Enceladus - GBCompo2023 Version
Welcome to Enceladus,
an icy moon of saturn. Take control of an alien species and escape from a research station. How you go about it is entirely up to you and your malice...
This game is made for the GBCompo2023 and can be played on actual GameBoy Color hardware.
Controls:
Up : Arrow Up / W
Down : Arrow Down / S
Left : Arrow Left / A
Right : Arrow Right / D
A : Alt / Z / J
B : Control / K / X
Credits:
Game Design & Idea Marco Windrich
Engine Modification & Programming Dominik Zimmer
Additional Programming Marco Windrich
Pixel Graphics Marco Windrich
Music Beatscribe
Sound FX Beatscribe & Coffee "Valen" Bat
Music and SoundFX are not self made. They have been purchased and the credits goes to two great musicians (Beatscribe and Coffee "Valen" Bat)
Download
Click download now to get access to the following files:
Development log
- Analogue Pocket file availableSep 18, 2023
Comments
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Really enjoyed the game ^^
There is one thing I was wondering: in base gb studio ladders don't let you move horizontally on them, but here in Enceladus that is possible. I assume this one done by modifying engine code, but I'm really curious as to how it was done, I also need something similar for a game I'm working on and I've had no luck so far trying to implement it
Hi there! I found your game because it has a set on RetroAchievements! I enjoyed it and I'd love to see more of it as I think this could go much further with the alien unlocking more abilities to destroy or navigate through obstacles.
A form of melee attack, a form of ranged attack, being able to crouch/squeeze through gaps, being able to grab things above you and climb on ceilings, being able to use a tentacle to activate certain switches or something: there's plenty that could be added without straying too far from your original concept... if you ever wanted to update this to make it a longer game or if you made a sequel/remake.
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Things I thought were well done:
* I think the graphics and idea are great.
* The sound design was good.
* The text intro and outro were a nice touch to make it feel a bit more professional
* The idea of having a monster ending or pacifist ending
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If I had any notes to help improve this or your next game:
* I did think the climbing controls were a bit iffy at times although it wasn't too frustrating.
* Some of the smaller platforms and narrow jumps were slightly difficult to judge because it felt like the creature's hitbox didn't necessarily seem as obvious as it seems from the visual. This only really applied for one-tile platforms or one-tile spaces to jump through.
* I think a slight indication of where a door opened would add that extra polish. If you don't want the screen to move over to show the player the door, even just an arrow on the screen for a moment or a blue glow on that edge of the screen for a moment or something might make a big difference for that.
* I loved the intro giving a bit of story to the game, but sadly it just made me feel like I wanted to know more. I think if you do expand this, having regular little updates from the humans would be awesome and could even be affected by whether the player chose to be a pacifist or not. Like after getting arms, maybe we cut to a scene where one human says "Hey, George. Do you know what happened to experiment 2136? The glass container is empty." Later on, when you get to the next cutscene, it could either be "George is missing. He didn't get me that report I asked for." or "George, this report shows that we might have an escaped specimen!" depending on whether you killed that human or not.
* Finally, a tiny bit more in the outro also would feel much more complete. The intro gives a sense of scale and purpose, but the outro just feels like a video game ending. I think something like "The creature was a monster! It killed all the staff in the facility, causing a planet-wide lockdown. There is talk of the planet being destroyed before any further human death comes from this" would make it feel like the player's actions had actual consequences. Alternatively, on the other side of it, if you didn't kill any humans, you'd get "The creature just wanted to escape. It did not intend to harm its captors even though the humans were cruel and narrow-minded. There is talk of the facility being shut down because of the mistreatment of the specimens. The planet may be left to continue life in peace after all."
any updates on this one? great game
Great game! :)
I really enjoyed this one! I love art style and use of color. The maze elements and platforming were compelling. Would love to see this game, its world, and this character expanded!
This is a great concept, I hope you guys expand upon it! Really great pixel art and spritework, and awesome level design. I loved the atmosphere, this felt like a love letter to Carrion, and it was a great fit for the jam theme. Props to the whole team for this!
