itch.io

Ok, I guess I'll try limiting my resolution in System Settings then

Got to 839 points and ran out of moves. If there was a noncompetitive mode where gems didn't spawn but monster strength ramped up faster I'd play that in a heartbeat

This is a great take on the merge puzzle genre though, it's been fun learning all the strategies

Yeah I got the new one

Can't be in Fullscreen anymore for some reason?

Are those locked extra modes coming in a future update?

I beat Krampus mode with no other crashes in a few tries (honestly a better fight than Stalk for its challenging attack patterns please don't nerf him). I have a theory that the crash might be save-related (maybe Phase 1 / Phase 2 buttons?) but obviously I have no way of proving this nor does that explain the massive delay between starting Phase 2 and the crash actually occurring.

Just curious, is Lessons at Leo's still in development?

Any idea what causes it?

I just experienced a crash on Krampus Phase 2 (technically 3 since I got him to half health before it happened). I have crashes disabled in settings and on the frame before the crash I still had health so I don't think it's because I might've died.

Fun lil game. But a few suggestions.

-The Chalk Eraser's graphics and SFX from Plus are far too advanced for this! If only there were some Place the Holder assets you could've used... (get the hint?)

-While using Placeface as a projectile and hitting something, shouldn't that be an Elephant Hit?

/j

Hey there, thank you for the response! The update sounds very promising so far, so take all the time you need to make it the best it can be. The idea of Sub-Levels sounds very interesting and I hope you're able to find a good balance with them, also is that why there's so many Keycard-? doors on the map? lol

UPDATE: I beat the game!! The hardest part for me was learning all the tablet locations (legit didn't know they could spawn in the Cleaning Room and with the Plushie), but clearing was very satisfying. If there was a Hard Mode with trickier subject material and character behavior I'd love to challenge it.

When I got recommended gameplay videos for this, I thought it would just be another generic AEwVS fangame, but after playing a bit myself I must say that this game is super enjoyable. I haven't been able to clear it yet, but so far I really like the gameplay and the uniqueness of everything. There's several new characters with original mechanics, the flashlight mechanic, Mr. Oswald himself behaves pretty interestingly whereas most fangames typically just copy Viktor or Marzia, and the school has great ambience. Having most of the environment be mostly grayscale was a great choice especially when the darkness kicks in, it's such a vibe that sets the game apart from other fanworks.

I do have a bit of feedback however. I feel like the map has way too many Coins and Stamina items whereas in AEwVS you only had a few Chocolate Bars and Chip Bags to work with, while Defensive items are comparatively scarce. The Dystopian Chains also maybe shouldn't be reusable even if they're very hard to collect (Edit: might've gotten a bit of misinformation about that because the chains seemed to disappear after trapping Mr. O). Finally, a suggestion for future updates, is to implement difficulty settings? I would at least like to have a Free-Run Mode to be able to learn the map.

And on the topic of updates, do you plan to add more levels to this game sometime in the future? I'd really like to see more in the world of Dystopian Education :)

I finally FINALLY was able to access and clear the secret mode!! Nothing much to say besides idk what the dude was saying and gameplay-wise it felt like an easier Purgatory Mode. Now I just got the Extras to finish. I beat Speedy Mode, which is not something I can say about Hai's corresponding challenge, and got close to beating Stealthy Mode and... yeah of course there's a Blabi Mode lmaolmao. But in all seriousness I think the mode needs work as MS Paint Swordy is way too slow to be a threat during the paper collection and the boss is just Null again. Having beaten the secret mode, all Fun Settings with S RANK SOMEHOW HELLO (which in my opinion is the hardest challenge in the game), and plenty of other Blabi Modes I don't see much point in challenging it. I mean not calling you out specifically but how many are there at this point...?

-Blabi Mode from YBBR

-Sma from Sam's Schoolhouse

-Glungus Cat or whatever from Vistavision

-Hio from HIS

-Waldi's Funhouse Birthday Bash

These are silly fangames at the end of the day so I'm not mad or anything, just think it's interesting how Nicec00lkidd basically started a trend in the Baldi Community.

