too much art, too little gameplay. instructions not clear. options arent good. Im trying words that should do something, proof, alibi, crime, victim, case, accuse, nothing... I think the game needs to be developed more.
also, after i type a word, it seems to want me to confirm or click first before i can type the next word. it ignores whatever i just typed. dont make it like that.
3,5 stars because... Well, time is inconsistent. 5 minutes sound like a lot, or not at all, but asking "why a turtleneck" can't take 5 minutes, and stealing and distracting a girl from her purse can't take 5 minutes?
The game is "enjoyable", but some actions should give more "time". Asking about something can take 5 minutes, looking at someone won't.
meticulous
That was awesome!
Reminded me of no one has to die and life is strange, I love games with built universes to explore, even if the game is short
Also as a ludum dare game that's mostly focused on art, I assume all of it was drawn in the day or two which is impressive
but it would be nice to have more indication of the final ending being, well, the final ending :)
I definitely enjoyed the game, I just felt like the mechanics of the ask, grab, remember, are kinda too vague when it comes to choosing what to do unless you go through a very specific route. I think having multiple choices that could show up after new conversations could really make it flow. Like maybe in the start you have choices of think, as think, ask, and observe. Then after talking to your client more and more, you could go back to more options that feel like you are processing. I feel like the conversations would benefit from flowing a little more before ending the five minutes. You could get more information before just feeling frustrated at another game over screen. Having options after that game over screen makes it flow more than guessing. I wasn't really able to finish the game without the walkthrough and I feel like there's different ways to go about it that games have.
I also don't think that you should completely take out the game overs. One game that I believe used game overs effectively that's relatively small is "Her Tears Were My Light." The story had the girl that you play as constantly feels like everything won't end well, but through multiple endings that lead to the same thing, you can sway what happens. It makes you feel like you're constantly in a loop, different responses from different choices makes it feel like you are powerless in the situation, but later on you realize that your choices can lead to a different ending. In this game, it would scrape justice.
I think that there could also be a continuation with the game through Gianna because she was vaguely mentioned and she seemed to have a big role in their life (the person you play as). Maybe after you hear about her and the text comes up as "I feel like I'm forgetting someone," the remember option comes up in the beginning and that strings into something else. Maybe there could be a part two where you have the ending of this part in the ending you feel like is the true ending could be summarized and lead it into the remember option that leads to the next story of how he deals with Gianna.
I'm not trying telling you how to make a game, take all of this as a grain of salt. I just feel like there were better ways to go about the game. The only reason why I rated low was because it didn't really feel enough like a game and I wouldn't be able to complete it without a walkthrough. It breaks the immersion. I feel like the visuals are breath taking and having the game flow better would make it come together.
Thank you for this review. It comes across as very honest, thought-out, and well-informed. I'll think about your creative suggestions.Yes, there are definitely gaps in the plot. I'm going to make future games easier XD Thanks again!
Wow! Quite emotional.The art really helps build the atmosphere. However, the options available are not easy to find. If you could add a list of available options (radio buttons instead of textbox inputs), and base these on previous game runs/time travels, this would be perfect. Currently, I had to look at the walkthrough to be able to play the game. Obviously, in 48 hours, this would be impossible to implement, but would you make a second version of this game?
thanks so much! Yeah I get that usability can be a huge issue, very creative suggestion. I am scared from the backlash I've gotten from this game so no 2nd version.