Under Water by Orava

[raw]
made by Orava for LD27 (COMPO)
Under Water is a game about not drowning.

And bubbles.

Instructions in the game.




(It's mostly a styling & feel experiment for myself, as I've already done several jams this summer, which focused more on complex gameplay.)

Ratings

Coolness 83% 2
Overall 3.01 608
Audio 1.30 966
Fun 2.35 985
Graphics 3.59 186
Humor 1.59 906
Innovation 3.41 250
Mood 3.29 193
Theme 3.16 578

Feedback

devwil
26. Aug 2013 · 03:36 UTC
Quite beautiful, but I had trouble discerning what I was supposed to be doing or if I was succeeding.
Tetha
26. Aug 2013 · 04:30 UTC
Well done.

It is noticeable though that you ran out of time, for one, it is very hard to move around (the air lasts for 1/3 of a screen, because shaking the plants takes so long) and there's not much to do (or I didn't find it due to problem 1).
Simulacrum
26. Aug 2013 · 04:30 UTC
Beautiful game. The way the plants light up is hypnotizing.
Roan Contreras
26. Aug 2013 · 04:30 UTC
I like the visuals. But I kept on swimming through the game...
Soundboy
26. Aug 2013 · 04:31 UTC
Really cool mechanic, it took me a few moments to realize how it worked but it totally makes sense! Great job!
ranf
26. Aug 2013 · 04:36 UTC
It took me a while to figure out that I needed to go up to breathe. After I got the hang of it, though, I enjoyed the little program.
ethankennerly
26. Aug 2013 · 04:51 UTC
Shaking the plants to extract air bubbles fascinated me! When the circle expanded, I felt the surprise of discovering the goal and the feedback. If you continue to develop this, have you considered hinting earlier at an additional task to do while also retaining air?
rylgh
26. Aug 2013 · 04:56 UTC
GORGEOUS
Snail_Man
26. Aug 2013 · 05:18 UTC
Nice game! I really liked the visuals, but I think it really could have done with some audio.
laserbeam
26. Aug 2013 · 05:20 UTC
Beautiful. Really hard and feels unplayable at some points, but the idea is worth lots of points :) really cool.
Deadlyapps
26. Aug 2013 · 05:20 UTC
I really liked the atmosphere. Also the fact that everything in the area was moving a little.
noom
26. Aug 2013 · 05:21 UTC
Pleasing visually though gameplay I struggled with, I couldn't make / use air pockets the ceiling seemed too far away, couldn't really figure out a goal.
Lancey
26. Aug 2013 · 05:21 UTC
Good idea. The resolution makes it difficult to tell where air pockets will form though.
scriptorum
26. Aug 2013 · 05:23 UTC
Phew! Made it. Very nicely done. I like the art. Once you get the hang of it, it's quite serene under water. It's a little hard to angle the character when swimming toward the air pockets but I didn't mind the effect - it creates good tension. Nice job.
vitou3d
26. Aug 2013 · 05:24 UTC
Unique gameplay. Only thing I'm struggling with is control. But overall, this is nice.
lambomang
26. Aug 2013 · 05:31 UTC
Very nice looking game. Could've been spectacular with some audio.
zillix
26. Aug 2013 · 05:40 UTC
really great presentation. fantastic job!
🎤 Orava
26. Aug 2013 · 05:43 UTC
@everyone: thanks for the comments so far, I'm glad that I've succeeded in the visual department.

@ethankennerly: That would be the next step indeed, it's definitely lacking in the actual gameplay side. But as mentioned in the description, I've been wanting to do a style/feel experiment for a while now, since I've already done several feature-complex games during several jams this summer.
OldPeculier
26. Aug 2013 · 06:09 UTC
If there was a category for "Particles" I'd give you a 10 (out of 5). There's tremendous potential here. I'm intrigued. The bubbles and plants are amazing. Tons of goodness. But I didn't find much of a game. Not sure what to do. Not sure why the world kept resetting. Confused.
matthias_zarzecki
26. Aug 2013 · 06:52 UTC
Nice job on using few colors. The plants animating is cool too :)
Andrewves
26. Aug 2013 · 07:10 UTC
Fun game. I like how the bubbles form and the color scheme creates a great atmosphere.
Steve
26. Aug 2013 · 07:53 UTC
Very nice atmosphere. I die very quickly though and it's difficult to refill air. Controls are rather imprecise. Needs moody underwater sounds! Overall good job considering the focus on feel.
Reaperguy
26. Aug 2013 · 07:54 UTC
Didn't get how to refill my health, but the graphics are very nice.
avh4
26. Aug 2013 · 08:28 UTC
Awesome particle effects and simulation. I felt like I didn't quite get the balance of the air bubbles... I seemed to run out of air too quickly to make use of the air from the plants (it took most of my air just to get to the ceiling), and if I used Space to push off, it seemed like I would bounce off the top. So I ended up just swimming to the ceiling and breathing from my own exhaled bubbles, which can't be healthy!
TheHermit
26. Aug 2013 · 08:37 UTC
There's a very interesting gameplay dynamic between creating the resources you need to continue and actually going forward, especially because of the delay between shaking the plants and the bubbles settling.
nexust
26. Aug 2013 · 11:38 UTC
I loved the graphics in this, the plants looked great. I love pixelated graphics.
Red Mike
26. Aug 2013 · 12:17 UTC
Really cool mood set by the graphics. Took me a while to get a hang of the controls, but it works. Audio and a clear goal would have made this an excellent game.
flamecow
26. Aug 2013 · 12:27 UTC
This game is visually pleasant and rather interesting!
g_o
26. Aug 2013 · 13:11 UTC
Great visual, wasn't sure what I was doing XD
josefnpat
26. Aug 2013 · 13:45 UTC
Nice job. I love the art!
nek
26. Aug 2013 · 14:11 UTC
There wasn't a lot of a goal but it was really beautiful and moody.
I can see the potential here.
ratalaika
26. Aug 2013 · 14:52 UTC
Nice work!
Capro
26. Aug 2013 · 15:35 UTC
Nice atmosphere. Keep working on it, you can obtain a very good game.
JaJ
26. Aug 2013 · 15:52 UTC
I like the idea but I have to say I didn't understand the physics behind the controls at all
munchor
26. Aug 2013 · 16:16 UTC
>It is noticeable though that you ran out of time, for one, it is very hard to move around (the air lasts for 1/3 of a screen, because shaking the plants takes so long) and there's not much to do (or I didn't find it due to problem 1).

