A Call from the Void by Oinkle

[raw]
made by Oinkle for Ludum Dare 57 (JAM)

cover_art.png Your tenth birthday arrives, and you feel the familiar sting of loneliness, a constant companion in the crowded city. All you wished for was connection, someone to understand the quiet hum in your soul. Instead, your eccentric grandmother presents you with a dusty shortwave radio and a worn, leather-bound book filled with strange symbols and codes.

Using your new equipment, who knows what mysteries you'll learn. The deeper into space you go, the more the mysteries unravel.

-How to play-

Given the cypher book and the cue card, the goal is to translate the alien transmission into English words. Each transmission becomes progressively more difficult and different parts of the cypher book may have to be used, either using only one page or multiple pages at a time.

Ratings

Overall 336th 3.682⭐ 24🧑‍⚖️
Fun 217th 3.705⭐ 24🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 208th 3.659⭐ 24🧑‍⚖️
Theme 637th 3.295⭐ 24🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 578th 3.364⭐ 24🧑‍⚖️
Audio 154th 3.818⭐ 24🧑‍⚖️
Humor 483th 2.682⭐ 24🧑‍⚖️
Mood 140th 4.045⭐ 24🧑‍⚖️
Given 50🗳️ 5🗨️

Feedback

derllie
07. Apr 2025 · 23:01 UTC
idk why but it was so calming for me! really great game!
MorePixels
07. Apr 2025 · 23:11 UTC
This was pretty cool, was fun trying to figure out the cyphers!
maximumoverkilt
08. Apr 2025 · 01:26 UTC
I did not have the patience to decode any of the ciphers, however I can sort of feel the textures underneath. Very atmospheric and I really dig the main track. Wish I had more bandwidth for it.
Broco
08. Apr 2025 · 02:49 UTC
I like the idea, and the atmosphere is kinda relaxing, but even tho I tried with different codes, I couldn't get to decypher even one :(
It could be because english is not my main language, but I couldn't get the codes to form any coherent word with the cyphers on the book

It'd be great to have some clue, of what cipher to use, or what amount of characters to shift the alphabet.
Cool idea and nice execution!
JackShadow
08. Apr 2025 · 16:51 UTC
I was not ready for a such hardcore puzzle in the evening, my request is any kind of intro or tutorial. Or I might just not your audience
LDJam user 373998
09. Apr 2025 · 02:31 UTC
The music made me stick around when I realized it wouldn't be easy. Did it by hand and listened to that loop. I gave up though, when I saw the third puzzle.
lectvs
09. Apr 2025 · 03:18 UTC
Very cool idea! I like a good puzzle :smile:
feor
09. Apr 2025 · 03:19 UTC
Oh this is fun. The third message took me a WHILE because I stupidly paid no attention to the page that could have helped me solve it, but it was even more satisfying when I did. The other ones were enjoyable and straightforward enough with the book.

![Screenshot 2025-04-09 051850.png](///raw/f38/a3/z/6b9e8.png)


Not too much to comment on in terms of gameplay, what was there worked well enough. Atmosphere and so on pretty good as well. The only thing is that sometimes due to the resolution it was quite hard to make out some of the letters and especially the Morse code. Other than that, this is a great little game for a relaxed evening :)
LDJam user 245740
09. Apr 2025 · 05:21 UTC
It took a while but I managed to beat it! It you get stuck the book has everything you need to solve everything, just run through the tool kit until it hits you. I think I'm def the audience for this game and I loved it!
poboy
09. Apr 2025 · 07:51 UTC
Fellow Morse code jam submission \o/

Great game, had to pull out the CyberChef for a few of them :)

I love games that aren't afraid to challenge their audience like this. The poems are really sneakily beautiful.
MilkWine
09. Apr 2025 · 08:01 UTC
A fun short puzzle game. I wish it had a little decoder machine to help shift the letters rather than doing it manually. The music was nice as I worked through it though.
marudziik
09. Apr 2025 · 09:20 UTC
In these type of games I sometimes wish I had a hint of some sorts or at least a *pizza* :wink: to get me started. The first puzzle was weirdly difficult for me, but then it was a bit easier to follow up. I think these sorts of games are quite difficult to make because they require a lot of investment from the player. Some sort of hint system would be helpful for those who get stuck. However, I personally liked the challenge. The ciphers you picked were very fun! Thanks!
Tenzz
10. Apr 2025 · 17:21 UTC
Finally all those cryptography classes I’ve been taking paid off. Love the game by the way
Linky439
10. Apr 2025 · 20:04 UTC
Wow, such a unique entry!

I got stuck on the third riddle, I guess it has something to do with the "Peek into the void" page, and maybe the last one? I couldn't figure it out! But great atmosphere.
If you could add some hint, that would be lovely! :D
IDos
11. Apr 2025 · 20:40 UTC
It took me longer than I expected, but I like these games, sometimes it's useful to rack your brain
gdman
25. Apr 2025 · 23:48 UTC
Very unique and atmospheric game!