{"assets":[{"original":"http:\/\/www.ludumdare.com\/compo\/wp-content\/compo2\/thumb\/6e9e72318b077c2e844cfe4cc6f9e6e4.jpg","local":"\/data\/posts\/2014\/05\/bf308b4022223d7d52d0d90f42d9c975.jpg"}],"author_link":"author\/snoother\/","author_name":"Snoother","cat":"LD #29","categories":["LD #29"],"comments":[],"epoch":1400337120,"event":"LD29","likes":18,"metadata":{"p_key":"81499","p_author":"Snoother","p_authorkey":"0","p_urlkey":"290616","p_title":"The SNOOTHAs","p_cat":"LD #29","p_event":"LD29","p_time":"1400337120","p_likes":"18","p_comments":"0","p_status":"WAYBACK","us_key":null,"us_name":null,"us_username":null,"event_start":"1398384000","event_key":"22","event_name":"LD29"},"source_url":"2014\/05\/17\/the-snoothas\/","text":"

The SNOOTHAs is a self-described prestigious ceremony\u00a0set up to award Ludum Dare entrants for their efforts. It may or may not be real. The \u201cS\u201d stand for Snoother (me, of course) and the \u201cA\u201d stands for award. I can\u2019t for the life of me be\u00a0bothered\u00a0to fill in the rest.<\/p>\n

The awards ceremony\u00a0was held\u00a0in a musty, windowless room by the \u201cRobed Ones\u201d \u2014 a bunch of self-appointed\u00a0game critics donning\u00a0brown, hooded robes. They quipped back\u00a0and forth\u00a0about \u201cinnovation\u201d, \u201cagency\u201d, \u201cunderlying messages\u201d, \u201cimmersiveness\u201d \u2014 all that stuff. After weeks\u00a0of sleepless deliberation, they finally reached a judgement. For each category they have assigned an overall winner and a selection of honourable mentions, listed alphabetically. Here are the results:<\/p>\n\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

EXCELLENCE IN INNOVATION<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Winner:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>And the Moment is Gone<\/a><\/p>\n

An introverted and experimental conversation game. It brilliantly\u00a0depicts the pains and frustrations\u00a0of so many conversations\u00a0by using an innovative game mechanic. The\u00a0Robed Ones \u2014 for whom the voice of love often calls, only to find it\u2019s a wrong number\u00a0\u2014 felt they could particularly relate to the game.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

Honourable Mentions:<\/strong>\u00a0A Day in the Life<\/a>; I Remember Alice<\/a>; The Loudest Ballerina<\/a>;\u00a0<\/i>The Pond<\/a>;\u00a0Space to Go<\/a>; Substratum<\/a>; Tenkosei Robo<\/a><\/p>\n\n

EXCELLENCE IN FUN<\/del><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Winner:\u00a0<\/strong>Gravity<\/a><\/p>\n

A ridiculously addictive game in which you descend below the surface to collect all the artefacts, reveal the ending and, of course, beat the high score. The Robed Ones stayed up way past their bed time playing this one.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

Honourable Mentions:\u00a0<\/strong>Beneath the Ice<\/a>; Black Bile, Inhuman Circuits<\/a>; Coin Diver<\/a>; Doomsday Bunker<\/a>; Mimic of the Deep<\/a>; The Pond<\/a>; Senilescape<\/a>; Substratum<\/a>; Tenkosei Robo<\/a><\/p>\n\n

EXCELLENCE IN USE OF THEME<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Winner:\u00a0<\/b>Not All of Them Died<\/a><\/p>\n

A chilling and beautifully-minimal use of theme. It is \u201ca\u00a0game celebrating industrialised warfare\u201d in which you walk through a vast cemetery\u00a0of deceased\u00a0military personnel, all individually named, including rank and date of death.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

Honourable Mentions: <\/strong>A Day in the Life<\/a>;\u00a0Abstraction<\/a>; And the Moment is Gone<\/a>; Black Bile, Inhuman Circuits<\/a>; Castle Engineer<\/a>; Heart of the Cards<\/a>;\u00a0The Loudest Ballerina<\/a>; RMBR<\/a>; Series of Choices<\/a><\/p>\n\n

EXCELLENCE IN GRAPHICS<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Winner:\u00a0<\/strong>Wunderheilung<\/a><\/p>\n

