LudumData

Samhain by daitli

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

Preview.png

* GAMEPLAY *

Shoot fiery chains at enemies to catch them then harvest their souls with hellfire while dodging the blinding light. You can only have 4 chains active at any given time, wait for it to return to shoot them again. There is no winning condition, survive for as long as you can and prevent souls from escaping.

CONTROLS

  • (WASD) to move on a direction
  • (E) to move up
  • (Q) to move down
  • (Left Mouse Click) to shoot chains

LORE/HISTORY

Samhain marked the Celtic New Year, the end of summer, and the end of the harvest season. It also signaled the beginning of winter, which they associated with death. On this day, the Celts believed the veil between the living and the dead was especially thin. This allowed spirits of the dead to visit the living.

THEME

* Harvest;* catch fleeing entities with your chains to harvest their souls over a short period of time.

KNOWN BUGS

  • Rendering issues on MAC and Linux
  • Main menu does not have tooltip for sprinting while holding shift.
  • After scene is re-loaded if you win/loose, the mouse will still be locked.
  • Sometimes chains aren't accurately shot at the crosshair.
  • Enemies might spawn inside walls and escape without you noticing.

DEVELOPER LOG

I wish I had more time to work on it and fix bugs. I forgot to add a text on the main menu that told you about Sprinting with shift and I also wanted to add a couple more things like enemies that damage you or expanding and spawning more rays but I ran out of time... I will most likely post a devlog video on my YouTube channel in the next couple of days.

thanks for playing!

Link https://daitli.itch.io/samhain
Link https://daitli.itch.io/samhain
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/52/samhain

Ratings

Overall 78th 3.755⭐ 53🧑‍⚖️
Fun 86th 3.676⭐ 53🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 67th 3.74⭐ 50🧑‍⚖️
Theme 109th 3.902⭐ 53🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 55th 4.125⭐ 54🧑‍⚖️
Audio 49th 3.85⭐ 52🧑‍⚖️
Humor 182th 2.614⭐ 46🧑‍⚖️
Mood 20th 4.088⭐ 53🧑‍⚖️
Given 49🗳️ 81🗨️

Feedback

LuizGT
09. Jan 2023 · 00:56 UTC
So Funny! Love it.
PeterSanford
10. Jan 2023 · 01:20 UTC
Such an awesome concept that is beautifully executed. It feels great and the chain feels super weighted and powerful. I love the arcade feel and the whole visual style.
Adam Gallina
10. Jan 2023 · 02:18 UTC
This looks incredible for a jam game - it honestly feels like something I might've put hours into back when miniclip was a thing. I loved the animation of the souls burning, and the chain indicators on the sides of the screen. Amazing work!
Torban
10. Jan 2023 · 02:33 UTC
Very awesome vibes and atmosphere. The audio matched with the cool graphic design makes this game unique and enjoyable
LDJam user 280036
10. Jan 2023 · 02:36 UTC
I told myself I wouldn't only give glowing positive feedback this time-- By the time I reached 60 souls, I was looking for something to change the pace and the game started to feel repetitive.

That said, the level of visual polish is enviable. Great feel, weighty chains, screen shake, and the blinding light when you look up? And this is a compo game? Well done. Bravo :smile:
PassbyKamenRider
10. Jan 2023 · 03:09 UTC
Great graphics and mechanisms! Love the way available chains displayed on the UI. Animation and audio fits the concept well.
Fromage
10. Jan 2023 · 04:28 UTC
Very nice one! Definitely could use something to change it up a bit but the sounds are great and the action is fun. I will say with the range on the chains I didn't see much point in moving, besides getting out of the holy light so I could see better, though perhaps that was the idea!
mrs.wheelsx
10. Jan 2023 · 07:56 UTC
Very well done! Graphics are amazing. Controls feel just... right. Great job!
Bowen
10. Jan 2023 · 08:33 UTC
Not bad, I think your game is more like aim_bot lol. If these souls can not be white I can differ them with wall more easily.
milq
10. Jan 2023 · 10:58 UTC
The atmosphere of the game is spectacular, along with the background music and everything is very well done. At first it took me a bit to understand the game but then I understood. Great game!
LookLeftStudio
10. Jan 2023 · 14:05 UTC
The graphics are very impressive, and it is a great take on harvesting souls. It was fun to play a first person game with smooth and responsive movement. The audio was also clean and simple. My only complaint is that the ray of light takes forever to kill you.
schnodelfactory
10. Jan 2023 · 14:13 UTC
Love the concept. Graphics and sound are great and the gameplay loop is pretty fun.<3
LeoAtopos
10. Jan 2023 · 14:18 UTC
![截屏2023-01-10 22.17.08.png](///raw/2e5/d4/z/55e64.png)
can't play, chrome.
🎤 daitli
10. Jan 2023 · 16:55 UTC
@leoatopos - I am sorry about that. I am running it perfectly on my Chrome so it might be your computer settings/specs. I will try and find out what it could be once we are allowed to update Compo games.
Efilheim
10. Jan 2023 · 18:24 UTC
I feel like a bad person when I'm playing this game. I love it.
JormaRysky
10. Jan 2023 · 18:24 UTC
I like the idea and execution. Graphics style is strong and sound design creates atmosphere well. That heavenly light effect is too strong I think, blurs vision annoyingly much. Also could have more responsive controls. Maybe some proper enemies in addition to souls? Could be great chaotic fun if done right.
owca
10. Jan 2023 · 18:27 UTC
Really cool idea and execution. I like the esthetics. The chains remind me of Scorpion from Mortal Kombat :) I wish player could say "Get over here!" from time to time :D

