| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Audio | #261 | 2.433 | 2.433 |
| Innovation | #268 | 2.533 | 2.533 |
| Overall | #376 | 2.180 | 2.180 |
| Graphics | #406 | 2.033 | 2.033 |
| Gameplay | #419 | 1.900 | 1.900 |
| Theme | #425 | 2.000 | 2.000 |
Ranked from 30 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
ANNOUNCEMENT: New versions are available which made corrections based on feedback and added more content. https://beseda.itch.io/conversatio-machina/devlog/1529097/work-done-for-the-narr...
Now is a great time to return to the prehistoric age and use spiritual trance to drive the evolution of mankind
I loved the initial art style of the game, and would love to see more narrative in this style.
interesting game...definitely needs to be polished quite a bit but I think you'd have a really cool idea here with some better graphics, UI, and artwork. it also takes a while to understand exactly what the story of the game is because the dialogue is so thick. but overall, good work!
I'd appreciate it if you could play/rate my game as well! :)
Love the music and concept! The atmosphere feels spiritual, and the art style fits well. I like the style of the writings, definitely something I can learn from as I was recently making a ritual game. I'm really curious about how the story may unfold but I kind of stuck at the minigame (clicking on the image does not work, I'm not sure if there's a edge case bug). But the concept is innovative. Great work!
very interesting concept - like others, I'm surprised to see a dialog based game. it does feel like there is a lot of depth via dialog choices and calls to action (not sure how they are called), though I did struggle to understand of the impact of my choices. definitely one of the most unique games in this jam!
Thank you!
I'm working on the AI systems so the impact is a work in progress - functioning but limited. In Act 2 of the story there are going to be conversations with a network of people and the full interface of the conversation "machine" is going to be revealed.
I too, hope that you might give it another try after the jam.
Played this on mobile 🙂
At first I thought it was a simple 2D comic-style game, but then it suddenly transformed into something completely different. The 360° view in space really surprised me, I couldn’t continue because keyboard arrows were required, but the idea feels very interesting and unique.
I also liked the music atmosphere. The tribal sound against the blue-purple space worked well for me, and the loop restart didn’t feel distracting.
Curious to try the full experience later on desktop!
Hey, glad you like the sound and visual effects! The music you heard was done by Slav Simeonov. There is one track for the bear made by Vladislav.
The idea for this transformation of the view is that the consciouness of the shaman leaves the body to travel and then returns to the body by attuning to the heart beats.
Apologies that it doesn't work on mobile. I'm going to fix that in the near future.
A genuinely uncommon experience in this jam — the concept of conversation is impressive. It takes a little time to settle into, but once it clicks, the depth behind it becomes clear.
The audio is charming and immersive, and the atmosphere feels cohesive. With a smoother onboarding it could open up to a much wider audience.
A memorable piece in the jam — well done! 🧘
Thats a unique kind of experience, indeed. The heartbeat minigame was easy - once i understood it. The UI (popups, minigame, hints) surely are work-in-progress, i guess? The very first animation of the wolf looks very promising.
I have the feeling, there hides a whole world of stories in the conversastion-machine.
It took a while to grasp exactly what the concept of the game is which because it is such a unique narrative experience. A tutorial to ease what your game is would really help.
That being said your take on machines theme is brilliant and how you explored that side of commumity in your game was very interesting.
Overall i really enjoyed the experience, very pleasant surprise in a gamejam!
Awesome! Thank you for the kind words.
I'm interested to know - did you get that impression from the game itself or you also read the Itch.io description?
About the tutorial - absolutely it needs it. There is a tutorial but it's a third party library that I have little control over and after some updates currently it is not rendered properly. I hope soon it will be reliable.
What a creative concept! I've never seen anything like it; it's a unique experience. Excellent work thinking so originally! The fact that it's abstract gives it a special charm (depending on personal taste). I assure you, my rating is 5/5! xD
You've made a very interesting, but very abstract game. I got stuck on one of the screens with the rotating shape, but still very impressive. You could definitely improve the UX to make it a bit easier and more accommodating to players. Well done!
I am sensing some deep narratives and storytelling here, however the UI is kind of clunky and even confusing at some point which I don't have the slightest idea of how to progress, but it has potential I guess, hope you will keep refining the game post jam!
Hmm, there's not much I can say. The game is excessively abstract and doesn't make any sense. Also, being a point-and-click game, you should pay very close attention to the user interface (UX/UI), which is quite poor. The audio is interesting, but little else. If you have a story to tell, carefully consider the details necessary to tell it; it's not just the content, but how you present it to the player.
I think I did not get this game :). The story is sometimes a bit confusing and I am not sure what exactly the mini-games are for. Sometimes the UI was a bit difficult to figure out. It was not clear on what you can click to progress. As you wrote this looks like a start to something, but might still need some work.
Anyway congratulations to this starting point and submitting it to the jam.
Ah, it can be a lot, for sure. The text+choices menu really is the top of the whole conversation interface and most of it I had to hide because it may be overwhelming for first users. Selecting an emotion, selecting an intention are actually part of the menu, they are not mini games. But for the purposes of introducing how this new gameplay works I just reveal it piece by piece gradually. That is why it may not make sense that for some talk you see them but for others - you don't.<== I'm also implementing AI to automate as much as possible without taking control away from the player.
The story transitions are very rough right now - I made an overview map with the evolution so that it is clear how the story develops. But I didn't have time to add it during the jam.
I love the audio! Very immersive. I couldn't figure out how to progress after receiving the bear quest. Not sure if it was just me or if that is as far as it goes. I'd love to see more options given for player responses that could impact the storyline!
After receiving the bear quest you would go back to the tent to perform another shamanic trance. Then when you reach the bear you need to click on it to begin the meeting because this time the shaman is the participant who leads, not the spirit which has no motivation for the meeting. Please go ahead - there's more content to experience. Good luck!
This is a bit wierd. There is a deadline for the Jam. If you are ready you are if not maybe next time...
Gotcha, seems its private for now, Leaving my comment to check it later
Leave a comment
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.