LudumData

ARTIFACTS by Fran Segura

[raw]
made by Fran Segura for LD 40 (JAM)

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17/12/17

We've released a new post-jam build adding a bunch of stuff. The most important things are:

  • We've changed the way the camera follows the player because it was making it very hard to aim with the hook. Now the camera will center on the player instead of were he is looking.
  • We've added an alternative ending illustration when the player ends the game with all the gems collected.
  • We've changed how the xbox controller works. Now the left joystick will move the player and the right joystick will aim the hook. Both the A button and the left trigger can be used to jump, and the hook is used now with the right trigger (and the right bumper, as it worked before).
  • We've added cheatcodes! Some people suggested that the game should not have fall damage. We thought that removing that would change how we envisioned the game, but we agree that the game can be very unfair sometimes. For this reason we've decided to add some alternatives for those players that just want to see the game without the difficulty. These are old school cheats, so you have to type some magic words with your keyboard to enable them. The cheatcodes are:

longfallshoes -> fall damage on/off

2spooky4me -> god mode on/off

06/12/17

We've added a new version of the game to the itch.io webpage. It fixes some errors with the camera and the hook and adds some improvements too.

About the game

* *ARTIFACTS ** is a platformer about a girl who makes a living retrieving ancient treasures from long forgotten civilizations. Inspired by games like Worms and Flinthook, you must use your grappling hook to survive through the dangerous corridors and towers and the restless spirits that inhabit them.

Will you be able to survive the dungeon and come back alive with all its secrets?

Tip : Watch the environment closely and look for hidden passages! It can help you run from the enemies.

*We hope you enjoy our game. Thanks! *

Controls

  • LMB or "RB" button to throw your hook. It will attach to some surfaces, allowing you to keep exploring. In v1.1 the "RT" button (xbox controller) can also be used.

  • Space or "A" button to jump. If your hook is attached to something jumping will detach it but you'll keep the momentum. In v1.1 the "LT" button (xbox controller) can also be used.

  • Up/down keys to lengthen/shorten the rope's length when you are attached to a ring.

  • RMB or "B" button to detach the hook.

  • Esc or "Start" button to pause the game.

  • "T" to change the controller mode (by default it's keyboard/mouse - you should change it if you're going to play with an xbox controller or it wont work well).

  • "R" to kill yourself and restart the game in the previous checkpoint.

  • "Tab" to show the aiming trajectory.

The Team

· * Jaime Muela * (programmer): https://twitter.com/jaimuepe

· * Fran Segura * (artist): https://twitter.com/fvsegura

· * Juan Hust Novella * (musician): https://twitter.com/Juan_Hust

HTML5 (web) https://jaimuepe.itch.io/artifacts
Windows https://jaimuepe.itch.io/artifacts
macOS https://jaimuepe.itch.io/artifacts
Linux https://jaimuepe.itch.io/artifacts
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/40/artifacts

Ratings

Overall 78th 4.008⭐ 66🧑‍⚖️
Fun 223th 3.688⭐ 66🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 285th 3.516⭐ 66🧑‍⚖️
Theme 732th 3.242⭐ 66🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 57th 4.5⭐ 68🧑‍⚖️
Audio 23th 4.25⭐ 66🧑‍⚖️
Humor 504th 3.07⭐ 59🧑‍⚖️
Mood 62th 4.056⭐ 65🧑‍⚖️
Given 51🗳️ 73🗨️

