The Undergroundies by Wbertrand

[raw]
made by Wbertrand for Ludum Dare 48 (JAM)

You've been chosen as the hero of the Above Grounders, a peaceful people who live out in the fresh air.

AS the chosen hero, you must venture deep below, to the world of the Undergroundies, to retrieve a treasure that will end all suffering and hardship for your people. Will you find the treasure and save your people? Or will the dangerous beasts that live beneath the surface be your end?​

Made for the Ludum Dare 48 Jam!Screen Shot 2021-04-26 at 2.10.25 PM.png

Ratings

Overall 821th 3.568⭐ 24🧑‍⚖️
Fun 580th 3.568⭐ 24🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 712th 3.386⭐ 24🧑‍⚖️
Theme 513th 3.932⭐ 24🧑‍⚖️
Humor 613th 3.056⭐ 20🧑‍⚖️
Mood 120th 4.238⭐ 23🧑‍⚖️
Given 20🗳️ 22🗨️

Feedback

gabbeeder
26. Apr 2021 · 20:22 UTC
Very tense atmosphere when hiding from the enemies. The music is unsettling too, which is great. The artstyle was a bit mixed and the mechanics got stale after playing for a while.
SamurGuy
26. Apr 2021 · 20:32 UTC
the part where you have to squeeze through a tunnel and the enemies just barely miss you is pretty intense and the music is unsettling. The character movement feels nice too.
snonk
27. Apr 2021 · 01:43 UTC
overall a v nice game ! the music is a pretty good match and everything is fairly smooth, although you can sometimes get stuck on corners because of the shape of the character.
pedrorocha
27. Apr 2021 · 15:56 UTC
Well done ! Very cool to use stealth mechanics with this theme.
Hanna_Knop
27. Apr 2021 · 16:02 UTC
hahaha, I totally agree with SamurGuy, the parts, where I had to sneak past the enemies was so intense!First time I messed up and got killed, almost gave me a heart attack, hahaha xD
It was so much fun though!Really nice artwork and cahracter movement. The music fitted so perfect! What a mood. :-) Thank you for this great game!
natpat
27. Apr 2021 · 16:05 UTC
Nice entry! I appreciated the story, the Above-Grounders being scared of the Undergroundies was good setting (and I was scared of the Undergroundies after a while as well!). Some of the moments were tense, I enjoyed the traps you set. I got stuck in a hole at some point though and couldn't continue!
JustARoom
28. Apr 2021 · 01:57 UTC
The atmosphere was really good, and I loved the part where when crouching through the tunnel the enemies come out of nowhere and you barely make it through.
nardandas
28. Apr 2021 · 03:43 UTC
Interesting theme, the little character was pretty cute. The slowness of the camera was pretty annoying, though.
Bamallama
29. Apr 2021 · 03:46 UTC
Neat concept, camera did feel really slow though
Webox
29. Apr 2021 · 14:47 UTC
Great job!! Camera is a bit slow as some ppl said already, and the art feels a bit incosisent (I assume you used assets and you didn't find all of the fitting ones). The hide mechanic is very cool and can be expanded further.

Overal great job! keep up the good work! :D
LethalTurtle
30. Apr 2021 · 03:22 UTC
It was an interesting game, I liked the part where you are falling down and bat enemies starting falling from above, the background art was also good.
Mighty Mufflon Games
30. Apr 2021 · 17:21 UTC
This was really good! One of the best entries I've played so far. Cool twist at the end.
woolchara
30. Apr 2021 · 22:49 UTC
Really enjoyed the game. Nice levels, though rather empty, except for enemies. That thing at the end remind me of Dumbledore in the half-blood prince, so poetic.
Wuppos
05. May 2021 · 10:26 UTC
Cool game! The level design was really good. People already mentioned it, but you really managed to create tension by having those undergroundies chase you in that narrow tunnel. You go so awfully slow, and it feels like they will catch up, but then you barely escape! That was a really cool moment. Also that moment when you fall down and you have to evade undergroundies that fall faster than you. And then of course the ending, which I wont spoil for other players :) Yeah, this game has a lot of cool moments.

Others have mentioned it as well, but I believe the camera could use some work. The main problem is that you cannot see where you are going, and you often have 'leap-of-faith' moments. This also adds to the claustrophobic feel of the game, but for a platformer like this I think it is important to be able to see where you will land. Maybe you could put the focus of the camera halfway between the player and the mouse cursor? This way you can move the mouse downwards to carefully peak over a ledge, and it might keep this claustrophobic feel.

One other thing is that the art is very inconsistent. The pixel size is not constant, and the artstyle changes a lot as well. This gives the game a bit of a messy feel. I also think that the cave background is too detailed, which makes the foreground objects stand out less. This might just be my preference in art though :)

Anyway, very well done! I really enjoyed the short journey. :D
notanimposter
16. May 2021 · 03:09 UTC
I love the atmosphere and especially the stealth mechanic is a fun idea!