itch.io

I agree that the choice of font fits the theme of intergalactic hacking kind of like an old terminal window, while the stark contrast of red and blue help show shifts in dialogue. 

I found I had a hard time getting a perfect score. I think adding more questions, a reference to the syllabus in game that would let you ask more complicated questions, or improving the UI would elevate the game.

I really liked the feeling of not being able to escape the unknown caller. It was very creepy. I did find a couple of ways where the battery doesn't consistently go down, and some additional images or fonts in the UI would make the game even better!

The game was pretty hard and the choices were close enough that you had to be careful. I believe that the answer checks are just an Input.GetKeyDown check but there's no boolean check to lock you out of restarting the question. If you just spam a correct and incorrect answer after being told the right answer, you can get some pretty high scores.

While some of the jokes were confusing, I have heard the thing about computer bugs before. My first playthrough I did read it all, but I thought it was funny how the second playthrough the game was so blunt about why you're even playing. I also thought it was great to ignore the player if they decide to dive in.

In my playthrough, I tried a combination of commands. I noticed that if you try going left after the phone dialogue, it overlays the text for the rest of the game. After a couple more tries, I found the hidden dialogue to the left and also fell back asleep. It reminds me of nectar thief that we played in class with how little you know when you move to a new area.

I think the purpose of the game is to capture the despair you feel when coding sometimes. This game perfectly captures the process of debugging and failing in coding projects. The conversation with the computer where eventually you feel like you fuse with it could be like when eventually you just mindlessly start clicking through the debug console, letting the red marks guide you where ever they need. The good ending is just giving up, which also points to that despair.

I think satire works well and it is cathartic for the developer. I also like the detail of having the item do a useless task like the recorder.

I agree. Adding ambient sound effects for different areas or actions would make the game even more polished than it already is.

I agree that adapting to the new character was nice. I really like the part where the muscle memory of playing the piano kicks in.

I believe that if you do one thing one day you can get a better ending the next day. However, I might also be wrong but the start is the same. I think the game would benefit from a cue that it’s a new day and that you didn’t just restart.

One small improvement I would recommend is setting a limit on the sound effect for resting. Adding a mysterious font or background graphics for the buttons could make it evenmore interactive. Overall, it was very dreamlike and fun to explore all the options!

I think the game is great and the navigation is great. I think adding a map would make the game a lot more navigable.

@gloriium/ellie

This is so awesome I love this. I think sound elements and visuals might help with this project but honestly the text and story itself is compelling already! Reminds me a bit of Homicipher but without the (relatively) friendly characters LOL

I don't play a lot of text-based games but this feels very horrifying. I think I got killed three times. The plucking my eyes out reminded me of the Messmer fight second phase since I've been playing Elden Ring recently. Very creepy good game!

This game reminds me of Oregon Trail and how you lose people as you go to various obstacles.

I really liked how it was hard the first time around, but if you failed there was a loop. I thought that you were protecting your village but then you end up destroying everything, and it could be a statement about how you can sometimes lose sight of the goal and end up losing a lot.

@kay24601/kay I personally think that more could have been put into the design aspect, the UI feels a bit plain compared to the upbeat music you have. Maybe add some text blocks or hovering actions where the text choices highlight after choosing them? The game is cute and the type face is lovely.  

@gloriium/ellie

I feel like the theme of this game being so simple really works for the game because it feels a bit like you ARE the dog with a very one track mind (like yes, these are the only thoughts I'd have rattling in my brain if I were a dog lol)

I think the music also really helps to give the game a really silly and upbeat feeling/mood that really makes you think "wow I'm just a silly dog," as well as the font which feels very bold and playful!

Is the purpose of the game to make a comfy walking simulator, this time using a choose-your-own adventure format? If so, it works really well. You wander around the house and it's pretty fun

from @kay24601: first of all your interface and UI is spectacular i really enjoyed that early 2000's rpg design you have. the dialogue was engaging and a bit immersive in som parts of the journey.  I did get lost in some parts where i thought i was traveling randomly throughout the town but thats what made it realistic lol

from gloriium/ellie:

This is really cool! I think that the usage of the UI elements makes the game look really polished and a bit more professional (totally reminds me of some older Flash games on the internet back then HAHA) 

I wish there was a bit more direction in the dialogue because the sameness of the buttons makes it easy to get a bit lost. 

I really like the storytelling with the dinosaur hunting without any animation. The scaling also makes you feel so tiny compared to the dinosaur while being proportional to the familiar housing complex you added.

I really like the warm light onto the books and I did not expect the sleeping standing to literally be a rotated bed. I would be very interested to see if you expand this to the repeating pattern described!

I think the fact that you mentioned things in the dark in the description makes the playthrough so much more intense and slow because you're expecting something to happen. The large scale of everything followed by the scaling down also makes it feel like you've made it at the end. Great job!

I really like that the comfy room with the colors is right in between the vibrant outside you can never reach out the window and the super dark alley that you try to get away from at the start.

Because of how sparse the decoration was, I first thought that both people had done an "Irish Goodbye", one more anonymously than the other. I also thought that the empty backpack and pencil case were just things they left behind and didn't care about. It was a very different and probably the intended interpretation that you as the player were still living there.

I was not expecting the last text, but I like the juxtaposition of the loud noise with the quiet dark room. I think it could be something showing how maybe the Mikayla hears all these but it's just normal. I also thought that you kind of got used to the sound over time.

I like how the music and dialogue work together to create a little bit of a story full of puns. It's a bit dreamlike with a bunch of objects you wouldn't really see together at that scale.

I think the lack of a crosshair actually makes the game more interesting. It makes you miss more often, allowing you to walk through the scene. Also, being careful not to kick your ball keeps you engaged on something concrete while still exploring the scene to collect coins (which is a great incentive). It looked really fun!

I love the initial feeling that everything is falling and it's almost like time has stopped. The fruit and vegetables were really nice, and I liked how the light slowly reveals the scene. It feels like a kitchen inverted inside out.

The scaling makes it seem like you're quite tiny, but you also move really fast. I'm not sure what to make of the open outdoor space compared to the indoor setting. It makes you feel exposed, so maybe it's showing how you're intruding. I would love to see more tiny objects in the scene to have some variation in scaling.

I think it was interesting to go into it being told to enjoy peace in the garden and then being faced with all the kneeling, crying statues. I interpreted it as getting accustomed to existing with sadness and discomfort. The statues still look aesthetically pleasing despite the discomfort which is interesting.

The dark room with no windows made it seem quite prison like. I really like how the feeling of low gravity made it feel like everything was falling apart. It could be an interesting interpretation to say that as you repeat the same action of going back to the same dark room everything is breaking and floating away.

I really enjoyed the box in a box in a box with the scaling. The beginning was eerie and I liked the theme that as long as you kept chasing the fish, you took care of yourself and the house became cleaned up and less creepy (with no dead fish). I liked the environment changing between entering the house scene.

The characters are really well drawn and I like the narrative of aliens being unimpressed with the house. Also, it makes you think about who is who, adding to the story. The jumping reminds me of Skyrim traversal mechanics and the characters up top really motivate you to keep exploring! Great job!