PAIN SIGNAL by sqqqwer

[raw]
made by sqqqwer for Ludum Dare 59 (COMPO)

There are no gauges. No detectors. No instruments.

Only you. Only your flesh.

Screenshot<em>2.png Screenshot</em>4.png Screenshot<em>1.png Screenshot</em>3.png

Ratings

Overall 155th 3.447⭐ 21šŸ§‘ā€āš–ļø
Fun 214th 3⭐ 21šŸ§‘ā€āš–ļø
Innovation 95th 3.579⭐ 21šŸ§‘ā€āš–ļø
Theme 199th 3.316⭐ 21šŸ§‘ā€āš–ļø
Graphics 51th 4⭐ 21šŸ§‘ā€āš–ļø
Audio 197th 2.853⭐ 19šŸ§‘ā€āš–ļø
Humor 142th 2.531⭐ 18šŸ§‘ā€āš–ļø
Mood 40th 3.947⭐ 21šŸ§‘ā€āš–ļø
Given 20šŸ—³ļø 7šŸ—Øļø

Feedback

LDJam user 409682
Apr 20th Ā· 12:48 UTC
I really liked how the idea of the signal and the goal were presented. The lighthouse feels like something truly beautiful and worth reaching.

I also enjoyed the engine-check mechanic and the overall sense of confinement — it adds a lot to the atmosphere. The visuals are great too.

I’d love to see a bit of tutorialization and more sound design, but overall it was a really nice experience.
Tinali4399
Apr 21st Ā· 05:33 UTC
really fun game, l like the way of interact, but no sure how to get fuel or other sources
ikado
Apr 21st Ā· 05:38 UTC
i liked the premise, trying to figure out how to keep the engine running with only indirect measures, but i couldn't work out how to get more fuel, water, etc. which felt limiting
drtizzle
Apr 21st Ā· 06:30 UTC
I really like the overall grittiness of the presentation. Everything fits really well together. Also the theme of checking an engine with your body is very dark :)

Everything moves really smooth, and the hand and eye graphics add to the mood of the game.

Like the others, I could not pick up more resources so you might want to fix that asap.
LDJam user 424535
Apr 21st Ā· 08:15 UTC
I love this kind of atmosphere! Thank you for the experience!
Ismael Rodriguez
Apr 22nd Ā· 00:47 UTC
Very good mood/atmosphere, love the visuals. I too couldn't figure out how to pick up resources, but discovered we need to hold left click over them and a timer starts to pick it up. I travelled about 300 meters and the engine broke down - I was surprised to see buyable buffs. I wish I knew exactly what causes breakdowns and had some hint that it was going to happen besides doing the busy work of checking every resource (this isn't really my kind of game so kindly take my feedback with a grain of salt). I think what few sounds you have are good, but it really feels like its missing audio for all the different interactions.

Great job overall!
Allax
Apr 24th Ā· 10:42 UTC
The atmosphere is well shown and the idea is quite interesting, good game
bentglasstube
Apr 26th Ā· 04:38 UTC
The atmosphere of this one is great. I really love the analog horror of sticking your finger in the boiling water and huffing the gasoline fumes. I couldn't figure out how to pick more supplies up so I never made it very far, but I enjoyed it just the same. Great work.
Geckoo1337
Apr 26th Ā· 15:34 UTC
Good game with a cool aesthetic which reminds me my old PS1 console. The main gameplay is clever - unusual. Top ++
henk
Apr 29th Ā· 19:15 UTC
This is great! Rapidly flipping between multiple separate views you need to manage is oddly reminiscent of FNAF, although without the jumpscares. I managed to get to where I could keep going without stopping, which I guess counts as winning? My thoughts:
- The upgrades don't feel like they add anything to the game at all. Keeping the boat running indefinitely is very achievable without them and they just seem to make the game easier over time, which I don't think is very satisfying.
- The clicking is a bit finicky since I had trouble understanding where the "hot point" is on the various hand cursors (also sometimes the entire game window would get highlighted which was frustrating)
- I never even realized you could burn your hands until I started intentionally playing around with things. The mechanic doesn't really impact gameplay that much since you're already trying to address engine issues as quickly as possible.

This is the strategy I ended up using:
- Use up all of the initial resources you're given immediately
- Run the engine at half-throttle until you reach top speed, at which point set the throttle as low as you can get it without touching the bottom
- Do the following on loop:
- Collect items out the front window for about 15-30 seconds or until there is nothing left
- Check the engine
- For eyeball add gas if pupil dilates too slowly
- For finger add coolant if level is below half
- For oil if there's any heat at all add 3 barrels
zhangzhimu
May 03rd Ā· 12:47 UTC
This way of appearing in the picture through the hands and achieving all the interactions in the game is quite interesting. I think it's a very good and fun game!
LDJam user 303624
May 05th Ā· 19:38 UTC
VERY cool take on the theme. Didn't take too long to figure out. Great entry!!
SteveOfStevesGames
May 06th Ā· 10:50 UTC
The pain signal, one of the most important signals, good take on the theme.
Loved the look of this game and i also like that the resources were a bit tricky to pick up or it would have been too easy.