THE_MACHINE_KNOWS_HATE by HexyVexy

[raw]
made by HexyVexy for Ludum Dare 51 (JAM)

They awake, and complete the trials set for them by The Machine, their keeper and tormenter. They are given only a brief flash of light to see their surroundings. They die, many times. It doesn't end.

DOWNLOAD HERE!

TheMachineKnows_Hate is a unique puzzle platformer with 20 levels. Played in near complete darkness, you will need to read the layout of the levels with just a brief glance - given every 10 seconds.

The game carries content warnings for flashing lights and violence.

You can learn more about Arcane Rituals at https://arcanerituals.co.uk/

Sound attributions can be found here.

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Ratings

Overall 151th 3.966⭐ 46🧑‍⚖️
Fun 163th 3.92⭐ 46🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 163th 3.852⭐ 46🧑‍⚖️
Theme 88th 4.244⭐ 45🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 553th 3.67⭐ 46🧑‍⚖️
Mood 102th 4.08⭐ 46🧑‍⚖️
Given 48🗳️ 70🗨️

Feedback

William Wells
03. Oct 2022 · 23:13 UTC
Super fun game! I love the approach to the platforming with only showing the full level at the start
amarokczukay
04. Oct 2022 · 00:04 UTC
so sad i don't use windows nor linux, this games looks amazing!
Vhalenn
04. Oct 2022 · 08:59 UTC
Really well done game ! It feels like we are jumping on the moon so sometimes the ceilling is our enemy, the blue lasers works especially well !
ThatzNiko
04. Oct 2022 · 09:55 UTC
It's a really well done game, it works well!
LDJam user 276593
04. Oct 2022 · 09:55 UTC
@amarokczukay I had a look at a OSX build, but since I don't have a Mac it seems it wouldn't work. Next time we may look into HTML5 so we can dodge OS issues entirely :D
NiceKot
04. Oct 2022 · 12:21 UTC
It's amazing how much style you can get with just a few colours.
I guess some downside these flashing lights mechanic is that sometimes you just have to stand and wait for the flash. So it's kinda breaks the flow of the game.

But style and theme are top notch.
Madlen
04. Oct 2022 · 12:37 UTC
I love the story line.The game is very well done! Loved it!
LDJam user 306223
04. Oct 2022 · 16:37 UTC
This game has a very interesting and effective take on the theme, with cool graphics. Well done.
Whos Candice
04. Oct 2022 · 19:09 UTC
well made game, but dk why i have a problem with controls
Eugenik
04. Oct 2022 · 19:14 UTC
Very nice atmosphere.
SoCrazzy
04. Oct 2022 · 19:17 UTC
Game looks and plays awesome! Love the smooth fade out of the light. And cool introduction to the blue laser.
Erlioniel
04. Oct 2022 · 19:41 UTC
Hi there!
To be honest I didn't finish it, but I tried my bad. It's not hard, don't take me wrong, just requires some careful approach to it. Additional like from my side for the minimalistic visual style & storytelling - it works pretty well!
LDJam user 276593
04. Oct 2022 · 21:17 UTC
@whos-candice Sorry to hear you had control issues! Were you using controller or mouse and keyboard, and would you be able to describe what the issues were?
Aidturith
04. Oct 2022 · 21:28 UTC
Nice game! I would just point a little grip I with level 4-2, if you miss the overhead platform it forces you to wait 20~ seconds.
LDJam user 276593
04. Oct 2022 · 21:32 UTC
@aidturith Thanks for playing! Yeah, we did discuss changing that level by making the platforms reset when you die, but by that time we were running out of time :D
vidim888
05. Oct 2022 · 00:36 UTC
Great entry! Felt that in having small concise levels the Theme kind of dissipated with that since you usually need only a single (sometimes 2) flash to finish a level before you get to the next one where again you get a flash. So it wasn't like Every 10 Seconds was heavily present :)

I think having no visual at all of where you are during dark time and bigger levels, and slow movement would actually make it a lot more in line with the theme where you would need to go blind (literally) somewhere and then see in 10 seconds where you end up and go from there. With light around you character (and seeing where said character is) you can pretty much just speedrun all levels without needing a second flash.

