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There's a Dead Man in Your Suitcase's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Most Compelling Narrative | #1 | 4.000 | 4.000 |
| Best Use of Ludic Elements (Game Mechanics) To Deliver Story | #1 | 4.500 | 4.500 |
| Most Innovative Narrative | #1 | 3.750 | 3.750 |
| Most Compelling Character | #2 | 3.250 | 3.250 |
| Best Use of the (optional) Theme | #2 | 3.750 | 3.750 |
Ranked from 4 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
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Comments
So cool, I think this is my favorite so far - very compelling design! The game mechanics fit the story so well. I love how you get constantly distracted by checking the suitcase, potentially missing out on what the widow is saying, because the text wanders offscreen. Or vice versa. The first time I wasn't sure if I had won or lost (the April 6th newspaper), so I played again, and this time it was clearly an early game over (screaming widow and arrest).
Thanks so much!
So cool, I think this is my favorite so far - very compelling design! The game mechanics fit the story so well. I love how you get constantly distracted by checking the suitcase, potentially missing out on what the widow is saying, because the text wanders offscreen. Or vice versa. The first time I wasn't sure if I had won or lost (the April 6th newspaper), so I played again, and this time it was clearly an early game over (screaming widow and arrest).
The premise is really awesome and stressful :)) I had a hard time with the game mechanics of being able to read the conversation and then also swing back to the suitcase. So that caused me more frustration as opposed to anxiety - and could totally be player error!
The mouse dragging can take a bit to get use to but I kind of knew the game needed to have players look away from the suitcase other wise they'd do nothing but stare at it haha. Maybe it is because I know the exact timings, but the suitcase can swing open pretty wide before a game over. It takes about 15 to 20 seconds for the case to lead to a game over, there is a small audio cue as well (latch thudding noise) meaning the case is fully open and you have a few extra seconds to shut it before it ends. There is some slightly random chance as well but more so to help the player such as the Widow checking for a larger amount of times the suitcase was shut rather than the minimum. Generally if you watch how far the case opens before it ends you can see it opens in increments which can help judge when you should shut it. Hope that helps if you want to go back (or anyone else!)
This game was incredible. Tense, suspenseful, and frightening. I got a bad ending (was too friendly with the Widow and she decided to help me with my suitcase)- but I don't think a game's ever managed to make me feel *this* kind of anxiety before. Props.
Hey thanks I appreciate it - The Widow opening the case has a few factors but the main one is closing the suitcase too often if you go back for another round!
(There is an occasional glitch where the game gets stuck and the conversation doesn't progress. This is pretty rare, but needs a restart if it does happen.)