Right To Bear Fins by deadroach

[raw]
made by deadroach for Ludum Dare 56 (JAM)

!!!! PLAYABLE IN BROWSER ON ITCH.IO !!!!

What if a fish had a gun? This game sets out to answer this and other questions!

Deadroach Games Proudly Presents... RightToBearFinsCover1.PNG

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sF0GVc2vVuM

Follow our beefy piranha protagonist as he carries out Dr. Albert Shrimpstein's evil plans! Much like how our own Albert Einstein introduced a method of dooming all life on Earth, so too has Albert Shrimpstein invented a way to spread the strewn corpses of beloved creatures (in his case sea creatures) as far as the eye can see, a gun designed to work underwater.

Left click to shoot, Right click to spin! Click behind the Piranha to manually reload, if you don't he will reload automatically when you're out of ammo.

Try to get all 5 stars! (Hint: Sunfish are worth the most points!)

deadroach.itch.io to follow our future endeavors!

-= PATCHNOTES =- v0.1.1 BUGFIX: - Fixed death/game over displaying an entirely black screen. (I like the Sopranos style ending of the classic version but I must admit it wasn't intentional) - Patched game-breaking glitch where pressing "R" would make the game unplayable. - Patched death animation stuttering - Removed Herobrine

Music and Programming done by Churchgasm (Me) , Art by @Autotrophian

Ratings

Overall 663th 3.43⭐ 52🧑‍⚖️
Fun 557th 3.388⭐ 51🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 774th 3.01⭐ 52🧑‍⚖️
Theme 733th 3.429⭐ 51🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 277th 4.092⭐ 51🧑‍⚖️
Humor 245th 3.58⭐ 52🧑‍⚖️
Mood 626th 3.429⭐ 51🧑‍⚖️
Given 102🗳️ 85🗨️

Feedback

Julester
07. Oct 2024 · 23:56 UTC
very easy to understand and fun to play game. also think the artstyle is amazing.
MapleTwig
08. Oct 2024 · 00:12 UTC
That animation when you die made my jaw drop. Very cool
Spoons
08. Oct 2024 · 00:14 UTC
I love the artstyle. I had a hard time differentiating fish that were background from those you interact with.
mrs.wheelsx
08. Oct 2024 · 00:40 UTC
Really like the art and music. I didnt really notice any SFX if they were there, but I think they would have kicked it up a notch. I love a jam game that doesn't require a tutorial. good job!
DongDong
08. Oct 2024 · 02:26 UTC
nice game
hubol
08. Oct 2024 · 02:31 UTC
I wish there were sound effects!
She Wrote
08. Oct 2024 · 03:12 UTC
![Screenshot 2024-10-0d7 225703.png](///raw/ea5/93/z/67b47.png)

It is cathartic to shoot the fishes, the variety and death art helps with that. Also, even though the bodies staying on the screen make it way too difficult to tell where the enemy fishes are, leading to many deaths, it’s still satisfying to see all the destruction I’ve caused at any given moment. The lack of SFX hurts the game a bit, especially with no sound, and only a small visual feedback to indicate when I get hurt. It's also hilarious to see a buff fish with a gun, and their death animation is well done. It is, however, frustrating to reload, the fishes are faster than the reload animation, so it’s never safe, and have to click behind the fish is too inconvenient, assigning a button to this action would be better. Also, Nemo was right... screw jellyfish. Overall, it's a good game! Well done!

🦑🐟🦑🐟🦑🐟🦑🐟 🔫💪🐟
🎤 deadroach
08. Oct 2024 · 03:40 UTC
@she-wrote great job getting all 5 that's awesome! I definitely wanted to add sound effects and just ran out of time lol thanks for all the feedback! And I wasn't sure what to make reload but wanted to have all mouse inputs, I could've used right click but then how would you spin? Thanks so much for playing
🎤 deadroach
08. Oct 2024 · 03:51 UTC
@hubol We plan to continually update the game and put it on itch, first order of business is SFX lol I just prioritized some really dumb stuff and ran out of time. Right click to spin
🎤 deadroach
08. Oct 2024 · 04:02 UTC
@mrs-wheelsx Thank you! We're definitely adding SFX in the next update I just ran out of time and hoped the music would fill that role in its unfortunate absence. I appreciate the kind words the music was by me while all graphics are courtesy of @Autotrophian , and both of us really enjoyed your duck smashing game, one of my favorites I've played this jam so far. Really appreciate you taking the time to play the game and I'm glad you enjoyed the clear premise lol
🎤 deadroach
08. Oct 2024 · 04:09 UTC
@mapletwig I'm glad you liked it! The ocean is a cruel world lol
🎤 deadroach
08. Oct 2024 · 04:15 UTC
@spoons I agree some fish can hide in the corpses particularly the jellyfish, I like the obscuring as a game mechanic but I think maybe if I had the corpses able to be pushed around by the living fish it could fix that, I'll look into it. Thank you for playing the game and for taking the time to leave feedback, I really appreciate it
Oduvan
08. Oct 2024 · 09:45 UTC
Cool concept! Well done.
LDJam user 320773
08. Oct 2024 · 11:01 UTC
yo what an artsplosion! watch out or you'll hurt yourself on that edge! I was dissappointed I could not eat the corpses as they lifelessly floated past me.

