Dreamer by James_7777

[raw]
made by James_7777 for Ludum Dare 48 (JAM)

Nightmare above. Dream Deeper.

Submit your high score to the LIVE leaderboards!

Fall deeper into your dream to get a higher score! Defeat the dream sheep to increase your multiplier! The faster you fall, the quicker your score increases, but the harder it gets to control.

Controls - A/D = Left/Right - S = Speed Boost - W = Slow Down - S, quickly followed by W at high speed = Quick boost upwards - Space = Attack

dreamer3.PNG dreamer.PNG dreamer2.PNG dreamer1.PNG

Ratings

Overall 573th 3.72⭐ 27🧑‍⚖️
Fun 351th 3.76⭐ 27🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 1242th 2.98⭐ 27🧑‍⚖️
Theme 712th 3.8⭐ 27🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 794th 3.78⭐ 27🧑‍⚖️
Audio 889th 3.22⭐ 27🧑‍⚖️
Humor 907th 2.674⭐ 25🧑‍⚖️
Mood 620th 3.7⭐ 27🧑‍⚖️
Given 29🗳️ 30🗨️

Feedback

Saerki
26. Apr 2021 · 21:45 UTC
Aside from the bit erratic nature of the "main theme" (mostly just note choices bugging me as a musician), the game was very enjoyable! I liked the changing aesthetics as you got deeper and the burst of speed was a nice mechanic on otherwise a very simple game.

I think that the main menu was a bit better aesthetically than the game itself and led to even higher expectations, but everything was a-ok! Just think the color choices were better in the menu than the game itself.
Elektroney
26. Apr 2021 · 21:46 UTC
Nice Game!
alec
26. Apr 2021 · 21:48 UTC
wasn't expecting the transitions in music and visuals as I went deeper into dream, super neat! I wish the attack hotbox was a little bigger, since it was hard to actually hit the enemies.
Patsui
26. Apr 2021 · 21:49 UTC
Nice intense gameplay! Loved the snappy controls and the leaderboard was a nice touch :) Well done!
Phoenix Fireflower
27. Apr 2021 · 14:24 UTC
The game gets quite addictive and intense as you descend further and further.

I did wish it was a little bit easier to hit enemies with my attack, especially when descending at high speed.
HuskyLover269
27. Apr 2021 · 16:00 UTC
Swag and the addition of high score was cool too
tylerkealy
27. Apr 2021 · 17:49 UTC
Very cool art style + presentation overall!
Craig Cordeiro
27. Apr 2021 · 19:26 UTC
Very nice! If you decide to develop this further after the jam, might I recommend making less points that snag the player character. Falling is fun, slowing down when the void is coming down is enough to create a sense of danger. Stopping / hitting a ledge and having to walk off of it breaks the flow.
JPGFG
28. Apr 2021 · 04:15 UTC
I love the art style and the game is really well polished from an aesthetic standpoint. The only issue I'm having is how loud the successful enemy attack sound effect is, compared to the music it is a little loud.
felixmreeve
28. Apr 2021 · 09:29 UTC
Really fun presentation, I like the weird transitions and colour shifting and the graphics are charming while still being clear. I was a bit confused about how to increase my score multiplier, maybe I just didn't get far enough? The music was fun but could have been a slightly smoother loop to give it a bit more polish. Overall I enjoyed this one!
Chad Mongo
28. Apr 2021 · 15:53 UTC
@felixmreeve We could have explained the multiplier better in game, it goes up by defeating the baddies. The sheep icons in the top left show the amount you need to get to the next level. (The coloured ones are a different level). Thanks for playing!
windfall890
29. Apr 2021 · 17:27 UTC
Right off the bad _really_ cool to get a high score system in. major props for that.
_And_ the animated control UI hints on the menu are a big win.
Too many jam games don't spend the few minutes to put their controls in game and its a BIG boost to getting people to come play past the first few seconds.

The visuals are a bit inconsistent, but I can attribute that to the dream/nightmare strange theme of the game. The sprite have a nice retro touch to them.

It definitely looks flashy. The animation on the player and enemies were great, and the frightening nightmare really makes you want to fall faster.

The falling controls were simple but felt good, same for the lone attack. Nothing groundbreaking in the actual gameplay, but it handled well enough for me to give it multiple plays!

I think combining a 'going down' theme with the 'dream deeply' idea is an excellent use of the Jam theme, and the whole game hangs together pretty well!

Nice work!
dob
29. Apr 2021 · 18:22 UTC
High score list is a nice touch. I wanted to do that, but then I went without score and just for level progress. Smooth game with interesting art and sounds. The mechanics weren't very deep, and it was hard to dodge the obstacles given that you coudln't see them coming. I guess there could be a memorization component here too, but I didn't play enough times to start to get that down. I didn't fully understand the scoring or the mass of blobs in the upper left, as other people have mentioned, although killing lots of guys at once got me higher multipliers. Nice work for a dynamic finished product.
Megan Kozun
29. Apr 2021 · 18:22 UTC
wow this was really good! i had so much fun playing this, and the high scores were a really cool touch, definitely encourages you to get better at the game haha. i kept getting stuck on the ledges tho and i forgot about the attack button (my bad) so i'll need to practice a little more. overall really great job and good use of the theme! :)
edit: finally got on the scoreboard!!! yes!
frompdx
29. Apr 2021 · 18:26 UTC
Fun little game. Feels very polished and fits the theme very well.
J0ye
29. Apr 2021 · 18:36 UTC
I enjoyed the concept a lot, but I'm not really sure about the balancing and the sheeps. I made it into the top ten, yet I'm not sure what the goal or the best strategy would be. It is definitely a great entry. The music isn't really a strength.
Sanemsky
29. Apr 2021 · 18:54 UTC
Great game. Art is wonderful. Felt a bit hard, couldn't understand how can I keep alive longer, then got used to it. Well done.
zerocomms
30. Apr 2021 · 00:20 UTC
Great tutorial and UI work, adds a good feel for polish.
NoobDude
01. May 2021 · 11:09 UTC
The game was really fun to play, the first time i tried it i got a bit surprised by the black wall of death coming for me , tried to outrun it didnt really end up well for me, overall a fun experience.