A downloadable game for Windows and Linux

A new perspective to the breakout like games! And you can design your own levels by simply painting pixels in any image modifying software. Use arrow keys to move the paddle, and press enter to spawn a new ball into the level. Pause and escape buttons do what you think they might do.

The game kind of developed itself, and it is my first game, may be that's why... The 15 levels (image files) I have put in the folder are very hard, so the game is pretty much unbeatable in my opinion, but suit yourself. I did so, cuz you can modify them anytime anyway. Think of it like a challenge :P

For the security related issues; I didn't include any certificates in it, so although whatever protection software you may have installed on your device may alarm when you first try to run the game, after scanning it for a while, they should all be able to figure that it's nothing but a game. At least that was the case for me.

That's all. I hope you enjoy it. And please don't hesitate to post any questions/comments/feedback, since I really like reading that stuff. :)

More information

Download

Download
pop_control_64_linux.7z 10 MB
Download
pop_control_64_windows.7z 8.3 MB

Install instructions

Just unzip it, and run pop_control.exe. Please beware that, any protection software you may have installed on your device may stop the game and start scanning it, but they should eventually decide that it's harmless. And if you ever want to build your own levels for the game, please check the readme file. Enter spawns the ball, and arrow keys move the paddle. Have fun!

Comments

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oddworm3 years ago(+1)

Hi mayonnace! I really like your game, it just oozes with style! Only finished 6 levels, then I hit the ESC key thinking it would pause the game. Should have payed more attention to the readme. :(

Here's what I liked:

  • simple but stylish graphics with nice effects like the distortion on the playfield or the electric shocks
  • sound effects sound great and fit the visual style perfectly
  • angled HUD perspective looks cool
  • interesting special bricks like explosives and electric shock
  • possibility to create own levels is great (haven't tried it myself yet, though)

What could be improved:

  • control over the ball or the angle it gets deflected feels very random at times. I would like to have more ways to influence the direction the ball is going via movement of the paddle. It took me very long to finish level 6 because I couldn't manage to get the ball into the corners and didn't have any other means to clear the bricks, which brings me to the next point...
  • lack of powerups. The gameplay would be more interesting if you could collect and use powerups (as seen in other brick breaking games), e.g. multi-ball, shooting paddle, growing/shrinking paddle etc.
  • repetitive sound fx. As much as I like the sound fx, they could use some variations, especially the one when hitting a brick as you hear it all the time. I usually add slight pitch variations to sound fx that are repeated often so they don't sound exactly the same every time they're played.
  • lack of music. I imagine some electronic beats (e.g. like this:

) would contribute to the atmosphere and tension. Let me know if you would like to use this or any of the other electro tracks on my channel, I would happily provide it for free. :)

Other than that, it's a very impressive and enjoyable debut game and I'm looking foward to seeing more games developed by you!

Reply
mayonnace3 years ago (1 edit)

Thank you very much, oddworm! I was well aware of the problems you have listed, but after working on it for four months, considering my limited time, I've decided to find a more interesting project to work on. So, I couldn't optimize things further. By the way, your music sounds great! Perhaps I could borrow some for my next project, that is if I can make it. Again, this first project was more like a training for me. Hopefully the next one is going to be more fun! ^ ^

Oh, and I'm sorry for the escape button. You can simply change the order of levels in the "images" folder by renaming files, to start playing from further levels. :)

Reply
oddworm3 years ago(+1)

I understand, it was just time for you to move on. It can be hard to keep oneself motivated when a project takes so long. But again, if it was just a practice project for you, I find it even more impressive! Can't wait to see what you create when you're done practicing!

Regarding the music, thanks, glad that you like it! My offer stands, let's talk again when your new project is ready.

Changing the file names would be cheating! Nah, I'll beat your game the honest way. :)

Reply
oddworm3 years ago(+1)

Tried and failed again, this time on level 8 and without hitting the ESC key. Might have to resort to cheating after all! :D

Reply