Auraboros by nicross

[raw]
made by nicross for Ludum Dare 47 (JAM)

Devour rival singularities or be assimilated. An endless shooter with bullet hell and reverse tower defense influences.

Auraboros is an audio game best experienced with headphones.

splash screen

Ratings

Overall 1493th 2.889⭐ 20🧑‍⚖️
Fun 1594th 2.361⭐ 20🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 175th 3.944⭐ 20🧑‍⚖️
Theme 1630th 2.278⭐ 20🧑‍⚖️
Audio 168th 3.944⭐ 20🧑‍⚖️
Mood 808th 3.389⭐ 20🧑‍⚖️
Given 33🗳️ 0🗨️

Feedback

Trizalio
06. Oct 2020 · 12:17 UTC
Does not work for me =(
After intro, when fullscrieen activates, i see only black screen, after some time it changes to game over
Wheather i press space, i hear shots
Repair it plz, it sounds nice, i`d like to play
🎤 nicross
06. Oct 2020 · 16:40 UTC
@trizalio I wish I had more time for a proper tutorial so I'm sorry for the confusion. This is an audio game with no graphics. You play as a black hole, so when you move you'll hear a rumble instead of footsteps. An alert sounds whenever a wormhole spawns and they beep when you're locked on. As long as they're active they'll spawn enemy black holes that chase after you. You'll need to destroy them both to earn points. Hope this helps!

Edit: I should add that the game is designed for Chromium-based browsers and its desktop builds provide the best audio.
Dexort
06. Oct 2020 · 17:32 UTC
The idea is nice, but didn't really like the execution. It will work for an art project, but it is lacking the "game" substence for me.
givit-game-studios
06. Oct 2020 · 17:35 UTC
I have no idea what is going on. I tried the game a couple of times but just couldn't understand what is going on. Maybe do a POST JAM version of the game with a tutorial level so that we know what is going on.
BellringerQuinn
06. Oct 2020 · 17:39 UTC
Am I supposed to be just seeing a black screen after I start the game? I hear myself shooting and I see nothing then eventually I get a game over.
Lenophie
06. Oct 2020 · 17:39 UTC
Fun concept but very tedious to get to work well, I gave it a few tries even with the instructions but couldn't figure what to do. It's sad because there definitely is a neat mood in there!
Sol Roo
06. Oct 2020 · 17:42 UTC
It is simple yet effective. I enjoyed it, not sure if the way you describe it, but it is a great abstract game with a good immersion.

Good job!
fatalcaca
06. Oct 2020 · 17:46 UTC
That's an awesome idea but tbo I couldn't find what to do :p
Tried to get closer to the bipbip, shot at it, run around
Couldn't figure out where to go (or even how the space is made)
cad
06. Oct 2020 · 17:47 UTC
Very innovative idea, the audio was great! I did however find myself somewhat lost sometimes
pleyad
06. Oct 2020 · 17:49 UTC
I'm disagreeing with most of the other commentors!
I really liked your game (Highscore 141, Yeah!) and found the audio really appealing.

But as you have commented yourself, it lacks a bit of a tutorial.
- How exactly can I imagine my movement?
- Is every "approaching" sound an evil entity?
- Can you only "shoot" the evil entities, or can you also outrun them?

Something that threw me off a bit was the movement description. There were WAY too many possible movements for not having any visual feedback :sweat_smile:

I think for another implementation or your next game (audio based), spend as much effort on the explanation of movements as you have spent for the explanation of your narrative.
It would probably also be a great idea to have some sort of "screen saver", maybe some dark, wavering atmospheric lights. That way, the player can be sure that the game doesnt have trouble loading but is actually supposed to be played "in the dark" :smiley:
Szatku
06. Oct 2020 · 18:13 UTC
Concept of audio game is nice, but this game is little bit confusing for me. Maybe you should add more description about game.

But audio is good, concept is also ok. Font in start screens looks ok, and logo is beauty :-) When I catched what to do in this game, I was enjoyed.
Fearawl
06. Oct 2020 · 18:24 UTC
Absolutely amazing game! I really wanted to figure out what's what and understand how to play. And I think I did it! But I'm not sure :)

my record is 1270 points, and I can't imagine how it happened. Absolutely amazing gaming experience! Thank you so much for your game and random for the fact that I came across your game :D
🎤 nicross
07. Oct 2020 · 05:13 UTC
Hi folks! Based on your feedback I added a detailed tutorial section to the itch page (hidden behind spoiler tags). I hope this better explains the game, its mechanics, and how to be successful. I agree that in a post-jam update I'd love to expand this into the game itself. I primarily make audio-only games that combine my passions of sound synthesis and accessibility. Thanks for your time and for trying a game that might defy your expectations.

Edit: Please keep the high scores coming! Mine is 8,170.
snowinn
24. Oct 2020 · 03:42 UTC
This is a really novel idea and I like the uniqueness of creating an endless shooter without visual feedback. I would however make sure the player knows that game is meant to be played in total darkness, because I was very confused until I read some of the comments and understood what ‘audio game’ meant. The highest score I got was 598, clearly not as good as the master, you. 😂