LudumData

Keep It Alive (didn't find a better title, ah) by ThomasLebel

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made by ThomasLebel for Ludum Dare 46 (JAM)

Second GameJam, and holy crap that's hard ! I tried, my best, but the game still lacks some cool features, like...musics and sounds or preview for earth and air spells !! :cry:

Well, nevertheless, I'm proud of me :smile:

The game doesn't really have a name, so call it "Keep it alive".

You play as a mage using 4 elementary spells to protect and bring the last spark of Mana to the world's altar.

Fire burn foes

Air push everything away

Earth build irremovable walls

​Water protect from every danger

Use those spells cleverly to pass all 5 levels and save the World.

TitleScreen_small.png

Postsubmission changelog :

  • Correctly added the A key to move left

  • Increased player move speed

  • Mana spark no longer pass through wall

  • Added buttons to switch spells :)

Youtube https://thomaslebel.itch.io/keep-italive
Youtube https://thomaslebel.itch.io/keep-italive
Youtube https://thomaslebel.itch.io/keepitalive-postsubmission-bugfixes
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/46/keep-it-alive-didnt-found-a-better-title-ah

Ratings

Overall 2174th 3.014⭐ 37🧑‍⚖️
Fun 2108th 2.838⭐ 36🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 1993th 2.868⭐ 36🧑‍⚖️
Theme 1970th 3.25⭐ 36🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 2106th 2.75⭐ 36🧑‍⚖️
Humor 1970th 1.982⭐ 30🧑‍⚖️
Mood 2256th 2.576⭐ 35🧑‍⚖️
Given 25🗳️ 11🗨️

Feedback

dvdfu
21. Apr 2020 · 21:27 UTC
I love the spells, I found the air spell very fun to use! I noticed that dropping the mana next to a wall causes it to drop out of screen, was that intentional? Either way, the mana mechanic fit the theme excellently, good job!
HeylloPotato
21. Apr 2020 · 21:27 UTC
The game was good and I liked the idea but there were a couple issues with the movement I wasnt able to move to the left with A so had to use arrow keys and with the control layout arrow keys didnt work that well, also I felt like the wizard was a bit slow but other than that it was a good game and nice concept!
Sli
21. Apr 2020 · 21:32 UTC
Very nice idea. I liked it very much. Contols where Q and D, a bug I guess. Also time moves strangly
Overall great entry
Evanaellio
21. Apr 2020 · 21:36 UTC
Couldn't get to the end because the game wouldn't let me progress to level 2 (even though I was holding the spark of mana). The wind spell is pretty fun to use, especially when you start to fly away. One little thing I found was missing is the ability to change spell by clicking on it rather than using the keyboard, it felt more natural to me :slight_smile:
Kerrindor
21. Apr 2020 · 21:36 UTC
Nice platformer. Spells are an interesting idea. Had fun flying across one of the maps, though it meant leaving the mana behind so I had to go back.

At one point the mana fell through the level after dropping it.
dummydojo
21. Apr 2020 · 21:39 UTC
Good beginner game! Something to be proud of for sure. I liked that you had a tutorial. A surprising number of games overlook this. Some critiques:


-The controls were really weird. I could only move with Q-D? Seems like a strange choice. Also I feel like you could have made this a full keyboard game w/o use of the mouse and it would work well


-Several game breaking bugs. The mana potion kept falling through the floor and making me restart the level. I'm glad that you considered this though and made the level restart.


-Game felt sluggish. I would suggest just speeding everything up.


Good job on making it though! Cheers!
Almax
21. Apr 2020 · 21:40 UTC
I walked past the mana spark and couldn't go back!!!... took me a solid 20 seconds before realising move left is 'Q' on a QWERTY keyboard haha. You must use AZERTY.

