Foon → Ludum Dare Explorer → Users → Noble Robot
| Year | LD | Theme | Game | Division | Rank | Ov | Fu | In | Th | Gr | Au | Hu | Mo | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 48 | Deeper and deeper | 👥 | Sonder (a story) | jam | 318 | 3.89 | 3.19 | 3.47 | 3.65 | 4.42 | 4.32 | 2.77 | 4.45 |
| 2017 | 40 | The more you have, the worse it is | 👥 | Widget Satchel | jam | 217 | 3.80 | 3.61 | 3.06 | 3.66 | 4.44 | 3.94 | 3.43 | 3.79 |
Great stuff! Love the simultaneous gameplay, and especially love the timing. They way they introduce themselves one at a time. Just as you get a handle on it, the next game pops in. Love it!
Our team does a weekly indie gamedev podcast called Nice Games Club, and we just did a Let's Play episode where we played thirty-six (!!) Ludum Dare 40 games, including yours (which we fell completely in love with)!
[Check it out here!](http://nicegames.club/2017/12/nice-plays-ludum-dare-40-games-2017/)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BGt66ZnLME
Very buggy, so I don't think I got the intended experience, but it's a really solid concept. I rated the game high on theme and especially mood, because I like the "oh crap" moments that it delivers on.
I also liked discovering that the enemies are also healed by the health zones, and that they also deal more damage when they are low on HP (although due to the bugs, enemies didn't attack me much, and some were immune to my attacks).
Great work, foiled a bit by high ambitions, but that's great, too!
Started out with very few vowels, so I couldn't make any words longer than 3 or 4 letters to begin with, and it only got worse from there! :-D
I do like the concept, though, it was just a bit frustrating in this early stage.
Our team does a weekly indie gamedev podcast called Nice Games Club, and we just did a Let's Play episode where we played thirty-six (!!) Ludum Dare 40 games, including yours (which we were very bad at, but loved the art)!
[Check it out here!](http://nicegames.club/2017/12/nice-plays-ludum-dare-40-games-2017/)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BGt66ZnLME
The game is a little obtuse at the beginning, but that's likely because you weren't able to get playtest feedback until now (ha!). The concept is clever and solid. Very chill.
Our team does a weekly indie gamedev podcast called Nice Games Club, and we just did a Let's Play episode where we played thirty-six (!!) Ludum Dare 40 games, including yours (which we liked more the more we played it)!
[Check it out here!](http://nicegames.club/2017/12/nice-plays-ludum-dare-40-games-2017/)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BGt66ZnLME
Our team does a weekly indie gamedev podcast called Nice Games Club, and we just did a Let's Play episode where we played thirty-six (!!) Ludum Dare 40 games, including yours (which, as I mentioned in a previous comment, has a very similar mechanic to ours)!
[Check it out here!](http://nicegames.club/2017/12/nice-plays-ludum-dare-40-games-2017/)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BGt66ZnLME
We at Nice Games Club just published our Ludum Dare Let's Play episode, where we played thirty-six (!!) games, including yours (which was so charming we could barely handle it)!
[Check it out here!](http://nicegames.club/2017/12/nice-plays-ludum-dare-40-games-2017/)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BGt66ZnLME
Greetings from the Widget Satchel team! We just published a Let's Play episode of Nice Games Club where we played thirty-six (!!) Ludum Dare 40 games, including yours!
[Check it out here!](http://nicegames.club/2017/12/nice-plays-ludum-dare-40-games-2017/)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BGt66ZnLME
Our team does a weekly indie gamedev podcast called Nice Games Club, and we just did a Let's Play episode where we played thirty-six (!!) Ludum Dare 40 games, including yours (which we got a total kick out of)!
[Check it out here!](http://nicegames.club/2017/12/nice-plays-ludum-dare-40-games-2017/)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BGt66ZnLME
Our team does a weekly indie gamedev podcast called Nice Games Club, and we just did a Let's Play episode where we played thirty-six (!!) Ludum Dare 40 games, including yours (which was one of our favorites)!
[Check it out here!](http://nicegames.club/2017/12/nice-plays-ludum-dare-40-games-2017/)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BGt66ZnLME
I like the idea of a snake game where you don't know how big you are because most of your body is off screen, and where you have to search around for items and the exit rather than just knowing where they are. I don't know if that's a common feature of snake clones (I haven't played many), but that was cool.