Obviously it's always easier to say it afterwards never having to do anything ;D

But overall the game feels great! The fading of flash, simple sound design, great simple lasers visuals! I want to especially pay tribute to your storytelling. I feel like the inspiration comes from I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream and it just adds so much to the game - loved it!
LDJam user 276121
05. Oct 2022 · 00:55 UTC
@vidim888 Glad you picked up on it, the level "Nanoangstrom" is an explicit reference!

We toyed with harder levels and no feedback on player location, but ultimately went with something more player friendly. Our LD50 game was very hard and we wanted to make something people could finish even if they weren't very proficient with platformers.

You can see where a more demanding structure might have gone in 4-4, for example.
Harry Alissavakis
05. Oct 2022 · 11:50 UTC
Some really nice level design and tight controls here, I had plenty of fun solving the levels and moving on! Really nice job on this!
LDJam user 276593
05. Oct 2022 · 12:03 UTC
@harry-alissavakis Thanks bud! Really enjoyed your playthrough. Will give your game a play today :)
Beefbone
05. Oct 2022 · 20:47 UTC
Excellent game, love the concept. The addition of the red and especially the blue lasers in the later levels is perfectly handled.
Wouter52
06. Oct 2022 · 12:42 UTC
Whoaw this one is awesome! I genuinely do not have any feedback about how this could have been better. Well done! I love how it loops btw, makes it even eerier.
The sound effects really sell how horrible that place is. The icecold scream cut of with bonebreaking noises, the echo in the swiching sound, everything really. Well done.

Are you planning on expanding on this idea?
LDJam user 276593
06. Oct 2022 · 13:29 UTC
@wouter52 Thank you so much! Genuinely blown away by the positivity :D

We have been discussing how we might expand it. More mechanics, better movement, more and bigger levels etc! If you follow us on Itch there may be something in the near future!
bison warlock
06. Oct 2022 · 23:07 UTC
really cool game!! as someone with atrociously short term memory and who has to check if i locked my car three times before i can go about my day, i was sweating bullets when i realized what the concept of this game was, HAHA! the flash was really neat, and i love the sound effect you guys paired with it. i think it's just me, but the controls for the jumping was a bit difficult for me to get a handle of. i understood that holding the jump button longer meant a higher jump, but i think i was unable to get used to how quickly the character jumped and fell, so i got stuck on the levels with the deadly drops :cry: otherwise a really fun game!! wish i could've completed more levels to see more of it!
LDJam user 276593
07. Oct 2022 · 10:18 UTC
@bison-warlock If you want to try again I will tell you a secret :P

You can press `Q` on the keyboard to skip the current level :D
LDJam user 276121
07. Oct 2022 · 13:00 UTC
@teddyreid Noooo, the ssssss-secretsssss!
Riphitter
07. Oct 2022 · 22:18 UTC
I really enjoyed this game. a single flash of light in an otherwise dark platformer was a great use of the theme. really tests your memory and precision. Blue lasers getting added when the light kicks on was a great addition. Broke my ankle more than I would like to admit but I had a blast doing it. Really cool game. Would love more levels.
thristhart
08. Oct 2022 · 14:49 UTC
That was fun! I really like the way the lasers look and feel, they're very striking in the darkness. I completely missed the existence of the sprint button on my first go through so I was stuck on the introduction of lasers -- ended up restarting the game to go look at the controls to realize my mistake, but then played through to the finish. Love the various sci-fi references.
Volodymyr Karchevskyy
09. Oct 2022 · 11:09 UTC
Great concepts and atmosphere!
I got a lot of fun from this game)
tigerfinch
09. Oct 2022 · 11:42 UTC
One of my favourite games that I've rated for this LD. Absolute banger. Cool concept, carried through with some interesting mechanics, great progression. Love the style and feel, only thing missing is some good eerie music perhaps. Awesome stuff!
LDJam user 276593
09. Oct 2022 · 12:01 UTC
@volodymyr-karchevskyy Thanks for playing, and for the kind words! <3

