Ludum Dare Play-a-thon Part 3
By Miodrag Kovačević | December 25, 2011 | Editorials | No comments | Share
We continue playing through the Ludum Dare entries in the third installment of this play-a-thon. While it’ll be impossible for us to cover every single game, considering there are over 700 of them, we’ll at least try to cover as many as possible before the judging ends. As always, we devote one paragraph to each game we play. We encourage you to browse the entries yourself and not wait for us. Who knows? You might find a real gem. Remember: the blue headers are links to their respective games.
A Tale of Seven Kittens by Digital Sorceress
You pick one of three classes and venture into a randomly generated cave to find seven missing kittens in 
this first person dungeon crawling adventure. The main issue with this one is that the engine does not play nice with melee combat, so things get pretty difficult. The dungeons are really big, possibly a bit too large to navigate. Things would have been easier if the room in which every kitten was had meowing or something to indicate you were on the right track, since it was also easy to miss a cat because it was behind a corner you only glanced over. It’s an interesting play in any case, just don’t expect to reach the end any time soon.
Blue Moon by Cirrial
This is one of those games that makes you glad you’re checking out Ludum Dare. You play as a genetically engineered lizard-man-thing trying to escape a secret laboratory. The problem is that our hero is rather short-
lived, as indicated by the timer on top of the screen. This timer increases as you suck electricity out of doors and elevators, or as you pick up blue gel scattered around the laboratory. However, if you are to progress, you must also use your life force to open doors and power elevators, as well overload lasers that block your path. It’s a very interesting mechanic and I’d like to see the author expand on it in a longer game, possibly making some elaborate puzzles. In any case, be sure to check it out.
Dino Pilot and the Lonely Skies by Ben the Poet
This is your typical side-scrolling shoot ‘em up where you fly a dinosaur shooting asteroids. That’s about it. Other than putting a dinosaur in a plane, the game does nothing that makes it stand out. Although I guess that might be enough for some. I require the plane to at least be on fire before I am content.
Lost by Manuel777
In Lost, you play a cat whose owners forget to bring him home from a field trip. Now he must find 
keys that open portals if he is to return to his cosy abode. The game isn’t finished, as the author has stated, but the basic platforming mechanic and beautiful aesthetics are there. I definitely recommend looking into it, as it’s really easy to pick up and has quite a unique feel.
No One Left by SuperSausageDog
No One Left is an exploration platformer where you need to check all the life signs detected on the planet. It doesn’t do much, but it gets the theme right. There is no music and the sound that will accompany you for most of the time is that of your footsteps. Together with the prevalent grey colors, it all shapes nicely into a lonely and slightly eerie atmosphere. It’s not amazing by any stretch of the word, but it doesn’t do much wrong either.
Screaming by kakuremino
Here’s an interesting one. It’s a bit hard to talk about it, because the real charm lies in just playing it blind. Then again, it’s also hard to recommend because the pacing is bad enough to make you frustrated. If you can spend 15 minutes on this and are patient, go and check it out. If anything, at least the atmosphere is right.
Solitas Exodae by Gaeel
This isn’t really a game as much as it’s an “interactive experience”. Really, you just hold right as the 
story unfolds and that’s about it. The actual aesthetics and music work quite well. One can’t deny that the presentation is good, but sadly, that’s all there is to it. Then again, I dislike most “interactive experiences”, so I’m probably biased. I guess you best check it out if you want to see if I’m wrong.
Trapped by zanders3
What’s interesting about Trapped is that it’s in 3D and looks quite fancy for a Ludum Dare title, but that’s about it. You are trapped in an evil castle and have to find a way to escape. It boils down to just opening every door you see until you find a lever to open the main gate, after which you’re done.
The Lone Adventurer by harusame
The Lone Adventurer is a platformer where you collect all the coins of a level and then make your way towards the exit. It’s pretty much your standard affair in 2D jump and run, but a solid title for Ludum Dare.
The Rescue by JoeDev_net
As a story-driven exploration platformer, The Rescue does what it sets out to do nicely. The 
platforming isn’t that challenging, but there’s a clear narrative and aesthetic to it. Possibly one of my favorite details is how you get subtle hints as to what biome there is in each direction if it differs from the one you are currently in. I recommend trying it out, even if it gets a bit “in your face” about the theme at the end.
Cirque du Seul by iansnyder
Much like Solitas Exodae, Cirque du Seul boils down to being an “interactive experience” 
as well, rather than a game. However, this seems to be more the result of not having enough time to add proper gameplay elements as opposed to trying to be artsy. I suggest looking into it, since it makes up for all its shortcomings by giving a polar bear a top hat.
Arzea by arkeus
Well, this has to be the most complete game out of all the entries I’ve played thus far. Arzea is 
a metroidvania platformer where you control a young mage trying to get home. It’s quite massive and enjoyable, with possibly the only complaint I have being that save points should restore your health, as you’ll often find yourself dying intentionally so you could pass a certain section with maximum vitality. Definitely check it out.
Alone: the Island Adventure by Andy Brown
You’re stranded on an island with no idea how you’ve gotten there. Your goal is to survive for as long as 
possible and you do this by making use of your environment, creating tools, hunting animals and so on. Aside from watching out not to be eaten by predators, you need to be careful not to starve or die of thirst. All in all, it’s a good game to play if you enjoyed something like the survival mode of Minecraft.
Midnight Run by Char
Midnight Run is fairly basic: the level scrolls by itself and you have to try to navigate through the obstacles in your path. Sadly, there’s no scoring and very little variety in the level generation, so it doesn’t really entertain or engage you.
Together by Sparkcloud
This entry is another one that’s quite difficult to explain. It’s a puzzle platformer where you create 
clones to help you overcome obstacles. The exact nature of the mechanic is barely explained, but thankfully, it’s easy to get the hang of. You can either create clones that obey the laws of gravity, but can be set on any side, or clones that defy them, but can only be set beneath you.
The Word Alone by Matt Rix
Just when you thought that every single variant of the “find a word” game concept had been made, along comes The Word Alone. The goal is to form words out of the letters at your disposal and then use this combination to push as many white letters off the board as possible until you’ve isolated the word “alone”. Quite a lot of replay value with this one.
The Library of Madness by Pre-order Cancelled
The last title for today is a mixture of roguelikes and Amnesia: the Dark Descent, all wrapped up 
in a Cthulhu mythos-inspired setting. You must navigate the Library of Madness avoiding spikes and monsters, keeping both your health and sanity intact. The game gets quite hard later on, but I can see myself coming back to it. If you don’t mind the ASCII aesthetics, be sure to check it out.
