April 26th-29th 2013 :: Theme: Minimalism
Ludum Dare 26 — April 26-29th, 2013
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Its a very short unique atmospheric puzzler about shape and space across dimensions.
XYZ is my first completed Ludum Dare, I hope you enjoy it!
Postmortem: http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/2013/04/29/looking-back-on-minimalism/
Presskit: http://tomkail.com/press/sheet.php?p=xyz
Unfortunately some people aren't able to run the game. if you're only getting a purple screen I'm afraid I can't do anything for you at this time - it's an issue to do with a small number of old graphics cards. Expect a fix after the contest!
Downloads and Links
Ratings
![]() | Coolness | 100% |
#7 | Theme | 4.47 |
#11 | Overall | 4.18 |
#21 | Innovation | 4.17 |
#42 | Graphics | 4.17 |
#46 | Mood | 3.86 |
#53 | Fun | 3.78 |
#75 | Audio | 3.67 |
#748 | Humor | 1.97 |
Comments
excellent game! I'd like the shapes to stay for a little while after each success as some I solved by accident and maybe be able to rotate without holding the key down. the style matches the theme really well and I played it all the way through proving it's fun.
This is such a stylish game! I got stuck on the title screen for a moment pressing keys, which would have been averted if there was something telling you to click on it, or if it just took any and all input. I've got no criticisms of the actual game, it's great.
@oatsbarley - Cheers! Yeah, you might be right about that, I'll update it after the contest!
@pknowles - There is a short timeout already, any more and I found that it felt unresponsive. I agree about pressing instead of holding keys - another one for the future iteration!
This was slick and satisfying! It reminds me of simian.interface.
I did feel like I stumbled into success during the earlier shapes, but once they got more complex I was forced to take it slower and try to understand them.
Wow! Really good, really clever game. Felt like I was being tested by Aliens
Brilliant. The only problem I see in an otherwise very diverting game, is that it is too easy to reach the correct pattern by try and error. Maybe there could be a harder mode in which you have a finite number of steps to reach the desired shape. Also the underlying 3D volume should be easier to observe in order to be able to derive the right solution logically. Well done.
Perfect. For me, its the best game i have tried so far. It just matches everything required for the theme :)
Amazing game. I liked that it's simple but very nice. Great use of colors :)
@timtipgames - A lot of people have mentioned this. The game used to allow you to rotate at any angle, but you would not believe how hard that made it.
@deige101 - Do you happen to remember the name of the game? Damn, thought I was being original :(
Amazing concept! It was great trying to figure out the shape with which I was working and learning how to manipulate each one into the outline. Fitting and pleasing audio.
This game is FANTASTIC. The concept matches the theme perfectly. I love it!
I enjoyed that a lot. The way the shapes were rendered really works well for this, because they kind of look like 2D shapes transitioning into each other. I've played games like this before, but this one is especially nice because of the way it's streamlined so that you're not trying to find the perfect angle, but just rotate it to one of a few, so you can complete the many levels in quick succession. It has a good flow to it. I liked the ambient music, too.
Amazing game, slick visuals ! I loved this one, very clever use of perspective and great theme interpretation. Well done !
I like the concept but I'm not sure I get all the shapes as its difficult to tell without any guides. Sometimes I'm not even sure if its a 3D shape. Awesome work tough!
Wow, love the concept. And nice presentation/music. Not a lot to complain about here.
LOVE this game! It´s simple, yet tons of fun. the design and audio are very atmospheric. awesome! also good idea to put this on kong. i didn´t know you could do that for a LD entry.
Really like this one. If you put glow on the white objects it would be perfect!
@naughtyloose I guess that's the puzzle! It's always a 3D shape, no cheating. Might have been fun to throw a tesseract in for kicks though.
@Split82 I actually tried that! I found it didn't add anything to the game - Minimalism!
First game in 50 that I've "beaten". Excellent visual design, but to be honest I did clear a lot of the shapes by random button mashing.
this is really great, one of my favorite so far. When I first moved a shape in two axis my brain took a second to catch up, it was a really awesome experience. Fantastic sound as well. What pro-featuers did you use aside from vignetting?
Very "minimal" concept executed surprisingly well! The game has a very quick feel that I wasn't expecting in a puzzle game.
Very nice one, I played till the end. The only problem is you can brute force the solution, try every possible case etc. Still a very nice game!
