Downward Frog by GogglesKitty

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

A toy frog slips into the pool drain... what will it find?

LD48 ThumbnalLogo 3x gif.gif

Avoid weird fish! Collect bubbles! (and health!) Make it to the bottom...?

Controls:

A/D or Left/Right Arrow Keys: Move Left and Right

Space, J, or Shift: Use a Bubble to Dodge (Press while holding Left or Right to dodge that direction, or press while holding neither to dodge upward!)

ESC: Pause

F: Fullscreen

R: Restart When Paused

Ratings

Overall 138th 4.091⭐ 57🧑‍⚖️
Fun 262th 3.845⭐ 57🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 739th 3.364⭐ 57🧑‍⚖️
Theme 161th 4.218⭐ 57🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 117th 4.438⭐ 58🧑‍⚖️
Audio 166th 4.027⭐ 58🧑‍⚖️
Humor 448th 3.306⭐ 51🧑‍⚖️
Mood 257th 4.057⭐ 55🧑‍⚖️
Given 62🗳️ 53🗨️

Feedback

Gomega
27. Apr 2021 · 04:26 UTC
Very impressive! the art, sound design, level design all work really well together.

The atmosphere going from playful to scary as you go deeper was really nice as well.

Overall, this feels very professional and well made.
blob
27. Apr 2021 · 04:28 UTC
Love it! Stunning pixel art and simple but smart mechanics ( + fun downwell intro hommage) :D
Nailed the mood with the music too, really solid. I just wish the side dodge slowed you down some more, it kept getting me killed.
Great job!
tengusheath
27. Apr 2021 · 04:56 UTC
Loved the pixel art frog lol really cute. Nice job
Jonrei
27. Apr 2021 · 17:41 UTC
I like frogs
PBG
27. Apr 2021 · 17:45 UTC
That was delightful. Just the right difficulty for a jam. Really enjoyed it - just a fun way to enjoy some art and sounds. I think it is fine as is, but you could always add new areas, new music, etc. Really liked it.
LittleGamer
27. Apr 2021 · 18:03 UTC
Beautiful game ! Maybe just a bit too hard. I enjoyed it a lok.
mortalslayer24
27. Apr 2021 · 19:34 UTC
Loved the artwork and had a great time playing :D
🎤 GogglesKitty
28. Apr 2021 · 03:39 UTC
Thank you for the kind words and feedback everyone!

@blob lol, it's hard to imagine making anything even slower in this game! I'd love to have spent more time tuning and balancing movement though. I found myself using the side dodge in combo with the upward dodge more often than not.

@jonrei Saaaaame!
blob
28. Apr 2021 · 03:44 UTC
Yeah it might just be a getting used to thing, I often panicked dodge at last minute to the side and that doesnt work too well :P
Baarmaboi
28. Apr 2021 · 13:18 UTC
Nice controls even if it is a bit slow, but it works well! The visuals are very nice. Its a bit light on sound, but it fits well. Its a bit arduous to reastat.
PowerAnze
28. Apr 2021 · 13:19 UTC
Very cool game and the eels are great enemies which create very tense sections while not being super difficult, just by how menacing there are. The art overall is really cute and well done. The difficulty might just be a little bit too high for my liking. Some obstacles very tight with the timing.
JoeDev
28. Apr 2021 · 13:23 UTC
Such a cute and relaxing game. The background music was so calming and well made that I want to keep listening to it on repeat!