Unfortunately, the controls were a little laggy for me, which made the game hard to play. I don't know if this was just for me, though, so I didn't let it impact my review. I liked the art style, but I hated the music (sorry).
I also agree with another comment that adding [space] to start the game would be useful. I restarted the game a few times before I realized I needed to click the button with my mouse(!).
Our team does a weekly indie gamedev podcast called Nice Games Club, and we just did a Let's Play episode where we played thirty-six (!!) Ludum Dare 40 games, including yours!
[Check it out here!](http://nicegames.club/2017/12/nice-plays-ludum-dare-40-games-2017/)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BGt66ZnLME
Our team does a weekly indie gamedev podcast called Nice Games Club, and we just did a Let's Play episode where we played thirty-six (!!) Ludum Dare 40 games, including yours (which we thought was hilarious)!
[Check it out here!](http://nicegames.club/2017/12/nice-plays-ludum-dare-40-games-2017/)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BGt66ZnLME
Our team does a weekly indie gamedev podcast called Nice Games Club, and we just did a Let's Play episode where we played thirty-six (!!) Ludum Dare 40 games, including yours!
[Check it out here!](http://nicegames.club/2017/12/nice-plays-ludum-dare-40-games-2017/)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BGt66ZnLME
Our team does a weekly indie gamedev podcast called Nice Games Club, and we just did a Let's Play episode where we played thirty-six (!!) Ludum Dare 40 games, including yours (which we couldn't quite get the hang of, but thought was cool)!
[Check it out here!](http://nicegames.club/2017/12/nice-plays-ludum-dare-40-games-2017/)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BGt66ZnLME
Our team does a weekly indie gamedev podcast called Nice Games Club, and we just did a Let's Play episode where we played thirty-six (!!) Ludum Dare 40 games, including yours (which we thought was silly in all the right ways)!
[Check it out here!](http://nicegames.club/2017/12/nice-plays-ludum-dare-40-games-2017/)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BGt66ZnLME
Our team does a weekly indie gamedev podcast called Nice Games Club, and we just did a Let's Play episode where we played thirty-six (!!) Ludum Dare 40 games, including yours (which we really loved)!
[Check it out here!](http://nicegames.club/2017/12/nice-plays-ludum-dare-40-games-2017/)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BGt66ZnLME
Our team does a weekly indie gamedev podcast called Nice Games Club, and we just did a Let's Play episode where we played thirty-six (!!) Ludum Dare 40 games, including yours (which we found more clever than it has any right to be)!
[Check it out here!](http://nicegames.club/2017/12/nice-plays-ludum-dare-40-games-2017/)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BGt66ZnLME
I really like this concept. I agree that it's a bit too challenging as-is, but I was motivated to keep at it. More cues (visual or otherwise) for the key changes would be welcome. I bet this idea would be very interesting if carried over to a gamepad control scheme, too!
Our team does a weekly indie gamedev podcast called Nice Games Club, and we just did a Let's Play episode where we played thirty-six (!!) Ludum Dare 40 games, including yours (which we thought had one of the best uses of the theme)!
[Check it out here!](http://nicegames.club/2017/12/nice-plays-ludum-dare-40-games-2017/)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BGt66ZnLME
Our team does a weekly indie gamedev podcast called Nice Games Club, and we just did a Let's Play episode where we played thirty-six (!!) Ludum Dare 40 games, including yours!
[Check it out here!](http://nicegames.club/2017/12/nice-plays-ludum-dare-40-games-2017/)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BGt66ZnLME
Our team does a weekly indie gamedev podcast called Nice Games Club, and we just did a Let's Play episode where we played thirty-six (!!) Ludum Dare 40 games, including yours (which we couldn't figure out but liked anyway)!
[Check it out here!](http://nicegames.club/2017/12/nice-plays-ludum-dare-40-games-2017/)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BGt66ZnLME
I understand the reason for it, but the laggy mouse follow is very annoying. If this game could be played with keyboard or gamepad, it would feel a lot better.
