Into the Abyss by kyyrma

[raw]
made by kyyrma for LD29 (JAM)
TL;DR:

SEE THE INSTURCTIONS ABOVE!

Arrow Lft / Rt ......... Move
Arrow down ........... Crouch / Use
Z (AZERTY C) ....... Jump / Back
X (AZERTY V) ....... Shoot / Select
Numbers 1 / 2 ........ Gun Mode / Camera

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Into the Abyss is an underwater platformer where the player takes the role of a brave marine biologist wearing the Mark IV Underwater Investigation Suit. Unlike traditional platformers, Into the Abyss scrolls from the top to bottom as you make your way deeper into the dangerous waters.

Many hazards await you, not least the constant drain of oxygen. Each moment spent underwater you will lose health, which can either be restored by absorbing bubbles or spending money by crouching in front of recharge stations buried in the seabed.

You can collect more money for recharging by taking photos of any new creatures and objects you come across. Press [2] to activate Camera Mode and take a photo with the fire key. The reward will be instantly added to your account.

As a last line of defense you have a UV Blaster that can be used to destroy hostile creatures. Bear in mind that the weapon only holds a limited number of ammunition before it must be recharged.

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The game features music by Teknoaxe used with permission.

Track 1: Digitized Cycles
Track 2: Eight Bit Jungle
Track 3: Bad Graffix Crow

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Developer's notes:

The game and all of its assets (sans the music) were created by one person in roughly 60 hours. This was my third time finishing Ludum Dare and the first time I took part in the 72-hour category. The game features two levels, after which it returns to the title menu.

Ratings

Coolness 56% 3
Overall(Jam) 3.45 211
Audio(Jam) 3.87 68
Fun(Jam) 3.10 308
Graphics(Jam) 3.35 388
Humor(Jam) 1.72 633
Innovation(Jam) 2.61 560
Mood(Jam) 3.13 328
Theme(Jam) 3.29 303

Feedback

Artylo
29. Apr 2014 路 08:55 UTC
Seems really nice. Not really anything I can say. Maybe a bit better graphics. I don't really understand why you have separate camera modes.
TheLastBanana
29. Apr 2014 路 08:58 UTC
Nice music. I thought the underwater atmosphere complete with weird, glowy creatures was well-done.
馃帳 kyyrma
29. Apr 2014 路 09:04 UTC
@Artylo:
The camera is used for taking photos of enemies and items in exchange for money. You press [2] and move the camera over to an enemy, then press fire to take a photo.

@TheLastBanana:
Cheers! The music is by Teknoaxe, you can see more of his stuff at www.teknoaxe.com
robopossum
29. Apr 2014 路 09:04 UTC
Very solid and complementary audio, graphics and gameplay. Perhaps a micro-tutorial would help? I didn't fully appreciate the camera aspects until a few plays in.
馃帳 kyyrma
29. Apr 2014 路 09:10 UTC
@robopossum:

Thanks! I really wanted to make a tutorial, but as the contest drew to a close I was simply too drained to start making a new level.
PlasterPhantom
29. Apr 2014 路 09:49 UTC
The music is cool and the graphics are nice. I just didn't really understand the entire concept of shooting/gunning.. Knowing the goal is to take pictures of the monsters? Also sometimes my camera didn't really work I believe. I could be doing something wrong. A tutorial would help haha.
Team-KwaKwa
29. Apr 2014 路 09:56 UTC
A rather good game. I don't know what the camera mode was supposed to do. Nice music.
Maschinen-Mensch
29. Apr 2014 路 10:04 UTC
Nice game! I liked the combination of health and air depot and how air consumption forces you forward. I also liked that it was pretty challenging. Graphics are pretty sweet too.

The camera mode rectangle moves very slowly and therefore was not so much fun to use.
馃帳 kyyrma
29. Apr 2014 路 10:10 UTC
Thanks for all the comments!

I see the camera is causing confusion still, I added a picture with simple instructions, so hopefully next players won't be so baffled by it.
TheMaster99
29. Apr 2014 路 10:36 UTC
Nice, simple platformer. Accidentally stepped on a crab when trying to get air. Pincers hurt!
hexagore
29. Apr 2014 路 10:42 UTC
Nice presentation on this, especially your menu screens and such and lighting on the particle effects.
Kwrky
29. Apr 2014 路 10:51 UTC
I enjoyed this, played it through a couple of times.
Like others have said the camera aspect of play wasn't apparent to me. Also I think some of those crab placements go beyond hard into vindictive territory =D
馃帳 kyyrma
29. Apr 2014 路 11:04 UTC
@Kwrky:

Thanks! If anything I learned the importance of a proper tutorial this LD around ;-)

And yeah, you can really see that I tried to stretch the game with artificial difficulty. I really wanted to make at least three levels, and was a bit disheartened when I didn't have the stamina for it.
Hypnohustla
29. Apr 2014 路 11:50 UTC
Great music and mood! Nothing too new about the gameplay, it was nice and safe. :)
Thorig
29. Apr 2014 路 15:28 UTC
Good music and a bit unfair enemies who can swim inside walls and the player can not shoot them. Still a nice game.
mclewis
29. Apr 2014 路 19:04 UTC
The intro screen was really well done. Seems like a homage to Pokeman snap which is a great thing.
rojo
30. Apr 2014 路 00:00 UTC
Nice use of theme, and the music was rad!
ArcturusDeluxe
30. Apr 2014 路 00:01 UTC
Nice game. Cool graphics, and the camera concept is interesting. Best soundtrack I've heard so far, as well.
Katamori
30. Apr 2014 路 12:58 UTC
Not a big deal with the theme, but a solid and enjoyable game. After Curse of Mellon, I didn't really expect something bad.
xdegtyarev
02. May 2014 路 19:15 UTC
Pretty cute visuals, love the atmosphere.
gmaker
05. May 2014 路 07:46 UTC
its high five!
Jason Lay
13. May 2014 路 01:27 UTC
I liked the graphics, the sound was phenomenal. I really didn't get the whole camera thing or how it fit in. The control scheme was a little weird.