Feedback

konomizure
05. Dec 2017 · 18:07 UTC
My system is 32 bits, so i can't play the game. this is sad, the game looks really cute. :/
le_american
05. Dec 2017 · 19:56 UTC
i really like the graphics and the idea but its a bit hard to play.. i normally prefer the controller but aiming the grappling hook with it is very hard so i died a lot that way.. its easier to use the grappling hook with the mouse but then the screen moves and i cant land it to any of the hoops- this is problem happens when i'm swinging down.. but overall its a really nice game :)
hillexed
05. Dec 2017 · 20:53 UTC
The game says "HTML5", but I don't see an HTML5 link on your itch.io page - just a Windows download. Are there other downloads available?
jaimuepe
06. Dec 2017 · 11:17 UTC
@konomizure @hillexed hi! I was planning to upload an html5 web today, but we've been using FMOD for the first time and apparently it doesn't support exporting to html5 yet :/. We're looking for alternatives, but in the meantime I've uploaded builds for windows, linux and mac OS, both 32 and 64 bits. Sorry about that :(
Angry Squirrels
06. Dec 2017 · 12:25 UTC
Once you get the controls the mechanics are really good.
I'm not sure that the fact of dying when falling from too high is a good feature though. The difficulty comes more from that than the number of ghosts. I tried real hard to come to the end but couldn't (sometimes grappling too fast killed me too), i'll probably try again though cause overall i still loved that game a lot.

The graphics are really amazing, probably the best i've seen so far in that LD. The music is really awesome, and i'll definitely take a look at what you people make outside the LD.

GG ! It's beautiful work.
Juan Hust Novella
06. Dec 2017 · 13:54 UTC
@angry-squirrels thank you for the feedback. We have discussed about the distance of falling death, as you say the real challenge should come from the ghost.
For me was the first jam with the team and i am very happy with the results.
jaimuepe
06. Dec 2017 · 23:07 UTC
@hillexed @angry-squirrels thanks for playing! We've added a new version fixing some errors, it should be a more pleasant experience now, in case you guys want to give it a try again :). I've updated the game's info to list some of the changes made.

In my opinion removing the death from falls would be too much, as it would make some parts very trivial. We also wanted to encourage the players to do some rappel. We'll discuss it and maybe make another version with a couple more things.
Taugeshtu
06. Dec 2017 · 23:49 UTC
This game is lovely! Watched it on stream, played myself - a fun little story and a fun experience
JCMonkey
07. Dec 2017 · 21:30 UTC
interesting game, though the swinging could be a bit easier. other then that everything was ok.
DuzzOnDrums
08. Dec 2017 · 06:59 UTC
Cool atmosphere! It was tough but controls were tight. It gets really tricky with a bunch of ghosts so the theme really shines through!
Oniwaka
09. Dec 2017 · 17:46 UTC
wonderful art and character design
Hisfantor
09. Dec 2017 · 18:13 UTC
very intuitive and the swing was cool only some of the hitboxes felt a litte off
soldierbear
09. Dec 2017 · 18:16 UTC
Great art and movement mechanics.
sgadrat
09. Dec 2017 · 19:55 UTC
The graphics and audio are golden in this gem! Movement mechanics with the hook are nice while could be awesome with litle tweaks, it seems sometimes harder than it should (I do not know why).

Since we often die by falling, an animation more straight (less frames before the head hurts the ground, more after) could improve the feeling of a crash. She currently seems to fall asleep, which is still good for dying by touching the ghosts.
jaimuepe
09. Dec 2017 · 20:01 UTC
@sgadrat thanks for the feedback! Not sure of what changes we could make to the hook to make it feel better, but if you have any suggestion or idea please let us know.
Steve Johnson
09. Dec 2017 · 21:23 UTC
The beginning is punishing without giving you a chance to figure things out. You basically have to die before you understand what you're supposed to do. I didn't have the patience to continue much past the gameboy because the ghost movement was very difficult to avoid in a way that felt unfair.
CyManSAP
09. Dec 2017 · 21:33 UTC
Here's the deal: I really want to like this game, but the camera movement keeps tripping me up. I wish it would follow the character and not where I'm facing. The pixel art is very good, the music is good.
The Triumvirate
09. Dec 2017 · 21:33 UTC
Those hook mechanics are working excellent, good job! The music created a wonderful athmosphere.
jaimuepe
09. Dec 2017 · 22:01 UTC
@steve-johnson Thanks for playing the game! the thing about the ghosts is that when they get too far from the player they'd teleport to a closest location. We did this because the ghosts were slow enough that you would not see them again after the first time, but if we made them faster it'd be too complicated the first time. But yeah, this solution can (and does) lead to some unfair scenarios.

