hi! Thanks so much for the kind words. It makes me really happy to hear that you connected with the mood and art and the "no hand holding " exploration aspect. That's how it was in the old Swordquest games - no clues on what to do, just wander around until something clicks.
The art style was just a test that I've been kicking around in the back of my head. The combination of contrasty b/w images with a color overlay and a super low res single color player was inspired by old game systems where you had to put a transparent static cling on the TV screen for your "white dot" to travel within.
There were more ideas I had to put in the game but I wanted to be done with this one before another jam started. But maybe I'll go back in and add the prize for killing the thief (a ring that keeps the thief and the eyes from following you -- and also finishing the boss battle to make it more coherent.
Did you get stuck or confused anywhere? Did you feel like you saw everything? Did anything NOT make sense?
Also if you enjoyed this game, give Night of the Attack of the Giant Brown Marmorated Stinkbugs from Hell. It's also has a lot of hidden surprises below the surface of a hunt and explore game 🙂