Play game
Shards of the Heart: Memories of Leandra's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Audio | #24 | 3.429 | 3.429 |
| Gameplay | #34 | 3.143 | 3.143 |
| Innovation | #36 | 3.190 | 3.190 |
| Fun | #39 | 3.000 | 3.000 |
| Overall | #40 | 3.198 | 3.198 |
| Theme | #43 | 3.381 | 3.381 |
| Visuals | #48 | 3.048 | 3.048 |
Ranked from 21 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
How did you incorporate the given theme in your game?
The player needs to collect Memory Shards to progress in the story, and it's set in a fantasy world.
Leave a comment
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
Comments
cool game! it felt very nostalgic and the gameplay reminded me a little bit of the game to the moon (but add demons)
This game was so lovely! I loved the themes of self-acceptance, memory, and perception. The concept of escalation, and of Demon Leandra wanting to feel human suffering before killing was also really fascinating, and I found myself wanting to know more about her psychology.
Also let's go Lesbians!
I would have loved a more clear AI disclosure on the art used for the character portraits, as it was slightly unclear in the credits, and I initially thought this was done by either you or GreenOnion!
Super interesting concept and storyline!
I really enjoyed watching the story via flashbacksof her.
As for feedback, I think the early puzzles were a bit criptic (mainly what was interactable), solved by trial and error but could use a bit more "world hints". Also would have loved either a frame for the images splashed on the screen and more differentiation between the images and text box. A place to "watch" the unlocked art in the inventory would be cool as well, maybe an image/collage that slowly gets filled. The movement was a bit slow for the area to cover.
The audio was also a bit weird as the back bass had too much vibrato. Unsure if intentional but I had to turn it down :c In one computer the audio occluded a bit with the back track. More varied music would be welcome. The main theme reminded me of Secret of Mana!
The main plot was interesting (especially the theatre) and very clever implementation of the collection aspect!
Example this one, we pushed the bottomleft plant and pressed action, unlocked mirror. Felt a bit weird.
I like how the dialogue guides you to the next step. Not to mention, the game has great storytelling and visuals to show. The theatre reenactment is my favourite part. I played a second time to see if the "wrong" dialogue choice in the white room would lead to different branch of end game (alas it doesn't). Cool game!
Wow, there was so much to this game, and it had an intensity that I was mentally ready for after relaxing playing some of the more wholesome games in this jam.
It took me a bit to get into the gameplay, because I couldn't figure out what buttons were used for interaction and what objects were interactable. But eventually I figured out the UI and was able to start progressing through the areas.
I didn't expect such a variety of mechanics for the puzzles. Each area had something new going on, as I collected my memories. And each memory grew the mystery of who I was and why there seemed to be such a conflict between how I thought of myself and what I seemed to actually want. Had I actually been so horrible, or was my sense of guilt coloring my memories? Would someone who was so horrible have the sense of regret I feel?
There were definitely moments that didn't feel smooth, but considering the scope of this game, and the tone of the game, a little roughness didn't kill the vibe for me. I thought the art and music were put together really well, and the design sensibilities behind the gameplay sections were good to give some interactability between the story moments. Parts of the story still feel mysterious, but I felt that I came to my own understanding of what it all meant in the end after the final scene, and I was left feeling satisfied.
I really liked that you told the story about the memorie pieces. Also the Tilesets are cute.
This game was a lot of fun and had some great visuals! I didn't understand a few of the puzzles but I was able to get them in the end! Overall great work :]
I didn't dislike this one at all, it seems well made and complete. I would've added a bit more context to the story since it relies a lot on narrative elements rather than gameplay, though it gets clearer the more one plays. Someone esle already suggested multiple endings, and I'd like to second that, this is the kind of game that will definetly benefit from that kind of thing.
A very intriguing narrative game! I definitely did not expect the story to be this dark HAHA
Would have loved to see an alternate ending depending on the choices made during the dialogue, but the amount of story that was put into the game was great!
Thanks for playing! Yeah, we wanted to do multiple endings but ran out of time. Once the jam's over, we're gonna go back into it and make changes & add stuff.
So i completed the game, the story is pretty well made, just from what i played, i felt like there should be more indicator on the object that can be interacted in this game, Like what the person below experienced, i got stuck on the bridge area and dont know that i need to interact with the flower pot, and on the pushing flower pot part, i didnt know you can push the flower pot and how to push it, so i think thats one way you can improve it. Other than that, its amazing that you are able to finish this much of a game in a short timeframe. Anyway great job on completing this game and well done :>
Thanks for the feedback! ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ We'll definitely be making changes based on the comments we're getting once the jam is over
I downloaded this game and gave it a try. Unfortunately, I got stuck early on. The protagonist refuses to cross a bridge, and none of the objects in the playable area seem to be interactable other than the bridge itself (possibly a bug?) I'd like to continue and amend this with more thoughtful feedback. Any possible workarounds- or something I'm missing?
After the first memory shard in the Garden, there is one in the flower pot near it. It should continue the narrative after that one is picked up!
Thanks for the tip! I ended up finding the flower pot and finishing the game. I thought the memory shard mechanic was an interesting way to tell a story. It seemed like there was a lot of context and background information relayed in a very short timespan. It's impressive that you got that all done in time for the jam- but I also suspect it would feel more impactful if the pacing were slowed down so the player had more time to get to know the characters. This is clearly part of a longer and more ambitious narrative project, so I wish you luck with continuing to work on it! I also appreciated the puzzles at the beginning, and would love to see a series of shard-collecting puzzles that grow more complex as the game progresses~<3
I'm glad you liked it! We wanted to have more complex puzzles but ran out of time making it, but we're planning on working on it more when the jam ends.
The main story is in Shards of the Heart, right now we have a demo for it. The full game is actively being worked on. :)
A dark story told in a unique way. The only issues I saw were with tile some collisions being set incorrectly, and the pushing flowers puzzle was a little confusing because even after you've pushed the pots onto the circles, you have to interact with them one more time for it to count. Great game regardless!
Thanks for the feedback, we had issues with the pots not activating unless you push them one more time so I put the clicking sound effect to let the player know it's in place.