When I first searched for "Journey Through Dark" I thought something must be wrong, I cannot find the game. The only match was an incredibly polished professional looking release with a custom logo. Clicking into it, I realized this was indeed the submission for GMTK 2025.
Reading the instructions was a bit of a challenge because of the font choice, especially when the in-game text is clean and crisp by comparison. Overall the initial opening to the game of being presented a card was a great introduction, being able to see what happens when you click on it right away and quickly picking up the game system. The occasional mountain thrown in the mix added a unique challenge for extended runs as you had to manage your health and ensure you could path a way back to your camp.
Obviously this is a jam submission, but I would like to see the consequences of cards presented in a more streamlined manner along with the UI better representing the overall status of your character. The developer notes about what will be added later is reassuring, because having more actions, world elements, and strategy would be amazing for the full release. It would be nice to see a more classical upgrade system too, where combat experience leads to upgrades while the gold has more practical uses, or upgrades for your camp.
This was a really polished experience for such a short timeframe and I hope to see more work by Scatterbrain Software in the future.