This was super fun and engaging, and I almost missed a bus because I was so sucked in. As a big fan of Balatro, this was super fun for me, and seeing some mechanics from Balatro helped because they felt intuitive to me. I will say, there was a definite lack in onboarding, which left me quite lost at first, but hey, the game's so polished in almost every other regard, so it's fine. Loved the pixel art, soundtrack, and satisfying sfx. In terms of how you may be able to improve it, I feel like every single turn I played, I was just barely winning, which makes me feel like the balancing might need to be tweaked slightly. To get someone hooked, winning a crazy hand at the start always feels so good and makes them want to keep playing (gambling psychology). Also, at least with my 2 runs, I was hardly ever making enough stardust to buy constellations at the start, even tho the game tells me to buy them, early. It isn't very fun to save up for like 2 rounds in a row without buying anything at the start of the game. Maybe cards get more expensive as you play? Idk. Anywho this was great, and a super cool connection to the theme. Great job!!
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Connections's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Community's Voice | #8 | 4.107 | 4.107 |
Ranked from 28 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
We interpreted the theme image as two cosmic hands coming together in connection. We decided to try to apply that to a roguelike deckbuilder.
We wanted to convey the specific melancholy of seeing something beautiful, like stars, but being unable to touch it. The game became about building a bridge to that distance.
We built the game around the metaphor that making a connection requires vulnerability and effort. So in our game instead of defeating enemies, you overcome distance with reach. And the shifting target came to represent the difficulty of connecting with others or the universe.
The cards are designed to represent the cards life gives you. So we treat the deck as a collection of emotions and memories and we've tried to design the mechanics in a way that reflects how these feelings work. For example hope helps you try again, while regret is powerful but fleeting.
We also implemented a dice roll mechanic for certain card values as a way to represent the anxiety of communication. You never know exactly how your message will land until you send it.
To support this vision we chose a pixel art style designed to evoke a retro, digital transmission vibe.
Ultimately, Connections is a game about the persistence of the human spirit - trying, failing, learning and trying again.
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