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Itch Link

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Escape the Ether is a brand new intense platformer, which includes:

• Procedurally generated single player roguelite experience
  
• Permanent and in run upgrades
• Map creator
• Leader board
• Achievements
• 2 player verses (Split screen and LAN)
• Loads of unlockable custom made map packs
• Final boss
• Old school cheats menu

Fun game with a great art style and interesting mechanics. I feel the music let it down every no and then though, but great game!

Very nice game! Good art style and music, and really like the movement. Very celeste inspired

Very good looking game. However, the game becomes a bit samey after a while, but nice for a mobile game

Really cool collection of games. I think it would be really well suited for VR

Super fun game!

Overall fun: I had lots of fun playing this game. its like a mix between doom and borderlands, whats not to love!

UI: UI is clean and small, cant really fault it.

Art: Art is super basic, but consistent. I think it could be improved by adding some higher detail textures or models for things in the map maybe?

Sound/Music: Very fun disco loops! 

Hey, thanks for trying my game out!

The progress is lost because i had an idea to try and make it a rogue-lite type game. a few people have said its initial game is pretty difficult though, i might need to look at the scaling a bit.

Yes i agree with your comments about the UI and music, its definitely a weak spot for me :) 

hey, thanks for trying out my game!

Restarting on a level is not a bad idea. The concept of the game was supposed to be kind of a rogue lite though, so it might affect it from that point of view. However I know spelunky has a concept like that where you can skip sections at the cost of actual game progression. There is a player unlockable in escape the ether that allows the player to start at level 50 when you achieve this level normally in game, but you can't gain points while playing as it. maybe I could increase this mechanic a bit and get the best of both worlds?

Yes I agree with your comments about the end scene. I definitely need to improve this somehow, I'll have a think about it.

thank you so much for the kind words and for checking my game out! Haha yes, even I find the later levels hard, I keep changing things trying to make it more balanced, but it keeps ending up like dark souls 😭

hell ye we do. Its on steam and works with steam play together too! Thanks for checking my game out!

Hey, great effort on the game! My thoughts:

Overall fun:

Unfortunately I didn't have that much fun on this game. Its a simple game with one mechanic, to press a button. This is fine and many enjoyable games do this, but they all make it allot more fun to press the button. For instance by giving some audio feedback, or quotes piping up, or subtly Easter eggs. This had a nice effect of pushing the draw back, but that was it. You could definitely improve the game by making it more fun to press the button.

UI:

The UI was consistent with the game, and the fonts where nice. However it was all very static and not that fun to interact with. You could make some audio or particle feedbacks, or add some bloom to give it atmosphere maybe?

Art:

The dresser was really nice, and the background that flashes up was nice, but there isn't really anything else to talk about as that was about it. 

Music:

The sound effects of the dresser eating you was brilliant! However no music. Some atmospheric sounds really help out horror games.

Great effort on the game though, i did have fun trying to beat my own score. Maybe a global leader board could make this game something the would keep people coming back?

Hey, solid game! My thoughts:

Overall fun: I definitely had fun playing! I played on Android and it was very smooth and allot better than I was expecting, given the restricting nature of mobile games. I would say that some bounces off the roofs didn't not have expected collisions responses, and they would instead drop straight down, but I am nit picking.

UI: could not fault the UI mostly. It fit the theme, had nice effects and was straight to the point. One thing though was the android joystick and jump button did not show up visually. It did take much to find them, but maybe this was an oversight?

Art: obviously a very nice art style. Consistent and effective. 

Sound and music: again, top tier sound effects and music!

Overall and very well executed and polished game. And the android port worked perfectly!

Hey! Great effort on the game! My thoughts on each category:

Overall fun:

While I can imagine people having fun on this type of game as it is in the same thread of extremely popular games like Tetris, unfortunately it's not my type of game (I also don't like Tetris, blasphemy I know!). I will try and compare it to Tetris for how fun I think it is, but take it with a pinch of salt given my personal preferences. 

