LudumData

LIFE|DEATH by Sockenpuppe

[raw]
made by Sockenpuppe for Ludum Dare 49 (JAM)

LIFEDEATHCOVER.png

Reality is on the brink of collapse!

Instead of stabilizing the veil to the afterlife, Miranda the Witch accidentally weakened it!

Catch ghosts that are crossing over and put them into the stabilizer to strengthen the veil.

But beware! Miranda's Ghost Vacuum is prone to exploding.

WASD or Arrow Keys to move.

Space for sucking in ghosts.

Catching ghosts decreases a random amount of the blue bar on the left side. Putting ghosts into the stabilizer (by entering the spiral next to it) replenishes the blue bar. If the bar hits zero, Miranda's Ghost Vacuum explodes and it's Game Over.

Screenshot (1719).png Screenshot (1720).png

Update:

I added an updated version to the itch.io page with the following changes:

  • I fixed a weird problem where the timer would restart once it reached 60s.

  • Movement should feel much better now:

    • Miranda looks at the mouse, now. That means it's no longer necessary to use A + D (or Right Arrow + Left Arrow) for turning.
    • She also walks a bit faster.
  • I increased the size of the blue vacuum bar and the hearts.
  • It's now possible to suck in a few more ghosts and to get hit a few more times before dying.
  • I decreased the amound of ghosts that need to be caught in order to win.

I kept the original jam version for the WebGL build. As of right now, the updated version is downloadable only. I'll change this once the play+rate phase is over.

Link https://sockenpuppe.itch.io/lifedeath
Link https://sockenpuppe.itch.io/lifedeath
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/49/lifedeath

Ratings

Overall 1273th 3.069⭐ 31🧑‍⚖️
Fun 1390th 2.707⭐ 31🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 1109th 2.966⭐ 31🧑‍⚖️
Theme 1197th 3⭐ 31🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 509th 3.867⭐ 32🧑‍⚖️
Audio 876th 2.879⭐ 31🧑‍⚖️
Humor 857th 2.74⭐ 27🧑‍⚖️
Mood 872th 3.296⭐ 29🧑‍⚖️
Given 29🗳️ 33🗨️

Feedback

Lucas Thomaz
04. Oct 2021 · 20:12 UTC
you had a really nice idea, but the character moves strange, seems slow and inverted, i liked too much the graphics.
HayArt
04. Oct 2021 · 21:13 UTC
I loved the theme of the game, I feel a bit of a lock when sucking the ghosts, maybe the balancing, but I know it's not easy, and that you did an excellent job, this mechanic has a lot of potential
Whysguy52
04. Oct 2021 · 21:47 UTC
Really great job. I agree with the controls thing. Really sluggish and hard to control but I get the idea. Maybe use the mouse to determine direction? just a suggestion. Also, maybe make the blue bar a little bigger and have set amounts of decrease for each ghost. Hard/impossible to know if i'm going to die from sucking up the next ghost.

All that aside, outstanding work!
jan5366x
04. Oct 2021 · 22:28 UTC
Nice concept and assets but the character rotation should be a little faster I guess. :smile:
🎤 Sockenpuppe
04. Oct 2021 · 22:35 UTC
Thank you for the feedback @lucas-thomaz, @hayart, @whysguy52, and @jan5366!

Yeah, I'll definitely rework the controls (🤣) and balancing.

Using the mouse for direction is a great idea!
It was a bit too late when I saw how small the UI turned out; will also be changed :)
ache games
04. Oct 2021 · 22:38 UTC
Nice game, character was a bit hard to control in my opinion.
pnikav
04. Oct 2021 · 23:44 UTC
Not bad graphics, but I didn't really like the performance of the jam theme. I would like to have more lives, and not die from a single blow, as well as a tutorial in the game itself or at least in its description on itch.io
Good job!
🎤 Sockenpuppe
05. Oct 2021 · 09:18 UTC
Thanks for the feedback @ache-games and @pnikav!

