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Ranked 11th with 19 votes
| Criteria | Rank | Votes |
| People's Choice Vote | #11 | 19 |
| Judge's Choice | #13 | n/a |
Judge feedback
Judge feedback is anonymous and shown in a random order.
This was a sweet little game with a lot of compassion and cute characters. I would have liked to learn a little more about the setting where monsters are hiding out from heroes and such. It took a while to get into at first but once we started learning more about Miriam, it got to be very affecting. The gameplay was fairly insubstantial and I found it a little odd to only have one battle in the entire game. Maps were short on detail and had a lot of empty space, although the hero forest looked nice. Overall I enjoyed it and I think it will open a lot of people’s eyes about what’s it like to have a “broken frown.”
Score: 44/80
PRESENTATION
Graphics were a mix of different assets and the RTP. Mapping was alright in some areas, very large and empty in others and there were a few mapping errors scattered around, though nothing breakable.
The writing had some issues with grammar, spelling and sentence structure but for the most part was pretty decent. The dialogue flowed well and showed off a decent amount of characterisation. The story itself was bittersweet and emotional, doing a good job of getting the player invested.
The music was a mix of RTP and other, and it fit well together. The songs fit the scenes they were played in and helped build up the emotional tone at times.
Sound effects were present, though atmospheric use wasn't. It was well used, though, and nothing was jarring.
GAMEPLAY
The gameplay was pretty simple - run around interacting with NPCs doing odd jobs and quests. The main aspect was the story, so that was fine. There was one plot battle which was unwinnable.There was also a small 'minigame' where you had to keep your pet fed, meaning that when it started making noises you had to head back to your house and feed it.
ENGAGEMENT
The story, setting and characters were what made this game enjoyable. The story was well-told and had a great emotional impact.
THEME
The theme of the game was "learning to understand others and yourself". It was certainly present in the depiction of the main character and her struggle with relating to others who she couldn't understand (and who couldn't understand her). It was well-told and hit the mark very well.69/80
Theme
It’s about a girl who has issues understanding her emotions because of a condition called Alexithymia. Because of this, she struggles with her relationship with people and blending in.
Gameplay
Basic Fetch Quest, not much to do.
Presentation
Mapping Needs some work like in the monstown and the market. There are some typos here and there. Certain scenarios of the game is pretty good.
Engagement
It was short and sweet. I enjoyed it. I think it just needs more polish.
Total – 61/80
56/80
People already know the name and we only just named it in private? Event texts in wrong places? Where did that green haired go? Why did he suddenly appear later? How did that kid know you laughed considering he doesn't even seem to be the same kid and appears so soon after? Spelling. Odd activity from followers at certain locations.
Dog was actually pretty annoying after a while. I wanted to just leave him at home with the feed since he seems to cry a lot and this can be annoying in places like the forest where you can't return home.
The brat actually felt much more rude than the main character. As did the parents. I'm surprised that considering how everyone seems to know each other that people didn't figure out the main character's symptoms. Especially since laughter doesn't necessarily equate to finding something funny.
Why is it that the main character saw the door as somehow always closed/locked when there had to be some way for people to go in and out (the green haired NPC didn't seem to have any issues with it being locked even if he did have reason to be there).
A lot of fun sometimes waiting for NPCs to move out of the way, maybe have a script to have them try to move away if the player is trying to move through them?
Team Members
just1witness
Engine
RMMV
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Comments
Ahh at first I was a bit hesitant to download this because I try to stay away from things with themes that deal with mental health.. but something in the description made me curious and so I gave it a try..
The whole game was fun to play though at times I didn't really understand the MC until slowly I realize why. Alexithymia, hmm.. I didn't really know what it was. I mean sometimes we hear about people having a hard time understanding each other and relating to others (I feel the second a lot tbh) but I didn't really know there was a personality disorder like this. This little game made me definitely a bit more aware of it and also feeling sort of sad because unfortunately not everyone is as lucky as our MC that found someplace where she can belong, with people that will try to understand her (and vice versa). And someone similar to her, the little cute guy at the end.. I was also so sad when Dog died.. I never thought I could feel so attached to a mushroom.. xD
Overall: This was a short but truly sweet game. I liked the characters, they were all special in their own way (the facesets/sprites also looked really nice!). The story was really well told, the little quests (so well done!) playing an essential role guiding the player to understand both the side of the MC and the other characters. The maps too all looked good (that last scene during the credits with our couple looked so prettyyy!). This was definitely one of my favorite games for this contest.
Good luck and keep it up! :)
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
*I never thought I could feel so attached to a mushroom.. xD* this cracked me up! XD
Hopefully if people become more aware of the disorder, more people can have an ending like hers. :)
Such a cute game! You harmonize a nicely written plot, good character development and psychological matters such as Alexithymia (which interests me much as a medicine student). It is rare finding games with a degree of complexity like this one, if you are thinking about doing a final version and publishing it, go for it, you have a solid base.
I do plan on refining it and have a pretty good idea of how it will be expanded.