I totally love that as the stack of cats gets higher, it reduces the height of playspace, like Tetris. It's a good, natural way to visualize the game's mechanics. Honestly, I didn't like this game at first, but I kept playing it, so it's got a satisfying hook that most LD games don't have. Well done!
Our team does a weekly indie gamedev podcast called Nice Games Club, and we just did a Let's Play episode where we played thirty-six (!!) Ludum Dare 40 games, including yours (which we only got a taste of, but really liked)!
[Check it out here!](http://nicegames.club/2017/12/nice-plays-ludum-dare-40-games-2017/)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BGt66ZnLME
Our team does a weekly indie gamedev podcast called Nice Games Club, and we just did a Let's Play episode where we played thirty-six (!!) Ludum Dare 40 games, including yours (which we thought had good controls and was super cute)!
[Check it out here!](http://nicegames.club/2017/12/nice-plays-ludum-dare-40-games-2017/)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BGt66ZnLME
Our team does a weekly indie gamedev podcast called Nice Games Club, and we just did a Let's Play episode where we played thirty-six (!!) Ludum Dare 40 games, including yours (which we couldn't stop playing even after the recording ended)!
[Check it out here!](http://nicegames.club/2017/12/nice-plays-ludum-dare-40-games-2017/)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BGt66ZnLME
I don't know, but this might be my favorite LD40 game.
I really liked the writing. I know there isn't much to it, but it's smart and funny without trying too hard, you know what I mean?
Our team does a weekly indie gamedev podcast called Nice Games Club, and we just did a Let's Play episode where we played thirty-six (!!) Ludum Dare 40 games, including yours (which we thought was a excellent prototype)!
[Check it out here!](http://nicegames.club/2017/12/nice-plays-ludum-dare-40-games-2017/)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BGt66ZnLME
Our team does a weekly indie gamedev podcast called Nice Games Club, and we just did a Let's Play episode where we played thirty-six (!!) Ludum Dare 40 games, including yours (which we were bad at but loved anyway)!
[Check it out here!](http://nicegames.club/2017/12/nice-plays-ludum-dare-40-games-2017/)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BGt66ZnLME
Our team does a weekly indie gamedev podcast called Nice Games Club, and we just did a Let's Play episode where we played thirty-six (!!) Ludum Dare 40 games, including yours (which we couldn't get enough of)!
[Check it out here!](http://nicegames.club/2017/12/nice-plays-ludum-dare-40-games-2017/)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BGt66ZnLME
Our team does a weekly indie gamedev podcast called Nice Games Club, and we just did a Let's Play episode where we played thirty-six (!!) Ludum Dare 40 games, including yours (which we thought had an excellent core mechanic)!
[Check it out here!](http://nicegames.club/2017/12/nice-plays-ludum-dare-40-games-2017/)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BGt66ZnLME
Our team does a weekly indie gamedev podcast called Nice Games Club, and we just did a Let's Play episode where we played thirty-six (!!) Ludum Dare 40 games, including yours (which we intend to go back to in order to get a better score)!
[Check it out here!](http://nicegames.club/2017/12/nice-plays-ludum-dare-40-games-2017/)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BGt66ZnLME
Our team does a weekly indie gamedev podcast called Nice Games Club, and we just did a Let's Play episode where we played thirty-six (!!) Ludum Dare 40 games, including yours (which we thought had an incredibly cool concept)!
[Check it out here!](http://nicegames.club/2017/12/nice-plays-ludum-dare-40-games-2017/)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BGt66ZnLME
Our team does a weekly indie gamedev podcast called Nice Games Club, and we just did a Let's Play episode where we played thirty-six (!!) Ludum Dare 40 games, including yours (which put us in a calming mood)!
[Check it out here!](http://nicegames.club/2017/12/nice-plays-ludum-dare-40-games-2017/)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BGt66ZnLME
Thanks for the early feedback!
Trust me, I have no idea, either! Thanks for the kind words.
Our team does a weekly indie gamedev podcast called Nice Games Club, and we just did a Let's Play episode where we played thirty-six (!!) Ludum Dare 40 games, including yours (which we thought would be awesome/terrible in VR)!
[Check it out here!](http://nicegames.club/2017/12/nice-plays-ludum-dare-40-games-2017/)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BGt66ZnLME
Our team does a weekly indie gamedev podcast called Nice Games Club, and we just did a Let's Play episode where we played thirty-six (!!) Ludum Dare 40 games, including yours!