Oh, just saw the changelog on Gamebanana. Fingers crossed this time

Still not seeing it, do I have to beat all Fun Settings again?

Ok, I beat all Fun Settings again. Luke is a lot more fair now although I still think him slowing you is too much. Anyway I read the text file and followed the instructions but I still see no secret button on a certain screen. Do I need modifiers to see it?

So that he loses you easier? That could work

Well please consider a rework because tbh I don't know if I have it in me to clear all Fun Settings again like this :/

In my honest opinion there should be a way to counter him without items or anything but ok

Edit: Hiding potion doesn't work?? He just followed me and blinded me anyway

so, uhh... What's the deal with Luke? Previously he was barely a threat, but now whenever he shows up it's basically an instant game over.  I had two Apples when he caught me at 9/10 Assignments, and even with an Officer AND Shader teleport I still lost due to the slowness. I assume you're meant to move away from him while staring him down, but with his current speed and aggro timer it seems like evading him is entirely impossible.

Whoops. now time to do it all again...

Didn't she have one for the Language Level's final punishment? I remember pulling out the Rusty Knife in front of her on purpose to see the death scene but the game over screen was just the default one. Also giving Laura a unique killing method for every floor would be so cool

If it's meant to be within the swordyhousevXXX folder then I don't see it

Edit: By new update are you referring to v1.0.2? I might be dum..

I finally beat all Fun Settings but that message was onscreen for a split second so idk what to do next haha

It was a pretty good challenge though. So far and overall this fangame has been much more enjoyable than Rebashed even if it's a bit too much like Hai at times

Yeah thanks for looking into it

I unlocked Lap 2 but still can't turn it on for some reason

More Game Over screens would be so cool. Mr. Mix and Tufty get their own game over screens, so why not some of the others with more specific killing methods? They wouldn't have to be drastically different from one another, at least they should show whoever killed you on them and a background from the appropriate level.

PSA: Save the Scroll!

I have a new strategy I'd like to share. Instead of using the Scroll (item which reveals a 3x3 area on the map centered on a random **UNDISCOVERD** Tile) immediately after discovering it, wait until you've run out of good moves to potentially save a dead game. This has helped me quite a bit with getting 13-heart Max Runs.

I finally beat Ultimate Mode! YAYA!! I'd say it's a very fitting challenge for the last stage, although I'm not sure if Ultimate Backrooms is possible to clear in one attempt. Either way most of my feedback about the other gamemodes applies here, with the biggest exception being about Ultimate Bunker; hunting down the keys with three Boofies patrolling the area without having to bring them back was great and fair fun, especially since audio attenuation was changed.

And one more thing. You can softlock yourself in the Ultimate Mode hub by crouching in the corner near Tips'n'Tricks Totem.

Now for my reviews on all the Elaine's Memoir modes since I was also able to beat all of them on Extreme.

The first trial is just alright. Once you get into a rhythm with the demon it all comes down to patience as getting the keys becomes RNG as they start floating around. Wish more was done with the Red Light/Green Light mechanic and the map.

The second trial has a steep learning curve, but becomes enjoyable once you start memorizing the maps. I used to hate it, and maybe Normal Mode should only have the obvious differences, but now I think the mode is a pretty tense challenge that has a lot of "Oh lord did I screw up?" moments. Nothing quite captures the feeling of hearing static, checking all three monitors and not registering a single anomaly. Then you hear static again and well, you get the point.

The third trial was my least favorite. There just isn't much to it in my eyes. You just pick a different spot and then doomscroll until the game gives you back control, then pray you're able to find the demon(s) in time. Then you do it again. Extreme mode had my hopes up that you'd have to find Lonky Lanky and hide at the same time, which would've been an interesting mechanic, but the 1v2 gimmick we see instead just doesn't really add much in my opinion.

