Ludum Dare Play-a-thon Part 4
By Miodrag Kovačević | December 31, 2011 | Editorials | No comments | Share
Ludum Dare 22 judging is still going and it’s quite interesting to see what people have come up with when it comes to the theme “alone”. I have to say, I’ve been quite impressed with what people have been able to create in just 48 hours. Sure, some attempts are better than others, but even the weaker entries are interesting as I think they give some insight into how people approach game design. You can check out our previous play-a-thon installments here. Remember, the blue headers are also hyperlinks to their respective games. Be sure to vote if you enjoy a title!
Cave Wanderer by GreaseMonkey
Do you see my mind? No, because GreaseMonkey just blew it away. This paragraph is just gonna be me 
squealing like a fangirl because someone made a game for the Sega Master System. Yes, this entry requires you to run an emulator, but I assume if it were in cartridge format, it would work on an actual SMS just as well. It’s a pretty simple and short platformer, but damn, way to find a way to make it stand out. Definitely check it out if you just want your mind to overflow with nostalgia.
Sinkhole by Shaun Inman
Sinkhole does a great job of setting up a joke of how it’s a nice timesink. You fell into the Abyss, or 
rather, the character thinks it’s a cave, but trust me, after climbing up for almost an hour, I am pretty much certain he is at least in purgatory. On every level, you need to find the way up while maneuvering through a pitch-black cave. Your two main light sources are your flashlight and matches. The flashlight lasts longer before you need to change the battery and illuminates more space in front of you, while matches have a lower radius and are rather short-lived. This isn’t only important to help you navigate the stages, but also so you can scare off the monsters in the dark. While I think it would have benefited from having a definite end or at least a scoring method to warrant playing beyond the first few levels, it’s still worth checking out.
Last Breath by deepnight
I’m not going to spoil this one, but it’s probably the most complete entry I’ve had the joy of playing. It’s quite challenging, but it is also well-designed and aesthetically pleasing. Seriously, don’t skip Last Breath. I wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up winning Ludum Dare 22.
But You Wake Alone by wgemigh
A dream within dream, within a dream, within a dream about remembering and forgetting. Another ambitious 
title which would have benefited from better screen logistics. You play as a dot trying to remember things, but whenever you’re near a crowd, you start forgetting. The way to finish the level is to avoid the crowd until you can get your thoughts together and head for the exit. The game has a quite pleasing presentation and is definitely worth looking into. My main issue is that it’s hard to keep track of the thoughts written at the bottom of the screen, which I believe detracts from the overall experience.
Alone – Save Your Family from an Icy Imprisonment by brenthamel
Evil green ghosts have frozen your family. Are you a bad enough dude to save them? Sadly, I wasn’t. Alone – SYFFAII is quite difficult and has plenty of collision issues. It’s not unplayable, but it ends up being frustrating. At least the sprites have a nice retro feel to them.
Alone in Space by AleksandarDev
Alone in Space is a game about launching your spaceship. That’s about it. Take it literally, or as a metaphor about life, where in order to traverse the longest journeys, you need to forsake a part of yourself with each milestone. But hey! Space!
Duckling by Veralos
You play as a cute little duckling on its never-ending quest to find its mother. The game is really, really 
difficult, so don’t let the prospect of something cute and cuddly trick you into going with it if you’re not good at platformers. The levels are designed nicely, mind you, but the expectations of some are downright malicious.
Paper Dream by Claw
Another title which is best played blindly. I’ll only point out that you can carry objects with the mouse cursor, but really, the joy in this one is finding things out by yourself. Definitely check it out.
I Need Someone by Tony Coculuzzi
The final game for this entry of our Ludum Dare Play-a-thon is I Need Someone. It’s a game built in Unity 
and one of the more polished ones using the engine. You’re alone and have no friends, but you decide to fix that by building a friend of your own. However, something like that is not easy: you need to find a head, arms and a heart. It’s largely exploration-based, but there is some basic first-person combat. Definitely check it out, as it makes good use of color (or lack thereof) and creates a highly bittersweet atmosphere.
There are still nine days left until judging ends and while it will be nigh-impossible to go through every game, we’ll do our best to give the spotlight to as many as we can. As always, we encourage you to dig through the entries on your own. Who knows? Maybe you’ll find a real gem.
