Bubbles by tolja

[raw]
made by tolja for Ludum Dare 57 (JAM)

Bubbles is a relaxed fish-type arcade shooter. You are a fish – a hunter from the Depths. Use your bubbles to make insects fall in the water and eat 10 of them to clear the game.

Controls: Left and Right arrow to move, Z or X to shoot bubbles.

Made in 16 hours with Pico-8.

gameplay.gif

Ratings

Overall 727th 3.089⭐ 30🧑‍⚖️
Fun 600th 3.125⭐ 30🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 623th 2.963⭐ 29🧑‍⚖️
Theme 738th 2.964⭐ 30🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 567th 3.393⭐ 30🧑‍⚖️
Audio 475th 3.019⭐ 29🧑‍⚖️
Humor 517th 2.63⭐ 29🧑‍⚖️
Mood 775th 2.889⭐ 29🧑‍⚖️
Given 40🗳️ 34🗨️

Feedback

OadT
07. Apr 2025 · 08:08 UTC
I think the hitbox of the mouth could be a bit bigger, but still nice, short entry! (especially for only 16 hours)
BadPinkChicken
07. Apr 2025 · 09:40 UTC
Simple but so relaxing! Great pixel art
CodeRaurus
07. Apr 2025 · 10:06 UTC
Cute entry, I like the whale especially. I was kind of expecting to catch bugs even when they hit me, not just me charging towards them.

Good job!
Villeloso
10. Apr 2025 · 02:40 UTC
8 bit pixel art rules, love seeing pico 8 getting some love
Quackqack
12. Apr 2025 · 02:09 UTC
Nice game, I agree with some of the other comments about it not being too straightforward to get the bugs but that was easy to figure out and finish the game.
LDJam user 221097
13. Apr 2025 · 16:16 UTC
A simple, but well-polished game! And it's really cool that you can play it with a controller
Well done to your team !
Beehakou
13. Apr 2025 · 20:53 UTC
Very simple but satisfying! The fish's mouth hitbox is a bit unclear though — I had a few moments where I thought I’d nailed it but missed.
PapyKent
14. Apr 2025 · 11:02 UTC
![fish.PNG](///raw/616/8/z/6c2fd.png)

Nice pixel art! Love the minimalist ambiance as well. Great job!
cdupe
15. Apr 2025 · 04:12 UTC
Simple, fun arcade game! One tiny bug: the "your time" timer doesn't reset if you restart. Play multiple games without resetting the cartridge, and your listed time will double/triple/etc.
Ammonit
15. Apr 2025 · 10:16 UTC
Such a simple but cute solution! I got glued to the screen!
Eugenik
15. Apr 2025 · 11:48 UTC
Awesome art!.
kaba
15. Apr 2025 · 19:49 UTC
@cdupe, Whoops, nice catch. We thought we had set the limit to 10 but looks like you managed to clear the game with 11 bugs! :grin:
oliver_day
17. Apr 2025 · 07:16 UTC
Simple but very satisfying to play. I liked the art even though the waves and the bubbles felt too constant. Background music might have helped it be a bit more engaging.
LDJam user 243193
18. Apr 2025 · 08:39 UTC
The game is simple but turns out shooting flies and eating drowned flies is harder than I thought. Fortunately, it's not too hard so eating 10 flies could be done.
Nonetheless, it's fun.
MoonDweller
18. Apr 2025 · 21:49 UTC
Wow, this game even supports a gamepad!

Hahah, this entry is just like ours but reversed :D
There you play as a fish, and in ours you are the one who catches the fish.

![spear_bird_and_bubbles.png](///raw/f37/04/z/6c509.png)
Advarsky
19. Apr 2025 · 18:21 UTC
Great entry! Nice graphics, and idea. I would work with bubbles and water a bit more. But it's already fun and the gameplay is good.
Jake G
19. Apr 2025 · 19:12 UTC
Thank you for sharing Pico 8! Had no idea this existed.

Great job on this entry. It's cohesive, the concept is creative, fun and endearing. The fact you managed to pack so much character in such few pixels is always an art.

![Screenshot 2025-04-19 150631.png](///raw/047/44/z/6c560.png)
cherrybcake
19. Apr 2025 · 20:00 UTC
Haha this game is so cute! Simple idea but very well executed, I love the effects and little details like the bugs slowing down when they touch the ocean. Very nice job! :)
marudziik
19. Apr 2025 · 22:02 UTC
Howdy, PICO-8 user, I like your game a lot! The idea is pretty neat and the execution works well. I am only missing some music, and sometimes when I stay under a fly waiting, the collision seems to not register, but I didn't test that thoroughly. However, it's a nice, enjoyable entry, congrats!
xpoho
20. Apr 2025 · 13:35 UTC
Nice game!
PieRo_PBeS_studio
23. Apr 2025 · 20:40 UTC
From a pico lover : the idea is cool, it's missing a bit of animation and feedback so that players know when they've touched the flies and when they've swallowed them. Congratulations for making this little game complete with everything you need to make a game.
kaba
25. Apr 2025 · 11:34 UTC
@piero-pbes-studio, thanks, and you are absolutely correct! A few days after the jam I went back and made a few fixes: prettier clouds, animated flying bugs and a quick and simple chomp effect for the fish (that just stretches the sprite vertically). Simple additions like this made the game a little more alive, and the chomp effect does provide more feedback since it used to rely on audio alone.

![bubbles_0.gif](///raw/e22/16/z/6c769.gif)
cassowary
25. Apr 2025 · 21:15 UTC
Nice! Graphics are cute and the little subtle animations and particle effects work great to create an "underwater" feeling. I think some of the collision was a little hard to understand or difficult to think about, but I like the "long-distance back and forth" mechanic a lot.