The fourth trial is the best of them all imo. The atmosphere is great and the design of the demon works perfectly with it. The mode sort of works like Bunker, with you having to bring items back to the beginning in a set order, except their starting positions are the same every time and can't be changed. Maybe a tiny bit of randomness could've been warranted for the harder difficulties, but since the order is random every time and learning the map is already a challenge in itself I think it's fine. I say this though because I don't really notice many differences in the various difficulties. I was expecting Extreme to make me find every book in the Library with a super strict demon that would kill me any time I flashed the camera at nothing, but it honestly felt no different from Hard. I also don't understand why there seems to be a time limit in the library, and wish that it was communicated better to the player. But other than that, this trial was a very solid experience.

With all that being said, I'm very excited for the future of the Boofie's Bunker series. I'd say there aren't many loose ends besides the ending of Ultimate Mode, so whether our journey takes us back to the Chaos Realm or the Waking Realm, I look forward to seeing the story's conclusion. Best of luck to you with development!

Gotcha. That's the last mode I still haven't cleared

Are you meant to unlock Zipper after beating Snowmizzle's Challenge? In general how do you unlock extra Chaos Mode Characters?

I don't know how this happened, but I beat Impossible Bunker! This challenge was nuts but also very fun once I understood how the Plushies work, and even after becoming more confident there were still a ton of clutch moments I had on my winning run.

Although I must ask, how do you get the Plushies in Chaos Mode? I'm hoping to use them to make some of the challenge maps a bit easier.

I found the artifacts in the Bunker. Just gotta get that chalk now...

I will say though, the Bunker is a bit too easy in vanilla. Hopefully it will be updated eventually, but no rush. Also, will the new levels have secrets/progression in them to the same extent as Math?

Another thing, and don't ask how I found this, but there's a wall with missing collision in the Math level's secret garden

Anyways, besides Extreme Bunker I've done most of the Arty's Memoir stuff so I'll review all the modes while they're still fresh in my head

Bunker

The main mode of the game. It's a pretty decent stealth challenge, with most of the game being getting keys in good spots and the rest hoping that Boofie doesn't kiss you as you bring them to the entrance. Having your movement slowed while holding keys creates a lot of tension, although nerfing your Stamina until crouching until fully rested seems sort of unfair. Having to track down the key again seems fair punishment enough. Also side note, but I feel like the Stamina/Power limits could've been implemented into some of the other modes. The lamp is also pretty useless in other modes so I wish more was done with that.

Another criticism I have is with Boofie, you either hear him or you don't. The volume of his squeaks doesn't vary much and he's also very hard to hear when he's above/below you (traversing between the basement and main floor via stairs has gotten me killed so many times), leading to determining his location being somewhat of a guessing game. This builds tension, but not in a way that feels consistent.

The atmosphere of the mode is pretty nice though. The bunker becoming darker is a great mechanic and the unique ambience of the keys really adds to the "dreamlike" nature of the game. The bunker itself is also very uncanny, a trait shared by every map in the game, due to the subtle differences in consistency such as Boofie and the keys having an ungodly amount of polygons compared to everything else. The pixelation filter covers things up well though, and while some may call it lazy I personally think it's an appropriate stylistic choice that fits well within the game.

Maze

Can be annoying due to the issue with determining Boofie's location discussed earlier, but I've found that with patience the mode is more than doable thanks to Boofie leaving himself open by "patrolling" the various open areas in the map. Hiding is sometimes difficult however, and navigating the maze itself can be disorienting at times due to its narrow corridors in comparison to the player's speed. Seriously, this is the only mode with no Stamina limit in which I don't run, but I guess it adds another element of skill in evading the Boofies.

Arcade

Probably my favorite mode in the game, it also fits very well with the game's atmosphere. However, it's still a bit prone to RNG, for example say the alarm and phone go off at the same time, the green guy is patrolling below, and the blue gal is in both of the rooms you need to be in. I'm not exactly sure how lenient these characters are with situations like these but on harder difficulties I was definitely pushed into some stressful scenarios. And while the other characters all add enjoyable elements into the level, I wish more could've been done with the orange dude. The orange dots are way too easy to avoid, especially since you're either running away from something or camping in one room in that mode.

Kitchen

In my opinion, the most RNG dependent mode on harder difficulties, although it also has an amazingly unsettling atmosphere. I absolutely adore the background audio, and the liminal nature of the environment (ie the corridor Boofie arrives from) was done great here.

