Powerful design here, the audio sets the tone and atmosphere nicely throughout. The camera effects seemed a bit over the top at times. They suit their intended effect, but it felt like the constant headbob in particular let me get drained by all the effects at play. Not being able to close the notes after interacting with them almost feels like a feature disguised as a bug, not sure if that was your intention. The inescapable negative self talk until you run into more negative self talk, it adds to the anxious feelings you already had in play here.
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Perturbation's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Emotional Engagement | #2 | 4.091 | 4.091 |
| Atmosphere | #8 | 4.364 | 4.364 |
| Lasting Impression | #18 | 3.727 | 3.727 |
| Overall | #28 | 3.606 | 3.606 |
| Overall | #37 | 3.636 | 3.636 |
| Mental Engagement | #58 | 3.000 | 3.000 |
| Characterization | #102 | 2.818 | 2.818 |
Ranked from 11 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Comments
gravity-defying, wall-clipping furniture is such a cool idea! and the fisheye lens definitely adds to the spooky, i dunno why but the music almost adds to the spooky as well.
also, not sure if this is a glitch, but ended up running into 2 of those sparkly thingies in the final puzzle-type room, ended up having double panting which by itself was kinda spooky i guess
this ones an actual glitch, mouse doesnt disappear after i press the start button, fortunately wasnt a game breaker tho,
good game
Submitted
BusyThank you. Sometimes having panic can be disorienting and sometimes not even make sense. I wanted to represent that within the environment. I did want it so if the player is already having a panic attack, it would trigger a more intense one. Unfortunately we did not have time for that so it just triggers twice.
Very disturbing and claustrophobic! I really got a sense of anxiety and it felt like the walls were closing in at times (maybe they were?) Minor point: the player bounces even while standing still, which can make it hard to click on the notes. Aside from that, everything felt pretty polished.
Submitted
The Alignment ParadoxOh my that was anxiety inducing. I guess really it's a narrative about anxiety, and boy that made me feel it. I always felt like I was lost, but it progressed quickly and it's crazy how it made me feel like I was never going to escape. Thank you for this one!
Submitted
My Mother & MeYou did, I couldn't win (or lose) but I did get deeply involved into the game. So yeah, you did!
So if you want some feedback, I could say: well it's not very clear what the purpose of this game is, or what the goal of the player is. I understand you want to generate consciousness about mental health but I can't still work out what to do rather than walk around. Maybe maybe, a quick hint (in a way Heavy Rain game does?) could help a little to progress with the story and the game. Just an idea. And music, sfx: since it is relying on the breathe sounds, more variety might help, and an variable implementation through blend tracks.
Graphics are nice, and optimized in their performance (until the anxiety ball , which consumes a lot of the GPU --that I don't have hehe). But in general, textures felt nice, and with a few assets you managed to create a big room and a maze.
Well that's all I can think of for now, I do celebrate you managed to finish it by the deadline and also, congratulate on the high quality of it. There are not a lot of games like this one, which has an original approach to the mental health topic.
The graphichs are really immersive and the panic attacks were actually distressing. The music was relaxing, but the gameplay and the visuals were really tense. Simple yet strong story. Great job!
Submitted
SpaceshipWreckedWell, that freaked me out. As I think that's what you were going for, I'd say mission accomplished.
Submitted
a Royal Midnight SnackThis was a very unnerving experience. I felt so disoriented and uncomfortable throughout (but especially when the walls were coming in). I know this is what you were going for so it was very well executed. The music and graphics are top notch. I also appreciated that we end up at the very beginning after "beating" our fears highlighting the constant struggle of anxiety. Well done!
(I'm going to lie down now.)
Submitted
The Lost Borealis Expedition
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