Play snuff game
Entropy of Royalty's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Best Use of Ludonarrative | #4 | 3.000 | 3.000 |
| Best Use of the (optional) Theme | #6 | 2.167 | 2.167 |
| Overall | #7 | 2.417 | 2.417 |
| Most Compelling Character | #8 | 1.667 | 1.667 |
| Most Compelling Narrative | #8 | 2.833 | 2.833 |
Ranked from 6 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
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Comments
This feels like the Kobyashi Maru, an unbeatable psychological scenario.
Now if only I could be sneaky and reprogram the game so that I could win, I'd eat an apple, sit back and laugh at the guards.
You fool! In the process of doing that, you'd be overthrowing the hierarchy of the game's code to come out on top, thus putting you in line to be overthrown by... uh... me! Yes! If you overthrow my code, I will come to your house and overthrow you. Whatever that means.
That's honestly an interesting comparison. I'm not aware of what a Kobyashi Maru is; I'll have to look into this.
Star Trek Reference! It's a 'no win scenario' tactical training simulator that Kirk rigged by changing the programming xD
Oh, hah, that explains it all! Heh.
Thank you for the elaboration. :>
I tried many times to figure out how to survive following the regicide, and I failed. I enjoyed trying out the weapon and armour combos!
Regicide is one of those things that doesn't let ya go easy. I mean, I wouldn't know from experience (I think), but I've heard the stories...
I'm glad you enjoyed playing around with the different combos!
I really enjoyed testing out all the classes and creating a character, it's a fun game. I could see combat like this as a really interesting dynamic within a story like the one in my game submission actually. Where you can get attached to certain characters through reading but then have to taken them to battle and then if they die you could game of thrones style have to skip to a page at the end of a battle with a new character... or just restart the fight.
I believe the combat was too hard though, I couldn't ever win and I tried with every weapon and 3 armour types 😂, maybe I'm a shit combatant.
Overall, I think the game is great and could be built upon and embedded in a story with less restrictions (one scene) to become a truly engaging part of player/reader involvement in a narrative
I'm glad you liked it! I'd absolutely love to incorporate the system into a larger project for sure. I actually have a myriad of other weapon and armor ideas that I didn't implement because I am only one man with one keyboard who had one week to make one scene. Lots of ones. As for the difficulty, do be wary; not winning is absolutely the intended direction. (Don't tell anyone I told you this, but there actually isn't a win condition..) I'm glad that you felt motivated to try some different builds, as well!
Thank you for the feedback.
I am not convinced. There is a medieval side in the context but also in the style of the game.
Each time we get slaughtered!
It looks like a scenario but the video is missing for it to be a video game! ('Video' = I see in Latin)
The feedback is appreciated!
To be fair, a video game with no video is nothing new. Text adventures are actually honestly one of the oldest forms of video game out there. In addition, the imagination can be a wonderful video player!
Admittedly, I was planning on implementing visuals in this at first, but time got the better of me and I had to decide not to devote the time to creating the images that I'd need. I may add them in the future.
In the end, I can understand why you're not fully sold. It's a far more experimental game, and I anticipated it would land as well as my previous projects have. In any case, I am glad to have the input!
"... leaving naught but viscera in its place."
Again: I'm easily alienated by "subversion-of-royalty" stories, owing to:
α. Their prevalence.
β. The lack of backstory.
γ. The fact I read Camus and Shakespeare.
Don't get me wrong; some of the most engaging games I've played involve the toppling of tyranny. It's just that, without any World-Building, Context, or Exposition, I'm not morally prepared to do violence either to the State or to its Officials; a lot would have to happen first, and even then it would not be without ample grey area.
It's just one of those things that seem like fun until you are in power and you're on the receiving end, forced to confront the karma of what you have done.
As far as combat goes, turn-based combat is fine, but usually some form of visual or auditory feedback would be preferred. Simply reading about combat never serves to make me feel immersed in it, since reading and fighting are such diametrically opposed activities. Somehow, descriptions of brutality and violence only serve to make it less appetizing and cathartic... but perhaps that was the point?
[({R.G.||S.M.G.)}]
P.S.: please make the Axe stronger.
That all is perfectly fair. It can be easy to be attracted by the concept of overthrowing The Man, only to realize that you become The Man in the process and then become the target of overthrowing. Mutiny is a lot less appealing when you're the target. And, like you mentioned, the real nature of that kind of narrative can vary quite a bit depending on context. T'is why dictators are such popular villains: everyone knows that dictators are most definitely bad people who need to be stopped! As for what we do in their place... we'll burn that bridge when we get to it.
(It's interesting that you brought up that reading Shakespeare partially alienated you to these sorts of stories; as I mentioned in the description, Macbeth was actually an inspiration for this project, hence the more Shakespearean vernacular at the start.)
As for the exposition angle, I admittedly wanted to keep things vague here. I wasn't certain if I wanted this to be a scene of a corrupt ruler being overthrown by a plucky heroic rebel, or a perfectly adequate ruler being overthrown by a power hungry second in command, or something else entirely. I debated between making it vague or leaning to one or the other, and eventually just went with what sounded best in the moment for the tone.
And the (lack of) visuals & making the violence less cathartic... I actually initially wanted to incorporate visuals into this, but I just didn't find the time to make the images and incorporate them. Making one for every possible exchange got daunting... quickly. That being said, making the combat less appetizing was partially the goal, so maybe that was for the best.
In any case, I appreciate the comprehensive feedback!
P.S. In the case of any possible updates, I'll definitely keep the comment about the Axe in mind.
Yeah, don't give this project "the axe" yet. ;-]
Not planning on it! I'd be happy to take a few swings at refining what's here.
Dang, this was brutal! The combat system was interesting, though the prospect of actually winning felt a bit hopeless. But maybe that's the point. The writing was good too! Really had a dramatic, gritty feel. Keep up the good work!
Thank you for the feedback! Yeah, I did want the combat to have that hopeless feel, partially because I felt it would make for a more interesting narrative than just trying to beat all the guards again and again, and partially because this was a pain to program and programming a separate win condition just didn't feel appealing as a result.
I am glad to hear that the writing worked in the end!