Evolve by oller125

[raw]
made by oller125 for Ludum Dare 56 (COMPO)

Try to survive for 5 generations. Inspired by the cell stage of Spore.

Controls:

Point mouse in direction of travel W to move in that direction You can use health reserves if you run out of energy. But once you've run out of health, you're dead.

Green food only gives you energy. Killing other microbes gives you DNA in order to evolve.

Balance might be a bit off, especially at the beginning. Was still trying to tweak spawning rates towards the end.

Ratings

Overall 149th 3.571⭐ 23🧑‍⚖️
Fun 146th 3.429⭐ 23🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 170th 3.31⭐ 23🧑‍⚖️
Theme 59th 4.048⭐ 23🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 204th 3.325⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Audio 78th 3.643⭐ 23🧑‍⚖️
Humor 230th 2.553⭐ 21🧑‍⚖️
Mood 170th 3.325⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Given 22🗳️ 14🗨️

Feedback

zwartraider
07. Oct 2024 · 06:06 UTC
A very nice and rather soothing game! I love the microscope look with the blurred microbes in the background!
BrotherBrody
10. Oct 2024 · 21:25 UTC
Nice work, I could see the influence from spore just from the screenshots. Very nice redux of the cellular stage!
Honey Pony
19. Oct 2024 · 22:04 UTC
Cool little game! As a certified Spore enjoyer I certainly had fun.

I think the spike upgrade is by far the best first upgrade. It makes it so much faster to earn DNA from the small cells, and crucially gives you a very strong defense against the big cells (which otherwise seem to be very dangerous).

Strangely, I think the second spike upgrade is arguably a downgrade, as it makes it harder to move towards the big cells while still keeping yourself safe. It still seemed situationally useful though.

I think that perhaps the main problem with the game is there seems to be no way to defend against the big cells without a spike? Maybe the flagellum also does the job. But what this means is, before getting any evolutions, if you see a big cell you are more or less dead. On very first try I didn't see any before evolving but made the very poor choice to try to bank my DNA for the extra energy. On my second try I saw a big cell when at 90 DNA and couldn't figure out a way to escape. On my third (winning) try I did see a big cell, but it didn't seem to start attacking me, so I was able to get the 100 DNA in time. I guess maybe you have to stay out of their range of detection? But sometimes it seems like they would attack from off screen (e.g. I would hear the music before even seeing them).

On that note, the danger music was a very nice touch!

Overall I think the idea of a Spore cell stage but with more RPG-like upgrade / skill tree type system is a lot of fun. Makes it more possible to focus on having interesting gameplay mechanics that don't have to interact with all the possible body shapes in Spore.

In any case it was a nice little game to play through! Nice job!
Itskdog
20. Oct 2024 · 00:16 UTC
Nice game. Good audio. I think the dna needed to gain an ability needs to scale. It felt like getting to one took to long to start. Also, I think food needs to spawn more often. I died because there wasn't anything to eat.
Pachino55
20. Oct 2024 · 01:07 UTC
Cool game! Had fun
stephenwhoskins
20. Oct 2024 · 02:11 UTC
This game kept me engaged for quite a while, lol. Very fitting for the theme. Great job!
jellyfishhunter
20. Oct 2024 · 20:00 UTC
It really took me back to playing Spore years ago. Even though after several attempts I didn't manage to evolve once because giant cells kept eating me. I guess I was just unlucky...?
Jajo
22. Oct 2024 · 20:48 UTC
Once the large cells appear, the game becomes very hard, although that's not necessarily a criticism. With the more intense music and the pressure of losing energy, surviving is very fun. If there was more chance to bounce back from a desperate situation, it would be even better. Maybe more/easier food spawns? Would also be cool if large cells got distracted by small cells.

Graphics, sound and theme are all excellent and serve the game very well. The music especially was awesome.
jk5000
22. Oct 2024 · 21:18 UTC
An interesting, fun and pretty well made jam game. Died just before I would have been generation 5. Overall a good jam game. Well done.
LDJam user 5143
22. Oct 2024 · 23:19 UTC
I really love the idea—it reminded me of the "Cell" stage in Spore! However, the DNA accumulation at the start feels a bit slow. Adding another type of microbe to help players reach the first upgrade would improve the early game pace. That said, once you get the first upgrade, the balance and progression feel great!

I didn’t like the two spikes as much; they felt less useful compared to just one. The controls are smooth, though, and the constant energy shortage keeps the game tense and exciting throughout.

Overall, it’s an engaging experience with just a few minor adjustments needed!![Снимок экрана 2024-10-23 в 02.18.45.png](///raw/714/1/z/6909a.png)
Cronno
22. Oct 2024 · 23:41 UTC
The game feels a bit slow at the start, but after you get the spike it picks up. The audio is great. Changing the music when a big cell is near is a great touch. My biggest complaint is that I wish the camera were a bit better. I would be good if it followed the mouse more or tried to keep the player character closer to the center of the screen.
MaxDrago
24. Oct 2024 · 18:45 UTC
One of my favorite stages in Spore. Awesome and challenging game at first! I agree with the previous comment about the camera. :)