LudumData

Twilight Beacon by graebor

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

Intercept a barrage of radio signals before the beacon is overwhelmed! Prepare to test your focus.

LD59_2.png

This was a solo project! It's a jam entry because I wanted to use the third day, and I brought in some helper scripts/shaders I had made outside the jam. I also used a chopped up version of a song I had previously made for the music.

Controls are described in the game, but to reiterate: - Arrows + Spacebar: Navigate menus - W/E/S/D/X/C: Hold to select parts of the beacon (different buttons on each difficulty level) - Up/Down: Move the selected part up/down - Left/Right (as prompted): Activate the top of the beacon

I suggest starting with Normal difficulty until you get a feel for it - then see how far you can make it!

The options menu has a fullscreen toggle (even in the web player), but if you have any issues in the browser, there is also a downloadable version on the itch page.

LD59_1.png

LD59_3.png

Link https://graebor.itch.io/twilight-beacon
Link https://graebor.itch.io/twilight-beacon
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/59/twilight-beacon

Ratings

Overall 34th 4.229⭐ 26🧑‍⚖️
Fun 11th 4.271⭐ 26🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 62th 4.042⭐ 26🧑‍⚖️
Theme 48th 4.438⭐ 26🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 30th 4.604⭐ 26🧑‍⚖️
Audio 35th 4.25⭐ 26🧑‍⚖️
Mood 76th 4.25⭐ 26🧑‍⚖️
Given 27🗳️ 24🗨️

Feedback

CaptainSpoof
Apr 20th · 21:48 UTC
very nice simple game and cute art! i followed you on itch a while back with sort the court!
PudinKiller
Apr 21st · 01:49 UTC
It very straight to point game, very fun! I love your music :)
PastMoments
Apr 21st · 02:18 UTC
Incredibly polished game. The gameplay itself is simple but arcade-y enough to play for a while, and the visual and sound design is really good.
Neochar
Apr 21st · 09:03 UTC
The game is cleverly designed and very interesting; the difficulty increases at just the right pace to avoid getting boring. However, I feel it would be more comfortable to play with one hand on the keyboard and the other on the mouse.
sebastianscaini
Apr 21st · 12:39 UTC
Really loved the control scheme and the challenge level of this one! The difficulty scaling felt just right to slowly overwhelm me! And the visual and audio polish was on point!

Here was my best score:
![2026-04-21.png](///raw/72e/d/z/71f31.png)
TairyTei
Apr 21st · 13:24 UTC
I really like this game. Its very simple and unique at the same time. Interesting controls. The game doesn't really draw you in for long, but maybe you can add more gameplay things later, it would be really cool
Roboolet
Apr 21st · 13:35 UTC
Wow, what an amazing entry. This feels so good to master, outstanding job. Everything is so well crafted and polished. Followed! :smile:
MaggardJosh
Apr 21st · 16:53 UTC
Simple concept, really good implementation! This feels very polished, the ramp up in difficulty over time also feels just right. Great job!
KiichiroW
Apr 22nd · 01:44 UTC
SUPER WELL POLISHED. I absolutely loved the art, simple controls, and overall vibe of the game. Was super super well made and the package was super tight and well made. Took me about a minute to get the controls and from there the gameplay was super smooth. GREAT JOB :D
pro4
Apr 22nd · 05:32 UTC
This is really an amazing entry. Very simple concept, but executed brilliantly in every way. Easily my favorite game of the jam so far. Keep up the great work.
freamdev
Apr 22nd · 18:59 UTC
This is kind of fun, can't say I'm amazing at doing multiple things, and got rolled because was trying to get bonuses instead of deflecting, but had some decent fun!
Jikazushi
Apr 22nd · 22:13 UTC
Very good game, really polished. Stunning visuals and engagin gameplay. The only problem I have is that on higher difficulties I have trouble telling which antennais being targeted by the balls
LCStark
Apr 23rd · 13:44 UTC
Really great entry! My only with is that I was actually any good in playing it, but I'm afraid it's a bit too much for me. 😅

![screen_scaled.png](///raw/3cc/31/z/72747.png)

The moment I discovered the bonus point mechanic I got totally distracted by it, even if I wasn't bad enough already. But I feel like I am slowly getting better with every playthrough, so I guess it just might be an issue with not having enough practice yet.

I'm glad you decided to make it a Jam game and add the music, it definitely makes the experience much more immersive. And the music slow-down you get on losing feels really appropriate. The sounds of antennae moving felt pretty good as well! Together with a really cool art style it makes for one impressive jam game.
CoastersPaul
Apr 23rd · 16:42 UTC
Gorgeous aesthetic, loved the gameplay loop and how it gradually gets more and more overwhelming. Going up from Normal I struggled a little in quickly figuring out which dish each beam was aimed at... I don't think I ever got *good* at that, but once I got the hang of it a bit more it was pretty fun, great way to increase the difficulty.
IRKAR
Apr 23rd · 20:42 UTC
VERY COOL GAME, so polished and fun to play, its literally great game. GOOD JOB!)![Screenshot_20260423_233907.png](///raw/25b/76/z/7282a.png)
VenomousMouse
Apr 24th · 12:08 UTC
Very interesting game. Some time needed to get used to controls. But its cool.
ValentinWB
Apr 24th · 12:27 UTC
The level of polish is amazing ! Very nice looking game with a simple but efficient core loop, congrats !
vidarn
Apr 25th · 10:06 UTC
Really awesome! What a cool and novel idea, and great take on the theme. Everything was super well executed, the visuals, the audio and the overall feeling of the game. Very slick, well polished and just nice feeling.

I Really enjoyed the music, it fit the pace of the game perfectly.

Great animations on the interactions. Correctly catching the beams felt awesome.
daniel
Apr 25th · 21:28 UTC
Love what you put together for the one-screen type gameplay. I'm usually pretty bad at these everything happening at once type of games, but normal mode was pretty manageable with a good difficulty increase. Wonderful direction with the style.
stuckne1
Apr 26th · 14:19 UTC
Love this game. Even the UX of the menus looks good. I didn't even notice the very subtle score in the background until like a 4th run. It's interesting that it's there, but it doesn't distract.

The whole thing just fits together well. I did a bunch of runs and was gradually getting better. I feel like I will have to check out your other games now.
OadT
Apr 28th · 17:52 UTC
Cool game! You have to get used to the controls, but they are quite unique and very fun. Overall the graphics and music makes up for a very polished experience. Great entry!
bentglasstube
May 01st · 08:40 UTC
I quite liked this game but unfortunately my small keyboard make the controls extremely difficult. I played a few rounds on the easiest difficulty and had a lot of fun. The visuals are great. I really liked the different ratings you got based on the alignment angle, that was a cool touch. The music was good and fit well. I would play this more if I had a full sized keyboard or the controls were customizable for sure. Great work.