Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass (Demo available!)

[Housekeeping]

Let's Get to Know You, Happy Little Sunflower!
​

Whew! Wahoo! Zippity-Zow! WoaahOohOahOohOahOohOah!

If those sounds of hyperconcentrated jubilation didn’t get you pumped, then you must not be a Happy Little Sunflower. And, that’s okay. Not everyone can be happy all the time. That takes a lot of dedication…and a fair amount of delusion.

For the Happy Little Sunflower, though, it’s genetic. It can’t help it. If you’re having a bad day, it’ll cheer you up with a happy little dance. Just don’t take it to work with you, cause it will NOT sit still.

You’re never in danger with a Happy Little Sunflower around. It’ll do its best to heal you when you’re sick, pick you up when you’re down, and when you’re surrounded by dark things that creep in the night, it’ll shine with sunlight to keep them at bay. Its relentless optimism can eventually be built up enough to make you gain more imagination experience in combat, which will allow you to build your different transformations that much faster, and its deep roots can pull nourishment from the ground, giving you a passive HP gain in battle.
 

In the field, the Happy Little Sunflower can burrow underground, allowing him to encourage strange plants to grow and find secret tunnels. Who knows what neat things you’ll find!

 

[gendfleur]

that spider battler is utterly terrifying, i absolutely love it !! this is a really cool world you've got going on, i really like it!

 

[Housekeeping]

Let's Get to Know You, Red-Billed Squawker
​

Where did it come from? Where is it going? Why is it so loud?

These are some of the questions you’ll ask yourself when stumbling across the elusive Red-Billed Squawker. They were thought to have been hunted to extinction long ago–not because of their meat, though (to be frank, they taste a bit like old vinyl). No, the Red-Billed Squawker was hunted because it’s so damn annoying. Seriously, they won’t shut up. They squawk when you’re awake, they squawk when you’re asleep. They didn’t get their name from NOT squawking, that’s for sure.

So, why on earth would you WANT to transform into nature’s cruelest joke? Well, the Red-Billed Squawker’s mighty squawk can startle any enemy (as long as they’re not alert), and their high natural agility let’s them get in hits first. They even have the ability to double their agility for the current turn by raising the MP cost of their skills in case you need to get a hit off or interrupt a particularly nasty attack. A high-level Red-Billed Squawker gains a natural protection from sleep because, let’s face it, when you’ve got pipes that loud, you’re going to want to play them at all hours of the night.
 

On the field, the Red-Billed Squawker can make a quick dash forward, allowing him to jump over short gaps and travel through straight passages faster than normal walking. His brakes aren’t fully functional, though, so if you run into something, you might end up hitting it HARD–but that might be useful, too…


----------------------


Also, I wrote a blog post a couple of weeks ago discussing where I'm at in the game.  Since this game doesn't get much attention on this forum, I didn't post it, but I'll go ahead and link it here if you're interested in Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass and want to know the status of the game.  The short of it is: development's going well, I'll have a good-sized demo up this summer, I'm planning on getting on Steam after that, and I'm considering the possibility of a Kickstarter.

 

[Housekeeping]

I just made this post over on RMN, but I figured I should share it here, too!  Here's a bunch of .gifs to give you an idea of the game in motion:
 

Disclaimer: some of these are fairly old and aren't 100% indicative of the current build. You'll notice that things actually have shadows now in the last .gif. The text in the battle .gif is more appropriate now, too (I think it'll say "Jimmy throws a Super Ball" now). The .gif quality is also kind of CRAPPY sometimes so I can make it fit tumblr's file size requirements.

 

[Housekeeping]

Let's Get to Know You, Grumble Bear!
​

 

“Hey, Grumble Bear, will you sing us a song?”

…

“Hey, Grumble Bear, how about a dance?”

…

“Hey, Grumble Bear, why are you mauling me?”

The Grumble Bear doesn’t want much out of life. It wants to be left alone, mainly, so it can sleep eighteen hours a day in its cave, and, when it wakes up, it’ll probably eat some salmon or something–not because it particularly likes the taste, but it’s the only creature that will directly hop into its open mouth.

Grumble Bears are known to take frequent naps, even in battle. Unsuspecting hunters might think a sleeping Grumble Bear is an easy target, but they couldn’t be more wrong. Once a Grumble Bear wakes up, you’ll quickly realize that they still have massive animal strength. And, the other thing about Grumble Bears is that when they’re not sleeping, they’re perpetually cranky.

