Strong atmosphere, but I can't help to hold it against the game that it is just a short timer until death with seemingly no way to impact it on my end. While I get that there is a message in this, it felt too depressing with no agency.
That being said, if depressive is the mood you want to go for, you did really well with the dialog, the visual design and the post processing. Personally it would have made sense to me if the campfire would have been dying down over time, too, but that's a bit nitpicky, I'll admit.
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Waldsterben's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Atmosphere | #5 | 4.435 | 4.435 |
| Art | #15 | 4.217 | 4.217 |
| Overall | #17 | 3.710 | 3.710 |
| Theme | #18 | 3.652 | 3.652 |
| Polish | #22 | 3.522 | 3.522 |
| Sound | #27 | 3.565 | 3.565 |
| Gameplay | #53 | 2.870 | 2.870 |
Ranked from 23 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Comments
For being only two minutes long, it has a really good atmosphere. That said, I would have liked something more at the end, a moment where "the tension keeps rising," but I loved everything else (especially the music).
Submitted
Coming DownThe atmosphere is very creepy, and the whole monologue was good as well, added a nice layer to the mushroom gathering lol. The art is pretty cool, for what it is the game is cool, wished there was more to do tho. Just having a destination to walk to while the monologue goes on would be a great addition. Overall I enjoyed the game, congrats on finishing it!
Yeah agree, more to do or a destination to walk to would have been great but I ran out of time. I originally planned it to be a cooking game where you cook your last meal, or to have a destination to walk to till you see the source of the infection but I decided to focus more on getting it polished on a good 2 minute experience. I'm glad I have a mushroom cooking minigame for a second ending so at least it adds a bit of gameplay haha
Thank you for playing it!
Very cool look and style. I enjoyed the monologue delivering the story, great job!
Submitted
Disaster Aboard EFF Mill BayThe atmosphere of this game is great!
I was kinda sad when it ended, I was keen to see more of that world.
Well done on doing this Jam solo. That is quite the achievement :)
Submitted
What Dreams May ComeSimple walking simulator, interesting execution of theming! not much more to say, but thank you for the mushroom off that guy's corpse c:
Submitted
Thermal Runaway7/9 mushrooms cooked! I think I will need more strategy to get to 9. Grabbing mushrooms felt a little bit precarious, like my hand was a gravity well sucking it in. Kind of fun, but I also noticed the mushroom I was holding would sometimes just slip out behind me.
The vibe itself was neat and I enjoyed the cautionary tale revolving around a very current environmental issue and its impact on local communities. The fact that you stayed away from generative AI entirely and were vocal about it felt meaningful too, not just because I'm inherently in preference of human-made art, but also because that approach helped reinforce the message, rather than seem like a contradiction. The outcome was also a really coherent and enjoyable aesthetic well scoped to a 7-day development timeline. Nice work!
Submitted
ConsumeThank you and I'm glad you enjoyed the game! I wanted to be a bit vocal about AI being bad for environment without being too obvious and I'm glad you caught it
If you need strategy tips, I can tell you can throw mushrooms to save a bit of time, or perhaps collect some.. colorful mushrooms from hidden-ish locations, they ;)
3/9 mushrooms cooked
Loved the moody melancholic atmosphere, the darkening, the peaceful dread. Great job . Also i saw you did this with no caffeine at all, you got my respects...
Submitted
Slowly you rotThe atmosphere and direction is 10/10 for me. No important complaints. 👍
Submitted
Wither SpearA short but sweet experience, I really liked how the world gradually decayed away until it was just the fire, picking up and walking around with the mushrooms was quite fun too, great job!
Submitted
What Lies Beneathahh I had to play it twice just to cooke more mushrooms! Nice experience, would love for it to be a little longer
Submitted
Depths' Tale [JAM VERSION]Played alone at night, got a bit goose bumps! =) Short, complete, give emotions, I much liked it.
Submitted
Monster PotionI collected 0 mushrooms but at least I got to die in peace. Liked it a lot, it's an interesting narrative:)
Submitted
help my wife is a treeReally enjoyed the atmosphere of the world. The graphics are great, well done. Vibes remind me of David Szymanski's games especially Squirrel Stapler.
Submitted
Eldritch JanitorAwesome idea! Congratulations on making this with your restrictions. You really have to rush to get 9 mushrooms, that was quite the challenge. Nicely done :)!
Submitted
Dustron 3000
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