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Darkiologist's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Theme | #126 | 3.975 | 3.975 |
| Audio | #206 | 3.475 | 3.475 |
| Gameplay | #313 | 3.225 | 3.225 |
| Overall | #316 | 3.379 | 3.379 |
| Enjoyment | #414 | 3.250 | 3.250 |
| Visuals | #463 | 3.450 | 3.450 |
| Innovation | #557 | 2.900 | 2.900 |
Ranked from 40 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
How does the game fit the theme?
The Darkiologist investigates strange leads from the dark web in the hope of unusual artifact discovery and riches. Venture into strange places, carefully excavate, discover and escape with as many artifacts as you can!
What code and assets did you not make from scratch during the jam (if any)?
SFX and Music: All creative common 0 resources from Freesound.org
Font: https://www.fontspace.com/fortyseven-nbp-font-f15533
Meshes:
https://mcpato.itch.io/house-interior-psx-assets
https://elbolilloduro.itch.io/sewers
https://elbolilloduro.itch.io/mine
How many people worked on the game?1
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Comments
Thanks for a dun ambiance in the game. I had a hard time playing it, for some reason the controls were tough to manage and couldn't get out of the jail, I probably missed something in the radio text. but great visuals, audio, and overall feel. Thanks for rating my game already /jam/brackeys-15/rate/4313134
Ominous and haunting. Enjoyed it! I felt the vision distance was unnaturally short. The digging/pickaxing gets quickly tedious, but once you found out about threat, it also adds tension. The threat was well telegraphed by the sound, and finding out the hard way was effective. Controls are smooth and intuitive.
I loved the atmosphere! You really nailed the toxic cave vibe, the sound work is excellent, and honestly, with a few tweaks, this feels like a solid vertical slice for a bigger game. Most jam projects feel like tech demos (due to lack of time, not like of ability), but here you’ve successfully integrated art, sound, UI, movement and mechanics into a nice game
A few suggestions:
Overall, this was a nice experience. Huge congrats!
The idea is actually very good!
Notes:
The dialogue font is too small - it’s hard to follow what’s going on, especially when there are important gameplay hints in the text.
It’s unclear why I can sprint at some moments but not at others. The rules behind it need clearer feedback.
There aren’t many visual cues that death is coming, particularly if you’re facing the opposite direction. Some stronger telegraphing would really help.
Money doesn’t seem to have much purpose right now. You complete orders and earn cash, but there’s nothing to spend it on, so the reward loop feels incomplete.
I had fun for a few runs, and it’s a solid jam entry. But I genuinely think there’s something bigger in this idea - it could grow into a really strong roguelite/roguelike with further development!
Really appreciate you leaving such detailed feedback here! Glad that you have seen the vision :) I am in agreement with all of your points and will look to improve them in the post Jam version of the game. Thank you so much for your kind words and I am happy that it has been enjoyed and that you think it has potential for further development and enjoyment :)
Good luck with the game! Just don’t forget to playtest your iterations from time to time so you can gain feedback from people who is not involved into development, that is a always a good thing, even if the feedback is harsh.
Atmospherically done, I liked it. I once used this cave asset myself. Recommendation, there are arches to cover the cave joints, good job :)
Glad that you enjoyed that atmosphere of the entry! Ah amazing that is something I did not notice however when expanding the game I will look out for those, thank you for informing me that is super helpful :)
Really nailed the atmosphere here! And I love a good digging game. I would definitely want to check out a complete version. Thanks for trying out my game too!
Thank you for playing! The excavation mechanic I had a lot of fun implementing and intend to expand upon it, watch this space!
Really nice game! Liked the ambience a lot, got me immersed.I liked a lot the main gameplay of digging out the artifacts with precision, and how interactive it was, very much in theme with playing as an archeologist! The visuals and audio also very well contribute to the feeling of unease in a very strange place.
I liked each feature being explained along the dialogues, very good in-game tutorial experience.
One thing I did not get was if you can actually run to the elevator in the first scene, because first I did not know the inhaler existed as everything went down a bit too fast, then when I noticed it it seems I couldn't reach the elevator. But I think it's fine for gameplay purposes.
Also, I did not really found running that useful in general in the game (in the first section, even without running you can outrun the darkness by a lot, stopped only by the dead-end of the cave).
In conclusion, an overall good immersive experience! Kinda wished it lasted more, haha!
