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On a Hill's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Theme | #47 | 4.000 | 4.000 |
| Originality | #94 | 3.786 | 3.786 |
| Presentation (graphics, audio) | #109 | 3.857 | 3.857 |
| Fun | #135 | 3.357 | 3.357 |
Ranked from 14 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
How does your game represent Mode?
On a Hill was a collaborative design that originated from a narrative centering around lost memories. We wanted to focus on the theme of memories and how that can pertain to the definition of mode. Mode to us refers to shifts in style, shifts in time periods, and shifts in times of day; more importantly, though, mode refers to never suggesting there is a “correct” mode to play by.
With this in mind, we connected each lost memory to a specific game mode and playstyle. Each mode has distinct advantages and disadvantages that heighten the gameplay structure while also enhancing the storytelling. We can see how the confident Lieutenant mode has a more aggressive playstyle while the Major mode is more defensive and why they behave that way in the narrative. We also gave the player free roam to decide how they wanted to play the game and encounter the story. Mode enables preference and flexibility, giving players a nonlinear and replayable experience.
We enjoyed exploring this topic and creating a game that was special to us. We want to thank you all for hosting and interacting with our project.
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Comments
Presentation and writing were both way beyond the call of duty for a jam. Gameplay didn't quite click (much like my finger after playing this game for an extended period of time), wildly spamming weapon swaps seemed like the path of least resistance, but just seeing how the different stories wove into eachother kept me playing and trying to main different weapons. Very memorable, great design, my trigger finger is in a constant state of agony, enjoyed my stay, A+
Definitely one of the most visually striking games in the jam! The gameplay has a lot of depth too, but I sort of wish that each mode was rolled out one by one because it was a little overwhelming to start with all 4 modes at once. Great coding!
The gameplay was awesome! I think the story kind of dragged on considering that the gameplay didn't change with the story, I think this could be fixed with some more environments and possibly more enemies, which would have been tough given the deadline. The overall experience was super rewarding, and I could feel myself getting better as the game went on, which was awesome. Super good job!!!
I love the presentation and aesthetic. I think the game is a little lengthy if there are different stories for the player's choice of mode.
Fantastic little experience, great presentation and story, and while the gameplay confused me at first, once it clicked it was very satisfying to do well. Good job!
Neat game, love the dark atmosphere. The gameplay could've been more complete, and visually it looks pretty muted, but dug it. Next time try to contrast the colors of the enemy from the background a bit. The guns being modes is an adequate use of the theme.
Great job to the team on making a functioning game loop, and great atmosphere! Though a bit more sound and music will fill the void, but that vibe works for this game.
Tower defense, but you are the one and only tower and you are protecting yourself. Fun game, lots of story and lore that's been well thought out. Open ending imo that is kept up for interpretation.
Very cool! I absolutely loved the presentation! The shotgun was awesome! Maybe too awesome, but it's hard to balance everything out in just a handful of days for the jam.
This game i truly excellent, and really caught me off guard. I love the concept of having to use different weapons to see different parts of the story. That story itself really drew me in, and while i haven't seen everything yet, i will probably come back to see the other perspectives. In terms of the gameplay, its very fun, if slightly unbalanced. As pixel myth said below, the shotgun just shreds anything and the most effective strategy is to just spam shotgun and quickly switch whenever you need to reload. But regardless of balance issues, the gameplay itself was very fun, and its very satisfying to mow down row after row of enemies. Overall, a awesome game! Great job!
Very unique! I like that the kind of "choose your own adventure" style that comes with using different guns more often. Seeing survival horror mixed with a visual novel was a fun combination! I also really like the art style; the 3D depth with the really nice pixel art was visually appealing.
That said, I think one way that the game could improve is with the balancing of the different guns. I mostly defaulted to the shotgun and the rifle, swapping between them quickly to instantly reload. I found that the shotgun was the easiest to spam using this trick, and because of it I hardly used the pistol. Also, I think that the game could use a little more music during the gameplay sections.
Overall, though, I had a fun time playing it! I can tell a lot of creativity went into it!