It has a simple mechanic of trying to add together 3 numbers to make a number. However, the time you get in between blocks falling is extremely fast for a new starter to the game. I would have expected on campaign mode for it to start out very slowly and maybe get quicker, like Tetris? I can imagine that when you are practiced at the game it, the fast pace is what you want. However, as a beginner, having to see the number you are trying to make, then see the next number coming, the see where you cursor is, then look at the board and see where the number would fit, then decide where to put the number, then move the cursor to the location, all before the couple of seconds you get is quite allot. I found myself starting a game, and before I realised what was going on, I had a large tower in the middle. I also don't like the was you select a row, then cannot change while the block is moving. I feel like this is a vital mechanic of games like Tetris, as it adds tension but also delays decisions for some moves, while allowing a quick reaction for others, helping the pacing of the game.

UI:

The UI in menu seemed to fit the casual theme of the game, yet it also seemed a little to basic. While I did like the buttons expanding on selections, I feel like every action took too many clicks. I would prefer each button be one press, which spawns an animation, which then fires the action of the button.

As for the in game UI, because the pace of the game is very quick, the parts of the game you need to see quickly (the next number, the number you are making, the time before next fall, and the selection row) need to stand out allot more. For instance, instead of an arrow showing the selected row, you could highlight the selected row with a nice bloom effect. This would also help with the difficulty without having to slow down the game, as it would be allot more obvious where the block was going to fall as you wouldn't have to look at the cursor, the follow the row down to the bottom.

Art:

The art theme was necessarily basic in a good way. You don't want everything drawing attention to itself because allot of focus needs to be on the current objectives. However, I didn't really like the background. I think having the blocks moving in the background adds to the confusion and complexity, when really the user is just supposed to be focusing on the game. I think a more abstract, washed out, slower background could work better, and not draw attention to the game allot better.

Sound/Music:

The sound effects where really nice. I really liked the sound feedback of interacting with the UI. As for the music, even though there we settings for music, there was no music playing in my game? I'm on Android btw.

Anyway, great effort on the game! 

Seriously though I'll remake this game once escape the ether is on steam. And it'll be super shiney

MOORREEEE!!!

Are you looking for a platformer with smooth as butter controls, intricate skill set and movements, and a boat load of content?

Escape the Ether - PLAY NOW!

Escape the Ether is a brand new, high intensity platformer/roguelite game were you are challenged with escaping the 100 level gauntlet of beautifully procedurally generated maps by using unlockable movement based skills against many intricate and distinct enemy and trap types.

I mean, just check this trailer out!

Well, thanks for reading, and can't wait too see you!

Thanks, I'm glad you like it! Ye it's just the way I've done the jump mechanism. I wanted all the scripting as simple and efficient as possible, so I didn't want to do a collision check before jumping, so it could play well on older devices. It maybe doesn't make sense to be able to job while in the air, but I don't think its game breaking enough to change it really. But thanks for the feedback though!

More?

Thanks! I made it for a game jam, like a few of the ideas in it but am not sure it holds up by itself as a game to be honest. Might re-use some of the ideas in another game at some point though.

ye sounds good mate, what game jam where you thinking of entering next?

thanks! Yes I agree, I have a few ideas on how to extend it after the voting period ends

that's, glad you liked the game!

Thanks! Just played and rated your game

Great job on the music! Also fits the theme well, great entry!

Thanks! Ye I really wanted to put credits of people who made assets in the game so sacrificed the intro screen

I mean the laggyness kind of goes with the whole theme of old tv game, so its not completely off putting

I mean as long as its the right one saved, who else do you need :)

Thanks!

Thanks! Ye im not a very good artist :)

Definitely died way too many times :) nice art style and music!

Thanks  for the feedback, ill try and think of a way to make it more obvious, but still keep the puzzle aspect of it alive

Thanks for the feedback! Ye i agree, i think i need to work out a way to make it more clear, while keeping the puzzle aspect of it alive.

Thanks! Ye I was worried it wasn't obvious enough, but I didn't want to make it too obvious as I wanted it to be a puzzle. Thanks for the feedback!

Well that took a turn...

My favourite game so far, great job on the game!

Nice idea! But I agree with IntangibleMatter, should have made it a bit more visually pleasing

Super fun game, all from such a simple idea!

Love the music mate, great effort making it yourself!

Love the visuals, but is this game supposed to be super laggy?

Good effort on getting a game made in a weekend. I think personally its a little too simple, but it definitely fits the theme

Really fun game with super nice visuals, great entry!