Play game
Research Facility 81's itch.io pageType of Submission
Interactive Twine story & text-based puzzle game.
Genres
interactive fiction, lovecraftian, mystery, puzzle
Is this a solo jam or a group submission?
Solo
Permisions
Yes!
Also, I hope this is the right place to add this; I am submitting to this game jam as part of a module for my MA Creative Writing course at University of Nottingham. The module focuses on publishing and I am using digital forums, such as itch.io and it's game jams as the basis of my research into forms of publishing. The only real impact this has on the work is that I was limited by word count, but I thought it important to share this with the judges! That is also why I am submitting so early - my deadline is tomorrow. I did start coding this project about 2 weeks ago but have only just finished it today (13th).
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Comments
(Slight spoiler ahead, be warned.)
That was a great story! The navigation through key words, the deciphering of the letter, the hidden key—every interaction works really well to invest the player in the story, which is very well written. The background sounds and interaction sounds, like entering the reception center, were nice additions to a more immersive experience.
I think it could be expanded to other interactions tho (phone, elevator, emails...).
It was a great experience. I haven't tried every game yet, but yours might be in my top 5 of this jam.
Perhaps it is true what they say about eldritch horror being more suited to text simply because our imagination does the rest of the work.
I like that the descriptions don't run on. There's enough ambiguity to create a sense of paranoia but enough detail to feel specific and tactile. I liked the sequence at the top of the lighthouse for the same reasons - it's spooky throughout but the moment you get to inspect it you end up re-evaluating what happened. The hidden text could be a bit of a bottleneck for some people because the hint isn't listed anywhere, I figure that's one feedback you will get often. I was lucky enough to find it on my first playthrough. After that, I ended up checking a lot of places, only to find nothing. When it works, I think it can be a great moment; it really put in me in the headspace of a paranoid Lovecraftian protagonist. I also liked the indirect nature of figuring out the laboratory password. All in all, a fun little game.
Good luck with your degree!
I got stuck after a point, but I played enough to be able to appreciate how very clean, elegant and well-written this is. Inventory and map are useful tools too - almost a necessary touch. Clever and delightful, well done...I can see the creativity in this creative writing piece.
Thank you so much, that’s such a lovely piece of feedback! Very glad you enjoyed :D
I know of a couple of people that have gotten stuck so I might upload a walkthrough soon :) thanks for playing!
I love it! More please.
But seriously, I really like the "switch the phrases around" mechanic. I could play a whole game of that.
What software/language did you use for this? And when are you writing more?
Thank you so much! And thank you for playing :D
I wrote it in Twine using Sugarcube, which is all HTML pretty much and super easy to use. The swap mechanic was actually a custom macro made by Chapel R that I found and immediately got super inspired by (https://twinelab.net/custom-macros-for-sugarcube-2/#/) and honestly a full game of it is such a good idea!
I have no direct plans for my next game right now but in a few months I’m sure I’ll be back haha!!
So glad you enjoyed, thank you <3
Hello, how are you? I hope you're doing well! :D
I enjoyed the experience; I found the writing good, the intelligent use of sound effects interesting, and the plot intriguing with the indirect use of information to advance the story, making you think.
Now, I'll comment on 2 things that I thought could have been better, they're not bad at all, but I believe they could be improved:
1) The central hub should be more intuitive, even without the map. Perhaps dividing it into sub-stages and making the navigation between the information center/café/lighthouse/row of houses more fluid. I think when you were working on the project, things became redundant in your mind, but playing it, it seemed less fun and more of a burden. However, the first time was very good! :) I believe a logbook could make things much more interesting and keep the player engaged with the situation they want to solve, like the laboratory password, without having to keep going back and forth to check if they missed any information outside the saved in inventory.
2) Clarify better what's valid or not. For example, within the interface, should I look for hidden texts in white or not? Is there a secret on the title screen, a hidden button, a mandatory info not registred to advance? Since puzzle games are varied and commonly require specific logic, I honestly didn't understand the nature of the game in the first 15 minutes. On one hand, it seems sequential through navigation and dialogue with listed options, but the search for names and information is parallel and open to whatever answer you think of. For me, who is not a native English speaker, I don't even think structurally as someone who speaks English thinks, and this is a problem that could be avoided with pre-defined sequences that indicate the logic to be followed subsequently.
Overall, I enjoyed the experience and would recommend it to anyone looking to try something cool on an afternoon :)
P.S: If the ending 2 were a song, this would be it:
Hi!
Thank you so much for your feedback! You make some really great points and I honestly agree. I did even have a notepad function previously, but I had to cut it out/merge some of it with the inventory due to the word count limit on my coursework 😅 thank you so much for playing though, I'm glad you enjoyed and I will definitely be taking what you've said into account for the future <3
~ Emily