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Losing Will [thatgamejam #01]'s itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Community's Voice | #77 | 3.241 | 3.241 |
Ranked from 29 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Creative Vision / Rationale / How Did You Incorporate the Theme
To me the theme meant connection, or maybe the want for connection. In this little playable slice I briefly explored the concept of a person who is eager for connection but self-isolated due to mental health issues. I then implemented a single simple mechanic that could physically reinforce the concept of connection, letting go and emotional resilience.
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Comments
[SPOILER!]
This is such an interesting experience; it’s incredible how much emotion and story could be told in such a little time. First of all, the premise and setting of this game are a very clever interpretation of the jam’s theme, leading to an interesting ‘tether’ mechanic that, in the end, delivers a very painful and satisfying message. I do think you totally nailed it when it comes to the emotional impact/ making the player curious and invested in the little bits of the story. The writing is (slightly) rough around the edges, but I quite enjoy it. The only thing that could use an improvement, I think, is the sound, which might be too repetitive. Overall, great job!!!
Thanks for the detailed feedback!
The writing was definitely raw, I did 0 rewrites aside from spelling and grammar. I think I wanted it to feel like "real" messages but in retrospect, I think doing a couple passes to make sure the tone and flow were tight would have benefited the experience.
Also duely noted about the music, I think even an extra 20 seconds on the main loop and a separate short track for the credits would have made it feel more polished.
Thanks for playing, cheers!
very nice interpretation of the theme in a puzzle game, and some simple but effective art! even if you’re not an artist, I think you did a great job with it. It is very short though, so it would be nice to see a bit more of Will’s story in a longer game.
Very interesting approach to the theme. Love the screen shake as the "sprite" approaches the edge of tether, but it's giving me slight dizziness, might just be me. But this concept is definite worth digging in!
Sorry it made you dizzy! I really wanted to double and triple down on feedback indicators to the player that the connection to the physical world was straining.
Thanks for playing, cheers!
It’s a short game, but remarkably impactful—it conveys its message and mood with precision. That’s really amazing!
It seems you’ve put a lot of thought into this for some time. Regardless, I hope all goes well for you and you find joy in everyday things！
Thanks for playing and the thoughtful feedback!
I definitely put a lot of thought into how I could make the player understand how Will must have felt contextually in a brief moment of time.
I've read the notion that game design as a form of artistic expression is a great avenue for us to confront our fears. With this particular release, I believe I attempted to do that.
Finding joy in game dev and everyday things, take care!
Very Interesting！
Thanks!
Really well done! The pixel art is really great, I love the environmental storytelling, and the gradual increase in friction as you move further away feels really nice. I'll echo what jaogwal said too about how impressively efficient the story was laid out.
Thank you for the kind words!
I dont consider myself to be to talented in the art department but I tried my best so I'm very glad you liked it.
Cheers!
Short, sharp, and surprisingly effective.
Thank you very much!
This was... efficient. Short and punchy indeed. Well done.
Thanks!
I made all the assets from scratch so I very much had to cut the scope of the project down to bone. Even the audio was direct lined guitar and foley recordings of a vent fan and some water dripping into a sink, followed by some basic audio engineering tricks.
Had I not lost so many hours due to the holidays I would have included some logic puzzles, more interactable environment pieces as well as some additional visual storytelling art. I really wanted to animate some of the environment too, but c'est la vie.
Appreciate the play and feedback, cheers!
You packed a lot of emotional impact and storytelling into just a few minutes and a few written artifacts, well done! I also really liked the art especially the spirit.
Much appreciated! The spirit is the first thing I've ever animated, glad you liked it.
Interesting interpretion!
Thanks!
I really liked the game's theme, with a good message.
Thank you!
woah, so simple yet so effective. It made me think a bit.
I believe the game succeeded in delivering the right feelings/experience in such a short simple game. Well done.
Thank you very much. As a solodev I wanted to make something impactful while keeping the scope extremely lean. Glad you enjoyed, I'll check out your submission tonight. Cheers!
Very good game!
Thanks, glad you liked it!
Really interesting mechanic — it feels simple but very fresh.
I like how it encourages the player to think differently. Nice work!
Thanks! I was going for a short punchy experience, glad you liked it. I'll check out your submission when I get off work. - Cheers!
That made me sad. Well done.
Thank you very much!
Excelente
Thank you!