Thank you so much for the in depth comment! It’s appreciated, and the effort to play something that isn’t to your taste kink or gameplay wise is very much seen.
You’re right - this is a kink game at its heart and and the concept is absolutely not for everybody. A direct, reality checked reading of this is damning - consent is non-existent for the majority of endings, and the witch, given real life parameters, is a bad person on multiple fronts; leaving an injured person in the house more or less alone, overriding bodily autonomy, and for the lack of information given on any fronts. If you’re not into these kinks, this is a horror game - and this game goes even further into that with legitimate horror writing at points as well.
But that’s also the point, right? Much in the same way that you’re entertaining a world where dragons and magic are tangible concepts, you’re also entertaining a world where this entire setup is in any way logical or makes moral sense. In a world where you learn everything you stand for is a lie, and the outside world will make you a nameless cog in its machinations, would it not be desirable to stay in a place where pleasure is put forefront, to submit to somebody who is shown to care deeply for her work and possessions, and who perhaps knows more about what you need than you do? That’s the basis the game wants to engage with you on - it’s dark, but it’s also the sort of story you can only truly explore in works of fiction.
[…] there is no real player feedback; you are either right or you are wrong, and there is no way the game can really nudge you towards getting closer to the correct solution short of explicit hints or through brute-force attempts. […] the actual complaint i would have is that even the “you are right or you are wrong” feedback is rather difficult to get to in this game.
Yeah, it’s one part genre, and one part needing to use the most direct solution within the confines of the jam to make sure it got implemented. I do want a bit more feedback for the potions specifically - some sort of warmer/cooler response, probably - but time got away from me. Similarly, Ignus only talks about the potions after the note about them has been read - his help text for it was one of the last things implemented and definitely isn’t signposted as well as it could be.
every run requires clicking through screens and screens of dialog even to just leave the initial room. some sort of skip button for each dialog would be extremely appreciated. you could even make the dialogs mandatory the first time you see them and skippable later, given that there is other state tracked across runs (the ending checklist).
Definitely agree with this - things like the walk down to the pit I’d also like to have skip-able on subsequent play-throughs if the player wants. The custom dialogue system needs a bit of an overhaul to make this work, but it’s on the mind.
the cauldron ingredients are basically impossible to guess even with the botany book picked up.
Intended behavior, and the fact that’s how you phrased it means the nudge worked. The book is extremely important to interactions across the house, especially for the true ending, and also gives some background regarding the world simultaneously - but I’ve always appreciated games that allow you to try, anyway.
for the potion sorting you mention in the comments that ignus can help with a clue, but i definitely didn’t see any dialog options that would help. i’m not gonna lie, i don’t think i would ever figure out this puzzle myself
That puzzle appears to have landed a bit on the harder side with the feedback I’ve gotten; something to keep in mind, I think.
the first time i tried to go to the pit with the bucket i got softlocked–i couldn’t exit through the top of the screen or the bottom. i think this is a bug. i did accidentally open some kind of debug menu but it didn’t seem to help. (got softlocked again when trying to do a true ending run–i wonder if the softlock has something to do with the order you complete the tasks in?)
Oh whoa, thats the first time I’ve heard of a softlock! If there’s any way to recreate it I’d appreciate it, but I’m definitely kicking myself now for not adding an “unstuck” button.
anyway, sorry for all the complaining. i do think people who enjoy riddle-type puzzles more will probably get more out of the puzzles. i do think it’s maybe worth seeing where the points of confusion are though, which is why i mentioned what i came up with for the puzzles.
Nah, I appreciate it - the people who enjoy riddles seem to have gotten a kick out of it, but your feedback’s been really helpful for seeing how somebody less inclined towards them feels about them.
I appreciate the positive feedback as well, to! People seem to appreciate the scale of the narrative work which is really nice - I didn’t realise how far I’d gone until I’d finished the jam. I was worried about the interaction system being awkward feeling, so I’m glad that isn’t the case for you. I’m also quite proud of the character designs and background work so it’s nice to hear that appreciated!
Thanks again for the in-depth thoughts!