itch.io

Okay, I think I've figured it out.  I just uploaded a new version of the game.  The filename ends with "_ITCH.exe" - I have removed the old version so that should be the only one there.  If you download the new version it should not try to connect with Steam.  

Sorry for the inconvenience!  Thanks a lot actually, I was not aware of this issue.  If you would like, I can send you a Steam key for the game too.  But let me know if the issues is resolved on your end first. 

Beautiful!

Wow.  So simple yet depressing and thought provoking.  Love it!

I'm wondering, perhaps Steam has to be installed for it to work.  I never had any trouble running it outside of Steam, but maybe it's an issue when there is no Steam on the computer.  I will have to test that ... that could effect my other games too.  

Just to check, do you have Steam installed on your computer?

Interesting!  I will see if I can fix that.  

It's just me trying to make things look as good as I can in a 20 year old game engine :)
I don't think there is a name for it. I included some special shaders like the posterizing effect and non-filtered textures to give it a 90s aesthetic.  I guess it is kind of like a colorful boomer shooter style, but with exploration as the focus instead of combat?  But I've been working on it since 2013 so I was not trying to make a boomer shooter, as the term did not exist back then.  I think the 90s thing was something that was bound to come back in one form or another.

It's based on the "Dreamquest of Unknown Kadath" but the part about taking "herbs" is also mentioned in "The Silver Key" and "Celephais" where people are trying to stay asleep longer to accomplish something in a dream state...

Thank you!  Yes, I am in the process of giving the player multiple options when it comes to encounters.  "Drugged isekai" is a new concept for me too.  I guess that is what the game is about, but I just took it from Lovecraft's stories :)

Absolutely gorgeous look and overall execution!  I was unable to use the pickup items button (P) to pick up the ammo.  Maybe I don't understand the interface enough yet.  I will try again tomorrow and pay closer attention to the tutorial :)

Thanks for the positive feedback!  I am planning on doing a full release of this game some time over the summer.  I really like how it simplifies the dungeon crawler experience and I want to see if I can refine and improve on that.  But I am also thinking about a sequel that would be more of a full scale, open world RPG.  So hopefully lots of news coming about this in the future.  

I guess I'm a bug magnet.  Maybe that explains why my own games are full of them too! :)

Yes, I totally should have made a different looking exit door!  Thanks for the feedback :)

I mean any 3D game engine should be able to do this.  Whichever engine you are familiar with would be the best...

Yes!  Wonderful.  

This is done in 3D Gamestudio.  But I would not necessarily recommend using this engine.

Thanks!  I am exploring the aesthetics of my earliest memories of computers...

The thing about the year a town is founded is a newer feature.  It is not really meant to be the only piece of evidence to use, but you would line it up with others, like the latitude/longitude, or being nearby other aberrations/events. 

I do like the idea of a list of towns ... I will have to think about that. 

About the dogs ... each kind of monster has a slightly different behavior pattern.  So as you play, you will unlock lore that gives some hints about how things work.  The lore will stay through multiple plays, so it serves as a kind of meta-progression.  Sometimes you will need to take a wild guess as to where a monster is located.  Over time you will learn about the best ways to guess each monster and get skilled at tracking them down.  

Games are supposed to be relatively short so you can get more skilled with each playthrough. 

Overall look and feel of this entry are nice, it feels like a dungeon crawler with a weird, futuristic setting, which is unusual (unusual being good).  

The intro and backstory are phenomenal.  There is a lot to say about providing an interesting backdrop for a game.  I rather liked the monochrome approach of the intro and key art, and felt the game itself could have benefited from this idea.  

I loved the look and feel of it, but I agree with others that the sanity ran down a bit faster than expected.  I am not even sure what or how or why it was happening, or if there was any way to prevent it.  I am assuming these things would be explained in a more fully developed version of the game.  But atmosphere wise it gets an A+

This is a "gem" it is very well made!  The look is really consistent and pleasant.  It has a clear progression that you immediately feel like exploring.  The mining itself includes a nice mini-game that is fairly simple but provides a nice diversion from the exploration.  
I should also add that I was terrified because I know the theme includes cosmic horror and I felt like making 10000 credits might actually never happen and I would get stuck on an asteroid.

