Underline by eufrik

[raw]
made by eufrik for LD29 (JAM)
Hulloo. This is our entry for the jam. Basically, it's a hardcore platformer game with a twisted mechanic.

Game Description:

You are trapped and lost in limbo and all that's left to show you the way are some strange, glowing orbs in the darkness, and the beautiful world you once lived in... under your feet. But what is reality? Which way is up? Collect all the orbs to unlock the exit and finish the game!

Controls are arrow keys/WASD and spacebar.

Simply jump at the orb to start the game.


Developer notes:

This is our first time joining Ludum Dare. First game ever, too. We had a lotta fun making this and learned a freaking lot. This basically is just one level with many challenges packed in it. We really hope you play, enjoy, and comment on this. We are seriously considering to push on with this and turn it into an indie game. Your thoughts would be reaaally appreciated.

If you do finish this game, please leave a comment :> We'd love to know your accomplishment in finishing this game. (It was even a feat for us just to finish it once).

Edit: We added a post-jam version. Just fixed a few bugs and added checkpoints. The original submission is still up for judging. (Quite frankly, we're not sure if adding checkpoints is allowed as a 'fix' as described, can anyone verify this?).

Edit2: We're seeing a lot of control complaints, especially about inconsistent jumping. We'd really love to improve the game and we're grateful for your feedback, but could you guys be a little more specific? Based on some of the comments, it seems like some of you haven't fully understood the concept of the game yet. That's for you to figure out on your own ;)

Edit3: Added a description. Just to give you a tiny hint.

-kevyee&eufrik

Ratings

Coolness 100% 1
Overall(Jam) 3.54 161
Audio(Jam) 3.75 95
Fun(Jam) 3.13 292
Graphics(Jam) 3.61 279
Humor(Jam) 2.00 577
Innovation(Jam) 3.68 98
Mood(Jam) 3.44 209
Theme(Jam) 3.81 71

Feedback

Snoother
28. Apr 2014 · 19:33 UTC
Okay, I couldn't complete it, but it was really fun. And I loved the music.
mattpattie
28. Apr 2014 · 19:35 UTC
Nice concept. i did find it very difficult though trying to work out what i was doing to start off with.
Airwaffle
28. Apr 2014 · 19:37 UTC
Gets stuck at the second jump. Jump mecanics doesn't seem to work the same way all the time, or there are something invisible in the way. Couldn't get through. It looks pretty though =)
Rose
28. Apr 2014 · 19:39 UTC
Very cool! The concept, visuals, and audio are all great. It took me a while to figure out about the inverted platforms though. You could make it more clear by starting with a couple steps down or something.
evilDan
28. Apr 2014 · 19:39 UTC
It took me a couple minutes to figure out the primary mechanic... But LOVED that it wasn't told to me explicitly.

Controlling where you land is kinda hard though.
Linus Lindberg
28. Apr 2014 · 19:39 UTC
Loved the graphics, but I couldn't finish it... I'm really bad at platformers :(
geounknown
28. Apr 2014 · 19:42 UTC
Good JAb ! Like it
TheMorfeus
28. Apr 2014 · 19:43 UTC
Controls were one of the shittiest i've seen (stop moving after i release the damn key!)
AnnaGavaldaKedavra
28. Apr 2014 · 19:43 UTC
Great idea, and nice graphics. Not having checkpoints (at least at the beginnning) is frustrating.
Pietro Ferrantelli
28. Apr 2014 · 19:46 UTC
Lovely idea well executed, the atmosphere is great thanks to the well done minimalist art and the top notch soudtrack ! You did an amazing job :)
Teejay5
29. Apr 2014 · 05:54 UTC
This game mechanic blew my mind! Really nice design + music + art + EVERYTHING. It is pretty hard to without checkpoints!
Tuism
29. Apr 2014 · 06:29 UTC
Pretty good! The inversion mechanic confused the crap out of me initially, but was good! The music and animation on the whole thing is very good. Good stuff, I hadn't completed it yet though :(
DDRKirby(ISQ)
29. Apr 2014 · 06:43 UTC
Nice! Just add some checkpoints next time :) Your title screencap is wonderful as well.
Diptoman
29. Apr 2014 · 06:50 UTC
The core mechanic, though a bit inconvenient, was really cool! The actual level is what's beneath the surface...great use of the theme, too! And that soundtrack. It was beautiful! Amazing atmosphere thanks to that.
runvs
29. Apr 2014 · 06:55 UTC
Really nice game you created! Great Idea and you got a nice style -- with graphics as with audio. Good job!
I personally cannot comply about the controls (worked good for me) but one or two checkpoints would have been nice since doing all the things at the start of the level again is repetetive if not quite boring.
Gathering
29. Apr 2014 · 06:58 UTC
Fine Spun :)

Loved the idea from beginning, so i mean after falling at the 2nd hole ^^ Become addictive u want to finish it even if it will take long ! Bored with the red plattforms coz they didn´t come back so u can get stuck even if u are still alive. Enjoyed to start it from beginning coz u want to be faster and after many times I sometimes re-did the basic mistakes from beginning or some new :) Though tough to think (& or look) up and down ^^ + I found the game beautiful, music, and the main charachter ( made me think about this TV animation "La ligne" ). Otherwise I thought it could be cool also to have a timer (no time limit) or a tries count maybe for some future version. Anyway thanks for this really entertaining game!
JayPC
29. Apr 2014 · 07:49 UTC
I BROKE IT D: haha in the first level if you die and immediately hold left, you fall off the level and don't restart

good game though, tough but fun so many times I was like, "...so am I under or over that platform?"
snickersnacks
29. Apr 2014 · 08:59 UTC
Was really excited about the idea, then started playing and realized the movement controls feel very... off. Couldn't jump consistently and couldn't make it very far into the game without dying repeatedly. Definitely a good rough prototype and lots to work with here, but the controls are breaking it for me. Good luck guys!
PapyGaragos
29. Apr 2014 · 10:57 UTC
Hey congrats on your first LD! This is a neat idea you have here. If you really want to keep working on that game I think you will have to take the player by the hand and explain the mechanics progressively. Discovering via trials and error might feel frustrating
7elephants
29. Apr 2014 · 16:58 UTC
Very cool game! It was a bit hard to understand at the beginning but it was great to understand it by myself.