Thanks for telling my about the link issue. I fixed it. You can play now :) Let me know what you think.
http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-26/?action=preview&uid=18057
@reustonium I have a slight grain on it, and the entire style is dictated by the Edge Detect Effect Normals effect. I'm glad you had that moment, it's what I live to hear as a budding game designer!
@Zaszx A few people have mentioned that! I get the feeling that less people would see it through to the end if they couldn't do that though - I don't think I'd change it even with extra time!
I loved this game so much, I wish it went on for even and I could just dip into it when I wanted. I found it really relaxing and enjoyed it lots. Thanks yo.
Awesome game and really good use of the theme. The way you just somehow flow through most of the puzzles paces it really well and frames the ones you have to stop and think about nicely.
I loved the presentation and art style. The puzzles were great too. Very good overall!
I came, I saw, I finished; and I loved it. Nice work man! This is was really fun to play.
Awesome game! Couldn't stop playing until I finished it! very very nice mechanics!
I feel like my whole life I've been preparing for this challenge.
Challenging yet simple at the same time. Not too strenuous yet very puzzling. One of my favorites by far!
This game would be great in mobile, working with the accelerometer, wouldn't it?
Sometimes the visual feedback is a little tricky to figure out when it is possible and isn't to turn in some direction, but I'm sure that's part of the game design, as long as there's no penalty for that.
Nice work and spot on theme and graphics -> 5 star!
Really enjoyed this game. The perspective-shifting gameplay reminded me a little of Fez. The art and music really fit the theme well. Great work on this!
I really enjoyed it!
Cool puzzle game with beautiful visuals and great audio.
Great job!
Fantastic. Pretty much my favourite game I've seen thus far from Ludum Dare
This was so damned cool. Just what I need after a hectic jam. Something completely relaxing that I can zone out and enjoy.
I love it, and it fits the theme perfectly. Congrats man.
Awesome idea man! Some times I haven't solve the puzzle yet but the game tell me that I have O.o
Holy crap. This is really good. Love the art. Love the style. Love the music. The atmosphere. The silhouettes didn't always match, but it still cleared me. Sometimes it felt like I was spamming. This is really good. Nice work.
The first time I played it I didn't understand that I was rotating 3D shapes. And if you just press WASD briefly the shape flashes and seems to rotate back to the original position. I only came back to see it a second time after another friend said it was worth checking out.
Anyway - cool game and maybe there is a good shape you can find for a couple intro levels to make it easier on people that don't get it right away.
Great job. I played one similar game long ago on Symbian. This one is more elegant.
So incredibly slick. I went into a mellow minimalist trance state playing this. I think you hit the nail on the head.
Great puzzle game. I loved the look, the sounds and it's as minimal as you can get so it fits the theme :).
Wow. Great use of the theme - you've created a zen-like experience. Music, gameplay, graphics all fit together so well. Congratulations!
Really cool, for some reason I couldn't stop playing! You nailed the minimalism theme perfectly with this game.
Great puzzle game. I really like this type of game. You've made a very good job on this one.
I loved that game. Simple and efficient. But he unity web version ruined my web browser !
Love all the effects including the depth of field, and vignetting. The mood is fantastic. Simple but challenging. Feels like a finished product.
@FaBrito - If the game does well I'll definitely consider a mobile version with that control scheme! Thanks so much for the rating!
@cwilloughby How do you mean didn't always match? That's very odd.
@nimblegorilla Thanks, thats really useful feedback! Its hard to remember that people don't know what the game is about. That'll be another tweak for the mobile version!
i truly love this game, is clever, is sure minimalist,and very fun to play!
Pretty cool, though it was easy to just brute force the rotations.
Wow that was really satisfying, love the pace and transitions between new shapes.
Wow, very great idea. So simple but so effective. Good job
I really love the idea, but one some level it felt more like trial and error. I suppose as a casual game, it's great. But I feel like speedrunning it and I don't know that it's possible.
Still, really loved it overall. :)
Nice. Reminds me of game called Spin (a.k.a. Sil), but I think this one is better. :)
Tht's a very cool game! I like the mood created by the audio, and the graphisms are pretty simple and nice :)
@alexfalkenberg - thanks! It definitely can at times, but sometimes it can be nice to let the game play with you :) It's not designed for speedrunning, more to offer an enjoyable pace that keeps up with the player.
