The Ludum Dare 31 Games That Stood Out (So Far!)

Hey, guys. I’d like to go over a few things very quickly. First, we here at Tech Valley Game Space are working on setting up a live stream with a few of our team members to do some let’s plays of Ludum Dare games this week. I’ll be going through some warm-up this Monday evening, and the real one starts Tuesday afternoon. Interested in getting your game streamed? I have a form up in the link below, so go right on ahead!

http://goo.gl/forms/8IkM8aU5eK

The games I’ve played so far are listed here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1RbvfWHMb-vWmYBagjjnfVAMKugG1vgQ41QFQ_Wa4YjE/edit?usp=sharing

Edit: I forgot to mention that it’s going to be streamed in the link below.
http://www.twitch.tv/techvalleygamespace

Second, here’s the massive list of games that stood out for me so far. This Ludum Dare has been excellent, with a lot of diamonds to discover. So without further ado, here’s the list in no particular order.

Swotch

This simple game involves moving a block right and left to avoid incoming “bullets” (complete with bullet time). It’s fun, addicting, and most importantly, polished.

Owls Ever After

A narrative game about slowly uncovering a grandma owl’s life. This game succeeds in story telling where most game fails: the story itself is a jigsaw puzzle that you have to piece together.

Smash N Bash

I’ll be blunt: this game is hardly polished in comparison to most games in this list. And yet…I keep going back to it. Is it due to the horribly explained upgrade system? Is it the bizarre bat physics? Is it the hilarious sound effects? I don’t know!

Voyage

Yet another narrative game, this time a walking simulator, where you slowly collect clues and unlock the story in a desolate spaceship. The audio logs and bizarre camera effects really shine in this game.

RIZUMUDEKATTO

Finally, a rhythmic music game! And a fine one, too! Slash through each enemy as they come at you from both sides and tap those buttons at the right beat.

Beat Bop Delicious

Speaking of music game, this wonderful minigame has a lot of nice layered music to it as you flick and click switches to retain your groove. If this is what being a DJ is like…I might end up liking it.

Fart Force One

Well, this is different. Your poor smiling ragdoll can fart, fall into TNT, get ripped apart by spikes and propellers, and score massive amounts of points. A simple physics sandbox

Just a Little Screen Time

Yet another super-polished game, this adorable point & click adventure involves a sentient TV trying to get back to the attic. Of course, it also has the same problems most point & click adventures have, too…

Crowdsourced

Here’s a game that takes the common local multiplayer top-down fighting game and turns it into…a TV show? In this game, you try to please the crowds by spawning opposing fighters and dropping power-ups.

I Am Technician

Can you figure out how to play this game? Neither can I, resulting in a hilarious experience about scrambling for the right parts, then dropping them, then picking them up, then putting them into the wrong place, then fumbling again, and on and on and on…

The Legend of Hyperlink

This game has an interesting interpretation of the theme: why not have it take place in Windows XP!? It’s a brilliant humor piece, if a little short and nonsensical. Still, it has its charm.

Much Ado About Pirates

I’m surprised this team got a short metroidvania done in such a short amount of time. This delightful game has some unforgiving moments, but it’s exploration aspect really shines through.