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Untangled's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Audio | #4 | 4.250 | 4.250 |
| Game Design | #104 | 3.594 | 3.594 |
| Innovation | #106 | 3.438 | 3.438 |
| Overall | #131 | 3.458 | 3.458 |
| Graphics | #160 | 3.656 | 3.656 |
| Fun | #203 | 3.219 | 3.219 |
| Theme | #443 | 2.594 | 2.594 |
Ranked from 32 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
How does your game fit the theme?
Each section of the game is a chat which starts with a chat request. These chat requests use a door as their icon, like older instant messaging apps, such as AIM. "What's behind the door" is the next conversation.
Did you write all the code and made all the assets from scratch?
All of the code and art was done by Shadow64. The music was all entirely written by Elise in the Clouds. The writing was a shared work. The SFX were selected, licensed, & purchased from Splice. The door icon is edited from Google icons. The fonts are free for commercial use from various sources.
We began discussions and work on February 3rd, 2024 and altered the project when the jam theme was announced. The game was largely created and completed after the announcement.
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Comments
This game made me feel different. I am really impressed by how much conversation possibility there is. It was a very enjoyable experience. The theme isn't really there but the overall game is amazing! The music, the dialogue, the experience, really great. The only thing that annoyed me was talking to someone and then when the chat end, I get paired with the same guy, I thought it was a bug but it might not be
This is a big and amazing compliment. Thank you very much for taking the time to explore it. I understand if you don't feel the theme was there. Admittedly it's not the best use we could have made, so I understand. I'm glad the rest of the experience was so positive!
As for the bug you described, it's actually intended behavior (sorry!). What you encountered were some of the restart conditions. Essentially if you get swept up too much by any of the characters and their hidden agendas, you may find yourself stuck with them until you're ready to move on. It has meaning thematically, but we want to let people explore this journey in whatever way makes sense to them.
Thank you very much for the compliments and I look forward to checking out your entry! Congrats on finishing!
Ok, thank for the reply, I also though this might have been intentend and I completely understand then
All good! The feedback is appreciated. We admittedly need to put more time into that so that it's more clear to the player. Definitely. Thank you for telling us so we can address it in the future!
Incredible atmosphere, especially supported by the great music. The dialogue hits almost too close to home lol.
With a more refined visual style, and maybe a bit of non-linearity amongst the conversations, this could make for a great narrative focussed game.
As for the jam theme, I actually interpret it a bit deeper than just the next conversation being the thing behind the door. Rather, the ulterior motives or toxic behaviour that "friends" can expose when they find someone vulnerable, those traits normally hidden behind a "door", or the usual face they present.
Good stuff, thanks for the experience.
Oh wow! Thank you for this.
I completely agree that the music is a HUGE part of the game. I still can't believe how fast she was able to compose this. There's actually even more that had to be cut for time (So sorry!). She's incredible.
I'm really glad the dialogue hit, though obviously it can be rough too if that happens. The topic is one that a lot of people have gone through and we tried to keep it open so that people could better see themselves in the situation.
We would love to do a more polished/refined version and have been discussing it, so that's great to hear!
Your interpretation of the "doors" or masks that people wear when they speak to us is a totally valid one that we hadn't noticed while making it. Thank you for pointing that out! I think it definitely gives it another level.
Thank you again for playing and giving feedback. I hope you had a great jam! Congrats!
That is indeed a very pretty soundtrack, very fitting! Loving the tensions.
Thank you very much for playing and yes, the soundtrack is incredible! It enhances every stage. It's unbelievable how fast she is able to establish mood and having her on this project was a dream.
What did I do to breed so many toxic people in my life lmao
Wonderful little game! Gorgeous music!
Hahaha. Yeah they are quite aggressive and even brutal at times, aren't they? Beware!
Thank you for playing and I'm glad you had a good experience (albeit a rough one). And yes! Élise in the Clouds is a genius. She has entire albums she's written. Go! Find her! She even has D&D stuff! It's insane!
This is neat, but I am not sure I fully followed the game aspect of it - most of my choices seemed to lead me down the same path. It also does not seem to fit the theme. Neat tho!
Glad you found it neat, but sorry to hear that it didn't hit certain targets for you. There is some branching involved (you can actually "lose" each section and even get a bad ending), but we do try to guide you and many of those branches are tied up, so that's an understandable reaction. I hope that the rest of the jam was a great experience! Thanks for playing!
This is an AMAZING little game that was created. it was fun for me to slowly find out hat exactly had happened (screw ash). and these conversations seem like two people actually talking in a chat room. this is a great game, and you should be proud of what you created.
Thank you so much for playing! I'm glad you enjoyed it and that the conversations seemed like real people.
It's an interesting thing about Ash. Consider this: Who made you feel that way about them? Who gave you that information? What does the game say about that character? Are they ultimately someone to be trusted and followed on that? What else does the MC say about the situation? The fault may not be as clear cut as it seems. But it never is.
I'm really glad you got something out of it and engaged you this way. Thanks again and congrats on finishing!
Thought it was a touching & relatable story, thank you for creating this- also, I loved the music in this!! Our game touches upon some of the same themes as this, think you could be interested :)
Thank you very much! I'll make sure to check out Talk Yourself Out of It. It actually reminds me of another game just from looking at it, so I'm excited to take a peek.
If you're interested in the music, Élise in the Clouds has several works out. Her album Patterns is absolutely beautiful and I highly recommend the track "L'Envol" which I listened to a lot while working on this with her.
Congrats on finishing the jam!