Play GMTK23 jam game
Ale & Adventures's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Presentation | #221 | 4.370 | 4.370 |
| Overall | #407 | 3.926 | 3.926 |
| Enjoyment | #619 | 3.654 | 3.654 |
| Creativity | #1002 | 3.753 | 3.753 |
Ranked from 81 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
How does your game fit the theme?
In a typical adventure RPG videogame you play as the adventurer who search for quests, in this game, instead, you'll have to deliver this quests to the adventurers who come to the tavern
Did your team create the vast majority of the art during the 48 hours?
Yes
We created the vast majority of the art during the game jam
Did your team create the vast majority of the music during the 48 hours?
No
We used pre-existing audio
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Comments
It was a little much to read, but I did very much enjoy reading all these characters stories. The art was amazing, too. My only nitpick / feedback would be that you need to pay attention to your renown (small number in the corner) to know whether the quest you just gave out failed or not, which could be improved (as I want to know which quests failed, so I can learn from my mistakes).
The character design is gorgeous ! I like that you have to remind of the different informations about the heros in order to find the correct quests, it create kind of a connection with your cutomers !
I really like the design of the characters and the idea of making playing an inkeeper a puzzle.
The overlay systems were also really well designed, and hiding the information in later rounds made the game just difficult enough to be engaging with the amount of content that can be produced during a 48h jam^^
We also thought about doing a visual novel style game but decided we had too little time to write enough engaging dialogue, so I'm really happy someone managed to do it
Thank you for playing!
And yes, we spent a good time writing the dialogues, it was a high risk but we think it paid off.
Also, this was our first game with a heavy focus on UI and menus, so there are some improvements we could make in terms of code because we were brute-forcing our way out sometimes. I know code can get messy during jams but yeah, better not to look at it lol.
We like how it turned out, although we had many more ideas for the game (like special daily events) that weren't doable because of time constraints.
I like that it has that 2005 flash game feeling, takes me way back lol
that was so thoroughly done, wow!
lots of content, each hero has its own personality, and i love how the difficulty increases with the each round :)
first time i didn't think i should remember everything haha, but the second was successful ^^
the amount of text may seem big at first, but it is so neatly done so it is easy to process everything. just one thing here - are highlighted blue words always important and should give some ? as i could see sometimes you have the word "quest" written in blue, but it doesn't have any new information given...that confused me a bit :)
also there was one day when my hero failed one quest, but if i had 2 quests reversed, doesn't it mean that i should have two failed quests?
the art is also beautifully done. and i love that we have the same heroes that acquire new skills and even new friends! impressive work for a 48h game jam :)
p.s. it is always great to find entries devoted to the same game genre ^_^ quest givers team!
I'm glad you enjoyed the game! The words highlighted in blue were "important words" for the quest, but not everytime delivered essential information for that quest in particular. And sometimes there are heroes that can do multiple quests of the same day, we did it that way to not punish too much when the player fails 1 quest. Thank you for your feedback and for playing our game!
I really like this one. The character and world building is very good, the background music with all the tavern sounds is awesome, and the art is pretty. The overall polish of the game is super nice. Good job!
I wish we had more time for music and sounds, I added only a few ones and a low level music because doesn't wanted to kill everyone ears
The art and presentation of the game was absolutely adorable!! :D
The story and characters were great too! Having to remember your customers and make better decisions based on their skills is a great idea for a game like this, though you could probably push the ambiguity of what missions work best for someone even further if you decide to expand on this (for later in the game though - having super obvious missions early on is a good idea lol).
There's a TON of potential with this concept, and I'd love to see what you guys do with it! ^^
I don't like reading, but this game almost convinced me that I do.
In fact, I don't think I've played a game that isn't a visual novel that involves a lot of reading and it's fun. I'm glad there is no time limit and it's just on you to put the pieces together.
Highlighted words do make the game much more comfortable, but for some it might be too patronizing. One suggestion which is more of an extra feature rather than a fix is difficulty levels, which change how difficult the text is to parse, maybe with more flavor text or no highlights.
this looks an awful lot like one of the ideas we had! glad there's someone who has carried it out :) love the character design! good job!
=========================
Review Summary
=========================
[ + + + - - ] :: ENJOYMENT
[ + + + + - ] :: CREATIVITY
[ + + + + - ] :: PRESENTATION
Ale and Adventure is a fascinating approach to RPG adventure gaming! It sees you taking the role of the innkeeper who hands out quests to visiting adventurers. You must match their skills with the appropriate quest or risk losing renown. You get to watch the world and the adventurers evolve throughout the game; albeit offscreen through the dialogue. Still, a really great concept; one that I hope can be developed further.
