LudumData

Glyphwalker by Papaver

[raw]
made by Papaver for Ludum Dare 55 (JAM)

The glyphwalker tries to reach a certain nice flower, but its path is blocked by rocks and enemies. Luckily, you can summon help if you walk in a specific shape on the grid.

Controls: * Arrow keys/WASD/ZQSD to move. * M: mute music * N: mute sound effects * R: restart level * 1-7: select level. * The number at the top of the level shows the number of steps you have taken in that level so far. In case you wanted to 'speed run' the levels. :wink:

Tools * Godot 4.2 * Inkscape for the graphics * A Roland Piano for the music * Flute, microphone and Audacity for the sound effects

I love to hear your feedback! :heart:

It might be that the sound or even the complete game doesn't work on an Apple computer. :(

Link https://anneroos.home.fmf.nl/ld55
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/55/glyphwalker

Ratings

Overall 210th 3.938⭐ 26🧑‍⚖️
Fun 255th 3.813⭐ 26🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 169th 3.88⭐ 27🧑‍⚖️
Theme 544th 3.729⭐ 26🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 705th 3.56⭐ 27🧑‍⚖️
Audio 50th 4.208⭐ 26🧑‍⚖️
Humor 765th 2.7⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Mood 123th 4.109⭐ 25🧑‍⚖️
Given 21🗳️ 38🗨️

Feedback

XRy
16. Apr 2024 · 19:17 UTC
The audio is so well done!! My favorite level was #5, and #2 was so great at teaching the summoning shape!
🎤 Papaver
17. Apr 2024 · 14:42 UTC
@xry Thank you so much! Level #5 was indeed the kind of puzzle level that I was planning to make more of (together with more shapes summoning things), but time flies during Ludum Dare! :wink:
fabula_rasa
17. Apr 2024 · 18:39 UTC
As always, your visual style is superb. Simple with great color work - very appealing. The music is just awesome! Both the piano track and the birdy trill go so well with the atmosphere. The puzzle part was not very hard, but engaging and fun to play. Good progression.

My favorite level was the pre-last one - the ghosts there appear to be dancing to the music. I loved that :smile: This one:

![Screenshot_4.png](///raw/732/a2/z/6428d.png)

Very well done and a joy to play!
🎤 Papaver
18. Apr 2024 · 14:04 UTC
@fabula-rasa As always, thank you for your kind and generous feedback! :heart:
MisterCarson
19. Apr 2024 · 20:42 UTC
The level design is really intuitive and smartly designed. The visual style was also really neat, great work!
marleeeeeey
19. Apr 2024 · 21:28 UTC
Cool game! I appreciated the level selection option. I'd suggest adding a loading indicator, though, as the few seconds' wait at the start gives the impression that the game isn't launching. Luckily, I had the patience to wait for it to start. Loved the graphics and music!
mxbi
19. Apr 2024 · 21:28 UTC
Fun little game! I LOVE the soundtrack :)
The summoning mechanic is fun and original! I wish we could see how it could be taken further, perhaps with more shapes or something. It reminded me of Baba is You as well as my first jam game, which played kinda similarly.
Kiddy
19. Apr 2024 · 21:38 UTC
Really cool, great game design, great level design! Some miss understanding on why sometimes it don't summon after a square.
stamestratagem
19. Apr 2024 · 21:46 UTC
for me, this is the most well made game so far. It reminds me of Baba is You a lot, which I loved. You have created a polished minigame with nicely done puzzles. It was nothing but fun <3
YoYoJ
19. Apr 2024 · 21:48 UTC
This game is now on my bookmarks :)
Gawain Doell
19. Apr 2024 · 21:49 UTC
That was very cool. I like that you teach us how it works through the puzzle progression. I had a great time. I'm glad that the move counts are optional, my brain works better playing around in the level, and you made this very nice for that kind of player. I appreciate that nothing in the game is "one chance", we can always walk away and try again from a different approach. Very nice puzzle game concept, I encourage you to expand on this!
FootLettuce
19. Apr 2024 · 21:50 UTC
Super fun and incredibly wholesome! The puzzles are well-planned and decently tricky, and the color scheme paired with the piano are literally a perfect combination! I completed the whole game, though my attempt was more of a speedwalk than a speedrun. I agree with @fabula-rasa about the ghosties dancing in formation and the little heart-shaped level - it added so much character!

Your game is also VERY memeable. Well done!!

![uh oh ghost.png](///raw/5cd/44/z/647d6.png)
SStyles93
19. Apr 2024 · 21:55 UTC
Really loved it, adding the movement score is really what kept me on this one. I wouldn't change it in any way.

