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silversatyr216 days ago (1 edit) (+1)

Hoo Roo!

I'm one of the judges of this game jam and was assigned your game! As such, I've been tasked with scoring your entry based on the five criteria of Theme, Gameplay, Presentation, Engagement and Polish. While I can talk about these aspects, I cannot showcase the scores given, so please don't expect to see any numerical number tied to your entry in this post.  

 I chose to record my gameplay of each game I judged and post up both the video (after it goes live) and a small write-up I've done for your game. Hopefully both will help your continued growth as a developer in some way! Thank you for sharing your creativity, drive and experience with us, as every game has something wonderful to share with the world. 

 To start, the video! (You may note that some parts were a bit cut. Lag in the recording made it so I had to cut some bits, sorry!)

PAGE TURNER

This game was obviously someone's early try at using the engine in question and it shows in the overall presentation. Maps were large and empty, with wrongly used tiles here and there, and yet despite that it was an interesting little game with small flourishes that made it memorable. The writing was a particular high point of the game, with four characters who play off each other reasonably well. I will note that there were some weirdly written lines, but as a whole the writing was pretty solid when it came to story and characterization. 

The gameplay was decently balanced when it came to battles and items. What I found hidden around the library came in useful and the equipment found was pretty good in both how useful they were but also when and how they were given. Thought was obviously given in the various skills you unlocked. The crystals being stores was interesting, though unlocking new items through progression would have given the game a bit more depth, especially if certain crystals gave specific items for battle, giving multiple playthroughs a way to be more strategic in which crystals you go after first.

Overall, while it didn't touch on the theme too much, and the game had some faults in the presentation, it was a fun little game and the ending twist was pretty cool. Keep up the good work, dev-chan! You did great for what appears to be one of your first games. You got some fun ideas and I look forward to seeing more of you in the future~

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Itchy Jeebus215 days ago(+1)

Before anything, thank you so much for taking your time to play and experiment the game.

This is indeed the first time I ever used the engine to make a game, although I have previously played with it in some dusted away projects.

I'm happy that you enjoyed the story of the game.
Since this was for a game jam, and saw that there was a run timer for the judging, I had decided it would be best to make just a simple short game that could simply be highly re-playable. So I went with a rogue-like mindset on it.
There's a lot of randomness in the game for both good and bad. From items to equipment, from lines to the weird hallways.
The idea was to simply have this weird variety but could keep the charm of the game and the characters whom are part of it.

That being said, I am 100% with you on the tile placement.
Now that I see it, it really feels off in some places. Bookshelves included. I'll be keeping that in mind for the next games that I'll be making.

Another thing that I have missed is to give you the understanding that the game can be grinded a bit.
After equipping a tome, you may chose to read it, giving you the ability to trigger a new battle and, if you win, an upgrade to the tome.
However, it is missing the passages where more of the world and the lore is given to the player. As well as a few cutscenes that I had to cut last minute to make the deadline.
It's not an excuse though. That's a fumble on my part.

That leaves with the story, which I'm happy that you enjoyed it.
Out of everything in this game, the story was the point that I had the most fun working with, even with the 16 different endings you can get.
It's what made me more interested in pursuing developing further in creating stories. With time, and effort, I may be able to make a game that people may enjoy for the journey it brings.
And yes, the fact that the civilians were turned into books is the premise of the story here.

Finally, about the theme, that's where Beyond Difficulty lies.
I understand that this is a game, and the fun should come first at all times. However, Beyond mode introduces red herrings and requires the player to act as an investigator himself.
But regardless, I understand that the game fumbled there and I assume the failure.

To finalize the response, thank you for the work you have done and thank you once again for the feedback.
I just hope my next game may entice you to play it and that it gives you the fun that I hope I can transmit.

With that I shall give you my wishes that your next works be fruitful and enjoyable.

Kind regards,
Itchy Jeebus

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