Crust by exopunk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKwRyAp983w

CHANGELOG (After submission)
19/05/2021 22:40 UTC - 3 new levels with tweaked enemies and elements - Controller support - New menu and cursors - Loads of improvements and fixes
27/04/2021 10:36 UTC - Updated OSX build, it had a breaking bug where it wouldn't open at all and appeared as "damaged".
CONTROLS
KEYBOARD
Movement - WASD/Arrow keys
Aim - Mouse
Grapple - Left click
CONTROLLER
Movement - Left stick / D-Pad
Aim - Right stick
Grapple - LT or RT
CREDITS
Alex Podaras - Programming - https://twitter.com/ex0punk
Theodore Moustakas - Sound design / Music - https://twitter.com/mous_sfx
Vasilis Kaminaris - Art - https://twitter.com/kaminos_art
Alex Kaminaris - Art - https://twitter.com/necta_nebo
ATTRIBUTIONS
Boon font by Sungsit Sawaiwan
| Link | https://exopunk.itch.io/crust |
| Link | https://exopunk.itch.io/crust |
| Link | https://exopunk.itch.io/crust |
| Original URL | https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/48/crust |
Ratings
| Overall | 7th | 4.483⭐ | 91🧑⚖️ |
| Fun | 37th | 4.27⭐ | 91🧑⚖️ |
| Innovation | 145th | 4.017⭐ | 91🧑⚖️ |
| Theme | 192th | 4.176⭐ | 90🧑⚖️ |
| Graphics | 22th | 4.685⭐ | 91🧑⚖️ |
| Audio | 3th | 4.594⭐ | 87🧑⚖️ |
| Mood | 7th | 4.59⭐ | 91🧑⚖️ |
| Given | 90🗳️ | 140🗨️ |
Very cool!
The only thing I think could be improved is the physics of the ship during a grapple. Your thrusters are supposed to be more effective, but most of the time they feel a bit too effective to be controlled properly, and sometimes they just don't work. But I did the game without relying on that, so that's not really problematic.

Sounds are also perfectly fine.
Controls are on point, no buggy behavior or similar, just works as expected.
I love the grab mechanic, as you can use it pretty modular, you can do a "full grab" or just get a little boost into the direction you want to go.
You have added some exploration feature by hiding pearls in certain spots, measuring time and death gives the game - although it "only" has one level - a replayability.
Graphics are awesome.
Bonus Points for visual and audio feedback on the buttons.
I really enjoyed playing this game, thank u!
~~The Ending is very Inside-esque~~
[Skärmbild 2021-04-28 140733.png](///raw/5f8/93/z/4131a.png)
https://youtu.be/bDsxxURqUQM
Here's the timestamped link to the stream vod: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1003143985?t=1h38m19s
The art, sound and design were all tip top and it's amazing your team got this out in 3 days!
I could really see a speedrun of this be very satisfying to watch as someone with mastery over the hookshot swings and sways through the game.
If there was one criticism I have, it's that there being no visual indicator for getting a checkpoint meant I was never sure how far back I would go upon death.
Other than that an absolutely wonderful, atmospheric game, that much like the pearls you collect, is polished to a brilliant shine :D.
1) As a gamer with two monitors, my mouse had trouble staying within the bounds of the game window. Even while in full screen. Something to consider for the future adding some sort of option that keeps the mouse within the bounds of the game.
2) Very minor, but I had some issues with screen tear at the very end on the right side. Not sure if this is a me problem or a bug problem, but there you go.
Otherwise, FANTASTIC game, really well done, challenging without being unfair, great replay value. Really awesome work!
About the 1st problem you are absolutely right we should confine the mouse inside the window, we will certainly fix it in the post jam version, about the 2nd problem yeah it's a bug, the background is one pixel larger than the rocks layer :D
I streamed the gameplay if you want to check my VOD: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1004793106?t=01h55m17s
I honestly couldn't point out a single thing you could improve upon, not even in a nitpicky way. Now heading into my second play-through, as I didn't find all the hidden pearls.
Thanks so much for bringing this by the stream. Here's a link to the VOD:
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1005666495
Thanks for being part of the stream, it was amazing! :smile:
Crust is a really, really impressive game for a game jam. If there was just a few more levels, I wouldn't have been angry to pay for this game on Steam.
The controls feels good and intuitive. The level design is fun and challenging at times. The graphic design is beautiful and polished
Honestly a 5 stars game for me! Congratulations.
It was interesting that "movement via grappling hook" became a bit of a mini-theme this jam.
https://youtu.be/O7jRN1j3y2A?t=11161
I had a lot of fun, great game!
And oh, those tentacles! :heart_eyes:
Only CC is that since the first time I ran into the big ball at the end I didn't actually push through, I was left me floating around that area for a bit before pushing through one of the lighter areas. The light is a pretty obvious hint but maybe it could have been even more obvious?
What an absolutely solid experience. The audio, graphics, and gameplay are all top-notch here. I could totally seeing this developed into a full experience that leans into the speedrunner community. Very nicely done! :ok_hand:
The first time I encountered the tentacle arms I didn't realize they were enemies, but other than that the visuals were super good looking and clear what was good/bad. I felt like it was a tiny bit slow to control without the hook, but it might just be my preference! It might also be a way to incentivize people to use the hook instead. Playing around with the hook was really fun!
Thank you for providing a Linux build, and for having me check this out on stream!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsMPyOopzzU
Sorry for no game audio at the start - I only realized it was muted halfway through.