North 78 by fizzbark

[raw]
made by fizzbark for Ludum Dare 52 (JAM)

Update 12/01/2023 - Added a WebGL version on the Itch page, includes a bugfix to show some text cropped off screen and a fix to some sound effects not playing.

Ride snowmobiles, battle eldritch horrors, and fall for your co-workers, and contend with the stubborn jerk Reindeer in a frozen wasteland.

Contains mild swearing.

Credits

Art, dev, design, writing & audio by Finn Brightwell.

Additional voice work and playtesting by Sarah Quinn

Controls

Requires mouse and keyboard

mouse to aim left click to shoot x to interact/mount/dismount wasd or arrows to move Esc to pause/see menu

Tips

Deer can be stubborn - have you tried physically pushing them?

The pause menu has options for resetting a level and muting one of the more irritating sounds.

The first stage is pretty slow but the pace increases quickly.

Screenshot1.jpg

Screenshot2.jpg

Screenshot3.jpg

Ratings

Overall 585th 3.224⭐ 31🧑‍⚖️
Fun 708th 2.741⭐ 31🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 627th 2.897⭐ 31🧑‍⚖️
Theme 771th 2.672⭐ 31🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 512th 3.383⭐ 32🧑‍⚖️
Audio 161th 3.7⭐ 32🧑‍⚖️
Humor 476th 2.714⭐ 30🧑‍⚖️
Mood 161th 3.862⭐ 31🧑‍⚖️
Given 30🗳️ 35🗨️

Feedback

daitli
10. Jan 2023 · 01:14 UTC
The maps are so big for such a simple task, I really liked it though- the music playing was peaceful enough to make me feel in a nice mood. To be honest, I wasn't expecting that amount of text lol. I like reading though so I didn't mind :P
Julia Nistel
10. Jan 2023 · 01:27 UTC
Cool game! The voices were unsettling though
Adam Gallina
10. Jan 2023 · 01:32 UTC
"...then lets hope you're smarter than a dog" was a great line, definitely filled me with dread and set the mood for the rest of the game. I had a lot of fun playing this! There was a bit on the second level where I didn't realize I needed to investigate the gore, so I just drove around the map a few times before remembering I could dismount and interact with objects. Other than that, well done!
MAXLIN
11. Jan 2023 · 16:02 UTC
I like the atmosphere, it's a slow to warm-up game. As the game go forward, I am increasingly attracted to it. Really good. Here comes a small problem, when I am driving the motor, it looks blurred, I'm not sure if this is an intentional effect, if not, maybe put the move code in FixUpdated() may solve problem.
limered
11. Jan 2023 · 18:37 UTC
A litte creepy, but very fun experience. THe little text bits were fun to read with the alternate font and all. I couldn't read the first line, because the game is fullscreen only and i have a widescreen monitor, so the first line was not vidsible.
Driving mechanics are cool and i loved the mood of this game.
Keep it up
🎤 fizzbark
12. Jan 2023 · 07:39 UTC
@maxlin, thanks for playing, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I could have sworn I put the movement code in FixedUpdate - and in fact I did! But not the camera follow code :rolling_eyes: . Good spotting :spy_tone1: .
spacecadet
12. Jan 2023 · 14:42 UTC
I really like the atmosphere, graphics and the sound design in your game. Though it felt that the gameplay mechanics were there just because and for example guiding the deer was ignored right after the first level and new mechanics introduced. However with some fine tuning and refining some of the mechanics and building the tension for a little longer I think this could be really awesome survival horror game. Good job.
Emmatw
13. Jan 2023 · 21:03 UTC
I liked the visual/audio design on this game, you managed to create a really nice and creepy atmosphere and the voice acting was a great addition to that as well. The deer were a little hard to control in the first section, it seemed like if you got them too close to the colliders at the edges they stopped moving no matter how much you pushed at them. Overall a nice submission, well done!
Adrien Tremblay
15. Jan 2023 · 01:37 UTC
I liked the atmosphere and the graphics. I wish I would have been able to find the Eldritch horrors. The deer would all get stuck on the edge of the map. You're meant to drive them towards the collection gate right? It would be simpler if you could just walk up to them and collect them.
Rezioz
15. Jan 2023 · 02:19 UTC
Great atmosphere and graphics! I wish we could see the mouse when I shoot a bullet. Also these voice acting are pure gold !
DataGreed
15. Jan 2023 · 02:26 UTC
Loved the use of 2d light, but couldn't really play the game – clicking did nothing for me, pressing x, too :( can only move, not sure what I am supposed to do. Tried to reload the game, but it didn't really change anything
🎤 fizzbark
15. Jan 2023 · 02:40 UTC
@datagreed Clicking does nothing in the first couple of levels - you're meant to just use the flashlight direction to try and herd the deer. You'll get a gun later on.
Magnanix
15. Jan 2023 · 03:40 UTC
Love it, my only suggestion really would be to have started (spawned) the player at the tent for the first few sections. In the first section I thought I needed to send all the deer to the north, since that was where the game spawned me in XD.
Nice entry, very spooky, damned antediluvian horrors from the frozen wastes, always getting in the way of budding love :P.
dob
15. Jan 2023 · 06:44 UTC
Really cool-looking game, and very creative design. I found some of the gameplay a little frustrating, with the herding, and then I never got an indication that I had "found" the deer on the second level. I drove around for about 8 minutes trying to herd them, but the stable was so far away that was never going to happen. I'm sure I was missing something. But I loved the look and feel and the concept - so neat!
KeichiTS
15. Jan 2023 · 15:01 UTC
Nice light usage and good interpretation of the theme.
amarokczukay
15. Jan 2023 · 19:08 UTC
i really was hooked by the atmosphere here, very good job on the light and on the ambiance! at first i was a bit confused and i think i managed to block a deer in a corner, but after i restart the game, it was exponentially scary! i like the pace of the game, like not too fast, it feels more real to me.
eldogg
18. Jan 2023 · 22:20 UTC
Some really creepy atmosphere in this game! The light is done really well too.
BinaryPrinciple
19. Jan 2023 · 04:08 UTC
The sound, graphics and voice over builds a very strong environment; made it feel like a Kentucky Route Zero mixed with Black Mirror. The controls are nicely simplified and feels good, the trick is always driving a vehicule from the top and remapping mentally the direction. Overall a strong entry and would be a great getaway for a nice story.
Altron
23. Jan 2023 · 17:41 UTC
The visuals and the sounds are really amazing, the overall atmosphere was great! I have to say thought, that I didn't get past the second level - not sure what "find the missing deer" meant, I found the herd, but wasn't sure what to do afterwards, since I felt like I already found it.
Konrad
25. Jan 2023 · 20:01 UTC
Absolutely loved the atmosphere and dialog and voices/general sound. The setting was very well thought out and the dialog was written quite well. All of it made this quite an unsettling experience (in a good way) until a certain point but I'll get to that later. I liked that it was sometimes better to exit the vehicle and that the vehicle was fast but a bit harder to control, both of which made you feel vulnerable.

I did expect that the story would go somewhere more ambitious with more and more little developments piling on top of each other and your friend not being who they might seem. What I honestly didn't like as much was the transition to the last level. The creature(s) being suddenly there, the action music and the creatures looking so cartoonish ruined the horror a bit for me but until then it was expertly done. The tension was just released a bit awkwardly. I would have preferred something more subtle encroaching from the darkness in the middle of a normal mission where you don't necessarily expect it.

Still a quite impressive entry since you are only one person. Graphics (with the exception of the "eldritch horrors"), sound, movement and the general idea were spot on.