the numbers were based on the nautical flags used by maritime or sailors- it's still used to this day, I believe. The numbers themselves don't have a larger meaning (:
a great story told with a really solid presentation!
i'm honestly really fond of games that focus on plot above everything else. like, i love innovative gameplay and super stylized art as much as the next guy, but sometimes it's nice to walk from scene to scene and just be told a super intriguing story, ya know? and this game's story REALLY does the job at making you intrigued. i loved alga and really wanted to see her get her freedom! she's a super endearing character that i never got tired of. every time her wishes were denied i got like, actually upset haha (in a good way ofc). and the actual mermaids plot surrounding everything was super well done! i love how by the end i didn't *fully* understand the entire lore, but was still able to follow everything that happened (i guess like alga lol). really great job.
i also really liked the way the entire game was presented! i feel like games that are "flashier" on the visuals part get a lot of credit compared to games like these, but i think little details are what REALLY makes a presentation stand out. i loved things like the pauses in dialogue, the footprints on the ground, the footstep sounds, the all-consuming darkness in the cave... i was honestly shocked with how many plugins were named in the credits, but it really goes to show how much attention to detail was put into this game, and i respect the hell out of that. and that's without mentioning manual details like the sprite change when you're pushing rocks in the water, the fact that everyone except the important characters are completely blacked out (REALLY cool bit of stylization)...
if i had to critisize anything, i think the hints the game gives to point out what you have to do next got a bit excessive. i know the focus is on the plot, but since the gameplay is already kinda limited, i would've liked to more exploring on my own. that's just personal taste tho. and i feel like the horror elements could've been more emphasized, especially in the cave segment. but that's about it, i loved pretty much everything else.
overall, this was a great game that i'm so glad to have checked out! :D games with giant walls of dialogue are good, people! WAKE UP!!
wow thank you so much for such a detailed review! I'm incredibly flattered by all your kind words and for taking notice of all the little details!!
I'm always nervous about sharing games I make because I don't make my own tilesets and i feel that sets me back a lot, but I'm glad I can still make something worth playing with these tools anyway!
I'm so glad you liked Alga too, I was worried people might think I made her too woobie or annoyingly pathetic.
I always want to make sure I credit people for the hand they had in helping me make my games a reality, and I tend to credit as much as possible when I can, haha! I'm so so grateful for the plugin creators for their rly life saving (er, game saving) tools!
I think when I make maps and such, I tend to focus on what makes the most sense "in real life" or "would x make sense in a 3d space?" A lot, so they end up sort of plain but I'm glad you could appreciate the little touches I made for them!
As for the hints, I also think I went a bit overboard, but I noticed with other games of mine, people tend to get confused or unable to understand what to do or where to go immediately after certain events, and end up wandering about- something I probably need to work on to make certain things more obvious yet not as blatant as telling them what to do next- I'm slowly figuring out a nice balance, so this is good criticism!
As for the horror elements, it really was more of an unsettling undertone other than the gore parts, I'll admit- I once again focused mostly on how to make the story cohesive, and ended up making the game itself more like a story than an actual "game-game", haha
But, again thank you so much for noticing the little things and for playing my story ❤️ I feel like I learn a lot with each jam in a part of, so I really appreciate the helpful feedback!
Hey, playing this game took us about 2 hours since English is not our first language and we were unfamiliar with some words. Overall, we really liked the aesthetics, especially the characters. Both the busts and the pixel art have a great finish. Additionally, the sound greatly contributes to the atmosphere. The story is easy to follow since it has a clear setup and ending, and it does a great job of conveying Alga's personality. We would have liked the gameplay to be a bit longer, and being a game for a horror jam, we feel that the horror aspect is lacking, as it is overshadowed by the protagonist's personal feelings, making the experience softer and the game feel more like a drama. All in all, we enjoyed it a lot. Congratulations, great job! :)
Ohh I'm sorry about the long playtime, but thank you so much!
Youre right in that, a lot of the more "horror" aspects of the game are mostly in the plot/already anticipated. I also thought the gameplay was lacking compared to the story/text, which is definitely something I've got to work on more!
I really appreciate the critique, it's really helpful! Thank you again for playing!
aw you're so sweet- thank you so much! I wanted this story to end up being somewhat bittersweet in the end- something I think I do pretty often haha;; She's free, but at the cost of her ability to think/feel like a human would.
I'm glad you enjoyed it, and thank you sm for playing!! <3
Oh my gosh. So many elements of this were so nicely laid out. SPOILERS AHEAD for anyone reading.
The easy stuff to say is the art and the sprites were all really cute and readable, I loved her sad little pout even on her sprite. The villagers had a cool design, effective and convenient. the way small things interacted was cute, like the way they looked in the water and her hands rowing the boat and her little feetsteps in the sand.
But on TOP of that! I really liked the subtle undertones of the story. And forgive me if I'm just like, reading into it haha. I liked the theme of choice and freedom throughout the story. There was some moment where she's standing in this trapped cave about to hurt herself and she's like "I'm so free!" and I'm like girl you're literally trapped haha. But that's so honest to how humans are. The illusion of choice and of "getting away". But no where is really away. She wasn't free. She was still running away and that's not free.
AND I liked how she had help up until she made her ONE choice for herself. No one was around to tell her what to do. She was all alone in that cave and made the choice (or I did lol) to pick up and use that knife. And the second, the very second she makes her ONE choice for herself I thought it was so interesting how the old sailor turned on her. I get why, he was afraid for his life. But thematically I thought it was so fitting how immediately she gets ostracized and called a monster after making what (in her eyes) was the one adventurous and bold choice she had ever made for herself.
