RUCHKI by katamary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8t_fITAzos
RUCHKI Delivery Service
Ruchki help to delivery. Ruchkam are hard! Lots of ruchek! Do you want to be a part of The Ruchki Delivery Service? We are waiting for you!
- Mouse control only.
- [Q] - Quit Game.
- [Alt]+[Enter] - Full screen mode.


LD53ruchkiv01 - Original compo jam windows build.
LD53ruchkiv02 - Post-jam version!
In the post-jam version adding: - possibility to select levels; - reduced difficulty level a little; - added new level; - added highlight of the maximum tension of the hands.
| GMS-2 Source v01 | https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SvXP3jWqK96fkbtPfvImv1IVpu3xfuZe/view?usp=sharing |
| Original URL | https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/53/ruchki |
Ratings
| Overall | 2th | 4.467⭐ | 32🧑⚖️ |
| Fun | 29th | 4.167⭐ | 32🧑⚖️ |
| Innovation | 14th | 4.333⭐ | 32🧑⚖️ |
| Theme | 10th | 4.467⭐ | 32🧑⚖️ |
| Graphics | 29th | 4.35⭐ | 32🧑⚖️ |
| Audio | 9th | 4.383⭐ | 32🧑⚖️ |
| Humor | 18th | 4.183⭐ | 32🧑⚖️ |
| Mood | 5th | 4.433⭐ | 32🧑⚖️ |
| Given | 22🗳️ | 40🗨️ |

:heart::two_hearts: :love_letter: :hand_splayed: :relieved: __*r u c h k i*__
A bit too challenging maybe (though I seldom play games of this type so it may be my issue) - but I already see it was partially because of the timespan and I guess it may be hard to finetune this kind of stuff without further playtesting by different people.
> What is ruchkam?
Ruchki is a slavic word. It means a hand!))
The controls are so innovative - and pose alot of interesting problem solving to the user. The agency being separated from the camera, the hands continuing to move and swing even without my 'possessing' them, and the springy, uncontrollable nature of each toss encouraging the player to 'catch' each throw - rather than letting the letter land.
Really innovative gameplay, I was super happy to see such a unique approach.
And the audio is 1st class - the sfx were delightful, and I could listen to that soundtrack all day
I was only able to beat the first level, and after much effort - even without any hearts. However, I greatly enjoyed the game, and would love to see it developed further.
I think in near future I'll make more easy levels at the start of the game in the post-jam version.
Okay, in all seriousness though, the core gameplay of this game is actually interesting and fun! There are, however, two main problems that I see at the moment:
- The difficulty curve is way, *way* too steep. I couldn't finish the first level (so I don't know if there are more), and it's not because I didn't try enough. Using the main menu as an introduction was great and totally got me hooked, but the first level does not meet the player at their level of skill after just that short tutorial. Of course I got far regardless, but the satisfaction of actually completing a few levels was missing.
- The physics sometimes feel somewhat unintuitive. There were many moments when I tried to hurl the letter only for it to lose all its momentum at the last second. I believe I know why this happens (the arm reaches its maximum length, so the letter abruptly stops) and I know that it's technically my fault, but I'm pretty sure this is the kind of situation where something analogous to coyote time (just for momentum instead of the ability to jump) would be in line. It might be worth trying to make it so the letter isn't thrown with the momentum that it has at the moment the player releases the hand, but the momentum it had ~100ms (or so) before that.
I know about too steep difficulty curve). I made this on 48 hours cranch when I tryed one hand to make code and other to make levels. And of corse I was warped by this gameplay and first two levels look easy to me but not players. So, I'll fix the difficulty of levels in next post-jam version. I hope, players will enjoy it)
In general game looks very nice, and some controls/UX improvements can turn it into a nice small game!