Caterpillar on a Balloon by Nestral

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

You are a happy caterpillar, and you have been dreaming of flying up high as a butterfly! But you can't wait. You decide to climb on a roof and grab some balloons. You start flying as you had wished for so long.

CoB_1.png

Your goal is to fly as high as you can while avoiding planes and helicopters! Grab more balloons along the way as every 10 seconds one of your balloons will pop!

Leaderboard

  1. @rookrules - 1085
  2. @pomo - 467
  3. @robin-schmitz - 440
  4. @maksim-chugunov - 415
  5. @badcop - 294
  6. @shmador - 221
  7. @sparklingsushi - 166
  8. @kuviman - 152

Controls

Movement - WASD / arrow keys

Reset - R

Authors

Programming, Sounds - @Nestral

Art - @mikkyti

Ratings

Overall 382th 3.694⭐ 33🧑‍⚖️
Fun 228th 3.79⭐ 33🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 617th 3.267⭐ 32🧑‍⚖️
Theme 690th 3.548⭐ 33🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 616th 3.597⭐ 33🧑‍⚖️
Audio 541th 3.2⭐ 32🧑‍⚖️
Mood 491th 3.55⭐ 32🧑‍⚖️
Given 34🗳️ 45🗨️

Feedback

Moogs
03. Oct 2022 · 18:42 UTC
Decent concept! I had some trouble getting new balloons but that's probably user error. Splat sound effect is great!
LDJam user 298987
03. Oct 2022 · 20:20 UTC
That is actually so fun - such a unique concept! I spent a lot of time enjoying this game. I also liked the "physics" - when you move, the balloons don't move immediately, and that makes it so much more fun! Great artwork and sound effects too.
MsPlanlos
04. Oct 2022 · 18:26 UTC
Cute graphics and sounddesign! I really like that the controls are so easy to pick up and that you have your highscore visable! (: Very addicting.
PhoenixofForce
04. Oct 2022 · 18:29 UTC
Very nice game. I like how the caterpillar swings left and right when moving. Great entry :)
I wrote it myself
04. Oct 2022 · 18:30 UTC
It is a fun idea, the story is touching, I really liked the sounds. Good job!
theheheo
04. Oct 2022 · 18:42 UTC
I really enjoyed it! Simple but still unique and interesting. The controls feels really smooth and polished, and the overall gameplay feels polished. I think you could have made it a progressively a bit harder in the later stages, felt like I could keep flying forever if I wanted to. Kinda funny since I think I had the opposite problem in my game by making it to difficult to quickly.
robin_schmitz
04. Oct 2022 · 18:45 UTC
Man, air traffic has gotten out of hand! Loving this game, especially the cute caterpillar and the controls. Absolutely agree with @appleplectic on the balloon physics. Made it very engaging to play :) Congratulations to everyone involved!

![firefox_ZsuDUqRcP8.png](///raw/797/64/z/52164.png)

Didn't quite make it to space, but I believe that one day, a caterpillar will take the leap :bug: :)
kuviman
05. Oct 2022 · 08:15 UTC
![caterpillar.png](///raw/7e3/32/z/52437.png)
LDJam user 279622
05. Oct 2022 · 17:23 UTC
![balloon.png](///raw/644/44/z/525d4.png)

ignore the 36 :sweat_smile:
Arthurds
06. Oct 2022 · 01:29 UTC
![Screenshot 2022-10-05 222849.png](///raw/3de/c2/z/52740.png)
RookRules
06. Oct 2022 · 21:26 UTC
![HIGHSCORE-CATERPI;LLAR.png](///raw/8c4/14/z/52975.png) HALL of FAME here I come BABEEEEEE
LDJam user 258850
07. Oct 2022 · 15:35 UTC
Im never gonna beat these highscores I got over 200 but 1k is ridiculous haha :sweat_smile:
KokkakNiphon
07. Oct 2022 · 19:39 UTC
Fun little game! Even I'm not really good at this game, but it's really enjoyable. Nicely done!
Grizwhirl
07. Oct 2022 · 19:40 UTC
Its incredibly cute
Tan_Tan
07. Oct 2022 · 19:45 UTC
Oooh I love the little sounds when you collect a ballon and when one of them pops! I also like that there is different 'ending texts' depending on how you died and the fact that the planes can hit your ballons OR the little caterpillar. Details :sparkles:
One of the few games where I quickly understood everything - but yep, no highscores for me neither xD
ZungryWare
08. Oct 2022 · 06:51 UTC
I really like the movement physics! And they didn't get in the way of the controls feeling good either. Simple, but a cute concept.
LDJam user 300020
08. Oct 2022 · 16:09 UTC
Really love the control that can easily make you move up. The graphic is so cute. Simple and nice game! Love it
Ryan Dotsikas
09. Oct 2022 · 14:45 UTC
Great job with this fun little game! I got 185 but then got sideswiped by a helicopter that took all of my balloons at once hahah I love the little SFX of when the caterpillar grabs a new balloon. But really great job with this game!
shmador
09. Oct 2022 · 14:51 UTC
![Desktop Screenshot 2022.10.09 - 17.50.38.61.png](///raw/cac/14/z/52ede.png)
Shakedimus
09. Oct 2022 · 17:51 UTC
Me and my girlfriend really enjoyed this game. The movement was a perfect combination of controllable and difficult. When I died I felt it was my fault but the difficulty was hard enough to make it fun to compete :) The graphics and sound effects were very cute and the graphics were perfect for this type of game. Well done! Fun little game :D
LDJam user 302987
10. Oct 2022 · 16:29 UTC
This is a really great entry! Felt like a complete and polished game, with tight controls and good balance. The art style is great as well and the sound design added atmosphere and weight to things happening.
ninjacreeper47
11. Oct 2022 · 09:14 UTC
I didn't feel like I had a lot of control over my fate at first, but then grew into the physics a bit and it felt better. Even now it feels just a bit under where my preference for fun would be. The movement has some skill and flavor to it but still felt boring to me.

There's a clever nuance to the way balloons work in this game, which I appreciated. I like how they are similtaneously a healthbar,hitbox and propulsion. Nice detail that you go up with less power as your balloons decrease, or can move slightly faster with more balloons. That latter thing is balanced nicely with popping every 10 seconds, which also gives a good incentive to try to catch ballons. Overall the design of the ballons is well thought out. It also all makes intutive sense which is a plus.

I love the sky background, it looks sweet.
SparklingSushi
19. Oct 2022 · 19:32 UTC
I beat @kuviman and thats enough : >
Thanks for the submission and congratz of finishing the project!
![caterpillaronaballon.png](///raw/0b2/04/z/53470.png)