Blades of Doom by Benjamin Halko

[raw]
made by Benjamin Halko for Ludum Dare 51 (JAM)

Don't touch the saw blades or else you will be sad.

Gameplay.gif

This was my 3rd time participating in Ludum Dare.

Controls

Desktop users can press F4 or F11 for Fullscreen!

Press Tab to disable glow.

Press Backspace to return to the menu.

Singleplayer

| Key | Action | | ------- | ------- | | Left - Right / A - D | Move | | Space / Up / W / Shift / Ctr | Jump |

Gamepad is also supported

Multiplayer

| Player | Key | Action | | ------- | ------- | ------- | | Player 1 | A - D | Move | | | Space / W | Jump | | Player 2 | Left - Right | Move | | | Up / Shift / Ctr | Jump |

(Player 2 will use single player keyboard controls if Player 1 uses a gamepad)

Special Thanks

My dad -- For making the music

@adrenallen -- For making the online leaderboard API

Ratings

Overall 111th 4.026⭐ 59🧑‍⚖️
Fun 45th 4.167⭐ 59🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 530th 3.377⭐ 59🧑‍⚖️
Theme 587th 3.643⭐ 58🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 487th 3.763⭐ 59🧑‍⚖️
Audio 53th 4.175⭐ 59🧑‍⚖️
Mood 330th 3.718⭐ 57🧑‍⚖️
Given 20🗳️ 20🗨️

Feedback

EtherianX
03. Oct 2022 · 04:47 UTC
Fun, fast and clean. Well done !
thedashdude
03. Oct 2022 · 04:54 UTC
Really fun, but a little chaotic. I think more predictable 1-ups would be nice, or less knock back just so the game was easier to track.
LDJam user 221199
03. Oct 2022 · 04:59 UTC
@etherianx Thanks
LDJam user 221199
03. Oct 2022 · 04:59 UTC
@thedashdude I do agree that the game is a bit chaotic. Thanks for the feedback!
LDJam user 269161
03. Oct 2022 · 19:21 UTC
I love how squishy and juicy and meaty your game is! everything feels very responsive and reactive! Nice work
LDJam user 221199
03. Oct 2022 · 19:23 UTC
@erikengineengineer Thanks for playing! I am glad you enjoyed it!
LDJam user 305669
03. Oct 2022 · 19:39 UTC
Fast paced but too chaotic for me: there are flash lights every where which made everything hard to follow. Also no warning when the platforms switch side, seems random.

It looks to be a promising idea.
Vhalenn
03. Oct 2022 · 19:46 UTC
The game is so juicy ! I really love the character squash and stretch ! The neon colors are really cool too !
LDJam user 221199
03. Oct 2022 · 20:56 UTC
@zykino Sorry to hear that it was too chaotic. If it helps, the platforms change direction every 10 seconds and you can press tab to disable glow which might help with the flashy-ness. Thanks for giving the game a shot though!
LDJam user 221199
03. Oct 2022 · 20:57 UTC
@vhalenn I am glad you enjoyed the graphics! :smile:
LDJam user 305669
03. Oct 2022 · 21:49 UTC
Removing the glow is a good trick for my eyes :). Keeping an eye on the timer is hard with all that is happening :sweat_smile:.

I am not too fan of the physics (cannot jump above with platforms moving this fast, possible to be bumped to oblivion by the blades shoal) but a very good entry overall :)
Asieke
03. Oct 2022 · 22:49 UTC
Really good game, had a fun time playing it!
LDJam user 221199
03. Oct 2022 · 23:39 UTC
@asieke Thank you!
LDJam user 303716
04. Oct 2022 · 01:22 UTC
Nice Game, had fun playing!
LDJam user 221199
04. Oct 2022 · 01:27 UTC
@djd123456 I am glad you liked it!
LDJam user 239741
04. Oct 2022 · 02:27 UTC
Sick beats, blobby square, good action, all I want in a videogame!

