FoonLudum Dare ExplorerLD28 → Mama is Sick

Mama is Sick

By jaymeemak

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CategoryRankScoreCount
Coolness1100
Mood483.74
Overall843.59
Innovation853.42
Theme1133.29
Audio1563.25
Fun2682.83
Graphics3053.08
Humor3622.02

Comments

garrickwinter 2013-12-17 02:04

We did it, bugs and all! :D

doitle 2013-12-17 02:50

Is there anywhere else besides Facebook you could host the Windows download? (Dropbox, Google Drive)

luker 2013-12-17 02:51

Good game, but what has it to do with the theme?

unept 2013-12-17 02:55

Wow. sobering and powerful. Something I should have my kids play when they complain about their "third world problems." Well done!

jaymeemak 2013-12-17 02:58

@doitle We are uploading a new link now, thank you for your feedback!

@LukeR Thanks for the feedback, in our game you only have $1 a day to help your family survive.

@Unept Your comment means a lot to us, we'd love to hear what your kids think about the game!

liamlime 2013-12-17 03:06

This game deserves a lot more attention than I managed to give it now: "Oh, I'll just play one more game before I leave." I'm giving it a high 'first impression' rating, so it appears in my list of rated games. I'll give it a full playthrough later.

nelien 2013-12-17 03:09

You almost made me cry.. Truth is I've met several people in exactly this situation, forced to choose work (at absurd rates) over school in my travels. This hit home. Nice work.

bsowers 2013-12-17 03:30

That was super depressing but also very, very good.

ariake81 2013-12-17 03:34

an ace idea and great game mechanics, loved the music too!

calahagus 2013-12-17 03:35

Really nicely done! The graphics are disturbingly happy for such a serious game, and the gameplay is very sound. My problem is that the upgrades were a little unclear as to what they did, but I didn't read the instructions so that's probably my fault. Good job!

misterderek2 2013-12-17 03:35

Nice work!

ambi 2013-12-17 03:39

One of the most brutal games I've encountered so far.

pixelfan 2013-12-17 03:39

good job but i dont enjoy

dremelofdeath 2013-12-17 03:40

This fits with the theme, although the flavor text is a little dark. To be honest, this style of turn-by-turn game is not my cup of tea, but the graphics are really good, and the audio is well done.

blooperly 2013-12-17 03:44

Wow that is great. Sad, but great. Also really difficult. Congrats!

seigeengine 2013-12-17 03:51

This is a very interesting game. I found the interface a little confusing at times, but once I resolved the confusion, it was pretty simple, and the concept is powerful.

Well done.

benjamin-soule 2013-12-17 04:04

Sad but interesting game. It was very hard to understand the goat and upgrades mechanic, the fact that grey icon means you dont have the upgrade OR you have it but its unactive, is deceptive. Maybe hiding the price once you bought it.

Selecting the bucket everyday is boring, why not allocate it to someone until you change your mind ? ( like blanket )

infinitenutshell 2013-12-17 04:16

Wow this was really brutal. Excellent use of the theme. I managed to get to the end with only one family member dying, but only because I didn't try to stay in school at all.

garrickwinter 2013-12-17 04:44

Wow, we are really happy and humbled to hear the game made such an impact with you all! Thank you so much for your comments!

@Benjamin & @Calahagus: Thanks for your feedback regarding the interface. This was our first real foray into interface design, so we still have much to learn. We really appreciate your feedback!

pixelbear 2013-12-17 07:44

A very good game! You hit the mood spot on, and it made me empathise about what exactly I'd do if I also had $1 a day, haha. There were a lot of instructions to take in initially, but after reading I found out the game was pretty straight forward anyway. :)

mrtedders 2013-12-17 07:50

Wow, that was dark. Very nice atmosphere you have going in the game. nice work!

popogames 2013-12-17 07:52

Oh man, I can't keep my family alive :(

mephi 2013-12-17 07:59

Very nice mood!

john_conder9 2013-12-17 08:35

Agh why! So sad and depressing, EVERYONE DIED except me. And at the end I had like $30. Man, if I just had a time machine :(

Well. It's hard. It is a bit emotional and sad, especially since the dad writes letters about waiting to see everyone when they are all dead. I don't think I could stand to play another minute of it, so... take that however you want.

katamori 2013-12-17 19:24

First thoughts: DAT THEME...DAT MUSIC...step1, try not to cry, step2, cry a lot...instant 5 for Mood, without hesitation!

This is way the most powerful part of this game. Graphics are enough for this game, music fits perfectly for mood.

Not even sure if I should even rate Fun in this case.

