Note: web version is missing special effects (shaders), but they're only decorative. It also requires you to press Space to advance past text.

Navigate a collapsed cavern to find a creature of legend.

Created for the Eggplant Game Jam #9: "Reinventing Basketball". There's not a lot of baskets in Explorb, but the original idea came from creating something around ball handling and a tweet from ChevyRay about building exploration in 2D:

thinking about 2D game exploration again and how much it frustrates me with its limitations. constantly trying to figure out ways to give myself a sense of exploration when the amazing discovery benefits of 3D cannot be applied.
...
the absence of “looking” alone is just, so debilitating. you can’t look off in the distance, you can’t wonder what’s around a corner, you can’t see a goal from far away, you can’t worry about what might be behind you.

Controls

Move with LS or wasd/arrows.
Throw/push the ball with RB or left click.
Pull/catch the ball with LB or right click.

Regrets

I didn't manage to make it as far as I'd hoped on this project, but the complete gameloop is there: use the explorb to clear away debris, explore, and discover what awaits. I wanted to add more movement, more hints at what's hidden beneath the debris.

I also wanted to experiment with the ball controls more to give more gameplay to tossing the ball around.

Maybe I'll revisit it in the future.