8/10
Georgy16
04. Oct 2022 · 04:14 UTC
Chaos and Fun. Cool!
LDJam user 298496
04. Oct 2022 · 07:10 UTC
This game has a really funky feel to it and lots of nice little touches. I wonder if adding side dashes and power ups might be interesting for the two player mode?
LDJam user 221199
04. Oct 2022 · 16:08 UTC
@adamphoebe I am glad you enjoyed the blobby-ness of that square!
LDJam user 221199
04. Oct 2022 · 16:08 UTC
@georgy16 Thanks!
LDJam user 221199
04. Oct 2022 · 16:09 UTC
@matt-ravenhall I was thinking of adding powerups... I just didn't have enough time unfortunately.
Eugenik
04. Oct 2022 · 21:37 UTC
I definitely love the art style, very nice work !.
LDJam user 221199
04. Oct 2022 · 23:52 UTC
@eugenik Thank you!
LDJam user 251170
05. Oct 2022 · 01:06 UTC
I think I've already told you plenty of times; you had a banger of game for LD50, and a banger of a game again. Lovely. Thanks for your submission!
LDJam user 251170
05. Oct 2022 · 01:17 UTC
Also, check your highscores haha. Thanks for the great grind experience!
Uraffululz
05. Oct 2022 · 01:37 UTC
Excellent game! Definitely intense and engaging. Great audio, too.
ColeB
05. Oct 2022 · 02:54 UTC
Probably the most fun game yet. Great music too
LDJam user 221199
05. Oct 2022 · 02:57 UTC
@kepsert You are welcome! I guess I need to fight for my #1 position! :laughing:
LDJam user 221199
05. Oct 2022 · 02:58 UTC
@coleb @uraffululz Thanks so much!!!
spacefudge
05. Oct 2022 · 03:37 UTC
Pretty fun, snappy controls, lost myself in a flow state there. Simple graphics but retro charming graphics. Would be cool to see different types of level layouts. Props for you adding multiplayer!
AdamCYounis
05. Oct 2022 · 03:51 UTC
Wow! This was a really tight entry. I appreciated the subtlety of all the little touches that went into it, particularly that soft nudge downward when landing on a platform. The game itself is super simple, but does a lot with what's there to keep the experience from getting stale, ramping up over time.

I thought the colours were a little too "opposite" sometimes between the neutral and "aggressive" blades, though maybe that was the intention. The sound is balanced just right, and the music is very well fitting. I also really appreciate leaderboards for this type of game.

Great job!
Gousen Pride
05. Oct 2022 · 03:58 UTC
Nice game, really fun! The sfx and the music are very well fitting. The graphics, though very simple, is well put together with nice colors and smooth animations. The only critique that I have is the where the blades of doom would spawn, I guess you could do a bigger strip, is hard to look at the edge of the screen when you are jumping frenetically between platforms. Other than that, outstanding job!

PS: Love the leaderboard, it keeps you playing!
theslate
05. Oct 2022 · 05:15 UTC
Great game! Love the music and the blades look rad. 1:14.28 yo! Good work. Keep it up! Can't wait for next jam!
43sam
05. Oct 2022 · 08:29 UTC
Great game and I loved how fast paced it is! I think the player moves a bit too slow to keep up with what's happening so maybe being able to dash left/right would help a lot. That or being able to drop through the platforms. I had a lot of fun though and the music was perfect.
Yirsi
05. Oct 2022 · 13:02 UTC
Fun and (at least for me) challenging game. Audio and video blend together nicely. I like how the player cube is somewhat squishy. Very nice touch :P
Rincs
05. Oct 2022 · 13:38 UTC
This was so much fun, and I'm an ABSOLUTE FAN of the music! The graphics aren't super fancy but I think it's perfect for the game. Oh man, I can't wait to check the leaderboards later. xD
W4YN3R
05. Oct 2022 · 18:17 UTC
Very strong entry, super juicy gameplay/effects!
Also went for the every 10 seconds to change the circumstances for a highscore game, its done really well!
LDJam user 272447
05. Oct 2022 · 19:47 UTC
Very nice indeed. Definitely a game that has been perfectly balanced which I haven't seen too often. The little design choices like the way it bounces you back off the blades, particularly at the bottom, and just the one solitary blade wandering about make it feel like this has been honed over the course of months! Great visual feedback and feel for jumping about as well. Music is also superb and having leaderboards is great. Top notch!
ColeB
06. Oct 2022 · 03:41 UTC
Took a bit but finally got the 2:30 :)
Joey Van Lierop
06. Oct 2022 · 03:43 UTC
Really fantastic graphics and music! I loved how the character squashed and streched, very nice attention to detail. It was a little tricky to anticipate some of the incoming attacks, I wonder if a little indicator would have been a good addition? Regardless, great work!
LDJam user 221199
06. Oct 2022 · 04:58 UTC
@coleb Great job! Now my fight to #1 is even more difficult!
nardandas
07. Oct 2022 · 06:39 UTC
The game-feel is absolutely great here, great squash and stretch and screenshake and feedback in general. Very very good job! I'm sure it's possible to get past a minute and a half but jeez is it hard. I really liked the colors too! Great job!
LDJam user 306215
07. Oct 2022 · 07:02 UTC
Definitely a really difficult game at least for me, I didn't quite manage the two minutes for the leaderboard, but I got the minute :P. Was a fun one though had some issues with audio but web can be like that sometimes, that and it took me a bit to figure out the switching of the directions. Buut once I got it was interesting to work around.