@daitli @leoatopos I had the same issue on one PC (Firefox) but on other one it's working.
Itzemii
10. Jan 2023 · 21:18 UTC
I am really impressed about the graphics, the overall visual style and feel!!!
Wow. gread doing this in a game jam.
I had difficulties with the controls, they felt a bit unresponsive.
🎤 daitli
10. Jan 2023 · 23:47 UTC
@fromage That was the idea! After a few playthroughs I figure the player could just stand still so I had to find a way to punish that, enter the blinding light!

@jormarysky The blinding light mechanic is there to blind you and allow souls to escape, It's annoyance is unfortunately a important mechanic. I was thinking about continuing the development and releasing it as a stand-alone game but the FPS genre is incredibly crowded so I might pass on that lol.

Thanks everyone for playing :)
goldenXD
11. Jan 2023 · 01:07 UTC
Really cool game, unique graphics style and fun gameplay!
mactinite
11. Jan 2023 · 03:51 UTC
Wow awesome graphics/audio/mood. Mechanics were fun, perfect for an LD game tbh. Great entry!
candlesan
11. Jan 2023 · 07:32 UTC
The visuals on this are phenomenal! Super well done. I love the fire effects, the side, the chain effect. The sound effect on the chain is great. The texture on the skulls along the side is great. So many good things to say. The audio is really well done. I love the amount of screen shake on capturing a soul - enough to be weighty, not so much to be overbearing. The execution is perfect!
Leon Oost
11. Jan 2023 · 10:03 UTC
Creative way of using the theme and liked the gameplay. good job!
Grotfang
11. Jan 2023 · 15:27 UTC
prety good game overall , realy like the design and the pull&grab :p well done !
nikitavychuz
11. Jan 2023 · 15:54 UTC
Simple, but fun! Fluid and responsive controls, immersive audio, pleasant graphics :) I wish there was more feedback for when a soul is about to escape - it's quite hard to keep track of them.
Mad Brokli
11. Jan 2023 · 19:09 UTC
The controls feel really smooth and I love the visuals and feel. I'd suggest perhaps reducing the brightness of the light since it's sometimes a bit too blinding. Really cool game though!!
ccglp
11. Jan 2023 · 19:17 UTC
Very simple and cool concept with very strong graphics and a good gaelic reference in the name :)
cogcomp
11. Jan 2023 · 19:36 UTC
Very pretty game and the chains were really cool. You really managed too build up a gloomy kind of mood in the world. Well done!
surr-sloidah
11. Jan 2023 · 20:09 UTC
Really like the minimal colour palette, it lends a ton to the style of the game.
For a compo game it's really cool and well made, it's a simple concept but that doesn't stop it from being enjoyable :)
LDJam user 314356
12. Jan 2023 · 00:49 UTC
Nice hook mechanics! Felt as a Roadhog from Overwatch with no cooldown on hook. Gameplay is way too plain and simple, although it was fun to hook those souls.
🎤 daitli
12. Jan 2023 · 03:23 UTC
@ccglp Thank you, I am glad somebody finally caught that reference :)

@surr-sloidah The color palette was designed with gameplay in mind, to differentiate between enemies(Yellow sunrays), souls(black) and player (fiery orange/yellow). I am glad you liked it :)

@danmerey That is who I took inspiration from! hahaha, you do have a cooldown in here though, you can only have 4 chains on the map at the same time as shown in your UI. They do return very fast though so it feel as though they have no cooldown :P

Thanks for playing everyone! :)
fusionnist
12. Jan 2023 · 03:56 UTC
Visually impressive! I really like the overall work on the environment and interactions. Cheers!
picross
12. Jan 2023 · 05:42 UTC
Oh man the graphics are so good. Love the vibe overall. Kinda reminds me of Devil Daggers. I found it a little hard to see the souls sometimes when they went into the sunrays. Great work!
jitspoe
12. Jan 2023 · 06:04 UTC
Fun little game! I think I got something like 55. Would be nice to show the end total after you lose. I did have an issue where some souls would escape that I swear I couldn't see, but may be that was just my old eyes. Hooking mechanic felt very good and intuitive.
Substain
12. Jan 2023 · 10:56 UTC
Wow, cool concept, I like the art- and playstyle. The souls kept sneaking up behind the beam, which is a cool way to keep you moving around and checking no soul escapes you. Would be great if there was a score screen.
Krassenstein
12. Jan 2023 · 14:14 UTC
Dude this was so great, the six-degree descent style movement gives me the nostalgic feels. So much fun, great job!

