itch.io

Agree w/ the hopeless vibe. On one hand, the fire will never actually stop no matter how much we intervene. On the other hand, the green bars will always continue to regrow no matter how many times they die at the fire's hands. But that also feels kinda hopeless. To watch everything just die no matter what you do??

Got curious from the "don't wait too long" text in the instructions so I waited. Taking the pill and waiting both result in a sense of ominousness, but the type of ominousness is different. And then there's the total absence of sound that happens when I leave...

Embarrassed to say that I couldn't figure out how to clear the third level. The color-changing mechanic is a very clever way of playing with collision, and vaguely (vaguely!) takes me back to the days of Fireboy and Watergirl. The little bounce sound is a nice touch too. Love the premise, and I hope to clear the third level soon so I can experience all 10 levels.

You weren't kidding about the "getting confused by your caterpillar body" part. Had a couple of brainfarts where I thought I got my directions confused from overlapping my caterpillar body too much. The most painful moments were when the apples spawned very close to the border and I didn't turn away fast enough to not hit them. Love the font choice and UI! Very stylish and adorable

AGHHHHHH THIS WARMED MY HEART.... I'M TOUCHED. But also I was very specifically impressed in the final scene where I tried to (BIG SPOILER) push the bar up on the same side as everyone else only to realize you thought of that beforehand! In the end I was still "alone" as the only guy pushing the bar up on the right side of the screen... but that's the point. I'm wasn't really alone. I wasn't in the same space as them, but the other squares were in this with me. We were in it together. Mind blown, legit!!!!!!!!!!!!

NOSTRILS: ACTIVATED

HUMAN: DRAGGED

DOG: WORLD

This was actually a really considerate game for you to make, because my sense of smell has been decimated by seasonal allergies as of late. So thank you for giving me the chance to experience smelling stuff again. I like how you have to actively find the right place to sniff and destroy blue zones, so you end up circling/running all over the blue zone to find that spot, kind of like how real dogs sniff their targets all over the place. I think. I don't hang around dogs much. Also like the clever trick you used to keep us from going out of bounds. How'd you code that...?

You know what, you're right. I really might as well play this game to find out the twist because it was such a pleasant surprise!!!!! Really wasn't expecting it. My best time's 2m 28.13 btw.... and that was on easy mode because I kept butchering medium and hard. ACK... anyway I like how the game plays with different ways to use collision (can't go into it further w/o spoiling the twist but let's just say.... collision as a mechanic and collision as something to actively avoid). Very fun overall!

A clever twist on Snake-esque gameplay where the difficulty doesn't lie in the growth of the circle (snake), but the speed of the circle! Calling the circle burned out adds that extra layer of meaning to the chase, too. The faster you go, the harder it is to keep up and avoid the walls, and the easier it is to lose. And then you get back up again and continue the chase. Just like real life. Ah.................

Really good representation of the noise an average house party makes. Jokes aside, I really like the themes of "unfilled" and "desires".  Personally I saw the individual spheres as desires. If you chose to interact w/ them, that meant you were trying to fulfill them. The more you try to fulfill, the more you end up desiring, until it all adds up and you're not sure what you really want anymore. On the other hand, simply staying there and refusing to interact with the first sphere on the screen could mean leaving that initial desire unfulfilled forever. Just my initial gamer theory tho

Really good use of colliders, pretty solid maze-making too, the many twists and turns led me to challenge myself to a speedrun to see how fast I could collect all 7 coins. My best time is 38 seconds. Can anyone above me get sub 30...?

Thought I was real clever by camping on the left side of the screen until the responsibilities came at me from multiple directions. Great to see the "for educational use" text again. Starting to realize that text might be serious and not a joke, but it would make a very fun calling card. Like the comments said below, the game reminds me of Flappy Bird, but also bullet hells, in a sense..?

Really good sound design here. The satisfying clicks mixed with the funny bounce sound take me back to games like Crossy Road. Also love the muisc that plays as the speed ramps up, really adds to the tension when the game gets more difficult.

Played on impossible because I'm a fighter, highest score was 477 (hard to play an allergy themed game when you, the player, are currently going through allergies >m<). I like how the color of the pollen acts as a timer for how long it stays on the screen (from dark --> light before disappearing). I'm wondering how you coded the brief invincibility the player gets after getting hit by pollen?

The ending showing a blank figure of a person and the music stopping gives the game a tragic ending, in a sense. The protagonist was so unhappy and stressed with so many thoughts about their rebirth--who they'll be, whether they'll change, whether they'll stay the same whether they'll remember anything, etc--they'll never know. We'll never really know, either.