As a Grumble Bear, Jimmy will be able to tap into that animal strength. In battle, he’ll be able to release devastating physical attacks (sometimes at the risk of his own health), and, if things get too tough, he can take a nice afternoon nap to heal up. A high-level Grumble Bear will be able to enter an enraged state that boosts his stats and turns him into a nigh-unstoppable, fuzzy killing machine.
 

On the field, Grumble Bear can slam into the ground, which will depress stuck switches or break fragile surfaces. It will also release a seismic wave that will ping off of every remaining toy chest in the level. Not bad for a slacker!

 

[Housekeeping]

Information Guy: Status Effects 4 (Player Buffs)
​

 

Hi. Information Guy here. You’re looking at me as if to say, “I thought I was done with you.” Well, I’ve got a problem with that, buster. And that problem is a little thing called “friendship.”

Monsters are pretty much bad news. I think we can all agree on that, especially my great uncle, who once tried to give a twenty-minute lecture on the history of dentistry to a giant gaping mouth in the ground. Some people might say that it’s his fault he has no legs anymore. I mean, it wasn’t a giant gaping ear in the ground, so I don’t think it was listening, but, if it were a giant gaping ear in the ground, the lecture wouldn’t have really been apt, so I’m going to have to side with my great uncle on this one.

You know what could’ve turned it around for him, though? Buffs. And, since we’re all nerds here, it goes without saying that buffs are ways to temporarily strengthen yourself and your friends in a battle. Well, I guess I said that anyway. That’s the kind of guy I am: a says-things kind of guy. Hey! Here are a few buffs you might use if you run into a giant gaping mouth in the ground:
 

Normally, I like to keep an even temperament. Cool as a cucumber. You can’t frazzle this cucumber, no sir. But, some cucumbers get frazzled. And, that’s okay, too. It’s how we get pickles. If you’re an angry little pickle, you might not listen to reason anymore. Reason, schmeason–you’re doing double damage. If I weren’t such a cucumber kind of guy, I might be willing to give up being able to control myself for that kind of power.
 

Well, look at you. Aren’t you cocky. You just made a called shot. Again, not my style, but I’ve worn the same outfit for the past twenty-eight years, so my middle name isn’t “Style;” it’s “Stinky,” for your information, and it’s a bit of a sore spot for me. If “Style“ is your middle name, though, you might want to make a called shot, cause you’ll do twice as much damage on the next turn. Imagine what might happen if you call a shot right before you perform a really awesome super attack like what happens in your favorite anime. Just don’t get startled, or you’ll end up doing no damage and going right back to square one.
 

As anyone with a kick-me sign attached to their back can attest, being a human target isn’t fun. If you’re a fan of getting beaten up by everyone, then, by all means, be a human target. How is this a buff, anyway? Well, maybe you can use it on some useless guy or something.
 

Ah, the sugar rush. What was once a normal child is now a high-speed demon bounding down the path to type-two diabetes. But, imagine if you could contain and utilize this power for good. You might just get hyper enough to double your agility for the current turn, allowing you to get an all-important hit or heal off without fear of an enemy mucking things up for you. One problem: you’re not going to be an engine running at maximum efficiency anymore. Every time you make yourself hyper, expect your mp cost to double for the current turn.
 

Sometimes monsters fight dirty. This has been covered at length in the past. But, when you’re a good girl or boy and get vaccinated, you’ll be temporarily immune from incoming status effects. Don’t listen to some of the weirdos out there, kids; listen to me instead: get vaccinated. I make sure to get vaccinated every chance I get. Why, right now I’m immune to influenza, whooping cough, ashy skin, lycanthropism, sucker punches, hauntings, stomach grumblings, athlete’s tongue, aggressive nostril flaring, restful leg syndrome, poisoned Caesar salads, frequent (and infrequent) hamboning, head gout, silence, uncontrollable cartwheels…


That’s it for this time. Would you like me to repeat that?

 

[shushcat]

This game looks and sounds absolutely amazing (and I love your writing)!!  I so am looking forward to seeing it completed!

 

[Housekeeping]

Thanks!  I'll have a demo out later this summer, so make sure to watch out for that!

 

[Nuxill]

Nice! I'm excited for the demo. I've been following the development on tumblr and I'm really digging the whole vibe of this game

 

[Housekeeping]

Hello, everyone. Information Guy here. I know I’m normally pretty talkative, but today I’ve got a special, exciting announcement, so I better get right to business. No dilly-dallying THIS time around, no sir, not with an announcement this important.
 