Just a small thing, I noticed one weird bug in which the camera somehow got 'unhinged' from my character (so my character would approach the edge of the screen, e.g., while climbing stairs, and become invisible, as the camera did not follow it), and I could not proceed and had to restart.
I love it. The character is cool and finding it's new forms is rewarding. Doing a Metroidvania is impressive.
Normally, I can't stand games where you have to earn the jump but it felt fair here.
This might just be my really ancient machine but I can move but I can't jump or anything else so I get stuck very quickly. Thanks.
You have to unlock the jump
Rad artwork and art direction in general! The monster designs and animations are just top notch. The color palettes used added to the mood and readability of the level design a great deal.
I did have some trouble with finicky jumps here and there though. Be careful of having the player bonk their head/give them plenty of room to make jumps as it kills the fun when you bonk or make things too claustrophopic while platforming.
The lab section was claustrophobic in a good way with its small ducting etc. That was more because i was just exploring small areas and watching the humans rather than trying to platform. I reckon some stealth mechanics in the human areas would be rad, while other sections could be where you focus on open areas with fun platforming challenges, varied enemies like random indigenous alien life etc.
It would be great to have the camera view shift to whatever door opens when you flick a switch and then scrolls back to the player. I was confused as to what about my environment I had changed when interacting with the switches.
Overall it's a great start to a larger game experience. It's not easy getting the playtester feedback necessary during a jam. It's near impossible because of the time frame, in fact. So hopefully this helps!
Really well done!
wow...such a great feedback from you means a lot to me. Thank you very much really appreciate!
The finicky jumps were just a "bad" result of something claustrophobic I wanted to convey. But yeah...I know what you mean and has to be fixed!
For me the whole platforming section is a little bit too "jumpy"(?). The plan was to get it more in the way you already mentioned. More stealth elements were you can hide in shadows and more puzzle elements. More Metroidvania and less Jump/Platforming. The dosing is important here I think.
What do you mean with "random indigenous alien life"? Not a native speaker so having trouble to get it :D
Camera view shift...damn. That´s just so simple but didn´t came to mind. Thank you! So many times already seen in so many games...
Thank you so much! Such Feedback is pure gold!
No probs. So indegenous alien life in the games context means alien creatures that live on this planet.
My philosophy on enemy design is think of the enemy behaviour first, and then think about how you will design how it looks.
Enemy behavior is informed by what the player can do. And in the case of metroidvanias, that behavior is changing throughout the game. So for example, if you give the player a wall jump move. Maybe you will design an area that first teaches the player how wall jumping feels with no risk level layouts. Then introduces an enemy that sticks to a wall but doesn't move to give the player an easy-ish test. Then you would place enemies that maybe stick to a wall but move along it rhythmically. Not very creative example but you get the idea.
Once you are happy with the mechanics of the enemy, and you know what telegraphs it needs, you design how it looks. That's how I do it anyway. That way I can make sure the enemy and its attacks will be readable, and will offer a counter challenge to the players new moveset.
For example in my game, Feed IT Souls, I introduced a new tentacle enemy that sticks to walls and can't be killed with a projectile once you get that powerup so that the difficulty ramps up and counters the newly acquired skill. It's the exact same behaviour as a precious enemy (as in its just there to be an obstacle while wall jumping), but this time you can't get rid of it with the new projectile attack.
In summary, Player moveset informs enemy behavior. Enemy behavior informs that enemies GFX.
ok now I know what you mean. thats exactly how I design the "power ups"...like the upgrade that you can pull triggers/switches. its introduced by a animated sequence that show how you can open the door. After that getting more complex, step by step so that the player gets familiar with the mechanic. Also the latter stuff. First just a simple ladder to get to another level. Than a ladder straight to the right. When you fall you have to try it again without dying...and so on. The jump ability is a little bit rushed but will get a more "introduction" in the next update. Right now I just write down all the feedback and think about how I implement all the stuff and write down some loose ideas. I stick to one rule when it comes to design in enceladus "no text to introduce a mechanic". Would like to keep things self explaining or with a sequence that introduces a little new mechanic. Not so easy when I think about the hiding mechanic...
