"I don't know what I'm doing here. If it's a dream, I found no way to wake up. I'm trapped."

  • WASD to move
  • E to interact
  • Mouse to aim and shoot (with the left click)
  • Sadly, the game is buggy. Several collision errors, freezes, and possible crashes. Mainly due to my first time trying to code a top down shooter in a jam, I tried to be efficient time-wise but it made it harder to prevent collision errors.
  • I'm still happy with the result, I like the idea we went for. With more experience, perhaps I would have been able to have more content!

I hope you'll enjoy the game anyway! ♥


Kwis:
  • Code tyrant
  • Pixel artist
  • A little bunch of sounds

g0ldent0y:

  • Sound
  • Music
  • Code bitch assistant



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  • kbjwes77
    Lv. 19

    Wild idea that fits the theme perfectly, you must have been watching a lot of Stranger Things. Loved the contrast between the dream and nightmare worlds, and the amount of upgrades was great.

  • Atomic
    Lv. 19

    Very interesting. The art was great, and it really felt like you were part of a bigger story/world. How this was achieved, in my opinion was through the very humanoid voices, the eerie music, and multiple levels with differing assets. Cutting the game into multiple bites: fight, shop, fight was also just incredibly motivating, and gave the game a sense of flow. The negatives I have for the game, are negligible at worst: AI wasn't very smart, which resulted in a very easy game. This didn't matter, because the story was compelling enough for me to want to keep playing. It's too short!

    • Kwis
      Lv. 67
      Kwis Developer of Trapped

      4yrs ago

      Yeah I didn't flesh out the IA too much, I mostly focus on it wandering and chasing you slowly. To avoid making the game too hard, i prefered making it easier. With more time to test, would have definitely done some harder. Note that it was even easier before: the monsters only wander and chase when in nightmare, while in the final game, dream monsters wandr-chase you and nightmare monsters go to you.

      I'm happy someone mentioned the voices, I tried to have the dialogue make a sound everytime a vowel is pronounced, cause otherwise edited voice sounds a bit weird.

      Thank you for the kind words and for playing!

  • Fachewachewa
    Patron

    Really good art and sound, and the game feels great to play, and I really like the idea of enemies switching dimension too. As usual, I would have like a little more content :D

    The big issues are clearly the bugs.

    • The first big one is when you get knocked back into the void, your character get stuck and you can only move again if you become a ghost. I'm guessing you can just apply your collision code for the knockback here?
    • And of course the crash. From what I can tell it's definitely an infinite loop (music keeps playing, nothing works, only way to get out is to kill it in the task manager). Happened to me around the middle of the 2nd level, when I killed a squid thing that was hovering above the void. I'm guessing the code is trying to put the ghost on the ground? I avoided killing any enemies in the void on my second run and didn't have any freeze.

    And last thing, not really a bug, but you can skip dialog by accident, since it's the same button as the shooting, and I'm basically always shooting :D

    • Kwis
      Lv. 67
      Kwis Developer of Trapped

      4yrs ago
      • Actually there are two collision systems. 1 for movement, 1 for feedback. They're similar except one takes in account x and y while the other, direction. I guess it was a way to code a knockback in a easy and fast way, but it ended up making the collisions way more awkward. There are TONS of checks, yet there are still stuck issues. Should have used x and y for knockback still...
      • The squid has different collisions as he's floating, he works the same way than clappies (the dogs) but reacts to different walls. Still not sure how this one gets triggered :/
      • Oh right, I should have added a longer timer for the text to progress, to avoid accidentally skipping. I used the same key (as well as e) to avoid making the controls more needlessly complicated

      Thank you for your feedback and details on the bugs!

  • baku
    Patron

    As usual, your game looks amazing, sounds wonderful, and plays decently well too. A little slow at first but it's OK. On my first playthrough, I quickly went through the shops and was very surprised when the game closed itself. So I booted it back up and didn't rush through the levels.

