LudumData

Through the Brush by JDeeDubs

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

Through the Brush Banner Only.png

Press through the depths of a dense forest and ancient ruins to find a way through the gate.

Through the Brush is a platformer where you must master moving between 3D layers. Collect two trophies to win.

Minn Idle Anim gif.gif

You play as Minn, a wily fox who came upon an impossibly high wall that blocked his path. To go deeper into the woods, he needs to find the key to the gate.

Rotating Key Anim.gif

As he mused over his situation, he spied a beautiful bunch of golden grapes hanging from the branches of a tree. They seemed ready to burst with juice, and his mouth watered as he gazed longingly at them. He suspected getting up there wouldn't be all too hard.

Grapes McGuffin Anim.gif

Controls:

WASD to move (Arrow keys alternate)

C to zoom out

Space to jump

Ctrl for slow movement

K to checkpoint respawn

Layer grid to tell what depth you are at (pops up if you stand still for a moment) Depth Chart.png

Thank you so much for playing!

LD57 Banner.png

Known Bugs:

Respawning on a checkpoint sets you to the layer you first approached the checkpoint at.

Music Attributions:

Willow and the Light - Kevin MacLeod

Ether Vox - Kevin MacLeod

SFX Attributions:

winter-sticks-swish.aiff by alienistcog -- https://freesound.org/s/143296/ -- License: Attribution 3.0

swoop2g.flac by Streety -- https://freesound.org/s/30241/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

Swing Stick.WAV by crawfordjohnb@ bellsouth.net -- https://freesound.org/s/403000/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

03200 fastener bolt.wav by Robinhood76 -- https://freesound.org/s/135040/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0

Rug Doll Footsteps by IENBA -- https://freesound.org/s/757485/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

Game Pickup by IENBA -- https://freesound.org/s/698768/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

DeathGameOverV2.wav by wobesound -- https://freesound.org/s/488375/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

checkpoint.wav by Vicces1212 -- https://freesound.org/s/123751/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Minn Run Anim.gif

Link https://perpetuallifecrisis.itch.io/through-the-brush
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/57/through-the-brush

Ratings

Overall 376th 3.635⭐ 39🧑‍⚖️
Fun 496th 3.306⭐ 38🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 41th 4.189⭐ 39🧑‍⚖️
Theme 290th 3.919⭐ 39🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 323th 3.892⭐ 39🧑‍⚖️
Mood 391th 3.639⭐ 38🧑‍⚖️
Given 52🗳️ 48🗨️

Feedback

robobarbie
07. Apr 2025 · 22:34 UTC
hey!! would love to play but that link seems dead :sob:
TheDugnutt
07. Apr 2025 · 22:39 UTC
Ooop we will get this fixed soon!
We just published it and then all went for food, but I think the permissions on the page with the game havent been updated so most people dont have access.

Thanks for taking in interest in the game! Hopefully it will be fixed in an hour or two :)
TheDugnutt
07. Apr 2025 · 22:47 UTC
@robobarbie should be fixed now!
robobarbie
07. Apr 2025 · 22:55 UTC
@thedugnutt omg thank u for the ping!! started playing and really love how creative this is with the 3d movement!! really makes for some fun platforming puzzles
finntastico
08. Apr 2025 · 01:50 UTC
Love the art style! Also really cool idea to switch between different depths of parallax background. Took me a bit to get the hang off though haha
Constance
08. Apr 2025 · 16:15 UTC
First off, this is a really cool entry you guys got there, so congrats!

After playing it, I would say the character controls are a bit sudden and snappy, it took me a moment to get used to how it behaves. But I really liked the paper-like flipping when he changes directions, it suits the art style well. Also he will stuck into trees or obstacles if I make him jump into them, but this might be a minor collider issue so it wouldn't affect much.

About the layer switching mechanic, I think this is the first time I've seen a game using this to blend between 2D and 3D looks, so the innovation and creative is off-the-chart for me!

Lastly, the zoom out feature was nice but it made the framerate drop substantially, even with a decently fast internet connection like myself still suffered the stuttering during transitions. So I think on lower-end devices or users with slow internet connection, it would cause freezing or even crashing.