[Check it out here!](http://nicegames.club/2017/12/nice-plays-ludum-dare-40-games-2017/)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BGt66ZnLME
Our team does a weekly indie gamedev podcast called Nice Games Club, and we just did a Let's Play episode where we played thirty-six (!!) Ludum Dare 40 games, including yours (which we thought was a great twist on a familiar formula)!
[Check it out here!](http://nicegames.club/2017/12/nice-plays-ludum-dare-40-games-2017/)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BGt66ZnLME
I love the concept! I especially like your take on the theme, which is more unique than most of the games.
However, I found I wasn't able to use the rewind feature very much, because I didn't have a lot of time to react in the time after I realized that I made a mistake but before I fell and died. If my timing wasn't good enough to make the jump, it wasn't likely going to be good enough to scramble to correct it.
I would suggest letting players rewind even if they die, so they can eventually experience the consequences of using the rewind too often. The game would still be difficult, and players who never use the rewind will have an easier time getting further.
Anyway, really, really great job!
Our team does a weekly indie gamedev podcast called Nice Games Club, and we just did a Let's Play episode where we played thirty-six (!!) Ludum Dare 40 games, including yours (which we seriously couldn't stop gushing over)!
[Check it out here!](http://nicegames.club/2017/12/nice-plays-ludum-dare-40-games-2017/)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BGt66ZnLME
I couldn't get the game to work. I hit play and saw the grid. I could select one of them and see a list of items, but clicking those had no effect. Tried with both keyboard and controller.
I like the concept, though. I hope others will be able to get it working.
Our team does a weekly indie gamedev podcast called Nice Games Club, and we just did a Let's Play episode where we played thirty-six (!!) Ludum Dare 40 games, including yours (which we had a hard time with but really loved the mood and mechanic)!
[Check it out here!](http://nicegames.club/2017/12/nice-plays-ludum-dare-40-games-2017/)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BGt66ZnLME
Cute little linear comedy game. Didn't really fit the theme, but made up for it with a well done art style and rewarding one-click "puzzles."
Our team does a weekly indie gamedev podcast called Nice Games Club, and we just did a Let's Play episode where we played thirty-six (!!) Ludum Dare 40 games, including yours (which we laughed and laughed at)!
[Check it out here!](http://nicegames.club/2017/12/nice-plays-ludum-dare-40-games-2017/)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BGt66ZnLME
Yeah, this game isn't fun, but who cares! I gave you high marks on the theme, because it fit narratively and not just mechanically like most of the games.
Our team does a weekly indie gamedev podcast called Nice Games Club, and we just did a Let's Play episode where we played thirty-six (!!) Ludum Dare 40 games, including yours (which we thought was very unique)!
[Check it out here!](http://nicegames.club/2017/12/nice-plays-ludum-dare-40-games-2017/)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BGt66ZnLME
Incredibly simple, but super polished and charming.
Addicting, too. My fingers are a little warn out from all the repeated button pressing!
This is such a great concept, well made. However, I don't think it really fits the theme, even though it plays really well on an alternate definition of "deep," because there's no process where you go "deeper." Honestly, that's just nitpicking, and "theme" is the category that matters least to me when scoring a game.
I really loved the idea and execution, and I think that if it were expanded in its current form, it could be a wonderful persistent project.
I'd love to see this connected with Facebook or Twitter accounts, with the ability to share to those platforms. I imagine it could be very successful.
The core mechanic of selecting words to create new quotes could also make for a great "Jackbox" style party game, if it were scoped to a small group, timed format. There's lot of potential here.
(I also had that bug where items would sometimes disappear on Firefox, but webdev is a hellscape so it didn't bother me or impact my enjoyment.)
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to interact with anything or do actions with "E." Perhaps I missing something?
Great presentation and the terrain stuff is really well done, however, I could not get the wiring/nodes system to work when clicking (nothing happens, even at close range), so I was unable to do much after the first moments of the game. Others don't seem to be having this problem, so I don't know what's causing it on my end.
Anyway, I gave it a good score even though I couldn't get very far, because it has a lot going for it.
