body, birds, drop by tercs

[raw]
made by tercs for Ludum Dare 58 (JAM)

⚠ Warning: this game contains sensitive content

This is a short — and for some, maybe a bit scary — game about collecting different birds and items. Unfortunately, not much content was added, as the development time was coming to an end. If you’re curious about where this game could go in the future, please let me know in the comments! Also, sorry if the story idea feels a bit strange or unsettling — it just turned out that way somehow. There might be some bugs or typos in the text — sorry (>﹏<)′

Ratings

Overall 719th 2.885⭐ 28🧑‍⚖️
Fun 740th 2.5⭐ 27🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 666th 2.7⭐ 27🧑‍⚖️
Theme 683th 3.02⭐ 27🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 649th 2.875⭐ 26🧑‍⚖️
Audio 460th 2.783⭐ 25🧑‍⚖️
Humor 658th 2.114⭐ 24🧑‍⚖️
Mood 682th 2.92⭐ 27🧑‍⚖️
Given 12🗳️ 31🗨️

Feedback

Hydratini
Oct 07th · 13:45 UTC
I like the concept, it is kind of difficult to see the coins for me when there is so much movement in the background
Nyakov
Oct 07th · 14:09 UTC
Dude, do you need any help?
Emiliaye
Oct 07th · 14:09 UTC
I liked the concept and the process of collecting birds (they're cool), but the location is a bit monotonous. I haven't yet figured out why you need coins, but I'd appreciate it if you could explain.
Iriska
Oct 07th · 14:13 UTC
The concept itself is interesting, but the game seems to have no goal, and collecting items is a bit difficult because you simply can't fly to them in time. I think if it's finished, it will turn out to be a very interesting project!💜 ⭐ 💜
🎤 tercs
Oct 07th · 14:19 UTC
@emiliaye Unfortunately, you can’t really do anything with the coins — they’re mostly just there to track your score, I guess.
I didn’t have enough time to fully implement that feature, so the game doesn’t really have a clear goal in the end.
🎤 tercs
Oct 07th · 14:21 UTC
@iriska In my free time, I’m working on a game with a similar concept and a more clear ending, but the development might take a while because of some IRL issues.
🎤 tercs
Oct 07th · 14:24 UTC
@nyakov Maybe… emotionally, yes.✍(◔◡◔)
naru
Oct 07th · 21:22 UTC
Awesome game! I like the concept
plutonicrock
Oct 07th · 22:14 UTC
Gameplay was a bit weird but the concept and atmosphere was really good!!
TemmyT
Oct 07th · 23:12 UTC
Like the game not because it's relatable but cuz it's good trust me
The graphics are pretty soothing tho, I like the artstyle and the music helps to enhance the atmosphere
CamComDuck
Oct 07th · 23:54 UTC
I appreciate the content warning, but maybe being a bit more specific would be helpful on it as well (I think about how movies on Netflix have that popup in the top left before the movie giving the warning categories like gore). I also found the camera to move way too fast for me to watch, I think a camera speed control would be very helpful. I like the graphics and music!
ACartlidge
Oct 08th · 00:12 UTC
Really nice art! I agree the movement of the background was a little intense, it might depend whether you have a better or worse monitor but on my old thinkpad it was very overwhelming. Overall a nice vibe too!
Melomaner
Oct 08th · 16:58 UTC
My head started spinning, but I managed to fill up the HP bar — now everything in front of my eyes is moving upward... Hopefully it’ll pass xD
As for the game — I think it’s a bit too easy. It could use some variety with different boosters, and maybe change the background so it’s not so harsh on the eyes.![photo_2025-10-08_19-57-40.jpg](///raw/8eb/56/z/6ef33.jpg)
Eugenik
Oct 09th · 01:04 UTC
Very interesting and original concept. Cool!.
Nilan
Oct 09th · 07:58 UTC
There are some very special elements in the game, such as opened windows, people falling from heights, and birds with special psychological implications.

If it's just the style, I think it's pretty good. At least when I see these, I can make some associations and think about the hidden stories behind them. It has great potential.

But if it expresses some of your inner thoughts, I am always willing to chat with you for anything, games, pets, foods... I believe everyone here is willing to do this, take it easy, friend :)
Ira Baciu
Oct 09th · 10:13 UTC
You should add some screenshots, I think it'll attract more people
Jaco van Hemert
Oct 09th · 20:39 UTC
At first it felt like the player falls way too fast to catch anything, but once you get into the rhythm, it's actually a lot easier than it looks. In fact, once you figure it out initially, it becomes probably too easy, because there's no scaling of difficulty over time. (Presumably due to jam time constraints, etc.) I ended up with 85 coins and almost an entire screen height's worth of health when I stopped playing.

I also didn't realise I was taking damage when I landed on the girders -- maybe having some more visual feedback that I'm taking damage would be useful here. E.g. after my first contact with one of the other things (that I could never identify because they're moving by so fast!) it was immediately apparent that it was bad to hit it. But the girders don't have that.

I liked the fact that the player is collecting different birds, though maybe having some kind of visual indication of how many out of the possible ones you've collected, so you know when you've gotten them all / how far you are? The collection screen presumably records this, but I couldn't really figure out how it works (and anyway, I would have liked it on the actual play screen as well, in compact).

Cool game!
Pandalk
Oct 09th · 21:24 UTC
The controls are good, the visuals and sounds are nice.
I think the one thing that prevented me from truly enjoying the game is how straining it is on the eye to see that repeating background, I would suggest reworking it into something more simple
🎤 tercs
Oct 10th · 12:16 UTC
@nilan
I think I really should see a psychologist because of some issues in real life and beyond. I’ll probably write about it once I sort myself out a little
Pimeko
Oct 12th · 09:31 UTC
Nice gameplay, well balanced to be not too hard not too easy – nice!
Ciphereo
Oct 12th · 17:34 UTC
I usually enjoy taking pictures of birds, so I really like the idea of this game. I think you should add a cover and some pictures, which will make it more attractive for people to play and rate it.
deadjolly
Oct 22nd · 00:00 UTC
Well that was certainly a vibe. Absolutely nothing wrong with creating art to express how you feel. Keep making art.

As for the game itself, the background movement did something to my stomach and started making my head hurt after minute or so, somewhat vertigo inducing. I collected 40 coins and many birds but instead of being doomed to fall forever, I ended it by landing on 3 construction cranes in a row. I don't know if there was more to the game or not because I couldn't tell if there was more progression. I was enamored by the ambient audio though, really added to the overall melancholic vibe of falling down a busy highrise street.