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A jam submission

Ruh and the Rejuvenation SpaView game page

Rest never comes easily
Submitted by Rubescen — 6 days, 1 hour before the deadline
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Ruh and the Rejuvenation Spa's itch.io page

Results

CriteriaRankScore*Raw Score
People's Choice#573.3783.700

Ranked from 10 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.

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Comments

(2 edits) (+1)

I was one of the official judges this year, and now that the results have been made public, and I'm free to do so, here is my score and thoughts on this title:


Overall score: 8

Loved the custom art, as rough as it was. It gave the game a certain kind of charm. The puzzles were pretty well crafted, and didn't feel needlessly frustrating, or that they overstayed their welcome. New mechanics were introduced in a good way as well. I just wish the story had a bit more teeth to it. While it's an abstract story, there's not much for someone to make their own conclusions as to what the shadow represented. If there were just a few more breadcrumbs to lead players along, story-wise, I think it would have been better.

Hey there Rubescen, I got your game for judging so here are some of my thoughts. I wasn't sure what type of game this was when it started, but you introduced the different puzzles well, and the story meshed well with the art and gameplay. The outdoor maps felt a bit too large and empty to me, but they weren't large enough to mess with my mood.

While the puzzles were clever, I do think they could have used a bit more time and polish. The moving platforms were neat, but having a choice box appear instead of just stopping the platform meant that I would miss the right spot a few times while getting used to it. Instead of having the option to stop or move the platform in the opposite direction, I wish the lever would just stop the platform and then I could interact with it again to choose which way it should move. As for the pushing box puzzles, there was a sudden jump in difficulty from the intro of pushing things to having a bunch of boxes to work with. I've made similar puzzles so I know how difficult it is to set them up and make them solvable, but it felt like there were certain moves you wanted the player to do to solve the puzzles and not everyone will think the same way you do. They can be solved with trial and error, but I wish there were hints given if you had to reset the puzzles a bunch of times.

Overall, this was a unique game that suffered slightly from the contest deadline. But you clearly have the skills needed to make a great game, so if you feel like spending a bit more time with this game I'm sure you can take it to the next level.

Developer(+1)

Thanks for judging! Great thorough feedback, definitely like the idea of simplifying the switch mechanics. I'm still not sure why I decided to make a puzzle game, because I don't usually like playing them myself haha. But I'll definitely come back to this post if I decide to revise this after the jam.

(+1)

I got to play this game for round 2 of the IGMC. Here are my thoughts.


Overall I liked the puzzle mechanics of it. Some of the sliding puzzles while trying to keep moving were a little aggravating but were very doable still, so no real issue there. Plus a challenge is needed after all. 

I do wish I had learned more about who she was and why he wanted to not go back. I feel that I didn't really understand that as I played.

That's really all I had to post on this. Overall I felt it was pretty well done, presented well, no major bugs and quite enjoyable. Well done!

Developer

Thanks for judging! And I appreciate the feedback!

Submitted(+1)

Using puzzles to fight was n interesting twist. I had to really think on some of the block puzzles while dodging the shadow hands at the same time. Maneuvering the moving platforms was a challenge with some of the switches since the shadow hand would pop up in front of it so I couldn't stop it. But I love puzzles and liked the ones you chose for the game. Mind you, in the end, I collected all 4 items before I discovered I had to give it to the npcs. Moving platform shadow dance again. Good job I think.

Submitted(+1)

Interesting take on a puzzle game! The minimalist art fits well with the simple and straightforward story. I did find some of the times where I was forced to stand and wait for a moving platform, but also keep moving to avoid dying to be a little more unforgiving than others and was a little frustrated by how long I was forced to wait vs. how quickly the hands appeared, but eventually, I made it through all of them.

You did a great job directing the player where to go, between the arrows and the dialogue, but sometimes it felt a little heavy-handed (the shop twins simply saying "Go to the spa!" after not opening a shop dialogue bc we were touring was the point that I felt a brief moment of, "yeah, I get it..." but I'm an exploration junky, so I'm not sure that others will have the same experience).

Overall, I think maybe a little more fine-tuning on some of the timing and some more interactivity would offer a better experience for the player -- but this is a well-done entry for IGMC. :)

Developer

Thanks, good feedback! if I make any revisions post jam I'll come back to this!

Submitted(+1)

The puzzle's are amazing, I even has troubles finishing it.

The story is great, we get clue and foreshadow from the beginning too.

Overall it's a great game. Nicely done.

Submitted(+1)

I have to say, the puzzle aspect is surprisingly decent and there is a strong emotional core to it all that makes the presentation decent. I fully enjoyed what your game has to offer and the whole bonding with the residents really tugs at my heartstrings more than I thought. 

Of course, the battle stages are a bit of a challenge since you have to juggle solving moving puzzle while also avoiding all the enemies, which gradually does get tough but not impossible, so I have to commend you for making the entry the way it did.

Its not the most depthful story, but it is surprisingly decent in getting the player to care, which I genuinely appreciate. The graphics are also pretty well made with original assets and minimal menu interactions involved so there's that. I'd say overall, a pretty decently made packaged puzzle game. Had a good time. Thanks for the rejuvenating ride.

Developer

Appreciate you giving it a go, and thanks for the review! Ironically, I don't really like puzzle games myself, so I'm not sure why I made that my core mechanic... I'm glad they didn't end up being too frustrating/difficult. I'm also happy to hear that their was some emotional payoff to the story! Thanks again for playing!

https://youtu.be/X-JPzN1Gfts