Play game
Escape the Alchemist's Basement's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Artistic Style | #1 | 5.000 | 5.000 |
| Cleverness | #1 | 5.000 | 5.000 |
| Theme | #1 | 5.000 | 5.000 |
| Playability | #804 | 3.000 | 3.000 |
Ranked from 1 rating. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Judge feedback
Judge feedback is anonymous.
- Love the art style and the overall idea! The music works well too and I can see you are working on SFX or didn't have the time to do it fully. A few things to note: The game is too punishing to be for 'casual gamers', as you can get your pinky toe stuck on the corner of an uneven floor and trip because of it. I understand the character tripping when they are not carrying a light, but I feel like if they are carrying a reagent, tripping over a very clearly uneven floor is just an annoyance and sets you back too far. I had also slipped right into a hole in the ground just by tripping over uneven ground, destroying any progress I may have made. The checkpoint system resetting you at the beginning of the maze and forcing you to mix the reagents together again seems very mean. At the very least, you should start in the middle, with the reagent already mixed there, otherwise, what's the point of a checkpoint system? I'd rather start from the very beginning and walk through the rubble again. All in all, I hope you keep working on the project, I can see it turning into something extremely fun!
Did you include your Game Design Document as a Google Drive link?
Yes
Seriously... did you include your Game Design Document?
Yes
Is your game set to Public so we can see it?
Yes
Tell us about your game!
Is a 2d top-down problem-solving dungeon escape game.
Controls are:
Movement - Arrow keys / WASD
Pickup or put down reagents on the ground - E
Interact with doors/tables/desks/notes - F
Open/Close controls popup - Space
Primary mechanics:
Find and use Alchemical reagents strategically.
There are 4 base alchemical reagents:
AlchaLight - A Light emitting reagent
Knocker - A lock/mechanical interrupting reagent
Gorcid - A corrosive reagent
Expulsive - A reaction resistant reagent that accelerates alchemical reactions in other reagents.
The player uses these reagents to accomplish tasks to progress in the game. These reagents can eventually be combined using an Alchemy Table to accomplish other tasks not capable by the base reagents alone.
Secondary Mechanics
Environment interactions (desks, notes, doors, signs, etc…)
Darkness. It’s dark here. Each of the reagents emits a small pulse of light (some greater than others). The player will either need to strategically place reagents or combine reagents to successfully find a path forward while navigating the basement’s many trips and traps.
Volatile reagents: most reagents are volatile if they are brought too close to one another, unless placed on an alchemy table for processing. If they get too close, it can be… Explosive..
Extra Notes
I did this solo.. Didn't manage to get to a few things such as sound effects and the monster sprites.
Leave a comment
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
Comments
The game looks and feels really nice (the tripping mechanic was hilarious), but I had a few issues. When dying I occasionally wouldn't see a death screen which would lock the game. There also seems to be an issue with save/loading (not sure if intended), when refreshing the page I am always spawned into the first room, then when respawning I am moved to my last checkpoint from before refreshing.