I feel like the concept is super unique to have the player learn about a familiar world as an unfamiliar being. I think it was presented pretty well and made for a really interesting experience. I didn't have quite enough time to finish the game, but I really liked exploring the strange world and learning about common objects. I feel like while the green text is nice and fits into the alien vibe, it's kind of distracting and slightly hard to read since it's so packed together.
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Shape the Escape's itch.io pageComments
Really loved the game! I thought it was super cool how you could learn more about things through the gameplay (gaslight girlboss gatekeep.) I could definitely feel like I was playing the part of an alien. I liked how you described the objects, and I didn't feel like I was breaking the 4th wall at any point. My main issue was looping, as multiple times I ended up in the same "apologize or gaslight" section. I also couldn't really figure out how to get another ending besides the various game overs and the chase ending. Overall a super fun experience!
i like the premise a lot as well as the execution of you slowly figuring out what is happening. very funny with a good mystery. i think it could have used a bit more in the mechanics department and the choices were inconsistently presented, for example in one section you choose a description of what you say (gaslight) and in another the dialog is written out in the choice link.
I must be the worst alien ever. I got caught at every turn and slapped with a game over lol. I loved the detail of the game. I could clearly see each location in my imagination. The writing was funny too. I liked trying to fool people with little to no skill at all and getting caught. I didn't reach the end because of my non existent skills. There was a section that had two areas side by side instead of beneath the other. I didn't even notice it was a area I could visit. I would have liked to make it to the end but I am not good with puzzle games. Good job. :)
I loved the tone, I was so invested in trying to explore the place and solve the mysteries of where I was and where my people were! One thing to note, though, is that it seemed like there was some trouble with variables. I came across some passages telling me about skills I had learned in rooms that I had not yet entered and got a game over after entering a room for the first time, stating that it was too suspicious that I went into an already clean room. Besides those errors, I really liked how you combined the janitor theme with the exploration. I liked that actually cleaning areas not only helped you seem less suspicious but also let you gain skills that help you later on.
Positive: Really enjoyed the goofy tone as you kind of stumble along in this stealth scenario, the mechanics being stealth based gaining new items and skills to support it ties well to the fact that you are a shape shifter who is trying to find a way to rescue their people. The humor is amplified by the fact the shapeshifter is completely clueless. The aesthetic choice of green fits the alien vibe and having the endings react to what you have found or done with the humor was fun.
Critical: I think that the text could have been spaced out a bit better to make it easier to read, I also wish the text would change color when other characters are speaking to assist with identifying others in a dense passage. I think the repeating "Didn't we have someone else" joke went over my head.
I loved how you described alien technology and had the player try to figure it out this alien world. The writing did a great job of describing just enough to let my imagination wander. I loved the reveal that we were playing as a shapeshifter, and how we can persuade people by telling the truth! I didn't see that one coming, since at first I thought we were just a human. On my first playthrough I lied the whole time, and I thought that's what I needed to do based on the mechanics, but it was a cool subversion that you actually needed to embrace your own shape-shifting powers. It would have been interesting to reveal this shape-shifting part earlier and focus more on providing different dialogue options you could use. I'm not sure if I missed it, but having more different endings would also help give the player more agency. I feel like there is also a lot of opportunity to add backstory about the MC in what they say is "the truth." Overall really cool game!
I enjoyed the story and learning that instead of just a regular alien, I am actually a shapeshifter. I really wanted to make the bathroom a viable place to go, but either there was nothing or I just didn't choose the right options.
One thing I would change is make the text a different color or have spacing between each of the lines, since it's a little hard to read already in terms of walls before the green.

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