CLAUSTRO by Blinkenlights

[raw]
made by Blinkenlights for LD 42 (COMPO)

CLAUSTRO is small puzzle arcade game about fear. The aim of the game is to place as may words as possible before you run out of space. Feel free to show us your high-score (press 'R' to display)!

Screenshot from 2018-08-13 01-10-49.png

Place words on the field horizontally, vertically and diagonally, forwards or backwards using the mouse and space. The words are solid, so use the movement keys to navigate the terrain. The rest I'll leave you to discover.

PS: This is the second game I've ever made. Any feedback is highly appreciated.

Screenshot from 2018-08-13 00-48-36.png

Ratings

Overall 68th 3.902⭐ 58🧑‍⚖️
Fun 262th 3.429⭐ 58🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 22th 4.132⭐ 59🧑‍⚖️
Theme 22th 4.357⭐ 58🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 198th 3.655⭐ 60🧑‍⚖️
Audio 20th 3.927⭐ 57🧑‍⚖️
Mood 5th 4.204⭐ 56🧑‍⚖️
Given 57🗳️ 58🗨️

Feedback

turbo.torbo
12. Aug 2018 · 23:04 UTC
I liked your game, especially the atmosphere you created. The words, the aesthetic and the music fit pretty well together. I managed to build myself a cage with the word cage. Nice one!
Devio
13. Aug 2018 · 00:10 UTC
I absolutely loved this submission on the sound and effects alone. I'll be honest I was completely clueless for a little, but that added to the somehow tension this game produced. That with the ominous background noise and the bloop the keys made. Very well done!

I only have to say, it would be nice if the objective was laid out better!
🎤 Blinkenlights
13. Aug 2018 · 08:08 UTC
@turbo-torbo Glad you enjoyed it!
@devio I agree, I couldn't figure out how to convey it without using actual instructions...
Thanks for the feedback!
Historymaker118
13. Aug 2018 · 20:13 UTC
Took me a few minutes to figure out the controls and what I was supposed to be doing, but after I figured it out I had fun with it. Great atmosphere and music.
🎤 Blinkenlights
13. Aug 2018 · 20:20 UTC
@historymaker118 Brilliant!
Telefrag Entertainment
13. Aug 2018 · 20:25 UTC
Love it, very unique and fits the theme well.
James Dunlap
13. Aug 2018 · 20:29 UTC
This was amazing. It was probably the most unique take on the theme that I have seen yet. I thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of this game.
Zeaga
13. Aug 2018 · 20:33 UTC
The music and graphics pair very nicely, and the theme is incorporated very well. Great work!
🎤 Blinkenlights
13. Aug 2018 · 20:34 UTC
@telefrag-entertainment Very happy to hear it!
@james-dunlap That's really kind of you, thank you.
🎤 Blinkenlights
13. Aug 2018 · 20:44 UTC
@zeaga Thank you!
Kaitlin Quick
13. Aug 2018 · 23:21 UTC
This was way too much fun. Honestly I could play it forever. The graphics and music work really well together and sets the mood perfectly. Definitely my favorite so far, good work!
🎤 Blinkenlights
14. Aug 2018 · 10:23 UTC
@kaitlin-quick Hahahahahaha, that's good to hear. Thanks!
stevenjmiller
14. Aug 2018 · 16:24 UTC
Amazing audio and presentation! One possible improvement (I'm not sure how well this would actually work, but it could possibly help those who were initially confused) is having some sort of outline showing how the current word would be laid out. Maybe something like:

