Interesting idea! Reminds me a bit of To The Moon, where you get to see how someone develops over time
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EmPop's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Originality | #103 | 4.032 | 4.032 |
| Presentation | #375 | 3.000 | 3.000 |
| Theme | #416 | 2.871 | 2.871 |
| Fun | #530 | 2.258 | 2.258 |
Ranked from 31 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
How does your game represent "Power"?
The core idea of the game is based on Michel Foucault’s concept of power and how each human is both a product of powers they were affected with, and the thing that makes those powers.
Michel Foucault is one of the most influential philosophers of the 20th century, and his idea of power (e.g. biopower) is the most significant definition of "power" in the current day humanities and social sciences. According to Foucault's understanding, power is based on knowledge and makes use of knowledge; on the other hand, power reproduces knowledge by shaping it in accordance with its anonymous intentions. Power creates and recreates its own fields of exercise through knowledge. (taken from wiki) In a broader sense, it encompasses ideas, emotions, behaviours, and pretty much everything else in the social world.
In our game, very much in accordance with Foucault, you are formed by other powers while you are a child, but later, you become a propagator of those powers to others.
Comments
What an interesting concept!Cute backgrounds too. I wish the feedback was more impactful when you get affected by others' emotions. At times it was a bit hard to notice whether their pulses touched me or not or how my colour changed. Still pretty original experience!
Submitted
Power Of ElectorateThank you!
When you get touched by emotions - you shout back, and there is actually a fun mechanic in it: if you are hit by anger but you are mostly sad - you respond in a different way than if you were sad. So there are 6 dictionaries on how you respond based on their vs your emotions :) BuI I guess with the current gameplay it's hard to notice it :) We'll try to highlight it in a more salient way later.
A very unique take on the theme, this game did make me think about how my life went so far as I was trying to rub on the right bubbles while also collecting the stuff that makes me happy. The only immersion breaking thing that happened from time to time is getting stuck between two bubbles and wiggling out for like half a minute to break free, but I suppose that also happens in real life. Some people just don't wanna leave you alone and you have to fight hard to break out of their influence. Nice little game, very well done!
Submitted
_sheld[ON]Love how high concept and philosophical this game is. The potential it holds is just as powerful as the story it tells. Initially I was frustrated at how slow the bubble moved, but with each chapter of the bubbles life the speed changed and everything started clicking into place.
If there's anything that I think would really elevate this to the next level gameplay wise, it would be some kind of indicator that someone's about to express themself. It doesn't have to indicate what the other bubble is about to express, but an indicator so I know whether I want to take the gamble with what something may be feeling would be ideal. There were plenty of times where I was in the immediate vicinity of a few bubbles and wasn't able to pull anything from any of them to influence my bubble in any on direction or another because once they did express anything, the time frame to enter their sphere of influence was too short for me to gain anything from it.
It wasn't clear how overlapping emotions impacted my bubble either, if one of the emotions had precedent or they had equal impact on me.
Hell yeah at spending my life starving and being a miserable bastard in my old bubble age, though. Very interested to see how this game evolves post jam :)
Submitted
Grid LockThank you! Yep, I get what you mean about trying to chase the influence area before it vanishes. We will need to make some less tedious but similarly obvious mechanics for making influence. Right now, I'm thinking of making influence spread more often but for a shorter time, so it will be close to constant rather than something to seek or evade. But we need to think more about it.
But we totally plan to make this game full-fledged in the next half a year or so :)
Thanks for checking out!
You spread emotion based on your emotional composition - if you have more joy than anger, you are more likely to spread joy than anger. And the emotions you have are based on the emotions you are exposed to. Plus, you get angry when hungry and sad when in lack of entertainment :) So, keeping joy is the hardest. One way is to hang out more with the dog - they always spread joy :D
Great concept and execution but my bubble was always sad and angry ;-;
Submitted
Power the worldI really like the interpretation of the theme here, you clearly put a lot of thought and care into the games core theme! The visual aesthetic is very charming, which complements the core message of the game :)
Submitted
VENI VIDI VROOMVolume settings!!!!! That alone gets five stars from me. It's a nice contrast to booting up every other game blasting my ears.
Submitted
Rise UndeadThis is such an interesting concept, I'd love to see it expanded upon with some real characters and a thick plot!
Submitted
This Place Sucks: A Vacuum StoryVery unique experience. I think the game could have been somewhat shorter as the core gameplay got a little tedious, but maybe that was intended. Can't say the game was for me really, but I can appreciate the vision and ambition behind it.
Submitted
Paper RootsGreat visual design and Foucault definietly wasn't on my Game Jam Bingo Card but it's a welcome creative take! The idea of influencing other bubbles while they in turn influence you is cool, and the color modulation is a clear way to express it. I was a bit confused on the "goal" of the game and exactly what determined each bubbles aura, but nonetheless enjoyed floating around making everyone else angry and sad.
Submitted
Alternating CurrentsThank you! :D
Yep, the goals are the main drawback - we used it mainly as a feeler, with a focus on meta-narrative. But our next stop is making the resource-gaining more driving, with some perks and level-ups to illustrate it. Right now, they influence only the rate of gathering them and the final game results.
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