@cymansap thanks for the feedback! i see how that could be annoying, and it doesn't really serve any real purpose right now (it used to make more sense the way the game was being built initially.. but not now). I'll probably change it in our next build.
Space_man
09. Dec 2017 · 22:05 UTC
Very nice art and sound! It took a while for me to realize how important jumping at the end of a grapple was, but the controls felt good once I figured it out. Fall damage is a bit annoying, not sure it adds much to the game.
Lex
10. Dec 2017 · 03:54 UTC
Best plot so far! I love short games with an actual story and unlike mine everything fits well in your game (graphics, audio, characters, scenery, etc). Congratulations!
sahilts
10. Dec 2017 · 12:17 UTC
great game , challenging gameplay ,in the took me a while to get use to controla!
yishalee
10. Dec 2017 · 12:51 UTC
Fantastic! Perfect art adn music. Gameplay and level design is also terrific. Just one question, how is it linked to the theme. I guess every time I died I'll create a ghost?
jaimuepe
10. Dec 2017 · 12:56 UTC
@yishalee the ghosts are spawned when you collect the artifacts. So, the more artifacts you have, the more ghosts there are, and the game becomes more difficult!
jk5000
10. Dec 2017 · 13:12 UTC
Interesting and really well made.
tulipekoni
10. Dec 2017 · 16:40 UTC
Stunning! everything fit in so well. grappling hook worked like a charm! One of the best games I have played in this jam! good job!
multiplexor
10. Dec 2017 · 18:13 UTC
Awesome Game! Great visuals, simple yet effective mechanic and a very cool background music!

If I could add something it might be some story, that might make the experience even more inmersive!

Great work overall! Keep up the good work! ;)
Gama Croma
10. Dec 2017 · 18:17 UTC
The BEST game I've played so far
Arden
10. Dec 2017 · 18:38 UTC
WOW, this is a challenging title!

I did manage to beat it after about a billion attempts. haha. :laughing:

Graphics and audio were great. The hook is challenging to master, but I started getting used to it near the end.
Not much cc on this one. Great entry!
KerelOlivier
10. Dec 2017 · 18:41 UTC
Loved the game, but it became pretty difficult when that big ghost starts chasing you.
Dlaha
10. Dec 2017 · 19:05 UTC
I'm impresed what you managed to create in such a small ammount of time. Very nice and playable. One of the best entries so far.
JossComposer
10. Dec 2017 · 19:45 UTC
Good game ! It's beatiful, and the music is nice ! (though I didn't get any changes regarding the progression in the game... normal ?)
It seems to me that the gameplay isn't fully balanced, a bit hard, and LD lacks checkpoints... There is some work to do on the hook mechanic (very difficult to aim). (about that, the button on xbox controller isn't "RT" but "RB" ;-) )
Nice entry anyways, with very strong visuals ! GG
(our game is overhere if you want to check it out : https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/40/the-darkest-light
jaimuepe
10. Dec 2017 · 19:49 UTC
@JossComposer Do you mean changes in the music? It changes after getting the 3rd relic. And yeah, it is definitely easier with keyboard+mouse than it is with an xbox controller. What do you mean it lacks checkpoints? there's one after each relic.

Thanks for playing! (I'll update the game info to change the buttons, thanks :P)
Oceanosaurus
10. Dec 2017 · 20:06 UTC
A very nice entry. The atmosphere is great, thanks to the beautiful graphics and the relaxing soundtrack. Both these aspects are incredibly polished for a jam game. Controls work well too, but in some occasions I felt "missing" some joint points with the hook which I felt I targetted correctly. This probably happened when scrolling fast. A "magnet" feature to lock the aim when still hanging on another joint could be a nice thing to try!

