awppy 2012-12-18 01:11
Very nice mood to this game. The aesthetic was nice, too. A bit straightforward, but held my attention.
Foon → Ludum Dare Explorer → LD25 → The Cards Never Lie
By saguaro
| Category | Rank | Score | Count | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 8 | 3.98 | ||
| Audio | 7 | 4.02 | ||
| Mood | 3 | 4.35 | ||
| Coolness | 1 | 100 | ||
| Humor | 35 | 3.50 | ||
| Graphics | 50 | 4.04 | ||
| Fun | 64 | 3.33 | ||
| Innovation | 84 | 3.27 | ||
| Theme | 150 | 3.36 |
Very nice mood to this game. The aesthetic was nice, too. A bit straightforward, but held my attention.
Really great! Would love to see this setting and theme expanded into something a little longer.
Having problems with MediaFire. Just won't download.
Writing was excellent, as was the audio. A little bit more skipping through text without interactive elements than I would've liked, but it did hold my interest through the end.
This is honestly one of the greatest games I've ever played. The mood was fantastic and I was in suspense the entire time. Mixed in with some comedy it was fantastic!
Very fun, although after a while the music got repetitive, and I got a little of all of the dialogue. Overall it was very fun!
This was very good ^.^
Really cool idea! I really liked the setting and mood
Nice story!
a bit much clicking in the beginning but the rest was very cool!
Wow, best game I've played so far, please continue to develop this game!!
I really liked it!
Excellent atmosphere. Probably should throw a age warning or something at the front, just so people know what they are in for.
For a Jam entry, my only remark is that it doesn't really fit the theme very well (the protagonist is more gray area and acts like the 'good guy'). Other than that, top marks for everything. I did not expect to see something like this as an LD entry.
Due to its quality, I'll critique it as a normal visual novel instead of a jam game.
The writing is really, really good. Seriously, I don't think I've ever read such good writing in an OELVN before. It was really interesting to read and had a lot of charm. The style and atmosphere were also fantastic, using limited resources to great effect.
However, while the plot starts off promising, it ends up being incredibly shallow and disappointing. The detective work is limited to reading each person's profile, having a single conversation with each person and getting a couple of lines of information from Archie. While in a mystery you'd expect some hints, foreshadowing, red herrings and the like to keep you guessing for a bit until the answer is revealed, The Cards Never Lie presents all information so clearly you make an immediate correct guess as to who the culprit is, and the story never adds anything to it - in the end, you have to 'solve' the mystery with the vague guess you get as soon as you have the relevant information. There are no suspicious people and there are no misunderstandings - there's some information implicating someone (the kind that usually is either a misunderstanding or a part of a larger whole), and all of that information turns out 100% accurate and can be taken at face value.
For that matter, none of the other suspects matter to the story, only serving as a distraction. Nothing of what they say or do has anything to do with the case, their backstories not only never become relevant but are never really revealed (why waste the reader's time with something that both isn't relevant and will never become interesting?), and they don't even serve as convincing suspects. With the little character interaction you have with each character, most feel very shallow as well - their personalities are limited to the things that happened in their backstories, and they don't really feel like more than walking plot devices.
Still, I again have to commend your writing skills - with a better plot and characters (probably more likely when you aren't on a strict time limit) you'd probably be capable of making a masterpiece. I'll definitely have to check out your other works. (Though it may be a while until I do, since the next translation patch for Rewrite is just around the corner and that will probably eat up a LOT of my time.)
I liked your game.
Graphically, it's really good (except Collen who scared me with her deadly smile....)
Music and sounds are coherent with the mood.
The story is well written but there is no really puzzle to find the culprit. Also, your character is not really a villain. She lies/tricks people to make money but she doesn't have a morally questionable goal.
Anyway, good job :)
Besides the fact that Claire isn't really that villainous, I liked it.
This is the best game I've played so far, I really hope this wins in the Overall Jam category. You could make a bigger game out of this, I'd definitely pay for it.
The writing kept me very interested from the beginning to the end and the last part with the misunderstanding was genius.
Also, I really liked the font you used and the "card" theme in the visuals.
I only didn't give a 5/5 for everything because Claire isn't very villainous.
Incredible game! I love it!
Very daring to try this kind of game for a jam ! great writing, nice UI and all. Only complaint is that in the end, your question dont matter that much since its kind of all solved by the final hint alone.
Excellently crafted visual novel for such a short period of time. There's some well written dialogue and an intriguing atmosphere; it's immediately evident that this is a genre that you and/or your team is comfortable with.
I'll admit, I found myself reaching for the Load function more than I probably should have. Take that as you will.
Amazingly well-done game. Absolutely love it. The writing was superb. :D :D :D
Was a great mood game, but after a long while of text and reading, I did get a bit bored. I didn't really know what to do once I got control so I grabbed the phone, called Anderson and reported Richard as the killer. An exception occured, then Anderson said that Richard WAS the killer and the game ended...???
Excellent application of the noir motif, with some nice little subversive twists on the formula. A very compellingly written protagonist - a joy to play. Great work!
This was really polished for a Jam entry! I wish it was possible to see each of the clients more than once and get to know them a bit more, but I was impressed with the amount of content you had anyways.
Very intresting experience, but I feel it needed a bit more interactivity and "game" to it to be truly excelent.
Nevertheless, one of the best entries I've played yet.
Good Job!
Sorry I don't have the patience for this and for the long long long ass intro. Gfx looks decent and the mood is perfectly set in the begining scenes though.