GLUB by Birdwards

[raw]
made by Birdwards for Ludum Dare 48 (COMPO)

screen.png

Press Enter to pause. I forgot to mention that in the game.

You are a fish with an unusual way of getting around - your only way of moving is by blowing bubbles to propel yourself backward. Navigate the dangerous, pufferfish-filled waters and get to your destination safely!

Code, art, music, and SFX by Birdwards. Made in 48 hours for the Ludum Dare 48 Compo.

Ratings

Overall 173th 3.8⭐ 27🧑‍⚖️
Fun 58th 4.04⭐ 27🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 6th 4.56⭐ 27🧑‍⚖️
Theme 841th 2.56⭐ 27🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 599th 3.18⭐ 27🧑‍⚖️
Audio 275th 3.46⭐ 27🧑‍⚖️
Humor 34th 3.98⭐ 27🧑‍⚖️
Mood 636th 2.94⭐ 27🧑‍⚖️
Given 48🗳️ 36🗨️

Feedback

Nature Studioz
26. Apr 2021 · 15:27 UTC
Superb game. One of the best games I have played in the jam. The microphone Idea was So Innovative. Please make this a steam game.
alexjdg
26. Apr 2021 · 16:01 UTC
Very clever! Love the microphone feature
DragonsBeardGames
26. Apr 2021 · 16:11 UTC
Definitely a unique gameplay style I've never seen before. Loved the sounds, and had a on of fun screaming at the game. Well done.
Colisan
26. Apr 2021 · 17:23 UTC
"Fin, thanks for playing" <- Nice pun, I got it! =D

Nice little game, I had fun! Had a laugh when my wife answered the phone and the fish started spinning like a wheel, spitting everywhere x)

Too bad you didn't have the time to implement the deep pitch mechanics to go along with the theme, but the gameplay is already nice with the volume alone =)

If the menus would be voice-controlled too, this would have been awesome (and a nice exemple of game accessibility toward disabled peoples!)

The fish art are very clean, but I thinks with just a little more effects the game would look perfect (the fish spiraling into level ends for exemple).
DDesignDude
28. Apr 2021 · 08:09 UTC
I never clapped so much for my microphone. I guess you deserve a round of applause! 👏👏👏

Very innovative concept and I love the music and graphics.
LDJam user 120213
01. May 2021 · 01:59 UTC
It looks interesting, game doesn't seem to be able to pick up my microphone though and there's no feedback as to why :/
Harrison Dunn
01. May 2021 · 02:04 UTC
This was a blast to try out. The perfect little thing for a jam. A full game like this might be too gimmicky, but this was the right length. I knew I was enjoying myself when I spouse shouted up the stairs "WHAT are you DOING?" as I was whistling and calling the dog repeatedly.

The momentum felt a little too strong on the movement. If you shot off too strongly in one direction, it was difficult to course correct except to let the momentum die first.

I felt clever when I figured out I could just tap the mic, but that wasn't as fun. Nice job on this game.
Thulium Games
01. May 2021 · 02:04 UTC
I LOVE this concept! I tried to make something like this a few years ago but could never get the audio registering correctly, it's super cool that you got something like this working so well for a game jam.
LDJam user 212364
01. May 2021 · 02:24 UTC
That was a lot more fun than I thought it was going to be when reading the instructions. I was kind of sad when I beat the final level 😁. Loved the concept, and the music was nice and relaxing.

A couple of suggestions though. There should probably be an option to play without a mic for accessibility reasons as well as for people who don't have a reliable one and for those that don't want to make weird noises because of roommates or something. I didn't have that problem but I could see if being an issue. Second, having a counter for number of bubbles used with a goal for each level would be a good addition. I ended up just hyperventilating when there was only one blowfish left to spam bubbles to kill it. Third, it was a bit weird to have to go into the options before I could start the game. The mic calibration should probably be something done on start up before getting to the main menu (in addition to the options menu).
khaotom
01. May 2021 · 02:33 UTC
Very fun, very LOL. but the LOL makes more GLUB! lololol :blowfish:

Very creative, brought a smile to my face for reals.

Tip for any that might have a similar prob on Windows, if you've got multiple inputs in your sound setup, make sure your mic is the default input!
Aquasheep3000
01. May 2021 · 15:43 UTC
TIL Switching from "BLOOP" to "GLUB" is like changing from a machine gun to a shotgun. #GlubOP

This should win for innovation. Theme is a little lacking given deeper voice could do something, but understandable since the game works so well as is and uses a totally foreign control mechanism relative to most games. It's a game that actually makes you "play," like how a little kid plays. Brilliant!
dirkinz
01. May 2021 · 20:54 UTC
Exelently done! If someone described this to me I would think it would have frustratingly imprecise controls but through a combination of very open levels, large targets, and surprisingly responsive audio capture, the game feels very precise.
Viperux
04. May 2021 · 17:57 UTC
Wow, this game is super funny! Hard to control but super satisfying when you manage to kill 2-3 pufferfish on a row! Great idea, very creative and nicely implemented. Good job!
DDRKirbyISQ
06. May 2021 · 01:49 UTC
Nice. I admit that I (for better or worse) am not currently in an environment where I can yell at my computer a bunch, so I instead rapped on the keys / laptop body to make noises, basically making it a touch sensitive instead of audio sensitive game. Still fun either way ;P
fabula_rasa
07. May 2021 · 23:53 UTC
Very unique concept!

I had some trouble controlling my fish, as sometimes it really seemed that it just sometimes didn't react and later was deciding to spit out two bubbles instead of one. But that maybe just me, as I tried not to be very loud to not wake up my sleeping husband :)

I liked the art on the fish. Not so much on the walls and sand. The style just doesn't match.

Playing this game was definitely amusing :)
Roidz
09. May 2021 · 00:18 UTC
Amazing...
ColeSlaughter
12. May 2021 · 21:32 UTC
[So glad we were able to get this working on stream!](https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1015845981?t=05h03m31s)

I love how much personality was packed into this one. :slight_smile: It practically seems impossible to play without smiling the whole time. Very nicely done with this one!
radmccool
16. May 2021 · 14:59 UTC
always interesting to play with different input methods, as others have said its impressive to get it into a jam game alone, never mind a 48 hour one. i enjoyed the actual game too but wondered if the input method hindered me more than the immersion was worth. Either way it was a brief game with only a few levels so i didnt wonder it for long :p
chris-delta
17. May 2021 · 04:47 UTC
Ridiculous. Love it.

I'll admit to flicking my microphone instead of going "blub", I have neighbours and it's late and my mic sucks, sue me.

The levels are difficult, but fair and creative, they show off the mechanic well. I think a slower difficulty curve would have been preferable to teach the mechanic better, especially for a jam game.

Art works, music works, no complaints about any of that, would've given a good overall score for scribbled junk and the sounds of dogs barking if that's how you had decided to dress up the mechanic.
acronaut
17. May 2021 · 20:50 UTC
Tricky but fun!

Clever use of allow filter of background-sound.. at start of each level there's been a latency on registering the pickup of the sounds (2 seconds in)..

Suggestions:
- change of direction based on pitch
- chain bubbles (small to large) or (compounded) triggered by chaining words, numbers, etc..
- soft-sound trigger to mellow-out the spin of the player.