I'll second nipatiitti on the movement comment. Gameplay definitely feels clunky. The aesthetic is pretty crazy though, especially the cutscene images!
Really liked the custscene images, and the overall idea. I agree with others about the movement. Was there supposed to be audio? There wasn't any playing for me.
You did a good job of coming up with unique mechanics that effect the candle (drips, windows, waterfalls) -- but the gameplay was just so slow that once you start getting to the more difficult sections (I didn't get past the geyser things) it feels extremely repetitive and slow.
The graphics were high quality and the mood is fantastic. In my opinion, each room should have been a bit smaller. This cuts out unnecessary repetition (solving the same puzzle again), and allows you to keep your slow pace for the mood.
Don't take my criticism too harshly though, I still enjoyed the game -- just some advice for next time : )
@quincy9000 Thanks! We tried hard to find a fine line between holding the players hand, and being too obtuse, so I'm glad you thought we did a good job!
@nipatiitti@yadir2447@kristian-kurktchiev We wanted you to feel a little helpless, so we weren't entirely sure how to handle it, but it seems like we leaned too far to one side. (Probably need to do some more playtesting going forwards, too >.>) Glad you all still enjoyed despite that!
@kosmo I appreciate the feedback! Just goes to show how much you've gotta prioritize playtesting, huh? Hopefully we'll be able to learn from that and have something better to show you next year :D
The pacing and tone of this is so goood! Everything was really cohesive. The slow frame rate animations, the tones in the background, and even the level design was drawn out and slow. I was waiting for a jump scare the whole time :I The game managed to get my heart rate up. There were difficulty balance issues obviously cause it's a jam, but really, a great job.
@kevin-barrios Thanks so much, Kevin! It's definitely hard to hit the right balance for everyone, but I'm glad to hear the pacing struck a good chord for you! It's our first time doing horror for all three of us so we learned a lot, and I most definitely want to come back to it sometime!
I like the idea. I've mostly been seeing interpretations of campfires being kept "alive" but this being something that you don't just feed, you carry with you and protect, is very nice. They game is a bit slow-paced for my taste but I liked the concept and mood.
Great atmosphere, unfortunately the game crashed right at the end and I didn't get to see the credits :(
I really liked how some sections of the wall changed textures subtly to tell bits of the story and the increasingly absurd elements in the levels, like the droplets at the start vs the end was nice. Most of the levels had good timings so I got the feeling of just getting away from the baddies. The water section though would need some improvement, at the start I waited too long and it felt intense up to the last section where you need to run left for a longer period of time and then the surface caught me.
Lovely audio, animations and graphics. Perhaps you could have played more with the shadows the candle casts? Maybe some invisible shapes on the walls that cast some spooky stuff on the blank sections of the walls or something, like a haunted house.
That is some mood. The levels were really well broken up to help you learn through doing. At first, the movement bothered me, but the more I think about it, the better it fits the narrative/feel.
Comments18
The graphics were high quality and the mood is fantastic. In my opinion, each room should have been a bit smaller. This cuts out unnecessary repetition (solving the same puzzle again), and allows you to keep your slow pace for the mood.
Don't take my criticism too harshly though, I still enjoyed the game -- just some advice for next time : )
They game is a bit slow-paced for my taste but I liked the concept and mood.
I really liked how some sections of the wall changed textures subtly to tell bits of the story and the increasingly absurd elements in the levels, like the droplets at the start vs the end was nice. Most of the levels had good timings so I got the feeling of just getting away from the baddies. The water section though would need some improvement, at the start I waited too long and it felt intense up to the last section where you need to run left for a longer period of time and then the surface caught me.
Lovely audio, animations and graphics. Perhaps you could have played more with the shadows the candle casts? Maybe some invisible shapes on the walls that cast some spooky stuff on the blank sections of the walls or something, like a haunted house.