The Cell
Platform: Java
You're in prison. You can't help it, you're a convict; that's what convicts do. But then again, you're no ordinary criminal... your name is Sidney and you have special powers worthy of the X-Men: you can make a clone (or two) of yourself. As Kevin Glass' pixelated puzzler entry for the recent Ludum Dare, The Cell takes you through ten levels of prison escaping. Using the [arrow] keys to move around and [spacebar] to create a duplicate of yourself in whichever direction you are facing, it is your mission to have all the red buttons depressed to open the exit. Standing in your way is a small assortment of traps and dozing guards, who will wake if you enter an adjacent square (though not your clones).
It is no easy feat getting out of a prison cell again and again and again. There to aid you are your trusty clones, who follow your every move unless an object is blocking them, and wooden crates, which can be pushed around to serve several functions. Considering that this game can be finished in under an hour, this imaginary world must be filled with casual gaming felons who are imprisoned for no more than twenty minutes before they're out breaking the law again. How much time would you serve in this hypothetical place? Play through Glass' 48 hour creation and find out.
Game play is fantastic, puzzles are clever. I'd love to see this game be given more fleshing out - more levels (heck, even just a "you've won!" screen would be great), more mechanisms, maybe some achievements and secrets...
however, for a 48 hour game, I love it.
Excellent piece of work bearing in mind the time constraint!
5/5
Might be a good game. I can't tell seeing as I can't get past level 2... Am I an idiot or just missing something obvious?
@ Douglas: Help for level 2, "Need Help?"-
Your clone will appear in whatever square you're facing.
Use the structure of the room to your advantage.
Although the clone will follow your every move, if it is blocked by an obstruction, it will stay put.
Your clone can depress buttons just like you.
If you need the solution:
Create the clone in one of the upper cubbies to the left.
Head into the cubby below him so that he is now two squares above you.
Now exit. Your clone should push the button when you're in front of the gate, allowing you to pass through.
No mention of DROD anywhere in the review? Seriously?
stuck on level 6. Can block both lasers but then can't get the clone into the right position to get the button.... any hints....please?
An excellent idea that would benefit greatly by having higher resolution graphics, more levels and a bit of tidying up of its user interface.
Yep, like baba44713 I too was expecting roaches, tar, Halph and a Slayer to appear at any moment. :)
@ vixstar: Help for level 6, "Zap Zap":
I assume that you have the clone doing the dirty work for you in the upper half moving the boxes to block the lasers (There's a way to get yourself up there too, but I haven't figured out how to win in that scenario).
Since the clone is above you, you need to find a way to get it below you so it can push the button while you exit.
Remember, if your clone is blocked, it will stay put even if you can move around.
Here's the solution:
Once you've blocked the lasers, move the clone so he's below one of the boxes.
Now move yourself up until you reach the top wall. You should be above him now.
Position the clone so he is below the median wall.
Now move yourself up the right amount of squares so that he will depress the button while you exit!
When I press [spacebar], nothing happens. I can move around with the [arrow] keys just fine, but no clones. So, not such a great gaming experience. :( Anyone else having this problem?
@NyenK: Do you have green dots by 'Power' in the lower right corner? That's the indicator for the cloning power. Not all levels start you out with any (though most do). Also, if you're facing an obstruction, you won't be able to create a clone.
Is there a way to restart the game without refreshing the page? Alternately, is there a way you can get an ad network that only accepts audio ads with sound buttons? The ads are annoyingly loud and there's no way to turn their sound off... and if there's no way to restart the game without seeing it every time, well, that's a bummer, because this website seems to have cool games.
@ Leyna: You can restart a level by pressing [R].
I need help for level 8. Anyone?
Help for Level 8, "Multitask"
Tips:
The layout of the level is always purposeful. Use that to your advantage.
You need one clone directly to the left and one three blocks to the right.
Remember: To change the distance between you and your clone, simply position your clone so that you can move, but it can't.
Walkthrough:
Head to the far right and position yourself so you're facing down from the third row up.
Produce your first clone just below you. It should be between the far right wall and the first island wall tile.
Head directly left so you're below the gate.
Move down to the bottom wall. You should now be in the same row as your clone.
Go back up two tiles then right one tile. Your first clone should now be three tile to your right.
Head left one tile and make your second clone.
Now head straight up and out the exit.
I did get it to work on my mac, but it was using Safari. I came across one issue, when I closed the game it made my sound go off until I manually quit the java application. Other than that it does work.
Update