My fourth Ludum Dare and it was a fun one. I had actually been hoping that the shapeshifting theme would win through but when it did I promptly ditched the idea I had for it (a magicians’ duel between Peter Lorre and Vincent Price which would have been way too complex…) and started from scratch. After a morning of dithering, I decided to stick with what I know and make a simple platformer with a player character who could switch between three forms.

Good stuff:

• The dialogue. I’m pleased with how the cut-scenes turned out and it’s gratifying that many reviewers have said they really help give motivation to proceed through the levels. This is what I do for a living so I’d have been worried if this aspect had fallen flat.
• The eagle. The hunter’s eagle form is pretty cool and I sort of wish now that the whole game had used this flying mechanic.
• The arms. I decided to mess around with physics a bit and the result was some OTT arm-swinging that makes the hunter look as if he is freaking out for the whole game. A happy accident!
• The music. I’m quite proud of the two little tunes I put together.

Bad Stuff:

• The platforming. I personally like the sensitivity of the platform controls but nobody else seems to, which tells me that I must have gone wrong somewhere. I think perhaps it’s a little too twitchy.
• The level design. Slapdash and pretty awful. Some are too easy, some too hard. None of them really make best use of the shapeshifting mechanic.
• The hare. The hunter’s hare form is a bit pointless. Basically it’s just a faster, jumpier version of his human form but without the ability to shoot mystic balls.

Anyway, it was a lot of fun to make and as always I learnt a lot in the process. I’m learning even more from playing and rating all the other excellent entries.

Click HERE to check out the game. All feedback greatly appreciated!