LudumData

LifeLine by pomeroyb

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

lifeline1.gif

Keep it alive! Control the heart beat for as long as possible to get the highest score!

Left and right click (Or press the "W" and "S" keys!) to move the ECG signal up or down, avoiding obstacles. Gain a combo multiplier by following a natural heart rhythm -- Up, down, up, down... Don't beat too fast, or you risk suffering from tachycardia! Press "R" for a fast restart if you lose!

For best graphics and sound quality, download the 64 bit Windows .zip file and play from there.

Also available on itch.io for web browsers and Android (with lower graphical/sound fidelity)

Video: https://youtu.be/_ojuuW9fZYs

Youtube https://pomeroyb.itch.io/lifeline
Youtube https://pomeroyb.itch.io/lifeline
Youtube https://pomeroyb.itch.io/lifeline
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/46/lifeline-2

Ratings

Overall 516th 3.802⭐ 55🧑‍⚖️
Fun 133th 4.019⭐ 55🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 128th 4⭐ 55🧑‍⚖️
Theme 73th 4.317⭐ 54🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 1549th 3.377⭐ 55🧑‍⚖️
Audio 846th 3.39⭐ 52🧑‍⚖️
Humor 1324th 2.756⭐ 47🧑‍⚖️
Mood 1225th 3.396⭐ 50🧑‍⚖️
Given 21🗳️ 10🗨️

Feedback

No Grapes Games
21. Apr 2020 · 04:23 UTC
Really cool. Really tough but really cool. This was very creative and I like how the line glows and the feeling you get when you click over and then under. Great use of the theme! I'm no good at this but I still had fun.
Darylsteak
21. Apr 2020 · 04:29 UTC
A challenging little game! Really difficult, but I like the idea. The audio and visuals were also quite nice.
TheQiwiBoy
21. Apr 2020 · 04:29 UTC
This game is pretty cool.
DJN
21. Apr 2020 · 04:30 UTC
I thought you had to go from top to bottom at first, but when I realized that you could go anywhere I was dodgin' back and forth like a madman! Legit fun game, good job!
xeno-software
21. Apr 2020 · 04:30 UTC
Great job! Loved this game! Perfect balance of difficulty and fun! I think maybe you could use a CRT post-processing effect, as well as sound effects for the up and down. Very fun overall.
kschmidt
21. Apr 2020 · 04:31 UTC
Great job! I glossed over the instructions and so was just left click tapping at first :) It would be cool if there were some keys I could use instead of mouse clicks, it's a bit hard to do on a laptop touchpad. Overall I had fun!
Don Fouts
21. Apr 2020 · 04:31 UTC
This is one of the better games I've seen today. Awesome work! I love how you incorporated the theme into your design. The controls are nice and snappy, and the visuals are on point. Really solid game.
HEXIEZ123
21. Apr 2020 · 04:32 UTC
Very well-rounded experience. I love how you die from tachycardia if you spam the heart.
Plepletier
21. Apr 2020 · 04:33 UTC
Great game!!! really challenge. Very fluid the animation of the heart line eheheh Good job
SynysterCola
21. Apr 2020 · 04:33 UTC
This is probably one of the most creative games I've played. Well done! Really like the concept and music! The green glow goes really well!
whydoidoit
21. Apr 2020 · 04:35 UTC
This is a great game, I'm struggling with right click on my Mac trackpad, but the point is, I am struggling with it not just moving along to the next game. Classic "hard" puzzle. One of my favourites today for sure.
Carson Bentley
21. Apr 2020 · 04:35 UTC
I really like this one. I'm gonna play this for a few more minutes. Probably my favorite game so far, of maybe 10 that I have tried.
Thiago Nascimento
21. Apr 2020 · 04:36 UTC
So nice! Its the same name of my game lol
Quillwerth
21. Apr 2020 · 04:36 UTC
I thought this was really cute, and *extremely* on-theme.

I'll echo the feedback that it's really hard, and sometimes it seems like the patterns aren't actually beatable (hah! get it?). The music really fits the gameplay, and when you nail a quick movement, it feels really good.