![sprite36.png](///raw/39/z/19442.png)
🎤 Blinkenlights
14. Aug 2018 · 16:40 UTC
@stevenjmiller Wow! A picture, handmade, for *me*? Yes, I had had something like that planned but I was far too close to the deadline to add it in I'm afraid. Thank you!
Flower
14. Aug 2018 · 16:49 UTC
Very cool game)
Good job!
🎤 Blinkenlights
14. Aug 2018 · 16:52 UTC
Thank you!
Pace
14. Aug 2018 · 18:44 UTC
Very well done! This is one of the best LD42 games I've played! I was also confused about how to aim. Perhaps the tutorial screen could make sure you can place a word in some orientation other than left-to-right before it lets you get to the main game?
frozenfire92
14. Aug 2018 · 18:52 UTC
Very cool game! I feel like there was something more but I couldn't quite get there (good words in black?) I managed to fill it quite full though (score 221)
🎤 Blinkenlights
14. Aug 2018 · 19:04 UTC
@pace That would've been a very good idea, I had thought of placing the player so it didn't just pop out a single letter before hitting something, but that might have helped. Glad you enjoyed!
@frozenfire92 Well spotted! And well done for the score!
Swess
14. Aug 2018 · 20:02 UTC
Very amazing presentation and simple but perfect aesthetic.

Nice game idea! Enjoyed it!

Keep it :up:
AwiX
15. Aug 2018 · 07:08 UTC
A good game idea, the music should be improved. The graphics are good.
Try our game too, maybe you'll like it)
Lucien Catonnet
15. Aug 2018 · 16:29 UTC
Interesting game! A bit too much on the depressing tone maybe, but otherwise really interesting concept. It's the second word game I've seen (take a look at [BookBinding](https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/42/bookbinding) if you haven't, it's really neat!), and I'm glad people are doing those :) I'm especially fond of the graphics, the start menu really looks nice!

![Capture.PNG](///raw/244/1/z/19cbb.png)
Derek Volker
15. Aug 2018 · 17:21 UTC
An unique mechanic and clever interpretation of the theme. The gameplay imeplementation is competent but i think the graphics deserved more time spent on, in order to improve the game experience and match the amazing soundtrack.

Excellent job!
Joloujed
15. Aug 2018 · 17:34 UTC
Very Nice game, something very different and great. Perfect style and great gameplay.
designernap
15. Aug 2018 · 20:32 UTC
Great entry! Took me surprisingly long to figure out the mouse was dictating direction! but great idea and well presented. Nice work.
anstabo
16. Aug 2018 · 08:45 UTC
I had a hard time playing at first because i didn't read any thing about it, but once i figured it out i started to think that it's a great innovative game with a VERY fitting gameplay for the theme, good job !
🎤 Blinkenlights
16. Aug 2018 · 17:33 UTC
@swess Thank you, will do!
@awix I was sadly short on time, as I had to compose and practice the piece in an hour (before the others went to bed), which forced me to keep it simple, being the terrible pianist I am. XD But I shall leave more time for it next year ;) Naturally, I couldn't resist your offer to check your game out and have provided my humble opinion.
@lucien-catonnet I know, I added 'good words' that remove placed blocks when used, but I didn't get to balance it properly so they were incredibly rare. I love word games too! But BookBinding was just sooo difficult, I hardly got over 110 IQ points. Thank you!
@derek-volker I agree, I was working with 8x8 sprites as placeholders and writing the font took ages, so I didn't have any time to pretty things up with nice patterns, let alone colours! But I tried my best to make it look clean and simplistic, instead of making a half-done job of it. Thank you so much!
@joloujed Glad you enjoyed!
@designernap I know, there really isn't much guidance on that side of things, but thank you very much!
@anstabo Don't worry, there wasn't much to read. XD Thank you!
Linus
16. Aug 2018 · 18:50 UTC
Very unique game, it was a nice experience and easy to control once you understood the mechanics. It's nice to try to be clever about the placement of the words so you can reuse letters. I wish you could see the upcoming word like tetris so you can plan ahead a bit better.

Nice job on the simple graphics, they looked good and certainly colour could be mixed in to make the game more interesting but keeping it this way gives the game a special feel about it.

