Post by Colin EUMP in Sein jam comments

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I'm not sure this game benefits much from the candle mechanic. Both that and the sequence where the characters need to run discourage exploration, despite the game requiring exploration to continue. The battle system isn't very interesting either. Without indication of what the other skills would do, I found myself just using support and attack.

Regarding that riddle to open the chest, are either the players or the characters themselves supposed to understand it? I don't see much reason to expect either, and I was surprised when the characters mention "God" later on, since the opening didn't give the impression they would've learned anything about religious teachings. To solve it, I just kept trying options until it worked, since none of the pieces went together in any way that I could figure, including the words on the pedestals not relating to the ones in the hint.

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leoroura5 years ago

Hello Collin, thank you for playing SEIN!

Regarding your struggles, the time i could spend working on this game was rather limited, and some of the features that perhaps you deem important, were left for a future development of the game. Please keep in mind this is just a prototype. Battlewise, the vision of this game is to implement classic rpg-like battle system, with the original feature of characters mixing their feelings to develop new strategies and abilities. The descriptions are there for the players to deduce what they do, which can be a little tricky. Skills will be properly explained in the future!

SPOILERS: As for the riddle, you have all the elements to deduce it in the altar next to the chest. It’s christian symbology, where on the “holy trinity” is divided on -son, father, holy spirit- and they ressemble body, mind, and soul.

The concept of god is introduced in the game early on when refering to the ‘father’ who sent the angels to earth. The story of the demo is quite short, but this entity will play a mayor role in the future of the game.

As for the kid’s knowledge on god, the Grotto, the place where they live in, is an abandoned holy place, full with religious books that the kids read and understand only to a certain extent. This is tied to the mysterious beast called “Prometheus of the depths” and why is it sealed in there.

I hope my feedback was of any help!

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Colin EUMP5 years ago

I wasn't asking for help. I already beat the demo. I brought up the riddle, because I'm not sure even people familiar with Christian symbolism would know the answer. I asked my mother, who studied at a Christian college for a few years, and she said it sounded medieval. That said, if the game's riddles do rely on knowing a specific religion without help, that will mean a more limited audience.

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leoroura5 years ago

Hello again, Colin!

Your mother is right, it is an ancient symbolism indeed, christian religion is not the oldest, but it does go back to medieval times. Even before the idea of god existed, people praised the sun!

Wether it has religious connotations or not, the main focus of the game is not religion itself, so it's normal you think the puzzle might have been delivered to a very specific audience; though, i must say, the riddle could still be solved by using logic.
Are you familiar with the Uncharted game series? Lots of ancient symbolism are added there which, if you know of, can help you solve the puzzles faster, but the game itself was designed so anyone could do it. It's like an inside joke, if you get it, you'll feel good, but if you don't, you'll just have to think on the logics of the puzzle itself.

The riddle talks about a sacrifice of love, a sacrifice of pain and a sacrifice of faith.

Blood is an organic thing, belongs to our "Body". By simple association you can figure out this could relate to the heart item.
The second altar was called "Mind", the riddle said something about pain, by deducing amongst the three other items you could think the crown of thorns is the most relatable, as it is worn on one's head.
Faith, you don't have to be a christian to know it is associated with the matters of the Soul. Thus, it was normal to put the cross, a sacred symbol in there.

I won't lie. The story has many concepts for a mature audience to enjoy, such as secret symbols and philosophical/psychological references.
But it is the characters and the adventure who also promises an interesting ride for people of any age.

If you still felt the game was in some way not suited for a certain audience, it is something i will have to work on in a later version of the game.
As for the concept and the game experience, it is meant to be played by everyone. Regardless, i appreciate your feedback and it will be taken into account. Have a good one!

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