I played the game again! Unfortunately, I encountered the same bug :/ But no worries, I’ll still start with the positives.
Positives:
- First of all, the visual style is fantastic. I love that your game stands out with its Greek mythology influence, which is clear in the location design. The textures and assets are very well done.
- One of the first things I noticed is that the corpse watches the player, which is a cool detail.
- The spider and the toad are very creepy but also have a certain charm. Maybe it’s a reference to mythology—I’m not sure, but if so, that’s another plus.
- The game is scary. Even though I didn’t encounter a monster or jump scares, the darkness itself creates a terrifying atmosphere. And yes, I noticed something watching me from the shadows. I couldn’t make it out clearly and only saw it once, but it was incredibly unsettling.
- The music is fantastic. I loved the acoustic guitar; it was very melodic. The rest of the music was also excellent, but the guitar track was my favorite!
- The concept of cyclicality is interesting. At first, I thought it would be something like Exit 8, but your concept is unique, which is great. I enjoyed comparing elements with each other, and at one point, I figured out how to match the same elements by bringing one through the cycle, ending up with two identical items. I’m not sure if this was intentional, but nothing seemed to happen when I matched identical elements.
- It’s great to have both voiceover and text. I felt the voice quality for the corpse was lower than that of the narrator at the beginning, but having voiceover is always a plus.
- The SFX is well-chosen. I liked that each element had its own sound, and the creepy ambient sounds kept me tense and on edge.
Negatives:
- I found it odd that I couldn’t pick up a torch, but that’s more of a personal gripe than a real issue.
- Bugs at the end of the game. I played through twice, and both times I encountered the same bug, causing a soft lock. After the maze section, I got stuck in a room. At first, I thought it was intentional, but after checking with you, I realized it was a bug. It was disappointing to encounter it a second time since I couldn’t see how the game ends.
Conclusion: This is an incredible game with an intriguing story. I liked that the player is given minimal information, which makes you wonder, “Why are we here?” I wasn’t entirely sure if the right combination allowed me to proceed or if the game advanced after a certain number of attempts, but maybe that doesn’t matter. I read other players' comments and agree with those who compared the game to The Talos Principle. It really has that sense of loneliness and mystery. You achieved an amazing result for a 10-day game jam, despite the bug slightly affecting my experience. Thank you for the game!