Wunderheiling has some gorgeous art with a gently-surreal touch. The gameplay consists of\u00a0examining peculiar creatures for medical problems, virtually forcing you to stare at each fabulous pixel cluster.\u00a0While playing, the Robed Ones were gazing endlessly into their computer screens and drooling slowly \u2014 oh wait, they do that anyway.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

Honourable Mentions:\u00a0<\/strong>Gravity<\/a>; Last Dive<\/a>; The Pond<\/a>; Seven Souls<\/a>; Tenkosei Robo<\/a>; Watch Your Step<\/a><\/p>\n\n

EXCELLENCE IN AUDIO<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Winner:\u00a0<\/strong>Space to Go<\/a><\/p>\n

A one-button music game \u2014 doesn\u2019t sound like it should work, right? But oh my it does. With each spacebar press you control the pace of the music, moving forwards through this abstract plane and unexpectedly discovering a narrative. Just sublime.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

Honourable Mentions:\u00a0<\/strong>Any Ship Can Be a Minesweeper\u2026 Once<\/a>; Coin Diver<\/a>; Fragment<\/a>; Gravity<\/a>; In the Black<\/a>; Last Dive<\/a>; Magma<\/a>; Mimic of the Deep<\/a>; Tenkosei Robo<\/a><\/p>\n\n

EXCELLENCE IN HUMOUR<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Winner:\u00a0<\/strong>Black Bile, Inhuman Circuits<\/a><\/p>\n

The humour is so incisive and devious, thanks largely to how well-written it is. Loads of subversions of tropes and referential humour, but, as I said, it\u2019s done so well. You experience that which is \u201cbeneath the surface of the body, in the realm of bodily humors: black bile, yellow bile, phlegm, and blood.\u201d (The Robed Ones nod along, frothing.)<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

Honourable Mentions:\u00a0<\/strong>Any Ship Can Be a Minesweeper\u2026 Once<\/a>; Orlok\u2019s Ordeal<\/a>; The Sadness of Rocky Barbato<\/a>; The Surface<\/a>; Wunderheilung<\/a><\/p>\n\n

EXCELLENCE IN MOOD<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Winner:\u00a0<\/strong>The Pond<\/a><\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t an outright mood piece: you have to sustain life in the pond for as long as possible by feeding the fish and moving the water. But it\u2019s minimalism and life-and-death theme makes it remarkably\u00a0evocative. Playing it feels serene, sombre, wistful.\u00a0As the second-counter moves steadily onwards and your pond life begins to die away, you feel dejected \u2014 if only life weren\u2019t so ephemeral.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

Honourable Mentions:\u00a0<\/strong>A Happy Place<\/a>; Black Bile, Inhuman Circuits<\/a>; Gravity<\/a>; I Remember Alice<\/a>; Last Dive<\/a>; Mimic of the Deep<\/a>; Not All of Them Died<\/a>; Sopora<\/a><\/p>\n\n

BEST GAME OF LUDUM DARE 29<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Winner:\u00a0<\/strong>The Loudest Ballerina<\/a><\/p>\n

So cute and well-executed: a game about ballet and a giant monster. Intrigued? You should be. For goodness sake, go play it! Even the Robed Ones love it \u2014 and getting them to abandon their hypermasculine gamer\u00a0culture and do ballet is indeed an achievement.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

Honourable Mentions:\u00a0<\/b>And the Moment is Gone<\/a>; Black Bile, Inhuman Circuits<\/a>; Gravity<\/a>; Last Dive<\/a>; The Pond<\/a>; Tenkosei Robo<\/a>; Wireside<\/a><\/p>\n\n

MY GAME<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>And what post would be complete without some\u00a0aggressive self-promotion? This is, oh kind, generous reader, my game<\/a>. A game that \u2014 wait for it \u2014 looks beneath the surface<\/em> of an FPS.<\/p>\n

Okay, in all seriousness I\u2019d be really grateful for anyone to check it out. I put quite a bit of effort into it and\u00a0there\u2019s an important underlying message. It\u2019s a text-based second-person shooter\u00a0that explores the worst aspects of violent video games and the culture surrounding them.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

\u2013Snoother<\/p>\n

Tags: best of<\/a><\/p> <\/p><\/p><\/p><\/p><\/p><\/p><\/p><\/p><\/p>","time":"May 17th, 2014 2:32 pm","title":"The SNOOTHAs","title_was_empty":false}