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Ex Aeternum Redux's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Graphics | #1 | 4.643 | 4.643 |
| Audio | #2 | 4.143 | 4.143 |
| Overall | #9 | 3.367 | 3.367 |
| Originality | #12 | 3.286 | 3.286 |
| Theme | #12 | 3.643 | 3.643 |
| Fun | #16 | 2.857 | 2.857 |
| Accessibility | #18 | 2.571 | 2.571 |
| Controls | #28 | 2.429 | 2.429 |
Ranked from 14 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Godot Version
4.1.1
Wildcards Used
Mobius Loop
Game Description
Explore an expansive facility, and diagnose the malfunctions within.
How does your game tie into the theme?
You must diagnose a number of malfunctioning machines to complete the game.
Source(s)
https://bitbucket.org/JohnGabrielUK/ex-aeternum-redux
Discord Username
JohnGabrielUK
Participation Level (GWJ Only)
Too many to count.
My game has an export for Linux, Windows, & Mac and/or is playable through HTML5
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Comments
Fantastic game! It's so wonderful seeing something inspired by Myst. I love the atmosphere, how each level sounds distinct and how the sound matches the visuals and even how it gets more heavenly up top for instance. I LOVE the voice of Aeternum and how it's timbre changes depending on the range, where down low, for instance, you can hear a nice crackling in the voice. The puzzles weren't too hard but satisfying and they definitely felt like they fit perfectly with Myst.
That said, I did have a few problems. I understood what you had to do to open the door but on the 2 times I tried it I opened it as I was tinkering with it without exactly knowing I had done it. Only on my second time opening it, after the fact, did I understand how it was supposed to look for it to open. Could very well just be me not being very good at this though but, either way, I thought it could be useful information for you to have.
I also found a bug playing the first time yesterday where the paths of the cars weren't playing all the steps you find on the paper or even starting from the beginning so I thought any set of instructions could have a decent bit of shared movement and you had to find one small discrepancy based on a small amount of information to know which car is following each set of instruction and maybe later you'd figure out the rest of the path based on the layout of the map or something. It didn't help that the set of moves on my first go were similar. This time around the moves were much more different from each other and the monitor was playing correctly at which point the puzzle became so much simpler than what I had imagined.
The movement could be a little tricky at times but not that much of an issue. I could always get to where I wanted, it just usually took a few more clicks than desired. Some screens turn you to the right even though you clicked left for instance but, once again, not too big of a deal. I really like the subtle way the game tells you there's a screen on the right, for example, with just a gentle glow when you hover the mouse though. I found that helped to keep the atmosphere while being helpful to the player.
I liked the music puzzle, I always like when games have music puzzles, and it's nice that the answers to the puzzles are always different. And in regards to the music puzzle itself, I really like that there's a different melody and it's not just the same melody with a different note missing.
The bit of worldbuilding with Aeternum was also a nice touch.
Great game! Enjoyed it quite a bit. Would love to play a longer version for sure. Congratulations.
I loved the atmosphere! The controls were a bit difficult at times, and I got stuck on several puzzles probably way longer than I should've, but I'm always amazing by what you're able to pull off in the short jam window. Well done!
Incredible game and amazing artworks! I was stunned by the atmosphere you were able to create: everything is consistent and feels incredibly immersive. Kudos!
As others mentioned, movement wasn't the most comfortable experience; but after a brief moment of panic, in the end it was reactive and easy to control. So, maybe an explanation was missing, but I think you can still make it work in the game :)
I absolutely loved the puzzles! Again, they were a bit disorienting at first, but with enough patience they were fun to solve and intriguing to think about. And -wow- everything was perfectly themed! Did you create them from scratch?
Just to say how much I enjoyed them, I was so into the game that I must have messed up with the clues, because at the end my solutions were wrong ^^"
I was looking for hints in the comments, but then I read here and on the Discord that the solution is randomized every time! That's a genius move, perfect for replaying the game!
Again, thanks a lot for the submission, I loved it! :D
Very interesting game and well made! I have to say I never play any myst game and I was somehow lost. The presentation is insane good with all the graphics and audio. Very nice!
Some findings I had: Navigating is hard, maybe some Arrow UI elements which are permanently visible. Camera movements/shakes. E.g. on the lift or if this eye talks to you. Maybe skip puzzle button for the noobs like me
Good job on this!
So, I absolutely loved this game, except for one very large issue, which I'll get to. I loved the original Myst which I only just played for the first time about a year ago. I wish this game was longer, but it's only a 9 day jam. You should make another but actually make it a full game. The graphics were awesome, the sound was great (maybe add some footstep sounds and some light background music). Controls were fine for me, it was just slightly non-intuitive on some screens because it's limited to screen edges and the center, but I think it would be better if you had areas in the screen that if you click on them it would take you towards that thing. Also, making the mouse cursor change depending on what you hover over would be great polish and good for feedback to the player.