Well made game, and quite complex for a game jam entry!  The lighting and atmosphere were good.  It had a spooky, mysterious quality to it.  Combat had good, meaningful feedback, and did not feel unfair.  

The only thing I might have wished for was the ability to go back to base camp and gear up.  But this is a game jam after all...

Well made little game.  I like the look and feel of it.  The lighting provided a great atmosphere for something seemingly simple.  

I got a really nice sense of depth from the UI.  Even with it's current limits, it is feeling like a complete game, so that was really nice to see.

Possibly my favorite entry so far!
Very polished and great sense of humor.  Combat was fun and actually a good challenge.  It was short enough that starting over did not seem like a chore.  I actually think you hit something very clever with making it a TV show.  I just love the guy in the snake suit too, and kudos for making each encounter unique.  It all adds up.

Yes!  It ticks all the boxes.  Simple and effective controls, and balanced enemy with med kits.  You have to be careful, but it's not punishing.  I enjoyed the whole thing.  

Lots of good things happening here, and some suggestions (if you want them or not)...

• Once I realized you could equip items, the combat was fun!
• Great music!
• The cyclops enemies were enjoyable to sneak around and sneak attack. 
• I don't see many games based on having the cyclops as an enemy so that was neat!

Issues:

• I think the ratio of width to height on the grid could be improved.  I expect the grid width to be equal to the height, so it made it feel like I was taking little baby steps. 
• I thought the graphics were quite good, but the way things interacted and feedback did not reach the same level of quality.  While there were a number of attack animations for the cyclops, I did not notice that they reacted to getting hit.  Obviously in a jam, time is a big factor so it's forgivable.  But if you plan to develop it further that would be a suggestion. 
• Another thing was the model quality of the items and monsters was much more strongly developed than the environment.

Lots of stuff going on here!  I like the aesthetic and the somber mood of it.  I enjoyed reading the intro, and felt that the game is much more complex than I would have expected, which is nice!  It has some UI issues/bugs that I'm sure could easily be resolved after the Jam, the only thing I took issue with was now low the field of view was, it was hard to navigate doe to this.  Otherwise very well made so far.

Before rating or commenting on the game, I think using a simple zip file is a better approach than having an installer...

Really well put together.  Very slimy looking :)  
I was impressed by the polish of it all, though I found the controls a but ... sticky I guess.
The game itself looks much more intriguing than the cover image that is shown, so I think it might be good to just use a screenshot for the cover...

I thought the combat was interesting, because I do not play deck building games at all.  There seems to be a disconnect between the gameplay and the intro as they are very different stylistically.  

Very dark and spooky!  

Despite no sounds, it is a very effective and polished game.   I love the art style.  I love how the items you get seem to imply other, better items to come.  It's potentially a great start to an epic game.

My computer says no to this one unfortunately.  I'll give it five stars and assume it was amazing!

Interesting take on the genre!  I am not sure why I died, but that's okay...

Very nice and relaxing dungeon crawler.  "The bandit dances around your blade ... idk Stuff" was brilliant! Perfection.

Very well made!  It is uniquely challenging without seeming unfair.  That trial of fear was actually really nerve wracking!  Simple yet effective.

Lovely feedback, I am glad you enjoyed it!  I plan to do a nice update after the game jam is over, polishing off a few things as suggested.  Depending on other factors, I may want to develop this further into a fully realized game, but I am not sure yet.  In any case I appreciate you sharing your play-throughs.  That is super helpful to me as a developer.  
I think I would have, and could have ... and for that matter SHOULD have changed the exit door graphic to an open door with light pouring in.  That would have made it clear enough to players that they'd reached the exit.  That will be the first change I make, but I can't update the game during the game jam so it will have to wait :)

You can release the mouse if you hit escape, and go to the main menu, then hit escape again.

I borrowed a lot of code from another game of mine so yes, it wants the mouse.  I should have disabled that, since it is not really a mouse driven game...