LudumData

Malarkey! by OddSocks

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

Malarkey!

A very short survival game.

Malarkey 01.gif

Tip: Follow the downed poles and wire to find the 'town' :D

The only task is to delay your inevitable demise as the temperature plummets, food and water are scarce, and finding warmth can be hard. I had loads planned, but hardly any of it is in here!

I wasn't sure what to call it in the end, so decided on 'Malarkey'! I also didn't have time to sort out the walking animations, so it looks very rough. Sorry!

I hope you enjoy what I have managed to coble together.

Controls:

WASD (or arrows) - Movement

E - Interact with world (ie Fires)

Space - Item pickup

Left Shift - Speed up time (to save time while warming up)

Starting Position

Outside.png

You start outside so keep an eye on your temperature at the bottom of the screen. If it gets too low, your health will start to drop. Equally, there will be prompts regarding food and water. If you use SHIFT to speed up time, it will also increase the speed your thirst and hunger increases, and how fast your health drops - everything increases (except walking speed).

Inside

Inside.png When inside, you are protected from the elements and can use the heater (if there is one) to warm up. The fuel slowly burns away and it will eventually stop working. If you have a fuel cell (red thing with blue strip!) and use it while next to an empty fire, it will refuel it.

The old local shop!

Shop.png

I had to rush this one as I spent WAY too much time messing around with the day and night cycles. So, there are some bugs waiting to be found and it's very light on content!

But I had a lot of fun making it!

Cheers for playing fellow devs :D

Link http://oddsocks.itch.io/ld50
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/50/melarky

Ratings

Overall 917th 3.357⭐ 30🧑‍⚖️
Fun 1264th 2.714⭐ 30🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 1058th 2.893⭐ 30🧑‍⚖️
Theme 349th 3.946⭐ 30🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 210th 4.25⭐ 30🧑‍⚖️
Audio 133th 4⭐ 30🧑‍⚖️
Humor 1090th 2.096⭐ 28🧑‍⚖️
Mood 71th 4.25⭐ 30🧑‍⚖️
Given 26🗳️ 27🗨️

Feedback

ruruie
05. Apr 2022 · 12:13 UTC
This has great atmosphere but I think it could use a guide on what to do and which direction to go to find things. I wasn't able to find anything but snow when walking around randomly.
Lisichka
05. Apr 2022 · 12:20 UTC
A very good game, I really liked the fact that traces remain behind the player. I must also say that the sounds create an atmosphere well, although there are not enough animations.
AndyZYZ
05. Apr 2022 · 12:23 UTC
The pixel art is breath taking. And I like the idea of laying pole on the ground to serve as guidance. It will be wonderful if more content can be added. Also the mood reminds me of the Long Dark a lot.
LDJam user 0
05. Apr 2022 · 12:23 UTC
I found that the game had a really good vibe. I did find another building but I had know idea how to do anything until i looked more into this site. My only tip is to make a small guide so people can see what an awesome game you have made! good job
LDJam user 279507
05. Apr 2022 · 12:23 UTC
Some great art and atmosphere here. Would love to see what it could become
lolopupka
05. Apr 2022 · 12:28 UTC
Looks like a beginning of a really nice project. Your art style is very nice!
Dean Isseyegh
05. Apr 2022 · 12:29 UTC
The sound and graphics were gorgeous, and I like the concept, but sadly I had no idea where to go at the start. I tried go east, north and walking around a bit.

I do really think it would be worth updating this page with at least a guide of what to do at the start as it would be a real shame if people didn't get the experience game like I did due to not knowing what to do!
Chocolat-Endive
05. Apr 2022 · 12:31 UTC
Nice mood here! I really like the graphic and sounds of your game. I guess some kind of animations, or at least let the character face the left when we go left could help immersion a lot. Making more evident about how to use items, could improve the experience a lot (I took a loong time understanding how to drink things I had in my inventory). And on this subject, maybe adding some kind of text to explain what are the objects we pick up could help too. Nice game!
riley9
05. Apr 2022 · 12:31 UTC
Cool! The foot steps add alot to the atmosphere and the pixel art is wonderful. It didn't bother that there isn't a walking animation. Sadly I couldn't find the local shop though :(
Heho
05. Apr 2022 · 12:31 UTC
i simply adore your graphics and sound design. It fits the theme of the game so well.
sleepyGrin
05. Apr 2022 · 12:32 UTC
I didn't know where to go, but that's okay. The game is gorgeous and the atmosphere is very well done, I felt like I was freezing haha. Nice Entry!
haztro
05. Apr 2022 · 12:32 UTC
Aw man, unfortunate you couldn't add more - what you have is awesome.
- You've managed to capture the lonely, desolate mood perfectly and I love how comfy it feels in the shelter. Also some of the best pixel art I've seen so far
- The sound really adds to the atmosphere and I like how even without player animation the footsteps still make it "readable".

Great job, I'd love to see more of this :)
LambBrainz
05. Apr 2022 · 12:32 UTC
Great atmosphere and lots of polish. Little stuff like the leftover foot steps, all of the sound for things you use/interact with. And the art looks fantastic. Great game and can't wait to see what all you come up with next!
Borchezz
05. Apr 2022 · 12:32 UTC
The atmosphere and sounds are great. Unfortunately there isn't much of a gameplay. I would say also, that the 'heat meter' is quiet merciful, and speed up wasn't working for me. Liked the lighting inside buildings. But still good for for one person project!
Arthur Mairs
05. Apr 2022 · 12:32 UTC
An interesting art style, reminds me a bit of sheltered. The obvious comment would some character animations, but nice work!
puddingzserem
05. Apr 2022 · 12:38 UTC
The game has a very clean and cohesive art style, it looks great and along with the sound it really adds to the vibe. At first I didn't know what to do, so a simple guide would be nice. The poles on the ground were a great idea though!
Lisek Gagatek
05. Apr 2022 · 12:39 UTC
Nice game. I think you did a good job with snowy-wind audio and steps sounds. I think it would be cool if the map wasn't infinite - it's quite easy to go into random direction and struggle to find your way back.
Noh
05. Apr 2022 · 12:50 UTC
I love the art and atmosphere, but I feel directionless unsure of what to do. I found the shop and got some supplies, but then it was just waiting until they run out and you die. I would love if the game explained itself better as I feel like I missed out on what the game really is about.
reneantunes
05. Apr 2022 · 17:10 UTC
Great art & mood. No real critique other than I would have loved a walk cycle. Loved it though.
Gravityflip
05. Apr 2022 · 18:39 UTC
Love the way you draw pixel art ! And the sound effects are on point too! A perfectionist with a scope problem? ;D
Really cool atmosphere! I could see this turn into a bigger project! Good job!
Gabriel Bissonnette
05. Apr 2022 · 18:41 UTC
Like others said, I would love to see the character move around but for a jam game it's awesome. The mood and style is simply perfect, really nice work
LDJam user 245333
07. Apr 2022 · 14:34 UTC
The atmosphere is really well done! I like the fact that it is possible to get lost in an empty field of snow. To progress, you have to be looking for small tracks to follow, it's pretty neat. There's not a much to test here (after exploring apparently all the shelters, I tried to kill myself, unsuccessfully), but the game succeeds to immerse in a powerful ambiance thanks to its visuals and sounds.
squimmy
10. Apr 2022 · 04:09 UTC
Really great atmosphere.

I loved the use of environmental hints like power lines and pavement to guide the player towards points of interest.

Obviously the game has some little problems (the gameplay soon becomes rather repetitive, for example), but given the tight time-frame we're all working under, these issues are completely understandable.