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Spectrum of Shadow's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Playability | #1 | 5.000 | 5.000 |
| Cleverness | #1 | 5.000 | 5.000 |
| Theme | #1 | 5.000 | 5.000 |
| Artistic Style | #1 | 5.000 | 5.000 |
Ranked from 2 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Judge feedback
Judge feedback is anonymous and shown in a random order.
- This is a really cool game, and really interesting interpretations of the theme components! Very clever idea to use "beams" of shadows, and giving them their own properties, and mixing the beams to match ritual-circle-like patterns. Nice choice of aesthetic too, well done!
- Incredibly clever puzzles that weren't too easy to solve and just enough challenge to keep me engaged and not too frustrated. I did have to read the "how to play" to finally get a grasp on the game, so I would maybe add some form of tutorial in the game to at least help players get started. Other than that, this is a solid puzzle game.
Did you include your Game Design Document as a Google Drive link?
Yes
Seriously... did you include your Game Design Document?
Yes
Is your game set to Public so we can see it?
Yes
Tell us about your game!
Manipulate light and shadow to conduct alchemy. Spectrum of Shadow is a 2D puzzle game where you assume the role of an alchemist and experiment with the tools at your disposal!
We included 3 modes:
Standard Mode contains 18 hand-crafted puzzles. How far can you make it? What wild solutions to the puzzles will you uncover?
Infinite Mode is an experimental (*cough*) mode where random puzzles are generated. Some may not be solvable, but they do end up looking cool!
Sandbox Mode is exactly what it sounds like. Play around with limitless items and see what cool combinations of glyphs you can design!
Extra Notes
We didn't have time for an in-game tutorial, though we did design the first few levels with introduction to mechanics in mind. On the game page there is a "manual." We implore you to look through it if you feel lost!
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Comments
After a quick glance at the manual to understand the objective, I immediately became engrossed. Solving the puzzles gives a similar sensation to solving Zachtronics games, which I adore, but done in a way that is more accessible to more general puzzle gamers. The gradual introduction of mechanics is superbly executed, the UI is clean without sacrificing aesthetic, and the flavor is immaculate.
The only criticism I can make is that I find the font a bit difficult to read. But since that only amounts to a few UI/button labels, I cannot say that it hindered my experience in any way. Very well done!
Thank you so much for checking out the game!
Your words mean a lot, and the feedback about the font is valuable.
We're looking into including a font selection setting in the 1.0 release to up the readability of things--especially because the 1.0 has a decent amount of text in it for story and statistical related information.
Once again, thanks a ton for checking it out and leaving feedback!
This is very nice! It was so rare to find unique yet well executed puzzle games in jams and this is surely one of them. The puzzle mechanic is easy to learn but can really stretch into infinite depth if we wanted to. The whole theme fits nicely both into the jam and also the mechanic in the game, which is very good! The puzzles are not that easy too, they really require thinking and are not some straight forward exercise that some puzzle games tends to offer. I especially like the little polish of that light source image, which really give us some context of what the light represents.
So down to the nitpicks. It would be nice to have a reset button, it would be better to show some hint of what the pattern will become rather then just colour blobs, the game would benefit with a bit more tutorialisation, it will be good to have an isolated preview of each light beam, etc. But these are just minor nitpicks at the end of the day, the game is already extremely polished as it is.
I like the game so much and sincerely hoped that it can be made into a full game. I would probably buy it too if release on steam. I mean, heck, it's already better than a bunch of paid puzzle games on the market! Well done!
Thank you so much for checking it out!
The feedback is very valuable!
We've got a good bit of quality of life improvements already in place that we're holding on to for version 1.0!
Things like:
-Board Reset Button
-Puzzle Swap (infinite mode only)
-A guided/interactive tutorial
And many more new features to implement for the full release!
Your idea about a way to isolate a beam of light so you can get a better view into what's happening to it is something we hadn't considered, but is a very good idea! I'll be looking into ways we can implement that.
Thanks again for your feedback and for just checking out the game!
I'm not typically a puzzle type gamer but I gotta say this opened up something in my brain that was long dormant. It took me a minute to figure out the mechanics (mostly due to me not reading the how to), but once I did I was off to the races.
Some feedback would be to make the items show their menus when you drop them onto the grid so its evident from the interaction they have more mechanics behind them outside of clicking on them again. And possibly some sort of text indicator that lets the player know they need to make the shape on the right as opposed to it being a boundary. But those are some small nitpicks. Just something I thought I'd share. But those are minor issues because everything else about the game is fantastic.
I love the thought that was put into the individual items and how they actual behave in real life. The prism making the light visible, the mirrors changing direction, the glass of water refracting to change the orientation of the shapes, how lenses can used to direct and strengthen the beams. I had a blast learning the mechanics and how to solve the puzzles!
The visuals are amazing. I love pixel art and the atmosphere it creates for the game. I feel like there's a lore to this world that can be discovered as you progress through the levels. Who lives in the light house? What are the effects the strange eclipse is having on the world? What's hidden in the dark of the candle room? I wanna know more! Think it also has a ton of room to add even more interesting and unique light sources in the future too!
I could definitely see myself playing this on tablet or my phone at some point if it gets to that point in the future. Had an absolute blast and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing where this goes! Loved it! Great work yall!!
Thank you so much Murph!
Your feedback is VERY valuable, especially so considering your expertise.
Your words mean a lot, and thank you for the support 💖