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Empty Nester's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Visuals | #5 | 4.667 | 4.667 |
| Limitation | #5 | 4.333 | 4.333 |
| Theme | #7 | 4.444 | 4.444 |
| Overall | #15 | 3.978 | 3.978 |
| Audio | #25 | 3.556 | 3.556 |
| Gameplay | #39 | 2.889 | 2.889 |
Ranked from 9 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
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Comments
I really really liked this game. It had a lot of good concepts, good music, and very nice art.
My main issue is that it feels like it lacks a lot of polish in some aspects, most of which others have mentioned. I really like the physics in the backpack in theory, but maybe stuff should just be smaller inside of it because as is, it feels like the most efficient way to play is to rush back to your house every two or three items picked up, or to stack your bag in an untenable way and just wait for the timer to finish, but that's not very fun.
Also, I have to say I only started really liking the game when I actually understood what I was meant to do. As the previous commenter said, you'd just find people in the forest and it would tell you "quest complete", which was weird and felt like it should instead have a small back and forth between the player and them to invite them in. And then I eventually noticed the small box in the upper right corner telling me what they wanted me to bring and then it all clicked, but it could have been made clearer.
All that to say, I feel like it's pretty close to being quite good!
Thank you for sharing your game!
Oh I literally just got the game over screen, I guess because I didn't get enough acorns in time, but it looks like it's bugged because I can't click on the main menu or credits button. I honestly didn't realize it was going to happen, so perhaps a visible day counter to let you know how long you have would also help.
Plus, just a nitpick, I feel like you should be able to get small amounts of acorns by doing miscellaneous things, maybe selling excess things you pick up, or just finding random ones while walking, because theoretically, could I not softlock myself out of winning? Since there is only a finite amount of ways of getting them through quests, and multiple ways to spend them. Though I might be wrong on that front.
Very beautiful art and fun story! Idea was interesting but the gameplay was rather difficult and confusing. I was interacting with other critters but immediately completing the quest? I don't even know what quest I completed. And then my items kept falling out of my bag which was rather annoying - especially since the timer was so short. The camera was also a bit difficult to coordinate but not a super big deal. Overall the idea, art, and theme were very cute and I hope some of these things get fixed after the jam :)
Super impressed by the visual style and character designs in this, gorgeous stuff, but found some things frustrating/counter-intuitive. The timer for the days is so short that everything feels kind of rushy, but then it's impossible to actually move around quickly because of things falling out of the backpack. I thought the backpack thing was very cute in theory and a nice visual, but could do with being slightly less sensitive, or not combined with a very short timer. I was also confused by the treehouse navigation as some others were, and when I saw the buy signs in each characters room I thought they were buying those items off me in return for acorns until reading comments here. So I was wondering why they wouldn't take my stuff lol. Anyway I think basically this game could have a more gentle pace and more tutorials, because it feels like there's a lot to take in in a very short time. The world is so adorable and pretty and nicely themed, but I didn't feel like I had space to appreciate it fully. Regardless, this is still an incredible achievement for three weeks. Thank you for sharing your game!!
The beginning look very similar to the song “That’s Life” by Frank Sinatra :)
This is so cozy!! Such a cute autumnal game with interesting mechanics, and beautiful art and music!
Love the art and vibes of this! the 2.5D graphics are super cool and I really liked the movement mechanics. Really impressive that you made it in only a couple weeks, great job!
LOVEEEEE this!!!! Music is so pretty and really fits the comfy vibe :) The artwork is beautiful and the fact yall did this in only a few weeks is amazing :0 great job!!!!
i like the unique movement mechanics.
I really liked the backpack mechanic, and I loved how it looked in the chest in the entryway room. When I entered that area, I couldn't leave and had to reboot the game- I think you're supposed to leave through the right but it may have been bugged for me.
Hey Tackish! Really glad you enjoyed the game! Did you enter the house by yourself before the timer went off? If not, you'd then have to go to bed before going out in the wild again. You can't be running out in the dark, you know, dangers n stuff ^^
If you mean the room in the tree house- youre meant to click on the rooms in the treehouse map on the top right and itll teleport you (I got stuck at this point too lol)
I really like the 2.5D style and the concept of scavenging, and the backpack physics are super fun! stuff flying out when you run such a cool touch. I did get a bit lost on where to pick up quests or see which quest I was currently on and I wasn’t sure where to trade items in for acorns. I feel like maybe I missed it, but clearer guidance would help a lot for me. Overall it’s a really cool idea!
I had the same experience! I would love some guidance on it, I want to try picking it up again. The art and backpack mechanic is really intriguing.
I'm so glad both of you enjoyed the game!! Hopefully I can help explain some things -- when you first talk to a critter, they go to a specific room in the tree. clicking on their room on the map in the top right will show their quests (both inside the tree and outside of the tree). After collecting the items they request and storing them in your bag and/or the chest in the tree, you can talk to them again with F (find their room with the top right tree map, while inside the tree) and complete the quest (and gain acorns). The "buy" signs in the tree help you complete quests by letting you buy items you're missing for 3 acorns (and there's no way to sell extra items).
There's a bit to get the hang of, so hopefully this helps :). Thanks again for playing!