@tigerfinch Thanks! <3

We are planning to expand the game and I've been thinking about selective use of music for certain stages. Maybe if we want to make a stage *extra* spooky we could give it music :D
ChrisWiseman
10. Oct 2022 · 08:55 UTC
Best game I have played in the jam so far. Love the dying sound, the flashing lights and the feel. Want to keep playing. very cool, well done.
Doot
10. Oct 2022 · 08:59 UTC
Very nice game!

Making a platformer feel good is quite hard, and this one is great! The mechanic works great. Having to wait to see what's ahead could easily be boring and push to be careful and wait too much, but here it's perfectly designed, with small levels, fast movement and a mood that pushes you to be scared of waiting too much.

Great job, I really liked it ✨
LDJam user 276121
10. Oct 2022 · 09:51 UTC
@chriswiseman @doot Thank you both for the kind words!
adam-gould
10. Oct 2022 · 12:01 UTC
That's very cool! The mechanics felt very tight (the most important thing in a platformer of course), and the theme was used excellently. It took me a few attempts to realise the lights would come on again, I originally treated the timer as a countdown to failure. I have since realised this was due to me not paying attention to the description! A scoring system might have been nice so that it mattered how many "light flashes" you had to use to get through a level.
LDJam user 276121
10. Oct 2022 · 17:34 UTC
@adam-gould Cheers Adam!
Untitled Studios
12. Oct 2022 · 20:38 UTC
Interesting! Couldn't help but feel like it was underutilizing it's main mechanic, though.
resacaGames
12. Oct 2022 · 21:29 UTC
Very nice concept! Loved the aesthetic of the light and the puzzles. Also very long for a jam game!
The SFX were funny, overall great work!!
macaroni.dev
13. Oct 2022 · 05:23 UTC
I quite enjoyed the game. When I read the description I thought the lighting scheme wouldn't be too exciting, but I actually really enjoyed every level and how the game progressed. Really loved the story-telling that went along with the game!
LDJam user 259666
13. Oct 2022 · 15:08 UTC
The story Telling, the lvl design, and the concept is great ! So what's possibly go wrong ?
Nothing, it's a simple game, but it's a masterpiece, with good puzzle, not too hard, and not too simple.
And a little bonus, the singer at the beginning. GG !
Legitamte
13. Oct 2022 · 21:03 UTC
A great example of solid, straightforward core gameplay elevated by strong theme and atmosphere - not an easy thing to pull off in a jam! I wish a few more of the stages required a little more solving, but that's pretty minor - well done!
LDJam user 250825
14. Oct 2022 · 13:17 UTC
What a mood! You managed to explore the design space very well with the levels, especially love the interaction with glass and lasers. The controls feel good and I really appreciate having the option to use arrow keys + Z/X instead of WASD + shift per in-game instructions. Also a minor thing but I always love to see games that name their levels/rooms (I think my favorite example of this is VVVVVV, which had Bennett Foddy cameoing as "Room Namer" in the minimal credits roll :D), it's such a small thing but adds a lot to the experience, that tiny bit of intent or insight about the level makes you look at it from a different angle.
LDJam user 276121
14. Oct 2022 · 16:38 UTC
@bqq Ha, glad you appreciated them. Some of the references are pretty out there, mostly just to make me chuckle :sweat_smile: but yeah, I adore it when devs add little details like that.
@legitamte We have plans!
@mandytoh @macaroni-dev @resacagames @untitled-studios Thanks for the feedback, all!
AndideBob
21. Oct 2022 · 06:30 UTC
Finally got around to playing this, a solid platformer that feels nice to control with a super cool "I have no mouth and I must scream" tie in. I can see this game being a section in a bigger game with an actual story. The fact that the 10 seconds don't limit the time you play, or the length of a level was a refreshing take on the theme. Really well done!