Foon → Ludum Dare Explorer → LD48 → Mystical Island
By azakharov, AnthonyHarmitage, BarinDwalin and Dora
| Category | Rank | Score | Count | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 1518 | 3.13 | 130 | |
| Fun | 1607 | 2.81 | 130 | |
| Innovation | 993 | 3.14 | 130 | |
| Theme | 1345 | 3.28 | 129 | |
| Graphics | 1400 | 3.17 | 131 | |
| Audio | 1023 | 3.02 | 127 | |
| Humor | 1162 | 2.35 | 114 | |
| Mood | 964 | 3.46 | 125 |
Very cool idea, and a nice mix between text-adventure and RTS, but I find it really hard to know where to go and what to do - everything feels up to chance. On the other hand though, I really love the art style and think the way the map is plotted out is really clever.
I liked the idea, didn't notice you could click explore on the top right. Just keep dying haha
Really cool idea, played it a few times but didn't manage to find a single stone, maybe I'm doing something wrong :smiley:. Wish the game would show how much of the resources I need like 5/10 or something.
@freamdev probably we did something wrong! :smile:
I enjoyed this, thanks. The explore button was a little hard to notice at first but it worked out.
TODO: review game
WOo nice mood, I like it a lot. I had to unzoom the window to see the whole screen Are the events random ?
@dhim thanks! Yes - events and researches are random and depends on tile type.
Really hard game. Loved the atmosphere and the sounds. I sort of figured out how to keep your stamina and hunger up but did not find solution for health.
The cover and screenshot remind me of Civilization at the first sight, but the mechanics are quite different. I love the idea and the art!
Cool idea! I struggled a little with the UI feedback, though. It's not clear where you can and cannot click D:
Nice concept, had fun exploring. I feel like the tiles that could be explored would have benefited from an eye icon or similar to click rather than moving up the explore button top right. Nice work with the theme!
Hi, the mood and atmosphere of the game is really good. The map is neat and filled with a lot of events. I think it's a bit too hard at the beginning, I guess you have to get better RNG - something which my game also suffers from.
I think it would've been nice to have a player figure on the map even if it can teleport around. I was a bit confused at first.
Overall neat!
👊 Not bad! 2021-04-26_145423.png
Cool game ! Music is quite spooky ahah it does make you feel the stress of the atmosphere, are the effects random or is there a "win route" ?
@FDK There are a couple of predetermined tiles, but all in all, most of the events are tile-based, but random. I'm glad that the music spooks ^_^
Cool game
Seem quite complex. I'm not used to this type of game so I had a hard time figuring out what was going on. Once I did I had an enjoyable experience. Great work!
Cool game! I like the idea and the island visuals are really cool and mysterious. It felt a little too random for me to be interested in choosing what tile to pick next. I had no indication of what any tile might have.
Enjoyed it! Seems a bit tough and up to chance, but I imagine being stuck on an island would be quite a similar experience :)
Man, it's tough! But I keep getting better and better at surviving, still no win though :)
Nice entry. I was actually a bit disappointed that events were random as I couldn't learn from my mistakes at each run. The concept is good. Multiple times I was on the verge of dying and suddently got an event wich saved me, if it's intentional it's a really nice touch.
Well done!
I really enjoyed this, some nice graphics and a cool take on the theme that gives way to unique gameplay. Well done.
I died several times :( I love music/sounds.
its fun but clicking explore is repetitive and gets old quickly.
Fun: A little bit annoying. There was a lot of bad rng. I liked it but it got a bit annoying at times.
Innovation: It is a survival game and I dont see many survival games in game jams.
Theme: Interesting take on the theme.
Graphics: I liked the graphics. I think the notifications in the top right could have been better in the middle of the screen because I didnt notice them at first.
Audio: I liked the ambient sounds and background music.
Humor: There might have been a bit of gruesome humor.
Mood: Really good. The audio and mysterious people really helped.
