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A Field Of Sunflowers's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Audio | #3 | 4.339 | 4.339 |
| Graphics | #5 | 4.571 | 4.571 |
| Accessibility | #10 | 3.554 | 3.554 |
| Overall | #11 | 3.837 | 3.837 |
| Controls | #18 | 3.768 | 3.768 |
| Theme | #28 | 3.982 | 3.982 |
| Originality | #41 | 3.786 | 3.786 |
| Fun | #87 | 2.857 | 2.857 |
Ranked from 56 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Godot Version
3.5.3
Wildcards Used
Memory Lane
Game Description
"A Field Of Sunflowers" is a heartfelt story about the loss of a loved one. Azalea and Gabriel move into their new house in the countryside - wanting to get away from the suffocating city life. Azalea's wish is to plant a field of sunflowers - which, to her, symbolize hope and joy of their new beginning, since sunflowers are always looking towards the bright. All is well, until the monsoon season hits them with heavy rains. The game explores themes of loss, grief, and, eventually, hope.
How does your game tie into the theme?
The story is based around the fact that losing a loved one leaves a void in one's heart. An unexpected loss, hitting one like a thunderstorm, leaves their soul in an all-consuming void. This is represented in game by the state of the garden - grief turns garden into a dead void.
Source(s)
N/A
Discord Username(s)
thejohnyfeed
Participation Level (GWJ Only)
This is my second GWJ.
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Comments
Everything was done so wonderfully to carry the story! Bravo!
Seems that we had a similar theme! This is a work of art, very well done and polished. The pacing was perfect. The arc was well communicated. Music was great. Visual style amazing. No complaints. Thank you so much for the experience. You should be proud of this one!
Good art, good writing and good sound design! For a game jam submission is a surprisingly complete experience, and I liked this take on the theme.
Great game. Very moving. Fantastic job on the visuals and audio as well.
Прекрасная история, заслуживающая победы!
What a lovely experience!
I loved the linear way in which the story is told, at several moments I felt like I was in the character's shoes, waiting to see what would happen once I reached the end of the road.
The atmospheric effects work very well with the theme, the changing tone of the scenery too, and the chosen music and sounds are just the perfect touch.
Congratulations on your submission!
Ps: Any reason for using the Godot 3.5 instead of 4.x? I'm new to the engine and I'm still understanding the cons/pros of each version
Hey! Thank you very much for your comment. I'm glad you enjoyed the game.
As for why I use Godot 3 - it's because I code in C#, and Godot 4 can't build web games that use C#. There are also a lot of other issues regarding C# in GD4, such as inability to export C# collections, and etc.
So far, my experience with Godot 4 was underwhelming for me - I also thought it was too unstable :(
I cannot express enough how heart-warming and touching this game was to me.
Truly amazing story writing (which admittedly had me crying), art, and sound design.
An incredible and original spin on the theme as a story-driven game.
Honestly this is one of the most astonishing entries here.
It's mind-blowing how you managed to do all of that in just 9 days! Incredible work!
The art style and audio is really well done!
Very well put together.
It competently tells the story it sets out to tell, with some very nice pixel art and music as to support it.
Some lines after the 3rd act felt a bit to much about hammering the point home, but not in any way breaking the experience.
It' short and bittersweet. Really liked that it fully gave closure in the end.
Really amazing jam entry. The art is really unique and the overall experience is really polished. While I could go on about the art style and everything else, I think the most important part here is definitely the story. I remember back when [the virus of 2020 that shall not be named] was massive and we all were quarantined, I had lost way more people and had to grieve way more than ever before. This game recreates the feeling I had with all those deaths. I especially love how quickly all the bad stuff happens, because that's precisely how death usually works. It just hits you without any warning. I also like it when Azalea realizes that she could start up the sunflower field again, because Gabriel would have wanted that. Great use of backtracking, making the levels feel way bigger than they usually would.
I'm not crying, you're crying :-(
Thank you for your comment. It's the greatest compliment to me that this little piece of art I made resonated with someone on an emotional level. Hope you're doing well.
Such attention to details! The game looks and sounds great and polished.
Not to mention originality of developing the theme of the jam.
Who is cutting onions?
seriously amazing work
This is unbelievable as a game jam entry. Super-polished mechanics, graphics, animation, and sound make it feel like it should be the launch title for a new Nintendo handheld.
The happily ever after of Gabriel and Azalea and how fate is not how one always imagines is something to be experienced. Story-heavy games are some of the rarer finds since writing deep, powerful inquisitions into the human soul is never as easy as seems, but the tale of love and loss in A Field of Sunflowers is heart-wrenching but satisfying, and conveyed beautifully with impeccable care.
Method of delivery through dialogue boxes works incredibly well since, like everything else in this game, there's so much thought put into the design and implementation.
The gameplay flows well, and even if a significant portion of the game design is a walking simulator, the aforementioned polish of everything makes one feel like they're in an actual world where a life is occurring, and you just have to experience it.
I'm sure a lot of the praise will be targeted towards the stylish art and outstanding animation work—as it absolutely should—but the minimalistic sound design is conversely so effective in achieving the immersion this story thrives on. It's one of the most lively 2D games I've ever played.
My only regret is playing this game so late in the night after a string of five-minute games all day, when I should've left it to tomorrow afternoon to really spend the time studying all of the minutia and attention to detail which is an excellent learning opportunity. But this is a rare rose, and probably a game I will revisit after the jam ends. One of my favourite jam submissions ever. Will be keeping an eye on this exceptional solo developer.
Thank you for such a detailed and thoughtful comment. I am incredibly grateful! Glad you enjoyed it.
Very sad, the emotional journey was conveyed really well. Great art and audio. Great job!
What a heartfelt and bittersweet story! I love the artwork and the music, and the light/sun effects are so pretty. The sunflower animations are satisfying, and the sound effects well-placed. The quotes between acts and the backgrounds are very effective at setting the mood too.
Personal preference, but I do think some of the descriptive text between dialogue could have been cut - the visuals, dialogue, and pauses convey so much feeling on their own, the player can usually imagine how the characters are emoting or thinking with just those elements - they don't need to be told. The visual of the little flower in the snow, for instance, is so strong and impactful by itself I think having more than maybe one line of description distracts from it a bit.
Awesome job!
One of the most polished game in this jam, love the art, love the audio, although the sad story wasn't really for me, but it is well written and well presented. Wouldn't be surprise to see this game ends up on the podium.
Looks great, sounds great, dialogs are great, clever use of backtracking, Masterful.
Well done on a sweet short story :)
I'm not sure there's much to improve, felt good.