I'll be honest. The core gameplay is kinda thin, but I didn't care. I rate this game highly because it is a *complete package*. Multiple levels, a full tutorial, narrative beats, an overworld, a thrilling boss fight(!), and behind it all, an epic quest for a priceless relic!
Well done!
Fun concept, but a little undercooked. There's something irresistible about chipping away at an opponant's stats, so that was fun.
One issue was that the shield and buff values didn't always seem to work as expected, or more likely, the CPU opponents' strikes weren't communicated well enough. There were times where I had 4 or 5 shield value but a single attack from an opponent would take out 4 of my hit points, which implies an 8+ DMG attack(?). Deciding whether to focus on either damage/buffs or shields/hp on a given turn was hard because it wasn't always clear if adding more shields would even help.
Seeing which card the other player just played would help resolve this confusion (that is, if it's not a bug). Actually, revealing the entire hand of the CPU player would be a good thing, too, allowing for some risk/reward tactical thinking.
Overall, a silly concept well made!
Great game with a great loop! This abstract game also managed to be one of the best uses of the theme. Well done!
I do think there's a lot of work to be done (more than might at first appear, I worry) to make it a "fair" experience. About half of the rounds I played ended up where I ran out of turns before the required number of matching-colored squares even appeared, much less could be placed next to each other. And even though I always had 3 piece options, I felt at the "whims of chance" more often than in Tetis, Puyo, or other games which with similar "up next piece" mechanics, but on the other hand, I did really enjoy the smaller play space. It encouraged me to always play tactically even when I wasn't confident that it would matter much.
I'm not one to encourage adding balance/stat mechanics as the solution to any problem, but perhaps a system where players can spend their points to make adjustments to the available pieces (change one square's color, or add/remove one) might alleviate the issue a bit and provide a risk/reward mechanic. This kind of thing can quickly devolve into F2P-style energy/gem/currency territory, so be careful if you go down that road 😉.
I look forward to seeing more from this. It's got such a strong core. I know you're making a mobile version, but I also think it would make a good Switch game. In addition to touchscreen play, I cam imagine a two-player VS mode fit for TVs, too. Once you're further along, if you are interested in having someone help port it, let me know: http://noblerobot.com/porting-publishing
Great concept, excellent (if oblique) use of theme, and lovely art direction (great use of palette swaps for the different areas!)... unfortunately the experience is completely ruined by the slide-y/physics-y movement. The sword controls (at every level) are very good, it feels wobbly and burdensome without feeling unfair, but the movement is just needlessly annoying. This isn't usual for a keyboard-only platformer, but this is a game especially that would have really benefited from analog joystick controls, or a more tile-based x-positioning for the character.
The problem with it is that there's no sense of accomplishment when you eventually overcome one of the challenges. It's like rolling a 100-sided die until you get a 46. Like, hooray, but I didn't feel like my successful attempts were a result of anything other than doing it over and over again. It also got in the way of really good design choices. For example, early stages are made more difficult with the longer swords (fantastic idea!) but it doesn't really work as-is because the challenge comes from the unpredictability of movement rather than player precision or puzzle-solving.
There were a few places where I got stuck even though the principles of levers (which the game reminds you to consider almost as a preemptive complaint avoidance scheme, very clever! :-P) would apply. This is utterly forgivable since it's edge cases and this is a jam game, so that's just playtest feedback, not actual criticism.
Great work for a jam game. I think the high-level of presentation polish invites comparisons to published works, which certainly isn't fair. I think this would be a great game to keep working on for commercial release. I'd love to see it as a puzzler with a bunch of bite-sized sequences like this, with different themes, goals, or items to swing. I wouldn't add much to it, even though you certainly could.
But, the movement needs to be addressed. The market for "Getting-Over-It-likes" is only so large, and this game can't count on meme-aesthetics like that one did. What it has is a greater focus on lateral thinking with it's faux-rogue-like structure. Lean into that and less into the controls being frustrating for their own sake.
(Also, you can totally cheese the second-to last area with both the swords you bring to it).