Overall: Nice game. You should update post-jam.
Nice game, really like to see this kind of game in jams since i don't play them very usually, so since I'm not so good with those kind of mechanics I struggled a bit to progress. But overall well done =D
Really fun game, i tried it several times, noticed water was gas, until water killed me, really nice
I like the idea but i dont rly understand how i can incerease my chances of survival?
@mero go to river and explore every tile of it when you need stamina or food. Then collect wood, leaves, vives and sticks in forest or jungle. But random events still can kill you)
Oh boy what a disaster that lurks on (seemingly) every tile. It felt like Frodo's journey. But at least you made a game where you can formulate that kind of journey in your head.
This is the one of the most diverse game regarding theme and mechanics. I liked it! RNG is hard but I guess that's like it is... A marker, where you are and some highlighting where you can go would be awesome!
Like the idea, game volume was a bit loud at the start but interesting game.
I think the RNG is weighted a little on the unfair side, but I've gotta say: this is a really cool idea, and a fun experience. I'm going to be poking around on the little island for a while I expect.
Seems like we had kind of similar concept but it seems like your game world is more unique/interesting. I really like your world/map and the way you uncover the art as you walk around. Awesome job!
Your use of audio to set tone was skillful. That the events I encountered were all negative was very harsh. As a result, I didn't really want to explore. I think it would be a good idea to mix in some very positive events, give the user a dopamine rush every now and again to keep them going.
I really liked the game on a conceptual level--the overhead tile exploration with an emphasis on audio for storytelling. I think you're onto something here.
The sounds are adding a kind of time pressure, which is nice for the mood. Unfortunately I didn't manage to find any stone. Also it was for me a little bit too random, or I didn't get the logic behind.
Really interesting and moody game, and a good take on the theme.
This game is really harsh, but I guess that's what being deserted on an island is like :smile: I really like the idea behind this game, I hope you develop it more outside the jam. It really reminded me of the 7th Continent board game. I like how you can uncover tiles and then additionally also explore. It's really my type of game! One other note - I wish the border for explorable tiles was more obvious, right now it was really hard to tell the yellow and green ones apart.
Great game idea! Feels a bit too hard on the first try. Love how many events there are, they give you a lot of immersion. All in all good job with the game!
@treslapin tiles indication is really bad. We will work on that. Thanks!
Very cool game. Love the idea.
I really like the idea. The map is cool! Maybe we could need a bit more information on where to click ? The sound effect and the music are nice, they contribue to the stress on the island. good job!
I liked the idea and your take on the theme!
Nice idea! Game was a bit harsh though, fell down a hole or something and died immediately!
Wasn't immediately obvious how to play, but worked it out after clicking around a bit :)
Great Game! Tried and died multiple times but I guess that's what happens when one is stranded on a mystical island. As others have mentioned before, the explore window is easy to miss.
Will most likely come back to it to play some more.
A nice idea on the theme and overall pretty good, however at the beginning its overwhelming so maybe you could split it up into different islands or have some of it completely hidden but still great.
Pretty please allow us to toggle audio or control volume! This could be an interesting board game I think.
This is super nice, awesome how a simple grid can give so much exploration feelings, I really like the concept but I think some decisions in the execution hurt the game, the Explore Button is the most important thing in this game and is almost hidden from the player, and the popups stopping the gameplay and have to be clicked to leave the screen is very annoying. The concept is really interesting though, well done!
Recommend putting the controls in your description! But super neat take on the theme with a simple, approachable mechanic. Awesome job!
Nice concept but it's pretty much up to chance right now, or am I missing something?
Nice art, sound effects and mood!
OVerall very good, well done!
Nicely done with sounds and graphics!
I played a bit, and even though it is fun to venture diving into the jungle I didn't understand what should I as a player do? It feels like the game plays itself and I only press the button to read the next part of a story. The only decision I make is what tile to explore next, but there is no knowledge I can apply to understand which tile I should choose.
