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Journey Through Dark's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Enjoyment | #1090 | 3.674 | 3.674 |
| Creativity | #1930 | 3.739 | 3.739 |
| Narrative | #2033 | 2.804 | 2.804 |
| Artwork | #2764 | 3.348 | 3.348 |
| Audio | #3102 | 2.957 | 2.957 |
Ranked from 46 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?
Journey Through Dark requires you to craft a path for your hero to follow. The only way to keep the gold you loot is to loop the path back to your camp. Any gold you make it to camp with can now be spent on upgrades to extend your runs and explore further. Keep the loop going.
(Optional) Please credit all assets you've used
All art was original and created during the jam. Audio was pulled from past projects.
(Optional) What would you like to be called if GMTK features your game?
Scatterbrain Software
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Comments
I liked it a lot! It's definitely one of the most original game concepts I've played this jam, and I definitely think that a full game is deserved for this idea! My only issue is that I had no clue what I was supposed to do at the beginning, so I had to spend some time trying to figure that out. Great game!
Yeah I realized that and I'm a little upset with myself that I didn't spend 5 minutes just creating a text pop-up on the first run telling you to connect back to camp or something. I was just so limited on time that I didn't even have time to think about it.
no worries, it was pretty intuitive once I got it
Love the game! I really like the idea and how it requires you to think about the return journey, sound was great, but I think some music would have really added to it
Well done!
Nice game! I’d love to see how you continue working on it in the future.
Very unique idea, loved discovering the game mechanics and how it related to loop! I hope you continue to develop the game!
Thank you so much! I am absolutely going to continue development on this, I have so many ideas of ways to improve the game.
This game is so coool!! I love how conceptually it's simple but you can still focus on different upgrades and have to think about your next step. Amazing work! Would definitely play if it turns into a full game
I appreciate it! Once I had the idea I knew I needed to keep the actual interaction between the player and the game simple so you're able to focus on the strategy of it. Unfortunately, like everyone else, I had to cut a lot of content to make it on time but I'm still very happy with the current state of it.
Neat idea! Enjoyed playing it!
Cool game!! It was neat balancing going back to safety and getting more coins. Good work! I think a futher developped version of this would be more fun than loop hero
Thank you so much! I definitely plan on continuing development. I have a lot of ideas to improve the gameplay.
Nice game, Lots of pvp styled game like this but still more on the creative side compared to most of em. 7/10
When I first searched for "Journey Through Dark" I thought something must be wrong, I cannot find the game. The only match was an incredibly polished professional looking release with a custom logo. Clicking into it, I realized this was indeed the submission for GMTK 2025.
Reading the instructions was a bit of a challenge because of the font choice, especially when the in-game text is clean and crisp by comparison. Overall the initial opening to the game of being presented a card was a great introduction, being able to see what happens when you click on it right away and quickly picking up the game system. The occasional mountain thrown in the mix added a unique challenge for extended runs as you had to manage your health and ensure you could path a way back to your camp.
Obviously this is a jam submission, but I would like to see the consequences of cards presented in a more streamlined manner along with the UI better representing the overall status of your character. The developer notes about what will be added later is reassuring, because having more actions, world elements, and strategy would be amazing for the full release. It would be nice to see a more classical upgrade system too, where combat experience leads to upgrades while the gold has more practical uses, or upgrades for your camp.
This was a really polished experience for such a short timeframe and I hope to see more work by Scatterbrain Software in the future.
This feels like start to a fantastic game, I think it could use a bit more variety in cards and goals (maybe reason to visit places on the map) but it's already pretty addicting as is.
Thank you! I'm taking a little rest break to play games in the jam but once I get back adding reasons to go further is my top priority.
Quite nice! Could use some simple ambience in the background
Seconded, I would have liked some more audio and SFX as well.
really really good and enjoyable! might be the most replayable game i've come across so far
Oh wow thank you! That was my goal! Haha.
I like the idea, good job!
Thank you! I really appreciate it.
I really liked the concept of the game, the idea to go on a hunt and gamble your life to earn some gold and come back safe. Nice feedback loop you got there. Cool game
Thank you! I appreciate. I am elevating this to my main project and I can't wait to keep working on it after a little break.
ok
Great adventure, really like the balance of risk and reward for what loop you take. Lots of potential to expand this and play more!
Thank you so much! I'm taking a little break from development to play some games and just rest but I can not wait to get back to working on this. I have so many ideas! If you have any please don't hesitate to let me know.
Had to force myself to stop playing this. This is one of those games that if you play without an alarm clock you will easily loose 8 hours in.
Wow thank you! That's incredible to hear.
Is there a way to follow the updates on this game? Like a YouTube channel or some sorts. This game has mad potential way beyond this game jam.
I truly, really appreciate that. I think I saw that you already followed me here on itch. I do have a Scatterbrain Software YouTube channel but it's relatively new as I only started using the name a few weeks ago when I released a program. Since you're expressing interest maybe I will actually try to do some video devlogs there.
https://youtube.com/@scatterbrainsoftware?si=LMCF68d_kss5FK0l
Love this game! Great concept and in this state the vision is clear so well done :) My only feedback would be that the game isn't effective as it could be if it were faster, movement from tile to tile and combat could be more snappy so players can progress faster and try out those upgrades. It took me quite some time to just get to the 300 gold bonus gold from combat.
Thank you so much! On my list of scrapped ideas was a fast forward option because I agree with you completely. Once you understand how the game works you want it to move faster but I didn't want to increase the base speed so players could learn the game easier. I want to keep working on it so I really appreciate the feedback!
What a creative idea! It's a satisfying little mini-adventure. I could see this being a really compelling mobile game.
Thank you so much!
Really enjoyed this one, the gameplay loop is incredibly satisfying!
Thank you so much! With so little time my entire goal was to ensure that there was a full gameplay loop and a reason to keep playing. I'm glad you liked it.