What could go wrong if you're from Brno and arrive to Prague? :) Player is put into an unusual situation, expected to go through a little public transport adventure. This all fits greatly to the jam's theme.
There was a lot of invention and originality put into this game, and the art part and general mood are commendable. Small scale allowed me to experiment and figure out most of the interactions, however, if I would not have some experience with ticket machines, I might get lost because the interaction opportunities are very subtle. :)
There is a general UX issue I would like to bring to the authors' attention: there is only little information about the player's progress through the whole riddle. I was not aware of possessions I have, while the items I have determine what to do next - a simple inventory indicator might make things much easier.
Related, the flow is linear, although it may not be necessary; e.g.: I need to approach ticket machine to realize I need money and be allowed to beg, approaching the Green Guy before this is possible but offers no options. I understand all the constrains, please take this as a note for your consideration in future updates or projects.
I have encountered only two issues which stopped me in my tracks, requiring advice of the authors:
- To get the change, I had to approach a news stand, which interaction point was hard to spot. This is probably result of the shift from the original full 3D approach to the top-down view.
- I did not notice the name of the station I am at, resulting in wrong input in the ticket machine.
The beggar guy was a nice touch, but it also points to a little hurdle UI/UX worth fixing: player needs to use mouse (no Escape key etc.) to hit "Zpět" button, placed in top left corner - having to move cursor over the whole scene is inconvenient, a shortcut and better position of the button could result in smoother and swifter interaction.
Of course, there are many aspects of the game I love:
- The alien language representation, including the careful inclusion of recognizable patterns.
- Details like necessity to scratch the coin before throwing it into the machine.
- The art style, firmly based on the effort put into field research.
- Wading through the crowds, the collisions.
- Multiple endings!
I definitely had fun exploring what to do, failed numerously trying to buy the right ticket, ran out of time because of pesky beggar and enjoyed my little victories against the odds.
Thank you for the great game!