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The Other Sides's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Judges' Choice | #1 | n/a | n/a |
| Fun/Engagement | #2 | 4.050 | 4.050 |
| Theme Relevance | #2 | 4.150 | 4.150 |
| Overall | #2 | 3.763 | 3.763 |
| World Building | #6 | 3.050 | 3.050 |
| Creativity | #7 | 3.800 | 3.800 |
Ranked from 20 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Theme Interpretation
We decided to utilize a black and white color palette where the player is able to switch between the two colors, affecting enemies and its projectiles. The contrast between the black and white creates a dichotomy between the two sides.
The characters' designs also support themes of dichotomy and rivalry, since you play as a circle whose kind has been locked away by the sided shapes. In this situation, the dichotomy is between sided and un-sided shapes. Because circles lack sides compared to the other shapes, they were discriminated against due to their opposing features, creating a rivalry.
The player becomes an unsung hero as they take up their sword and attempt to escape the Otherside while enacting revenge for their fellow circles. They refuse to continue to accept the abuse they have endured by their rivals, the sided shapes. By defeating them, the player is able to become victorious against their oppressors.
The name of the game “Other Sides” is also a pun that applies to the rivalry secondary theme, as rival parties often refer to the other as “the other side”.
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Comments
"I think this game has the best application and interpretation of the theme. It's also super polished and the animations are really well done." - Mr. Michael Pien (tiebreaker)
Overall Rating: 5
"I appreciate the aesthetic wholeness brought by the visual black and white theming and how that directly relates to the themes, however, the complication of it did not reinforce those themes in playable ways I could see. The game also has a steep difficulty curve and very little onboarding or training, making it hard to see as a repeatable experience. With playtesting and tuning, this could be great." - Roberts
Overall Rating: 4.25
"REALLY creative interpretation of the theme to inspire an interesting story and gameplay mechanic. I love seeing games that can successfully turn themes into mechanics. Only took a point off for fun/engagement because the first level was way too hard- there should definitely be some ramp up of difficulty to let the player get used to the side-switching mechanic. I bet a bullet hell enjoyer would love this. Great job!" - Reid
Overall Rating: 4.75
"Really great idea, control was challenging and ability to get in and score hits was challenging. Reminds me of the old 1979 Vectorbeam game Warrior, and the older console-based bullet hell game Ikaruga which had the player switching between black and white. During the initial instructions, it didn't say 'Press space to continue' so it took me a while to figure out what to do, and it shows those same instructions on every restart." - Denenberg
Overall Rating: 4.5