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Keep Your Head Down's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Overall: consider all of the criteria above and which game stands out as a whole | #1 | 4.500 | 4.500 |
| Biographical: engagement with Hidden Hero, use of nonfiction elements, personal | #1 | 5.000 | 5.000 |
| Storytelling / Narrative: immersive, novel, heartfelt, compelling | #3 | 4.750 | 4.750 |
| Gameplay / Mechanics: novel, impressive, compelling, well suited, fun | #4 | 4.000 | 4.000 |
| Aesthetics: sound design, visual design, feel, vibe | #5 | 4.750 | 4.750 |
Ranked from 4 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
About the Hidden Hero and their story
Our game is based on story told by my dad about his personal experience at the night of the Tian An Men Square Massacre on June 3rd - 4th, 1989. All the voiced narration in our game is directly from him. My dad is a 1st generation Chinese American immigrant, who grew up in a world vastly different from the one I live in today. It's hard for me to relate to what his life was like growing up, and how he sees the world today. Hearing this story put into perspective the sheer scale of events he lived through, but it also highlighted the more human side of his experience. The adventurous recklessness of youth rings true over 30 years later, and has taught me to not to lose spirit in hard times. There's always something to do, and a reason to be alive.
Horizons Participant
Northeastern University
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Comments
This story is actually really well translated into a game. The general art style of the game really fits the story. I love the fact that you actually got your dad to narrate the game, it ads such a personal touch to it. The little interactive segments in between the dialogue add some fun gameplay to it.
For the narration though, I would actually do it in way smaller blocks of text instead of really big blocks (since I don't know the language and I couldn't really follow the narration). I understand it's a game jam though so what you did was a perfectly viable option.
Good game. Well done!
By the way, the title is great too. One of the first games I clicked on just because of the title. It really captured my attention.
A touching story and an exciting aesthetic!