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Phantasm's itch.io pageResults
Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
Stability - Does the game crash unexplainably and unexpectedly? | #3 | 4.100 | 4.100 |
Originality - Were you pleasantly surprised by some aspect of the game? | #3 | 3.900 | 3.900 |
Theme - How well does the game adhere to the chosen theme? | #5 | 3.300 | 3.300 |
Final Results | #5 | n/a | n/a |
Audio - Does the game have audio, and does the audio fit? | #5 | 3.600 | 3.600 |
Fun/Game Feel - Is the game fun? | #5 | 3.000 | 3.000 |
Overall | #5 | 3.550 | 3.550 |
Graphics - Does the game look visually appealing? | #8 | 3.400 | 3.400 |
Ranked from 10 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
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Comments
This is such a good idea for a jam game, it's quite simple mechanically but that works in its favour in expressing story and themes and there's absolutely enough there to do that, but by making it so simple you were able to really nail it, and it feels like a very complete game in a way you could only get from a jam game. The music fits the tone perfectly, the calm song contrasts with the chaotic gameplay to make a unique tone that really suits the story.
A game jam game like this having an actual story behind is super cool, and helps this game stand out from all the others. The story theme of working through a stressed mind ties really well into the chaos theming. I didn't quite reach the end of the story (got stuck on level 5 lol) but it was heartwarming to see it develop.
The graphics for the most part are pretty good, especially the UI that looks super cool. The music is super chill and works really well here, especially considering that the story paints this game as a sort of therapy session. I also, as you claimed, did not experience any major bugs at all while playing. The only minor thing I found is that the Quota number can still go down if you repeatedly click while having a panic attack, but that did not affect gameplay that much at all.
My only problem with the game is that it mainly a clicking simulator. This isn't inherently bad in its own right, and the stress mechanic that you have to use strategically in later levels is really good mechanic that does add some depth to it. But either way I usually feel like I'm mindlessly clicking black scribbles and not much else. As well, I feel like with the stress mechanic, it can be annoying if you let the bar go too high to the point of seemingly no return for simply missing one scribble. In level 5 specifically I really felt this because in that level, it feels like you really have to ride the line between barely managing and certain death perfectly. Honestly this more likely just a massive skill issue on my end and I may need to just get better, but level 5 did start to frustrate me after a while with the monotony of trying to ride the fine line absolutely perfectly.
The dialogue is very charming and relatable! Loved how the stress from the gameplay fed into the themes of the story. Wish I could see more of it but I'm hard stuck level 3
That was real good. Needing to intentionally take on stress to beat the later levels was a really cool way of reinforcing the themes of your game. Prob the best story we've got among these games, and it had me considering my own life for ways I would actually manage to meet quota. This game is a mirror, screw you Waffle, very impressive.
I've stared at this background for 48 hours and now everything in my vision constantly shifts down and right. I love game development, 10/10 would do this again.
I like how you crafted an entire story for QGJ, most people focus on the mechanics instead so this is a breath of fresh air.
Though for me, the game falls a bit short in fitting the theme. But that doesn't take away from the enjoyment.
Thanks for the feedback! The chaos mostly comes in after the first few levels since by then the quota is so high you need to purposefully add stress to hit it while keeping it in check enough to not be overwhelmed by the pace. After playing it again I do see how the first 2 levels don't really require that intentionally caused chaos since they're pretty easy to get by.