Ok.. but the big issue... I can't beat the game. There is seemingly no correct answer. I watched Vikfro's stream (that's what's playing in the background) on twitch to make sure I had the correct answer, but it doesn't work. This seems to be a game breaking bug.
Thanks for playing! It isn't a bug at all - the game randomises the solution each time for the sake of replay value.
Odd, it seemed like the correct solution
I'll be honest—I wasn't wowed right away by the style of movement, and was already defeated by the first puzzle.
But re-trying the next day, got through it, and became consumed by the atmosphere accentuated by the immersive sound design, the strong writing / voiceover, and the possibility of what this game could be judging by the incredible art style.
I do have to say that I found the progression and puzzle design to be confusing most of the time, and was often wondering what I should be doing (I'd say this comprised of 95%+ of my playtime). I think this was indeed accentuated by the style of movement. After a half-hour or so, I didn't realize you could look down and pick up the letter. I'd have preferred arrows over the faded white rectangles and more explicit indicators (IE: outlines) to indicate possibilities of movement and pick-up, but there were other zoom-ins that were only figured out by randomly clicking all over the screen, and I think generally speaking, the style of navigation was not conducive to scouring an environment as a gameplay mechanic. Also, given the complexity of the puzzles, it would've been nice if the notes (or better yet, the solutions) were collectible / referrable. User experience, and being able to transport into the perspective of a regular player, can be a tough thing to nail in the heat of experimentation.
What I loved was the imagination of the world created. I found myself wanting to explore more of this story, especially if any light would've been shed on who the main character is.
Unfortunately wasn't able to finish given that I continued to stumble over the puzzles and it likewise impeded on checking out the other game jam entries, but I appreciated that under the hood, there must've been a lot of work and love put into developing this title.
Thanks for giving it another shot! And for the detailed feedback. The navigation is definitely the game's biggest problem: it's broken into five buttons: left, right, up, down, and center, but I could at least have done a better job of communicating that. I'll do a post-jam update that makes the movement a bit less rigid. A hint system might also be in order.
Very cool game! I sadly never found the missing lever. :(
I love the looks of the portal puzzle. Reminds me of "The Vanshing of Eathan Carter", where they had a similar.
I had some trouble with the regions and got disoriented sometimes, but that's already been said I think. Very cool game, very good job with the soundscape and building the mood.
There are no missing levers! I originally intended for them to be scattered throughout the area, so you'd have to pick them up and put them back into the machine before it could be used, but that idea had to be scrapped so I could make the deadline. I haven't played Ethan Carter, but maybe I'll check it out! And yes, navigation seems to be a common issue. I'll see what I can do to improve on that. Thanks for playing!
So excited to play this finally! I'm currently stuck with what I (am/was) sure was the right answer not working at the final moment. Drat! I really don't want to give up, but I'm running low on time to play other games
As others have mentioned, the navigation and hit boxes being tricky to find was my only frustration with the actual gameplay. My being too dumb to solve the puzzles is another matter (But but I _thought_ I had solved them!)
Update: It's so flipping obvious. I will have to give my initial musical sight-reading an 'F' - Went back and checked - and I got the solution
Thanks for playing! A lot of people have mentioned the navigation - I think it's something you have to carefully consider when you're designing an environment for a game like this. The five-button system I came up with was my attempt at a solution that would be quick to implement, but I should at least have explained it in-game. I'll try and refine it in a post-jam update. And perhaps I should give the player some feedback as to which of their answers is wrong?
This game is insane. Loved the personality and the story telling was very immersive. The puzzles were very polished, and you the environment looked really good. This is definitely a must play this jam.
As mentioned earlier, the navigation is my only issue, but I feel like everything else was so well thought out that it more than makes up for it.
I loved the part where I was confused and decided to guess the answers for the puzzles, and I got roasted. I then went back and took another few looks and completed them.
Amazing.
Let's start with the obvious: These renders are gorgeous and, together with the stellar sound design and writing, build a wonderfully heavy, "larger-than-thou" athmosphere. This is really impressive.
I liked the choice of the more observational puzzles. Figuring out what exactly to look for and paying attention was really engaging without needing to understand some kind of arcane moon logic.
My only issue is with the navigation. At times, I felt disoriented because I did not know how far I have been spun, especially at the four way intersection. I also sometimes didn't find the correct hitbox that got me where I wanted to go; sometimes forward was at the upper end of the screen and at other times in the middle as one example.
These were many words to explain a rather small issue, so let me reiterate: This game was a real treat and I enjoyed it a lot.
I'm glad you enjoyed the sound design - it was very last-minute. As I've said elsewhere, I agree that the navigation needs refining, so we'll see what can be done about that after the jam. Thanks for playing!