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A jam submission

Before the Bell RingsView game page

Cozy RPG narrative following the socially anxious Rachel as she navigates the first day of her sophomore year.
Submitted by ViridianBelfry — 5 hours, 20 minutes before the deadline
Rated by 1 person so far
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Before the Bell Rings's itch.io page

Link to your Game Design Doc on Google Drive.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cxsfi8cSG22yARCkltVhSjisUtq_Gb6EiVC_38unrAk/edit?usp=sharing

Have you checked that your GDD is publicly accessible ?
Yes

Is your game set to public on itch.io so we can see it?
Yes

Summarize your game!
Controls: Keyboard/Mouse
Movement - WASD
Interact - E

It’s the first morning bell at Southridge High, and Rachel steps through the front doors clutching her schedule like a lifeline. The hallway swells around her. Lockers slamming, laughter echoing, shoes squeaking on polished floors. Everyone seems taller, louder, more confident. But to Rachel, it feels as if every passing glance is a judgment. Rachel must make her way to her first-period classroom while navigating crowded halls, confusing intersections, and brief social encounters with students to slowly build her confidence and make friends.

Please explain how your game fits the theme.
Our take on “The World is Watching” explores how this idea can feel painfully real for someone with anxiety. Through Rachel’s walk in the school halls, ordinary moments are perceived as judgment. As she steps outside her comfort zone, she begins to see the gap between her fears and reality.

Did you use Generative AI to make any assets in your game?
No

Is there anything you'd like the judges to pay particular attention to?
Revisit generic NPCs to see changing dialogues as your anxiety meter goes down.

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Comments

Host(+1)

Playability:
Really liked the oppressive and overbearing environment in this. Feels like a slice of life with a darker twist on it. Well done.

Theme:
Follows the theme well in that everyone is watching you all of the time or at least you feel that way.

Cleverness: 
Good work with interactions on this and the story is quite compelling. Keep writing and keep up the good work.

Artistic Style: 
Love the portraits and environments. You've done a great job with these. It's hard to capture emotion and many of these characters do that well.

Submitted(+1)

Really nice story focused game.  Lots of cool art and sounds, tons of dialogue, liked the effects of hearing lots of indistinct voices, etc. Everything fit very well.  Great work!