I had that problem, making an air trap takes too long, so I couldn't really do anything.
jordans
26. Aug 2013 · 16:38 UTC
Really cool graphics! This game definitely triggered a sense of claustrophobia with me. I wish there was more of an incentive to explore. I hope you keep developing this!
Gaspard_
26. Aug 2013 · 16:58 UTC
Cool game mecanics!Where's the theme though?
SpiralCodeStudio
26. Aug 2013 · 17:01 UTC
Nice look, but hard to play!
dmastergames
26. Aug 2013 · 17:40 UTC
The graphics are great It was quit fun but challenging. Good Game but I wish there was Audio but never mind it was a good game :)
DanHayesGamer
26. Aug 2013 · 17:43 UTC
Really nice, Not a cohesive whole, but I would love to see a finished version of this. Reminds me of the undergarden :)
Sergey Mohov
26. Aug 2013 · 18:11 UTC
Looks cool, and it's a nice concept. It's a shame there's no sound, I can totally imagine some cool underwater sounds with nice reverb there :-) Another thing: the camera moves, but then it teleports when you reach some trigger. I'm pretty sure that it should be either one or the other, not both. Overall, good job.
Omar_q8
26. Aug 2013 · 18:18 UTC
nice atmosphere i struggled a bit with the controls and with the breathing thing but enjoyed most of it
rincewind_cz
26. Aug 2013 · 18:21 UTC
Good looking and good concept. Pity there isn't other goal then the swimming :)
BradleySmith
26. Aug 2013 · 18:33 UTC
Cool gameplay mechanic, wasn't sure what to do at first but pretty good regardless.
ivo
26. Aug 2013 · 18:41 UTC
Love the bubbles, looks great. Too bad you couldn't add more content.
KeithE.
26. Aug 2013 · 19:14 UTC
If mood is what you were going for that great job. I love that the Phosphorescence light up and the physical based particles that pool up on the ceiling are great. Really felt like it needed some moody audio to go along with the visuals.
Alex Shestakov
26. Aug 2013 · 19:14 UTC
Awesome! I also had an idea about swimming in the cave and not drowning :)
gikdew
26. Aug 2013 · 19:56 UTC
very moody, cool mechanics and art!
Atmospherium
26. Aug 2013 · 21:17 UTC
Really cool concept, I just wish there was more time for you to have developed it. The air pockets seemed a bit finicky to me and it would really benefit from some sound, but it was enjoyable.
leafo
27. Aug 2013 · 06:28 UTC
great visuals
lcarpentier
27. Aug 2013 · 09:25 UTC
Beatiful game but I'm not sure I understood what I was doing.
pbdiode
27. Aug 2013 · 16:11 UTC
Very good looking! Some sort of goal stated up front, and some audio would have made this spectacular! As it stands, it is quite the pleasant experience though, very good job on the visuals.
Dooleus
27. Aug 2013 · 17:14 UTC
Good mechanics, very fresh. The art is good at establishing the atmosphere - love the plants swaying, the bubbles rising, and the character's health/breath indicator is fantastic. Definitely needs audio, though - felt very cold without anything there. It was also a tad on the difficult side - maybe starting with a few built-in air pockets, and later having to using the plants to survive would have been a better way to go? Anyways, the difficulty put me off getting further than a few screens, so I'm not sure how much more content there is here, but I did enjoy the freshness of the gameplay for the short period I spent with it.
angrygeometry
27. Aug 2013 · 20:26 UTC
some of the animations are really really pretty. i'm terrible at games and couldn't work it out, but i enjoyed it still.
🎤 Orava
28. Aug 2013 · 05:21 UTC
To everyone who mentioned audio: I totally agree, it's just that I'm no good with sounds so I decided to leave it mute.

To everyone who mentioned animations: There are none. Other than the main menu, everything is drawn via code.

To everyone in general: Thanks for the comments again, glad to see that I did indeed succeed in the visual department.
rezoner
31. Aug 2013 · 12:36 UTC
I love the artistic approach of this entry<3
iterative deepening
31. Aug 2013 · 20:43 UTC
I love the oxygen concept, it need to be polished but it's nice gameplay idea.
RawBits
01. Sep 2013 · 17:44 UTC
It's hard to tell how much oxygen you have in the bubble or if there is enough in the air poket to refill it. This makes it very hard and confusing along with the swimming mechanic that makes moving less controllable.

I like the idea though it's sad that you couldn't add all things you wanted. Maybe in post-compo. ;)
blackotus
01. Sep 2013 · 20:15 UTC
The concept of shaking plants and useing the ceiling to get oxygen is neat.

Nice work!
Jacob123
04. Sep 2013 · 11:34 UTC
Cool game. Nice graphics. Although getting the air bubbles from the ceiling takes too long.
MrBlade
15. Sep 2013 · 03:32 UTC
Nice game! I love games like this without a HUD or anything. Looks really clean. No AIR: 5 I hate that. Interesting concept of plants giving off air when they get agitated. Nice work. 8/10.