Ooh! Excuse me. I don’t mean to be rude, but I just got back from a seafood buffet. And, yeah, I got there pretty late and things had been sitting around in their own juices for a while, but that wasn’t going to stop ME from conquering shrimp mountain. Let me tell you, I spent the whole day talking with my doctor about my various prawn allergies, whatever that means. Apparently I’m not just lactose intolerant, whatever that means. So, you better believe I worked up QUITE an appetite. I must’ve eaten my weight in shrimp, but it all went down smoothly with a nice, cold jug of milk. But, hey, we’re not here for that. We’re here to talk about the special…
 

WHAT COULD INFORMATION GUY’S ANNOUNCEMENT BE?!

You’ll have to wait until next week when the Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass demo comes out.
 

That’s right, Information Guy:

THE JIMMY AND THE PULSATING MASS DEMO IS COMING OUT NEXT WEEK!

 

[Housekeeping]

Information Guy here. How long was I out? Well, I could go on and on about my poor life decisions, but I need to tell you that special announcement. Get ready, because next week, the Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass demo is going to--
 

Oh, hello. Was this important to you? Well, I was having a marvelous walk through the internet and couldn't help overhearing. You need to get with the times, friend. In fact, the Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass demo is already out. So, what are you even doing here? You should be playing it right now.
 

You can download the demo here!  Have a marvelous day!

 

[m4uesviecr]

Going to leave a detailed review soon, but I found a game breaking bug.


*slight spoiler*


When you enter the beaver ' s house in Smile, and go into the left room, the player enters a map with tiles that cannot be passed through. I got stuck and had to close out the game (the player is unable to access the menu).

 

[Housekeeping]

Oh, wow, thanks for the heads-up on that; I uploaded a new version a few days ago and had added an anti-lag script and this was an unintended consequence.  I went ahead and updated the version again; that bug should be fixed along with a few smaller ones that have been reported.

 

[m4uesviecr]

Awesome! Unfortunately, I found another game breaker.


*spoiler alert*


After passing the goon test, I met with Punch Tanaka. After he yells, "Look a spider" (lol) and escapes, the bald head goon takes a step backwards and the game freezes.

 

[Housekeeping]

Oh, crap.  Same issue with that script; I updated the client and it should be fixed now.  Thanks so much for letting me know, and thanks for your patience.

 

[Housekeeping]

What's in the Toy Box?
​

 

Throughout his adventure, Jimmy will come across toy boxes containing all sorts of fun things. If he were in an rpg, these would be the equivalent of treasure chests. But, sometimes you’ll run into special toy boxes that have extra surprises in addition to the normal equipment and items. Let’s see what we might find in this one…
 

Hey, this toy box is filled with confidence. If Jimmy finds this, the next encounter will give him double the imagination experience. This might be perfect to try to get right before a boss or one of those pesky Rad Ghosts…
 

Hmm…this one is filled with disembodied eyes. Not very sanitary, but they’ll make Jimmy super aware, so much that he’ll catch the next random encounter when they’re still asleep. This’ll be an easy win for sure, since sleeping enemies take double the damage!
 

Looks like this one is filled with love! This will fully heal your party, so if you’re feeling the heat from the dungeon, this one can save you having to use your precious MP or healing items.
 

Wow! This toy box is filled with shiny rubies! If you’re a sensible person who keeps plenty of money in the bank, this will be super useful, as you’ll get 20% interest on the money in your bank. If you don’t have any money in the bank, though, this special effect won’t appear.
 

Through the sparkling power of sparkles, this toy box will give you 25 percent of your MP back. Early on, this might not seem to be much, but by the end of the game you’ll have so much MP that this will be potentially incredibly useful.

 

[Junebug]

Just finished playing through the demo. Pretty impressive overall! The art style is nice. The music is excellent. Gameplay moves at a quick pace. I'm interested in seeing the full game. I liked that you could cancel out of some fights when you didn't feel like it, or use the slime's power to grind. That was a good way of controlling battle frequency.


Suggestions:


Early on, before reaching the clubhouse, I had a problem with managing health and MP. I had assumed there was some way to restore myself back at the house, but I didn't find any other way of getting a full restore other than the clubhouse fountain, so I ended up having to repeatedly blow all my money on items, which trapped me in a bit of a vicious cycle. It cost $10 to fully restore my health, but $40 to fully restore MP! This created some weird situations, like health-restoring abilities being useless, since the MP I would be spending was more valuable than the health. Until I got to the clubhouse, I had to grind a bit, not for XP, but for money to afford items to explore further into dangerous territory. So, the balance is a little wonky.


