LudumData

After The Fact by adam-gould

[raw]
made by adam-gould for Ludum Dare 59 (COMPO)

I awoke in this strange place with little memory.

All I knew was the pull of the signal.

Info

After The Fact is a puzzle game with atmospheric/abstract narrative elements (including voice acting). As it's a compo entry, everything you see, hear, or otherwise experience is all me.

SPOILER:

!> If you get to the end of the game and are potentially concerned about me, don't worry. I'm doing very well. Any sorrow you detect is merely acting or perhaps parenthood-induced tiredness. I just wanted to make a game dedicated to all the people out there who are struggling to broadcast their own signal.

Controls

Arrows or WASD to move. E to interact. Q to drop/cancel.

Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/59/after-the-fact

Ratings

Overall 37th 3.957⭐ 25🧑‍⚖️
Fun 51th 3.75⭐ 24🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 144th 3.413⭐ 25🧑‍⚖️
Theme 123th 3.826⭐ 25🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 174th 3.348⭐ 25🧑‍⚖️
Audio 7th 4.217⭐ 25🧑‍⚖️
Mood 24th 4.109⭐ 25🧑‍⚖️
Given 17🗳️ 23🗨️

Feedback

Rinevard
Apr 20th · 13:37 UTC
wow a really interesting narrative game, I love the way you combine the story with the gameplay
LDJam user 428646
Apr 20th · 13:51 UTC
This was great! Some of the puzzles were maybe a little half-baked, but everything else is amazing! I thought the music didn't fit at first because I assumed it was going for a more melancholy tone, but it made sense by the end. Overall, great entry! The story was really cute.
henk
Apr 20th · 21:11 UTC
...and yet, you submitted to compo, where it's against the rules to ask for help :P. I liked the puzzles, although I think a couple of them relied a bit too much on glancing collisions/misses of light beams and other obstacles. Also, while I suppose it doesn't matter as much in a puzzle game, momentum-based movement isn't all that hard to implement and would feel much nicer than the fixed-speed movement you have here.
🎤 adam-gould
Apr 20th · 21:29 UTC
@henk Believe it or not it is momentum based, with an acceleration and a deceleration... I was probably a bit too aggressive with it if it doesn't even feel like it was!
AdelinaArtist17
Apr 22nd · 09:12 UTC
The gameplay is very cool, the visuals aren't particularly varied, but they're enjoyable, the music wasn't annoying, and overall I liked the game.
CrociDB
Apr 22nd · 12:02 UTC
Blew my mind! Love the narrative and especially the voice-over. Impressive how much a VO can put you in the game! Excellent job!
StormSword
Apr 22nd · 16:06 UTC
I really like the music :D
It's a simple game but it works perfectly. Maybe more "difficult" level could be a good addition. Otherwise, good job :D
LDJam user 371996
Apr 22nd · 16:28 UTC
I like this simple artstyle, especially the captions and countdown titles, which are simple but cool! Your way to tell the story is also amazing!
NE-Aquilon
Apr 23rd · 02:15 UTC
Beautiful. I really enjoyed both the narrative and the puzzles. Also, great music.
Jasmin
Apr 24th · 11:03 UTC
I really loved this puzzle game! The difficulty ramped up nicely. I wasn’t always sure if my solution was the most efficient one or if there was a better way 😄 Was it intentional in that one puzzle to use a block from another, or was I just thinking a bit too outside the box? I definitely could’ve played more levels. Everything feels very cohesive, and the controls are intuitive.
🎤 adam-gould
Apr 24th · 11:10 UTC
@jasmin You can use blocks from other puzzles? Certainly not intentional :sweat_smile:
Harmadillo
Apr 24th · 20:05 UTC
Interesting game. I enjoyed the puzzles. They are pretty intuitive and have a good variety. The fact voiceover narrative complimented the "connection" style of puzzles elevated the game.
recursor
Apr 24th · 20:09 UTC
This was way more fun than I initially expected and very easy to pick up and play. The puzzle difficulty progression felt like it was about right to me.
LDJam user 384191
Apr 24th · 20:28 UTC
Nice puzzle games! The mechanics were pretty intuitive, although the difficulty seemed a bit uneven. I really like the interpretation of the theme, and I'm definitely going to be singing the song for the rest of the day. Great entry!
OadT
Apr 26th · 20:09 UTC
Very cool puzzle mechanic! Haven't seen this mechanic yet, but you managed to get some fun ideas out of it and I liked the narrative idea behind it. Also loved the audio! Would have expected the music to be a bit less joyful initially, but the music makes sense as some hopeful song and makes the game even more interesting
cesta
Apr 27th · 15:44 UTC
i liked the deep meaning behind the game, the simple graphics works with this game! tho im still stuck at level 5
Doridie
Apr 27th · 20:10 UTC
A really well-made puzzle game! Minimalistic, but very cohesive. I spent a long time on level 4 and even thought it might be a bug that I couldn’t guide the line so closely past the barrier. But it was very satisfying to finally get it!

The colored barriers are a cool mechanic. That said, I’m kind of glad not too many levels focused on navigating tightly around them, that part wasn’t as fun for me, while the actual puzzle-solving was much more enjoyable.

A very lovely entry, I’d love to see more levels!
Disvent
Apr 29th · 22:50 UTC
I cried at the end. The narrative turned out to be very relevant to me =)

At first, the music seemed out of place. Like, you expect to hear some kind of monotonous, mystical piano. But in the end, I’m sure the cheerful and life-affirming tone of the music fits the narrative perfectly.

Very interesting puzzles - they were really enjoyable to solve.
Akuta Zehy
Apr 30th · 10:26 UTC
Sorry for the delayed feedback :)

A true mastery of minimalism, a triple(graphic-gameplay-storytelling) correspondence echoing the theme signal.

I love the game, a nice entry!
Iluvatar
Apr 30th · 11:59 UTC
Hi Adam, long time no see! I hope you are doing well.
I really enjoyed your game. The gameplay is very nicely executed and works perfectly for the theme and for a scope for a Ludum Dare entry. I don't usually like minimalistic graphics, but this one just fits well! The puzzles are just well balanced, not too easy, not too difficult. And of course, the audio is just amazing. The music is great, maybe too loud for my taste, but that's about the negatives. The voice over is just on spot, your soothing voice fits the narration so well. Well done mate!
VenomousMouse
May 02nd · 09:42 UTC
Very cool voice over, narration, and music. Very nice puzzle. Great game.
Meta-link
May 06th · 14:28 UTC
Great game ! The puzzles are really cool (with great camera work), and the voiceover definitely add something to the mood.

Good job :slight_smile:
mathemagics
May 06th · 16:34 UTC
A very cool puzzle game with pleasant sound design, interesting puzzles, and a great concept! Thank you for the game!