I'm going to take this opportunity to add my 50 cents as a direct response to this comment; The introduction is quite impactful, and since this was the last game I tested and reviewed in this jam, it was interesting to jump straight into combat against the emperor. After that, the execution scene is... complicated. There are many details that haven’t been polished enough, but the intent behind the message is more than clear.
I also took a little while to process the combat logic, but once I finally understood it (I suppose POP (?) represents the target’s 'consciousness,' while life is... well, life, physical integrity), everything made more sense. Attacks target POP, which explains why enemies like the spider, when Claus is poisoned, affect his life. This makes it interesting that the MP bar represents absolute life while the HP bar represents relative life. It’s not a bad thing, just... unusual. Apparently there is a bug in equipping weapons, because I couldn't equip any while I put on the rest of the equipment without any problems.
In any case, I realized that you’ve built something quite different and interesting here. The logic of hunting targets during an attempted revolution against a tyrannical government is extremely relevant in the theme! And when Claus is confronted about being in the same position as his executioner, I don’t know if it was intentional, but you touched on ideas that resonate with Étienne de La Boétie’s The Discourse on Voluntary Servitude. In essence, La Boétie argues that tyrants only maintain their power because people consent to their own subjugation, often out of habit or illusion. He suggests that domination is not sustained solely by force, but by a system in which people are conditioned to accept and even embrace their servitude, sometimes in exchange for minor privileges. This dynamic echoes in the game’s themes, particularly in the way power structures and cycles of oppression are questioned. It also contrasts with Hobbes' Leviathan, where the monopoly on violence is seen as a necessary trade-off to prevent chaos, whereas La Boétie suggests that true liberation would come from simply refusing to obey.
I truly hope you expand on this concept from "what should I do?"! And as someone who also struggles to adapt their content into English, I send you warm fraternal hugs and a genuine wish for success in your journey!
Even though this wasn’t the best game of the jam, it was the one I enjoyed the most. :)
To me, you are the true 'winner' of this edition!