Pulsation by stevenjmiller

Notes about the new build
I have uploaded a new build with a slightly tweaked tutorial and an undo button, which should make the game a lot less frustrating. I would strongly recommend playing the new build, as the content is identical, though the original is still available.
Clarification about pushing / pulling:
This was probably a poor description of what the pulse is doing, so here is an alternate explanation.
When you pull: Everything in the large circle in shrunk down to fit into the small circle
When you push: Everything in the small circle is stretched to fit into the large circle
Use your pulse to contort the environment
The ring will show how many pulses remain
The pulse will pull things in when the circle is large
The pulse will push things away when the circle is small
The circle cannot overlap with the player

WASD / Arrow Keys to Move
W / Up / Space to Jump
Click to Use Pulse
Right Click / Z to Undo - Only available in the newer build!
R to Reset
P to Skip

| Windows | https://steven-miller.itch.io/pulsation |
| Source code | https://steven-miller.itch.io/pulsation |
| Original URL | https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/44/pulsation |
Ratings
| Given | 25🗳️ | 17🗨️ |
Some puzzles are very challenging. The pulling in I can fully grasp. But I have a hard time wrapping my head around pushing out. Needs some practice.
Overall I enjoyed the charming mechanics a lot, great one!
Regardless, got really far into it, nice job!
The concept is well introduced, the difficulty curve well crafted, and the the new mechanics were introduced gradually, so overral the level design is solid, and reminds me of Braid, in the way elements are placed juuuust in the right spot to annoy you :)
Graphics are minimal, but do the job, same for the audio, many games have annoying bip when you move/jump, here it is subtle enough. For the graphics I would like to point out that even if they are simple, they do convey all the information needed (the two cricles, the remaining pulse...) in a clear and consistent way, which is very rare in LD game. Moreover I love the little "destructive pulse" effect at the end of a level.
The theme is a not really used, but can't blame you it is a bit too restrictive.
So, cool game dude :)
I actually do quite like how I never *fully* understood how the push and pull would affect things. Besides (again) rewarding experimentation, it made it become more innate rather than purely logical. I think cheesing is a generally satisfying thing, and the game mechanics do a good job at making us feel like we've cheated the system, even though I'm pretty sure you've meticulously planned out the move space :wink:
I was a big fan of the "moving platforms" move that a couple of the puzzles had us do in the middle, but I'm also doubly happy that you were able to find a way to move on from that and not end up having every puzzle essentially being the same but with a different layout.
Lastly, while I think there's a way to work some sort of ambient tune into this, the super bass-heavy sound effects work well with the graphical theme (as well as the LD theme tie with the heartbeat). Cool stuff!