A great-great 5 overall.

xaychru04 2013-12-17 19:33

Depressing game, but nice too. Good job!

ithildin 2013-12-17 20:53

Wow...you've done a terrific job. Gameplay is brilliant: it serves the sad story (and the theme) amazingly well, and so does music. Congratulations!

antila 2013-12-17 21:57

Great job!

_zulli 2013-12-17 22:05

Wow!
Great graphics and music.

Really a game that makes us reflect. Sad and the story box... powerful.
Great game! One of my favorites on this jam, for real! Awesome job!

If you have time, rate my game too! I would really appreciate it :)

kayz 2013-12-17 22:08

Sad game with fitting music. Very good. On my first try everyone died but second time everyone survived. Nice story too.

toureiro 2013-12-17 23:20

Great experience. Thanks for making it!

robhor 2013-12-18 00:13

What a sad game. Well done.

taocayo 2013-12-18 00:17

Moving game, loved the music, the story... everything... I am playing it a second time, and I think I will another time after that. :D it reminded me of Papers Please, one of my favorite games right now!

endesga 2013-12-18 00:21

This is a sad game :(
The graphics are pretty cool though!
I'm not too sure how this connects with the theme but, it's pretty cool nonetheless!

rscar 2013-12-18 02:29

Dang this was heavy

lyje 2013-12-18 02:59

Really moving.

netguy204 2013-12-18 03:31

Serious and well executed. Lots of stars.

olafsworld98 2013-12-18 03:38

everyone except me died so i survived dads coming back.

matrixbai 2013-12-18 08:50

This game is so sad. You guys did it.

brmassa 2013-12-19 06:15

really innovative. i tried several times.

funselektor 2013-12-19 08:13

That was intense, I hope more people play it.

diptoman 2013-12-19 10:14

Brilliant use of the theme! Has all the right feels to it. Full score from me! :')

glovecat 2013-12-19 10:27

Oh, my mum died :( It's a sad game but really interesting and moving, great work!

hadesfury 2013-12-19 12:23

Great game ... played twice but mama did not suvive

thatguy 2013-12-19 18:22

Great way of making people experience, first hand, the hardships that the poorest of this world must go through. Everyone survived and I graduated, but it was rough. Great game!

jacklehamster 2013-12-19 19:05

What a cruel game!
After constantly failing at saving everyone even without going to school, I just tried the other way around, letting my family starve to death so I could study.
I was smiling the whole time until the end, graduated with high honors, and even got enough money to buy me some chic clothes! Yep!

jacklehamster 2013-12-19 19:20

Ok, I redeemed myself by taking the entire family to my graduation. Turns out it works better if you let one member starve for a while, then give double ration.
Good concept!

stvr 2013-12-19 19:22

A gripping and sad experience. I wish the upgrades were a bit clearer, but the ability to go to the menu and re-read the instructions makes it better. Really powerful.

coblynau 2013-12-19 20:11

Very thought provoking, no perfect outcome. Good game!

sertkaya 2013-12-19 21:00

Its soo good, I liked gameplay.

miwuc 2013-12-19 21:56

Beautiful music, nice graphics, and great backstory. Bug god this game is depressing :(

alchiggins 2013-12-19 22:43

This is one of the best games from the jam. Really, really great job at telling a story through game mechanics. This one drew me right in. Thanks for making this.
Mother, grandma, and brother all died the same turn. But at least I graduated, damn it.
Sorry you can't play Digital Toilet World! I wish I were able to port to mac.

stmatn 2013-12-19 23:31

Nice idea and good execution.
I like the graphics!
The setting is quite sad, but thats ok. I think the game will make people think about how hard lift can be for people in the 3rd world!
Nice work!

reverend-speed 2013-12-20 00:04

Sad, interesting game. Music is lovely, though it repeats a bit. Could do with a little more feedback on selecting options - wasn't sure my clicks were registering.

Er...

...is it a little strange that the lesson I took from this was to go hyper-capitalist and let my family die immediately in order to max out my access to food, education and medicine?

