another nice idea
but even more poorly executed.
Reviews for "Moby Dick:Ahab's Struggle"
Just needed more time..
I loved the concept of this game, and the art. It was really well drawn and animated for a game that had to be made on such a short time. Unfortunately the battle didn't seem to be as planned out since it was difficult and cheap as hell, and Ahab was far too sluggish for Moby's attacks.
The spiked platforms also made the game much more harder, since Ahab's jumps are pretty slow and not so easy to control, especially if Moby's chasing you.
This is one of the reasons I dislike these game jams, although it's nice to see as a challenge, a lot of the games could be much, much better if they just had more time. It feels like a waste sometimes.
Maybe you should try remaking this game some other time though, with more features, I'm sure it would do pretty well.
Nice idea
I've giving 5 stars, a 2 on the Voting, but without prejudice. Sometimes people can throw out a very well done game in a few days but it can't quite be expected. In this case I think that it was a decent idea that simply needed more time.
The platforming was spotty, especially with the way that MD could control the level to randomize the platforms. I played it a few times and there were instances where literally the driftwood was spaced too far away for Ahab to actually reach in a single jump. This occurred when the spiked driftwood alternated in between the level driftwood, and greatly increased the difficulty as MD would send out the water blasts (which are quite hard to dodge even when you have better footing) or would attempt a charge. To have proper movement and platforming taken away, and then to suffer damage after that, isn't "difficulty" so much as just cheap damage, which is bad enough considering that Ahab has no real ability to take the hits.
The speed of MD's attacks right after each other sometimes was annoying, but generally not maddening. I will say that one attack should probably end before another starts -- again, the water blasts are hard enough to dodge without also having to deal with the rush of water and spiked platforms as MD changes the make up of the stage while you're still trying to keep from getting killed by a screen-filling barrage of projectiles that are slighty larger than your own character.
There were also times when MD's shifting of the platforms actually created an issue in which the positioning and spacing of the platforms meant that I couldn't get into a close enough range to actually hit MD. If MD then chooses not to alter the platforms further (as happened a bit in game) then it creates an frustrating situation in which the player's option isn't even to win but simply to not lose, which cannot happen in a game of this nature. There is no clock to run out and when human error is punished so greatly (you may not even make an error, there are times when you cannot help but to take a hit) any situation in which the player cannot fairly make attempts at attack takes away from any fun that could be had while playing.
Could be better with time, but maybe a little too ambitious given the short amount of time given to complete it.
Great, but...
I thought the game had a great concept, music, and design, but the controls were hard to use, and the fact that Moby deals more than double the attack that you use can be very frustrating, but It was pretty fun.
I gotta read Moby Dick!
For some reason this submission makes me want to read Moby Dick, I must admit the sound of a book about whaling never really interested me however the picture this game paints about a man driven by a revenge that ends up costing him more than just his leg intrigues me (though perhaps I got it all wrong and am reading more into things like I sometimes do, still I dont care it sounds cool).
As for the game itself the music was epic and while the graphics were cartoony they seemed to fit the submission well. The gameplay on the other hand while fun could use a bit of tightening up, however it is one small grip in an otherwise good submission.