Will of the Wisp by Lachlan James
Will of the Wisp
Alone in the forest, you awake to a different world than the one you knew. Seek out other fae; more are lost as you are, and with numbers comes strength. Once you are many, you may find your way home.
Gameplay
Navigate the forest, gathering other tiny fae spirits to your flock, avoiding obstacles and enemies. Bunch up your flock to navigate obstacles, and expand it to appear bigger and scare off predators. With enough fae in your flock, you can pass through the gates keeping you from your home.
Known issues
- Ideal SFX/music balance didn't make it into jam build, but there's a slider - recommended adjust SFX to ~50
- Frame rate drops on many machines around 70 faes - optimisation underway for post-jam build
Controls
WASD to move
LMB to contract the flock
RMB to expand the flock
Main credits
Code - ChewieCB, JohnMiner
Art - Redvirus, Grace Althea, Akashdeep Hehar
Music, SFX - Stead, Lachlan James
Additional credits
Various bird sounds - BBC public library
Owl sounds - Stead's hands and mouth
| Link | https://chewiecb.itch.io/ld56 |
| Original URL | https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/56/will-of-the-wisp |
Ratings
| Overall | 233th | 3.879⭐ | 35🧑⚖️ |
| Fun | 335th | 3.641⭐ | 34🧑⚖️ |
| Innovation | 239th | 3.682⭐ | 35🧑⚖️ |
| Theme | 60th | 4.333⭐ | 35🧑⚖️ |
| Graphics | 110th | 4.394⭐ | 35🧑⚖️ |
| Audio | 44th | 4.182⭐ | 35🧑⚖️ |
| Humor | 770th | 2.588⭐ | 19🧑⚖️ |
| Mood | 62th | 4.234⭐ | 34🧑⚖️ |
| Given | 34🗳️ | 50🗨️ |
I think the only piece of feedback I have is that some kind of checkpoint might be nice, on the first attempt, I failed (got a bit too close to the gas and they all died) and it was a bit annoying having to go through it all again, but it really didn't take long.
Love this entry!
Overall, though, this is a great game. Music, art, controls are all pretty well polished, and I really like the text that fades in and out as a way to do storytelling.
Amazing artwork and music/sound design. Fantastic work!
I had a problem with the game starting to lag really bad as I approached the right amount of wisps so I just finished the level as soon as I had enough of them. Wanted to further explore (which I think is praise :grin:) but sadly couldn't.
I did end up beating the game, although probably too early, as I was able to collect 90 pretty quickly after the first door unlock. 2:34 was my time.
It lags a lot and it does not seem right, there not so many particules. When I was with ~100 creatures, I reach around a single frame per second.
The movement is smooth the camera zooming in and out feels nice.
The art pairs wonderfully with the music, crafting a mood that's delightfully introspective.
The concept of showcasing thoughts while you navigate is quite intriguing; it enhances that introspective vibe even more.
Something I noticed and wanted to share with you: There is an option to change the controls - when I did that (using keyboard buttons instead of LMB and RMB), the control did not change (still LMB and RMB when playing).