Skip to main content

Indie game storeFree gamesFun gamesHorror games
Game developmentAssetsComics
SalesBundles
Jobs
TagsGame Engines
A jam submission

Dolphin Endless SwimmerView game page

Endless runner of a dolphin
Submitted by jesusnoseq (@jesusnoseq), sandritalb — 22 hours, 13 minutes before the deadline
Add to collection

Play game

Dolphin Endless Swimmer's itch.io page

Results

CriteriaRankScore*Raw Score
Graphics#2332.9232.923
Theme interpretation#2422.8082.808
Overall#2542.7312.731
Audio#2692.6152.615
Gameplay#2802.4622.462
Innovation#3452.2312.231

Ranked from 26 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.

GitHub repository URL
https://github.com/sandritalb/dolphin_ai

Game description
Endless runner in the ocean where you control a dolphin, navigating waters and dodging dangers.

Theme interpretation
the waves of the sea

Leave a comment

Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.

Comments

Submitted(+1)

I like it :)

Submitted(+1)

This was pretty fun! And as someone who also programmed 2d waves, I appreciate the effort involved. 

Three things to consider improving: (1) Jumping the boats is a lot of fun; probably the best part of the game. You should get bonus points or a speed-boost for doing it. (2) If the AI dies from a shark, they should respawn. Having the game end because the AI is dumb doesn't feel great. (3) It's possible to get stuck on the boats. Maybe the dolphin needs a way to flop/jump off.

Developer

Thank you for the review!

Jumping gives a speed boost. I hadn’t considered giving an extra bonus speed when jumping over boats, that’s a good idea. The game was originally planned as an endless runner and later evolved into a race game, so there might be a bit of a weird mix of design mechanics. For example, getting stuck after a bad jump is partly intentional. I could fix it easily by tweaking the physics material, but then even a bad jump could end up being beneficial. Maybe letting the player make tiny jumps out of the water could fix it.

Submitted(+1)

The dolphin riding a boat.

Submitted(+2)

I appreciated the player vs AI mode, it remembered me the good times playing the micromachines game with two players, that is fun.

Graphics are simple but functional, and the controls are working fine. It is true that the gameplay becomes dull after a few seconds, I believe the mechanic of jumping above the sea should be rewarded or motivated more, because it is interesting.

Developer(+1)

That’s right! In both the vs AI and vs player modes, the win/lose mechanics are inspired by MicroMachines.

I miss the good old local multiplayer days :)

Submitted(+1)

Thanks for being open about the AI usage and how it was used. I personally have no issues about AI being used for art in jam games - unless it is not disclosed. Then you are always just left questioning what is actually AI and what is not.

The generated art in this game is fine but it lacks cohesion. Color-palette, pixel sizes, and resolution are a bit all over the place. But that is to be expected with AI art, and I feel people are slowly getting better using AI for art in more cohesive ways.

The highlight mechanic of this game is definitely the jumping. It just feels fun - just like I imagine dolphins feeling when they do that in real life.

Aside from that, the game is quite basic and there is not much motivating the player to play it for longer. It does not really change the longer you go and it is very easy to get good distances just by swimming near the surface. I also got stuck on top of boats a couple of times which was a bit annoying.

But overall, thanks for a solid entry and bonus points for disclosing the AI usage.

Developer

You’re totally right about the lack of cohesion. Sorry for making pixel art artists shed a few tears 🤗

Thank you for the feedback!

Submitted(+1)

I can't believe this soundtrack is AI-generated; it's incredible. I'd give it a very high audio score, even though it's AI-generated.

However, it's a pity that besides the dolphins, the sharks have no animations, and there aren't any other types of enemies. At first, I thought I wasn't running far enough, so I tried running further to find other enemies. I ran nearly 40nm, and it seems that's all there is to the game.

Adding some other items and enemies would make it more interesting. If you want to make multiplayer battles more fun, you could take inspiration from Mario Kart—that's my suggestion.

Also, I expected there would be waves, but there weren't. If the waves could help me get over the boats, it would better convey the theme (I tried to get over them, but I ended up getting stuck on them, my speed dropped to 0, and I couldn't do anything).

Developer

Being able to use power-ups like in Mario Kart would be fun.

Thank you for the feedback and suggestions! 🤗

Submitted(+1)

The graphics are very nice!

Submitted(+1)

it would be good if the speed boost just kept stacking up in the single play mode, i think it would be more engaging to be able to get to ridicules speeds from eating the fish constantly.

good concept and nice clean work.

Developer (1 edit) (+1)

I tried it, it’s too much fun :P

Thanks for playing and for the feedback

Submitted(+1)

Cute fun game.

Submitted(+1)

A game with great music, beautiful visuals, and an interesting idea. I really enjoyed playing it, thank you. Excellent work!

Submitted(+1)

It seems to get stuck at a certain angle, but it's a good idea!

Submitted(+1)

The sharks must have not eaten. Nice little experience.

Submitted(+1)

Great! Very fun game. The AI is not very clever though.