Binary Systems

Unstable Concoction by Blueberry_Mauro 2021-10-05T22:02:19Z ♥ 0

Pretty fun! I had an interesting bug where everything turned into bread.

The Alignment Problem by cireneikual222464 2021-10-05T19:25:17Z ♥ 1

This is so cool! I left the first door and saw the enemy duck around a corner just as I went through. I followed, expecting to get jumpscared and instantly killed, the enemy saw me... and then flew right past me, going the other direction.

That was funny for a second... until I realized that it hadn't learned how to 'get' me well enough yet. That made me realize that I was on a 'soft' timer -- I had to get through the level quick, because the enemy was only going to get smarter and smarter and scarier and scarier as it hunted me down. That created a great sense of tension, much more than any arbitrary timer or slenderman spooks could do.

Maybe I'm overestimating how much the AI learning actually has an impact behind the scenes but it sure felt real to me! Great job!

Psycho-unstable Journey by KenForest 2021-10-05T19:16:07Z ♥ 1

The environments were interesting enough to keep me playing to see them all. I wish the gas station scene had let you seamlessly get out of your car, walk in, talk, and walk out -- the transitions took me out of the immersion quite a bit. The car also did feel a little too slow, and the fact that the only sound it made was the windshield wipers also felt like a missed opportunity. Good experience overall!

Toil & Trouble by eveenova 2021-10-05T18:59:48Z ♥ 2

It took a minute to realize I should only pay attention to the colors on the tag, not the sprite, but once I realized that it was quite fun. Definitely a big difficulty range, though -- some potions end up made with a single ingredient, and sometimes it seems like making a given potion with the generated ingredients is impossible.

Do the 'elements' of each ingredient (i.e. [time], [gossip]) determine if a potion will explode? Couldn't tell.

To Heaven and Back by Barji 2021-10-05T17:19:19Z ♥ 0

Also took me a second to figure out what I was *supposed* to do (look up and jump towards objects) and even longer to figure out how to actually get anywhere with the time distortion (aka use it while I look directions other than up). But once I figured it out it got super maniac and fun. Great job!

Geiger Cubes by Samuel Hollywood-Summers 2021-10-05T17:09:22Z ♥ 2

Pretty fun little tech demo. Is there some kind of real-time foley mixing going on when the boxes hit each other?

Day Broken by UglySwedishFish 2021-10-05T17:07:59Z ♥ 2

I can't imagine how much work that custom engine was but it definitely paid off! It's a very distinct look that scratches some of the same itches that 'low-fi' does while being really, really hi-fi. The blurriness around objects when they move is a very distinct effect and I like it a lot. Only two graphical things that brought me out of it was the periodic vertical scanline effect (I think the graphics are distorted enough without the deliberate effect, and it was distracting) and whatever far-culling effect caused the far end of the tunnel to be cut off. Other than that, impeccable!

You did a really good job of creating the mood as well. The color palette felt very 'sheltering-from-overly-bright-sun' for me, even in the dark corners, which was impressive.

Sound design also really good. The echo is very nice and moody. I will say that the narration is *almost* too distorted for how critical it is. It usually took me a couple times to understand each clip, which translated into death more than once.

Personally, I think the monsters are a little unreadable. The ones that are in the 'go-very-fast-when-not-watched' ended up being trial and error for me, since I got killed by ones that appeared where I wasn't looking while I was trying to keep others under observation. The near-instantaneous speed and the fact that it happened when I was looking away meant that it felt like a random event rather than a kill by a monster.

You're not supposed to be able to ride the train, right?

The Probability of Meltdown Is Minimal by DarthBoseiju 2021-10-05T15:13:11Z ♥ 1

The removing-screws mechanic definitely needs to be explained a little clearer. I got stuck in the first room until I re-read the comments; I don't think I ever would have figured it out that the screws themselves are the interactable object since the hitboxes are so small. Maybe mousing over the access panels could give you an outline but only make jiggling noises when clicked to imply you need to find a way to free it? Or even a manual page with screw diagrams for the control box next to the screws.

Anyway that doesn't really matter too much because the mechanic is so good. You really hit it out of the park basing the game around a single task that lends itself to multiple immersive tasks so well. Great job!