I have to wonder how much of the difficulty is due to how quickly you move when you click or release. Did you ever try a slower motion?
JanGamesDev
21. Apr 2020 · 04:37 UTC
Nice little game. This is really simple but a ton of fun.
Euix
21. Apr 2020 · 04:40 UTC
I bit too literal of an interpretation of the theme for my taste, but the gameplay was surprisingly creative and very difficult. I didn't get a sense of "staying on beat", at all, but the challenge was interesting. Some potential for a pleasant mobile game.
G.A.GameStudio
21. Apr 2020 · 04:41 UTC
Amazing game! I like the distinctive idea.
Enya454
21. Apr 2020 · 04:41 UTC
Yeah, it was pretty fun. The controls were a little confusing, but once you understood it was pretty addictie
Reid Willis
21. Apr 2020 · 04:42 UTC
Awesome interpretation of the theme. It was hard at first, but you quickly start getting the hang of it. Quite addicting actually. Could make a real nice mobile game!
Shugor
21. Apr 2020 · 04:43 UTC
Yeah this is pretty tricky to do well in, but it's nice that it lets you jump right back in so quickly. It's pretty interesting to experiment with how the game interprets different ways of moving around; the inspiration taken from how natural heart rhythms work make for a nicely coherent set of mechanics. Fun game~
PHPGator
21. Apr 2020 · 04:45 UTC
Things I liked, graphics fit the concept very well. The sensitivity was tough, but felt good. Things I disliked: I found it to be difficult for a beginner. I died within a few seconds several times in a row until I could get the hang of it. I think it probably needed a shorter slope to difficulty. The first 10 seconds were great though!
zillix
21. Apr 2020 · 04:47 UTC
Simple, yet super engaging. Really great. Awesome work!
Actyl
21. Apr 2020 · 04:48 UTC
I can't train my brain to be good at this! Hard game, nice take on the theme, good stuff.
Matthew Bond
21. Apr 2020 · 04:48 UTC
Very fun game play, would do well as a mobile game. I feel like there could be some more feedback when your heart rate gets too fast or slow, maybe the line changing color. Great game!
Begocio
21. Apr 2020 · 04:49 UTC
Amazing game, I had a kinda similar idea. Loved it !
lectvs
21. Apr 2020 · 04:55 UTC
Neat entry! I've played a lot of "dodge the obstacle" games, but I like how in this game you're encouraged to move around and not stay in the same place even if it's safe. One suggestion I have is to associate the controls with the direction of movement (i.e. if you used up/down arrows to correspond to moving the beat up/down). Overall a nice, simple, fun game!
Ricna
21. Apr 2020 · 05:03 UTC
Its hard and addictive! Sometimes frustrating because is impossible to find a way to continue. Nice game!!! Well DONE! :)
🎤 pomeroyb
21. Apr 2020 · 05:17 UTC
Thanks everyone for the comments! I didn't think about trackpads while playing, and have just updated the release -- you can now play using the "W" and "S" keys. I appreciate all the feedback! :thumbsup:
Cornel
21. Apr 2020 · 13:09 UTC
Addictive and hard. I missed "R" button to restart instead of using mouse.
Bonyok77
21. Apr 2020 · 13:57 UTC
It's so hard but the theme adaptation of this game fits really well...
🎤 pomeroyb
21. Apr 2020 · 19:36 UTC
Added the ability to press "R" to restart on death. Thanks for the suggestion!
Trace
21. Apr 2020 · 20:41 UTC
Controlling a Heartbeat is pretty fun, especially when you have to make sure not to beat too slow or too fast. i like it.
devook
21. Apr 2020 · 23:31 UTC
Excellent for a game jam entry! Great concept and really cleanly executed!
Suggestions:
* Heartbeat counter isn't very useful because you can't look at it during gameplay - maybe some sort of visual or auditory feedback would communicate status better to the player
* Obstacle placement felt super random and sometimes unfair, and the little off-center-but-not-quite ones that still get when you're holding on that line felt a little cheap
🎤 pomeroyb
22. Apr 2020 · 09:03 UTC
Full disclosure: Obstacle placement is 100% random. If you feel the game cheated you out of a good run, it probably did! :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:
Emperor Eagle
22. Apr 2020 · 10:23 UTC
Now this is a very unique game! I found it really fun and innovative! It truly is a great game due to its simplicity and how you nailed every aspect. I would like to see a difficulty setting just because I found it quite hard. Fantastic!
AryanJumani
22. Apr 2020 · 19:07 UTC
Best game I have played uptil now!! Completely unique! Found the gameplay better than Tiny Fragments and Lich Clicker(Hated Lich CLicker). Loved the concept of the random obstacles. Audio, graphics, gameplay, concept, everything was exceptional. It is the most Live-ly game :wink:.
krakadushka
23. Apr 2020 · 13:33 UTC
Cool game! Very nice to play
lexusinator
24. Apr 2020 · 11:13 UTC
I most definitely sucked at it but I simultaneously really enjoyed how physically anxious it made me. Really hard, but with some practice it becomes noticeably more fun. Cool idea as well!
gagapete
25. Apr 2020 · 11:14 UTC
Best interpretation of the theme I've seen so gar. Played the Android Version for a while. The graphics and Sound are nice but the gameplay rocks.

I'd recommend making restart easier (see Super Hexagon) as searching for the restart button drew me out of the flow a bit each time.