Might be worth emphasising the importance of family in small communities like this. Or not? Food for thought.

peacegiverman 2013-12-20 01:26

This is wonderful. You manage to set the right mood and bring us the difficulty that this family is having. And that is great art, especially for someone who isn't an artist.

tigerrenko 2013-12-20 01:33

Uh... good and strong one

javifugitivo 2013-12-20 04:35

Nice work!

venks 2013-12-20 08:03

Interesting UI and a pretty nice game. I can dig it.

unusualcadence 2013-12-20 13:55

Heartbreaking. I had trouble playing, but for the right reasons! Great work.

techblogogy 2013-12-20 15:39

Fixed, it

plaguespark 2013-12-20 16:04

Seems that apple users are mactards. Even main menu displayed with glitches. I mashed some <back> button on first day ... no results.

garrickwinter 2013-12-20 16:57

@plaguespark Thanks for the feedback. We didn't explain how some of the buttons work in the instructions; I believe you were pressing the reset button (for resetting all purchases made that day). The "pause" button is actually what brings you back to the main menu. What kind of glitches occurred with the main menu?

occash 2013-12-20 18:49

I like it.. when I lost, I thought that I'll cry)
Good job!

techblogogy 2013-12-20 19:29

Game is good, but I can't find a connection to the theme.

garrickwinter 2013-12-20 19:37

Thanks for the feedback! Our interpretation of the theme is that the player only gets one dollar a day on which to survive.

zkenshin 2013-12-21 00:58

Great use of theme, though I died quite quickly.
Great job!

dementor561 2013-12-21 02:28

cool

eskivor 2013-12-21 03:37

Nice music, but can we win the game ?

gatechgrad 2013-12-21 09:23

Neat game. I like how you have to balance all the different variables to keep everyone alive.

nsun 2013-12-21 12:49

So sad... Today we eat water. Bon appétit and especially chew well your water.

postmodestie 2013-12-21 19:53

Interesting experience, touching like Charles Dickens. And very good execution!

jaymeemak 2013-12-21 20:48

@eskivor In a sense - if you are very careful, you can help your family survive as well as graduate from school.

lonestranger 2013-12-22 05:47

Depressing, but interestingly done.

dodobird 2013-12-22 13:10

Good job.. Somewhat depressing. Good job all the same!

moosefly 2013-12-22 16:27

Good game with a well done mood! Very challenging. I liked it and found myself saddened when someone died because I wanted to see everyone survive. Well done! One of the best games I've played! -J

kvisle 2013-12-22 16:44

This is a very sad game. It's good, but it's so depressing. I had my entire family die before me, before I managed to keep myself alive (but on the other hand, it suddenly got very easy)

bananaandgames 2013-12-22 17:09

Now I'm all sad :'(

mcapraro 2013-12-23 06:06

very interesting concept

mmickyman 2013-12-24 02:15

The slow pacing and the subject make it a wearing experience. I lost 2 people but managed to graduate.

It's hard to tell with the UI how the upgrades work.

christina-nordlander 2013-12-28 15:27

Wow, that's a powerful experience. You should definitely be proud of it. It looks professional, and most of the graphics are great. Excellent writing: the family members get quite a bit of personality, even the father. I like how you put in random events (at least I assume they were randomly generated; I only played a couple of times). I can see this game being used in debate/education about poverty.

On the downside, it took a while to learn what all the meters meant, and I'm still not sure I've figured it all out. But that's my problem, not yours.

A good gaming experience, without sugarcoating the unpleasant reality. I'll come back and see if I can do better next time.

tex-killer 2013-12-29 06:20

Very sad, really takes you away from reality... It is nice to have something different :)

steamgirl 2013-12-29 17:35

Very touching game, really enjoyed playing it! What a great take on the theme. Boy am I grateful to that family that kept sending $1 a day, could not have survived without it. The storytelling was also very cute and added a lot of character to the game.

PS. I haven't rated the audio (for some reason it didn't play for me).

kayelgee 2013-12-30 01:51

This game sets a really good mood.

ayame9joe 2013-12-30 10:48

Educational one.

ultrarat 2013-12-30 18:42

Nice take on serious theme. A few tooltips would go a long way to helping players understand the UI quicker.

teamflare 2013-12-31 15:02

A sad game, but well done. Good job.

alexfili 2014-01-04 10:56

Quiet a sad game but well done. I often make games like this but it's good to see some interesting changes. The interface could be more helpful but overall a good effort.

steamgirl 2014-01-04 12:10

Over the last week this game has come up in conversation with almost everyone I've hung out with. Left a really strong impact.

job_ 2014-01-06 19:29

Interesting. This is not a game you "play in a minute". I really like it. Everything is well balanced, you get a good mood of the game, the graphics are nice... I think this is the best game yet I've seen, this-style. Nice job! :)

vanhavihtahousu 2014-01-06 20:46

I really didnt expect for this... really sad game and that is a compliment in this case. The mood on this one is spot on in this one. Not your usual gaming experience.

kbake 2014-01-06 20:54

Unept said it and I can't think of a better word: sobering. Well done!

hardgrafter 2014-01-06 22:59

A very moving game! Well Done!