Look Into The Mirror by yuigoto

[raw]
made by yuigoto for LD33 (JAM)
This is pretty much unfinished. The idea came really late and I struggled on how I would approach my idea, so this turned out to be just a concept.

"Even monsters have the chance to repent..."

My take on the theme is about when we don't "tame" the monster inside us. When we work too much and neglect our family, when we don't try to understand the other side of a relationship, when we distance ourselves from our friends, when we abandon our children, when we drink too much and let the monster consume us.

As a game, this is just your usual clichéd platformer. The idea is to collect fragments of memories related to the cutscenes, revisit the past and summon the mirror, so you can look at yourself and repent the bad things you did in life.

Doesn't have a happy ending. :)

Thank you for reading this and playing my 2nd LD game! ;)

Sorry for the unfinished business and some bugs. >_
Made with ClickTeam Fusion 2.5.
Graphics done on an Nintendo DSi using Inchworm and some PyxelEdit.
Audio recorded with my guitar, on an iPad using AmpKit and edited in FLStudio a bit. Some SFX came from BFXR too. :)

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EDIT (a bit late, though):
Updated with the post-jam version, with some improvements (just some :/) over the original, not for judging. :P

There's also a more in-depth explanation of the concept behind the game at the end of my post-mortem here: http://ludumdare.com/compo/2015/08/29/how-i-went-from-lasagna-to-mirrors-and-tragedy-a-post-mortem-for-my-game-p/.

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Thanks to everyone who played this game, really! :)

Ratings

Coolness 100% 1
Overall(Jam) 2.89 812
Audio(Jam) 3.02 431
Fun(Jam) 2.69 791
Graphics(Jam) 3.06 671
Humor(Jam) 2.17 833
Innovation(Jam) 2.30 978
Mood(Jam) 3.34 359
Theme(Jam) 2.74 943

Feedback

panda
25. Aug 2015 · 04:47 UTC
I couldn't make it past the second level! This game demands a lot of precision. I like what I saw, cool graphics, sounds, and theme!
ruerob
25. Aug 2015 · 10:05 UTC
In the job level i didn't get the first jump! Was to hard for me! I tried to jump not so high, to jump earlier, but I didn't get it! It's a pitty, because I really wanted to know how the story goes on, it's a very good take on the theme! I like the graphic style and the guitar sound!
🎤 yuigoto
25. Aug 2015 · 15:15 UTC
Thanks @panda and @ruerob! :) The frustration and difficulty are intentional, though I plan on tone it down in the post-jam version, to be more playable. Because I have to repeat lots of times to pass through some levels.

I'll be recording a full gameplay of it today. :P

Thanks again! :)
BoskoSokolov
25. Aug 2015 · 15:22 UTC
Interesting graphics
mitkus
25. Aug 2015 · 15:29 UTC
Cool style & music. Jumping feels good, but camera scrolling is a bit odd. Also, I found it too easy to die from flames, hitboxes could be more forgiving here. It was actually fun, even if a bit hard. Nice job!
Team Luminous
25. Aug 2015 · 15:29 UTC
Fire colliders seem a bit too large
Louspirit
25. Aug 2015 · 16:10 UTC
Very good game! Nice animation, well-thought levels, a bit hard but fun.
Be sure to block the sides of the screens, I've been stuck twice.
Jod
26. Aug 2015 · 21:18 UTC
1st level: Ah, this is okay.

2nd level: I WILL CUT OUT YOUR HEART WITH A DULL SPOON!

:D

Seriously though, well made, good choice on the art style. Jumping works alright. The difficulty goes up a little bit too fast, some more getting used to the controls would be nice. All in all: good job!
boardtobits
26. Aug 2015 · 21:31 UTC
Loved the theme and graphics, but this game needs better collision detection if its going to be this punishing. There were times I had a distinct gap between myself and a hazard and I still died. I had to give up on the drunk driving level, and barely finished the two before that.
Quij
26. Aug 2015 · 21:41 UTC
A good start! I appreciate the themes you're going for. The controls are a bit finicky though - for example, hitting jump near an edge didn't always make me jump.

On one of the levels, I went left of the starting area and just kinda floated/glitched off screen and could never get back (had to restart the game). The level right after "Sir, you forgot your phone!"
Sicilica
26. Aug 2015 · 21:58 UTC
pretty enjoyable precision platforming, although shrinking the hitboxes would definitely help
HThomson
26. Aug 2015 · 22:31 UTC
I like the minimalist graphics but my god the second level is hard.
s_jmp
26. Aug 2015 · 22:36 UTC
is this a rage game and the developer is the monster? :D pink is a hard color to work with but this is beautiful
🎤 yuigoto
27. Aug 2015 · 10:09 UTC
Whoa, thanks to everyone who played the game, really! :)

I know it has a lot of bugs, ended up using mostly the last day to do everything, so I knew it would end up with bugs.

A high difficulty level was a bit intentional, but I think I didn't think well enough the mechanics + level design and, besides the bugs, it made the game a bit harder.

I will keep the original game up here for judging purposes, I want to be judged on all the bugs and things, so be harsh if needed! ;)

I just finished buildind the post-jam version of the game, which I'll link as soon as I put it on itch.io. This won't serve for judging, because I redid a good part of the game, balanced mechanics and level design.

Had to rebuild the mechanics, items and collisions to make better hit boxes, as the originals were done in a pretty lazy way (just the sprite >_<).