**EDIT: Your stats show you have no karma or given ratings for other games yet. It's early still so I just want to encourage you to do so even though you probably won't need to considering all the attention this is getting already. I don't like when some LD games get a lot of attention and skate by without participating in the system, so I hope you choose to avoid that fate.**
Great design! It didn't seem to work at all in Firefox (the game would start and I could move/rotate the tetromino, but the floor would never rise and music didn't play), but Chrome is the new IE6, so I won't hold that against you. :wink:
Once I got it running in a compatible browser, like others, I felt the game and controls moved a little too fast. Also, with the rotation mapped to Q and E, it made it hard to play because my left hand is busy using WASD. Mapping the rotation to LMB/RMB or the left/right arrow keys might make it a little more manageable, even at the current speed.
I love the audio, the art, the concept, the whole tone and feel. The whole package is simple and elegent. Ultimately, I didn't actually have a lot of fun actually playing the game, but I gave it high marks across the board anyway because it's such a fantastic proof-of-concept!
Very clever control scheme, but mashing space repeatedly was a bit of a strain. I adored the character and the charming, friendly tone of the whole thing. Great work!
Great (if obvious) use of theme, and in spite of having a simple set of mechanics, was a lot of fun to play! Overall, this was a charming little gameplay loop. I expected to get bored of it quickly, but I never did!
I did find a way to "cheat" a little bit to collect items faster than the grabber is supposed to, and I experienced many of the same issues as others have reported, but it never bothered or frustrated me.
I really loved the unique mechanics and the silly story, even though the game would frequently brake. It wasn't just that the car moved unpredictably (I loved that!), it's that it would often get stuck or move in the opposite direction, or get glued to a wall in pretty much every race. 🤣
I also I have to admire (if not reward) your attempt to explain how you used the theme, if for no other reason for the sheer audacity of it. I gave the game a high score for "humor" and a low score for "theme."
Overall, great work! I'd love to see this expanded. Maybe a multiplayer version?
Thanks for all the kind comments everyone!
@congusbongus Our Mac build was created largely as an act of faith. It didn't get a lot of testing, sadly, although we do have Mac users on our team, so maybe they can provide more context for that error. I appreciate you giving it a try and I'm sorry it didn't work for you.
@antti-tiihonen I think I know how that bug happened, and I'm pretty certain it's my fault specifically. I believe that after you click an object on a second playthough, and then exit it, the camera should start moving with your mouse again. I'll be sure to fix this issue if we push an updated build.
Thanks again, all!
@carraka You are so right! I'll add "skip intro on subsequent playthoughs" to the to-do list! As to time running out... how much do you think you have?
@octopoid I think we have a difference of opinion on the virtue of constraining the mouse cursor (I also run a multi-monitor setup), but your opinion is valuable to me because what we *could* have done is avoided placing objects at the far edges of the scene. I really appreciate the feedback!
@videt I know how hard it can be to enjoy something in a genre you don't love, so your approval means so much to us!
@binney I don't know if the game can help you shake that feeling... :wink:
Once again, the team really values everyone's comments and perspectives (and bug reports!). Thank you all so much!
Some quick post-jam bugfixes:
* Fixed that second playthough camera bug! * You can now skip dialogue/cutscene segments if you've seen them already. * There's a quit button! You can still use Alt+F4 if you're a jam purist. * You can toggle fullscreen from the main menu, and resize the game when it's in windowed mode. * Added a more subtle transition when entering and exiting the gameplay portion. The ending isn't quite so abrupt as a result. Not a big change, but should further improve the atmosphere of the game. * We've removed the Mac version (for now). It didn't seem to work for anyone, so it was kinda cruel to leave it up there.
We're toying with a few more minor fixes/updates later this week or next, and hoping to get a HTML/WebGL build up at some point. Thanks again for all the kind words and constructive feedback!
https://hotclock.itch.io/sonder
@tucan You wanted to know when that camera bug was fixed. Now it is! 😄 (cc: @jasontherand @antti-tiihonen @beardywombat)
@abigailcorfman As a fast reader myself, I appreciate the concern about impatience. We intentionally wanted to slow the player down and set a more air-y tone. Of course, wishing a thing doesn't make it so, so its a fair critique, but I don't think we want to change it. The game does now allow you to skip a text scene if you've seen it already, so hopefully that helps a bit.
@TheCrittersCove @BytingGames You love the writing you say? You can thank @tottomatic (with assists from @ellenbjohnson and myself) for that, and the whole team contributed to the narrative design!
