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[ExciteMike]

Edit: final version!  Thanks to all who tried it!


The idea is that it is a very short game (10 seconds) but requires a near-perfect run to complete, and so takes many tries.

Link to game: You Have to Save Everyone but There Isn't Much Time!

Hopefully the game makes the player feel as panicked as I do trying to make a game so quickly. 

[Vanguard]

I think it was a pretty good execution of the concept.  The controls were responsive, and while there were a good number of cheap deaths that you can't know about without seeing, it's not really a big problem in a 10 second game.

I have to say though, I didn't get the sense of panic you were talking about.  It felt like it was more about precision than speed.

[muku]

Nice concept, and the changing music is a nice touch (I realize the theme is about using those tracks in some way, but whatever, it works).

I have to say that the jumping feels a little bit off. Can't put my finger on it since I've never done a platformer, but something about the upward velocity is weird.

[HybridMind]

I have to say though, I didn't get the sense of panic you were talking about.  It felt like it was more about precision than speed.

I agree with this statement.  Took a few minutes for me to solve it but never got too frustrating.  It does scratch that simon-says like itch of memorizing a repeating pattern and attempt to execute it with twitch platformer skills. 

Enjoyed the main sprite a lot and how he really stood out from the olive-drab background / other sprites.

What was up with all the crazy music selections?  It made it fun but they seemed to be cycling a lot and also a lot of songs?

Overall though, fairly amusing little game.

[roBurky]

I really liked that.

I like that it had several music tracks. It made the multiple attempts seem fresher than it would have done with just the one.

I also liked the way the camera moved to centre on the death that caused you to lose. It did help with figuring out what you were trying to do.

I did feel a little cheated sometimes when I landed on the edge of an enemy and died instead of killing it.

[ExciteMike]

What was up with all the crazy music selections?  It made it fun but they seemed to be cycling a lot and also a lot of songs?

This game was made for mini Ludum Dare 9, so it was supposed to make use of the provided sounds and do something with the theme "time".

[HybridMind]

What was up with all the crazy music selections?  It made it fun but they seemed to be cycling a lot and also a lot of songs?

This game was made for mini Ludum Dare 9, so it was supposed to make use of the provided sounds and do something with the theme "time".

Ah ok-- thanks for the explanation.  Did the different tracks trigger a new one with each death?  I guess I was trying to find out from you also what caused the selections to change?  It didn't seem exactly like each death... and it also didn't seem like it was when they ended.

[Dr. Sleep]

Neat little game. Cruel and unusual, but neat. It's a real clever idea and I liked it.

Still, I'm going to have to go with Curseman on this one, it definitely didn't feel panicked. Something that's as trial-and-error based as this is really just a matter of getting your memory and your fingers on the same page.

Two of the most panic-inducing games that I can think of right off the top of my head are Wario Ware and Robotron ("Robotron:2084" for purists). Wario Ware accomplishes a panic response because you never know what's coming next, even if you know each individual game inside and out. Robotron gets to the player because there's just so much stuff bearing down on you at once.

As such, the obvious sources of panic to my mind would be to speed the game up, or add an element of randomness to it. Your call, obviously.

[ExciteMike]

@Dr. Sleep:
Yeah, I could see expanding this into something with many levels and the game is to get through a random selection of 10 of them.  I don't know if I'm in love with this game enough to develop it further when new ideas seem to come along every day.  Maybe I should copy Petri Purho and do a series of games, then whichever one people seem to like the most gets developed into a "deluxe" version.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Wario Ware, but the game that inspired it more than anything was RUN LIKE CRAZY.

@HybridMind:
Nothing complicated, it picks a new random song

• At the intro screen
• on the "You win" screen
• when the game restarts

...it looks like I forgot to make the "Try Again" switch tracks.  Doesn't seem to hurt anything.

It is streaming the music, so there is some delay in starting it while it buffers.