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A jam submission

Lightless LabyrinthView game page

Try to escape the lightless labyrinth in an audio adventure!
Submitted by Ericbomb — 15 hours, 30 minutes before the deadline
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Lightless Labyrinth's itch.io page

Results

CriteriaRankScore*Raw Score
Audio#44.1304.130
Gameplay#343.1303.130
Overall#393.0873.087
Fun#462.8262.826
Visuals#1061.6521.652

Ranked from 23 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.

Number in team
1

Does your game include art/sound packs or pre-prepared code?

Yes

If yes, please provide the source of the packs used
Player foot steps
https://www.gamedevmarket.net/asset/footsteps-sound-fx-essential-collection-bundle/

waterfall effect
https://www.zapsplat.com/music/waterfall-water-trickles-down-rock-face/

Flare effect
https://www.zapsplat.com/music/firework-faulty-fizzle-then-extinguishes/

Eating monster (Modified)
https://www.zapsplat.com/music/horror-zombie-male-eating-body-3/

background music
https://freesound.org/people/Grubzyy/sounds/422720/

Please provide a link to the project source code.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/10MB7X4GSJkkrndjD2j6H-jEKcVk6wmh1/view?usp=sharing

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Comments

Submitted

Very nicely done! I Love the originality of the idea and it was a very fun play. Certainly a unique way to play which I think helps with immersiveness of the whole thing

Developer

Thank you so much!


I actually chose a labyrinth because most first person maze games, you don't actually have any information. In fact I wager, you have LESS information in a first person maze game. While playing a maze game in first person it's much harder to be oriented, you have to spin around to see which directions are available,  you have no clue if you've been at an intersection, and generally your objectives aren't making sounds to guide you.


So my hope was to make it so that by using your ears players actually had an easier time navigating my maze. 

Submitted

Holy crap that minotaur scared the life out of me! Luckily I completed it without running him into again so my heart is still ok. Really cool idea and well excuted, if the audio directions had been janky or inconsistent then it definitely would've been fuel for frustration but you nailed it and I didn't find myself stuck walking into any walls like I was worried I would. I'm not sure whether its a pro or con because it definitely adds to panic and fun but when I hear the minotaur and want to go left or right I definitely wish the girl would speed up. I had fun playing thanks!

Developer

Haha I'm glad you had a fun experience!

Wonderful suggestion on that! I might try and make it a full little horror game experience and her becoming more panicked the closer the monster is sounds like a wonderful idea. 

Submitted

Love the idea even if that will make it scarier xD Looking forward to seeing what you do with it!

Submitted

Great idea and good work i like it 

Submitted

Great use of the theme in the game idea, coincidentally I've just finished a book on Greek myths. Loved the gameplay, genuine fear when I heard the minotaur approaching and I couldn't find the way out of the area I was in.

Sometimes I didn't always get an audio cue for which directions I could travel upon entering a new area. Not sure if this is by design. If possible, maybe the could be sped up if the minotaur is near? Like the voice in the dark is fearful for your life and so is passing on the details faster.

Other than that, really fun game.

Developer(+1)

Hmm you should have always got an alert when walking into an intersection! I'll make sure to double check there is no way to get past an intersection without it being noticed and there are no dead ends without alerts. 

And yeah I wanted to have her have more personality when the monster was near, just time was what it was! I'm glad you had a fun experience!

Submitted

It took me a while to work out how to play the game, admittedly. At first, I thought that the voice was telling me where to go when she spoke up with directions, which led to me ambling around crossroads trying to figure out where I was supposed to go. Once it was cleared up for me that she was telling you what directions you could go in from the point you were at, I had a much better time finding my way around!

The game also gives you various audio cues as to what is around you. The sound of a liquid might be a potion, and you'll be able to hear the minotaur coming closer or in a farther place from you. It was a bit difficult for me to work out the placements of some things admittedly, as I would have to "feel around" to pick up items, but that might be an issue with my headphones. I also liked the idea another comment suggested on here of subtitles, as it would definitely be helpful for people who have poor hearing, or just generally need help keeping track of things.

It was a very interesting project overall, and I enjoyed feeling my way around the maze! 

Developer

Glad you enjoyed it!


Yeah a visual record of what was last said so you don't have to keep guessing isn't a bad one at all! 


To get to the water/flute you'd get a message from your friendly guide as soon as you touch them. Glad you had fun wandering around with the spirit of a tormented  girl who endlessly fails to help people escape!

Submitted

This is really cool! I wasnt too sure on my first couple of tries, but once I figured it out I really enjoyed it! Playing a game while staring at my wall was such a bizare expierience. Awesome game!

Submitted

Dat was a special one! The first i saw with such an audio-based approach. I realy liked it and i see a lot of potential in the future for a game like this. Fun expirience, well done. :D

Developer

Oh thank you!


I'm hoping to use a similar way of getting around in a much larger game, hopefully people will like it as much!

Submitted

This is by far the most interesting and experimental game in the jam :O The sound desing is really important for this kind of games and i think you nailed it :D

You should definetly add subtitles to make the game more accesiable that way everyone can enjoy it.

Also maybe giving the player an empty map that they can fill would be great :D

Overall it was a fun and diffrent experience i hope you work on this well done :D

Developer

I'm glad you liked it!

My primary goal was to make it accessible to people who are blind while also making a good experience for non blind gamers, so that's why I kind of skimped on anything visual related. But those are good ideas! 

Submitted

I thought this was very interesting and outside of a Jam rating session I would have given it more time. I would like to get out at some point! But it feels like that might take some time. I really enjoyed spending time trying to work it out. I assume that counting steps helps?

Developer

Haha counting steps not so much, trying to have a mental map with the help of your friendly ghost does though! My strategy on runs where I spawn myself somewhere random and go for it is to move towards corners until I hear something helpful. The flute, the bubbling potion noises, and the river noises are all helpful. So I wander until I hear them, then move in their direction keeping track of what turns are that move in that direction, then back track to those if I hit a dead end.


Also remember, you have more information in this because of your ghost girl than a normal maze. Her keeping track of new/old intersections helps immensely for mapping in your head!

Submitted

I thought the voice work was great

Submitted

Pretty interesting concept, I would have loved a more driven introduction. Great work overall!

Developer(+1)

Oh thank you!

I didn't want to talk people's ears off.

What would you feel like would have been a good addition to the intro? More information on controls? Or just more background on the story? 

Submitted

The story is fine, I would personally gradually introduce the controls and maybe help the players a bit at the beginning.

Developer(+1)

Completely fair! 

I debated having them spawn in a perfect little size maze where her directions get you out quickly so you understand what they mean, and maybe you have to avoid a rat or something at the same time so you learn to avoid monsters before making it out into the main labrynth.  But time was not on my side!


And I'm not sure if adding a whole tutorial counts as polishing or not XD

Submitted

So... I must be doing something wrong because I never heard the girl speak after the first interation. The atmosphere is really good though.

Developer

If you move around with arrow keys you should get directions from her! Like saying which ways you can/can't go.

Submitted

Arrow keys! *facepalm*

Submitted

Okay, that was a much better experience. Interesting and difficult. Good work.

Submitted

Wow great entry. Very unique game idea and well designed too. I beat it on my second attempt. Would be nice if you could see the path you took once you complete it.

Developer

Oh that would be cool! Kind of giving context to how much looping and exploring you had to do!


That's awesome you made it through! I really wanted the minitour to be a threat, but not an overwhelming one. So I'm glad you got eaten at least once!

Submitted

Interesting to see another take on using vision as a resource that only be used one time. i really enjoyed playing and i think the audio was superbly well implemented into the game, great job!

Developer

Thank you so much!

You can probably tell I spent the vast majority of it making sure the audio sounded good so I'm glad everyone seems to think it worked out! At the end I felt like I had so little game since I spent so much time on audio. 


Also I'm replying to everyone it seems but I'm just so pleased people are enjoying it!

Submitted

Very innovative idea. I can speak from experience that making an audio experience game where the player can move freely in a level can be quite challenging. Using voice acted directions was a brilliant way to guide the player to their goal.

 I managed to make my way to the flute, but I wasn't sure how to interact with it.

Overall, a great experience and well done for not choosing the easy route for your game.

Developer

Oh glad you made it to the flute!


Walking over it picks it up, then you need to make your way to the waterfall, there is also a bubbly waterfall somewhere if you decided to take a crack at it.


I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Submitted (1 edit)

A very interesting game, being blind and relying on sound was definitely an experience, at first I was so confused when I would pass an intersection and the direction it tells me always changes (like telling me to go up and then to go down and so) until I realised it was telling me about all paths of the intersection. It's very frustrating when there's not much to go off of and at first it didn't seem like a game I can complete without feeling frustrated about it, but I eventually got there and it was great. 

I basically used the flare very early just to even orient myself, I used this... potion as soon as I got it and heard the flute to my right, after I reached the flute I was left wandering until I heard the sound of water, the Sound Cues were very much a godsend, which is the point, and it's an amazing experience. Great job on the game!

Developer

Oh I'm glad you liked it!


Yeah I tried to explain in the intro how she worked but I was trying to balance overwhelming people with audio. If I talked for a minute straight of instructions there was no way any of it was going to be remembered!


I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for playing!

Submitted

Damn, at first I was confused, but then it all came together. Expertly crafted and well designed, details like the repeating instructions when encountering a new intersections are really helpful. 
The voice acting is charming and gives a slight insight into the world building which sparks my interest. I tried to follow the flute, but sadly couldn't find the source, still, a great experience!

Developer

I'm glad you liked it so much!

Did you get eaten by a monster or did you just struggle to figure out the flute? 

Submitted

I got eaten once, then I restarted the game, followed the flute and couldn't find it. I restarted again but couldn't find the flute, I still had a lot of fun. It's an unique experience and accessible for blind gamers.

Submitted

Amazing idea, I don't think I've ever played a game like this before. 

Developer(+1)

Glad you liked it! 

Audio games are pretty rare, and they get lots of extra love from gamers who are blind for obvious reasons, so I'm glad you thought it was cool!

When I heard the theme I instantly thought of sight being the one time use thing.