A Balanced Brew
Description from itch.io page:
A Unicycle game for coffee lovers It's Saturday morning, 10:30am, and *you haven't had your coffee yet*. Your need for caffeine is undeniable, there's not a bean in the house, and you really, *really* hate walking. That coffee cart can't be too far away, right?
Your eyes find your trusty unicycle across the room. Let's do this.
"A Balanced Brew" is a challenging but charming tale of one person's unicycle-mounted quest for a good coffee, across improbably treacherous terrain.
Features Original crank-driven unicycle gameplay, made for the PlayDate! The most advanced unicycle-coffee-run simulation released on the platform to date! 5 increasingly-caffinated difficulty levels, for a smooth yet full-bodied challenge that lingers nicely on the palate! 40 levels across 2 picturesque locales, filled with devious obstacles! 2 additional game modes for extra challenge: Gauntlet, and Return Trip! A soothing soundtrack to keep you calm on your quest! Unlimited level skips, don't be afraid to use them! you can come back at any time and finish the level later For even more challenge, drink 4 espressos before playing to unlock "jitters mode"! (PSA: probably don't, though. Excess caffeine consumption may cause irritability, mania, insomnia, and an uncomfortably full bladder.) State-of-the-art monochrome facial hair simulation! Testimonials "This is the most Melbourne game imaginable, I love it." "...I'm pretty sure I've seen this guy getting coffee in Brunswick." "This game perpetuates tired unicyclist stereotypes, and doesn't do my moustache justice at all!" Coming Soon 2 more zones with another 40 levels in total! A daily challenge mode!
Gameplay
The game has you balancing on a unicycle to progress through a level. Each level will have a variety of obstacles such as hills, mud, wind and even bird droppings.
To progress forwards the player must tilt slightly forward and use the crank to turn the wheel of the unicycle.
Game Modes
Story - Go through each level one by one
Level Select - Go back to an already completed level and try to get a better score
Daily Grind - A new level to complete every day
Gauntlet - Play through 10 levels without any break
Accessibility
The game features a few different accessibility options such as a change in difficulty, and the ability to skip levels.
Difficulty options
Mocha (easier)
- Greatly increased assistance
- Reduced difficulty on some obtstacles
- 60% Score Multipler
- Best for people who don't want to sweat too much
Cappuccino (easy)
- Increased assistance
- Reduced difficulty on some obtstacles
- 80% Score Multipler
- Best for new unicyclers
Latte (normal)
- Standard assistance
- Standard difficulty on obtstacles
- 100% Score Multipler
- A nice challenge
Macchiato (hard)
- Reduced assistance
- Standard difficulty on obtstacles
- 120% Score Multipler
- Best for practiced unicyclers
Espresso (expert)
- Greatly reduced assistance
- Increased difficulty on some obtstacles
- 150% Score Multipler
- Best for people ok with falling over a lot
Score system
The game will rank how well you do in a level based on how well balanced you are on the unicycle. The score is not determined by speed and only based on how well you maintain balance. Score can be increased by increasing the difficulty level with a max score increase of 150%.
Tips
To obtain a perfect score, the player must not tip forwards or backwards too far. This is indicated from the animation change of the player trying to keep their balance. You can still achieve a perfect score if this animation plays for a little bit.