No Signal West by Topling

[raw]
made by Topling for Ludum Dare 59 (JAM)

Sun, Sand… and the Walking Dead?

What the hell happened here?
That’s for you to find out. (Because even we don't know)

Shoot down the risen dead as you fight to survive, and tune into scattered radio signals to uncover the truth behind the chaos.
Every broadcast brings you one step closer to understanding what went wrong…
if you stay alive long enough to hear it.


Controls

  • MoveW A S D
  • ShootLMB
  • ReloadR / RMB
  • Switch Weapon1, 2
  • Scanner3
  • MenuEsc / Tab / Q

Objective

To finish the game, you need to catch 3 signals.

Use your scanner to find them!

Ratings

Overall 651th 3.225⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Fun 422th 3.375⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 769th 2.65⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Theme 610th 3.325⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 638th 3.225⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Audio 375th 3.395⭐ 21🧑‍⚖️
Humor 504th 2.55⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Mood 743th 2.952⭐ 23🧑‍⚖️
Given 31🗳️ 15🗨️

Feedback

shores
Apr 21st · 15:44 UTC
It was really satisfying to mow down hordes of zombies with the shotgun. Also really nice art, I appreciate that you guys made eight orientations for the main character, now that's effort! Good job!
Evil Gaufre
Apr 21st · 21:42 UTC
I don't understand very fast who to use the radio, but is was a very smart idea to just move the mouse finding the complete mesage (before an horde of zombie want to kill you) good game :D
matso
Apr 22nd · 17:51 UTC
Love the find-the-signal-while-hordes-of-enemies-approach hook! Felt the panic as i tried to find the correct position to receive the message. Well executed! Cohesive aesthetic throughout. Awesome music - gave me some Miles Davis vibes! Great entry!
LDJam user 342640
Apr 23rd · 03:41 UTC
A frankly EXCESSIVE amount of zombies but I mean that in the best way possible. Mood and audio also really carries this - loved the main theme, and also how it ramped up in intensity with the horde. Unfortunate that you couldnt make the ending 'cause I wanted to play more! Great job!
Psevdonim
Apr 23rd · 11:56 UTC
To be honest, I didn't really follow the plot—my English isn't very strong, so it was tough to read quickly while simultaneously fending off zombies—but I still managed to make it to the end! xD
![Screen1.png](///raw/069/56/z/7271a.png)
jnur
Apr 23rd · 19:41 UTC
The game has a nice amount of polish where it matters the most, like shooting the zombies felt surprisingly satisfying with the screen shake etc. And the signal finding mechanic worked really well, having the scrambled text in there was a nice touch!
Profugo Barbatus
Apr 23rd · 20:38 UTC
Not bad, simple but well implemented in what it did. I ended up having to go back to the first broadcast spot a second time because I didn't realize there was an ultimate 'correct' spot to tune in on, just read the message myself in a close enough spot and moved on. Once I got it accidentally at the second spot and it no longer appeared with an arrow on screen, I realized I'd just missed it. But that was the only hiccup I hit, really good for a jam game!
LDJam user 409682
Apr 24th · 19:36 UTC
I kind of missed zombie shooters, and I liked this one. I’m not sure if there’s any progression system, but I still enjoyed shooting. Thanks!
Eeva
Apr 24th · 21:27 UTC
gameplay was fun and audio and graphics were decent. I liked the idea of storytelling through radio, but a bit sad that you didnt get around to the actual signals in this jam game.
Alex de la Cour
Apr 26th · 14:21 UTC
Good stuff, those zombies come thick and fast pretty early but my trusty shotgun mowed them all down!
harujam
Apr 27th · 11:07 UTC
Blasting zombies was a fun home office coffee break activity! edit: Forgot to add that after playing this entry, I want to go back in time and re-do the jam with wild west gun duell perspective :P
VenomousMouse
Apr 28th · 12:27 UTC
Nice idea, good visuals and audio. Cool game.
FLX
Apr 28th · 21:51 UTC
The concept how having to switch items and track the signal while being chased is interesting. Cool background music. Nice work
JB Rock
Apr 30th · 02:03 UTC
Enjoyed the art and audio, the game play was pretty smooth. Didn't realize the weapon changing to the shotgun or radar right away but figured it out pretty clear from there. Might be helpful to get an audio queue when aligning the signal as well. Good Job!
LDJam user 407703
Apr 30th · 22:06 UTC
Really well made zombie shooter! The way you integrated finding the signal is also very creative. The overall package of gameplay, sound, and the great visuals is genuinely impressive. You can be proud of this one!
Cazik21
Apr 30th · 22:48 UTC
The game didn't start when I played it online, maybe it's a problem with my PC lol. Could you export it to a Mac so I can play it?
🎤 Topling
May 01st · 17:57 UTC
@cazik21 Hi! Unfortunately, I’m developing on Windows and don’t currently have access to a Mac environment, so I’m not able to build or test a macOS version right now.

The issue you’re experiencing is most likely not related to your PC, but I’ll take a look and see what might be causing it on the web version. Thanks for letting me know!

P.S. We now have an Itch link - you can try running the game there as well (it’s also in the browser)
deadjolly
May 04th · 01:55 UTC
Shooting hordes of zombies in the wild west will never not be cool! The actual shooting felt fantastic with the camera shake and zombie responsiveness. Some corpses or blood decals would have put the cherry on top. I kinda felt like the areas where you find the signals should have been wave-based instead of endless spawning, since finding the signal was it's own sort of minigame. Eventually the screen is just covered with zombies and finding the signal becomes irrelevant because I'm focused on shooting zombies. Music is rad, dripping with atmosphere! Cool game!
Euler Moises
May 07th · 02:25 UTC
Your game kept me hooked for quite a while. The idea is cool, but those darn zombies won't let me find the signal. I'm there trying to assemble the message and a horde of undead comes at me.

Do you have bigger plans for this game? It seems like a seed of something bigger.

I liked how you programmed them to follow you. They really managed to be annoying. :)

The music is really cool too! Congratulations to its composer. I just found the loading sound strange. It sounds like someone burping.

Congratulations!