Gamla (the only name I remember due to dying to her so much!) is often nearly impossible to evade on higher difficulties if she decides to just go to your floor if you're in an odd spot. There also aren't really that many good places to hide from her, despite that being the main gimmick of the level. Although hiding from Boofie in conjunction with keeping track of Gamla provides great tension. The small black burgers are also an interesting element and pretty fair since they can't chase you and don't go to hiding spots.

I also wish more was done with the idea of having a map based on verticality. If there were more floors and Gamla worked a bit different it would probably be one of the best modes in the game but as it stands it's just good.

This mode also has one of the more interesting secrets. It's probably only possible on Easy mode due to the lack of a time limit but it was a nice challenge akin to getting the keys one-by-one in the bunker. It probably goes on for a bit too long but having to survive in the kitchen for an uncomfortable amount of time is probably the point.

Backrooms

My personal favorite mode. The Kinetic and Static Images have great designs and the level itself has some of that juicy lore with the notes. Extreme mode in particular is very enjoyable due to the pressure of getting all the notes before the Kinetic Image enrages. Planning a route through the map is a very interesting experience, with you having to adapt to the differing note locations every time (spotting them on the landmarks can also be tricky at times, adding to the tension). However I wish there were less dead ends, but that's probably a skill issue on my part.

Christmas Challenge

The map and atmosphere is great here, very uncanny especially with that one cabin with the Boofie balloons and the appearance of Blitz himself. Like WHAT even is he?! Part of the difficulty of the mode is knowing where all 30 presents actually are, but once you get a route down it's pretty straightforward, sometimes to a fault so maybe a bit of randomness would've been nice. Stealing Boofie's hats is also fun.

Valentines' Challenge

It's basically Pac-Man. If it didn't have a map I would've probably hated it but because it does it creates a very unique, stressful, but overall fair challenge. The design of this level is also incredibly weird, I love all the random stuff attached to the walls, and the Oui-Ouis and their doors have great designs. My only complaint is the lack of an endless mode because there's definitely potential for that.

Yeah lots of text here but that's what you get for making all the modes so different :P although I enjoy the craziness. I also understand that it's your first game so don't take my criticism too hardly, I just like getting my thoughts out more than anything. I'm super excited to try out Elaine's Memoir but for now I just gotta suffer through Extreme Bunker. Eventually...

Also love your YT content especially the AEwVS vids and you forcing Mystman12 to play ABiBaZ. Although with the controversy surrounding MrDrNose I understand if you don't wish to continue that series.

Best of luck in the future, whether it be on Steam (we can hope) or on YouTube!

I just had the worst fail ever. Extreme Bunker. 7/8 keys. One key left in the first room to the left from the entrance...

I didn't even hear him coming x_x

Gotcha. Also another question, can a notebook spawn in Doggos' closet? To my knowledge that's the only location besides the 9 room and starter classrooms where a notebook is guaranteed to appear in vanilla AEwVS

That is true

Helpscreen and Viktor are the ones I've caught. Seemingly the characters that all have lengthy individual voicelines.

The transit door is the new one that requires no key.

The doors that stay unlocked are the Admin Room door, Server Room door, and the door leading into Doggos' Closet.

Other bugs from playing a bit more and unlocking more achievements:

1. 9 Room on Language not opening (I was on Puss Mode)

2. Subtitles staying for too long

3. What looks like a Transit door in Language causing you to fall out of the map?

4. Interacting with the Transit Exit door in Language causing the scary ambience to start prematurely

5. Locked Doors in Language staying unlocked after using the keys on them

6. Smile Wolf's Hallway not opening (unless this part is being reworked; I don't think there was ever a Chalk Piece in there)

I haven't played through Language on any other mode yet but I'll get back to you if I find more bugs. Also to make you aware there's a massive oversight in vanilla AEwVS where Marzia can break you out of the starting room after 1 notebook is collected via melon piece

Also I have to say fantastic work so far on this project. I wish you the best of luck in unlocking the true potential of AEwVS!