itch.io

The description for your game created a lot of interest for me. Definitely drew me in right away/made me want to play. 

Probably  user error, but the game loads very small. Found myself needing to zoom on the page. The pictures didn’t load for me right away so I missed out on some of your work :(

I think this is a difficult game to pull off in the long run, but it was a fun exercise. Having the death count/total was a bit of a shock! It made me feel kinda awkward, like I didn’t want someone watching me haha! 

“The risk in this game is that the player would be putting their own morality to the test when choosing whose life is more important and their choice changes would be recorded throughout the game.” This is an interesting concept and I think you could develop this idea further by including a variety of philosophical questions/problems (do you steal medicine to save someone’s life, etc.). Perhaps providing a longer description of the problem after the player ends a sequence could add more depth to the question/problem that is given. Personally, I know the trolley problem but not its history It could be really cool to see a chart of what people decide to do too. Like 80% of people make this choice and this is why. That kind of info with this type of game could bring in a communal or social aspect to the game that could elevate the experience. Because its like a personality test of sorts, right? The player is asked to think about themselves in a fun/inconsequential way, so by having extra “fun” data, the player could keep going through the different philosophical quandries.

As the game progressed, it started feeling too similar. I found myself solidified in my position and the choices didn’t challenge me as much as I wanted them to. That could totally be on me though and not a result of the game. Getting more feedback could help you develop this idea more.

-Kyle W.

Immediately I enjoy the presentation. It’s simple but I appreciate that it isn’t a black screen with white text. This was enjoyable! The writing was funny and relatable and made me want to keep clicking through the options. I think the illusion of choice could be pushed much further, I would love to see more per page even if it leads to nothing. 

“With the alarm giving no chance…”

I think there could have been an opportunity to make a choice, even if it leads to the same result in the end. If you care about the illusion of choice and how it the choice doesn’t matter, then I would really lean into that by presenting choices at every possible moment. 

Pasta and waiting. Its funny and super relatable. Perhaps the ellipses (...) could go longer and the player has to find the right set to click instead of the choice being highlighted. Like imagine seeing this:

…………………………………………………………………………………. And to continue the player has to find the right one to continue. It would play along with the waiting time too because it takes time to find the right ellipses.

-Kyle W.

I like that player choices are incorporated into the body of the text. In a way, it seems easier to navigate. The first stealing choice I made was going to the convenient store and stealing chips. I would have loved to read something that created tension, like if there was a spill on the floor or if I accidentally dropped a bag of chips that woke up the clerk/store owner and I had to choose to run or something. 

Classroom sequence: I like the options presented, because they both have the potential to contain high value items. I noticed that the weight of the items seems to have an effect. I think this could be a great way to introduce risk into the game, the heavier your bag the more likely you are to get caught. I’m sure theres a way to implement a randomizer after an item is stolen so you don’t have to program whether or not a specific item will trigger a “caught” sequence. 

I think a way to incorporate risk through the descriptions is to mention small details that could signal to the player that a choice is riskier than another. Like when going to the school, the player knows the guard is sleeping so choosing to go straight through doesn’t seem as risky. Perhaps if the guard was reading a book the player might be less inclined to go through until they completed the GO AROUND path. Also, this brings into question why the thief wants to steal items from the school. The story could be more direct in saying that the items at the school are worth more so it validates the risk of going to the school instead of the commercial area. 

When the shop owner gets suspicious about your behavior, there should be options of what to do. Kinda like in Bethesda RPGs (Skyrim, Fallout series). The options could allude to safer dialogue or it could all be risky and that would heighten the interaction. 

“You are standing in front of the gate…”

• “Through” is currently spelled “trhough”

Dorms path: mixture of languages. Was this intentional?

-Kyle W.