Thank you for playing, I'm glad you liked it! :)
The story was well written, the cast were fun & lovable and it definitely opened mine (any many others) eyes to Alexithymia. I used to know someone who had a hard time understanding body language, and we ended up hurting each other quite a lot. But that's a different story, some things just aren't supposed to be, but hopefully with a little more knowledge and understanding they'll be more stories with beautiful endings like this one <3
I feel like this feedback is going to be nit-picking but I like to be detailed so;
Some of the maps could have done with a bit more customisation (perhaps reshuffle rooms, change floor/wall tiles), as they were quite noticeably edits from the sample maps. I particularly dislike the combination of tiles in the forest since I think it was just too textured and sort of hard to distinguish the edges of things.
Suggest that you use region restrictions on events inside houses on the entryways to prevent the player from getting stuck in one of the rooms by the npcs.
The fog in the forest was pretty jerky, although it did help make things feel more maze like again, it was also kind of unpleasant to watch. A slow scrolling fog might be better(?)
Hime's actor battle commands should work to hide the skill selection from the battle menu.
There's a typo in the castle just before you meet the queen on the guards name boxes. Also, a tiling error on the roof of the castle that just needs to be sorted out with some shift click mapping.
This game was made with clearly made with lots of love, and as a player I think it's hard not to be swept up in the world. It's a nice change to play on the monsters side for once, and a lot of effort went in to find the resources and the characterisation of them. The gameplay wasn't always engaging for me, and after having to delay feeding Dog I did wonder if there was actually a penalty for forgetting. The story carried itself through though, the cutscenes and extra details on sprites was a nice touch. Good job! :D
Thank you so much for playing and for the detailed review! :)
The visual aspects suffered the most in this game out a lack of time, since the main focus was the characters and story. There is a lot to be done after the judging period to refine that (so many cringy defaults, haha)
As for Dog, you actually can go through the story without returning home even once, but it's hard to do. In Peeps house in a jar there is some food for him, you can feed it to him away from home once. He cries after a certain number of steps, and then runs after an equal number of subsequent steps. You just have to get him out of the garden if he runs. He was intended to add the aspect caring for a dependent.
Thank you again, you're review is greatly appreciated! :)
I like this game very much! I loved Bob #bestcharacterof2017, sooo inspiring, Bob, I'm still inspired.
I'm so happy to hear that you liked the game! Bob IS pretty cool. ;P
Very well constructed game. I had fun poking around the town and talking to everybody. Lots of personality. The story/message built up nice and subtly and hit its mark to finish. I found myself laughing at many of the same moments she was! Haha. So it was easy to get invested in the story. Learned a little something too. Good stuff!
Thank you for playing and for the feedback! I'm happy that you enjoyed it :)
I love this game I personally have autism and this hits close to home for me thank you for making such an amazing game
Thank you for playing the game! I know Alexithymia is often a co-condition with Autism, I'm glad you could relate! :)
I quite like this game. I've never heard of Alexithymia before. But even as an Aspie, I know what it feels like to not be "understood" by the world. So, well done. :)
Thank you for playing, I'm glad you liked it! I have a daughter who is an Aspie. She likes it too and her experience inspired some of the tone. :)
Very well done and interesting! This kept my attention the whole way through and really nailed what it was going for. This game will help you understand certain people better.
Thank you so much for playing and reviewing, I'm glad you liked it! :)
It's not my normal kind of game, but I found this one enjoyable and liked it to the end. I would recommend everyone try it. It was fun.
It brings awareness to an obscure issue I had no clue about, and I learned something about myself!
I appreciate you looking at it even though it wasn't the type of game you usually play, thank you! I'm so glad to hear that you liked it! :)
It was good my dude. You MUST play this game!
Thank you so much for playing and reviewing the game, I'm glad you liked it!
Hello just1witness,
you've succeeded in not only informing me of a condition I didn't even know before, but also in making me feel a lot of empathy for people who suffer from it.
I loved how you gradually introduced the every day problems Alexithymia brings with it and how you explained it through the interactions with the characters and finally the queen.
I'm very glad I played your game. You have my vote.
Thanks!
Thank you so much for playing my game! Honestly, whatever the outcome of this event, I just want people to know more about this. I'm glad you enjoyed it, thank you so much! :D
You're welcome, it was a wonderful experience
If you'd like to give our entry a go, I'd be my pleasure to hear what you think about Quidget!
Quidget is added to my list, thank you!
Wohoooo! Have fun playing!
I thoroughly enjoyed this. Truly. I loved your use of the available resources, and especially liked the twist on the classic, "hero vs. monster" motif. Your dialogue, quest options, and the reactions of each character as events unfolded were very well implemented, and did an excellent job bringing attention to such a sadly misunderstood condition. The music was perfect, and honestly, this game hit me right in the feels. Especially the ending. I think you did a wonderful job with this and I will certainly recommend it to anyone. Well done! :D
Thank you so much for playing! I'm glad you liked it :D
P.S. I am stoked to hear that it caused an emotional response, I was going for that and wasn't sure if I could actually pull it off. Thank you again.
Of course! And yes, it was great. I'm a sucker for those things.
This is a super cute game. Meet a lovable cast of "monsters" who live together in a little town and try to stay away from those awful "heroes" who just go around killing monsters for no reason. Get to know and lend a hand to your neighbors, all of whom have distinct and interesting personalities, and learn about a rare condition that affects the way you feel emotions.
I enjoyed this game a lot. It's cute, funny, relaxing and at times, even a little sad. Great job, just1witness!
Thank you so much for playing and reviewing my game!! It means a lot coming from you, since I've had the pleasure of seeing how creative and capable you are in game development!