On Thin Ice by Nikl

[raw]
made by Nikl for Ludum Dare 50 (JAM)

You find yourself walking on thin ice. Every step cracks the ice below you. Do not walk back over that cracked ice!

For some weird reason, you are joined by a bunch of cows.

*Try to stay on the ice as long as possible. You can see your Highscore in the top right corner. Keep improving it :wink: *

on<em>thin</em>ice_5.png

Controls: Turn the player with A/D or left and right arrow keys.

Known issues: - The web build might have weird audio for the first few seconds. Please download the native build for your platform to get better performance :)

Ratings

Overall 769th 3.475⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Fun 488th 3.575⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 467th 3.525⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Theme 194th 4.1⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 1112th 2.975⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Audio 660th 3.211⭐ 21🧑‍⚖️
Humor 453th 3.361⭐ 20🧑‍⚖️
Mood 863th 3.333⭐ 20🧑‍⚖️
Given 13🗳️ 17🗨️

Feedback

LDJam user 258516
04. Apr 2022 · 16:18 UTC
![Bug.png](///raw/4d1/f3/z/4a898.png)
The game doesn't load in HTML, and I'm not at home to download it. Can you reply here when it's available?
LDJam user 281643
04. Apr 2022 · 17:40 UTC
Very silly with the cows. And a unique idea.
🎤 Nikl
04. Apr 2022 · 18:07 UTC
@very-bad-bunny-studio sorry about that. For some reason GC doesn't want to serve my Wasm file on itch at the moment.
You can alternatively play it on GH pages here: https://niklasei.github.io/on_thin_ice/
LDJam user 258516
04. Apr 2022 · 18:10 UTC
Okay...why cows?!

A great idea, and an original way of thinking about the topic, without being so tragic. The movement worked perfectly to create a sense of urgency within the game, and the art was really cute.

Congratulations!
🎤 Nikl
04. Apr 2022 · 18:14 UTC
@very-bad-bunny-studio Thanks for playing! Well, I wanted heavy animals to crack the ice. Thought cows would be funny.

I had it without animals at first, but that was way too boring. I had to add another element to the game.
Cinnamon18
05. Apr 2022 · 01:18 UTC
Aww this is fun! A nice blend of skill and rng! The graphics are rustic but communicate well!
Gnome4
05. Apr 2022 · 01:35 UTC
I enjoyed it. Awesome job.
crecalcati
06. Apr 2022 · 16:58 UTC
I found the costant attempt to find new routes very satisfying, nice concept! Althugh, the HUD covered the avatar in some points and that wasn't much good.

In conclusion: GG!
RustyMonky
09. Apr 2022 · 15:11 UTC
Good use of the theme and simple controls -- though the game isn't necessarily easy! I love the arbitrary use of cows. And, of course, appreciate the programmer art. Nice work!
hgcummings
09. Apr 2022 · 15:19 UTC
> For some weird reason, you are joined by a bunch of cows.
Immediate high marks for humour.

I lasted 50.63 seconds, which seems reasonably good (the screen was pretty full of tracks by that point).

I really like the idea of a snake game not on a square grid. The controls were simple and well-judged (reasonably forgiving). I could imagine extending it into something that feels even more fluid and like skating. Could add a real element of skill by allowing you to vary speed, make tighter turns, and perhaps even attempt to jump over tracks.
Flying Dog Fish
09. Apr 2022 · 15:20 UTC
Nice and simple, with graphics and sounds to match, good job.
Ramil Dev
09. Apr 2022 · 15:33 UTC
Good work! Creative use of mechanics and theme. Also fun to play, you had me replaying it until I got to the minute mark :) Here's my personal record. ![cows.PNG](///raw/16f/34/z/4da82.png)
mhorth
09. Apr 2022 · 18:47 UTC
TRON bikes with cows!! I had a lot more fun with this than I was expecting, nice entry! The sound effects really sounded like ice and fit the game well.

Next time I would look to add some music. You could probably go for really frantic and silly music for this one, or a really calming ambient background track.
RubixNoob13
10. Apr 2022 · 05:43 UTC
I agree that some music would be nice. I don't fully understand why the cows are needed.
🎤 Nikl
10. Apr 2022 · 06:47 UTC
@rubixnoob13 thank you for the feedback.

If you are alone on the ice, every run is the same (and pretty boring). Then the only task is to run in circles as closely next to each other as possible.

With the cows there is a bit of randomness. They can force you to change your plans during a run.
0x746564
14. Apr 2022 · 01:20 UTC
Interesting take on the snake game format!

Graphics were simple, but worked. Sound effects were nice.

I need to know who was in charge of the cows!