NothingMan by Arity

[raw]
made by Arity for Ludum Dare 45 (JAM)

A game where you become something. Then become nothing again. And so on...

CONTROLS

Move: Left-Right Arrows

Jump: Space

Wall Grab: Up Arrow

Double Jump: Space again after jump

Hover: Left Shift

Ratings

Overall 536th 3.474⭐ 21🧑‍⚖️
Fun 456th 3.395⭐ 21🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 409th 3.395⭐ 21🧑‍⚖️
Theme 86th 4.105⭐ 21🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 788th 3.105⭐ 21🧑‍⚖️
Audio 183th 3.711⭐ 21🧑‍⚖️
Humor 498th 2.853⭐ 19🧑‍⚖️
Mood 516th 3.389⭐ 20🧑‍⚖️
Given 13🗳️ 5🗨️

Feedback

mrerdalural
10. Oct 2019 · 05:50 UTC
The graphics are a bit shaky aside from that game looks and plays really nicely. I liked the unlock ability mechanic but I wish there were more levels. I barely got to test the flying ability.

Thanks for making this game. It was really fun!
joqlepecheur
10. Oct 2019 · 05:53 UTC
I had trouble with the camera (not steady), and the walljumps were a bit weird. Also, in some levels you can see 'outside' the level. A tiny more polish on platformer feel could greetly improve sensation.
Music is cool.

Overall I liked the idea, and decomposing level gameplay in phases was nice.
Hugo BALDASSIN
10. Oct 2019 · 07:44 UTC
Find the concept really nice, love the musics, the only drawback are the movements a little laggy. Nice concept!
MoebiusMeow
10. Oct 2019 · 09:05 UTC
The mechanic is quite innovative. It is just like the reverse version of some games in LD44. I like this idea.

Also, it would be better if there are some improvements in control. Walljumps and doublejumps were hard to control and I fell down again and again in some levels just because when I thought I could grab the wall, I failed.

Anyway, it is still a nice game and I had fun playing it.
Jedd
10. Oct 2019 · 16:47 UTC
Controls are a little tricky and could use some work, but overall this is very innovative and clever. Nice work!
Kaizo
11. Oct 2019 · 06:43 UTC
I really liked the gameplay, and had a lot of fun playing. I liked your idea, I think it`s a bit original.
Graphics are shaking and sometimes is hard to jump.
Celdur
11. Oct 2019 · 06:45 UTC
Reminds me of an old DOS game or something.
I like the music getting more complex as you gain parts.
Level tiles were a bit wobbly though, and sometimes they'd disappear while still on the screen.
Also would've liked some more character animations, but I know how things go with time.
Overall though a pretty creative little game, lots of potential.
shieldgenerator7
11. Oct 2019 · 06:47 UTC
couldnt get past the first level :/
sorry not going to bother trying to get farther

EDIT: sorry, posted on wrong game. i will update this comment when I play this game

EDIT2: ok i played the game.

(1) not being able to see the platforms is frustrating. id say it works better as a level gimmick than a whole game concept

(2) the abilities were cool

(3) I wish Zenyatta had this guy's left shift ability

(4) when you hold a diretion and jump, he gets stuck on the wall instead of jumping to his full height. this stopped me up quite a bit before i found my eyes

(5) I use WASD and the wall stick ability didnt work for the W key

(6) it was cool that the sprite updated everytime you got a new ability

(7) +1 for custom audio and music
🎤 Arity
11. Oct 2019 · 06:49 UTC
Thanks so much for the nice comments, guys :) I'm going to polish up this version and then keep working on it in the form of a "post-jam" version! Really had a lot of ideas I left on the table. :)
Snowdrama
11. Oct 2019 · 10:56 UTC
Lots of glitchyness with movement and stuff but overall an interesting platformer. Liked that the powers reset each level so you start each level with nothing. Definitely needs some level design love but I think it has potential
Alphish
11. Oct 2019 · 16:55 UTC
That was a fun little platformer.

Usually this kind of upgrade system would be used globally like e.g in a metroidvania, but here it was used per-level basis, allowing for a variety of combinations, which I appreciate.

The gameplay was mostly fine except for one little yet significant thing - wall-jumps. The way they were executed, i.e. with holding UP to stick to the wall, was needlessly cumbersome. I feel it could've been mapped to the wallside button (e.g. if you press left while falling against a wall to the left, you cling to it) and it'd be way more natural.

The graphics were fine, though sometimes they felt glitchy, especially the last level. The audio fit the game well. I love how you made the soundtrack increasingly rich as player collects more upgrades - way to nail the mood.

One note about the menu - the game doesn't really tell what to do to play, so I wasn't even sure if I'm supposed to press some keyboard buttons or click the PLAY or do something else. Some indicators like "Press SPACE to continue" are always helpful.

Overall, quite an entertaining entry, if maybe rough around the edges.
dbr
12. Oct 2019 · 23:52 UTC
Good idea :D. With some polishing and a captive character, your game can be something. It reminds me of some mobile puzzles.
Mad Brokli
22. Oct 2019 · 09:16 UTC
Great game and love the idea. The sound is great and fits the game. When moving there is a lot of character shake so make the game look a bit unpolished. A few sfx like jumpin, landing, walking etc.. would be make the game feel more complete.This can be a good mobile game I think
niterich
24. Oct 2019 · 23:38 UTC
A very interesting and appropriate take on the theme with some nice music that adds layers as you collect parts (a very nice detail), but I must admit it was very rough around the edges, as others have mentioned. The awkward wall jumps, the extremely jittery camera, the lack of sound effects. I set my graphics level to Very Low and it made my movement speed so insanely high I clipped through a wall - perhaps you're missing a Time.deltaTime somewhere?

Since you said you wanted to make a post-jam version, may I suggest updating the controls a bit? For 2D sidescrollers, I've always preferred to use Z and X since they're close together and I can use my index and ring fingers; pressing space and shift with my pinky and thumb is a bit awkward.
fabula_rasa
25. Oct 2019 · 13:33 UTC
Overall, quite nice. I really liked the concept of starting without eyes and legs and finding your part in the darkness.

The screen felt a bit jerky when I was jumping around but that maybe just my impression. I also had trouble with wall grabbing, it did not seem to work consistently.