Play game
Scavenger Mouse's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Graphics | #4 | 4.429 | 4.429 |
| Audio | #17 | 3.714 | 3.714 |
| Overall | #19 | 3.554 | 3.554 |
| Gameplay/Design | #29 | 3.143 | 3.143 |
| Fun | #31 | 2.929 | 2.929 |
Ranked from 14 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
What would you like feedback on?
If the game is overall fun and coherent, although feedback on any aspect is appreciated.
What did you update?
The original was a game for Fireside Jam 2026 called Forager Mouse. Since then, I have expanded on it extensively, adding a host of new items, redesigning the map, and added a number of visual and audio enhancements. Some things are still not finished, however.
Leave a comment
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
Comments
Very nice 3D graphics. A few problems with the controls and game play though:
- It says Start with Z, but it starts with RETURN. I know it means using the Z button on a controller, but I had a keyboard and guessed this only afterwards.
- Not being able to walk through grass feels weird.
- The thirst warning comes too late. I died centimeters from the water. (Fun fact: Real mice do not have to drink at all... ;-)
- The light rotating around looks cool, but it is also weird, as if days would pass by quickly.
- Is jumping possible? If so, I didn't find it.
Regarding the overall fun, it's hard to say for me, but the cute graphics are definitely a good motivation. I want to know more about why the poor mouse ended up there with an injured leg.
Really liked the artistic direction in that game! Character and environment are really cute!
I liked discovering the world around the camp and figuring out what to do. The game didn’t hold your hand, but I managed to figure out crafting a backpack and getting the grappling.
One thing that is a dealbreaker for me is the controls on the keyboard. I imagine this game was made with a controller in mind and also controls like in the old Zelda or other Nintendo titles, but to me it took away from the experience. I’d much prefer having a way to switch between “classic” and “modern” controls. I kept having trouble doing simple stuff such as walking, using items and aiming with the grappling.
Also, I died from the darkness on day 2, and realized I had to redo all of the stuff I did, which discouraged me from continuing. Wish there was something either teaching the player to save or that they’ll lose all their progress or make the death not restart to the start of the day.
Last thing, the SFXs are sometimes repetitive without pitch variation, so you hear the same noise repeatedly (for example footsteps, or food low) which becomes annoying to the ear. Adding variants or pitch and volume shifts would solve that problem!
Wish the controls were reworked a bit, I really wanted to keep going in the story and figure out why I’m lost in this forest!
Nice game with good potential!
Since I've gotten a few comments to this effect, I wanna ask something. Do you think the controls would have been more comfortable if movement was on WASD with the actions being on the right part of the keyboard?
Very cute game ! Nice 3D graphics and smooth animations.
To be honest, the 2nd day, it seemed like the map was much bigger, even if I believe it was the same. I just went further with less guiding and got lost, unable to come back neither to the lake or to the place to sleep (it's mabye a skill issue, I never play this kind of game).
Nice dialogues, couldn't do it to the end but the story chained well. Some things aren't very clear but that's a good thing, and we always understand at the end.
Mabye some hints in critical situations at least the first days would help (mabye only in some optional "Assisted Mode"). It's fun, always exciting when you find something new.
Music fits the game well !
However, I think controls need a rework, as well as the bottom-left UI that felt messy to me. I think you should be able to move the character with both Arrows & WASD camera with mouse. I found the dialogue / item keys confusing and I think it's possible to use less keys. Customizable keybinds would be a nice add. Also, I didn't know I could drop an item.
Nice game !
Amazing 3D art and animations. The indicators for food, water and the text on what to do were very helpful indeed.
My feedback:
1.) The controls were very weird. There were many times I accidentally click the Z and X when I'm supposed to turn the camera and vice versa. Also, not used to movement not being WASD. And it would have been better to use the mouse when turning your perspective.
2.) On this part, I was holding the thread, but I can't drop it down for a while to get or eat food.
That was what I've observed. Thanks for the game!
I'll take the issue of not being able to eat while holding the yarn into consideration, though if it helps you should be able to sew a bag fairly early on to hold more items.
A very cute game!
I didn't have issues surviving the first day, the warning that it was getting late helped and the star indicator of where your shelter is, though I don't know why that tree is really any different from any other tree. Also, I get that you want more variety in barriers than just rocks & logs, but the grass & clover didn't feel dense enough to block movement, maybe the models should be thicker.
I liked the progression, getting dashes, then the yarn hookshot, then the materials for a bag, etc. Not sure what the swimming trunks actually did, since it's not like the mouse knows how to swim anyway.
The darkness is really brutal, I got lost getting back to my shelter one day and by like 9 PM it was too dark to see anything on my screen. Your other indicators give you much more time from when they start alerting you to when you're dead.
Very beautiful game. The ui sfx is satisfying, the music and rain feel nice and moody. Especially after that cutscene where the spool rolls in, I love that song. The game kinda reminded me of playing the Neopets PS2 game in the best way (it was one of the first games I ever played lol). The visuals and audio are pristine at this point, so good job on the update!
This controls method was new to me, but I felt like you intuitively explained how it worked, and I got used to it. I do wish you could move a bit faster, and climb up onto slopes a bit, but it paces the game well.
The darkness getting me was soo spooky, I think the effect towards the end is done super well. I do think you should explain that hazard a bit more, and it would be cool to space out the darkness effect instead of it happening all at once. I felt like I needed a bit more time to figure out how to prevent that. My guess was I needed to go back to the sleeping spot?
