Bubble Rancher by recursor

[raw]
made by recursor for Ludum Dare 52 (COMPO)

Harvest and sort bubbles, but don't pop too many of them.

bubble-rancher-gameplay.gif

Version History

v0.15 - BUGFIX: Bubbles should not move player or pusher.

v0.14 - Fixed Level 7 bug that made it un-completable.

v0.13 - Fixed typing sound continuing for too long.

Ratings

Overall 84th 3.739⭐ 25🧑‍⚖️
Fun 101th 3.63⭐ 25🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 38th 3.909⭐ 24🧑‍⚖️
Theme 256th 3.205⭐ 24🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 245th 3.136⭐ 24🧑‍⚖️
Audio 160th 3.214⭐ 23🧑‍⚖️
Humor 51th 3.65⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Mood 167th 3.275⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Given 14🗳️ 21🗨️

Feedback

salmonmoose
09. Jan 2023 · 02:23 UTC
Good idea, I feel like the pusher should have made pushing bubbles easier rather than more (perhaps making it a fan?).
Dev_314
09. Jan 2023 · 02:42 UTC
This is great! Graphics are nice and all fit together, overall theme of the game works well, nice UI, lots of nice extras like a settings menu! And really appreciated the humor!
caranha
09. Jan 2023 · 02:45 UTC
That is a very cool idea! I like the implications of having to push bubbles around, and the puzzles are really clever.

To be very honest, the controls still feel a bit finicky. It is hard to balance making the bubbles move a looooooong distance without popping, so some puzzles feel like a challenge of patience more than anything else, but I think there is the kernel of something really good in this idea.

The sound effects were delightful :-D

Great job!
Gonzo13
09. Jan 2023 · 12:04 UTC
@recursor Very cool theme implementation! Nice work! Cool sounds, graphics, gameplay! Good work!
stevepixelface
09. Jan 2023 · 22:34 UTC
Man, I really digged this game. Neat concept, high level of polish, fun gameplay. Awesome stuff!
LDJam user 317693
10. Jan 2023 · 00:32 UTC
Takes a bit to start picking up, but the spikes definitely make it a bit more of a challenge, really interesting mechanic. I really like the whole 'bubbles popping under too much stress' idea. Cool! (Also really like the goofy messages at the end of each level)
masternoob
10. Jan 2023 · 12:49 UTC
More fun than I thought actually. The bubbles feel pretty good. I could really see this work with a little more polish. I could not beat the moving spikey.
Cez02
10. Jan 2023 · 16:59 UTC
Very fun little game, I like the they way you have to be somewhat delicate with the bubbles, go the feeling just right.
jk5000
10. Jan 2023 · 19:30 UTC
A super fun little game idea, and I had fun trying it. Both the sound effects and the visuals is pretty good. Sometimes I think the bubbles pops when they are nearly not touched. Overall is this a really good jam game. Well done.
Ani
10. Jan 2023 · 23:23 UTC
I like this idea! It's fun to move the bubbles around but since there's no consequence to taking as long as you want, popping isn't really a risk if you're patient.
aduermael
10. Jan 2023 · 23:34 UTC
Awesome! Love that there's no time limit, that you can just take your time to move bubbles around.
Also, most perfect sound effect on transitions between levels. 😄👍
LDJam user 280565
10. Jan 2023 · 23:35 UTC
Nice puzzle design, I found the pusher to be little difficult to use, but otherwise fun game!
Achilnos
10. Jan 2023 · 23:37 UTC
Fun game. Lots of delicacy needed to not pop everything. Nice idea. Had alot of fun with it.
CaptainDreamcast
10. Jan 2023 · 23:44 UTC
I really love the game mechanics! Really makes you consider every move and keeps you very focused and immersed in the gameplay. I found myself multiple times holding my breath just barely squeezing a bubble (and myself) past spikes. Those were the really amazing moments, I loved those. Very cool game!
streq
11. Jan 2023 · 00:07 UTC
Fun and innovative idea! I really enjoyed the puzzles and sound effects, I also appreciate how precise the physics are, when the bubbles pop, it always feels like my fault. Also some of the texts made me laugh lol.
I stumbled across a level that seems to have a bug, maybe? the container says [Large] but there are no Large bubbles in the level, maybe it was supposed to say [Medium]? The jam rules allow for bug fixes (as long as they don't come with new features), so if this is the case, you are allowed to fix it!
![bubble.png](///raw/51f/34/z/5605c.png)
🎤 recursor
11. Jan 2023 · 02:33 UTC
@streq Oh my yes. That hopper should be "medium". I'll get that fixed. Thanks for the feedback!
Harmadillo
11. Jan 2023 · 19:16 UTC
This was fun. The puzzles were good and the bubbles being delicate added a second layer to it. The inclusion of the popping level was nice.
evil23
11. Jan 2023 · 19:34 UTC
Simple but fun. I like how the bubbles react to force and change shape and color. I also appreciate the self made sound effects :D
Neeeb_
11. Jan 2023 · 19:55 UTC
Fun idea! The ability to rotate your body independent of movement would give some more fine grain control to push.
rosypenguin
13. Jan 2023 · 04:40 UTC
Fun and goofy puzzle mechanic that had me really invested until "A Bubble Test". I wish there was a way to freeze the pusher so it didn't slowly drift away from where I left it as I move around, since there was still a good amount of difficulty moving the bubbles out of the starting rooms without the angled corners to bounce them out of. Still, I had a lot of fun up to that point, did not expect a bubble wrangler to come out of the "Harvest" prompt!
coatline
14. Jan 2023 · 21:16 UTC
Fun game! The sounds are really awesome, and it just feels good to push bubbles with the precision of a caliper. I like how the bubble tension is displayed using a red tint and the animation is really nice to indicate the speed and bubbliness of the bubble. I really like the text before and after the levels to add a bit of personality to the game and oh the sound of the text typing is nice. Everything is overall just very polished as a whole! Also, thanks for the Pop room.

Critiques: I think the difficulty curve could be a little softer. The pushers are a little frustrating to work since they keep rotating even when they are deactivated. Also, the level: "A Bubble Test" revealed an issue with how the required bubbles are detected and ended up not telling me that I couldn't complete the level.
![Bug in Bubbles.PNG](///raw/c44/31/z/5672f.png)