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Defeating the Incomprehensible Eldrich Horrors

A topic by a1s created Sep 01, 2025 Views: 109 Replies: 3
Viewing posts 1 to 3

Hi!

It's great to encourage yourself to do stuff, so I like (the idea of) this game. That being said, you should not make players lose levels. As someone who has been through depression I can attest that feeling you've failed (even if it's just a silly game) can be a vicious cycle. It's a better message to tell players they can try for that level again tomorrow, or the day after- it doesn't have to be a race, unless they want it to be (this needs to be something you opt into, not out of, if that makes sense.) 
Anyway, this is just my 2 cents, and I'd like to wish everyone playing to become grand-masters!

P.S. Taking your medicine is an everyday thing, best not reserve it for the will of the dice.

Developer (1 edit)

Very fair! I’m in the same boat as yourself, and this game was released 2 years ago when I was younger and was a bit more naive when it came to game design and life experiences in general. Your critique is very warranted!

Please feel free to mod or alter this game as you see if to enhance your gaming experience. It’s highly encouraged!

Thanks for bringing this to my attention, and I hope you have a wonderful day!

I looked at your other stuff and found `Just One Step Closer`. Maybe I just picked up the wrong game (it was in a bundle ;) ) I don't know if JOSC works (even though I've been through dozens of depressive episodes, it's oddly hard to imagine myself in one. I don't know if this is a me thing or a universal experience...) but it's a lot closer to what I expected from this one.

Developer

That’s amazing to hear! It’s so funny because both games were made in such different parts of my life.

JOSC was made in a deep depression and, if memory serves, gives off that vibe, but also in kind of a Dark Souls type way where you triumph over that darkness.

SWMG was mostly a hyper fixation-soothing game where I tried to take the energy of the trend and make it into something more positive.

I think my best art comes from those deeper, more raw places. You can see that in games like GRIM where I was deep in my research on retro FPS games and the aesthetics and creations of John Romero and John Carmack, and that passion oozes on every page.

Thanks so much for your insight! It helps me understand what the audience perceives my work as and how I understand my own work as well! 💛