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(2 edits) (+3)

I quit while doing the 4x4 grid puzzle. The game needs to explain this puzzle to the player, and more importantly assist the player to know what they should be doing. Its an interesting idea, but I dont think its getting the deserved light that its currenty getting. Dont get me wrong, I understand what the puzzle is doing, Im just not able to hold that much information in my small brain to be able to comfortable click on the right squares with certain confidence, it feels a bit too random, and brute forcing it seems to do much much faster. (its often noted that people dont like to put in effort into thinking too much with certain tasks when another option with less effort is possible).

The general trope of running around a dungeon and solving to progress is fairly spot on, with various key and door mechanics spread around encouraging progression for the player. 5/5 on theme for that. Game is fairly polished, theres not much to innovate or implement here, its all fairly standard.

Overall, the grid puzzle mechanic should be either studied a bit more to figure out if its a good fit, or to replace it with a near equivalent. The other door unlocking mechanic where you predict the circle on a vertical line is pretty easy to pull off, and easy to understand. Theres not a lot of room for error, you either click on time, or you dont.

I think the grid puzzle actually fit the theme of lockpicking, perhaps not compared to other lockpicking games, but in the sense of trying to maintain multiple other factors while adjusting further and further.  Though you are absolutely correct in needing more time with it.  I failed on the 4x4 constantly, only beat it twice, accidentally, and with luck after resetting it countless times.  I should've just not done the 4x4 version.  It was an unnecessary door, to maintain the illusion of being lost in a labyrinth, that's where I put most of the 'hard' puzzles.   I tried to keep to the idea that easy puzzles introduced the mechanic, medium puzzles (3x3) were for progressing through the dungeon, and the hard puzzles would either be 'another' entrance, or access to one of the three collectibles that would determine the ending dialogue.