Use the Oleampian Torch to keep Oliver warm and melt or burn obstacles while avoiding getting too hot.

Keyboard Controls:
  • ZQSD / WASD : move
  • up : jump
  • down : slide-dodge
  • space: throw torch
Controller Controls:
  • L-stick: move
  • A: jump
  • X, LB or LT: slide-dodge
  • B, RB or RT: throw torch

The full run, if you're curious and can't / won't beat it yourself : https://youtu.be/-wB-n2tHOX4

Destruction of the Chariots of Fire music by me, via Bosca Ceoil.

Full disclosure : I realized I could also upload the game for the 41th Ludum Dare (Combine 2 Incompatible Genres), so I did, but absolutely no part of the game was made with the Ludum Dare in mind, if that's of any importance.


Real tips if you're having troubles :

  • Always keep an eye on your temperature in the top left, throwing the torch is a good way to decrease it, but jumps and slides also have a smaller effect
  • You can't jump after throwing the torch, but you can still slide
  • You get a new Leaf at the start of each day
  • The Torch needs to stay close to a Snowman to melt it. You can either throw the torch (but it'll need to go back on the snowman too) or you can stay close to the snowman while slowing down.
  • Because of the snowmen, always staying on the left is not the optimal strategy, since you might need to slow down
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  • Jupiter Hadley
    Lv. 13

    Tricky game! I included it in my compilation video series of all of the GM48 games, if you’d like to take a look. :) https://youtu.be/Lt8bNQTICns

  • Fin_Nolimit
    Lv. 6

    10/10 for Immersion!!!!!!!!!! We played your game a little over an hour and finally beat it. Twice we were at the part where we could "see" the Olympic stadium and then DIEDDDDDD..... aaaaaaaaaaaa but we finally prevailed and won the game.

    You did a great job with the theme. The touch was challenging yet I needed it and the story was hard to read but I wanted to know the story!!! Nice!!!! I felt that I was immersed in your game because there were mechanics that I had to master and get better at so I had to keep playing until I did!!!

    My only complaint was the collisions boxes. There were multiple times I felt I got hit but I clearly made the jump. Maybe I was just being a sore loser I don't know! :)

    Great job on the jam!!!

    Trials
    Submitted

    Trials

    • Fachewachewa
      Patron
      Fachewachewa Coder of Oliver the Torchbearer

      5yrs ago

      Ahah, thanks a lot! I'm glad you liked the story :D And good job beating it!
      Just to reassure you, I know the feel of dying right at the end, happened to me a few time while I was testing the timing for the ending :p

      About the collisions, I'm not sure, I didn't notice anything too wrong, but that could just be the way I played it. I tried to make the rectangle (or losanges for the rocks) hitbox be smaller than the actual sprite, but it's possible I missed some. Or could be between the dash and running state, maybe I should have added a small delay when getting up.

      And thanks again :)

  • Veralos
    Lv. 38

    This is a really cool game. The core idea of trying not to burn (or freeze) yourself is neat. It makes the gameplay pretty interesting with all the different elements you have to balance to survive and it's nice how things change as you progress (both with the story and time of day). The variety of obstacles is nice and they all work with the mechanics.

    Unfortunately some weird limitations made it feel more frustrating than it should have. I didn't like the slow backwards movement, the fact that you can't jump after throwing the torch, and that you have no midair control. These may be sensible additions to keep the challenge there but for me they just made things less enjoyable.

    • Fachewachewa
      Patron
      Fachewachewa Coder of Oliver the Torchbearer

      5yrs ago

      Thanks! I wasn't too sure about air control and tried both, but I liked the fact that you had to choose the kind of jump for each obstacle. Jumping while moving make it easier to pass obstacles, but it also pushes you forward, which you might want to avoid.
      But I totally understand your point of view, even if it's choices I made, it's not the most natural way to control the character.

  • Kwis
    Lv. 67

    Drat, I made my longest run the one where I messed up at the beginning, getting me to 0 leaf before the night. So I had no place for mistakes and I lost so close to the end :c So I watched the ending on your video.

    Pretty fun, I like how you get to read the story as you play :D It's what kept me from stopping cause I knew there was a bit more coming!

    • Fachewachewa
      Patron
      Fachewachewa Coder of Oliver the Torchbearer

      5yrs ago

      Thanks :) The story was something I wanted right from the start, to indicate it wasn't an endless runner. In the end I think it's my favorite part of the game.

      Yeah I think I should have made a restart option or something for when to mess up at the start... In testing I often stopped a run if I took damage on the first day.

  • Tecna
    Lv. 10

    Your game is really fun! I liked the music a lot, as the cutscenes are nice and funny. The game was awful hard for me, but that is because I suck at it. The mechanics were well introduced and I would appreciate a lot if I could be better at your game. I'll watch the video of the run later.

  • _l3on_
    Lv. 8

    You have perfectly hit the jam theme with this game.

    The gameplay is great too with multiple choices to pass the obstacles.

    Nice game :)

  • Ardeimon
    Lv. 10

    The premise of the game is charming, a tree wielding a torch which somehow needs to prevent himself from burning and freezing. Cute.

    I do hope I can read the whole story. Moving around and keeping guard of the temperature makes it hard to enjoy it.

    Delve
    Submitted

    Delve

    • Fachewachewa
      Patron
      Fachewachewa Coder of Oliver the Torchbearer

      5yrs ago

      You can watch the video on the description page if you're interested in the small story :)
      I know it's hard to do everything at once but that's something I wanted to do to stick with the theme

  • Problematicar
    Lv. 37

    I didn't expect to have so much fun when looking at the starting menu or the art of the game, but the multitasking is really balanced and challenging enough to make me reconsider my opinion, great story too.

    Universe T
    Submitted

    Universe T

  • Nathanael
    Lv. 3

    Good work on the game. Loved how you tackled the brief, and the game was challenging enough without feeling to hard. Only piece of constructive criticism is that I could not read the story as I was trying to slide under birds an jump rocks etc.

    PsyGolf
    Submitted

    PsyGolf

    • Fachewachewa
      Patron
      Fachewachewa Coder of Oliver the Torchbearer

      5yrs ago

      Thanks!
      Yeah, the text requires a little training to be able to read it. I kinda did that to stick with theme in that way too (I could have made small poses with text for example), since reading the story adds a layer of difficulty.