Good job overall :smiley:
🎤 Blinkenlights
16. Aug 2018 · 19:06 UTC
@linus Thank you! That's a really good suggestion! I absolutely agree about the colour, but I ran out of time and didn't have a clue how, so I rolled with it.
Corbak
16. Aug 2018 · 19:13 UTC
It is very original, nicely done. Actually it is something quite unique I saw on here :)
I'm very glad I have tried it. Well done! :)
🎤 Blinkenlights
16. Aug 2018 · 19:39 UTC
@corbak Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!
dasun
16. Aug 2018 · 21:02 UTC
Oh man, Amazing game, the music and the words that you repeat in your head sets the mood so perfectly. Even the simlistic graphics are amazing. Nothing complicated and still so original and executed. LOVE IT 5/5
🎤 Blinkenlights
16. Aug 2018 · 21:16 UTC
@dasun Thank you so much, it makes me so happy you liked it!
namnam
16. Aug 2018 · 22:13 UTC
So much to say about this game. First, I think it's one of the most original entry i've seen. I love the mood, the graphics, the sound (but the music loop is a bit too short), it's nothing that i've seen so far in the games I played for the ludum. The way of your game fit the theme is really cool. Plus, the game is really polished, the way you present things like the tutorial, the score menu etc is great.
Sometimes it seem to me a little bit bugged, I didn't understand why sometimes word disapears, sometime the camera move weirdly and some white line appear too. The character alignement with the rest of the tiles is weird too and I had a hard time to understand the input presented in the tuto. I think I liked a score displayed inside the game and more feedback when I used other letter (or more and then i liked even more feedback) to put the new word. To be able to see the next two world would have been great to, in that way we could think of the placement for the next word. But beside that, it's an awesome work and I'm really glad to had the opportunity to play it. Good job :D !
🎤 Blinkenlights
17. Aug 2018 · 15:44 UTC
@namnam Thank you very much! I must agree with all the points you brought up there, marvelous feedback! (Ran out of time to do any of them, though :( )
KapiteinKoekwous
17. Aug 2018 · 19:31 UTC
Hey! Feedback coming from ArjenDesign’s stream: www.twitch.tv/arjendesign just now!
- Game looks very interesting!
- A certain sense of morbidity, love the style!
- I miss a goal; when does the game end exactly? Do I just fill in the space?
- The sense of claustrophobia is quite strong in the end!
- The game leans more on the artistic side instead of mechanical side. Really refreshing :D
- GREAT game <3
🎤 Blinkenlights
17. Aug 2018 · 19:55 UTC
@kapiteinkoekwous Thank you for the wonderful feedback! Mechanically I found it too difficult to make an end, so the player just decides themselves by pressing 'R'. Glad you enjoyed! It was good to see you didn't notice the words could cross (like crosswords/scrabble).
drtizzle
17. Aug 2018 · 20:46 UTC
Very nice entry! Really atmospheric and cold(?). The presentation is top-notch, everything blends together really well. I was not sure what to do with the positive words, so maybe a little bit of a tutorial would be nice I guess :slight_smile:. Overall a very interesting and original game!
tulipekoni
17. Aug 2018 · 20:54 UTC
my favorite game so far! fits the theme perfectly. although it has very simplistic artsyle, it accomplishes everything that it has to and more. Like the game, every piece fits together in this one: music, feeling you get while playing and even the menu/UI (it's perfect :)). I lost a sense of time while playing this. best so far, good job!
Ithildin
18. Aug 2018 · 01:14 UTC
Loved the eerie atmosphere on this one, with minimalistic graphics and sound working great together. A small detail I really liked (once that I understood it) was how the mouse direction was represented on the "cursor" key.

The mechanic adds a nice twists to other word games like crosswords or scrabble, and it was quite relaxing to play.

Awesome entry!
🎤 Blinkenlights
21. Aug 2018 · 18:26 UTC
Sorry everyone, was away 'til now!
@drtizzle I like to think of it as 'clean' or 'sterile', but I know exactly what you mean! I absolutely agree, thank you!
@tulipekoni Glad you like it! Thank you so much for your kind words!
@ithildin Wonderful! Thanks for pointing it out, I didn't even think of the mouse, it just sort of worked XD
drikdrok
31. Aug 2018 · 18:41 UTC
Brilliant! Super original and fun concept. The atmosphere and music really sells the depressing tone

I would have liked a bit more words that remove letters, but that's just me :)

