Canon by sparkleswirl
Jump-and-avoid game with a topological and a musical twist. Four parts Canabalt, one part bell ringing and some undetermined amount of square dancing, Canon is a simple but challenging action/rhythm hybrid where you have to control four jumpers on the same level in canon.
Relaxed Mode is slower and with shorter levels, but the jumps are still pretty tight. If you are stuck but want to see some later levels, check out the gameplay video I posted.
Use WASD/arrow keys to jump, space to start/exit a level. Dvorak controls (,AOE) are supported because I'm crazy!
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you had trouble with levels 6 and 7 before, a new version has been uploaded that fixes them. They were more difficult than intended because of a bug/typo. Note that although the fix was uploaded after the compo deadline it was actually made three hours before the compo ended---I forgot to upload it once it was done, oops! Those levels were still possible with the bug there (the gameplay video was made with the version that had the bug) but they were just much harder.
For more information, including the obligatory "it's my first LD48 entry yay!" see my blog post here:
http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/2013/04/28/canon-my-ld-26-entry/
Relaxed Mode is slower and with shorter levels, but the jumps are still pretty tight. If you are stuck but want to see some later levels, check out the gameplay video I posted.
Use WASD/arrow keys to jump, space to start/exit a level. Dvorak controls (,AOE) are supported because I'm crazy!
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you had trouble with levels 6 and 7 before, a new version has been uploaded that fixes them. They were more difficult than intended because of a bug/typo. Note that although the fix was uploaded after the compo deadline it was actually made three hours before the compo ended---I forgot to upload it once it was done, oops! Those levels were still possible with the bug there (the gameplay video was made with the version that had the bug) but they were just much harder.
For more information, including the obligatory "it's my first LD48 entry yay!" see my blog post here:
http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/2013/04/28/canon-my-ld-26-entry/
| Web (Flash) | http://www.kongregate.com/games/wingie/canon |
| Gameplay Video | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyWUIwom7B8&feature=youtu.be |
| Source (Stencyl 3) | https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/32373/canonld26source |
| Original URL | https://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-26/?action=preview&uid=22944 |
Ratings
| Coolness | 100% | 1 |
| Overall | 3.64 | 167 |
| Audio | 3.65 | 84 |
| Fun | 3.38 | 234 |
| Graphics | 2.95 | 615 |
| Humor | 1.96 | 756 |
| Innovation | 3.99 | 58 |
| Mood | 3.55 | 133 |
| Theme | 4.13 | 82 |
Anyway, good idea and good work !
@cwilloughby Yeah, I think the menu was the weakest part of the game. It was hard keeping it minimalist but also keyboard only. Definitely something I needed to spend more time on if I had more.
But.. 1 block is ok. 2 block is well.. really hard!
(I only switched to relaxed on the 2nd to the last stage, pretty proud of myself)
I'm reminded of my violin classes. "You are getting ahead of yourself" the professor would tell me every single time xD
Boy, I need to go back to playing violin.
I had to give up at V. because my computer was starting to lag (too much stuff open) and it was throwing me off, but the game is perfect just as is. I'll try again tomorrow.
All fives!
Perchance the most frustrating part was when I'd press a button one millisecond before the block fell down, so it wouldn't jump. But I guess that is my fault.
(Also you tried to play my game but it was down, it's up now if you're interested!)
I spent more time on Mazurka than on Canonblat :)
First LD, I say "Congratulations!"
One of the best games I've played this Ludum Dare.
@Exclamation Mark: That's a great idea! It makes perfect sense!
@EatenAlive3: You're the first person I've ever heard saying that! =D
@Taro Omiya: There were two reasons why I didn't put in a background music or at least a metronome. First was that there wasn't time. But the bigger issue for me is that Flash seems to like having music lag on slower computers (even now I'm hearing from people that the sounds don't play at the right time) and I really don't know how to deal with that. Making a game with in-synced background music is one thing I really want to figure out how to do though. :3
Extremely hard, I'm very bad! x'D
I loved the help menu, right off the bat.
I loved how the board looked as an abstract symbol even before you started moving.
I loved how I couldn't play at first because I was much too busy just playing with the arrow keys trying to make tiny instrumental music.
I loved how the center block was just barely large enough to put all four "players" in your peripheral vision, meaning you couldn't rely on platforming and had to focus only on the rhythm. The block movement became a metronome.
I love how this is— seriously— as far as I can remember, the only rhythm game I've ever played that made me feel like I was playing a musical instrument. AND I'M INCLUDING HERE THE GAME WHERE THE CONTROLLER WAS A LITERAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.
I loved the "oh, heck yes" moment where I realized "how to beat" level iii-- a precise set of muscle instructions that allowed me to "play" the level on a groove-- and I loved the moment where I realized, after like 3 attempts to beat the level ended with me screwing up on the last jump attempt, that my level iii strategy derailed completely when the first block left the screen (thus putting a hole in the rhythm/groove I'd put myself in).
I loved how throughly the game resisted my efforts to put it down and do anything else.
My one frustration was how the jump was very small and the game was thus quite unforgiving, even more so than seemed necessary to keep the rhythm feeling consistent. I wished the squares' hitboxes were circles.
I got to level V and stopped there, exhausted and with aching fingers. I will be playing more of this. A lot more of this.