cute game, fits the theme in a simple yet intuitive way. Good job!
Loig
05. Oct 2021 · 11:58 UTC
Interesting game idea, but maybe a bit too difficult in my opinion. It seems that one almost need to do the perfect pathing in many occasions to avoid dying.

I liked the graphics.
Pandi
05. Oct 2021 · 12:00 UTC
@guilloteam Thank you very much, I hope you enjoyed the game!
Pandi
05. Oct 2021 · 12:13 UTC
@loig Thanks for the comment. We hope that despite the difficulty you have enjoyed the game. We will take your opinion into account for future updates in a post jam version.
Matthewsworld
05. Oct 2021 · 13:40 UTC
A difficult, but fun game! I loved the art style, and the audio was very fitting. It'd be nice to have a couple more seconds before getting a game over, but still a great game!
SmashPlays1999
05. Oct 2021 · 13:47 UTC
@matthewsworld Thank you very much!
Ykrad
05. Oct 2021 · 18:36 UTC
This was a challenging experience for sure, specially the last level of the game where it took me like 30m to beat, maybe it didn't help either that I have really bad memory.

Here are my feedback after completed the game:

- The initial text where you tell the story, it was kinda scrolling faster than I could read it.

- It would have been really helpful if you let me know that you can turn OFF some of the ON levers to open new paths, I kinda guess it after mindlessly wandering around the map a couple of minutes on Level 2, probably my own fault since I usually don't play puzzle games. Maybe some kind of level 0, tutorial thingy to explain just the basic mechanics of the game would have been enough.

- Also, for Level 3, it's too long and makes the player backtrack a LOT to open the final hall, turning this more tedious than challenging/fun since you don't have any kinda of clue for which lever opens/closes what door until you repeat the process many, MANY times.

- Some of the text (the last text when you beat the game) it was unreadable for me because of the static effect.

Overall, I enjoyed the game, I'm all in for a challenging puzzle game, it plays good, with some nitpicking things I listed above. I'm eager to see your next project, cheers!.
Pandi
05. Oct 2021 · 20:30 UTC
@ykrad Thanks for the comment. We will take your opinion into account for future updates in a post jam version. We are happy that you enjoyed the game!
gdman
05. Oct 2021 · 22:24 UTC
Interesting game, pleasant art. I think signal could reappear gradually too as you closing to area, not instant.
Pandi
06. Oct 2021 · 06:45 UTC
@gdman Thanks for the comment, we hope you enjoyed the game!
Elektroney
06. Oct 2021 · 13:28 UTC
Really fun game, would play again!
Shea Kelly
06. Oct 2021 · 13:31 UTC
its a fun game. i like how simplistic the game art is but it is a tricky game.
SmashPlays1999
06. Oct 2021 · 13:58 UTC
@elektroney Thank you very much!
SmashPlays1999
06. Oct 2021 · 13:59 UTC
@shea-kelly Thank you very much! That was the idea, a tricky game!
kromeboy
06. Oct 2021 · 17:28 UTC
Nice entry. Novel concept, similar to something I have seen when the light went out, but do it with it interference is a nice twist.
JoLu Studios
06. Oct 2021 · 18:55 UTC
Quite challenging but I love the art style! Also the growing static on the screen makes it feel pretty intense. Great work! :D
Quite Good
06. Oct 2021 · 19:00 UTC
Wow! I can't believe how much I got sucked into this simple but clever game. At first I thought it was a bit hard and I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do, but before too long I was really getting into it. I love how every time it feels like the static is about to get me and then I juuust barely make it to a safe zone, I was on the edge of my seat every time. The sound design is very minimal and complements the intense and almost ominous atmosphere.

I did feel that the intro text was too fast and I would have appreciated a little more feedback as to which door I was opening when I hit a switch, but I found it to be a fun test of my memory. Excellent work and I look forward to seeing what you make next!
🎤 ByYiro
06. Oct 2021 · 20:59 UTC
Hey!
As a part of the team, I want to say: Thanks you very much!
You are making our hearts feel warm :smile:

We love your kindly comments about the game as it's our first JAM entry and give us motivation to participate in future JAMs.
Being recognized by talented people like you are drawing an unstoppable smile in our faces.
Wish you all a wonderful life!