    I noticed an array of bugs with the game :/

    • Sometimes when toggling fullscreen, the cursor would disappear for a little while??
    • Sometimes the shooty enemies would "get stuck" (idk how) in the same spot, wiggling a lot, and firing crazy amounts of bullets at me.
    • One time I got stuck and couldn't move, just had to sit a wait until enemies got near me and I got hurt enough to get into the "ghost" state.
    • Eventually on level 2, the game completely froze. When I tried tabbing out of the game and back in, it just displayed a white screen. I had to close it with Task Manager.
    • Kwis
      Lv. 67
      Kwis Developer of Trapped

      4yrs ago

      Oh, the fullscreen issue shouldn't happen? I don't get that one. Also yes, since enemies can get stuck (for some reason despite many collision checks) and that they shoot whenever they just stopped moving, they keep firing cause they're constantly wobbling between states :/ Should have set a hard timer. Aware of these bugs, not exactly sure how to solve them.

      Thank you for playing and thanks for the feedback!

  • Kyon
    Lv. 25

    Nice job again Kwisarts, game looks nice! The first playthrough I just went to the ending and thought "huh is this it?" Second playthrough I died on purpose. Cool concept. It's something that feels like it could really work well if there was more content. (dying on purpose to get through levels/puzzles, boss mechanics in which you'll have to be in both dimensions etc) Nice sound design as well!

    Desolation
    Submitted

    Desolation

    • Kwis
      Lv. 67
      Kwis Developer of Trapped

      4yrs ago

      Worth noting (although I'm not sure it works that way? I couldn't test it) that the dream monsters make you lose nightmare coins upon death, meaning that to get a perfect score, you need to never be killed by dream monsters whenever you have nightmare coins (monsters only drop loot once)

      Also I'm probably going to mix this idea with the Dream On idea I had for a full game. Exciting stuff!

      Thank you for playing!

  • Tero Hannula
    Patron

    The idea was good, the killing doesn't make you die, but sends you to the otherworld. Game is good, but it feels empty and really easy :/ The characters do look nice, but the character walking animation and speed which she runs doesn't much up. Sounds were pleasent. The icon in this site gives more sinister first impression than it is ^^"

    Second time I tried the game, I got stuck :U I got hit and moved towards corner, where I got stuck and couldn't move anywhere.

    Reload
    Submitted

    Reload

    • Kwis
      Lv. 67
      Kwis Developer of Trapped

      4yrs ago

      Yeah, sadly I couldn't add more to it, didn't get the time ^^ I don't really agree with the character walking animation and her speed though? Might be because i'm used to see her running, though it's been about a week since I last played so I'd expect to have a fresher look now, but it didn't feel odd/misplaced to me. Ah yes, maybe the picture is a bit too sinister :p

      That freeze thing is killing me though, i've added so many collision checks and it still happens :( really need to get that fixed up for a possible post-jam

      Thank you for your feedback!

  • PenguinCzar
    Lv. 5

    A) love the game its awesomely designed. B) Music was awesome, I love the change when you are on the dark side, the bullets are like a little off and it added to the atmosphere perfectly! C) dark side was really awesome, actually freaked me out the first time. D) I couldn't really figure out the plot, if there was one. E) I got killed in the dark side and then made my way to the dreamer thingy and then it broke the game, making me close it with task manager.

    Other than that, this is a great game. It does seem a bit too easy but really without the glitch and the plot, this game is perfecto. Good job guys! and Good Luck.

    EDIT: yea the crash was on level two. I loved the game regardless tho.

    • Kwis
      Lv. 67
      Kwis Developer of Trapped

      4yrs ago

      That crash, urgh... It's in level 2? Okay, that's possible, I barely tested that level. I assume I didn't place them well andd it triggers an infinite collision loop. Could you tell me by DM on the discord where it is aproximately? (north of the map? south?)

      As for the plot, there kind of is one but I didn't have the opportunity to add more dialogue (I had to rush the shop and the level 2)

      Thank you for playing!

  • 89o
    Lv. 18

    Really cool little game! I found it a bit too easy, though, and I had to kill myself towards the end of the game to see what happens. I recommend just removing lives altogether, that way you can actually see the dark side.

    SOUL SWAP
    Submitted

    SOUL SWAP

    • Kwis
      Lv. 67
      Kwis Developer of Trapped

      4yrs ago

      At first, the game was harder. But because I didn't get proper time to test the difficulty (especially when introducing the second level), I preferred to make it easier rather than heard, but considering you can't really die, maybe it would have been okay. I wanted to avoid the player ending up reaching level 2 without powerups (getting killed sucks your money away) and wanted to avoid the player feeling overwhelmed. I should remove a life or 2! There is a flower in the end of level 1 that allows you to go to the nightmare world without dying actually, but I realized after the facts that it wasn't placed the best way so you may not notice it. That way you could go to the nightmare world for free!

      Thank you for the feedback!

  • Professor Stein
    Lv. 2

    Hey goldy and kwis, excellent job all around! The concept was brilliant, the art was gorgeous (especially those backgrounds, mmm) and those sfx were on point! I did however run into an unexpected game crash when i was phased after being defeated in the nightmare realm for the first time on the second world upon trying to enter back into the tiled portion of the game. It was an odd crash as I was unsuccessful in replicating it a second time, must have just been an unexpected death loop in functions but i did have to CTRL+ALT+Delete my way out of it. I went back though and had a total blast all the way through. The atmospheric changes were absolutely incredible to behold and you guys really nailed a fun gameplay loop of killing dream monsters and nightmare monsters. I loved the alternative sprites for both the tiles, bg, and monsters. An incredible amount of thought and very precise coding! Overall, a totally enjoyable experience and a very well polished entry! Keep making incredible games you two! :D

    • g0ldent0y
      Lv. 5
      g0ldent0y Developer of Trapped

      4yrs ago

      Aww... thanks Prof. Sadly we are aware of the crashing issue. Probably something with the collision control. But glad you suffered through it and finished the thing. We both really liked the concept, and i'm glad to hear our efforts being praised :D Thanks a lot for your feedback. Very much appreciated.

    • Kwis
      Lv. 67
      Kwis Developer of Trapped

      4yrs ago

      That's a crash I didn't know about. Although I think you mean it was a freeze. Should check the loops, if it happened with a dream catcher, it's possible that I missplaced a thing or two? I couldn't test the second level a lot.

      In any case, thank you for your feedback and kind words :D

  • gary butler
    Lv. 6

    Super cool. And very familiar. :3 Edit, well reply really, but can't seem to find a button for that. I was fondly remembering a point and click adventure game you did with the fish a few jams ago. It transformed into a 2D shoot-em-up with dream-like qualities too. Fun stuff. Sadly due to crashes I never pushed all the way to the end of either of these.

  • jack
    Patron

    Great game! I love the visuals, music, narrative, and overall aesthetic you have going on here. I think for a game where the primary focus is shooting enemies, you could've given the gun a bit more "oomph," like add a little bit of screenshake, muzzle flare, particles, a more intense sound, etc. but seeing that this was made in 48 hours, I can't really expect anyone to go to that amount of detail so whatever. You guys made a solid entry.

    • Kwis
      Lv. 67
      Kwis Developer of Trapped

      4yrs ago

      About the gun, I definitely wanted to add more, but kept all the juice for the end, moment i ended up dedicating to add a room and the shop! I wouldn't use muzzle flare kind of things though (EDIT: Oh I would actually, i was just thinking of those of a gun but obviously it'd be different here), and think we should be careful with screenshake, as too much is not good neither. But yes, particles were planned, and I also wanted to add visual recoil on the gun to make it more visual. The sound, although I thought it was too gentle at first, I ended up liking because it feels deconnected from the real world of guns. Appropriate, since it's a fish. :D ( I am also displeased of thee weak ass effect when enemies are transitioning to the other world)

      Thank you for your feedback!

    • g0ldent0y
      Lv. 5
      g0ldent0y Developer of Trapped

      4yrs ago

      And the shooting sound is me making popping noises with my own mouth. Its like the only real life created sound we did.

  • SpaceMyFriend
    Lv. 15

    Nice job! I'm sucker for top down shooters so I really loved this. Switching between the dream and nightmare was a super neat mechanic, and the visual transition was eye candy :D Music/soundfx and art are all top notch.