@thesambassador Those sound effects were chosen and implemented with love and care by our lead programmer @jonathan-jennings, and if anyone is curious about who to thank for that haunting VO clip of "O Captain!", it's @ellenbjohnson, who also helped curate the sound effects.
I won't tag everyone who mentioned the art (because it was everybody), but for that you heap your praise onto our artist @laura-onderwater!
One more update!
**The WebGL version is now live on the itch page!** I suspect this will be of particular interest to our disappointed potential Mac users (@congusbongus, @jaybaus).
We've also updated the game to include a bunch more interactive objects. The writing for these was done during the jam, but we didn't have time to enable them at the time.
@ynneblack Thanks for your kind comments (and great playtest feedback). I checked out your game and you're right, our games are basically cousins! I especially love your monochrome "pencil" art style.
@nonumbersgames Thanks so much for your glowing, in-depth review! Great constructive feedback, too.
One clarification: The "Make like a tree" button is *supposed* to close the game, since that's the quit button! Perhaps we should change the phrasing on that (and we certainly don't need it for the web version). 🤣🤣🤣
@nonumbersgames That's so interesting how you interpreted that button. It's such good feedback because it reveals that even though it was your misunderstanding, it's absolutely our fault for giving you that impression (well, *my* fault, since that button was my idea 😄). The value of playtesting!
There are *four* endings. I can say more if you want spoilers. 😉
The player is forced to "dig" for the story via the fishing mechanic, which is a great way to give the player an active investment in the narrative. I think it runs the risk of being *too* mysterious, but that's more a matter of taste than a critical note.
Overall, an excellent execution of the theme via tone (and audio)!
Looks good, but I lost patience with it pretty quickly. I get that it's meant to be an enigmatic slow burn, or maybe intentionally an exercise in futility, and that's pretty cool, but I never got on its wavelength.
I would love to hear more about the intention of the game and the development of its concept, because I legitimately am interested in what you were going for with it.
The download links appear to be inactive. I'd love to play this if possible!
@fadex "they should work, what happend when you click on them ?"
I think I had a cached version of the page loaded up when I tried it earlier (they directed to a 404 Dropbox page). The download links work now, of course, but ultimately I played using the HTML version.
I loved it! Our game used a similar interpretive/narrative approach to the theme, so I'm a little biased, but this was a charming execution. I loved the photographic images and animation, especially!
Pretty clever, and *excellent* use of theme.
However, a few of your names turned up real people. Be careful with that stuff. Also, while some social media pages required having an account, none of them logged a person's visit except for Discord. To be clear, I don't see any problem with that, but I ultimately wasn't motivated enough to complete the story to join a Discord server, even temporarily. Sorry.
I could see this concept, if explored further, being executed entirely outside of an app, as an ARG fully on social media sites and with chat bots. Overall, great work!
Like others, I didn't see any connection to the theme, but I'm not bothered by that at all. The main problem I had with it is that the "narrative" is underdeveloped. What is my motivation for spreading the (3 kinds) of viruses? Am I the virus? Am I a bio-terrorist? Am I a vengeful/trickster God?
The title "who runs the world" really compounds this issue. Is this about COVID conspiracy theories? Am I big pharma? Is this making light of the pandemic? Or maybe it's supposed to be an absurdist take on it? As the game's developer, what is your relationship to this topic?
Any direction would be okay, if it were supported. I'm not trying to say what a game about viruses *should* be about, but by not making it clear what the point of this is, or what it's trying to say (if anything) about *infecting people with a deadly virus on the subway*, the whole thing just feels like it was done in extremely poor taste.
The use of "insanity" as a theme seems like it wasn't taken seriously and was executed in very poor taste.
I'm going to be kinda harsh here, and I'm sorry about that, but I want to be clear that just because it's a jam doesn't mean you can fall back on dangerous, lazy cliches about mental health. The topic itself isn't off limits, even for violent or shocking games, but this game shows a complete lack of interest in doing it justice.
Ultimately, I don't know what you want the player to feel regarding the story and how it interacts with the player's actions. The monsters attack me on sight, and I'm supposed to attack back, so of course I'm supposed to think that my character was misinterpreting what was actually happening and ultimately feel bad about killing all those people with my axe.