Really appreciate you taking the time to not only check out my submission but to write such detailed feedback. The in-game tutorial experience was something I had not really done before so I am thrilled that you found it to be a good experience. I learned a lot from doing it and most importantly the feedback received for it. So yes first scene suffered a little bit from the time constraint as it was originally planned for the elevator to come down but the gate not opening fast enough, so still the outcome however not as cool or intention translating to the player. Completely agree with the running, I intended to do more to make it more needed and tactical with the inhalers however once again time constraint got me :) Amazing, I went into this jam thinking if I could have at least 1 person play this and express that they wanted more, it would be a huge achievement. Thank you!
Spoopy! That was great, better than I would have thought! I like the dynamic of having multiple tools and the collecting aspect. I did feel like I was chased by something, even if nothing was ever there. Great game! I would love to see it more developed, with even more tools that relate to artifact excavations!
Thank you for your this detailed feedback! Glad that you enjoyed the systems and environment in which you use the tools :) I do plan on expanding it post jam currently so watch this space 🤠
Pretty cool game. Digging felt quite satisfying and overall concept seems interesting. Good work!
Thank you for playing, I am glad you found it satisfying and engaging! I checked out your game, it is really unique and fun more people should check it out! Left a comment there also for you with more details of my experience with it
Very cool idea and also well executed! I could feel the tension and pressure while digging that air fryer! Also, clear visual language for the red wall of death, but maybe an alert or some sort of tutorial would clarify it more. Overall, good job!
Thank you very much for your kind words! I am so happy that element of tension and pressure translates to the player in the strange environment :) Completely agree with you that the differences in walls could be clarified better so the player is informed on their threat, something I am looking to update post jam so watch this space! I was so immersed in your game by the way it's got such a great style to it
I like this very much, made me claustrophobic haha good job! Solo devs all the way :)
Thank you for playing! Haha yes some of the crawling featured is a tension builder :) It's amazing to see what other solo devs have achieved, I was super impressed with yours!
Very nice game! You nailed the archeology mechanics, combined with the stressful ambience it felt very high stakes.
I do think the red wall that kills you could have used a bit more explanation, I didn't fully understand it on my first play through.
Good work!
Thank you very much! I am happy that you think so and fun archaeology mechanics with a tense ambience was exactly what I was going for so I am glad you experienced that :) Appreciate this feedback and I agree I intended for it to look more threatening/clear it is lethal and will make an update on that post jam. Speaking of mechanics the ones in your game are great and unique!
3d horror is always more inmersive i like that. excavation mechanic was nice. it was just one level right? idk i f i skipped something. overall it was good
Indeed the dimension just inspires me with all sorts of possibilities! Glad you liked the excavation. The time constraint allowed for a tutorial/intro level and a main Jam level with multiple excavation sites :) I remember playing your game, truly the best in game title in the Jam!
This one actually had me tense the whole time in the best way. The excavation mechanic feels really satisfying, but the atmosphere keeps you on edge so every decision feels risky. It nails that balance between pressure and curiosity, and I genuinely felt stressed trying to grab artifacts and get out safely.
Thrilled that you experienced the tension in the best way and enjoyed the excavation mechanic! You have hit the nail on the head with my intension so this is fantastic to hear. Thank you for playing and your detailed comment. Your submission is awesome, I left a comment on its entry page :)
Oh wow this is really cool! I love the idea. For me it os difficult to play scary games but this is not scary enough to gve me the creeps but allow me to play. I love the atmosphere. I just wish they were more levels but its pretty cool for a 7 day game. Really good done!
I am glad that you gave this a go and enjoyed it! Thank you for your honesty as it helps me understand that my goal of creating tension and not full on horror was achieved :) Your game is so creative and had me so locked in trying to figure out the solutions!
Great game! The feeling of being in a strange and unfamiliar place is very well achieved. It’s especially immersive when played at night, as you stay tense, wondering what might happen next. Good job!
Thank you for your kind words, super happy you enjoyed it and that's exactly what I was aiming for in player experience! Checked out your game also and left a comment, you guys did an awesome job with the gameplay loop and environment!
Really cool, the tools feel very nice to use. Great work!
Thank you so much, I am very glad to hear that the tools were satisfying to use! I spent a significant time tuning their feel in the game and decided to go for precision that is rewarding. Checked out your game also and left a comment there, yours is an awesome 3D godot submission!
That's awesome thanks so much, it's great to see so many people using Godot