Ludum Dare 21
August 19th-22nd 2011 :: Theme: Escape
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Escape Cod - Tom 7 - 48 Hour Competition Entry
Game made from scratch in 48h for Ludum Dare 21. All legit.
This was a weird theme for me since I've been working on a game (off and on) for about 13 years called "Escape". You can play it at http://escape.spacebar.org/ but that is NOT the Ludum Dare entry. I wish. This game is called "Escape Cod" and it's kind of like recursive fish pinball.
Play with the arrow keys and spacebar (you may need to click in the window first):
http://escapecod.spacebar.org/compo.shtml
Features and benefits:
- Pleasant pastel title screen
- Frantic pun-based gameplay
- Sleeping with the starfishes
- Three ultra-new tunes, one eponymous, with lyrics
- Almost believable physics using real-style maths
Win screen unspoilered by screenshots.
Soundtrack: http://escapecod.spacebar.org/escape-cod.zip
Timelapse w/cam: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ic_VnAkxCmc
View Tom 7's journal. | View all entries by Tom 7
Ratings
![]() | Audio | 4.37 |
| #7 | Theme | 4.22 |
| #20 | Innovation | 4.06 |
| #24 | Humor | 3.48 |
| #28 | Overall | 3.75 |
| #36 | Graphics | 4.00 |
| #78 | Fun | 3.28 |
| #145 | Community | 2.94 |
| #246 | Coolness | 2% |
Comments
Nice song :)) and a very nice idea, but getting the ball out is terribly frustrating. It sticks to walls like it's made out of glue
Getting the ball out is a bit random, I was struggling with the controls a bit. But the idea is great.
The most fun I've had with a game where I play vomit!
The purple spiralish fish were a bit unfair but a fine game overall.
cool and wacky concept! a few of the fish were really frustrating, especially the yellow one, and the controls felt somewhat random.
Good art, good music, interesting and unique gameplay too. I enjoyed this quite a bit.
This is a lovely wee game. The controls were a bit finicky, but I loved the idea, and the visuals and the music.
I didn't feel like I really had much impact on whether I got out of the fish or not. I knew action was required, but it was basically "wait for fish to turn properly"
great concept, a little frustrating to play (i just wanted to reach into the screen and strangle the damn fish as it swims the wrong way).. great music. Overall despite the frustration very enjoyable to beat
This is the best recursive fish pinball game I have ever played. I wished for a less random game mechanic, and I hated that damn purple angler, but I enjoyed this very much anyway. Loved the theme song!
Odd. At first I had to do nothing to escape, the ball would fall off due to gravity. In the cases I had to do anything, it was way harder than it looked :-)
The music is awesome! And so is the general idea.
Great idea and great game. Although, I also felt like I didn't have enough control and had to hope and wait. Unless there was some way to influence the fish's direction by bumping in to the walls in some specific way that I haven't found (I finished it twice).
Still overall very enjoyable.
I've expressed much MUCH love for your games. I think it's your intro screens... I fall in love with them. I actually want to commission you to write me a song - they're THAT awesome.
The game itself was fun as hell too. I liked the fish-eating-fish-increasing-levels thing, although I didn't QUITE get to grips with how I was exactly controlling what was going on... it was all a bit trial and error.
Fantastic stuff though. You certainly know how to pack your games full of charm.
Extremely twisted. This was one of my favorite games in the compo, by the way.
Confusing controls, but the concept was neat. Really polished. Also, fabulous intro song. :D Great job.
Excellent audio and good use for theme, quite innovative ideas, but gameplay-wise it was kinda boring - I often escaped right from the start, on the other hand sometimes I've spent a lot inside the fish before I managed to get out, usually with more luck then skill. With some changes in controls and gameplay so it would be more enganging it could be very nice game.
Great idea and good take on the theme, but gameplay is too random and unbalanced. I end up smashing keys with no real effect on one fish and then roll out on my own on other. Art is cool music is cool (if a little non-underwatery)
The fishes movements were pretty random and made it escaping more a matter of luck than skill. Also several times I was almost out only to have three fish rush up and eat the one I was in. Excellent concept and I think recursive fish pinball is pretty accurate.
This is my favorite LD 21 entry so far. I'd don't know if I'd say it's THE best recursive fish pinball game I've played (unlike James Paige), but it definitely ranks in the top three.
I had a hard time making myself click past the intro screen to start playing. Once I did, I thought the concept was brilliant. I really hope you work on this a bit more to make the actual gameplay controls a little more playable (maybe have the player control the fish instead of the ball, having to simultaneously avoid the other fish and rotate to get the ball out?).
I could see this game catching on as an internet meme.
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Just thought I'd say I really liked your game. Recursive fish pinball is a brilliant idea.