Play game
The House Remembers Wrong's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Musical Score & Sound Design | #22 | 3.500 | 3.500 |
| Story and Theme | #28 | 3.625 | 3.625 |
| Overall | #28 | 3.469 | 3.469 |
| Gameplay | #32 | 3.125 | 3.125 |
| Creativity | #36 | 3.625 | 3.625 |
| Judge's Score | #65 | n/a | n/a |
Ranked from 8 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
What, if any, Jam-Specific Challenges did you include in your entry?
None. I focused entirely on the main theme, “Fractured Story,” and built the game around fragmented memories, unreliable perception, and a constantly changing environment.
Does your game require playing multiple routes to get the full experience?
Yes. The game has two possible endings, and experiencing both helps reveal the full meaning of the story and its ambiguity.
Approximately how long is your game (in minutes)?
Approximately 10–15 minutes for a single playthrough.
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Comments
This game is so short and simple that I'm going to trim my review down to just 1 item each.
What I liked:
What I did not like:
Yes, that’s the idea—short and quick, since it’s for a game jam. I invite you to follow me on Instagram at @rafaelgameaudio and check out my projects outside of PICO-8 (the engine used here, which is quite restrictive). This game was created purely as a concept to participate in the jam and work within PICO-8's limitations. Thanks for the feedback!
Didn't expect to see a PICO-8 game here. This game made me realize that the low resolution and visual compromises inherent to the engine/"console" kind of lends itself naturally to a particular kind of horror game, and I'm surprised I haven't seen more people use it this way. I would have liked to see you lean into the lack of detail a little more heavily, even; the jumpscare in the the final section of the game, for example, could have been a lot more unsettling to look at if it was a bit more conservative with what it actually showed to the player.
The way the story was told was (naturally, considering the jam's theme) confusing, but the story itself was, if not a bit derivative, at least interesting enough to keep me playing through the short runtime. I will say it wasn't quite interesting enough for me to play through it twice, though, to get both endings.
I definitely think gameplay is what your rating will be hit the hardest on. I appreciate it being varied somewhat through the different memories, but the "gaze" mechanic is easy to disengage with entirely by just looking at a wall, and the "Run" challenge just does not give you enough space to play. The latter memory was largely the reason I didn't want to replay the entire game just to make one alternate choice at its tail-end; it just seemed poorly-considered in tandem with the restrictions of the PICO-8 and the single-room format of the game itself. Given how much time you had left in the jam, a new room for the final challenge would have been very nice to see.
Really hoping you scale back on your AI usage in general so I can feel more excited about your growth and what you're fully capable of in the future.
Thanks for the feedback. I'm actually just starting out—an aspiring solo dev—and the only code I've mastered is Lua. PICO-8 is really restrictive, making it very difficult to create anything long-form, though I do have a Freddy game on my Itch page (with a beginning, middle, and end) made in PICO-8. Regarding AI, I didn't quite understand your point, since there's no way to use it in PICO-8—everything is done within the engine itself. Game dev is a hobby for me. Cheers from Brazil!
This was a good, little game. Just enough to get the story across, and just enough mystery for me to wonder what actually happened. The fire part was difficult only because there's so little room to move. My movement had to be incredibly tight to not collide with the monster. I'd say that part is the only thing that needs some tweaking, and it could be as simple as giving the player more room to move. I eventually got it to work, but it took a few tries to figure out how close I could get to the creature without getting a game over.
Thanks for the feedback. I'm actually just starting out—an aspiring solo dev—and the only code I've mastered is Lua. PICO-8 is really limited, so it's very hard to create anything long-form, though I do have a Freddy game on my Itch page (with a beginning, middle, and end) made in PICO-8. Game dev is a hobby for me. Cheers from Brazil!
Pretty neat short game. I loved the audio in it and the very simple background music. Rough at the start because I didn't know that z and x were the interact buttons for everything but after that it was just the right amount of interaction. Not sure if I just didn't understand the story but seemed slightly cliche? Overall good game though, pacing felt right and nothing too drawn out. Good job for this being your intro into programming!
The fire part was a little tricky, and there was a bug where the monster didn't appear once. I thought it was supposed to be unwinnable. Maybe a little longer of an instruction would help. I think you paced that part just right, though.
Thanks for the feedback. I'm actually just starting out—an aspiring solo dev—and the only code I've mastered is Lua. PICO-8 is really limited, so it's very hard to create anything long-form, though I do have a Freddy game on my Itch page (with a beginning, middle, and end) made in PICO-8. Game dev is a hobby for me. Cheers from Brazil!
yo bro idk what to do when i get to the fire burning part, where the door is locked and i have to run
At that part, don’t try to open the locked door right away. Once the fire starts and the game tells you to RUN, just keep moving and avoid the thing chasing you.
Survive the chase for a little while and, once the sequence ends, the fire dies down and the door opens automatically. Then you can continue.