I apologize for the lack of application icon. I was running really short on time.

This is my first time exporting something out of Xcode, so i hope players don't encounter problems opening the game.

Can we have at least a Windows binary? Try using mingw32 to cross compile a binary so more people can play your game. I do mine on Linux, but I know it's not practical to give out a restrictive binary file :).

I got the following error:

dyld: Library not loaded: @rpath/SDL2_image.framework/Versions/A/SDL2_image
Referenced from: /Users/ianh/Desktop/Abyssal Zone.app/Contents/MacOS/Abyssal Zone
Reason: image not found
Trace/BPT trap: 5

Sadly, without a Windows binary, you're really limiting your exposure.

It works after downloading and installing these frameworks into /Library/Frameworks/:
https://www.libsdl.org/download-2.0.php
https://www.libsdl.org/projects/SDL_image/
https://www.libsdl.org/projects/SDL_mixer/
https://www.libsdl.org/projects/SDL_ttf/

No Mac, so haven't been able to try, but really like the look of the screen grabs. Looks like a good first entry.

Don't have a mac to test it on right now. Sorry!

The OS X build wouldn't open on my machine. Error.

Can't play on osx. See an error while running app. https://www.dropbox.com/s/3lwez3gu9gwe7gb/Screen%20Shot%202015-12-15%20at%2012.16.54%20PM.png?dl=0

This game was worth the effort it took to get working. Amazing graphical style and clever puzzles!

No windows!

:( make windows for web game m8

Screenshots made me wanna play, but no mac here. Sad panda is sad.

Sorry about the errors when booting. I fixed them, and added a proper icon.

As for the windows binary, i might make one in the future. I might even extend the game. I enjoyed making it so much.

No Windows or Web.. RIP the dream :(

Can't play without Linux, Win, or Web. Please port and upload for more platforms!

I started out wondering what two-button controls and unidirectional turning could possibly add to sokoban, but you've done well building puzzles around these limitations. Still kinda wish there was an undo function, though. I "won" with 4/6, as the thought of redoing the "normal" sokoban puzzles rather than moving on wasn't appealing. It's nice you made those optional.

While minimal, the graphics & audio work well together to conjure mood & a narrative haiku of sorts. Excellent job.

(Oh, and FYI: Trying to quit normally (cmd+Q, right-click -> quit, etc) isn't working for me; for some reason I have to force quit.)

Looks cool, unfortunately I have no OSX :(

No Mac here :( Look really interesting!!

Would it be possible to publish a web or windows build? The screenshots look brilliant and I really want to give it a play!

Looks cute, I'd gladly play windows version.

Love the Abyss !

> It works after downloading and installing these frameworks into /Library/Frameworks/: ...
@ianh you can pack frameworks into app file or link executable statically with them. It's to tricky to replace frameworks, particularly when you have some incompatible versions installed as dev or other apps requirement.

btw, finally, game is really worth these dances with libraries ;)

This looks really good from the screenshots, but sadly my mac is not opening it :( Upon trying to open the DMG I get an error that says "The disk image could not be opened: image not recognized". Using a Mac mini running Mavericks.

Funny how windows people always complain if there isnt a build for them, but mac users just gotta deal with it all the time. Ran fine for me, really cute graphics btw. Really cool gameplay too, I liked the different puzzles, reminded me of some old pokemon games for the DS where you have to move rocks around. Had to force quit it btw, but that's no biggie.

web/windows port please I wanna play this

Windows users can now play Abyssal Zone!

Also fixed a bug where if you respawned it would be impossible to get past a certain area.

Hey! Abyssal Zone was super fun! I love your limited color palette and the mechanics were cool and in keeping with the theme. The only problem I ran into was that the reset function wouldn't work, so I couldn't get too far without having to restart. Great work, though! Beautiful art!

I really like how the gameplay benefits from theme, it doesn't feel like restriction, but like a game mechanic. Ambience and graphics are really good too.

Thanks for porting to windows so I could play this great game :D The graphics are minimal, but very aesthetically pleasant and the overall polish of the game is amasing! The puzzles are tough, but rewarding :)

Amazing puzzle design. The graphics are solid and "do a lot with a little". Sound effects are fine, but the game would greatle benefit from having a soundtrack, even if it was just underwater ambiance or slowed down whale singing.
As for the theme, I think that the extra challenge the 2 button controls add to puzzles are pretty well thought, but they feel really annoying when just traversing the level. And the way those spiky enemy things that move around stones were a bit too hard to understand at first.

Nice game, will definitely keep playing for a while.

So glad this got a windows version. Awesome game, loved the art, audio, and puzzles.

