Who Says You Can’t Go to Space on a Hydrojet Pack?

That’s right, my thirteenth game (my eleventh for #onegameamonth) is called Who Says You Can’t Go to Space on a Hydrojet Pack?, and it’s about a person who tries to go to space on a hydrojet pack which has been modified to refuel mid-flight by eating clouds. Yep, the premise is as silly as the title. The #onegameamonth theme this month was “Clouds,” so that should help explain things a little.

The plan was to rest a bit after Bouncy Planet, which had involved a lot of long hours and late nights for me. So I came up with a simple game idea, and then I just kept making it more and more complicated because apparently I can’t take it easy anymore. That’s okay, though, because this game definitely took a lot less time to make. I started relatively late in the month, and I finished fairly early. Except then I decided it needed sound and music, since I had so much time left. My mom wrote the music (on short notice) again, just like A Snowball’s Chance. Also, you may notice the return of particle effects, courtesy of Richard’s Stardust engine, which he built for Bouncy Planet.

Speaking of Richard, this is his final month for #onegameamonth, and I hear he’s been working really hard on this one. Go take a look!

6 thoughts on “Who Says You Can’t Go to Space on a Hydrojet Pack?”

  1. You will not go to space today.

    Also, these clouds are like Dr. Doak and if they’re not where you need them, you just can’t win. Now, when they peek at you from behind your hydro-readout (which somehow blocks me) they’re more like the duck hunt dog, laughing at me.

    1. So… Did you win? Or did you have a bad problem with the clouds?

      And besides, you can totally win no matter where Dr. Doak is. You just can’t unlock the invincibility cheat.

      1. I have since won. It helps to use short bursts rather than a constant stream.
        There seems to be a bit of jerkyness in the animation when you grab some clouds. (I’m guessing because the complicated cloud particles suddenly stop being rendered)
        It would be nice to have some sort of speedometer or other reference for how fast you’re moving. Course, the way that’s usually done in flying games is showing clouds moving behind you.

        1. Maybe a horizon giving way to stars as a point of reference?

          Anyway, another tip: fall from a few clicks back into the ocean and sink as far as you can. Then perform a constant burn while under water until you break the surface.

          You’ll gather enough momentum to rise a few clicks before having to actually expend any stored fuel.

  2. Ok, that was hard. But we proved the naysayers wrong.

    Fun game, loved the space-selfie! If you ever revisit these in the future, I think this one is ripe for additions. Items, hazards, etc.

    1. Fun behind-the-scenes fact: In a bid to keep things low-effort, the game was originally just going to return you to the main menu when you won. At the last possible second, I decided that wasn’t good enough and wound up drawing that space-selfie in a mad rush during the last hour of the final day.

      I’ve done some crazy last-minute artwork before, but nothing like this. The win screen for Marcela Martins and the Mystical Mutable Map was done entirely on the last day, for instance, but I spent something like eight hours on that and had it planned out ahead of time.

      I’m glad you liked it! It makes the effort that goes into these little details worthwhile.

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