Death Is Real. by waffleworksgames

[raw]
made by waffleworksgames for Ludum Dare 50 (COMPO)

Death Is Real is ​a puzzle game about avoiding death. Place objects in front of the protagonist to help him escape a personification of Death. Reach the end of the level without running into Death or any other deadly hazards.

Controls: Left Mouse Button - drag and place down objects from your inventory. R - Restart Level

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Ratings

Overall 65th 3.939⭐ 35🧑‍⚖️
Fun 83th 3.879⭐ 35🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 161th 3.652⭐ 35🧑‍⚖️
Theme 180th 3.879⭐ 35🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 107th 4.015⭐ 36🧑‍⚖️
Audio 158th 3.563⭐ 34🧑‍⚖️
Mood 53th 3.909⭐ 35🧑‍⚖️
Given 43🗳️ 45🗨️

Feedback

jk5000
04. Apr 2022 · 05:44 UTC
A very fun and very well made little game. I like both the music and the visuals. Controls is overall good, but it was sometimes a bit difficult to be able to move the stuff fast enough. Overall a good jam game. Well done.
dreamscale
04. Apr 2022 · 05:52 UTC
Really nice game! The puzzles were pretty clever even with just a few items. I think a little more delay before your character starts moving would be nice but that's pretty much the only criticism I have.
kbf123
04. Apr 2022 · 14:42 UTC
Awesome! I actually kind of like the frantic pace and having to throw down items before you even know what to do with them.
One thing I'll say though is for that last level, it's a bit tricky to know how much room you need to make between yourself and death at certain points. I ended up looping an extra time to make up a bit of distance.
LDJam user 279610
04. Apr 2022 · 18:52 UTC
I loved your creative choices with the art. Nice level design as well. The window for the game was tiny on my monitor so it was tough to click the objects fast enough and place them in the right spots which I found a bit frustrating. Overall an excellent effort.
🎤 waffleworksgames
04. Apr 2022 · 19:16 UTC
@dreamscale I definitely agree, a slightly longer delay would have been great. Thanks for the feedback!
🎤 waffleworksgames
04. Apr 2022 · 19:19 UTC
@kbf123 I appreciate the input! Yeah, that last level is super tough. I ideally would have wanted to put death a little further back but it would've messed with the pathfinding system, unfortunately. Thanks for playing!
🎤 waffleworksgames
04. Apr 2022 · 19:20 UTC
@david-york Thank you for the kind words! Sorry to hear about the small window. I should have included a fullscreen option to account for higher resolution monitors.
Christian Zommerfelds
04. Apr 2022 · 21:26 UTC
Very cool game! Well done!

I had to quit almost at the end but I started the game again and played though!

Only negative for me is that placing things was a bit hard and required precision. The fun part was the puzzles, not my clicking abilities :)

Great music and simple graphics.
Sentmoraap
05. Apr 2022 · 20:01 UTC
I had trouble placing items fast enough. I wish I could pause the level at least before it begins so I have time to think about how to solve it.

Otherwise nice puzzle game !
Godfrey_Y
05. Apr 2022 · 21:43 UTC
A funny and well presented game. I would recommend using a larger button for items in the inventory and keeping the inventory at the same place. Sometimes it's a bit difficult to pick the item.
LDJam user 240168
06. Apr 2022 · 19:23 UTC
One of the best games I've encountered on this jam! I'm not really into puzzles, but this one stroke me with simple & intuitive yet unexpectedly complex mechanics. I love the thoughtful level design that forces you to explore more and more until you find the overall solution. Simply incredible, great job.

![2022-04-06-221350_1920x1080_scrot.png](///raw/82a/a3/z/4d2b0.png)
Dilem
06. Apr 2022 · 22:21 UTC
I absolutely adore the art, well done!
C64Gamer
06. Apr 2022 · 22:27 UTC
Awesome game. Played nearly all of the levels. The level count and the idea is amazing. Really great job :-)
LDJam user 280036
06. Apr 2022 · 22:28 UTC
Overall: extremely well done. The inevitability of death fits very well with the theme. Great polish, atmosphere, graphics, puzzles. Certainly one of the best put-together experiences I've seen so far :) I made it all the way through. High ratings from me.

If I could provide constructive feedback: I was frustrated with the level of precision and speed you had to move the pieces around. I found myself wishing for a pause feature, or time to stop and think before the puzzle began. Often times I'd be a pixel off in my placement and I'd get the error noise and die :( It felt like I was fighting the controls more than trying to solve a puzzle in some cases.
Eli Haun
06. Apr 2022 · 22:29 UTC
Beat it! Unlike a lot of games, I really felt drawn to actually FINISH this one. Very fun!
Heloise
07. Apr 2022 · 16:35 UTC
Este es el primer juego de la jam en el que verdaderamente siento un buen diseño de niveles, un gameplay muy bueno, de los mejores que he jugado. El arte también es muy interesante, la gama cromática me encanta, buen trabajo :heart:
Roitchie
07. Apr 2022 · 16:40 UTC
Enjoyed this a lot. The puzzle elements have a surprising amount of depth and are challenging without being frustrating.

The impending dread you feel with death following close behind and the music was great, fits the theme very well.

Really well done game, I don't really have any criticisms of it that other people haven't already said. Very strong entry overall.
sophie.s
08. Apr 2022 · 12:55 UTC
I love it!!!!!
fosf0
08. Apr 2022 · 19:16 UTC
Very fun! the art is amazing
Frib
08. Apr 2022 · 19:28 UTC
Stressful puzzle game, lol. Was a bit frustrating at times due to the speed required to place the tools, but I really enjoyed it. Well done!
silvi_heidelbeer
08. Apr 2022 · 19:34 UTC
Fun game! I love the unique puzzle mechanic, the minimalist pixel art and the theme. The difficulty level felt organic without being overwhelming. Sometimes I had trouble placing the items at the right spot, as some people already mentioned. Otherwise strong entry! :)
ugly_robot
08. Apr 2022 · 20:53 UTC
I love this game - wonderful puzzle design, consistently challenging - both in logicality and dexterity.

Plus, the the polish is unpaired - a consistent color palette, lovely sprites, smooth and straightforward controls, gorgeous backgrounds, fonts, and perfect theming.

A well excecated plan - congratulations on such a stellar entry!
caudatecoder
09. Apr 2022 · 06:11 UTC
I love this type of games where player controls the environment and not the character. You've done a great job squeezing maximum fun out of it!

The combination of a theme, interesting puzzles combined with quick reactions is pretty unique and so well done! The graphics and music with sfx are also great, especially keeping in mind that's it's a compo. Overall I think you nailed it and the experience you've made from that idea is so-so close to being just perfect for that timeframe. Impressive!

I was streaming and recording my playthrough. Here's a link in case you'd like to see it https://youtu.be/xAmitsB_F9k
fueelin
13. Apr 2022 · 06:58 UTC
Awesome game! Like a less hectic (but still kinda hectic) Lemmings! The art was nice and crisp and the music/sound was simple and effective. The difficulty curve of puzzles over time was nice. One of my favorite games so far this LD!