Could do with a few sounds for feedback on taking damage and similar surprises etc
🎤 deadroach
08. Oct 2024 · 11:53 UTC
@steamhat lol we considered eating the corpses but decided the main character should be vegetarian since apparently some piranhas are, we just didnt get around to ever doing anything with that idea. SFX are definitely top priority for next update because I agree the game could be a lot more fun with them, I just misplaced my priorities a bit lol. Thanks so much for playing and leaving feedback we really appreciate it
Sviborg
08. Oct 2024 · 12:02 UTC
A fantastic underwater adventure! 🐟💥 The concept of a muscular piranha carrying out Dr. Albert Shrimpstein's plans is both hilarious and creative! The art style is vibrant and engaging, truly bringing the ocean to life. 🎨💖 I loved the simple mechanics - aiming and shooting feel intuitive and fun! The death animations are top-notch and add a great touch of humor. 😄 Keep up the good work, ! 🔫🐠
Patomkin
08. Oct 2024 · 12:19 UTC
I'm not sure what keeps killing me :D I seem to keep clearing the screen, but still take damage from time to time. The art and fish variety looks very nice!
Bobap
08. Oct 2024 · 13:28 UTC
Holy kelp! I was not expecting such a massacre so quickly. The art is so much fun. I may have accidentally hit R to reload and it black screened the game. Pretty sure it took me to the start screen, but didn't actually load the elements properly.
🎤 deadroach
08. Oct 2024 · 15:08 UTC
@patomkin Thank you! The jellyfish and the octopuses' bubbles hide a bit too well amongst the carnage, in a more full version of the game I'm sure I'll give the jellyfish some sort of electric effect or something to make them clearer, and give the bubble a less direct path to the player. Thank you for the feedback, it's super helpful
🎤 deadroach
08. Oct 2024 · 15:12 UTC
@bobap Thanks so much for the feedback especially about the game-breaking bug lol, I'll have to patch that when I get the chance. I'll add it to the feature list for the time being lmao
Jack12342
08. Oct 2024 · 15:19 UTC
Pleasant visual style and gameplay. At first, I was puzzled that the fish colliders were so large, but after some time, it was enjoyable to shoot and instantly destroy a bunch of fish. The game doesn’t feel heavy, so I think you should make a web version. Overall, the game is fun :)
🎤 deadroach
08. Oct 2024 · 17:10 UTC
@sviborg Thank you so much for all the kind words!
johnnysix
08. Oct 2024 · 17:34 UTC
Loved the art style, reminded me of the early days of ultra-violent flash cartoons from Joe Cartoon or Happy Tree friends.

Like others said, only minor downside was reloading and lack of some visceral sfx .
Kirass
08. Oct 2024 · 17:39 UTC
I really liked this game! It's awesome!
Pachino55
09. Oct 2024 · 05:03 UTC
Cool game, art is very good
LDJam user 387548
09. Oct 2024 · 10:37 UTC
Woooow, sea creatures are so fine and sweet
daria-toni
09. Oct 2024 · 22:40 UTC
I was so shocked when the piranha shot itself in the head, I sat for about two minutes without moving haha. It's a pity that the game doesn't have a shot or hit sound, it would have given the action more impact! On a good side, I really liked how the game looks, amazing art, funny and catchy. The gameplay is simple and difficult at the same time. To collect five stars, you need good reaction :)
LDJam user 277851
10. Oct 2024 · 10:11 UTC
First glance, cute game
Suddenly it's a killing spree.
It was so funny I laughed for a really long time.
Good job.

![righttobearfins.png](///raw/b5d/34/z/686f2.png)
🎤 deadroach
10. Oct 2024 · 18:13 UTC
@daria-toni We're glad you liked it! This game has us quite inspired and there will for sure be a more official release of it with sound effects very very soon (probably on itch). Thanks so much for playing!
🎤 deadroach
10. Oct 2024 · 18:15 UTC
@thyoi our first fan art! We're honored, thanks so much for playing
Loveschach
12. Oct 2024 · 05:37 UTC
I was so excited to see a cute fish game! My toddler loves fish so I sat down with her to play it and we were so excited! She also likes automatic rifles, suicide and gore so this was perfect!