==========================
Rubric / How I Measure The Score
==========================
[ + - - - - ] 1 - Missing
[ + + - - - ] 2 - Somewhat Present
[ + + + - - ] 3 - Present
[ + + + + - ] 4 - Well Done
[ + + + + + ] 5 - Outstanding
=========================
Detailed Review
=========================
[ + + + - - ] :: ENJOYMENT
I liked the idea behind it, but it wasn't really my cup of tea. I'm a forever DM so there were a lot of things about exploring the adventurer's skills and handing out adventures that I liked, but I think that it boils down to a sorting game.
It might have been more enjoyable if I had felt more involved; like seeing the results of their adventures (not just through in-game dialogue). Maybe adding some more dimension to the game; like managing a budget, and/or having upgrades for the Inn to attract specific types of adventurers for the jobs you have on hand.
Edit: I'm giving this 3 stars, because it is a complete and functional game. I don't know what kind of sleep-deprived I was when I was rating your game before. I think you made a great game, and I believe there's a lot of room for it to become so much more!
[ + + + + -] :: CREATIVITY
Now THIS is where I felt like the game shined. You took a popular trope and gave it an interesting and unique spin. I love the idea; I just wish it could have been implemented in a more interesting way. You did a great job of showing the concept; but it leaves something to be desired.
I give 4 stars because this really is about creativity; and you demonstrated that in your dialogue, and in your skill matching system. I think I'd give it 5 stars if you'd taken the classic fantasy adventure setting a step further; maybe set it up as a sci-fi or modern-style bounty-hunter game? Maybe shown off more of the magic and mysticism of the world with your own spin? Just some ideas.
Edit: Leaving this one as-is
[ + + + + - ] :: PRESENTATION
Audio was a bit quiet; had to turn mine up quite a ways to hear it. Still liked the aesthetic of it. You did a great job with the character art and pretty good with transitions. The UI was pretty good, but a bit clunky at times; especially in the web version. Didn't make it unplayable, just a bit inconvenient.
Could probably make it 4 stars with those fixes, and 5 stars with visual/audial scenes or animations to go with success and failure for specific adventures; like seeing an image of the warrior slaying the black dragon. Really anything that further exemplifies your success/failure.
Edit: Ignore what I said about the audio. I was using a busted set of headphones, so excuse my false judgment. You did a great job on the artwork, so I'm going to excuse the UI issues and give you 4 stars. I hope you're able to smooth things over after the jam :)
wow that's a detailed review. Would you mind reviewing my game?
Sure! You should comment on ours so I don't forget. I prioritize the games of those who comment on ours.
https://itch.io/jam/gmtk-2023/rate/2153406
I don't see your game beneath your profile, so when you comment on our game, please include a link to yours. Thanks!
Wait.. You were a developer on "The Walk?" I loved that game! And yes, I left you a hella review! I even put your game on my threads app as the game of the day!
Confirming reviews. I gave you an extra 2 stars. Explanations in my original comment. Also giving you a follow. Hope to see more from you :)
Cool idea. Good character designs. Gave me some konosuba vibes.
I think more icons or visual hints would be great. It's a bit too much texts for me. Here is a well-written guide/website for game accessibility!
https://gameaccessibilityguidelines.com/ensure-no-essential-information-especial...
Nicely done!
Thanks for the link
I've been seeing a lot of these quest giving games but this one really stands out with its real great artstyle and writing. Great job on the team! Would be amazing to see this evolve into a full fledged game.
Amazing work, i love the concept. Its definetely a kind of game that could be developed into a fully fledged title.
The only specific piece of advice i have is just to change the typeface of the text bubbles to something more fitting. Though still very readable
Quite a fun lil' experience! The artstyle is pretty nice and I enjoyed going through it.
This was fun and a very creative and well presented idea, (I did notice that the adventures sometimes hide behind the door when coming over). The art style was also very fitting to it. I would have loved in the end to see which quests had failed, and maybe to have some indication on the scrolls which quest they are instead of always having to open the scroll to read the full page (maybe with the title visible on the scroll when on the counter?).
Love the vibe. The increase in difficulty was left a little late for me, but with some small tuning, you could get a lot more out of this project. A real gem that you have here.
Thank you so much for playing and your feedback! ^^
Great take on the theme! The art also looks super clean for such a short jam. Nice work!
Thank you so much for playing it!! ^_^
Great fun, great art, great theme/concept, great music
The text could use some proof-reading though
I love the game, and I could see that some quests that failed or were completed could lead to unexpected circumstances. So it has great potential.
Thanks for playing, Who knows what the future holds for this game ;)