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Lern Island Letters
Lern Island Letters
By andori-paic and Tom_Oak
View on ldjam.com
| Category | Rank | Score | Count |
|
|---|
| Overall | 71 | 4.19 | 28 | |
| Fun | 155 | 3.94 | 28 | |
| Innovation | 80 | 4.08 | 27 | |
| Theme | 54 | 4.46 | 28 | |
| Graphics | 82 | 4.50 | 28 | |
| Humor | 308 | 3.55 | 28 | |
| Mood | 102 | 4.18 | 27 | |
Comments
drainkid
2023-05-02 01:16
Really neat concept! I was kinda confused though - it seemed like there was an undercurrent where I should have been sending evidence of the ruins to that one specific person, but whenever I did, it would always come back as mis-sent and the game wouldn't acknowledge it. I even sent the final letter stating the ruins' existence outright to her and I still got the ending where the island couldn't be saved. I also would have liked some more intricate puzzles to the letters - 5-6 days in and the majority of the mail is still being labelled by-name, whereas the intro letter made me feel like I was going to have to do more detective work to tell what was going to who.
Still though, it was a cool game and I really enjoyed the vibes. Great work!!!
awr
2023-05-02 04:38
Loved this one. very atmospheric!
Very much a nice and relaxing atmosphere, mood is great and the concept is simple, really enjoyed it.
Very fun game, really love the idea and graphics. I like that there is actually some story going on in the background and it's not all just random letters and stuff, really gives more life to the game!
3mpty
2023-05-02 12:59
Cute concept, great presentation, I enjoyed getting to know the residents, I wish I'd been more attentive, maybe I'll replay it for the good ending sometime :)
I wish the detective action took place a little earlier. Theres some good deduction towards the end, but early on there is very little challenge. I do note that the puzzles are well designed though, each seems to have multiple ways of deducing the correct answer and I think that's great.
Overall super cool, I love the lighthouse.
very nice atmosphere, i enjoyed it a lot! its an interesting project, well done!
Really beautiful game, loved the funny newspaper titles. The atmosphere was great and it was a unique way to approach the concept.
What an excellent little game. Loved the stories you told through envelopes alone and how you kind of got to know the residents just by seeing what sort of mail they got. The letter animations were really nice as well, everything felt very polished. Sound was definitely noticeably absent but the game was intriguing and engaging nonetheless. I think if this got some soundscape and maybe more content you could release this as a small indie game. Very well done :D
OH I loved this game. absolutely incredible, concise and self-contained. Absolutely stands out among the games I've tried so far. I couldn't figure out how to save the island but the concept here is incredible, and I would love to see a full, larger version of this game someday.
grizeldi
2023-05-02 16:11
Great little story based game. I like that the (in)accuracy of your work actually impacts the ending of the game. Some relaxing sea waves sounds would go a long way in improving the atmosphere even further.
sarry
2023-05-03 08:28
This is such an interesting and engaging way to build storytelling! The game's concept really drew me in, and I found myself becoming more and more invested in the characters with each letter I opened. The decision-making element added a layer of depth to the experience. With no timer to hurry me up, I appreciated the way it allowed me to shape the narrative with my own edition :)
so calm and refreshing loved it !
aloya
2023-05-03 15:32
It has cool visual but I think some peaceful or calm music won't get in the way.
Really great game, I love the concept of being able to read the mail you're sorting, rather than it just being random filler text like a lot of other games! I think I got the good ending by sending the confidential letter to Bernard. The whole puzzle element of having to sometimes use your better judgement on where to deliver the letter based on what you've previously read was also great.
I think this concept could really work in a full game with a longer story, with more intertwining parts to think about and more mechanics. Although, it might be important for there to be a way to view previous letters/information again, like you can with the letters addressed to yourself.
There were also some really nice details considering it's a game jam project too, such as all the letters using different handwriting fonts, and being given back the letters that you delivered incorrectly.
It may have been nice for there to be more of a penalty for delivering mail to the wrong place, e.g. needing to restart that day. Because sometimes it was unclear to me if I made the right decision or not, apart from the final day where you get to see the consequences of where you sent the letter, which was a really cool.