It reminds me of the old flash games on PETA's website. What a dark day it is today for fish.
Sasha20
13. Oct 2024 · 21:22 UTC
I admire the game’s fresh take on the topic, combined with such a pleasing aesthetic. God Job!
🎤 deadroach
14. Oct 2024 · 18:57 UTC
@loveschach My eyes were WIDE 2 sentences into this comment, funniest response we've gotten so far for sure lmfao thanks for playing
Ninjavitis
15. Oct 2024 · 07:25 UTC
Fun game! Enjoyed the graphics, particularly the cutesy fish juxtaposed with the assault rifle. The rigging of the piranha responding to your aim and your movement direction was also well done.

Couple of thoughts:

- Some visual feedback when a bullet hit a fish would significantly improve the visuals via a modest investment in effort. I think it would particularly help with providing feedback when hitting the big, beefy fish that take multiple hits (as I'm not sure I'm doing damage currently.) It might enhance killing the smaller fish, as the transition of living->dead graphics currently feels a bit abrupt. Particle effects could be useful for all of this, plus could be used for greater clarity when the player takes a hit. I sometimes missed the blurring effect currently used.
- Pausing after the suicide graphic briefly so the player can see the final frame. Currently the fade to black feels abrupt.
- I never figured out if the spin does anything. If it doesn't, tying the reload to the right mouse button might feel better - clicking to the left of the fish to reload felt awkward.
olsonexi
16. Oct 2024 · 00:44 UTC
Very fun game!
🎤 deadroach
16. Oct 2024 · 01:17 UTC
@jack12342 Thank you so much! This comment led me to find out that Gamemaker studio 2 no longer requires a separate license to export web games. You are single handedly responsible for the HTML5 port of this game on itch
ArtAllester
16. Oct 2024 · 17:27 UTC
really funny game, loved it!
Ale
16. Oct 2024 · 18:26 UTC
lol what the hell did I just play? Those animations were great, but it's a shame you didn't manage to get sound effects in because that would've made the gameplay much more satisfying I think... although at the same time the lack of any sound effects, the weirdly intense graphics/animations, and the odd looping background music all give a weird creepy vibe to it :P

Also, I didn't even notice the death animation the first time I died because there were too many dead fish on screen, so it's a good thing I played again and did much worse the second time around.
Willby
21. Oct 2024 · 02:09 UTC
I like the mood of being underwater with the music. The art is very fun and that death animation is quite unexpected. I found the gameplay fairly difficult and wasnt able to get more than 2 stars. I wasn't quite sure what would cause me to lose hearts with all the dead bodies all over the place. Would have been nice to have some sound effects or feedback for interactions. Overall though pretty nice game!!

Also!! Thanks for removing herobrine!
Beeb GameCodeCompany
21. Oct 2024 · 02:19 UTC
Deleted
Langotriel
21. Oct 2024 · 02:25 UTC
That main character is straight out of a tough bar in spongebob :P I dig it! Straight lines for bullets is under rated! It's very clear to see where you are shooting and adjust accordingly. I approve!

Fun art, lots of tiny creatures (and some bigger ones) and wonderful music! I look forward to future LD entries!
🎤 deadroach
21. Oct 2024 · 05:18 UTC
@beeb-gamecodecompany I'm playing games on stream so I'm not leaving long comments, here's your review
https://www.youtube.com/live/hpj66BNksZo?si=90ihlJlezYruCMLy&t=1260

and I'm liking my own comments, you can take off your tin foil hat
MetRiko
21. Oct 2024 · 11:59 UTC
Finally got it!

![right_to_bear_fins.png](///raw/1e3/d3/z/6902b.png)

Right at the beginning the contrast between the title screen and the actual gameplay really got me haha! That was a surprise for sure.

The animations are sooo good, like.. top tier quality good! The death animation especially was a nice touch.

The art style is so simple yet it matches this type of gameplay really well! It might feel "cheap" at the beginning but you can quickly see this art style has a lot of hidden details (even elements on the HUD are very detailed and not plain and simple). I really like how this game looks.

One more reason why this art style and gameplay makes good combo. Creatures are very distinguishable, and at the same time.. because they don't have any shading (just solid colors), they blend really well between each other (either when dead or alive). This makes game automatically more difficult (in the good way).