Agree, w/ the old game comment, but to me it feels like an old mmo (the name is on the tip of my tongue somewhere), especially with the text-focused interface. As was mentioned above, it feels very nostalgic. Classic. An amnesiac hero, old gods, monsters that exist to be slain by your hand (or the other way around)...

+1 on the code. I am curious to see how the coloring feature works. The limited canvas space, bold colors, and the inclusion of a Narrator with its own dialogue and diction (instead of, idk, plain instructions) really adds feelings of whimsy to it all. Like a children's coloring book brought to life. I'm the child. Oh I do miss coloring.

In colloquial terms: Peak is back on the menu. In friendly terms: After briefly watching you struggle to get this working in class, I want to reassure you and say that this game was well worth the effort. In opinionated terms: Jock Louden is the best. He is true to himself as a Dolly Parton fan and as a person who makes fun of dweebs. Much more worthwhile than the inherent pretentiousness of artsy Louden and emo Louden. I don't like nerd Louden, I see myself in him. In curious terms: May I have the name of the song used for the intro?

Ugh, I actually wanted to learn how to make pate. Whatever, it's fine I guess. Wasn't excited or anything. Gosh. Hmph. So be it. Something funny I noticed was how the CMN notes talk about managing the press and misbehaviors, and then the review involved the misbehavior of pizza place employees.... who were managing you (the customer) (or should I say, the press?) (the press of Yelp or whatever). Misbehavior also applies to the Spotify ad guy dialogue (which was very fun to read btw). 

Never had a single year living on campus so this will count for it. Let's just say that... certain ending conditions were cleverly and subtly inserted. The way you differentiated the endings was very interesting, too. I have to ask--were you a good student, an evil student, or................................Carl?

Was also not expecting the philosophical angle. From the title alone I expected Splatoon references. Instead I got hit with the self-reflection time out. Kind of wild how one day, this itch.io page and these comments will be viewed for the last time. I hope the final viewer is someone cool and pretty.

The "for educational use" text in the corner absolutely killed me. Great use of mouse clicks to "simulate" the feel of using Unity. Also enjoyed patiently sitting through the Mac portion, felt strangely sensual. (windows supremacy btw)

No seriously, what DID UCD students do to tha dragon?

After shuffling through some choices, I thought it was mega-funny that the skeleton companion stood there and watched you die if you attempted to kill the golem or dragon. It knew better than to dance with danger, I guess. I wonder how you got the first person POV to stay in place? No matter how much I try to move left/right/etc, the main character will only walk in place.

I agree, I like the ambiguity a lot too!!! Depending on what you picked, the dialogue can feel really comforting or really scary. The expressions where so beautifully done, too.

I also tried jumping off too!!! The idea of no escape really hits you in the gut at the end, where there's nowhere to go but... into the gears. This plus the writing about Hades and the afterlife adds such eeriness despite the "voice" using warm words like "child".

Definitely agree with the SCP-esque feeling, especially with the warnings on each object (don't view the Painting alone, etc). This + the end screen really gives off a "ah crap, low level employees like me should NOT be here right now" kind of feeling

There is something so deeply personal and heartfelt about your writing. I like how the player isn't "punished" in a sense, whether you choose to speak or not. You will still find rest.  I like the very broad gap between the man's paragraphs and your paragraphs. The sense of distance can be interpreted differently depending on how you chose to interact with the man.

Had a lot of fun trying to outmaneuver the zombies! I wonder what inspired you to go for a horror-escape theme. I like how hiding creates this infinite loop where you're safe, but you never reach a concrete ending. That can be a statement on life, I think.

IF YOU'RE READING THIS I NEED YOU TO FLOP ON PURPOSE. I WISH TO RETAIN MY LEADERBOARD SPOTS.

Jokes aside, the concept is very fun and addictive. I'm interested in how you programmed the win/lose conditions, as well as what inspired you to make something more competitive/gameplay-focused than narrative-focused.

The longer you linger on the the screen, the more eerie details you can notice, like the "EVIL LIVES HERE" or "NO NO NO NO" messages. It's interesting how the game has happy endings despite the scary atmosphere.

Loved the theme and atmosphere! Unfortunately I did not eat much breakfast today so this game left me mega-hungry. Very curious as to how you got the r + enter command to work.  Maybe it involves using &&? Or extra if-else statements? Specifically making the coin-insert its own action adds a personal touch.

Excellent font and music choices. Made the game feel very cool and gritty. I felt like an action protagonist!!!

I keep making birds. I don't want to kill them. Please don't make me kill them.

Also the writing is very atmospheric! Love the way the game lowkey demeans you, a living god. Awesome diction

The hidden timer was a great touch! Really adds to the urgency of the surgery >:) I killed my patient like 3 times but I eventually got the hang of it!!!!! med school grad in the making!