    Had a really fun time with this! :)

  • havik
    Patron

    That was a cool take on the idea of no death. I was nice how nothing really died, it just changed dimension. It gave the game a weirdly calming feel even though you're basically shooting some little hell doggoes with a fish.

    I tried to shoot them again after coming out of the nightmare but there were no more drops :( I thought I had a found a clever way to farm currency haha.

    The music and art is very clean too. The transition with sound between dream/nightmare is well done.

    Unfortunately I froze twice while playing it. It might be something to do with the enemies getting stuck in walls as it happened the first time after I shot one and it got knocked back into the edge. The second time was seemingly random. But the third time, I got to the end :D! ...and there was nothing to buy in the shop anyway!

    But I wouldn't worry too much about the freezing. The fact I tried three times should say enough :)

    • g0ldent0y
      Lv. 5
      g0ldent0y Developer of Trapped

      4yrs ago

      Heya. Thank you for your long and lovely feedback. I'm specifically happy you mentioned the transition between the two bgms during dream/nightmare since its something we (and i in specific) kept an eye on to make it good.

      Sorry you had bugs, and we are already aware of them. Thanks for staying and trying 3 times :D

    • Kwis
      Lv. 67
      Kwis Developer of Trapped

      4yrs ago

      Yep, I decided to only allow them to drop loot once to avoid making it easy to farm. :p (Yes, the game's currency is not exploitable muhahaha)

      I wish I knew why the freezing happened. Collision issue, or neverending loop? (I would still worry about it :p)

      And yeah sadly, the level 2 was the last. I wish I could have implemented more levels and shops, as items were (almost) already ready to use!

      Thanks for the feedbackkk

  • MulfoK
    Lv. 1

    Nice game! With an interesting mechanic, I hope it gets remade!

    The artstyle is good, and I think it fits!

    Keep up the good work!

  • Loates
    Lv. 10

    Holy crap, there is so much I enjoyed about this game. The co-ordination between you and g0lden was excellent in this game whereas the art,music and sound all compliment each other perfectly to create a really nice atmosphere. I'm happy you included the dialogue you did, as it's always nice to see a dialogue system implemented, especially when it looks as great as yours usually does. I actually really like how death is one of the ways to transfer you between the two worlds, and it is designed to look like a nightmare-esque world. The shooting felt smooth, although I am slightly upset to see a fish :v. There's not really much for me to complain about this game, it had a pretty innovative theme and was overall my favorite game I've played so far!

    • g0ldent0y
      Lv. 5
      g0ldent0y Developer of Trapped

      4yrs ago

      Hey Loates. Thank you for your feedback. I would love to have you to give feedback on all my future projects from now onwards...

    • Kwis
      Lv. 67
      Kwis Developer of Trapped

      4yrs ago

      Fun fact, I hesitated using the dialogue system. It was made, but I was a bit afraid it'd take away the tension and discovery. I'm glad I kept them!

      Also thank you for the kind words :)

  • Zugai89
    Lv. 2

    Really cool game :D Only one tiny thing: I would have destroyed enemy projectiles either at a certain range, or when out of view.

    John Bone
    Submitted

    John Bone

  • Eva
    Lv. 13

    A very cute and interesting game! I like the two worlds and their aesthetics, and the little bits of dialogue were nice. It was simple but well-produced. It froze once, but I unfortunately don't know what caused it. Overall, the game felt like a demo of a longer game. If it were expanded, I would definitely want to play it!

    Leviatron
    Submitted

    Leviatron

    • Kwis
      Lv. 67
      Kwis Developer of Trapped

      4yrs ago

      Thank you for your feedback! Yeah, I had a few issues with the collisions as I'm not used to make that type of games, but wasn't able to consistently bug to check the issue :( (i got the freeze once and thought I fixed it)

    • g0ldent0y
      Lv. 5
      g0ldent0y Developer of Trapped

      4yrs ago

      Thanks for the feedback. I too think we can expand on the idea a lot. Could be something we work on in the future. Who knows...