Save the Cat by Andrian
🕹️ Hello, Ludum Dare Participants!
Greetings to everyone in this amazing community! We are thrilled (and a bit nervous) to be here. This is our very first Ludum Dare, and the experience of creating a game from scratch in such a short time has been incredible.
⚠️ A Sincere Note on AI Assets
We want to be completely transparent with the community: for this project, we used AI-generated tools to create our 2D images and the intro video.
🐈 Save The Cat
🕯️ The Premise
You are a blind person trapped inside a dark, decaying house. Your only companion is your cat, who is lost somewhere in the shadows. But you are not alone — the halls are prowled by zombies. They are nearly blind, but their hearing is deadly.
To survive and rescue your friend, you must rely on your ears and your unique ability to "see" with sound.
🧠 Core Mechanics
- Echolocation (The Pulse): Since you cannot see, you must use echolocation to visualize your surroundings. Activating it sends out a sound wave that briefly reveals walls, objects, and threats.
- The Risk: Zombies have a very small field of vision, but they are hyper-sensitive to sound. They can only hear you at the exact moment you trigger your echolocation. Use it wisely!
- The Rescue: Your cat is frightened and hiding. Listen closely for "Meow" sounds to determine its direction and distance.
⌨️ Controls
| Action | Key |
| :--- | :--- |
| Move | W A S D |
| Run / Sprint | Left Shift |
| Activate Echolocation | F |
| Pick Up Cat | Hold E |
🎯 Your Mission
- Listen: Locate the cat by following its meows.
- Scan: Use
Fsparingly to navigate and avoid zombies. - Rescue: Once you find the cat, hold
Eto pick it up. - Escape: Find the exit and get out of the house as fast as you can!
Good luck, and may your ears guide you through the dark! 🐈⬛💀
📺 Gameplay
Watch the game in action here: ( link doesn't work, sorry :{ )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycrFnQl5feQ
📸 Screenshots
Visualizing the environment with sound pulses.
Danger lurks in the shadows—don't make a sound.
Searching for your lost companion.
| Check dev branch for code | https://github.com/andrianl/LudumDare59 |
| Link to itch.io | https://overlxrd.itch.io/save-the-cat |
| Github release | https://github.com/andrianl/LudumDare59/releases/tag/Game |
| Original URL | https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/59/save-the-cat |
Ratings
| Overall | 790th | 2.814⭐ | 53🧑⚖️ |
| Fun | 759th | 2.676⭐ | 53🧑⚖️ |
| Innovation | 701th | 2.86⭐ | 52🧑⚖️ |
| Theme | 589th | 3.382⭐ | 53🧑⚖️ |
| Humor | 584th | 2.313⭐ | 50🧑⚖️ |
| Mood | 652th | 3.216⭐ | 53🧑⚖️ |
| Given | 56🗳️ | 91🗨️ |
I like the concept. It feels like I am a "daredevil", who can see with ears. Very minimalistic and nice style. It was creepy for sure. Zombies are not too smart, so I was able to finish game. I really love the mechanic you made, to be able to see when sound is on. Btw i didn't hear a cat until i saw it. Thank you for that game, good job!
Balancing the zombies was a real struggle — they were either way too smart, leaving no chance to survive, or just completely clueless. I really hope the final version didn't end up being too easy!
It was an unpleasant experience—but don’t get me wrong, that’s actually a sign of good game design for your idea. The limited visibility and the threat from zombies created tension, so the discomfort felt appropriate.
Unfortunately, the zombie movement wasn’t quite right, and they couldn’t enter rooms, which left a lot of safe zones on each floor. Still, my overall impression of the game is positive. I also like your intro—it sets the right mood right away. Great job!
Still, it was a valuable learning experience, and it definitely made me appreciate the high-quality animations in other entries much more now!
AI art, though. Really? Feels out of character with the game itself.
Interesting game, the graphic style is unique.
You said that some AI Assets were used in the game, and I think it wasn't necessary. I think you have the skills to do it.
Anyway, I enjoyed it, and I liked how you used the theme.
@eden-zorro Thank you so much for trying our game and saving the cat! Regarding the AI assets: I’ll be honest, I started panicking as the deadline approached. Since I don't feel confident in my art skills yet, I used them to get things finished in time. I promise to practice my drawing skills before the next jam! Thanks again for the support and the honest feedback
@reverdie Thanks for kind words
@rushb Thanks as UE5 dev to another UE5 dev.
@sariiger Thank you for trying our game! Actually, my own cat was the inspiration for this game, so I’m very protective of him too.
@umaiit Thanks for checking out our game! Sometimes the total absence of story and style IS the best story and style... just kidding!
@nekuake Thanks for noticing the echo effect! I found an article on how to implement it and had to adapt the logic for UE5 materials. At first, absolutely nothing worked, but after some of tweaking and tinkering, it finally worked! Glad you liked the result
@grimslinger Thank you! I'm really happy people like the echo effect. It was a bit of a challenge to get it working
Interesting mechanics. But unfortunately, the lack of a cooldown on echolocation made my gameplay feel like mashing the F key.
I don't understand why there are zombies in the game. I mean, yes, they can kill us, but I think this mechanic would fit perfectly into some kind of labyrinth with various symbols. Something like the caves in Skyrim.
Anyway, you're great!