Gameplay was a little slow to start but it introduced the mechanics very well, and there's a lot of variation here with the spells! Nice work :)
Cjblobby
21. Apr 2020 · 21:41 UTC
A pretty decent concept, but the level is quite hard to move vertically in with the wind, but some mild tuning should help. Well done.
Bailey
21. Apr 2020 · 21:41 UTC
each of the spells were fun to use, especially liked the art and effect of the air spell
MaximeG
21. Apr 2020 · 21:42 UTC
This is a great game, but a bit to linear, adding extra move set would be a solution
Ivan643
21. Apr 2020 · 21:43 UTC
I dropped the mana on the zobmi's head. I launched mana into space. I stood on the head of a zombie. I dropped mana into the abyss. Of me a useless keeper. It was fun :)
makkurataichou
21. Apr 2020 · 21:48 UTC
Good concept, and I like the art!! The tutorials were helpful, but the A key doesn't work for movement, and I accidentally walked past the mana so I couldn't pick it up. The keys for spells were also not super intuitive. Great job finishing your second jam though!!
Natasza
21. Apr 2020 · 21:53 UTC
I liked the pixel art graphics, the statue looks super cool. I would work more on the background. Maybe do it in pixel art style too or add more details. I got stuck a few times because the "A" button dosn't work Although it was supposed to. Only after restarting the game a few times I notices that the "Q" does the work. I also had a problem with casting the wind spell. Good job, maybe next time make a shorter game, but more polished.
John Snyder
21. Apr 2020 · 21:54 UTC
Good job. I thought having different spells was fun and I was interested in the world. I found the Q/D button combo to move to be a bit odd and the second level the mana kept falling through the floor wich made progressing the game to be impossible. The art was good and I do see potential for the game.
TechnoGoth
21. Apr 2020 · 21:57 UTC
I like the statue pixel art but found the control difficult. The air spell took some getting used to.
jandourek
21. Apr 2020 · 22:04 UTC
Fun and challeging game! The controls took a while to get used to but in the end it was quite fun (also A and D doesn't seem to work, only Q and D). My favourite spell is definitely the wind spell which in combination with the earth spell to create platforms opens up a lot of movement options. Unfortunately I couldn't get past the final level, because my mana got stuck in the ground with no way to pick it up again. I also really like the statue art! Good job!
Ithildin
21. Apr 2020 · 22:10 UTC
The game idea is quite effective, fits the theme well and the different skills are nice, but there are some bugs in the controls making gameplay a bit frustrating.

Like another commenter mentioned, A doesn't work and using the arrows makes it tricky to switch between clicks and E/F keys, so I had to move with Q/D,which was less than optimal.

The wind skill was an unexpected nice touch, even if using it next to a wall usually caused the mana jar to fall off bounds.

Nonetheless, there's a cool idea here with potential to become even better. Good job!
fabula_rasa
21. Apr 2020 · 22:34 UTC
A solid entry. Congratulations!

I encountered a bug when I put the mana down and it kept falling though the world. As several people pointed out, casting the wind spell is a bit strange and A key doesn't work (and using QE for movement feels very strange).
🎤 ThomasLebel
21. Apr 2020 · 22:50 UTC
Thank you all for testing the game,
Glad you enjoyed it !

I made a second version fixing some of the bugs you all noticed.
And buttons to switch spell @evanaellio ;)

Oh, and yes, i'm on an azerty keyboard, that explained why I use Q to walk left :p
GuitarBro
22. Apr 2020 · 06:34 UTC
I like the color palette you've got in your game. It's simple but feels really nice. Would have been nice if you have music but I get it, jam stuff happens some times. :stuck_out_tongue: Gameplay is pretty interesting though and the spell switching is a nice touch.

One thing that I'd recommend is changing the font to one with a bit more personality (or aesthetic, or style, whatever you wanna call it lol). It's a little change that goes a long way in helping the game have a unique mood.

Overall not a bad experience though!
ursagames
22. Apr 2020 · 06:47 UTC
Hello! Your game was played during my stream!

If you happened to miss me playing the game, you can go to this spreadsheet to find what timestamp I played your game
https://tinyurl.com/yau8hjzn

And then look in my latest videos and find your game being play (after the current stream ends)
https://www.twitch.tv/ursagames/videos
Mathieu Semin
23. Apr 2020 · 17:27 UTC
I really liked the wind spell it feels really good to play around with ! Also liked the 4 elements idea but maybe that's more personal haha
Good job !