Trumpet-chan's Dungeon by Narwaffles

[raw]
made by Narwaffles for Ludum Dare 46 (JAM)

My Ludum Dare submission

Help trumpet-chan escape from the depths of the dungeon in this short puzzle platformer.

scr2.png

Controls:

WASD to move, Space Bar to use special ability of item, E to interact/pick up item, R to drop item

If holding trumpet:

J/K/L to press valve Space to play

If holding torch:

Space to throw torch

If holding nothing:

Space to jump

Ratings

Overall 2158th 3.024⭐ 23🧑‍⚖️
Fun 1984th 2.929⭐ 23🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 1604th 3.095⭐ 23🧑‍⚖️
Theme 2009th 3.214⭐ 23🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 1717th 3.238⭐ 23🧑‍⚖️
Audio 1138th 3.125⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Humor 503th 3.5⭐ 23🧑‍⚖️
Mood 1633th 3.143⭐ 23🧑‍⚖️
Given 29🗳️ 13🗨️

Feedback

NanoArch
21. Apr 2020 · 00:49 UTC
Overall, I like the concept and humor of the game. But the controllers were a little fidgety , but all in all, its a good game.
Nachodlv
21. Apr 2020 · 00:55 UTC
The jumps are a little bit buggy. I really liked the idea
marccspro
21. Apr 2020 · 00:56 UTC
The game was a bit complicated to understand at first but it was great to play, good job !
NateTheGreat
21. Apr 2020 · 01:00 UTC
Fun concept. The moody lighting was cool at first but my torches kept dying really quickly so I resorted to turning my brightness all the way up. I'm not sure if there were some invisible walls but the zombies seem to have some sort of boundary and there are certain places I was having trouble jumping.
fullmetal_automaton
21. Apr 2020 · 01:02 UTC
Love that you added individual control the trumpet valves so that you can play strange songs as you run around.
tgiant
23. Apr 2020 · 05:42 UTC
The game was ok for me. Background music did not feel to fit the game.
Zivfo
23. Apr 2020 · 05:51 UTC
reminds me of the time playing trumpet long ago.. nice concept. hope you keep refining on it
CataclysmicKnight
23. Apr 2020 · 05:53 UTC
This game is hilarious in concept! I honestly didn't have any problem with torches because I was able to go through and just hit all the switches while the first torch stayed lit for what seemed like forever. I play games with my audio muted but giving people the ability to play with the trumpet was awesome, and Trumpet-Chan was hysterical.
CarlOfAllTrades
23. Apr 2020 · 06:00 UTC
In my humble opinion and in accordance with what other said, the game at first is very intricate to understand, and tecnically has some problems. However I like humor and combination trumpet-skeleton as idea. Fix the problems and make it more understandable.
stevenjmiller
23. Apr 2020 · 06:05 UTC
Very fun game, being able to play different notes is a nice touch, and I found the game as a whole quite charming. As for feedback, I think speeding up the rate at which dialogue appears would be beneficial, as there were a few times where I accidentally missed part of a dialogue by triggering a new one before it was over. Additionally, I think the player character should also have health, as you can currently leave the trumpet behind at the checkpoint and run ahead to get the ladder without worrying about the zombies. Great job overall!
23. Apr 2020 · 06:20 UTC
This game feels like it's close to being really solid but there's a few things holding it back. First of all the controls are far too complicated - I lost track of buttons multiple times. Really you don't need a separate pick up/drop button, nor do you even need a throwing mechanic at all. Just map it all to one button so I don't have to remember what three different buttons do.

Second of all, since torches didn't "respawn", using one wrong would render the rest of the game impassable, which forced me to kill my character to restart. This should be an easy one to fix.

Finally, the level design - which is probably the most important feature of these types of puzzle platformers - was lackluster. I think this is in part due to the game's core concept and functionality - it sounds really interesting and unique on paper, but when you think about it it's really, really constraining. Pretty much the only real "puzzle" you can create involves dropping the trumpet by a torch, then going up to bring down a ladder. The only way to build on this is to add layers of this same sequence, which is not particularly fun.

Graphics gelled together really well and the sound design, from music to sound effects to mixing, was absolutely on point. Letting me press the valves on the trumpet was a cool novelty even if it didn't affect gameplay, and killing zombies was really satisfying thanks to the audiovisual responsiveness. I also enjoyed the writing of the trumpet character - gave the game some good personality.
Space_man
11. May 2020 · 03:05 UTC
I like how you can run around playing songs on the trumpet! The controls are a bit confusing though, and the game is a bit too dark when not carrying a torch.