Overall a pretty impressive entry, had a great time trying this one out!
Grentacular
10. Dec 2017 · 20:17 UTC
I had a lot of fun playing this one! I played both the original Jam release and the updated version, and you fixed most of the problems I would have mentioned about the Jam release. There was one issue during the final escape sequence though: I seemed to get caught on an invisible block or something that I had to jump over to continue. It was right at the end of the hallway just before the entrance room.

This was an excellent game. Nice work!
NumNumDude
10. Dec 2017 · 20:24 UTC
Amazing graphics and sound. It was really fun to swing around and avoid obstacles. Collecting objects was fun too. The game did have it's challenges though, and I feel like more effort should have been put forth to the grappling mechanics than the other really polished parts of the game. Ghosts were kind of annoying, I like how the game progresses and is fairly linear, unlike arcade style games. Also the camera turns were kind of annoying. Great level design and atmosphere. A solid and astounding entry!
JossComposer
10. Dec 2017 · 22:16 UTC
@jaimuepe ok for the change in the music ! I think it should be a more fluent/constant change, to get the feeling of evolution into the player (for instance : slow transitions or instruments add/overlap, or even a tempo speed-up)
With the current game difficulty, it got me frustrated not to have checkpoints even twice a relic :-)
notpresident35
11. Dec 2017 · 02:48 UTC
Lol! My game is named artifact, and it was beat to the punch by another game named artifact! This appears to be a VERY popular name...
https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/40/artifact-1
Lazard
11. Dec 2017 · 14:48 UTC
Okay wow, hands down the BEST game I played in this jam. The gameplay is neat, the music is really cool, the theme is spot-on, the replay value is great.

I'm confident you will have a high place in the final score !
SaraMartins
11. Dec 2017 · 20:06 UTC
The game visuals are perfect, and the music sets pretty well the mood. That said, the game is way too difficult. The controls are too weird. I kept dying because I couldn't aim and wal at the same time to hook the grappling hook. Also, when the game started, there was no explanation and I died over and over until I understood what I had to do. By the time the ghost came, I already was fed up with dying and the dying scream. Running away from it and once again being unable to aim made me continue to die, until I just had to stop because I wasn't having fun.

The game does look amazing, a great mood and an interesting and innovatice mechanic, however too awkward/difficult to control. If you manage to improve that, you probably have the perfect game. Also, I can't pinpoint the connection to the theme. Great work nonetheless :)
SaraMartins
11. Dec 2017 · 20:06 UTC
The game visuals are perfect, and the music sets pretty well the mood. That said, the game is way too difficult. The controls are too weird. I kept dying because I couldn't aim and wal at the same time to hook the grappling hook. Also, when the game started, there was no explanation and I died over and over until I understood what I had to do. By the time the ghost came, I already was fed up with dying and the dying scream. Running away from it and once again being unable to aim made me continue to die, until I just had to stop because I wasn't having fun.

The game does look amazing, a great mood and an interesting and innovatice mechanic, however too awkward/difficult to control. If you manage to improve that, you probably have the perfect game. Also, I can't pinpoint the connection to the theme. Great work nonetheless :)
jaimuepe
11. Dec 2017 · 20:51 UTC
@saramartins Hi Sara! I assume you played with a controller? The game is definitely easier with keyboard+mouse, in case you want to give it a try. Do you have any suggestion about how we could improve the controls? We tried controlling the hook with the right joystick but it was harder to jump+aim, so we decided to implement the aiming with the left joystick.

The connection with the theme is that everytime you collect an artifact, a ghosts spawns. The more artifacts you collect the more ghosts there are, therefore the harder the game becomes.

