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| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Audio | #154 | 4.039 | 4.039 |
| Narrative | #306 | 3.961 | 3.961 |
| Creativity | #450 | 4.235 | 4.235 |
| Artwork | #573 | 4.216 | 4.216 |
| Enjoyment | #2101 | 3.471 | 3.471 |
Ranked from 51 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
How does your game fit the theme?
The game prominantly features the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding count down for anxiety management
(Optional) Please credit all assets you've used
View credits in game (all credited assets are audio)
(Optional) What would you like to be called if GMTK features your game?
James Ward-Sinclair
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Comments
Wow this may be one of my favorite games of the jam! The art is amazing the health indicator is cool, the countdown mechanic is fun and the darkness clossing around you is great!!! Also love the cover image!
The audio, the visuals and the ambience create super relaxing environment, love how you destress after bunch of annoying people bump into you, really enjoyed playing it, great work!
A lot more nerve-wracking than what the screenshots might initially suggest!
Making the gameplay perspective top-down is a clever way to avoid having to draw people, but it actually ends up making the game even more stressful since the crowded mass of umbrellas appears very chaotic and (literally) faceless, all while seemingly moving in unison to gang up on the player from behind or make the potential openings tighter (really great swarm behavior by the way). The oncoming newspapers are probably the worst since they appear to run up to the player from out of nowhere, sidestepping any manholes to force the player to move carefully or wait for openings.
Recovering from anxiety attacks isn't too hard once the player understands how to do it, but it doesn't make being stuck in the streets any better since there's always the possibility that a horde of umbrellas will barrel through from either direction, forcibly resetting your progress (or even leading to a game over). The fact everyone else is slightly faster than the player is what forces constant movement to avoid being left behind/overwhelmed.
I could see this game having a couple more chapters worth of gameplay, maybe even an entire city with a "free roam" mode where quests must be met (such as meeting up with friends or picking up groceries), all while battling personal anxiety.
We need more cozy games like this, amazing game!
We need more of these little pieces of love in this cold world
this was really good and polished! the fact that it was impossible to “skill” my way through it and had to take damage as the path got overwhelming made me feel stressed, which perfectly matches the theme of the game and was a great design choice imho. i think it would have been great to have a little more time on each grounding step to literally try them, although i guess nothing was really stopping me from taking time before moving on to the next. nice work!!
Really interesting implementation of the countdown theme, and you built a great atmosphere to match it! Everything felt cohesive; playing felt a little frustrating, but I felt like that's exactly how it was supposed to be.
This was a really nice experience, I love that you really explain what to do in case of an anxiety attack and the way you implemented it into gameplay. The fact of think of a top view with umbrellas was also really smart. All and all, congrats on the game :)
Thanks! It’s good to hear that the lessons blended naturally with the gameplay. It could very easily have slipped into the dark realms of... edu-tainment *shudders*!
The game is amazing. I only have one complaint: there are moments where it's impossible to dodge.
Thank you for playing, and for the feedback — I completely understand what you mean.
I think the choke point near the end is where most of the frustration came from. That was intentional, as I wanted the final stretch to feel overwhelming enough that grounding becomes a lifeline rather than something that solves everything.
That said, it also shouldn't feel impossible, and I think there are probably one or two moments that could use a little more breathing room.
Interesting idea and beautiful art. I think maybe only the gameplay could be improved - I think it would be nicer if eg. the breathing would be randomized and you would have to press the keys in a different order (though I understand it was probably intended to be in order for the grounding technique), but it ould give the game some difficulty. Nevertheless, it was very atmospheric and well done!
Thanks for the kind words and feedback!
I think you hit the nail on the head at the end there - I’d have to be careful about adding too much difficulty, as a greater challenge could make the experience more tense, but it runs a risk of over-gamifying things; pushing it away from being a simulator.
That said, an anxiety attack shouldn't be a walk in the part so perhaps there was still room to increase the challenge slightly without losing the game’s identity... hmmm, something for me to think on. Thanks again!
Well polished game with unique art
Thanks for playing!
Concept is nice, and the disruptive feel of the grounding made sense thematically. Good job!
Thanks, 'disruptive' was definitely my aim. I didn't want the grounding to feel like it was this magical, wish granting device that would protect and make everything better, I wanted it to be a tool to support that can be used right and also used wrong. Having it be a clean solution wouldn't feel true to the experience.
The atmosphere and music in this game are fantastic. Playing it felt like watching one of those thought-provoking movies that stay with you for a long time. Huge congratulations on this short but beautiful game, and special thanks for including accessibility options—being able to toggle off screen shake and flashes is a fantastic touch!
Thanks I did as much for myself as everyone else. Play testing with the wobble was making me very uneasy ! That said, I couldn't even play the Spyro remakes because the shake on it was too much for me too handle!
Yeah, games with screenshakes are a nightmare to some of us. I inmediatly ask for refund in Stea m if they don't have the option to turn them off.
Love the atmosphere and presentation of this. Reminds me of what I like most about games, giving people a certain experience. I liked the little details you used to support that, like the thoughts appearing and the sounds.
The silhouettes of the people appearing when you get too close was a super last minute addition but I felt it needed something to close the distance the player has with the character. It's always the little details that you don't expect to add too much that end up making the biggest differnece!