This was a fantastic submission! A micro-vania adventure game is such a great accomplishment for a jam. I loved the art of the game too, the iris effect of running out of air was a great way to show that while emphasizing the anxiety of drowning.
The controls were possibly the hardest part to get used to, especially turning around was pretty difficult, but I think I was getting better at it over time.
Thank you! Great time for a first playthrough.
After watching my friends play, I’ll admit the controls were definitely a bit overtuned. I spent the first few days focusing on controls and lighting effects, but eventually had to stop fiddling with the mechanics, solidify the movement, and start building the map. But I got used to the controls and ended up somewhat enjoying them as I playtested myself, whoops.
Turning was intentionally hard to give you the feeling of getting stuck in a tight tunnel, unable to turn around. Since backwards movement is slower, it can be very tense. It worked for that, but I couldn’t find a way to turn around while in open air that felt good to me. I also toyed around with more movement directions, but settled on 4 to simplify my design.