I added an updated version to my itch.io page which should take care of the worst problems with movement and balancing. As of right now, I've added it as an additional version for download and kept the original for the WebGL build (since I'm not quite sure whether these changes are allowed for the jam).
JaviCoder
05. Oct 2021 · 10:12 UTC
a very nice little game, good graphics, although maybe the lighting could be improved a bit (very dark shadows). I really like the vacuum mechanic, it reminds me of Luigi'sMansion haha. good job!
🎤 Sockenpuppe
05. Oct 2021 · 10:16 UTC
Thank you very much for the feedback @javicoder :)
Celulo
05. Oct 2021 · 11:09 UTC
Nice game, i like the graphics, the controller is just a bit slow, great job !
🎤 Sockenpuppe
05. Oct 2021 · 11:14 UTC
Thank you @celulo :)
VladLawrence
05. Oct 2021 · 11:17 UTC
Nice game!)
I`v liked style, graphics and idea, gameplay is a lil hard, but seems to be chalanging)) Ghostbusters!!!
🎤 Sockenpuppe
05. Oct 2021 · 11:23 UTC
Thank you @vladlawrence :D
chesschaser
05. Oct 2021 · 13:05 UTC
Great idea, however the graphics could be improved. Good entry!
🎤 Sockenpuppe
05. Oct 2021 · 14:59 UTC
Thanks @chesschaser
ChewieCB
06. Oct 2021 · 10:30 UTC
Art was nice and consistent to a theme, loved the use of physics objects flying around that was a nice touch.

The tank controls made the game quite hard, and the music/background noise loop was a bit too short so felt kinda repetitive. Some sound effects for feedback when you've dropped the ghosts off in the spiral would help since it's not entirely clear when you're close enough.

Overall a good core idea that just needs a bit more polish :)
Timmith
07. Oct 2021 · 06:13 UTC
I like the use of colour and the physics on the furniture assets. But the shadows seem too opaque and kind of takes away from the surroundings. It also would've been cool to see the furniture act more poltergeist-esque, and the controls would be nicer if they were upgraded from being tank-y (like in resident evil 1).
Deborah Messaoudene
07. Oct 2021 · 15:28 UTC
I really like the graphics and the the physics of the objets, the game is fun! It's a little bit challenging but I like that : )
Kiwi663
07. Oct 2021 · 16:08 UTC
Nice graphics and the whole game design. I had a little problem with navigation. But I think it's a very nice effect for three days of work.
Timothy
08. Oct 2021 · 22:51 UTC
The art was excellent. It really created a spooky atmosphere while still being somewhat cute. However, I would say that the controls are the biggest problem. I also found that the ghosts could one-shot you if you vacuum just as they started dashing. Luckily, it looks like you have fixed many of these issues with the out-of jam update.
eldogg
10. Oct 2021 · 18:14 UTC
The graphics are great, I like the colours of the ghosts.

The game is quite challenging! But it has a cool atmosphere.
Eli Delventhal
13. Oct 2021 · 18:49 UTC
Very pretty game with some simple mechanics. Looks like you fixed many of my complaints in the post-jam build.

I found a way to cheese it easily - just stand next to the portal thing and suck in the ghosts from there.
ZeppelinGames
13. Oct 2021 · 23:07 UTC
(Played WebGL build). Controls were quite clunky and I was unsure how to suck up ghost (controls info would be good). Rotating the player was really slow. I was a bit unsure of what I had to achieve/do. The art and audio were really good though. I can see it becoming a better game post-jam
Britt Henderson
17. Oct 2021 · 23:12 UTC
Awesome job on the game - you nailed the atmosphere in the world building :)
My one complaint is just that it wasn't immediately evident what was happening when i was using the vacuum - a sound effect or a suction graphic could go a really long way in giving good feedback to the player.

Nicely done on the world and the game play :)
benskca
21. Oct 2021 · 01:22 UTC
(I played the original WebGL build) I really like the graphics and sound design, they build a really great atmosphere! I think a graphic that displays when you use the vacuum would add some visual clarity, maybe some suction lines or a whirlwind? A how to play graphic on the home screen that just explains the mechanics along with the relevant models would also help new players, but I know that is very much a post-jam sort of update and I don't think its absolutely necessary by any means. Great job overall!