One the best entry I played so far!
Very good ambiance, minimalist pixelated graphics, sounds, and a nice challenge until the end!
(tested under Windows 8, works great)

Very cool game! the controls are nice but a bit annoying throughout the game :S
The graphics are very well done! and it has a nice mood, but i would liked to ear some music or some kind of soundtrack to make it even more "mooding".
great job

One the best entry I played so far!
Very good ambiance, minimalist pixelated graphics, sounds, and a nice challenge until the end!
Tested under Windows 8, works great! A fullscreen option would be a plus, though, for better immersion.

6/6 I'm gold!

You are getting 5 across the board except for 4 over all, because of a few tiny little things:

First of all XZ buttons are awful on qwertz keyboards. Please avoid them or throw Y in there for good measure.

The first puzzle with the spiked moving pearl holding the button was far too hard. The last one after that was a little easier, but even that wasn't too well suited for introducing the mechanic. Far better would've been a section where all you do is open a door which releases one of these to move onto a button without fail.

Also if you expand on this in the future (and I really hope you do) the game would benefit from traditional directional keys (or dpad) for easy movement, while keeping the spin in place mechanic to advance the step timer or turn wheels etc.
You could even make that an upgrade you only get during the game (as well as add a second upgrade & button to spin in the other direction - this opens up more possible level designs once everything without spin or a single spin has been exhausted).
Alternatively just upgrading to a counter spin during the game in addition to retaining only forward movement would also work as a relief without using full directional input and staying closer to what makes these puzzles great.

It was fun to play the game, and on my first try I got 6 balls to the end, then I entered the square without going to get that bonus. So I got the thing on my second try...

I like the idea but it felt like the two button control was forced on, and my fingers didn't like all the turns at the end of the second try.

Very well done entry, great use of the theme to tie in with puzzle elements (rotating gears) The aesthetic/mood was rather spooky (in a good way)

Nice little game, I really like stylized graphics and concept of each move being essentially a world step!

Man this is a really challenging puzzle. Very, VERY well done!

4.5/5, superb! The look and feel are amazing, the limited color palette and crunchy sound effects combined with the ambient soundtrack make for a haunting experience. The puzzles are tough but fair, and the mechanics are clean and the theme adds to the game in a way few others have been able to master. The reason I took off half a point was twofold. One, and this is just me nitpicking, but the controls felt a little tedious at times, especially reset. I would know the solution to the puzzle but then spend a full minute or two trying to execute it, and when I got it wrong and reset the game it would take a few tries to get the buttons to do what I wanted. The second thing also relates to reset, I believe. I got all six pearls, and I was really excited to get to the end and get that bonus room thingy, but the game bugged out on me and I couldn't get to the end. I went past the room where you have to use two bricks to make the spider guy hit the switch, and then came back to get the final pearl in the hall before you introduce the spiders. Turns out when I got the pearl and got back, the spider in the room with the two bricks was no longer a spider, but a brick, and he was now back in the center of the room and the door was locked. I thought maybe this was intentional but I could not interact with the new brick, so I assumed it was a bug. Thought I would let you know! Thanks!

@TrashGames
I had no idea about this bug. Nice catch.

When the spider hits the switch it becomes a brick so it cannot move anymore.
When you reset to the checkpoint, the game takes the spider back to it's position, but it didn't reset the spider to it's alive state! So the spider remained a brick when being brought to it's original position, which is the center of the room.

Thanks for letting me know, and thanks to everybody else for playing!

Excellent use of two buttons. The game absolutely would not be the same without it. The puzzles were well done and the mechanics were nicely introduced and fleshed out.
Great job

Is the bug that Trash Games pointed out something that you are allowed to fix? Will you?

More importantly, though, this game is excellent! I've just FINALLY fully beaten it and feel incredibly satisfied. 5 stars!

Really clever puzzles and the art is lovely <3
Realyl good job

BEAUTIFUL! Loved the aesthetic. The limited color palette, the animations, the tiny bubbles. The puzzles were fiendishly clever. I loved how you used the two buttons to create a new mechanic rather than use it as a pointless limit. Great job! Thank you so much for making it!

great game! I love it when a game doesn't look at all like something that was created over a weekend.

Nifty puzzle game. Love the Game Boy aesthetic. Having to repeatedly turn the same direction is a bit annoying, but works well with the turn-based puzzles. Solid work.

Nice! Super clever puzzles. Definitely thought some were impossible until I had a breakthrough. I think the only issue is that getting the extra pearls was a bit tedious, and one mistake meant resetting which sometimes sent me further back than I thought it would. Otherwise this is awesome, great work.

Clever puzzles and I like the way you kind of made two different difficulty levels, according to whether we try to collect all the thingies. (IMO the game is much more satisfying trying to collect all of them!)

At first I felt like the controls were just there to be a limitation, but once I got to the puzzles that utilize your movement the game really became an interesting and challenging experience. I adore the graphics!!

Squid friend! Awesome work! I loved the limitations and clever implementations of puzzles :D I did really wish that you could rotate both directions, but a few minutes in I didn't really care. Awesome graphics!