Another detail I was able to spot is that the most dangerous enemy (jellyfish) is the only enemy that evaporates with its own sprite completely during the death animation. This is a great design decision, thanks to that you can spot this enemy instantly when it appears on the screen. Such a small detail but helps a lot.

I'm not sure if dodge is working correctly because I didn't success at using it even once. I wasn't able to dodge either slow or fast enemies with that. Maybe it's only for bullets (if so I didn't notice that) or maybe it's just a skill issue on my side.

When it comes to gameplay at the beginning I wasn't able to tell why I was dying so fast. I slowly started noticing things like bullets, but it took me embarrassingly long time to notice that grey big bois need much more bullets to be killed (I thought they just have bugged animation and that's why they look like alive even when they've been shot). I think small animation for them when they are getting hit or when they are live would solve this issue with readability. Also I like how you can shoot with angle based on the mouse velocity, that is something that distinguishes this game from similar ones.

Overall I had lot's of fun shooting fish, and shot them more than I can count. Not sure if that's good, but I had great time playing this game. Good entry! :D
Conor Wilson
21. Oct 2024 · 12:50 UTC
Exellent work from the devs. Really fun and satisfying to blast through all the fishes. Top tip: try shooting the enemies with the gun
Beeb GameCodeCompany
21. Oct 2024 · 15:46 UTC
@deadroach Alright, apologies.
🎤 deadroach
21. Oct 2024 · 16:56 UTC
@beeb-gamecodecompany no worries I understand my comment on your game was odd lol, sorry if I came off as hostile with the tin foil hat thing it sounded meaner than I meant it
🎤 deadroach
21. Oct 2024 · 19:32 UTC
@willby Thanks for the kind words! The clutter from the dead bodies is meant to add difficulty (and make it overall more mesmerizing) but in future versions we will distinguish them better for sure, the jellyfish and the bubble from the octopus can be very tricky to make out. Probably will put a trail on the bubble and electricity on the jellyfish + sounds to warn you but we're working out all the kinks lol. Sound effects are top of our priorities for sure. Thanks again for the feedback and for stopping by the stream, we seriously appreciate it!
🎤 deadroach
21. Oct 2024 · 20:15 UTC
@langotriel I don't know how we didn't make the connection between our character and the salty spittoon, we're both huge spongebob fans. The anchor tattoo at the very least is transparently spongebob inspired, even if subconsciously. To our credit no assault rifles that I know of turn up in spongebob, though I must confess I haven't been keeping up with the new episodes. Thanks so much for the kind words and for being a part of the stream, we appreciate it a ton. I especially appreciate the compliments towards the music, warms my cold gray heart
🎤 deadroach
21. Oct 2024 · 20:33 UTC
@metriko Thanks for the feedback and for being a part of the stream! And great job getting all 5 stars! Obviously I was intending a dodge to be a part of the game but in its current state the right click only spins your fish. It has no practical use but I liked the animation so much I couldn't not include it, the fact that a button to uselessly twirl occupies your right click while the manual reload is so inconvenient just made us laugh so we kept it in. I've already added damage frames for the sunfish, so that'll be in the next update (and it looks a LOT better, so you're right lol). Thanks for playing and rating and chatting, your game was sincerely one of my favorites I've played all jam. Glad you had fun shooting up schools!
FireFalls
22. Oct 2024 · 01:02 UTC
I'm impressed by the amount of art y'all made for this game! While a lot of horde/wave type games feel like a power trip, this one was a lot more cathartic than I expected. The music definitely contributed heavily to that.
vivyhasadream
22. Oct 2024 · 03:04 UTC
cute art!
PlasmaPuffs
22. Oct 2024 · 03:13 UTC
I really like all the little details with the art and how each dead fish float at different speeds giving the illusion of depth. Good job!!
Steffo
24. Oct 2024 · 01:17 UTC
Fun! Not much to say that hasn't already been said in other comments!

---

Maybe it would be helpful for some people to have a content warning before the game because of that death animation?

It's hilarious, but I know at least a couple people who would get shaken by it...

---

> "Glad you had fun shooting up schools!"
> -- @deadroach

WOW THE PUN
Sockenpuppe
25. Oct 2024 · 19:37 UTC
Holy shit, what a massacre haha.

Starting the game, I burst out laughing seeing the piranha. Big boy is not messing around (and that anchor tattoo is the cherry on top)!

Btw the spin may not do much atm but is sure does look great!

As for reloading, yeah, I might have preferred just being able to quickly press a button. If you want to keep the spin animation on right click, maybe there is a way to use the mouse wheel for reloading? idk
that way you could still keep just having mouse inputs.

Definitely had a lot of fun with this!