The flying saw was also a incredible and annoying death trap that got me way more times than I can count.
But also added an nice twist. I will say though it would be nice if it was easier to see the blades coming from the walls. Some sort of indicator closer to the middle of the screen, an arrow etc. to give you an indication. Cause currently you have to focus near the edges as well as at the center which is a little rough at times.

Though I did end up managing it so that could just be a bit too easy if it was done, not sure. The only real things I'd say besides that would be more variety, some sort of other pickup etc. Though obviously it's a jam it's a little hard to do that during the time period so for what it is, it's pretty nice.
digitaldude555
07. Oct 2022 · 10:37 UTC
Very nice, really juicy. Engaging and fun. The theme use really makes the game. It was a bit hard for me, I survived the longest when I was just focusing on getting hearts. I like the music too. Yeah just a good all-round game.
LDJam user 156819
09. Oct 2022 · 03:26 UTC
The game is quite difficult, but it shows you quite clearly what's happening, what you're doing, and why you're not doing well. It's very punishing, but I could see even a tournament (:eyes:) featuring this game, and being quite fun!

I shared some suggestions on stream on what could help some of the output for the player be a little bit more obvious, and pull attention to the right spots. Simple idea and visuals, but very well executed, and I loved the soundtrack. Nice vfx as well.

This is as long as I could survive:

![Screenshot from 2022-10-09 01-45-11 small.png](///raw/394/62/z/52e7a.png)

[Stream vod here!](https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1618950720?t=02h03m00s)
waffleworksgames
09. Oct 2022 · 03:55 UTC
This was really fun! The art was cohesive, the music was nice, the controls felt smooth, and the game was overall really well polished. I managed to get 1:02. Well done!
LDJam user 298734
09. Oct 2022 · 08:26 UTC
one of the smoothest control I have played in the jam!![hsdsg.JPG](///raw/eee/84/z/52e9e.jpg)
(rate back?)
Stingby12
09. Oct 2022 · 11:21 UTC
Pretty bad. The interpretation is boring and it goes so fast that it disorients me.
MaxKyckling
09. Oct 2022 · 17:10 UTC
Super-fun game! Gets progressively more stressful and I love the art and sounds. This was a really, really good submission. Well done :)
Rage Paint Games
09. Oct 2022 · 17:37 UTC
This was really fun to play, even though I wasn't terribly good at it. I think it'll just take some practice to get used to the patterns and switching platforms. I can't wait to challenge my husband to this (although he'll likely beat me). Thanks for the great entry!
LDJam user 221199
09. Oct 2022 · 19:36 UTC
@stingby12 Sorry you didn't like the game. What would you do to improve it?
MateusBoga
09. Oct 2022 · 20:55 UTC
This was was hectic, but really well executed! Here's the VOD: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1619874559
Thanks for submitting!
ColeSlaughter
10. Oct 2022 · 03:03 UTC
https://youtu.be/Xty0TvPfvGA?t=3985

Thanks for submitting your game to stream! I always really like games like this, a super simple concept that is SUPER polished on not only the visual/audio but also the gameplay feel. This one was just a pleasant experience all around (although some would perhaps not recommend playing it with input lag over Parsec, lol).
Stingby12
10. Oct 2022 · 14:32 UTC
@benjamin-halko Make sure the direction changing isn't all of a sudden, that's mostly where the disorienting comes from.
Krasimir Balchev
10. Oct 2022 · 18:41 UTC
Great arcade game! It is quite hectic but I still found it really fun and the juice is amazing!
LDJam user 221199
11. Oct 2022 · 00:27 UTC
@stingby12 Good to know! If it helps, the platforms change every 10 seconds.
sergilazaro
11. Oct 2022 · 14:27 UTC
I think this is one of the most fun games I've played so far, I've come back to play a bit more every now and then. Also the fact that it's polished and consistent makes it more of an actual game than a jam game (for most jam games you have to be fair and remind yourself that in a jam game not everything will be finished or perfect).
LDJam user 276121
12. Oct 2022 · 16:54 UTC
Personally I didn't get along well with the player controller/feel in this but that's not to say that there's any issues with it. A good concept very well executed. Love the use of shifting palettes for the blades.
LDJam user 250426
21. Oct 2022 · 05:27 UTC
Fun game with tons of juice + polish, Well done! The 2 second i-frames is really generous but very fitting for the hectic gameplay. I liked someones suggestion of highlighting the row/column for enemies moving across the screen because the current telegraph is just around the border where its harder to keep track of

![BladesOfDoom.png](///raw/a32/d3/z/53531.png)