LudumData

To Fight The Sea by BretHudson

[raw]
made by BretHudson for LD31 (JAM)
Game by Bret Hudson (programming), Cameron Erickson (art), and Mike LeRoy (music).

A game that evolved from a Lost Woods puzzle action game to a wave-based atmospheric experience. As we progressed, our goal changed to trying to create the smoothest, fluid experience possible. Fight waves of enemies, followed by a boss battle, as a jellyfish that uses electricity to fight.

It is much easier to aim with a gamepad that has an analog stick or similar 360 degree axis.

Controls
----------------
WASD/Arrows to move
Z/X to attack
F to go fullscreen
M to mute (but you wouldn't want to do that, trust me!)
Windows http://gamejolt.com/games/arcade/to-fight-the-sea/41311/
Source (GitHub) https://github.com/BretHudson/LD31
Timelapse https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGTYHDNtgT4
Original URL https://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-31/?action=preview&uid=8684

Ratings

Coolness 69% 3
Overall(Jam) 3.20 514
Audio(Jam) 3.71 104
Fun(Jam) 2.53 861
Graphics(Jam) 4.18 110
Innovation(Jam) 2.73 708
Mood(Jam) 3.50 199
Theme(Jam) 3.55 511

Feedback

Geckoo1337
09. Dec 2014 · 06:44 UTC
Visual experience, but it seems to me that we cannot call this a game. Wrong?
MurderSantaTeam
09. Dec 2014 · 09:54 UTC
it is a game, a simple one, and i like it :)
Schwiggy
09. Dec 2014 · 14:53 UTC
Yeah, it's definitely a game. I liked the music change at the big frilly creature in the preview shot. It did kill my poor little squid though :( Amazing work though, I kinda imagine this as the type of game that could do well on XBox Live Arcade with more to it. (and, quite naturally, co-op :P)
Hellequin
09. Dec 2014 · 17:18 UTC
Simple but interesting game! Nice graphics ! Well done!
Waterman7
09. Dec 2014 · 17:52 UTC
Crashes on startup for me :(
indie4fun
09. Dec 2014 · 18:22 UTC
Very good visuals and ambient but the gameplay is really frustrating. The enemies are erratic and it's very difficult to shoot them.
chadiik
09. Dec 2014 · 19:09 UTC
Visually satisfying ;)
rabbit
09. Dec 2014 · 22:27 UTC
Loved it. Ten out of ten out of ten.

Everything moves so well! I just wish the bullets were a little faster and bigger. Hitting stuff is a pain in the ass sometimes.

Chill jams.
louis.denizet
10. Dec 2014 · 14:37 UTC
I really enjoyed the mood and ambiance ^^
Alendro
10. Dec 2014 · 14:58 UTC
loved the art style
kaa
10. Dec 2014 · 15:06 UTC
Calming simple beautiful game. You should add more animals and smooth rotating animations to multiply effect
Anti
10. Dec 2014 · 15:36 UTC
It was amazing. I would call it a really simple game. But still a great game.
Xanjos
10. Dec 2014 · 15:51 UTC
Shooting mechanics may need some working on but the graphics and audio were really well made and the game overall is pretty solid. Also this works quite well with the arcade stick plugged into my pc.
kaa
10. Dec 2014 · 16:50 UTC
Stop, I just understood that I can shoot! I am changing my mind and rerating the game))
sr101
11. Dec 2014 · 00:18 UTC
Mike here- (Music guy!) I just wanted to personally thank everyone for playing, this really was a fun project, thanks so much!
ChrisMingay
11. Dec 2014 · 11:21 UTC
Absolutely love the music :) Reminds me of a cross between Bonobo, Quantic and TM Juke, which is no bad thing
DrGeraud
11. Dec 2014 · 12:56 UTC
Really nice game !
ilokimo
11. Dec 2014 · 15:48 UTC
Crashes on my laptop, maybe some graphic card issue?
EthanWebster
11. Dec 2014 · 15:50 UTC
Very good visuals and music - the only thing I'd suggest is a health bar (or at least some way of tracking how much health you have left)
NPException
11. Dec 2014 · 16:11 UTC
The music was the best I heard in this LD so far! :)
Tasteslikefuture
11. Dec 2014 · 16:26 UTC
Looks amazing! Any chance for a mac port?
Gemberkoekje
11. Dec 2014 · 17:03 UTC
Really pretty, but the game didn't catch me as well as some others. Maybe you should try Cycle: http://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-31/?action=preview&uid=36629 It takes the same game concept, but makes it so much more fun.

So yeah, if you can pair the graphics with a game that's a little more fun to play, you got a real winner ;)
farwyler
11. Dec 2014 · 23:01 UTC
Crashes right after I start it. Too bad :(
GrabenGroup
12. Dec 2014 · 12:28 UTC
nice mood
talecrafter
12. Dec 2014 · 13:20 UTC
Nice graphics, animations and effects.
Gameplay worked good, but some minor critique:
Delay between trigger and spawning the bullet was too long. Sometimes movement got not reset to 0.
The yellow bullets felt too big and inappropriate compared to the other graphics.
Harley77
12. Dec 2014 · 13:39 UTC
Incredibly beautiful. Very nice job!
Pulsartronic
12. Dec 2014 · 14:32 UTC
Man, that music is awesome. We love the way it slow down all your body and how it carry you on into a druged dimension. The gameplay is a little bit slow for us and maybe with an animation that helps to rotate 180º in one movement would be better the game experience. Fantastic the multiples "enemies" and how each one interact diferent from another. Nice entry ;)
peeweek
13. Dec 2014 · 13:41 UTC
A really nice visual and music trip, really relaxing. Game rules are stripped to the simplest expression, but really nicely executed.
caryoscelus
13. Dec 2014 · 16:51 UTC
Great ambient game, but a bit too frustrating to be a great shooter. Still, stunning visuals.

lonely2012
janovbyrnisson
14. Dec 2014 · 14:10 UTC
Beautiful graphics, music, and interesting to play. Congratulations! :)
Elemental Zeal Games Studios
14. Dec 2014 · 18:22 UTC
Didn't feel the best having to hit the shoot button and then wait a second to shoot, but overall nice entry. Well done. :)
Gins
16. Dec 2014 · 21:13 UTC
Very cool graphics, and the music adds to the under-the-sea mood. The controls are a bit awkward and I'd wish for better audio-visual feedback when I hit enemies, but for the short amount of time, well done. There's potential in expanding this!
Omiya Games
16. Dec 2014 · 23:40 UTC
The production value is spectacular. But the game feel isn't quite there yet. I'd like to aim very quickly, I can't tell how much health I have, and it's difficult to tell if I hit the enemy or not. The trap feels ineffective as well.
alpha_rat
22. Dec 2014 · 23:39 UTC
looks beautiful and relawing but the shooting part is frustrating