Yeah you are right, but in a game jam context, where most people quickly play the game and rate it are prone to not understanding the ending. My previous ending was completely different. It was too subtle that I had to create an explanation page about the ending. This didn’t feel right, so I decided to do this. Do you have any idea how to make this ending subtler but impactful? I’d love to hear it from you.
yeah, i think it's a tricky thing to handle with these types of games — while, like adam, i really love the concept of "show, don't tell" for stories in general, when faced with such time constraints it might be best to do a little hand-holding. perhaps relying more on the test-taking mechanic itself as opposed to pure dialogue could help? i.e. more questions to make the shift from school to psychological more gradual, or eventually introducing time, such that winning is impossible? just spitballing here.
otherwise, great game that makes aware a big problem that continues to persist today — thanks for making this!