The game itself is pretty hard, sometimes it feels like its almost impossible even with dodges to get past certain groups of obstacles, but its good fun anyway and all of the enemies are so cute :heart_eyes:

Good job!
guladam
28. Apr 2021 · 13:25 UTC
Ribbit, ribbit :frog:
Beat the game on my 2nd try, yaaay :v:

My feedback:
- Cool concept
- Clean execution
- Charming pixel art & aesthetics
- Nice variety of enemies / obstacles
- Great take on the theme
- Satisfying ending
- Nice visual clarity

Some constructive criticism
- Make the intro skippable for smoother restarts
- Maybe tweak the controls and the gamespeed a bit. It feels a bit slow (but the difficulty is on point imo)

Brilliant job, fun game! :frog:
nyanpierre
28. Apr 2021 · 13:30 UTC
FROGGGGGG, Its really nice game you did a pretty good job ! The gameplay is cool and the art work very well.
Michael Grieshofer
28. Apr 2021 · 13:36 UTC
This game is so slooow. I kind of wished I could dodge downwards and not just up and to the side. Also the decision to make the live pickup give you all the lives back is a bit strange to me. The art and sound design are fantastic though.
LePoulet
28. Apr 2021 · 14:18 UTC
How can this game have so few rating. Art and music are beautiful, code seems good as the inputs and everything works well. Maybe a little too difficult but nice entry!
Alex the Bear
28. Apr 2021 · 14:36 UTC
The art on this blew me away - the models are full of character and animate really well, and the dodge mechanic is really clever (once you stop trying to use it to dodge/boost down :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes: ). This is really great, good job!
🎤 GogglesKitty
28. Apr 2021 · 21:38 UTC
@baarmaboi @guladam Agreed on skipping intro when you restart- I had planned to add that but ran out of time!
🎤 GogglesKitty
28. Apr 2021 · 21:50 UTC
@michael-grieshofer I had added a downward dodge at some point, but I honestly don't remember why it didn't stick. If I wanted to justify it not being in, I guess I'd say that going faster isn't exactly the point? ...something like that, anyway. I totally get it though, it'd be way more effective and probably more fun if that was an option. :sweat_smile: Thank you for the feedback!
antontesh
29. Apr 2021 · 00:27 UTC
Everything is fantastic. The art is fluid and cute. The way the walls fade and everything gets darker as you go deeper. The difficulty, the animations, the sound. It's all incredible! Nice job executing on something so polished
🎤 GogglesKitty
29. Apr 2021 · 00:36 UTC
@antontesh Thank you so much!
arya-s
29. Apr 2021 · 05:18 UTC
Really really good game. The art is so cute, the music and sound effects are really relaxing and nice. The gameplay is simple but challenging. Loved this submission.
frankiesmileshow
29. Apr 2021 · 05:58 UTC
Amazing job, love the shift in tone over the course of the game. One of the better looking games ive seen so far in this jam.
lootgrounds
29. Apr 2021 · 07:18 UTC
The graphics are nice, everything is readable and communicates the gameplay quite well. Most of the time it was beneficial to stay in center and just do nothing, but it's ok for a jam game. Overall you did quite a good job.
Simpathey
30. Apr 2021 · 04:36 UTC
Everything about this game I liked! Art was A+, mechanics felt smooth, I loved it.
BizmasterStudios
30. Apr 2021 · 04:36 UTC
Stunning work. Machanics were smooth, art was fantastic, that was a full polished experience! Amazing
LDJam user 245161
30. Apr 2021 · 05:31 UTC
The graphics are too good!! My eyes can't handle it! Seriously, good job. This is one of the tightest entries I've seen so far, and it really is a feast for the eyes. And it's very cute.
Pizzasgood
30. Apr 2021 · 18:53 UTC
This is the first 5/5 on graphics I've given for LD48. The mix of bright colorful sprites and a dark minimalist background is beautiful. The rest of it's good too. Overall, I'd say that playing the game feels like eating a cake. Pretty, peaceful, satisfying, and sweet.
Okamit
30. Apr 2021 · 20:07 UTC
Great variety of enemies with superb design, animation and style. Audio is cute and effective.
Gameplay is nice, although perhaps gets hard a bit fast.