Overall 5/5 masterpiece for a LD. My high score was 131
🎤 Blinkenlights
31. Aug 2018 · 18:44 UTC
@drikdrok Thanks for playing! It's not just you, I forgot to play-test it properly and the 'good' words occur far too seldom. Glad you enjoyed!
danielblanco3d
31. Aug 2018 · 19:34 UTC
![claustro.png](///raw/ce9/81/z/1a912.png)
Congrats! Really original use of the theme and nice black and white style. At first i didn´t know how to play but it is intuitive.
🎤 Blinkenlights
31. Aug 2018 · 19:36 UTC
@danielblanco3d Thank you! Glad you found it intuitive, that was something I really wanted to get right.
CG_Fred
31. Aug 2018 · 22:42 UTC
Well made game with great music. Matched the theme very well. Awesome work!
mukult
01. Sep 2018 · 00:36 UTC
Very cool concept. Loved the game. I feel like there were times where a word could fit but i could not specify direction. It had like a particular direction that the game picked, wanted to change that.
Overall this is a very awesome game.
loyance
01. Sep 2018 · 01:07 UTC
Wow this game really has its parts together. Music, graphics, word choice and everything work together to set a dark mood. It took me some time to figure out what I was supposed to do, but it was that 'aha' moment and I enjoyed it. Amazing entry
siimer
01. Sep 2018 · 11:31 UTC
This game is amazing. Such a simple concept but so well executed. The graphics and the audio really help to create the mood that the game implies. At the end I really started feeling like stuck. Also are the words hand-picked? Because it felt to me that every word was negative.

I also had a problem with the game: when aiming left or right, it was really hard to distinguish at which level the word would end up (because of the 3D nature of the blocks). This could be improved by using a highlight or a grid.

Anyway, good job :)
🎤 Blinkenlights
01. Sep 2018 · 11:46 UTC
@cg-fred Thank you very much!
@mukult Hmmm... not sure what you mean there. The mouse aiming didn't work? Or it wasn't clear whether the word fit? Anyhow, glad you enjoyed!
@loyance Thank you, glad you enjoyed!
@siimer They are, and there are positive words too, but I didn't balance the RNG properly. I agree, ran out of time though (finished 3 minutes before end :O ). Thank you!
Gildar76
01. Sep 2018 · 11:52 UTC
Fantastic idea. Took me a while to figure out, but overall a great game.
🎤 Blinkenlights
01. Sep 2018 · 12:36 UTC
@gildar76 Glad you enjoyed!
quicklyer
02. Sep 2018 · 02:02 UTC
The number of compos I'm really impressed by grows by one. _Really_ liked the visual style, the mood, the little touches like the words typing themselves out as you place them, the in-game representation of everything (title screen, high scores, etc), I could go on. Really liked it.

But as a spoilsport party pooper cheater hacker I noticed that the word pool is kind of small -- so if you were to just place unique words as you got them, and place duplicate words fully over the same existing word, you've got a loophole to keep playing forever? But then again, given the dark tone, do I want to keep placing these words? Do I want a high score, or a low one? Arrgh see now I'm all conflicted! You did this Blinkenlights.
🎤 Blinkenlights
02. Sep 2018 · 06:39 UTC
@quicklyer Bwahahahahaha, my evil plan has worked! Now I shall RULE THE WORLD...maybe. Glad you enjoyed! I agree that the word pool is small and I couldn't think of a clever way to fix the word-over-identical-word problem. Thank you for the feedback!
crneumre
02. Sep 2018 · 14:22 UTC
That is a super interesting game, really liked figuring out where to place my next word.
The mood is fantastic as well, it's dark, but very well made.
Great entry!!
🎤 Blinkenlights
02. Sep 2018 · 20:50 UTC
Glad you liked it! Sorry, didn't manage to get flash fixed to play your game :(.
rjhelms
02. Sep 2018 · 23:57 UTC
Cool take on the theme. I've got a soft spot for word games, and this didn't disappoint. You've got some great suggestions here in other comments, but all in all a really solid effort for 48 hours!
🎤 Blinkenlights
03. Sep 2018 · 14:59 UTC
@rjhelms Thank you!