I like that there is no player on a map, it creates a sort of first person exploration feeling.
Overall, certainly a great jam entry!
P.S. Also a nitpick: when I read "Hunger +6" it feels that I am getting more hungry, however in the game it is quite opposite :)
Love the concept and the interpretation of the theme! Also rely conveys the feeling of being stranded on your own very well!
Only thing I was struggling with was to anticipate what my actions will lead to. Might make it easier to give players more input so they can make more informed decisions.
Fun, took me a few goes to figure out the top right explore button. but once I did was a fun little game :D Great work
Really nice game :
Clever idea, and a great take on the theme! I feel like there's not a ton of player agency - you click on a square and something happens to you, but you have no way of knowing the potential consequences or how to influence those consequences. I'd love to see this expanded with either more information provided to the player, or diferent things they could do to influence the outcome. Still, good job!
Good idea!
Although the concept is really cool, I have the feeling that there's not really any strategy to it and I am just clicking around, unless I missed something?
Cool writing :)
Really cool idea, feels a bit like Oregon trail. I wish that you had options to choose from when exploring (like risk-reward or play it safe). Right now it's somewhat random, so I can't really control my own fate much.
The writing is amazing, I was really immersed in the story! Love the gameplay in general too. Good job.
Enjoyed this one a lot! Took me a little while to get what I was meant to do, but once I got into the flow of it, it was a fun adventure!
I think some extra polish on the UI might help though, it was a little all over the place with the text boxes.
Can't complain though, I had plenty of fun!
The basic concept is good, but playing it seem random. Maybe some kind of choice could be better then random events
I was a but confused at first but then I found out how I was supposed to play. Nice little game, I like the sounds
Congratulations on the game, the big problem I see in games like this is to stay in touch with luck, and not giving the player the opportunity to make his strategy, I believe that making this style of play is one of the most difficult because to work well you have to count on a series of things very well done and aligned to work, and it certainly takes a long time to be built, I appreciate the opportunity to play your game, a big hug to everyone, and I await your evaluations regarding my game.
Hehs, very cute game ;)
The concept is great, I like your take on the expansion mechanics. For a prototype, it's already playable, but it would be good if you can add some feedback for what's happening, like sound effects and so on. Overall it's a solid entry and an interesting idea of the game. Great job!
I really like this idea. This kind of one-screen management sim is perfect for a jam game. One thing that is a little confusing at first is that the meter labeled Hunger goes up when you eat-- it probably should either be reversed, or labeled Food. I want it to be that you need to build up resources by going around the outside of the island before slowly moving towards the center, going back to the outside when you lose resources again. It would make the inside feel more special-- as it is, my experience was that I had was that I died no matter what I did. Cool idea though, and well executed.
I like the idea and the concept, I think the game fits perfectly the theme. Just needs a bit of polish and it would be really cool!
Nice idea and the music matches the mood perfectly. Sometimes it feels a bit too much left to random chances, though. It would be nice to have more control over your choices.
I liked the concept !
As others said above, some events feel a bit too random to me, you don't feel like your choices meant that much, it's either you get good stuff or you get the boot. Maybe a system with several choices for each event could be great (Like spending some of the resources to gain others maybe ?)
Good job anyway, congrats !
Very cool idea, liked the mood a lot. Would have wished it felt less random and to have some sort of strategy to optimize your health, hunger and stamina (like collecting food and having the freedom to eat it once per turn, choosing when to set a camp, etc). But I did retry the game many times, which shows how fun the gameplay loop is! Nice job!
I wish there was a way to spend some of my resources to rest and heal as that was usually how I ended dying. Really enjoy the idea here!
Recorded my first playing experience: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdA7naxc9aI Hope this will be interesting for you to see :)
I died...a lot...But I love the idea, and there's lots of varied writing in here. I like that the running water kicks in when you find yourself close to a river. Nice entry all in all, congrats!
Good idea for a game! I just kinda wish you changed the font...