what a wonderful game!! I'm not particularly religious either, but this feels like something I needed today, thank you for making it :)
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An Index of Prayer's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Community's Voice | #14 | 3.962 | 3.962 |
Ranked from 26 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
Upon seeing the theme revealed, I recognized it as referencing Michelangeloās fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, and I wanted to make a game about the relationship between the divine and the mortal. I am not particularly religious, but I did spend a lot of time growing up around the oldest Orthodox monastery in the US with my grandparents, who were involved in that community. I drew inspiration for the vestments of my monk from Eastern Orthodox culture, specifically the analavos. The actual gameplay draws more from reading Becky Chambersās A Psalm for the Wild-Built, in which the question āWhat do humans need?ā is the driving force of the plot. I knew I wanted to experiment with user content to infuse a little bit of the subtle multiplayer interventions that thatgamecompany was known for, so the idea of the god returning the favor that the monk provided for her allowed the player to add their own prayer to the game. The sorting came about because I wanted the player to interact meaningfully with the prayers after hearing them, but my additional ideas about using them as a resource for stamina on a pilgrimage or judging which ones were worthy felt exclusionary, especially if I was going to incorporate user content. So I decided on asking players to think about what the prayers meant, both to them and to the original petitioner, and to use a limited vocabulary to express that. Visually, the game draws inspiration from Arnold Bƶcklinās painting, Isle of the Dead, and I used sprite stacking to accomplish the semi-3D look of the game. The music was provided by KaktusDoesMusic, who made some really incredible pieces, including a choir layer that gets added when the Divine appears.
Comments
That was a beautiful experience, and probably the game with the closest interpretation of the theme to my own that Iāve played so far, about exploring the relation between Humanity and the Divine. Absolutely loved your take on it, the idea is really wonderful and heartwarming. Loved the atmosphere and the way the music slowly builds up, amazing work on the piano, strings and choir sections. And the slow walking definitely helps the player reflect on what they read, itās a very good choice.
I love the aesthetics of the game a lot, the unified earthy colour palette, the choice of fonts, the way the text is displayed in fullscreen slides with the satisfying sound effects, and the thematic congruency in the design, which extends to even the theme and font choice for your itch page itself, that is something I really appreciate. Also this is what I chose when questioned by the Divine, probably a bit audacious? But thatās how I truly feel.
I was a bit stumped at the end when this scene kept on playing, I thought I probably unlocked an Easter egg with my response, and the Divine truly blessed me with her eternal presenceā¦
ā¦but then I read everyone elseās comments to find out that was the case for all. š Even though itās likely unintentional, it does feel quite meaningful, maybe also letting the player move around during that and appreciate the Divine from all angles could be a fun thing to explore ha ha.
Overall a wonderful experience and I loved it very much. May all your needs be met! š
246 days ago(+1)
Thank you so much for playing the game and leaving a comment :) I'm so glad that you enjoyed playing our game. May your needs be met as well š
254 days ago(+2)
Thank you for playing and for the feedback! Also, you're totally right about the diagonal movement, I can't believe I missed that. I guess the game has speedrun tech now!
257 days ago(+2)
Yep, that's it, I wanted to show that screen again because it looks nice, but I think it definitely confuses people about when the game ends š
257 days ago(+2)
Unfortunately, it is a pretty English reading-intensive game, but I appreciate you playing regardless!
257 days ago(+1)
Thank you for such a kind comment! I'm especially really glad you enjoyed the music :)
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