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A jam submission

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Climb the Vines
Submitted by John Teasdale (@JohnTeasdale_) — 14 hours, 19 minutes before the deadline
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Results

CriteriaRankScore*Raw Score
Originality#44.3854.385
Fun#173.2313.231
Controls#273.0003.000
Audio#332.8462.846
Overall#402.8792.879
Graphics#462.9232.923
Accessibility#472.2312.231
Theme#601.5381.538

Ranked from 13 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.

Godot Version
3.3.3

Wildcards Used
Hidden Tutorial

Game Description
I've wanted to make this game for years. Enjoy climbing these vines!

Source

Maybe

Discord Username
@punchcode

Participation Level (GWJ Only)
Solo Dev: 3rd Jam

Participation Level across all Jams
Solo Dev: 3rd Jam

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Comments

Submitted

being able to control the vine felt like making your own path and that too you have to find it in limited time or restart and try again. i'm not sure about how well it fits to the theme but i loved the idea.

Developer

It doesn't fit the theme. I've been wanting to make this game for >3 years and used the jam as an excuse. Motivation is a tricky thing, but I've learned to seize it when it strikes. I know it won't win, but I hope folks have fun with it. 

Submitted

Very original idea! Fun game! I think the difficulty is almost perfect. I especially enjoyed the final puzzle, well done!

Developer

Thank-you! I think it's almost perfect too. My big bias is I like the games I make to be fun for me at my current skill level, but then I have to think about how easy Chapter 1 of celeste must have seemed to the devs. 

If I ever develop this further, it'll have a flatter difficulty ramp. But I think the puzzles as-is are pretty good. 

Submitted

That makes a lot of sense! I didn't find it easy at all - but I don't play games because they're easy. If a game is hard but the failure is my own, it makes me grin and try again!
I hope you stick to your bias in future games. This is art, and art isn't meant to be loved by everyone; it's for the people who resonate with the artist's perspective =]

Submitted

Great idea! The mechanic is cool!

Nice explanation without explaining.

I do find the non vine related movement a bit lacking.

Developer

Thanks for playing! Do you mind elaborating more about the non-vine movement? I'd love to know what could be improved. 

Submitted(+1)

Yeah so the movement when just walking/running and jumping. I would expect a more natural or smooth movement, especially with the vibe/setting in the game. For example, I can press jump and then proceed to go in either direction, that feels unnatural. 

Submitted

Wow, this was a really unique game mechanic! I love how well the game taught me how the things work without saying a word! It's really unique and fun to try and think through. Every level is a puzzle that takes some thought to get through. It took me a couple tries per level after the first couple, which I really liked. It wasn't a straight shot to the end. I really enjoyed controlling the vine growth into the position I needed. This was a blast!

Developer

Thanks! Did you get to the end? If so, i believe you're the first!

Submitted

I did! I got to see all of the [REDACTED], which was fun to have at the end of it!
I really loved the thought process and the execution needed for the last screen! Or the last two screens technically.

Submitted

Haha, I love your take on the theme - I guess it TECHNICALLY counts... 

It is a fun mechanic, and it was exciting to see your progress in the discord server. Unfortunately, as others mention, I think the mechanic might be a little too hard. The timing and position on the vine needs to be immaculate.

Would love to know how you programmed the vines

Developer (1 edit)

Haha, thank you for your feedback. I agree that it's too hard after getting the feedback.

The vines are a chain of 5 pixel long, RigidBody2D's in static mode, chained together similar to some of rope tutorials you can find by googling "Godot rope physics". While in static mode, their size and position is controlled manually, and I rotate the segment the player is holding towards the plater at a rate proportional to the vine's width, but clamped. 

When the vine dies, I just change the collision layer and set the vine segments back into RIGID body mode. 

The main logic is here. https://github.com/JPTeasdale/VineClimber/blob/main/components/vine/VineSegment....

I think this idea is really creative but it's a bit too hard for me

Developer

It's hard for me too! In retrospect it's probably not a good sign for accessibility. I did create a full playthrough of all of the levels if you're interested. 

Submitted

I like the idea of manipulating the plants while growing, nice game!

Developer

Thank you for playing!

Submitted

Very clever idea with growing plants! Nice music choice, and pleasant graphics. But it is very hard to beat level with two plants, one of them crossing whole level and dies fast... What's the secret?

Developer(+1)

There isn't really a secret on that one. I guess you have to just be fast. I agree with some other comments that the difficulty ramps up too quickly. I'll post a play-through video. 

Developer(+1)

Here's a full playthrough: 

Submitted

Thanks!