The Hole in the Ice
A downloadable game for Windows, macOS, and Linux
A short experimental project for the Indie Horror Month jam. Keep the fire burning to stay warm, reel in some fish, set them at the obelisk and avoid getting eaten. While I'm disappointed in the direction I ended up taking the game, I learned a lot and it was a good experience. I'll add a post jam devlog to elaborate. Constructive feedback appreciated!
Note: I couldn't test the Mac or Linux versions but the jam required at least two desktop platform releases.
KEYS:
* E - Interact
* R - Quick reel (ends fishing immediately if there's no fish on the line)
* LMB - Reel fish in / close dialogue boxes
* RMB - Hold breath
* F - Flashlight
* Esc. - Toggles the mouse cursor so you can quit the game
Credits are in the 'Asset_Credits' text file with links to everything.
Download
Comments
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Hey Chrit,
I just gave this a little go. I didn't make it all the way to the end so I'm sure there's more for me to discover.
I will try to revisit this before ratings close and give a full take.
First Impressions:
1. I like the ambience and the graphical style.
2. I think the breathing sound does a good job of setting the tone.
It makes you feel "exposed" and ties well with the "cold" theme.
This combines to make the player feel vulnerable
I had a few incidents where I was looking for a menu or something to help explain things.
The project page text does a good job of explaining what to do but maybe a little cassette tape recording or a journal entry on a piece of paper would be a good way to communicate that information to the player in-game.
Maybe you could start the player waking up at the fire with some notes in hand, he takes a look and then the note doubles as a "new game" menu.
I don't know just spitballing here!
I pressed 'ESC' expecting a settings menu - as I was having some problems with my MOUSE SENSITIVITY.
I had to crank my DPI up to 4 x normal to "look around comfortably"
Again, probably my own fault for using such a stupid low dpi but something to consider.
I notice in your screenshot that theirs a hook on the end of the line.
When I played, I couldn't see any fish hook.
I also was a bit unsure about "how to fish"
I found myself a bit impatient waiting for ol fishy to make his apperance.
So I was wriggling the mouse and tapping keys wondering if it would speed things up.
"Here fishy fishy" with a "tap tap tap" on the keyboard or "wiggle the mouse" to "tempt that little fishy to bite" is what I had in my head.
Maybe there's some controls I missed?
If not, I found the wait between catching fish a bit slow and was a bit more eager to go back to exploring the world / seeing the next thing you had "planned".
I really liked the core loop of fishing, making an offer and the balance between staying warm & finding sticks to burn.
Means I always had motivation to move.
However, I did find it a bit frustrating when I died a few times over and had to keep going back to the fish pond and "sitting there waiting too long" for the fish to then try and make more progress.
I eventually got caught by the monster a fourth time and decided to put it down until I have more time to return.
I will give it another go - and I look forward to seeing what else lies in store.
Really fun and I think you did a good job nailing the brief, balancing the mechanics and putting together something well thought out and with a decent level of polish.
I think it's definitely something that could be built upon further if you chose to do so.
I have opened a ticket/issue on my Git to give this another go and offer some more feedback after I've done a pass on some other submissions needing ratings.
Best of luck
Happy Gaming!
Thanks so much for the detailed feedback!
I agree that there's definitely a lack of direction or instructions in the game. That issue might be a remnant of when I was trying to build a purely atmospheric experience where all you did was fish and keep warm. Once I added the monster and additional mechanics I should have included some instructions for players. I think a cassette or journal entries is a great way of going about that and if I come back to this project I'll definitely add those. The lack of menu and options were due to a lack of time, so I'll implement those as well on the next go around.
As for the fishing, the reason why there was a hook in the screenshots is cause they were from an earlier build where there was only a single lure. In the current build you start with one lure and can find a second one, so they actually change. They're pretty hard to see underwater though, I gotta brighten em up.
The slow fishing is also a product of it originally being a purely atmospheric slow burn horror. I was going for something like Iron Lung, and that probably won't change. However, I did used to have a mechanic where you could leave the rod and lure in the water while you got up and walked around, so I think adding that back in will solve the issue of boring waiting.
Thanks so much for the feedback, really appreciate it!
Really enjoyed the vibe of this game! Great idea!
Thanks! I've gotten some ideas for updating it and aligning it more with my original plan, so stay tuned for that eventually. =)