For the newcomers:
This game has an ending that you would like to see! We know it's too difficult to finish -give it an hour in your free time, even if the play+rate time has ended. We don't want you to miss the experience.

Comments in itch.io page are welcomed, too.
Thanks you! See you in your game's comment section! :heart:
Bajtix
06. Oct 2021 · 22:02 UTC
The concept is nice, although it gets repetitive quickly. I've played through the first level, but didn't really find time to finish the second one. The art is nice - i like the monochrome style. The TV static effect is cool, but i think it should fade out when it wears off. Overall, nice submission :)
syudzius
07. Oct 2021 · 16:56 UTC
Very nice entry, fits the theme well. The game was a bit too hard for me, but I had fun playing :) The art style is cute, and sound effects felt nice. Keep up the good work!
Peace Of Cake Games
07. Oct 2021 · 19:38 UTC
My "Innovation" detection is going crazy with this entry! The minimalist 1-bit graphics make a perfect contrast to the game's extreme complexity, and I love the slight horror vibes the static makes. As @quite-good noted it's always exciting trying to race the static to a safe zone and making it with a split second to spare! 🏁 This is one of my favorites this Ludum Dare, it's extremely polished.

As of right now I've only gotten the

!> DEATH

ending,

!> Level 2 is a bit tricky for my dumb brain!

I'll be sure to play it more in my spare time and try to beat it, I'm a bit behind on ratings right now.... (~40 ratings received, ~25 ratings given, I don't even know where I'm getting all of these plays from because last I checked I didn't have a fan club following me or anything, not like I need/deserve one)
LDJam user 237945
07. Oct 2021 · 20:57 UTC
Cool game! I very much liked the one bit graphics and think I will try them in my next game Jam.

Also the mechanics and the fading effect was a very simple yet clever mechanic - good job!
FlyWolfe
07. Oct 2021 · 22:58 UTC
Very nice game! The atmosphere feels right and I like the dynamic between the cute, squeaky TV head and the somewhat horror-ish soundscape in the background. The text would on the interactable objects were difficult to read since they were the same colour as the static, but overall pretty nice. Great job!
eldogg
08. Oct 2021 · 08:49 UTC
Haha this is brutally difficult for what seems to be quite a moody game. As others have said, and my main game jam advice, is to make your game much easier as when you're making it you are constantly playing it so are very used to the controls and know where to go, whilst others have no idea, also completing a game is much more satisfying than failing it.

Anyway, the sounds and graphics are very cute. And the atmosphere is really cool, very sombre. Good job.
holbinski
08. Oct 2021 · 22:09 UTC
Interesting premise, and surprisingly addictive yet simple gameplay. The art and atmosphere made it pretty compelling, like I wasn't gonna be satisfied until I was finished lol The addition of music would have been nice, but as is I enjoyed it. Didn't encounter any bugs, so good work on the polish too, especially for your first jam!! Look forward to seeing what you guys do next :)
Shrillwhip
08. Oct 2021 · 22:23 UTC
This was a cool one. I really like the presentation, and the gameplay is engaging and fun. I wish the game had some music, but I guess the silence adds to the atmosphere. Good job!
blobo
16. Oct 2021 · 21:15 UTC
I think it's a bit too difficult at times. There are several sections where you just barely make it to the energy pad, and other times where I ran in a direction, only for the door to be closed without enough time to return to the nearest energy pad. This wouldn't be a big deal if dying brought you to the most recent energy pad, but having to reset the entire level feels a bit punishing. Why would I want to do everything I just did for a second or even a third time? I already did that! Just let the player respawn at the most recent energy pad. Other than that, I really like the design- I just think death resetting the entire level is too punishing. Cool game!
Teto
19. Oct 2021 · 18:49 UTC
I really like the concept here with a simple premise but it's been executed well. Fits with the theme really nicely! I would agree with some of the above comments saying it's a bit too difficult. Possibly some kind of indicator for which lever operates which door might make it easier since you are still looking around but you have an aim of which lever you're looking for rather than running around pulling random things to figure them out whilst not being able to see.

It's a really well polished game though! The graphics and sound come together really nicely and create a good atmosphere. Great job!
Jupiter_Hadley
21. Oct 2021 · 10:17 UTC
Cute game! I included it in my Ludum Dare 49 compilation video series, if you’d like to take a look. :) https://youtu.be/bBL_dduqErg