But... if that's so, is this *also* an indictment of the player, for enjoying the killing? This is a technique that's been used a lot in other games, but here, oddly, the game doesn't *actually* force me to kill anyone, and indeed, it's actually *less fun* to focus on attacking, so the mechanics don't line up with what the story twist seems to want to tell me.
Also, why did I get to keep my axe in the padded room? Is the axe real? If not, did I actually kill anyone? If not, why am I in the padded room?
My overall critique here is that nothing really lines up when you start putting it together. That's perfectly fine most of the time (especially for jam games!) but this is not a topic to treat in a "haha insanity is crazy, whoo!" kinda of way.
Some positive notes: I did like the way the game started, with the error fake out. It's cliche, yes, but so is every zombie movie, and it was well done here. I also thought that the use of locked camera animations for "cutscenes" was very well done and generally well-paced throughout the game.
So, I didn't like this game, obviously, but I want to give credit where it is due: it shows obvious technical ability. A sincere congratulations to you for creating a action game with multiple mechanics that also tells a complete (if awful) story. That's no small feat!
I hope next time you put that talent to better use.
Fun game! After a bit, the strategy/puzzle-y bits start becoming really engaging. Looks great, too. Didn't fit the theme too well, but who cares? Great work!
Cool idea! I liked that you were able to put clear-but-not-overbearing tutorial elements in the game, too. Major kudos for that!
Well done on this. I has a little difficulty getting a handle on it at first, even with the tutorial bits, but that has more to do with the game's uniqueness than anything else. A jam game with a tutorial is a hard thing to do, so lots of kudos for that! Great work!
A lovely game! I especially enjoyed the tone. It took itself seriously, which is what makes it funny. And the ending? What a thrilling reveal!
Additionally, the mechanics were a perfect match to the feel of the game. Being essentially a linear path while asking players to "solve" matching puzzles yet not really caring about the skill of the player, makes perfect sense and was exactly the right choice.
I wouldn't say that it fits the theme too well (detective agency slogan notwithstanding), but I think the best games of this jam didn't! :-P
Right off the bat the game sets a good tone, and provides just enough information to both tease and instruct the player without being either too hand-hold-y or obtuse...
...however, once the game begins in earnest I didn't find that the experience got any deeper (excuse the pun). I sorta got the concept before I went out to find paintings, and the fact that almost none of the paintings I brought back fit well in *any* of the frames made the gameplay tedious in a way that wasn't instructive or revealing (or purposefully confounding as in "anti-games" like The Stanley Parable).
Overall, though, the use of theme and the stellar concept and setup, combined with the constraint of the jam, forgives all sins here. Well done! I think this is just one "design eureka" away from being a project that could be developed into a full commercial product, where it can retrieved and be put up on the wall along with the others.
I really liked the premise, and the tone was very well done! I did have a bit of a hard time getting a handle on the conditions required to avoid resetting the level. I assume I need to stay within range of the lamplight, but it didn't always feel like it was working as intended.
In spite of that, I stayed motivated to continue playing and moving deeper down into the well (and I'm usually a lot less patient about these kinds of things) :smile:.
Great concept, and looks great!
I had a hard time getting a handle on the strategy of it, but I see this as a lovely proof of concept. Also, it has a robot in it so it gets extra points just for that!
I really liked the level of abstraction in the puzzles, and the use of a "hub world" to frame the story by chapters. Very effective. Well done!
I gave this high marks just for the use of "Maybe later" as the exit button! Great work.
This was a charming game! I love the story framing, and the non-violent mechanics. I think you lose a little bit of that purity with the final boss, since you "defeat" sorta using the flashlight as a gun, but it was still a fun conclusion to the game.
As frustrating as a carnival claw game! 10/10 Will lose things again.
Such a clever concept. Well done!
I think that enemies are a little too persistent, so they go from being no threat at all to a major unstoppable threat, but **overall, I thought this was charming AF**! I especially liked the "tank-like" controls which made a lot of sense here and made the game a little more zen-like by giving the player fewer choices to make in the moment (which is a good thing!).
There ended up being a lot of "deep sea" games in this jam, but yours is the one with the most fun unique premise. I really love the idea of repairing the underwater internet cables, and I encourage anyone to look up the subject if you're looking for some fascinating reading!