PAIN SIGNAL by sqqqwer
There are no gauges. No detectors. No instruments.
Only you. Only your flesh.

| Link | https://github.com/sqqqwer/LD59 |
| Itch.io | https://sqqqwer.itch.io/ldpainsignal |
| Original URL | https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/59/pain-signal |
Ratings
| Overall | 155th | 3.447ā | 21š§āāļø |
| Fun | 214th | 3ā | 21š§āāļø |
| Innovation | 95th | 3.579ā | 21š§āāļø |
| Theme | 199th | 3.316ā | 21š§āāļø |
| Graphics | 51th | 4ā | 21š§āāļø |
| Audio | 197th | 2.853ā | 19š§āāļø |
| Humor | 142th | 2.531ā | 18š§āāļø |
| Mood | 40th | 3.947ā | 21š§āāļø |
| Given | 20š³ļø | 7šØļø |
I also enjoyed the engine-check mechanic and the overall sense of confinement ā it adds a lot to the atmosphere. The visuals are great too.
Iād love to see a bit of tutorialization and more sound design, but overall it was a really nice experience.
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.
Great job overall!
- 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
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.