When it comes to techinically impressive projects in this niche, I often feel said impressiveness takes so much of a project's identity that the pivotal aspect that is writing ends up playing second fiddle to whatever gameplay systems or audiovisual presentation a knowledgeable programmer has created within the bounds of Ren'py. This project is proof that one can be technically impressive, deliver a fulfilling story, AND be made in the (time) budget of a Game Jam.

Except Those Lost Forever features a dungeon crawling system where players find their way through a "faux 3D" maze in first person. It might be hard convey to someone who's never had to work with Ren'py as an engine, but achieving anything that escapes the narrow bounds of "visual novel" is quite difficult. The way it keeps these layouts cohesive (both where players can see and in the code running it) impressed me enough, but what truly blew me away was seeing that not only can players alter the placements of rooms and corridors during the final floor, but they can also see them in real time as you do.  A masterful understanding of the limitations and capabilities of this engine is on display here.

The story here is also pretty laudable. It's a purgatory tale that borrows from different myths with the lucidity of what would make for a better way to convey its story, creating interesting idiosyncrasies. I mentioned before the story here doesn't play second fiddle to its gameplay and I don't say that just because I believe they are equal in quality; these two aspects intertwine and elevate each other. An example of this in action lies in how information is distributed throughout the game. Between “obligatory” scenes that progress the story and “memories” that can only be acquired by exploring the maps, ETLF builds character through its gameplay. Even if you find yourself short on time or struggling with the system and choose to use the skip feature, there’s enough character development in those “obligatory” scenes to allow you make a conscious final choice at the end of the game. The devs gave extra care to this balance, which I found most impressive of all in the writing department.

Now the game isn't without flaws. The dungeon crawling, impressive though it is, suffers from a lack of visual variety at many points (especially during the first maze), making it easy to lose oneself; the game offers a solution to this through "numbered rooms" but I personally found those too hard to keep up without using external assistance. I also found pretty frustrating the explanation for the inciting incident  to most of the adventure . It is meant to create drama between two specific characters, but frankly, given the nature of the predicament, it ends up closer to a plot contrivance in my opinion. The rules of this world could just be tweaked a little bit and this wouldn't be necessary.

Except Those Lost Forever is a certified good time. If it doesn't impress you with its execution or move you with its story, I hope you can find enjoyment in completing these puzzles. Even if it didn't end up being my favourite entry in this Game Jam, it is one of the most memorable examples of what can be done with engine and the medium in this niche.