Overall a great little game, great work!
batiali
30. Apr 2021 · 21:22 UTC
really well made, it shows how much soul went into this. congrats. loved the fish designs, especially the weird ones u see when u get deeper.
Pedonho
30. Apr 2021 · 21:26 UTC
Your game is top notch!Pixel art is amazing!The end could be more emotional with something happening... but i loved everything <33333!
My Sweet Whomp
30. Apr 2021 · 21:27 UTC
Gorgeous pixel art and superb music. It was a bit hard at first but once you get the hang of it it is a damn good game. Thanks for making it.
duplicatedframe
01. May 2021 · 08:43 UTC
cute as hell! the lil squid swimming sound is to die for
Togis
01. May 2021 · 13:38 UTC
We played this game yesterday on stream. Here is a link to the correct place in the video archive if you wish to re-watch it: https://www.youtube.be/watch?v=IQdJ_KaE1bI&t=8338s

I really enjoyed it! Very good graphics, good ambiance, nice challenge! I specifically love the way you did the tutorial, it could have info about dash + arrow to move quick though, but that's not a big issue.

Congratulation!
pabulum
01. May 2021 · 14:11 UTC
This is a really nice entry. suuuuper pretty, great variety of enemies and having dashes be a resource was a cool touch.
SilkyPantsDan
01. May 2021 · 14:49 UTC
Cute and mesmerising, and how is it both peaceful and stressful at the same time :D
mhorth
01. May 2021 · 19:56 UTC
This is excellent! I got so hyped when I saw clouds at the end, I thought we were going to eventually fall from the sky and land right next to the pool for a perfect loop. Really nice job here. I originally wanted things to move faster but I actually think the pace works very well.
🎤 GogglesKitty
01. May 2021 · 20:08 UTC
@mhorth Thank you! And yeah, I realized that would've been a cool ending shortly before submitting the game. Sadly I didn't have time to implement it, but drifting through space clouds seems like a pretty nice way to spend eternity, at least.
Groggi
01. May 2021 · 22:41 UTC
Really cute and challenging!
I love the intro of frog jumping into the pool. Maybe the second time playing it should start down the drain already, so you dont have to wait too long to replay. First time really great timing, made me anticipate.

The game itself felt really challenging for me. I dont know how I was supposed to pass some of the weird fish.

But nevertheless I really liked it!!
g12345
01. May 2021 · 22:52 UTC
The game looks so lovely and the music is so moody! Everything was so good looking and even the clouds were so good looking!

I was a bit worried when my bubbles were gone, but then I realised I must have reached the end. :smile:
johnnysix
02. May 2021 · 20:21 UTC
What a fantastic job! This'd be a great idea to expand on in the future. The graphics were charming and the sound design was nicely retro, especially the sonic style rock-slide sound for the giant worm things.
LDJam user 5109
02. May 2021 · 20:32 UTC
Everything here was so well done. A cute little game for sure. Took me a bit to get the dodging down but otherwise it was so well executed. Great job!
naali
02. May 2021 · 21:06 UTC
Nice graphics.
Fis
02. May 2021 · 21:14 UTC
Beautiful game - I really enjoyed the slow pace, it's really something you don't see often. The graphics are well done and the animations feel really polished. I'm a big fan of your soundtrack - what tools did you use?
Nivbeth
02. May 2021 · 21:16 UTC
So sweet :) Graphics (especially the cute little frog <3) are awesome and polished. Great overall job!
🎤 GogglesKitty
02. May 2021 · 21:46 UTC
@fis Thank you! I used [Jummbox](jummbus.bitbucket.io) (a mod of Beepbox) for the music. It's a free browser based music making tool. It's a lot of fun to play around with, I'd recommend it as a quick way to make music!
etrealjunior
05. May 2021 · 02:19 UTC
Congratulations on the game, your art and animation are very beautiful, the bubble mechanics are cool, it was a beautiful job you did, keep evolving in your project, and soon you will reap good fruits, a big hug, and I await your evaluations regarding mine game.
jitspoe
11. May 2021 · 08:42 UTC
Nice pixelart, and decent music, too! I feel like a downward dash might have been nice. Not sure if it made things too easy or why it wasn't included.
Birdwards
15. May 2021 · 23:40 UTC
Thanks for submitting your game to my stream! I played it last weekend. You can watch me play it here (I start yours at 1:03:55):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eC7ohNz5jGk