essentia by andrewkennedy

[raw]
made by andrewkennedy for LD26 (COMPO)
Controls:
WASD to move
Space to jump
Mouse click to interact

Software Used: Unity and Photoshop

This was my first Ludum Dare competition. I set out to create an experience that was not only visually appealing but also thought provoking. I started practicing pixel art recently, so the art direction turned into an interesting blend of pixel art and paper cutout art (Example: http://tinyurl.com/cwx489e). I was struck by the way that the shadows gave depth and detail to the simple shapes cutout from the paper.

The ending is very open-ended, interpret it how you will.

Thanks for checking out my game, hope you enjoy!

Note: The textures will probably render better in the EXE version.

Ratings

Coolness 60% 3
Overall 3.31 406
Audio 1.12 1090
Fun 2.78 741
Graphics 3.92 100
Humor 1.84 858
Innovation 2.84 782
Mood 3.16 342
Theme 3.00 1022

Feedback

Sakuyan
29. Apr 2013 · 02:32 UTC
THAT IS THE BEST CAVE I'VE EVER SEEN
jgnilka
29. Apr 2013 · 02:32 UTC
This was awesome
mikelovesrobots3
29. Apr 2013 · 04:18 UTC
Love the art style! Nice job!
mrexcessive
29. Apr 2013 · 04:19 UTC
Very clever... Nice shadows as you say... The Valve/tap before the boat doesn't work after restart, which is a shame.
Suese
29. Apr 2013 · 04:21 UTC
Not sure what to do after "Free yourself", flew really high and found nothing. Great work though. Needed some sound and some way to lose (a challenge)
bastiandantilus
29. Apr 2013 · 04:24 UTC
Cool... but did I get to the end, or did I miss something?
puttputt
29. Apr 2013 · 04:25 UTC
Neat!!
cahman
29. Apr 2013 · 04:27 UTC
The visuals were fantastic. I flew all the way to the top, but couldn't go any further. Hope I didn't miss anything...
🎤 andrewkennedy
29. Apr 2013 · 04:55 UTC
Thanks for the encouragement everyone! It seems that the ending was a little too open-ended though. Next time I'll be more deliberate!
FuzzyWuzzie
29. Apr 2013 · 04:56 UTC
Really great gameplay! I really enjoyed the combination of platforming + point & click! Graphics were really cute!
Jack Zackowitz
29. Apr 2013 · 05:48 UTC
Couldn't tell if the game was over after getting wings. good work though
Jonapulse
29. Apr 2013 · 06:26 UTC
You almost lost me with the generic side-scrolling at the start--but then it kept changing and getting awesome. nice.
mortus
29. Apr 2013 · 07:12 UTC
Great graphics! Sadly, there seems to be few bugs that make game hard to play. Moving playform in cave left without me and I can't find it again. And restart won't help, only starting from the beginning.
Kiwiboi
29. Apr 2013 · 09:02 UTC
Cute game, I like the graphics :)
deige101
29. Apr 2013 · 20:59 UTC
Great graphics and feel! got a little bored on the initial walk, but dont let that be weiging you down.
GeorgeBroussard
05. May 2013 · 06:00 UTC
Interesting. You should develop this further. I got to the end and flew around but found no exit.
GameNacho
08. May 2013 · 04:34 UTC
Great game! I like how it jumps right in, and all the different interactive objects really fit well for this game, great job!
Kvisle
11. May 2013 · 00:30 UTC
Lovely art-style, a little confused by the ending.
recursor
11. May 2013 · 00:30 UTC
The source link is broken
MinionStudios
11. May 2013 · 01:19 UTC
Fun and skillfully crafted!
euwaku
11. May 2013 · 04:26 UTC
Is that a very sad ending? Maybe I'm over interpreting but flying as an angel, dead, finding no exit, no way to go, was really a nice poetic finale.
Mago
11. May 2013 · 07:22 UTC
Great job! graphics are amazing and conxept is great
mollymus
11. May 2013 · 07:22 UTC
Pretty neat game! Not sure if I completed it or not though?
Jod
11. May 2013 · 08:34 UTC
Really liked this one, very beautiful art style. Getting wings was awesome. :)
lotusgame
11. May 2013 · 09:08 UTC
A really cute start ! The end is a bit frustrating as it takes a while to understand it's over. With a music, the experience would be nicer.
Zccc
11. May 2013 · 14:15 UTC
This is great, very unique :)
Madball
11. May 2013 · 17:30 UTC
It seems like a piece of art, but it`s too abstract. There is not enough gameplay. The beginning was too long, the rest was too short. From the graphic side the game is awesome.
...what is that gray ball anyway?..
sP0CkEr2
12. May 2013 · 03:35 UTC
really nice -- some nice background music would have been good -- great job!
Benjamin
12. May 2013 · 15:40 UTC
I had 2x bugs that forced me to restart from the beginning.
The first time, I somehow broke my jump... It means that my character can't jump as far and high than before. If I use the restart icon, it brings me back to the the purple crystal cavern and I can't pass the first jump anymore. So I add to restart. On my second try I was in a hurry to reach the cloud zone and I missed the 3rd green platform two times. on my third try I saw it sinking in the abyss and it never came back. Once again the restart icon was no use T_T ... I didnt had the courage to restart a third time because of the long sequence. For the part I visited, the gfx are very good, and the game have a nice athmosphere.

I'm surprised I was the only one experiencing thoses bugs... My config is window xp on some old netbook NC10.
ethankennerly
12. May 2013 · 18:56 UTC
The collocated instructions and introduction of colors interested me. If you continue to develop this, I couldn't figure out how to make the boat go. I clicked the ore and it rotated, but the boat did not move.
xploitgames
14. May 2013 · 19:48 UTC
Lovely pixel art style! A great spin on the theme. Draining of color was unique. Would have really liked to hear a soundtrack.