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River of Deceit's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Audio | #91 | 3.773 | 3.773 |
| Enjoyment | #478 | 3.364 | 3.364 |
| Overall | #487 | 3.303 | 3.303 |
| Theme | #507 | 3.545 | 3.545 |
| Gameplay | #639 | 3.000 | 3.000 |
| Innovation | #656 | 3.045 | 3.045 |
| Visuals | #906 | 3.091 | 3.091 |
Ranked from 22 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?
It leads you trough a case investigation. Your eyes and ears is an Agent on the radio. Are they giving you correct information about the case, can you trust them? Are they who you think they are? Investigate the missing family case, collect the evidence and finish the story with one of the three endings
What code and assets did you not make from scratch during the jam (if any)?
They are all posted on the project page
How many people worked on the game?1
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Comments
The game felt very SCP-coded, in a good way! I'm used to finding and reading documents, as well as putting together lore. I wasn't able to outsmart the monster in the basement, so I didn't get to see the ending. I tried hitting him with the crowbar as well as looping him around the pool and other locations. No such luck.
The gameplay wasn't exactly exciting though. For jams, I'm A okay with simple mechanics, but overused ones can get a bit stale. Find door, find key, collect key, unlock door isn't really an engaging loop, especially when the keys are out in the open and are the only mechanic. Still very good for only a few days as a solo dev!
The atmosphere was really scary! I loved how much fear the overall dark and gloomy environment created, and the static from the walkie-talkie made it even creepier!
But once I got the crowbar, I became fearless and rushed straight into the basement to fight the monster(?)... and then I got killed in three hits TTTTT
I tried two or three times and died every time ... I couldn't even tell if I was actually hitting it... so unfortunately I wasn't able to see the ending TT
I also wish I could move around while listening to the walkie-talkie! It would give me more time to explore and investigate while the dialogue is playing.
Really creepy atmosphere overall!!
The VA was good and the story was interesting, but it felt like an average indie horror experience (meaning find key -> open door -> find key and so on) without much choice in the story or investigation. I would've liked it if I had to look for clues or if I could explore on my own.
I mean yeah you can do that. There are multiple evidences/documents you can collect. All of them are optional but affect the ending you get. Some of them are in areas where you need to use crowbar to unlock the gates.
Single dev like me. . .
your game is really good, Voice acting, concept I really liked it !!! keep it up
Thanks, another GOAT 👑
Hey, it’s a great game. The audio really adds to the immersive experience.
I didn’t have any problems with the controls, which is another plus.
On a funny note, the super-secret-room key in my playtrough was a bit too big to be secret:
LUL I love that key. That's amazing.
I love the voice acting! It really adds more impact to the gameplay. I died to the first enemy even when I was clicking around, trying to figure out if I could hit it, but I just ended up dying. Maybe it was a skill issue, haha. I wanted to try again, but I couldn’t skip the dialogue, so I’d have to go through it all again, which takes quite a bit of time. Still, it’s a great game and just needs a little more polishing!
I had a lot of problems with the first enemy, something like hp bar, or stuning it with the light could help. Anyways, Liked the strory.
Super cool concept, I loved the story and the voice acting. The pipe burst got me to jump and the first time I encountered the enemy I panicked and died, overall very fun experience. My only complaint would be being able to skip or move during the first radio call, as it gets a bit annoying waiting every time I want to try again. Minor complaint, game was very fun!
Thanks! That thing scared me too once and I was playing it 100 times lol. Yeah I agree, when I was making it I wanted to get at least some intro to the story when you play it first time, it should definitely be skippable. I understand it causes frustration.
Voice acting is really good! Unfortunately when I died went back to the main menu and started again the game bugged out
The game is really good, and the visuals create a pretty tense atmosphere. For some reason, the visual style reminded me a bit of Rockstar’s Manhunt—visually only, though.
The scripted scenes are well done, and the game definitely gets a little creepy at times. The voice acting is also really good and adds a lot to the atmosphere.
As for criticism, the only thing I’d really mention is that the movement feels a bit basic, and I think the visuals could benefit from a little fog to push the atmosphere even further. Those are mostly nitpicks, though. Overall, a really solid game!
The game design is really interesting!
That feeling of constantly second-guessing and playing mind games with your partner makes it super tense and exciting.
The voice over the radio also sounds really natural and pleasant, which is a huge plus!
voice acting and feels done right. well done. also has those stalker style game vibes but a crowbar is a crowbar and i will swing it when necessary (noticed something like latency on the action vs click probably because i was spam clicking it haha) great game
Nailed the voice acting. The vibes match the theme perfectly! I didn't understand at first that you can't move while the agent is speaking. The drifter that jumped out at first jumpscared me so bad cuz it kept attacking and my crowbar didn't swing (or maybe I died before I could swing? XD Really should've read the warnings on the game page before playing)
Game is great, it has a lot of potential and did I mention how good the voice acting is? It's crazy that one person made this!
Updated my rating to positively reflect my enjoyment - now that I was able to play it! this is a great experience!!
Thanks, you the GOAT 👑!
The voice acting and atmosphere really stand out and give the game a unique identity! Great sound design as well. The main thing that held it back a bit was the heavy exposition right at the start—a smoother pacing with less initial text would help players get hooked faster. Completely understandable for a jam timeline though, the core ideas are really solid! I hope you also get a chance to play my game and leave a review: /jam/brackeys-16/rate/4953523
I like that you voice acted in this. The atmosphere and sound design were highlights. I found the exposition a bit overwhelming. There's a lot to read right off the bat. But the ideas were interesting and some tweaks to the pacing could convey them better.
Thanks for the review. Yeah I agree, some thing weren't properly fleshed out and rushed. Slightly unhappy how it came out, wish I had more time to polish the game.
I feel similarly about my own submission. I think it's normal for Jams.