@tonic - Couldn't find the game! I'd love to see it though
This is a really great game. Very minimalistic and very original idea. Never tought of using orthographic cameras this way.
This game is really engaging. Neat concept masterfully done.
One of the best lm26 games I played so far, really great idea. Took me around a min to figure out how to start the game :D
Excellent, maybe a bit short ^^. I like the mood and having to immagine the object only by looking at its projection is nice. Sometimes the game seem to accept some false answer for no reason.
Nice looking game with a relaxing simple puzzle mechanic. Really fits the theme too. Well done!
Awesome game! Very great work, liked the gameplay mechanic, really original
Pros: Excellent game mechanics and very nice graphics!
Cons: As some people already stated it was a bit to easy to reach a solution with trial and error
One of my favourite games so far. =)
Smooth and creative, it is also somehow relaxing. Great game.
Really really nice! Great concept and lovely ambience. Very enjoyable, great work
Beautiful! Just... beautiful. The only problem with the concept is maybe that there are only so many orientations that an object can have (24?) so there is a limit to how hard the puzzles can be; the length is perfect as is but I don't think it could be made any longer. A brutal timer would solve that problem but make it into a very different, much less relaxing game :)
@Frozen Fractal - Thanks! Ooooh, I battled with that for hours! I wrote a script which rotated the shapes to any interval and took screenshots, making it easy to see how hard a shape would be. Its in the source. I can change the degree that you snap to - 45 degrees makes for a very different game! I found it too hard though. 90 works for me :)
Well executed, fits the theme quite well. The amount of shapes and possibilities are very cool.
Brilliant idea and excellent execution. Matches the theme perfectly and the mood could not be better found. The only negative thing I can say is that it feels short and a bit repetitive, but that is the least important thing here. 5/5
Nice and simple. Imagining what figures look in 3d and finding the right projection can be challenging.
This game is amazing; I've never found a game I could autopilot on with my brain both satisfying and relaxing at the same time quite like this. A+ / would like to subscribe to your newsletter
Very nice, stylish, polished mechanics and effective minimalist interface. I wish there were a bit more challenge or complexity to the gameplay, but this is very impressive work for 48 hours. Great job!
Wow that was really impressive. Great concept and execution, well done. Though controls were a little twitchy, sometime the shape would "overform" past what I intended it but nothing I couldn't get around.
Excellent work on this one. Love the visual style and the mood you've created. Congrats on your first LD completion!
Brilliant - very reminiscent of the PS3 game "Echochrome."
...I'll admit I'm tempted to pronounce the game's name as "Ek-seez." ^_^;
Great, great game. Best one I've played so far. Very cool; great look, neat sounds and graphics, terrific interface, very simple but stylish. Nice work.
I like the zen aspect of your puzzle game ! Very unusual ! Great game, very well polished and made in 48h. Congrats :)
Woah dude, I love how you get this intuitive feel for what you are doing, but if I try to think about it it was a lot harder! Great job!
I can't believe you manage to do that in 48 hours, this is amazing.
The level is so high in this LD.
Challenging yet relaxing. Not sure if I had the controls down at first until I held down the keys longer. Usually one key moves it to the next rotation, but I guess this works to see what the shape is.
Good job! :D
Great concept and execution! Beautiful interpretation of the theme. Very smooth aesthetic and audio.
I can say with complete absolution that this was one of the best games I've played today.
Love this game quite much, it's a great idea. Very easy to understand and the controls are very intuitive.
Very innovative to me. Smooth and solid.
I enjoyed it a lot thanks
Had trouble running the web player version of this in chrome. it even after clicking in the game it occasionally tried to scroll the window instead of react with the game or just didn't respond at all.
Really like this simple but fun idea. I've always loved perspective games like this and the calming music and nice colors made it a cool experience. I do think there are some bugs though because it quite often reward me for correct matches when I know they weren't full transformed/correct yet.
Very interesting concept and a well-executed puzzle game that personally stands out among the lot of puzzle games I've seen this LD. Great job!
Beautiful, relaxing game. I found myself engaged the entire time. This was very well done for the time. I wasn't sure about the controls at first, but part of the fun and learning experience was figuring out how they worked. Nice job.
