Heyo, I think the game is pretty solid. I really like what you were trying to do with your storytelling. Without getting into spoilers, I'm not sure if I would say the themes your tackling were well done. Your game tackles some very sensitive topics and, to me, it felt rushed (makes sense, it's a 2 week long game jam but still). Redemption stories are tough to write convincingly. I think had you had more time to develop the story, it would be better. I admire the ambition!
In terms of gameplay, I loved the storytelling through the letters and I think more environmental storytelling would benefit it a lot. Maybe have some photos, cracked walls, etc? I think the color scheme for the real world works very well but it can be pushed more. I didn't fully understand how the shadow-realm is connected to the story. It sounds like it's the character escaping reality instead of facing it, but the ending is very dependent on how many enemies you kill.
1st person swordplay is tough to do without making the player nauseous but I think it would be a little more challenging if you added different sword attacks (ie: heavy attack, quick stab, etc). I think the enemies could've used more variety and balancing, but it's possible I missed something. They didn't feel rewarding to fight, instead I felt like I was walking tissue paper tearing against a dull point. They felt too hard to fight, imo.
I know I'm a little harsh, but I hope this can help you for your next project. Again, this was pretty solid and I hope you grow more as a developer after this!
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I really appreciate your feedback even if it's harsh. I agree with moat of the points. Honestly, I basically made the letters and the story in the last 8 hours of the jam, hence the rush. The ending was quite sketchy to me too but you know - time constraints.
This game was supposed to be a lot more ambitious. I planned another enemy type that explodes and a final boss that after defeating it turns into you - this was supposed to really be the main implementation of alchemy: facing yourself and fighting your negative side. That's also why some of the letters have red text.
As for the combat I planned a sword dash that increases your movement capabilities. It would have allowed you to reach places you wouldn't normally. And the enemies? Not animating them was really a big part of the problem. I just didn't have time or the resources to learn rigging for non-humanoid creatures.
Shadow-realm was originally supposed to be schizophrenia connected with trauma. The main character was able to move into this world that's dangerous because HE made the monsters with his intrusive thoughts. In the end I tried to make it so shadow-realm is the man being in the coma and the "real world" allows him to connect his thoughts.
I'm quite new to making 3D games since you need a lot more assets to do them, but you always need those first steps even if it's crawling-steps. A whole week of burnout didn't allow me to do a lot in the final days. I love when people give detailed feedback, so thank you!