Metris by jcsirron

[raw]
made by jcsirron for LD35 (JAM)
Introduction

You are a semi­-autonomous metallic construct, being created in a laboratory. As part of the fabrication process, you need to learn how to create various shapes using your constituent elements. You will start with relatively simple shapes, then move through more complicated shapes and elements, until you are certified as fully self­-modifying.

Gameplay

We start with the basics of a famous Russian block game. You can move left and right with the left and right arrow keys. You can also lower the complex when it is above the location you want, with the down arrow.

If the current complex is not going to work, you must shift its shape. You do this by pressing the up arrow: this will exchange the current complex with another of equal size but different conformation.

Full lines represent metallic structures that have condensed into a solid state: they disappear into your basic infrastructure, and are not helpful in building the specialized structures that are your goal.

From the semi­permanent structure remaining, you must fill out a specific shape. Excess matter is allowed, but remember that a full line will disappear and can’t be used to master this elemental level.

CONTROLS:

W/UP - Change Shape
A/LEFT - Move Block Left
D/RIGHT - Move Block Right
S/DOWN - Place Current Block

Ratings

Coolness 71% 3
Overall(Jam) 3.28 501
Audio(Jam) 3.44 235
Fun(Jam) 3.12 544
Graphics(Jam) 2.86 818
Humor(Jam) 2.14 681
Innovation(Jam) 3.29 338
Mood(Jam) 2.94 664
Theme(Jam) 3.67 285

Feedback

Griz
18. Apr 2016 · 22:35 UTC
An interesting variation of the tetris game.
eeely
18. Apr 2016 · 22:57 UTC
(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻ i love this game but it's so hard
btrotter101
19. Apr 2016 · 19:43 UTC
It is hard, especially when you revert to Tetris reflexes. Which even as one of the developers I would usually do four or five levels in... Thanks for taking a look!
Jadernak
20. Apr 2016 · 00:47 UTC
Clever twist on tetris
RegaCaska
20. Apr 2016 · 03:50 UTC
Cool take on tetris and shapeshift. It takes a while to get use to the speed of the game, and get used to the shapeshifting mechanic over regular tetris; but it is quite cool. Got used to it on my 3rd game and was able to survive for quite a while!
Kuality Games
20. Apr 2016 · 10:21 UTC
Interesting mix up of tetris, I like how you changed the goal as well, so it wouldn't be so easy
rjhelms
22. Apr 2016 · 03:17 UTC
Oh man, this is brutal in the best way possible. I haven't felt this useless at playing a Tetris-like game since I tried bastet - but this is even worse, because bastet just hates you, where as this isn't even really Tetris.

I love it!
ScottP
22. Apr 2016 · 15:43 UTC
I like the music and the theme. The game was way too hard for me though. I had a hard time getting used to the fact that the shapes change, not rotate.
marmpa
23. Apr 2016 · 15:10 UTC
It seemed realy similar to tetris and was interesting.Good job.
scorched
23. Apr 2016 · 15:28 UTC
Google drive asks me to login...
Jungle
23. Apr 2016 · 15:31 UTC
I really liked the music used in the game . An interesting variation of tetris . I think if I started slowly and were increasing the speed would be more interesting! Very good.
🎤 jcsirron
23. Apr 2016 · 16:22 UTC
@scorched - I just verified that it does ask to login on the far right top of the window. You don't have to login, though. There is a button at the top middle of the window that looks like an arrow pointing to a horizontal bar. That's the download button. I'll look into getting a direct download link working as soon as possible.
OnlySlightly
24. Apr 2016 · 18:40 UTC
Super great twist on the Tetris formula. I was surprised and smiled once I tried to rotate the shape and just ended up with another one. I also really liked attempting to fit a specific shape rather than just clearing lines. Great job!
KappaIX
24. Apr 2016 · 18:47 UTC
Interesting variation on the theme.

Well done!
terryg
25. Apr 2016 · 04:16 UTC
Great game. The pieces come down a bit fast, and so it was difficult to choose the piece I wanted. I wanted to see the ending, but I couldn't tell how many machines I needed to build, so some progress indicator would be good so that you can see your progess. Nice music and well put together.
btrotter101
27. Apr 2016 · 00:34 UTC
@terryg - We had plans for that, but they fell on the cutting room floor. The checkerboard level is second-to-last, if that helps.
divegato
28. Apr 2016 · 17:22 UTC
I like the background music
Yazara
28. Apr 2016 · 19:07 UTC
Really cool idea!
You should definetely slow down the gameplay though. The speed would be nice for a later level, but it's way too difficult when you first play it.
tomlum
30. Apr 2016 · 03:37 UTC
Very cool, a very frantic feel not knowing what shape was next.
ANTZtakeover
30. Apr 2016 · 13:39 UTC
One of the best games I've played during this LD! Awesome Job!! Hard to get the hang of it but it really makes you think!
TheCain
04. May 2016 · 01:02 UTC
Clever.
It crashed on the 'slanted fill' level.
I think you should add a slower option for losers like me.
Tselmek
07. May 2016 · 09:38 UTC
Nice spin on the tetris formula, quite challenging game despite what it looks like.
pikmin4000
09. May 2016 · 04:03 UTC
It is a hard game to complete, but I do like Tetris! I wish there was more of a storyline to push myself to challenging myself. Or perhaps have level 1 be something I can accomplish.