Really like the unique concept and the clean simple graphics! great job :)
Felt like part puzzle, part interactive thingamabob. Fun, and pleasing to listen to and watch.
Ok for the most part I was like "ok I'm really good at this" and then I was like "what am I doing here" hahah finally realized I was rotating a 3D piece fit in >.< Awesome work. Really pro stuff.
A very elegantly designed puzzle game with a nice flow to it, although the puzzles can be brute-forced—one way to sort of fix this would be to award solutions with minimal rotations—and sometimes it seems as though the shape is not completely filled when a level is won.
Great execution of a nifty idea.
I didn't realize it was a 3D object for the first few levels, some shadows or a little rotating intro for each new object would have helped me at the start.
A great interpretation of the theme, and rather atmospheric too.
One of the best entries I tried so far... excellent work!
Here's the only thing I'd improve: Rotating the 3D object is sometimes not working well. To me, a simple button press should rotate in a given direction.
I didn't quite understand the game, but i managed to complete the levels fast enough and overall it felt quite good just playing it - without understanding it perfectly:p Well done!:)
It was so short it wasn`t challenging. Sometimes I saw the shape I should`ve been created, but I could fit a smaller shape in the same outline.
@brxtr Agreed! I wanted to create a Zen game for this version, so any rewards and challenges would have detracted, but I'll be building a challenge mode in the future.
@euwaku Thanks pal! At the moment you have to hold the rotate buttons down - this is so you can look around the shape in 3D if you're confused. Perhaps I'll tweak weightings to make this more obvious.
@Madball I wasn't really looking to build an obvious challenge, more to make people look at things in a different way and enjoy the surprise (surprise when it all comes together is half of any puzzle!). A few people have said that - I don't mind if you make a smaller shape, so long as it fits in the hole! Maybe I'll design levels so to avoid that happening in the future.
I'm glad someone took this idea and ran with it. I tried (unsuccessfully) to convince someone at our meetup to try it out.
I played the Linux build. Your default resolution was huge, wouldn't fit on my 1600x900 screen. Since Unity's Linux build doesn't yet have a resolution picker, I had to futz with command-line options to get it down to a reasonable size. A good default might be 800x600.
When I played, the graphics were completely greyscale, unlike your screenshots. Not sure why.
I wanted to have a perspective view of each model and more freedom of rotation so I could get a sense of what the object looked like in 3D so I could plan a proper orientation to fit the outline. As it was, I could recognize when the shape needed to be flipped 180 degrees around an axis (mirroring), but otherwise I kind of had to punch keys until something worked.
This game is awesome. I really liked the simplicity and the concept. I really like the idea, and I enjoyed playing it. Thanks !
Rotating blocks to fit the silhouette interested me. The stark colors and ambient music focused me. If you continue to develop this, several times I tried all the rotations so did not feel like I was developing skill. Sometimes a shape matched that looked like it was missing half a square.
It's a cool idea, but I just rotated the shapes until they fitted without really knowing what I was doing, and so completed the game. I still enjoyed it, however... :)
Wooo I think I was tired when I played it, I understood that it was 3D shape only at the last levels (I though white shapes were randomly transforming X) Good job anyway
@mildmojo Sorry about that! I'm ashamed to say the Linus and OSX versions were entirely untested because I have neither.
@HELLO23 Cheers dude!
@ethankennerly Thanks for the concise feedback! Lack of explicitly required skill is something people have commented on, and I would like to address it in the future. Trial and error is certainly a part of the game, and I wanted people to try to make intelligent guesses, rather than the arduous task of perfectly understanding the shape.
@Jacques_le_lezard I'll definitely be making the nature of the puzzles clearer in the future. I hope you play again with your deeper understanding! It does make me kinda happy that the puzzles were truly puzzling though :D
Only problem was once or twice I clearly did not have the correct shape yet but it seemed to think I did and progressed. Fun entry though. :)
Pretty nice and relaxing puzzle game. The graphics was good and the music was very calm and soothing.
insanely beautiful. Very simple design but keeps getting interesting as the game progresses.
Well done!
I would only lower the volume a little bit. I had to almost turn off my sound here =/
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Great concept. I think the lack of perspective cues such as texture/shadows on the objects was the key to the puzzle. Looked and sounded great too. Very rapid fire, sometimes I didn't know if I was just stumbling on the answers or if my brain was subconsciously figuring them out.