Some of the dialogue for shops was overly wordy. Remember that for the bank or shop, the player is going to be visiting a lot, so the dialogue is going to get old fast. For Mrs. Robin and the bank guy, I found myself mashing A to skip through dialogue over and over again. This might not sound like much, but it can become seriously annoying. Best to keep it short.


A few of the abilities seemed unbalanced. My turn usually consisted of either using a health item attacking with Jimmy, then making Buck go berserk. To be fair, I expect that more varied enemy types are coming later on in development, but the abilities are something that I thought about. I mentioned earlier that healing skills were essentially worthless, since you can buy an item that restores 50% of your health for $5, so your turn would be better spent on using the item.

 

[Housekeeping]

Thanks for the feedback, Junebug!  I'm glad you enjoyed it!


There are health fountains at Jimmy's house and Smile as well; they're out in the open, so maybe I just need to make their function a bit clearer; someone mentioned that might be a problem, so this confirms it.  I've been thinking about cutting the dialogue on repeat visits to shops/banks; I think I'll go ahead and put that on the to-do list now that I've seen an official complaint, haha.  Yeah, there will be more enemy variety--these are just the first few levels.  But, even then, I think you can get more out of your other abilities; grift can cause some interesting effects on some enemies (try stealing from a skitterbones or a turtle stack; I'm already planning on giving more enemies stealable stuff), insult can interrupt enemies when they're charging a strong attack, undulate/sticky phlegm can help you control the flow of the battle (they're also going to get a longer duration in the next update), etc.  Oh, and healing items cost more as the game progresses; they're already $10 once you reach the Wilted Lands, so healing skills aren't so useless.

 

[Housekeeping]

Clubhouse Feng Shui
​

 
​

In Jimmy’s world, you might find yourself coming across strange items with an icon that looks like this:
 

Congratulations! You just found something that can be placed in your clubhouse! The clubhouse is a secret hideout that Jimmy’s filled with awesome stuff. If you’ve played the demo, you might have already visited one already.
 

By placing all of the cool stuff you find in your clubhouse, you’ll get various stat bonuses that affect the entire party. You’ll also notice that many of the objects are part of sets. When you complete a set, you’ll gain a powerful set bonus; you can check which sets you’ve completed on the bulletin board.

There are three types of sets:

Basic Sets can generally be bought from stores. They tend to give low stat gains and only come in sets of four.

Monster Sets can be stolen from monsters. For example, the Bucket of Fish Heads above is part of the gross set, which are held by gross-looking monsters. These come in sets of five and tend to give either higher stat bonuses or other interesting benefits.

Advanced Sets are found in toy boxes. These are rare and powerful sets that give amazing bonuses. There are six pieces to each set; some of the pieces you’ll find out in the open, but other pieces are going to be in the deepest, darkest places…

I’ve also heard about hidden sets, but I don’t know much about them…

The clubhouse also already comes stocked with lots of rad things:
 

This handy fountain fully recovers Jimmy and his party. You might have noticed these in towns as well.
 

This is an official ATM for the First Bank of Grouse. Now you can do all of your banking without having to deal with (bluh!) people!
 

This jukebox will allow you to play any music track that you happen to find as you journey through the world of Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass. Most of these tracks can be found in the level where they play, but some need to be purchased. You even get a free track just for checking the jukebox the first time. Neat!

 

[Housekeeping]

Let's Get to Know You, Rotting Jack O'Lantern!
​

 

Pumpkins: spooky. Whimsical. Gourds. Leave them out in the sun too long? That’s when they turn on you–and this one’s rotten to the core. The Rotting Jack O’Lantern was inhabited by a trickster spirit. It likes to play pranks and then vanish into the night before you even know what hit you. What’s that? You’re on fire? Well, too bad. The Rotting Jack O’Lantern will do anything for a good laugh.

In battle, a Rotting Jack O’Lantern is a fearsome magician, capable of blasting enemies with fireballs and boosting its own magic attack by burning extra MP each turn. A high-level Rotting Jack O’Lantern can use it’s weird ethereal body to completely negate physical attacks.
 

On the field, a Rotting Jack O’Lantern can shoot fire out of its hands, igniting flammable objects and lighting dark areas. Never again will you accidentally stub your toe on your chair when you get up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night–just mind the smoke detector.