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The Seal's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Narrative | #704 | 3.493 | 3.493 |
| Audio | #1114 | 3.493 | 3.493 |
| Creativity | #1330 | 3.915 | 3.915 |
| Enjoyment | #1370 | 3.577 | 3.577 |
| Artwork | #2063 | 3.577 | 3.577 |
Ranked from 71 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?
Loops are at the heart of our game. You'll feel it in the spinning discs of each puzzle and uncover it within the game's layered story.
(Optional) Please credit all assets you've used
see description for full credits
(Optional) What would you like to be called if GMTK features your game?
Radium
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Comments
Whoa, this is such a clever math puzzle! Though I'll admit these logic-based challenges absolutely wreck me (in a good way!). What really impressed me was the thoughtful guidance system - when I hover over an object, seeing how other elements react is a total lifesaver!
The energy meter is genius too, subtly showing optimal solutions exist... even if my smooth brain can't execute them properly lol. Seriously though, mad respect for this design!
Thanks for your time and kind feedback. It means a lot to me <3
Hey! Awesome jam entry. The atmosphere hits very close to what I personally like, so it was an instant boost in my experience. The gameplay is very simple but has a lot of scaling potential and is actually enjoyable. I can see it both as a full game with more added mechanics (maybe a mobile market is something that this could work well on?) or as a part of a larger game.
I want to highlight and complain to an extent about one part though. The "scarfs" is a great, great idea so that the player can finish the level with sub-optimal strategy and still get through but will have to think harder to get the scarf. But for a jam game I would probably add a second scarf on each level at the point where the game restarts the level right now and let the player finish all levels even with brute force 40 moves sequences. In a full release, I would totally stay with the system that is in place right now.
Solid entry!
hey. awesome feedback and you're totally right. I should've put a little more room for trial-and-error or as you say, "brute-force", in my levels.
I will definitely consider it in my future jams :)
A fun and unique puzzle game! I love the story as well as the challenge of finding the shortest solution.
If possible, please consider rating my game too.
thanks for playing.
sure, I will add it to my list
Great puzzles, got all the bonuses except for the last one!
wow, good job then :)
I really like the vibe and the idea! I think I am usually pretty good at puzzles but this one really got me. As said below by Jamie Birch, I think a more incremental introduction would have been great, I really struggle to visualize the moves and having more practice with the mechanics would help ! I don't know if you had time to get someone to playtest it, but I think it would help making it easier to approch (in a jam setting).
Anyhow, I saw that you are planning a solution guide and I think that's a great idea! I look forward to that so I can try my hand at the game more :)
Thank your for your time; and you are right. More approachable levels definitely could help for a jam setting.
This game is so clever, but I have to admit - it really stumped me! I didn’t get very far, but I can absolutely see how satisfying it would be once it clicks. The rotating stone mechanic is elegant and challenging, and I loved the atmosphere, especially the sliding stone sounds and the cryptic tone of the monologues. There's definitely a sense of mystery pulling you forward.
thanks a lot for your time and heartwarming words.
in your opinion, how can I improve it so less players get stumped? what was its cause in your experience?
Actually, that is a very good puzzle design question.
Before I dive in - just a heads up that I’m not the sharpest when it comes to spatial awareness 😅 So take this with a grain of salt! That said, I found the game genuinely compelling, but the thing that tripped me up was how quickly the number of variables to consider started stacking up.
On Day 2, I was already getting overwhelmed by all the possible interactions. The combinatorics escalate fast! For me personally, the learning curve might have been easier if early levels had some constraints - for example, unmovable stones or stones that rotate in only one direction. (The second still adds complexity, but it’s more intuitively predictable.)
Also, a clearer sense of difficulty progression might help - something like: Day 1 puzzle requires 1 rotation, Day 2 needs 2, and so on. Just a soft, guiding metric to help players calibrate expectations.
Another thing I noticed: because of how the core mechanic works, the solution path is often pretty counterintuitive.You sometimes need to rotate symbols away from the target to get them to the right spot later. It’s a really interesting twist - and definitely something to lean into - but worth factoring in when puzzle designing.
Anyway - just my two cents. It’s a beautifully made game, and I’m really glad I played it!
I totally get what you are trying to say and I deeply appreciate your suggestions. I have some ideas to make challenges more intuitive.
It was my first participation in GMTK game jam and I learned something that I didnt think about it too much before. It's the fact that jam's players attention span to my game will be very very short. Actually much shorter than I thought.
when you design a puzzle game, you would like to show players the potential and depth of its mechanics. so you design some levels with other abilities and bring them up relatively soon, so it fits the average attention span of the players.
but meanwhile, the difficulty curve must remain smooth too.
I realized finding a balance point between these two, in a game jam, is extremely difficult in such type of puzzle games.
You're absolutely right! I came to the same conclusion after my first game jam - balancing showcase vs. smooth progression is really hard in a puzzle game. Since then, I’ve started intentionally keeping the difficulty more approachable. For jam entries, I want most players to be able to finish in one sitting, even if it means holding back a bit on the depth.
You did a great job capturing a compelling mechanic, and with a bit more breathing room post-jam, I can totally see it shining even brighter.
thanks a lot. definitely will consider it in the future jams :)
Very fun idea! While im not great at puzzle games this was very fun!
So Glad you had a fun time. thanks
Wow, that feels great to play and is super challenging! I love the monologues between levels, and the atmosphere is so good with the sliding sounds. Great job!
Nice feedback. Thank you
This is a really compelling puzzle game, very nice spatially, especially the first half of the levels really get into that niche of "i know what i need to do but i cant get there exactly" which is ideal for me.
The freeze and reverse buttons felt a little out of place for me though, considering theyre level-by-level maybe they should be shaped more like as a part of the level? or alternatively they could be special types of wheels, like the deactivated wheels. That would mean that you could make levels easier by streamlining which options players could take, or make levels harder by deliberately making some wheels not freezable or reversible, just a thought.
Id love to see a further take on this concept, maybe something more like the witness would be appropriate for having the flat puzzles and also having room for the story? (literally)
sorry if this seems really critique-y, this game really sparked my inspiration, i feel like it could def go far.
I totally agree with you. I'm so happy and joyful that it sparked your inspiration. for a game designer, I know it's a very special and pleasing moment: )
Your ideas and suggestions are great (especially turning freeze and reverse abilities into some wheels becoming parts of the puzzle itself) and I definitely will be exploring them in the future. Thanks a lot for your time and kind feedback. It means a lot to us <3
very nice i love it i feel like this is such a cool concept with soo much room to expand great excution guys and great sound on the turning of the stone wheels
Thanks a lot for your heartwarming feedback <3
gosh this is so nice and polished, very nice job. my only downside is that it is SO HARD to think ahead more than 1-2 steps. i usually love puzzle games too but my brain was just not equipped for this particular mechanic hahaha. I got to day 8. but this is such a fantastic entry.
I understand, it can be tricky and hard sometimes. Thanks a lot for your time and effort <3
It's very good to see you like it
Level design and puzzle design are very good. Great game!
very happy you liked it ^^
Really well made puzzles
Glad you liked it ^^
Solid idea + great execution, great work!
Thanks a lot
Oh, what a clever way to play with the theme! This is a great puzzle game. It's pretty easy at first, but it gets tricky pretty quickly to line up the right numbers together. It's also very visually neat! Honestly, congratulations!
Thank You <3 Your kind word means a lot and Truly motivates me to continue :)
Oh this is such a clever mechanic, from the 2nd level on I was already hooked. Unfortunately Its extremely hard and sometimes I’m just randomly pressing and it works xD
I'm happy you managed to go through it and found it clever. Thanks a lot