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My Mother & Me's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Emotional Engagement | #1 | 4.347 | 4.347 |
| Lasting Impression | #12 | 3.837 | 3.837 |
| Characterization | #13 | 3.959 | 3.959 |
| Overall | #22 | 3.670 | 3.670 |
| Overall | #42 | 3.592 | 3.592 |
| Mental Engagement | #76 | 2.816 | 2.816 |
| Atmosphere | #90 | 3.469 | 3.469 |
Ranked from 49 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
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Comments
Jesus where to begin. This is by far the most complex game I've reviewed for the jam so far. The narrative is deeply personal and presumably autobiographical. The trigger warnings are not a joke; this is a serious and up-close exploration of domestic abuse.
I'm having trouble even defining this as a "game," in that the term usually implies delivering "fun" and "gameplay." This is a piece of narrative, interactive software but it is not "fun."
That is not to say this is poorly made or not worthwhile - meticulous care has been paid to the pacing and emotional beats of the narrative, creating an experience that is definitely engaging and, for some, possibly fascinating. Others may find it too intense, I imagine. For me, it was rewarding but exhausting. This is to video games what a documentary on abuse would be to the film medium.
The actual narrative devices used do an extraordinarily good job at subverting typical video game experience. In most video games, character movement gives the player a sense of agency. In MM&M, repeated use is made of narrow halls or stairs where you are confronted over and over with uncomfortable scenes you cannot control, avoid, or prevent. Movement, instead of creating a sense of freedom, creates a feeling of inevitability, even dread. This is an extremely effective technique, and I applaud the developer for these vignettes
There is some very light gameplay - one block puzzle, one contextual escape room. The latter works somewhat, the former doesn't, but neither take much time away from the ongoing drama. Beyond that, all I can say is that this feels like it was important to the developer to make, and it feels well done from that perspective. I'm glad I played it and never want to play it again.
If the Trauma Memory Simulation genre doesn't exist, MM&M has invented it
I made an achievement for you.
So the thing I've always appreciated about adventure games more than anything is their ability to tell a story. The type of narratives I appreciate the most are probably dramas and melodramas because of how they can reflect the problems of society in such a profound way. I wanted to tell a story that I think is important, that was worth my time to make and worth the player's time to experience. And yeah the barrel puzzle was kind of intended as a way for me to give the player a brief respite.
I appreciate your feedback, thank you so much!
You've got some very nice storytelling talent here, got engaged from beginning to end.
Thank you!
You've got some very nice storytelling talent here, got engaged from beginning to end.
Hey, I tried to play this but it wound up consistently crashing after the third dialogue/message box of the first scene. Will be happy to try again if it gets fixed
Is there any kind of error code and what platform are you using? This was tested a bit for windows and I guess a dozen or so people have rated it without running into any issues, but the Mac version was only tested twice.
I'm on Windows 11 Home - I only got a CTD so I couldn't tell you if there was any sort of application-based error reporting happening, although there is a debug txt file in the folder with two time-stamped entries, so those might tell you something
[0612/143927.600:ERROR:process_info.cc(375)] NtQuerySystemInformation SystemExtendedHandleInformation: The specified information record length does not match the length required for the specified information class. (0xc0000004)
[0612/143927.653:ERROR:http_transport_win.cc(175)] WinHttpCrackUrl: The URL does not use a recognized protocol (0x2ee6)
Some research reveals these error codes might be related to issues with your antivirus, having spaces in the folders you’re running the program from, NWjs not running properly on your computer, not having ogg vorbis codecs on your computer, and some other potential issues. The easiest probable fix is just the antivirus and running it in compatibility mode for an older version of Windows, if you are still having problems and figure anything else out let me know.
This hits pretty heavy. The simple graphics and audio make it so much heavier. Just the little differences like in Dad's sad face, or the bowtie on the neck vs the bowtie in the hair. I legit got scared when Dad came home when I just wanted to watch ninja turtles. Using the long scrolls to tell the story works really well for the graphic parts. The trauma flashbacks are so well placed too. Gave me the big sads, good outro song, nice entry.
Thank you! For the final song I was going to just record it with normal instruments and clean vocals but I felt like the bit crushed chiptune sounds fit better.
From the text mode style character graphics I, though charming, I didn't have high expectations. Your game was quite unlike what I expected though. The whimsical visuals and sound provide quite a stark contrast with the story. You really hit me in the feels.
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
The story is intense, not a big fan of a ZZT-style artwork, but it doesn't hurt that much. I'd like it to be a little bit more interactive ;)
When I was plotting out the game I considered making it more puzzle-focused, but most of the ideas I was coming up with felt too political or just made the plot baggier. I wanted it to be a tight narrative in memory of my mother, so that's really all it is. If I catch an idea that lends itself better to a more interactive, less cinematic style I might make it next adventure jam.
Nice game and I adored the story, gg !
Thank you!
Storytelling that utilizes the art style to great effect!
Thank you!
Really deep story. I didn't think a game whit so happy pixel-art would be so sad (even after I read the CW). Great work.
Thank you for playing!
pretty amazing how you can make a couple of boxes so expressive, I really felt it. :(
everything was perfect from in terms of the story, art and music and sound design. this is great!
Thank you! I do get pretty meticulous wanting the pacing and sounds to be just right, I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Intense story told through the smiling avatars of ZZT which definitely lightens the oppressive mood. The biggest damnation of domestic abuse is how many people witness it (the teacher, the doctor, the girlfriend) and offer no support.
Thank you!
Great storytelling! There was a lot of attention to detail and cinematic moments throughout the game. I liked the atari graphics and sound, they contrasted with the heavy themes of the story and made them stand out even more.
Thank you! I didn't even really think about how the retro graphics would have contrasted, that's a good observation.
The story was extremely well written, I cried a bit at the part about wishing to fold laundry with her mom :(
Overall a great game :)
Thank you so much! It is kind of designed to be a tearjerker, I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Very intense. It had me engaged. I really liked the way it was all structured with its narration, use of sound, and graphics. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you!
The story make me kinda emotional
Thank you for playing, I hope you enjoyed it!
That was intense. Thanks for sharing it.
You’re welcome and thank you for playing!
i enjoyed the game it was felt
Thank you!
oppressive atmosphere. as they say, the meme is funny, the situation is scary.
Thank you! I guess in a lot of ways it’s a game about oppressed people.
great game
Thank you!