But overall, this is a solid entry from your team and I appreciate the effort as well as time y'all poured into this, well done!
Edvard
08. Apr 2025 · 16:16 UTC
Very cool game, incredibly nice palette, super idea, implemented perfectly
nsadie
08. Apr 2025 · 20:01 UTC
Very interesting concept! The actual jumping controls are a bit floaty and it takes a bit of getting used to switching colours quickly, but well done!
Tymus
08. Apr 2025 · 20:29 UTC
the platforming control got a bit in the way of some of the puzzles, felt like I had to fight the controls rather than the game, otherwise neat idea and pretty nice execution
Mathieu Chougui
08. Apr 2025 · 21:38 UTC
Very nice concept! The platforming feel is a bit wonky, but the puzzles are very cool :) Thanks a lot, good work!
Nacchan
08. Apr 2025 · 21:44 UTC
The layer toggling mechanism is very visually pleasing! I like the color palette too
TimeLost
08. Apr 2025 · 23:50 UTC
The visuals are amazing, the gameplay is fun and is a interesting take on the theme, the audio is amazing. The layer toggle mechanic is amazing. I ran into a small issue with the UI showing the current layer shows the selected layer when you died and not the current layer after respawning it corrects it self when you change layers so not major problem. Overall this game is extremely good and the puzzles are fun.
Amedea
09. Apr 2025 · 16:07 UTC
Hi! I really loved the concept and the application of the theme!! I've tried the game but I found it a little bit difficult, because I haven't understood how to see where to move the fox through the wood "levels" (where to jump if I am in a back wood level and I can't see any surface). Loved also the graphics <3
TheDugnutt
09. Apr 2025 · 16:31 UTC
@amedea yeah totally valid! I agree where I think there is a good section of the map that is a little too difficult.

You can press the "C" key to view the whole map, but I agree there definitely shouldnt have been those leap of faith moments, especially early on in the map (I was the one who map the map layout so that was my bad lol)

Glad you enjoyed the game though! :D
Amedea
09. Apr 2025 · 17:10 UTC
@thedugnutt maybe you could think a way to show the current level, pheraphs with a button that “reveal” the way for a moment :)
jtap
09. Apr 2025 · 19:41 UTC
Very interesting concept of layers, I liked your unique idea. Beautiful stylish graphics.
The character sometimes gets stuck at a height after jumping.
Thanks for that game!
clymm
09. Apr 2025 · 22:45 UTC
Awesome artwork and animations! The fake 3D / layers effect was really unique I don't think i've seen that done before - really cool! It was a little challenging when making jumps to know which depth some of the platforms were at but overall was a fun experience!
alec
10. Apr 2025 · 02:27 UTC
Such a unique mechanic switching layers like that. It took me a minute to get the hang of the controls, but seriously impressive work. The ability to see the whole map is a super helpful feature.
CharlieTU
10. Apr 2025 · 08:45 UTC
Very great mood you got going in there! The layer mechanic is nice and fit well with the theme, although I feel like the character controller could use a bit of polish.
Great stuff overall ;)
Euler Moises
10. Apr 2025 · 22:43 UTC
I've ALWAYS wanted to make a game like this!

The idea is excellent. This well-polished game will earn you something. With more elaborate art and a gameplay fix (the jump has some problems) it will be a huge success.

It's saved on my "Best LD57" list so I can finish it later.

Congratulations!
gquibao
11. Apr 2025 · 02:34 UTC
My brain just melted playing this. I kept messing the layer every single time haha Great game. Really well done. The movement feels good, the art is pretty, the level design is very interesting. Loved your game, one of the best I've seen this time.
ScoobySnacks
11. Apr 2025 · 10:29 UTC
very cool idea, also looks very good. I think it would be easier to see where you going if the camera was more a the top looking down.
sbeif
11. Apr 2025 · 16:26 UTC
Extremely interesting take on the theme and the character animation were really beautiful, although the flip even though it makes sense sometimes flickered too much. There is maybe a bit too much contrast between the details in the character and the simple style of the environment, and the character movementis a bit cluncky at times, but with a bit more polish this could become a gem. Nice work!
Thomas Higgins
12. Apr 2025 · 00:54 UTC
Very Trippy but such a cool take on the theme as well as such a cool use of the flip book idea - the first time I went into a tree house then fell into the caves by changing layers blew my mind - awesome job!
paulhocker
12. Apr 2025 · 23:48 UTC
this game was just awesome -- the use of the theme was brilliant -- reminds me of the game that @adamcyounis created -- brilliant game that is going on my play again list
Egor Iv
16. Apr 2025 · 10:29 UTC
interesting disclosure of the topic