I will keep that in mind, also the alien design with a contex to its surrounding. Thats how I try to design my enemies as well...for the jam it was a rush I should say. Ideally opponents behavior patterns should also be visible in the design. That you can immediately tell at first glance "oh...he can definitely jump". More difficult than it sounds first when you are in a tunnel and just focus on some stuff.
But it will get easier with a little more planning time right now :)
Great little project and an excellent proof of concept, too linear to be a metroidvania but more open than most platformers. Excellent atmosphere, and attention to detail, especially with the lighting effects. I hope this gets expanded into something a little larger in the future, I would be curious to see how far you can push the exploration and character abilities.
thank you very very much for the feedback. yes, I will expand it in the future and would like to get it a little more into the exploration/metroidvania. fingers crossed with some stealth elements…
I love the cutscenes in the intro! Very cool the way the player sprite dims in shadow! it really makes the game shine! The use of evolving the player to give abilities is a good fit! The game's very first scenes could use just a bit more action or level animations. The game's design could benefit from a map. At the end of the firepit area there is a jump that is terribly unforgiving to miss (compared to the rest of the game). The fire area also made a strange buzzing sound whenever the player was touching a wall or ground, which was just a bit distracting and confusing. Then after that area.. back in the vents near the fire area (above and to the left of the fire pit area), I climbed a ladder then phased through a locked vent sized door, which caused the controls to go funky and soft-locked the game. Really fantastic art and audio in this one! I really love the theme song and title screen! The checkpoint system is really great, but a save/load system might be a good idea if the game is much longer. A pause menu would be nice to have also. Overall its outstanding work and in the upper echelon of the games I've tested so far this jam!
first of all…thank you so much for the feedback. that really means a lot to me and makes the game (in the future) better.
the first scenes are a bit stiff you are right. will do some research and think about what and how I can animate some stuff…but I have already some ideas
the strange buzzing sound maybe comes with the moving soundfx mixed with the music or the sound when the lava bubbles jumping of the pit. Will have a look…
the ladder bug seams to be an engine problem which hopefully gets fixed in a future update. sorry for the soft lock…that’s really odd.
there will definitely a pause/overall map when the game grows bigger.
as already said…thank you so much for the feedback and I am very happy you had a great time with our game.
Glad to hear you plan to expand it! I'll be following for updates!
Can you export as .gb to try on analogue pocket plz?
yes…I will. But it will take me until sunday 😓
Appreciated thanks 🙏
there is a .pocket file ready for download ;)
ah excellent 👍 I look forward to checking it out
please let me know if it works…can’t test it for myself 😅
Excellent game, I love the atmosphere and graphics. Do you get anything for killing the scientists? Also, I think I got stuck at a button I couldn't press (after avoiding several moving saws).
thank you very much.
I just count how many scientists you killed on your way so you see the progress at the end. its up to you if you go full rage mode 😅
hm…that you got stuck is awful. do you mind and post a screenshot from this situation?
If this dosn't come in top 5 I don't know what will.
thank you very much! I already saw some great entries for the compo...so we will see at the end. I am looking forward for the rest of the games!
Could use instructions for the controls of the game. (ie 'press Z when it tells you to press A', and 'backspace for rewind')
I'm stuck at a part where there's two hazards moving horizontally on tracks: I must follow one to the right, then drop down into the track of another and move left, but the two hazards are in-synch and move at the same speed, so when I can reach the hole to drop down, the second hazard is always between me and the exit. I thought maybe one moved slower than the other so I just had to wait for my opportunity, but no.
when the second one comes to the right try to jump over it. or jump and get up on to the right, wait until the enemy is under yourself and start running 😊
but yes you are right. introductions will follow! right now its a work in progress version of my game.
I love outer space games. This one dunks
Really good animations and light effects :)
A Paradise Lost:First Contact demake haha
thanks...took us some time to get raytracing running on actual hardware :P
Hehe 👌
Carrion Pocket XD Nice lil game. A bit slow, but pixel art is superb
thanks :) really appreciate your feedback. it was designed to be a "slower" title.