Purgatorio

by moonkid
Overall★★★★★★★★★★3.13
Fun★★★★★★★★★★2.70
Innovation★★★★★★★★★★2.91
Theme★★★★★★★★★★2.54
Graphics★★★★★★★★★★3.09
Audio★★★★★★★★★★1.17
Humor★★★★★★★★★★3.36
Mood★★★★★★★★★★3.57
Coolness★★★★★★★★★★39%
Purgatorio was one of the picks in Rock, Paper, Shotgun's round-up of LD. Thanks Adam! http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/04/30/tiny-world-tour-ludum-dare-23/

My only plan coming into LD23 was to draw a rectangular, pixel-art kiwi (the bird, not the fruit). It really didn't look like a kiwi in the end, but that's okay, because I like it. And hey, I made some kind of a game for it to live in!

The game itself is semi-autobiographical, and attempts to equate mental health issues with biblical concepts. It's built in AGS (Adventure Game Studio), as I'm not much of a coder. So it's a very non-traditional point-and-click game - no inventory, and only one puzzle: how to get the hell outta there!

Make sure you use "winsetup.exe" to set it to run in a window, unless you want to be truly frightened!

If you're interested in what I get up to with my team, head along to http://seethroughstudios.com

Comments26

kutuup198922 Apr 2012, 21:42
Weird as all hell (no pun intended) but pretty interesting! I like it!
moonkid
moonkidauthor23 Apr 2012, 05:36
Thanks kutuup! I aim to weird ;)
pdyxs25 Apr 2012, 00:40
So either i'm lost... or that's the point (purgatory and all that). The 'stop showing off' line was the highlight for me :D.
moonkid
moonkidauthor25 Apr 2012, 07:08
That's pretty much the point. The only real puzzle is finding your way out. There are clues throughout the dialogue, but I'm not sure if they might be too obscure. I;m pretty sure at least one person has managed to finish it, so that's something ;P
johnfn
johnfn25 Apr 2012, 21:32
I really liked the dialog, but I couldn't figure out what to do. Maybe some more direct hints are needed?
dick_claus25 Apr 2012, 21:35
I didn't try to finish it, I enjoyed all the dialogues.
It's always hard to write game stories. You've done excellent job.
blob
blob25 Apr 2012, 21:37
Interesting. 21 moves.
I like the kiwi design.
Mach60KAS
Mach60KAS25 Apr 2012, 22:03
Managed to escape (22 moves); I really loved the introspective dialogue. I assume the themes here are personal to you; if so, then you've found a great way to express yourself. Kudos to you! :)
moonkid
moonkidauthor25 Apr 2012, 22:20
Thanks guys! Glad to see a few people are escaping. I literally had no time to test the difficulty after I finished it. There is actually a fairly easy formula for getting out in the minimum moves, though I'd be surprised if anyone managed it first go. But if you pay close attention to what all the freaky birds say, you should be able to do it on a second run (and you don't *have* to talk to anyone to get out, it's all about screen order).
MadGnomeGamer26 Apr 2012, 03:12
21 moves! I never did find Adam.

W E I R D!

Very fun though! Immediately after he said 'anyone to your right is full of crap' I tried going to his right side and talking to him from there. XD

Really enjoyed all the dialogue. :P An interesting story!
moonkid
moonkidauthor26 Apr 2012, 07:15
* Let's make this interesting! A free copy of the Flatland: Fallen Angle Appreciation Edition (including the forthcoming upgrade) to the first person who sends me a screenshot proving they finished the game in the minimum 7 moves! ([email protected]) *
KhaoTom
KhaoTom27 Apr 2012, 06:05
Weird, interesting, confusing, but not bad!
spiral29 Apr 2012, 05:51
well... ok... interesting! :D
jason.bakker29 Apr 2012, 08:19
Very interesting entry. I like your take on it! Functionality wise, there were a few weird input bugs on my machine... but I managed to escape anyway ;)

Well done!
ilo30 Apr 2012, 23:56
Very surreal and moody experience.

On my first try I managed it in around 15, but from that I figured out how to beat it in 7.
gritfish
gritfish1 May 2012, 13:48
26 moves, no flatland for me... but very cool dialogue. Felt like a bit of a "Bingo the Clown" thing going there. Is it just a combination of left and right? Do the dialogue choices change the outcome?
jmaasing
jmaasing2 May 2012, 11:33
Sorry, can't rate since I'm on a Mac.
Dr.Pingu
Dr.Pingu2 May 2012, 11:42
it's very weird ... for the first time i'm happy that there is no sounds in a game.

Well, there is work, yes ... and it's ... well ... atypical so i think i can say "it's a cool game"

Nice work on the dialogue :)
Thotep
Thotep2 May 2012, 12:01
It's too surreal for me to really like it.
darvids0n2 May 2012, 13:47
Interesting.. I reckon it's gotta have music for me to be really sold on it.
ratking
ratking2 May 2012, 22:07
Yeah, weird is the right word. Cool idea, though.
I just reached a dead end, don't know what to do...sadly.
moonkid
moonkidauthor3 May 2012, 23:29
And we have a winner! Yeah, music would have been great, but unfortunately I have no talent in that area. It would have to be something that wasn't too irritating, but just irritating enough...

And yes, it's weird. Glad everyone agrees on that ;) Thanks for all the praise, though!
icefallgames10 May 2012, 23:52
Very strange, I couldn't really figure out what to stuck. Seems like I got stuck. Can you get into a situation where there is no way out?
Anyway, I like the graphics, and this game is definitely unique :-)
ericdpitts11 May 2012, 00:53
Very well written, sir. Nicely done.
thegreystudios
thegreystudios13 May 2012, 07:52
That was a strange experience :D Love it! Simon
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