Devour by ScoobySnacks

An ancient hunger stirs.
Reach out from the dark.
Feed.
Grow.
Return.
Move Left: A or ← or left stick
Move Right: D or → or left stick
HOLD to Extend Upward: W, Space, Ctrl, Shift, or any gamepad button
RELEASE the Upward key to retract
GAMEPAD FRIENDLY
Music: gigi masin - calm me (intro loop) (instrumental + very slowed)
| Link | https://scbysnak.itch.io/devour |
| Original URL | https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/57/devour |
Ratings
| Overall | 383th | 3.628⭐ | 115🧑⚖️ |
| Fun | 369th | 3.469⭐ | 115🧑⚖️ |
| Innovation | 279th | 3.504⭐ | 115🧑⚖️ |
| Theme | 93th | 4.23⭐ | 115🧑⚖️ |
| Graphics | 418th | 3.686⭐ | 115🧑⚖️ |
| Humor | 456th | 2.75⭐ | 98🧑⚖️ |
| Mood | 236th | 3.886⭐ | 112🧑⚖️ |
| Given | 116🗳️ | 182🗨️ |

Amazing game, pretty addictive
also i agree with the previous comment that said that the player needs more pressure to eat fast, i think that would add an interesting aspect to the gameloop
@elq
@shamedoor
I was afraid to make it too hard and players will not finish it. but i guess i made it too easy)
Great work!
I can see this being developed further in the future.
One thing I would appreciate is the ability to retract partially. That way you could grab things that are dangerously close to obstacles without having to go all the way back to the bottom. Would maybe need to add a counter mechanic to balance that feature though so people don't just spam space bar to hover.
Very cool concept though. Keep up the good work!
Good entry!
I love the atmosphere—calm and spooky at the same time! The game’s simple and intuitive, no need for a tutorial. A high score system would be a great addition. Great work!
Would be awesome if later stages had some kind of evolving threat or time pressure — like, maybe the ocean "rejects" you if you don’t feed fast enough? 😄 Either way, super fun and really polished for a jam game.
Great job!
I am not sure what the eye at the end meant though :)
Anyway, really well done! I had a lot of fun with this one :D
Теперь конструктив.
Меня, в принципе, 2 момента смутило в игре, не считая того, что не понятно, как её расширять больше чем на 5 минут.
1. Я бог глубин, ктулху, а меня заставляют есть каких-то рыбок и не дают съесть корабль. Есть корабль я хочу на 1-ой минуте игры, а не на последней. +то, что размер языка увеличивается от еды я тоже понял только когда до корабля дошёл. А ещё там есть луна, а её съесть не дают. Ну и ещё я ктулху, а мне никто не поклоняется, ктулху просто обязаны поклоняться.
2. Язык проходит сквозь мины.
Хороших вещей в игре больше, чем негативных, но тут уж как просил в дискорде, так и откомментил.
Here are a few things I noticed while playing:
I wish there was a bit of in-game guidance or a short tutorial. Also, I feel like mouse controls could actually work really well here. At first, I thought the sharks could be eaten — they glow red, sure, but I figured if I got big enough, it wouldn't be a problem.
I also felt like it was missing some sense of progression — maybe there's a way to make it endless, or give it a longer arc? It kind of reminded me of *Tasty Planet*, where you start small and grow by eating everything around you.
Anyway, I ended up playing it twice!
I didn't find it difficult at all though, so if you plan on tweaking or developing further, that would be my suggestion.|
Just a heads up, there's a "left stick" to the move right instruction:
"Move Right: D or → or left stick"
Congrats on your submission!
Мне игра очень понравилось, простая, но достаточно художественная.
Maybe it's just me, but while I did like the tentacle a lot, I do have 2 criticisms
* The tail end looks a little weird. I think a simple rounded tail would look better (although I understand you wanted to get something dynamic, it's hard look to get right)
* The speed of the tentacle bothered me a bit - when there are no fish down, it move painfully slowly, and when I lifted my finger from W for a second without a fish it was already down. I would consider speeding up the tentacle a bit (maybe based on the amount of fish at the bottom, or give player some control), and maybe not get all the way down if you don't have fish, or make it based on the number of fish you catch
Still, I really enjoyed the game for it's simplicity and presentation - good job!
Having more visual and sound impact when getting the fish and dolphins would make the game even more satisfying.
The mood is pretty good. The visuals were simple, but effective. The colour red showed you immediately what you shouldn't touch. It's funny, that you can take the ship at the end. :)
I love how you learn through playing (for example, on the first few hunts I didn't realize you could get more than one prey at the time, but I quickly asked that question and found the answer myself). I like how it's not too long, it's just right. You nailed the atmosphere too.

Maybe it Lack a bit of screaming sailors when the boat sink, but even without i had a lot fun playing it ! :)
[ As you like that thematic, if you want more, I also made a game with a hungry ancient :) ]

When I got to the end, the camera didn't move far enough down for me to see the eye, but the screenshots here made up for it.