Overall, this was really nice to play and I'd love to see a longer version; but I also think it feels perfectly complete already if you choose not to expand on it!
Fun game, I like that characters are introduced with different habits and progressively becomes less obvious. I would even like to see an extended version with even more obscure recipients, maybe as a bonus objective ?
I liked that there was an underlying story in which you could participate, without being explicitly told you can have an impact. I picked up on JP colluding with the organization, but didn't realize all it took was for me to route the letters to someone else until the last letter evidently revealing their involvement.
The visuals were really nice too, really fitting for the kind of vibe the game is going for, and although I would've liked just a few sounds or a soothing ambient track it came out as a really well polished experience.
Reading from the comments that wrongly sent letters would come back, I did not appear to have made a mistake in the sorting process. I feel as if I'm an expert postman, yay ! :joy:
Anyway, props on making a great game, had a good time playing it !
luxiffre
2023-05-03 20:42
Ohhhh this is nice! I came for the chill vibes that the thumbnail gave me, but I honestly didn't expect to have this much fun figuring out everyone's personalities and peculiarities. Had a really great time, I can absolutely see this as a larger-scale game!
Some constructive criticism: - If you want to expand on this game, I'd recommend an option to show a letter's text in a simpler font style (e.g. through a HUD) for accessibility reasons. I'm aware that accessibility isn't necessarily the biggest focus during short game jams like this one, though, so of course I won't hold it against you! - I liked the ending, it felt extremely satisfying to be able to stop the construction project. Still, it seems kind of wrong for there to be no consequences for one's job. After all, it was a severe violation of secrecy of correspondence. I'm not a lawyer and I don't know if it being a case of corruption provides enough of an incentive for them not to sue the postal office worker, but it would certainly have to be addressed imo. Might be an interesting starting point in case you want to develop this game further!
For me, that's perfect. Everything is on the good place except one point: just sad about the silent but, maybe it's just a little bug on my machine? Anyway, an absolutely sweet game. i wanted to open some letters to see the inside content haha :smile: Thank you for that great game! Good job!
I think my favourite game so far honestly. Came here because you played our game (To: Tony) and I definitely see the similarities as you said. But this game has a wonderful vibe, I loved getting to know each of the characters (Bella's pets are my favourite) and the ending is very clever (although I will say I tried to break the rules and send one of the confidential documents to the lawyer lady a little too early and the game didn't like it. Also, idk if it was an issue on my end but I didn't have audio - a bit of a nice soundscape is really the only thing it's missing I feel. Regardless though, an excellent game, well done! 5 stars overall from me :) PS. Best way to do credits. Who is Bernard irl?
willby
2023-05-04 08:25
That was beautiful! Here for the same reason as @miraculousmelon. There are similarities but your game still surprised me so much! I loved BuildYourOwnShovel Inc so much and I need it in my life. There was a lot of really cool subtle details and basing it around the story of a waterpark being built on a cozy island was a very interesting way to frame the story! Well done, amazing!
zxeno
2023-05-04 12:15
This was absolutely a wonderful game! The presentation was smooth and very well polished. The attention to detail on the various pieces of mail was a very nice touch. I got way more invested in the story than I expected and really enjoyed it overall. I only routed one package wrong and it was mostly a mis-click :laughing: But this was a great game and a great interpretation of the theme!
Veeeery sad that there is no ambient sound... I would have loved to gear seagulls, paper creasing, maybe a boat far away, the waves on the beach... I would have given so much to the atmosphere !
Besides that the gameplay works very well, you did a good job for a short game time like this, and it feels satisfying to send the proper letter to the proper receiver :)
2023-05-08 07:57
This is such a cute game! I included it in my Ludum Dare 53 compilation video series, if you’d like to take a look. https://youtu.be/d5bLQmuzzPs
tom-oak
2023-06-22 08:17
Hi all! Thanks for playing our game and all your support :heart: We just published a post-jam version based on your feedback, including:
- Added sound and custom music (@tomtomgome @miraculousmelon @flying-butter-studio @patatenouille @aloya @initialposition) - Improved visuals - Added a different weather every day - Added UI feedback on cursors - Added accessibility feature (hold right-click to switch fonts to a simpler one) (@luxiffre) - Added easter egg :bulb: