ldjam56 - Tiny Creatures

Place signs to guide these tiny creatures back to their home. Avoid the hazards.

WASD to move
Mouse to rotate camera
E to change signs
F to place current sign
Q to blow whistle (startles the tiny creatures into moving)
R to reset the creatures
C to clear the signs

This is a very small game prototype I put together for ldjam56. I'm a solo dev focused on learning to scope what I can design and build within a limited time frame.

The game is focused on a single core mechanic, placing signs to direct the tiny creatures away from harm and guiding them to their destination. I was able to implement all the core mechanics I defined up front as well as a few that I discovered were essential along the way. It is otherwise deliberately simplistic in visual style and makes no effort to provide any notion of replay value. One simple level to mess around in to validate the core concepts of the gameplay, that's it. I do find it pretty entertaining to whistle at the creatures though.

Some ideas of where this could go include:

• Limited number of signs available to complete a level
• Different coloured creatures that only respond to different coloured signs
• More types of signs, for example one that makes the creatures jump over obstacles, or one that causes the creatures to stop and wait for another whistle before proceeding
• Additional hazard types and other obstacles, such as rocks that must be jumped over or navigated around
• Unique characteristics for different coloured creatures, for example some might move at different speeds
• Additional interactions for the player while the creatures are moving, such as needing to interact with a button that can raise/lower a lift to help the creatures proceed

Now the question becomes, is the game idea any fun? Leave a comment and let me know what you think!