Thanks for your feedback!
Tamyres Iracet
13. Dec 2017 · 03:23 UTC
Your game is cute! Very good graphics and animations! I had some trouble with the difficulty of the game, specially with the random spawn of the ghosts, and because of it, the further I went, it kinda seemed it wasnt because I got better at the game, but because of the RNG of the ghosts.
But needless to say, overall, a VERY solid game, congratulations!
SaraMartins
13. Dec 2017 · 05:55 UTC
@jaimuepe I played with the keyboard. Maybe one could point with the mouse (i.e. direction defined by mouse position, changed everytime mouse moves) so I could point towards where I want the hook to attach (from the allowed loops of course). As the throw hook is already with LMB I think it would combine rather easily.

I think this alone might improve the experience, but I only can tell after and if you decide to implement it of course. But for now I think it is my main suggestion. :)
Mike Cullingham
13. Dec 2017 · 21:31 UTC
Nice graphics and sound. Controls were frustrating. Couldn't reliably aim with the gamepad (I'd suggest the right stick and using a shoulder button for jump). With mouse + keyboard the view seemed to shift back and forth sometimes that made me miss hooks. For level design, needs to give a clue of what lies offscreen when there are blind jumps that need to be made and a drop too far resets progress. All that said, grappling hooks are always fun so it's a cool idea.
ArtCat
17. Dec 2017 · 01:51 UTC
Wow, what a solid entry! Speaking of "relics" this game reminds me of Pitfall from the ol' NES days. I love the simple 32-bit graphics and gameplay mechanics. Once I got the "hang" of the controls, I felt like Batman in the bat cave! I'd wish you all would have throw more emphasis on music during game play. Congrats on your entry!

Feel free to check out our title as well:
http://bitly.com/calligratree
LorenzoS
17. Dec 2017 · 22:15 UTC
Nice entry. I enjoyed playing it, but I can't make the end.

Great pixel art for the player, the exteriors and enemies (I particularly liked the big blue one that chase you in the fast run scene); the corridors instead feels a little too flat imho.

Platforming controls are sufficiently tight (I used mouse + keyboard). Maybe there could be some snapping for the rope, so you can attach rings also when not fired exactly towards them. Also, I couldn't get how to reach the platform in the left room after the really first pit: there's a ring on the upper floor, but I didn't succeed in using it to jump on.

I can see the theme (more artefacts means more ghosts, harder) but I think it’s a little bit weak.
sbarrio
18. Dec 2017 · 10:39 UTC
Amazing presentation (graphics and audio) for a jam game. Gameplay-wise on the other hand felt a bit short for me. Sometimes you just can't see what's below you so it feels a bit unfair when you die and in the end you have to rely on memorization to get through the level. Nice entry anyways!
falak
18. Dec 2017 · 18:40 UTC
I LOVE THIS GAME!!! <3 YOU MUST WIN!
toboggan
19. Dec 2017 · 02:44 UTC
Incredible art, it looks so good. I love when enemies look sad, like they're not happy about being a threat to you. Cool idea and design too.
jandourek
19. Dec 2017 · 07:24 UTC
AWESOME! The music, graphics, and music were really good. I felt like a real adventurer for a while :) Good job! One of my favorite games of this jam so far!
Andrew White
21. Dec 2017 · 17:20 UTC
Really cool game. The grappling hook is a nice game mechanic.
Gruhh
23. Dec 2017 · 11:59 UTC
A simple game, but with good art and gameplay. Congratulations on the dynamics of the game, I would like to see it with a bit more feedbacks, I think it would combine with the speed of movement.

Um jogo simples, mas com uma boa arte e jogabilidade. Parabéns pela dinâmica do jogo, gostaria de ver ele com um pouco mais de feedbacks, acho que combinaria com a velocidade do movimento. :flag_br:
Jupiter_Hadley
06. Feb 2018 · 15:23 UTC
Lovely graphics, nice game! I included it in my Ludum Dare 40 compilation video series, if you’d like to take a look. :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtXXwu1asxI