Although it was a risky move, I think it is a good idea to avoid including a tutorial in this game.

Congrats! great game :)
AugustSnow
29. Apr 2014 · 16:59 UTC
Really difficult but cool!
JonathanG
29. Apr 2014 · 17:02 UTC
A lovely game, but really hard! I only got as far as the blocks which drop away under you. Also, if you fall to the left at the beginning of the level, you can fall outside the game world
Mekuri
29. Apr 2014 · 20:13 UTC
I played the original version as to give a fair rating :-)
I like the concept, there's another game around this dare with a similar, concept, although it isn't as "secret" as yours :-) You should consider telling people though, I was about to call it bugged as well until I read the "edit" notes you put in- Anyways- I liked the game. The music added to the mood, and (after understanding the concept) the game felt quite polished. I didn't finish the game since it is quite hard- Not that I mind hard though :-)
You guys did a good job :-)
kidder
30. Apr 2014 · 03:49 UTC
Lovely. Simply mechanics, but nicely polished and good ambiance. Very hard, I didn't make it very far at all - I may try the version with checkpoints later.
noom
30. Apr 2014 · 06:43 UTC
Lovely game, I'm embarrassed by how long it took me to figure out why I was bumping into invisible walls.
Maniulo
30. Apr 2014 · 07:25 UTC
I love the idea! Figuring it out does take some time though. Maybe showing the player some part of the upper world obstacle (like a lantern in a dark room) when he first bumps into it would be a nice tutorial.
CruelMotivator
30. Apr 2014 · 08:40 UTC
Very nice and interesting game. Two worlds has broken my mind :)
P.S. Compo build so hardcore.
Elforama
30. Apr 2014 · 17:21 UTC
I really liked the gameplay mechanics, very creative.
sam101
02. May 2014 · 14:01 UTC
Nice controls, at the begining I was lost, but when you understand the concept it just works. Congrats ! Good idea, well executed.
GrooveMan
03. May 2014 · 06:35 UTC
The idea is a fun one, but I don't know how enjoyable it is to execute in practice. The character's control is very twitchy (I appreciate the increase in speed from standing, but it feels way too fast for small, precise jumps), and sometimes jumps failed to execute, which may have been the collision detection or just how my comp wants to respond to simultaneous inputs, I can't really say.
Figglewatts
03. May 2014 · 09:30 UTC
Really really interesting take on the theme. The moment when I figured out the game mechanic was really good!
icereci
03. May 2014 · 11:16 UTC
animations looks sleek. But are the invisible walls bug or intended? I found it difficult to proceed. Looks fun. gj
mortus
03. May 2014 · 11:41 UTC
Nice idea. Maybe a little too simple but it's fun and beautiful. I didn't have any issues with jumping. Well, controls are kinda funny, but I guess it's just the way it works, found no bugs definitely.
BlazingFanfish
04. May 2014 · 08:56 UTC
That was great! I didn't realize that the platform were mirrored beneath the surface. Awesome! :)
LemmingSurvivor
06. May 2014 · 02:25 UTC
What a mind screw. Real neat idea there. Good audiovisuals, too.

Falling platforms pass right through the upper area, and when falling into pits the character goes through the stuff shown there, which looks a bit weird. I'm guessing you're using two cameras; setting their viewport rects so that each camera draws exclusively to one half of the screen would feel cleaner, IMO.
conormn
06. May 2014 · 02:50 UTC
Love the music. I just hung out on the title screen for a long time :)
lowcade
07. May 2014 · 04:21 UTC
Really Good! I finished it ^^
Hard but fun.
Good game! I think I just player some game like that, but is a nice idea with the theme.
Myyyvothrr
09. May 2014 · 12:43 UTC
I like the idea!
SoupWithBits
13. May 2014 · 08:14 UTC
cray cray good.
Simon
13. May 2014 · 11:39 UTC
Great entry! Been a while since the last time I had fun with a puzzle platformer :)
gre
13. May 2014 · 12:48 UTC
Cool audio. Graphics are quite cool and the concept is huge.

Interesting concept of hidden platforms, especially the platform mirroring concept (which is also an original take on the theme).
The beginning is a bit challenging especially if you don't get the mecanism. It could have been improved to be more straightforward (getting the actual mirror mecanism wasn't obvious at a start). In the same time, that is a cool way to let the player discovering the game mecanism, so I'm not so so sure about this opinion. Anyway, maybe you could have made the beginning a bit easier.
klianc09
13. May 2014 · 14:16 UTC
Sounds are good and create a dreamy mood.
I managed to complete it, although the movement controls had a bit of a delay. Either make the player accelerate smoothly, or move as soon as the button is pressed, the way it's currently done just makes it feel unresponsive.
mcapraro
19. May 2014 · 03:54 UTC
really nice concept!