Great job on the art direction! The game looks really good and I could totally picture myself roaming around the woods as I played.
Fun-wise, I would have liked to walk a bit faster. I think the main goal is to feel excited about exploration, but I often felt impatient to get to my next destination instead (which was usually an acorn). I personally was not that bothered by the grass acting as a wall.
I like how clear my purpose was in the beginning and how it helped with directions. Ok, I am hungry, I better search for food. There's an acorn, nice! The acorns then showed the path forward like breadcrumbs. Then there was a big body of water to quench my thirst, better head that way. Then came the night, and it was all over, haha. I don't think I played my first playthrough as I was supposed to. It looks like there is a bit of a time pressure on making it to a safe place before the nightfall, but I was more interested in exploring the forest.
The OST is pretty gloomy and fits the survival theme well, but your art style could easily pass as a cozy exploration game if you changed the OST as well. You built a pretty neat prototype here that you can take in several different directions. Congrats!
Amazing work on the animations and the 3d character and level design! That ain't easy and it looks great here! reminds me of the N64 era of gaming in a good way! I got "lost in the dark" and I was not sure at all what was happening. Not sure if darkness communicates what you're meaning it to here? was it time or was I off the path? I'm still not sure. At first the slow movement was a bit of a slog. I know that the mouse is injured but still wanted a faster movement option. I also thought I'd be able to go though the grass / plants and was a bit let down when it was a barrier. Obviously this is used all over the place in video games but not sure why it had to be done here.
I love the start menu! Super cool that it leads right into the gameplay!! Love the visuals here. I also echo that the camera movement was not the most natural but also not a deal breaker for me.
I never did find where that spool of thread was supposed to go but its enough to make me curious! Cool stuff again amazing work on the look and graphics of this experience!
Interesting game, visually looks really great. As for fun, for me personally, exotic controls of arrows to move and WASD to rotate the camera in fixed steps was REALLY painful. Like every second I was playing this game I was wishing I could use my mouse...
Other than that it sure is an interesting experience, though outside of trying to survive I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do.
Also, why I can't walk through grass? That feels artificial and immersion breaking
I just updated the game to give a little indicator as to where you're supposed to go to progress, if you're willing to give it another try.
Okay, played a bit more. I did find the rest place, although I'm not sure what was the indicator, as I just accidentally found it. From there initially it is really cool, although I find it pretty weird that such specific items come from sky or something. Played a bit, got a few items, crafted a bag. However from here I'm honestly bored because after searching for a few days for items, I've got none to craft anything else, and as far as I can tell I have explored all available map. So I quit there on 4th day.
Control issue still stands by the way. I understand you're trying to mimic retro controls, but honestly in my opinion the times have changed, and I don't understand why you'd make such painful control scheme.
Btw, dash particles texture seems to be broken or missing.
The game as a solid art direction and great work on the character's model!
I quickly understood that I had to survive but like the other comment are saying I wasn't able to understand where I was supposed to go nor what I was supposed to do.
Maybe it's intended to be that way.
I've updated the game to give a little indicator as to where you're supposed to go to progress, if you're willing to give it another try.
I can barely make it to night, but I don’t really know what to do in terms of the larger game loop (in terms of smaller game loop, that’s clear right away, find food and water). I tried swimming a distance that seemed barely survivable, but turned out not to be. I’m sure as a survival game it’s meant to be relatively little information to get going, and I can see trying to convey an emotion with it too, but I’m feeling more lost than immersed personally. I also felt like the camera controls were very helpful, but I certainly would’ve expected to move the camera slightly and then keep moving in the direction that I was moving instead of the direction the camera now faces. I’m sure I would’ve thought the exact opposite had that been the case, so I’m not sure what game I’m picturing this from. The visuals are fantastic, and this runs so great in the browser. I think some of those grass bits should actually be colored or textured in some special way to make it clear that you can’t go through them, although that might just be me bringing some baggage from Zelda and thinking that most grass can be walked through. Reminds me of The Wind Waker where early on in Outset there’s a clear distiction with the bamboo that you cannot pass until you have the sword.
I've updated the game to give a little indicator as to where you're supposed to go to progress, if you're willing to give it another try.
The game is coherent, and I quickly understood that I need to get food and water.
Though I still can't figure out where I was supposed to go or what I should be working toward next. The mouse starves too quickly, so it is kinda stressful to explore the map—especially since even small bushes can block your path and slow you down.
Because of that, I don't think I quite reached the point where the main gameplay loop clicked for me yet. A little more guidance early on, or slightly more breathing room for exploration, might help.
Visually, though, I really like the retro style. The graphics have a lot of charm.
I've gotten a number of comments confused about where to go next, so I've updated the game to give a little indicator as to where you're supposed to go to progress, as well as add a bit of tutorial text. Give it another try if you're interested.
The game is definitely coherent! If not a bit challenging. I starved pretty often. But I totally understood what I needed to I just was finding enough food!
The graphics are great, reminds me of the old game Bugdom which I played so much of.
I died from starvation because I was holding the yarn, could figure how to set it down without going back to camp
I also got stuck and had to restart (screenshot attached)
Good work!
I've seen people softlock in that area at least three times now, so you're not the only one. That said, I just updated the game to fix it (and I made a couple other changes), so give it a try if you're still interested.