Anyway, thanks for playing! I really appreciate it, and really enjoyed playing all your games too. :D
JoshyOshKenoshi
27. Aug 2015 · 10:49 UTC
I certainly like the concept of this game, but I just found it too difficult! It got really frustrating when I'd just slightly misjudge a jump and the level would reset. Or, in the case of level 3, a lot of the time I didn't even make it to solid ground most attempts!
01101101
27. Aug 2015 · 11:28 UTC
Couldn't find the mirror in level 3...
Other than that, nice idea, level design is a bit mean though ^^
The mood is pretty good thanks to the text and music.
FrederickK
27. Aug 2015 · 18:16 UTC
Man, that's very unnecessary hard. :(
Second stage is already very difficult, than, it gets more difficult!
Other than that, pretty cool game!
Good job!
Reisen
28. Aug 2015 · 11:14 UTC
I completed the game.

Generally fun, hitboxes are a tad too large, and curse that one level which has both "move NOW or else you die" and a leap of faith together.
LeoM
28. Aug 2015 · 13:44 UTC
Hit box are too large.
After 25/30 try, I watched the walkthrow ^^
Nice story.
dregamr
29. Aug 2015 · 09:31 UTC
I like the game, and I think that a slower music could be better, but that's the sound.
It needs to much precision, so a little smaller collider maybe help.
The overall is a good work!! ;)
superfluous
29. Aug 2015 · 20:58 UTC
The game was neat, but there were some technical issues: jittery camera, huge hitboxes, and wonky platforming. I liked the visual style and theming though.
Mase
30. Aug 2015 · 06:47 UTC
The graphics are basic but the monochrome is stylish.

I always find the juxtaposition of serious text with classic platforming to be dissonant. That can be interesting, though games that follow this format can seem crass or bathetic sometimes... maybe when the dissonance is not acknowledged. I think your game's lack of a certain kind of polish works in its favor in this regard.

Also the level design was pretty fun.
Ithildin
30. Aug 2015 · 10:59 UTC
Nice art style, the character animation felt smooth :). Controls felt alright, too, but there were some issues with the collisions that added some unfair difficulty to the already challenging platforming (I'm perfectly fine with the game being difficult, but for example, on the second level a collision from the bottom of a platform would slowly drag the player and move it on top of it).

Still, I really liked the concept of gathering memories. Good job!
walsh9
14. Sep 2015 · 02:33 UTC
I really liked how you told a story with the little pickup icons. I did not like the extremely unforgiving collision detection and constantly moving camera.
radmars
14. Sep 2015 · 03:34 UTC
Looks like this has an interesting concept and story, but the difficulty in discovering it is super high. I couldn't get past the 1st jump on the 3rd level, myself.
Rocketship
14. Sep 2015 · 11:06 UTC
Very challenging game with an interesting graphical style. Liked the mood that the graphics and the audio brought to the game. The hitboxes in the obstacles were a bit off at times I feel and it felt slightly frustrating. Still had a good experience with this one!
MikeEnoch
14. Sep 2015 · 11:07 UTC
Good take on the theme, I really struggled with the platforming though - some weird collision bugs in places and quite demanding level design. Had a good Braid kind of vibe going on though!
Reccy
14. Sep 2015 · 16:37 UTC
It's a cool little game, but the platforming is a bit hard though. I think the root of the problem is that the character slides around a bit too much. Other than that I liked the music and the pixel art :)
Tanton-H2X
14. Sep 2015 · 17:43 UTC
the camera's mild-Shake in level2 just like a hesitate heart..
tooo slippery some edge of plat can get double-jump
level3 have a small bug at the platform which under the ring's platform... i was absorbed out of screen....so sadly...can not reload ,only restart game...ToT
very great atmosphere,Audio Visual emotional ,everything are set off ,also directed at heart.
wonderful game~ well done.
MercuryXGames
14. Sep 2015 · 21:09 UTC
Nice game, tho a big buggy, which are understandable for the time we were given, so keep it up! great work!
MrTwister
14. Sep 2015 · 21:26 UTC
Interesting take on the theme (sadly had to read the description to learn the connection to the theme, as I didn't make it very far into the game).

Couldn't get past the second level. There's definitely a huge raise in difficulty there, and the game wasn't particularly forgiving nor give enough room for mistakes (come on dude! it's only level 2! the least you need there is pixel-critical jumps!).

The level design in your post-jam version is definitely better, but the difficulty curve is still a bit too steep.

Loved the aesthetics and the music, although the 8-bit SXFR-like SFXs were a bit out of place when in contrast with the beautiful echoing guitar BGM.

I definitely liked the entry in many ways. With a bit more of work and playtesting this could definitely be a great game. Kudos!
crucknuk
14. Sep 2015 · 21:59 UTC
Hey! minimalist but cool platformer and challenging above all :)
After a while i see everything in pink haha
Cool textual driven story too, well done :)
Tanton-H2X
15. Sep 2015 · 03:09 UTC
altough it is a little bit difficult to controll
but I‘ve still finished the game last night~~~ ^0^

a leap of faith of level3 is soooo amazing! genius desgin~! *( i think it imply the marriage...)

and the cigarette in level4 is really hard to get it ToT (* Health challenges?) At first I thought i don't need to get it.....Finally I still have to face it..orz
more than 10times... finally succeed yeah~☆゚