Great job!
Capreola
19. Apr 2024 · 22:06 UTC
The puzzles are very well thought out, they are not super easy but not annoyingly hard too. I liked the music and our adorable birdie friend with its adorable song. It was a pleasant little game, well done!
jordantanner
19. Apr 2024 · 23:22 UTC
This game is a great example of a simple concept that's easy to pick up and understand quickly, which is perfect for game jams. It only took a couple tries to figure out the summoning mechanic and I was off and running. I really enjoyed your piano and flute playing -- are you classically trained? I'm guessing you are from the mood of the music. Puzzles were clever too, not too easy not too hard. Really nice entry, good work!!
Adrien Tremblay
19. Apr 2024 · 23:36 UTC
Super cute!!!
🎤 Papaver
19. Apr 2024 · 23:40 UTC
@adrien-tremblay Thanks for playing my game in your stream! It's always fun to see how people play your game and what the difficulties are. :)
MAR Zockmeister
19. Apr 2024 · 23:42 UTC
Really cool idea to use the player path for triggering actions. I also like how you integrated the tutorial with the level design, very well done; no extra text required. Control with keyboard seems to be a bit unprecise, I sometimes walked accidentally into the ghosts; maybe this can be improved. The music is also nice. :)
🎤 Papaver
19. Apr 2024 · 23:43 UTC
@jordantanner Thanks for playing and your lovely comment! I do enjoy letting the player figure out the game mechanics by themselves, but it's always a little bit of a guess if it then turns out to be too hard/unclear. And yes, I have enjoyed years of piano lessons when I was younger, and I am now learning the flute. :)
🎤 Papaver
19. Apr 2024 · 23:45 UTC
@sstyles93 Thanks! Nice that someone enjoyed the step counter, I almost took it out! :smile: (I wanted to give one, two or three stars depending on the step count, but I ran out of time.) Did you try to minimize your steps?
🎤 Papaver
19. Apr 2024 · 23:47 UTC
@footlettuce Haha, thanks for the meme :laughing: and for the nice comment! :heart:
🎤 Papaver
19. Apr 2024 · 23:53 UTC
@gawain-doell Thanks for your comment! I am glad you liked that you had to figure out the mechanics your own through the level design. In level 7 there are ways to 'paint yourself into a corner', but indeed in the other levels your steps are sort of reversible. The original idea was to have more different kind of shapes summoning different kind of help, maybe I will indeed expand on it after LD. :smile:
🎤 Papaver
19. Apr 2024 · 23:54 UTC
@yoyoj Such an honour! :heart:
🎤 Papaver
20. Apr 2024 · 00:01 UTC
@mar-zockmeister Thanks for your comment! :pray: About the keyboard controls; I haven't experienced that myself yet. May I ask what browser you are using? I only tested in Chrome on Windows so far. :wink: Also, the player walks on a grid, maybe that's a bit confusing when the player walks fast. :thinking:
🎤 Papaver
20. Apr 2024 · 00:03 UTC
@marleeeeeey Thanks for your comment! I will look into how to get a loading bar showing up. :smile:
🎤 Papaver
20. Apr 2024 · 00:06 UTC
@mxbi Thank you so much for your kind comment! :heart: The original plan indeed included several shapes, each one summoning different kind of help. But I was very limited in time (like everyone) this Ludum Dare due to social obligations on Saturday and Sunday, so I settled for just one shape. :wink: What part reminded you of Baba is You?
Parker8283
20. Apr 2024 · 01:50 UTC
Nice game! I do like puzzle games, so it was fun trying to figure this one out. Thanks for participating!
Euler Moises
20. Apr 2024 · 02:06 UTC
Differentiated puzzles and a very cozy soundtrack.

It was certainly my incapacity, but at first I didn't understand what should be done. I'm from a generation that doesn't really need tutorials in games, so I took risks until I discovered what should be done.

Good level design.

Congratulations for the game.
Artmuse62
20. Apr 2024 · 02:33 UTC
The music is really lovely and matches the cozy ambience. Really like the "success!" and "you died :(" music lilts too :) I had a nice time playing through. It's very polished and I don't think I came across any bugs, which is especially impressive for a game jam.
If you continue with this, I would love to see more levels and perhaps some more obstacles/enemies/summoning mechanics.
Really wonderful experience. Thank you for sharing!
SStyles93
20. Apr 2024 · 07:39 UTC
@papaver I really think that the step counter is a good idea since you can play the game for fun but with it, it adds a level of difficulty (easy to understand, hard to master).

Regarding the star ranking, I thought about it but I think it might add frustration for some players and in any case there will always be people like me who like the challenge :)
🎤 Papaver
20. Apr 2024 · 07:51 UTC
@sstyles93 I see! I think I will at least add the step counts to the last screen in a post-jam version, so the people who like it can try to minimize. :)
🎤 Papaver
20. Apr 2024 · 07:52 UTC
@artmuse62 Thanks for you kind comment!
🎤 Papaver
20. Apr 2024 · 07:58 UTC
@euler-moises I am glad you figured it out by yourself! I like making games that don't have any text/explanation, so I have to try to make the levels such that it becomes clear what needs to be done by trial and error. I personally like the feeling of discovering/exploring the game mechanics. But it is always a risk that people give up before they figured out the basic. :wink: Thanks for playing and your comment!
WhenYouCantFindAFriend
21. Apr 2024 · 23:47 UTC
So cute! Love the audio and the atmosphere of the game! It's almost antithetical to what you normally think about with "Summoning". :laughing: Really original take on the theme!
TomatoOmelet
28. Apr 2024 · 05:22 UTC
I got to the end! Simple but interesting game, didn't take me too much time to figure out how to summon the attack. The audio and sound effect are very chilling as well. A great submission to the jam. Good job.
dimesto52
29. Apr 2024 · 05:15 UTC
The game's controls are a little sensitive but I was very interested and had a lot of fun
fnelix
01. May 2024 · 21:25 UTC
Very nice! Simple and solid gameplay, good level design. I very much enjoyed the piano and flute!
johnnysix
02. May 2024 · 22:17 UTC
Very nice, if you did more post-jam, it'd be cool to explore more shapes / combinations of clockwise/anti-clockwise movements and maybe for walls / ghosts, be able to destroy things within the bounds of the green squares?