Thanks for letting me play this!

Here's the VOD, split into chapters so you should be able to find your section!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hMhAX_Rgg8
Wuppos
12. Jan 2023 · 20:44 UTC
This was very refreshing, different kind of game than most in this jam! Very creative implementation of the theme! I loved the moodyness that the art and music created. The gameplay was also a lot of fun, although I think I was not very good at it XD Sometimes also ghosts escaped even though I did not notice it at all (I would look up at the counter and notice that suddenly it said 1/5 instead of 0/5). Perhaps a bit more communication when a ghost is almost escaping would help? Perhaps that becomes overwhelming when there are too many ghosts at the end, I dont know :)

Anyway, very nice submission! I had a lot of fun with this :D
rjerez192
13. Jan 2023 · 05:12 UTC
I loved it. The controls are fun. The chain interaction is fun. The graphics are nice and the sound is on part.
Amazing submission!

At first I was like: This is too easy, like too many chains to throw, but then it starts to get a little bit harder with a lot more souls.
She Wrote
13. Jan 2023 · 13:06 UTC
It is hard to see the enemies, but the gameplay is still satisfying and fun, and the art and mood are great! Well done!
🎤 daitli
13. Jan 2023 · 22:48 UTC
@picross Thank you! That was intentional, they purposely go inside the rays every now and again to hide from your chains!

@jitspoe I for sure should have added a better end screen. I will most likely add this in the future- thanks for playing!

(@krassenstein Thanks for playing it in your stream :)

(@wuppos You are absolutely right about giving the player more feedback about when souls escape- the counter isn't enough. Also, there is a bug when enemies spawn inside the walls and they go towards the rays while outside the map so that is very game-breaking and you most likely experienced it.

@rjerez192 Thank you! Yes, their base speed is always a random number and then as game progresses that number increases. In hidsight I should have added more chains as game went on... That would have been cool. Thanks for playing! :D

@she-wrote I purposely made the enemies blend in with the walls so that they have more of a chance to escape since they do not attack you. To balance it out I gave them a white glow. Thanks for playing!

Thanks everyone! I very much appreciate it.
sakura_magika
14. Jan 2023 · 18:16 UTC
same issue as @leoatopos :(
both firefox and chrome on mac

![Screen Shot 2023-01-14 at 10.15.28 AM.png](///raw/38a/73/z/566f2.png)
sakura_magika
14. Jan 2023 · 18:20 UTC
watching @krassenstein 's video, your game looks really cool, let me know when it's updated! i too like the trippy menu. gameplay kinda looks like god of war, but you can freely fly! i like the black white and gold color scheme too.
Galvanized Toadstool
17. Jan 2023 · 15:36 UTC
I was surprised to see an FPS in the compo, didn't even realize it was until I started playing it. Nice work!
leggy
18. Jan 2023 · 08:30 UTC
Pretty simple and solid entry. I enjoyed your devlog about it.
I'm totally bad so I'm not sure if the game was too hard or me being too bad at it :smile:
magus77
18. Jan 2023 · 10:24 UTC
i see pagan tradition, i play :)

the artstyle is great, love how the theme is incorporated. best thing ever to harvest the souls JUST before they enter the light, mwhuahahaha.. it just needs some screams... some terrible screaaaams <evilgrin>

only thing i would change is maybe make a very short timer on every shot with the chains (or make the timer after the 4 shots longer), at the moment the player can spam the chain on every soul making it kinda of a gattlinggun of chains :p
HolySparks
18. Jan 2023 · 14:12 UTC
It looks pretty good and plays really smooth! Really nice game.
Aurailus
20. Jan 2023 · 06:43 UTC
My god, this game looks and plays great for a compo game. I definitely thought it was a jam game when I played it. The gameplay is super snappy, the chains feel impactful, and the sound design is great. I had a ton of fun playing it several times. Super impressive!!
bentglasstube
24. Jan 2023 · 17:28 UTC
You did a great job with the visuals and sounds on this one. The controls also felt incredibly fluid and throwing the chains had a good feel to it. Really well done.