I thought the pacing was really good I could feel what "act" I was in at ever moment and that speaks to your skill as a writer, for sure. I can't think of any major issues I ran into. I didn't do down the bad paths so idk what's down them, now I think about it. I thought the water chase scene where you're swimming away from the mariner dude was a little sudden and out of place with the rest of the game? The placement of the rocks in the water make it a little tricky to tell where you bump into them and in a crazy chase sequence that can be frustrating. I got through it on my second try but i IMAGINE if I hadn't I'd be annoyed. But just cuz of the rocks.
Also! (spoilers for The VVItch 2015 movie) it reminded me in many ways to the ending of that movie. I ummmMMMM won't say why haha. if you know you know.
Sorry this is an essay, I really loved this one Egg!! The music and vibe of it were really well done and all your maps looked so clear and cohesive. It's harder than ppl think it is to use RTP stuff and make it look nice and like it really belongs in the world. Really well done.
Omg thank you soso much for the detailed comments!! Im so glad you enjoyed it, and dw i dont think you're reading too much into it-
SPOILERS ahead while i gush as well!
I Really wanted to convey that, no matter what she did. She was always somewhat trapped in a way? Like even if she got whatever it is that she thought she wanted, It would still be at the risk of losing absolutely everything in her life as a "human".
She'd be backed into a hole regardless- but when looking down the barrel of what awaited her, should she go back- she thought: "screw it, I'll play along- what else do I have to lose??"
I wrote a lot of notes around how Alga was so deeply wishing for a way out of this "human" life, how she just wanted freedom, even at the cost of her cognition- though ultimately, it happened without her realizing that till the very end. I had notes writing down how she wouldn't continue about the sacrifice till she saw what she'd become, and choose to become a mermaid in the end anyway, too.
I'm glad you saw what you did in the old mariner, because that's exactly what I was going for! A guy who had seen the horrors of the past- he knew it would only lead to more chaos. And you're right- the one time Alga made her own decision without the assistance of others, it snowballed into the climax of the game.
I will say, I didn't originally plan for the chase scene at the end- I felt like it ended too abruptly without it, so it was a last minute decision. I did have a somewhat hard time setting up the rocks in a way that would be challenging but not too easy for players, though if anyone looked at the eventing/region stuff I did, they'd be appalled at the structure I went and did just to make it work 😭 so that's on me, I apologize! But I'm glad you made it in the end of course!
It's wild you mention that film, because I have seen it and the parallels are totally unintentional, but that's so cool that it made you think of it- it's incredibly flattering!! The VVitch definitely had that aura of it all, and i wonder if it influenced me in a way I wasn't aware of (since I hadn't seen it in several years, but it def stood out to me!) So thank you!!
To note, no RTP was used in the game, aside from rtp edits made by com-sho, and the rest were purchased assets (rtp meaning the default assets that come with the engine), but I do always worry about not making my own tiles;; I'm just not confident in making my own haha;; maybe one day!
All in all, thank you so much once again for the wonderful comments and the deep dive (lol) into the lore! You've no idea how happy this made me to read, and it only serves to help me grow, moving forward! ❤️
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That moment when you couldn't solve the riddle at the very beginning and realized that you were too stupid to play the game.
Hello, I'm not sure what you mean or if this is satire. A walkthrough is available on the game page as well.
Already found it, thanks! But it doesn't really explain why those numbers...
the numbers were based on the nautical flags used by maritime or sailors- it's still used to this day, I believe. The numbers themselves don't have a larger meaning (:
Wow, I've never even heard of that. I was thinking about countries, about the number of colors, but the last flag didn't mean anything to me.
A good, solid little story that got me very invested in it. I...feel this in my own life sometimes.
a great story told with a really solid presentation!
i'm honestly really fond of games that focus on plot above everything else. like, i love innovative gameplay and super stylized art as much as the next guy, but sometimes it's nice to walk from scene to scene and just be told a super intriguing story, ya know? and this game's story REALLY does the job at making you intrigued. i loved alga and really wanted to see her get her freedom! she's a super endearing character that i never got tired of. every time her wishes were denied i got like, actually upset haha (in a good way ofc). and the actual mermaids plot surrounding everything was super well done! i love how by the end i didn't *fully* understand the entire lore, but was still able to follow everything that happened (i guess like alga lol). really great job.
i also really liked the way the entire game was presented! i feel like games that are "flashier" on the visuals part get a lot of credit compared to games like these, but i think little details are what REALLY makes a presentation stand out. i loved things like the pauses in dialogue, the footprints on the ground, the footstep sounds, the all-consuming darkness in the cave... i was honestly shocked with how many plugins were named in the credits, but it really goes to show how much attention to detail was put into this game, and i respect the hell out of that. and that's without mentioning manual details like the sprite change when you're pushing rocks in the water, the fact that everyone except the important characters are completely blacked out (REALLY cool bit of stylization)...
if i had to critisize anything, i think the hints the game gives to point out what you have to do next got a bit excessive. i know the focus is on the plot, but since the gameplay is already kinda limited, i would've liked to more exploring on my own. that's just personal taste tho. and i feel like the horror elements could've been more emphasized, especially in the cave segment. but that's about it, i loved pretty much everything else.
overall, this was a great game that i'm so glad to have checked out! :D games with giant walls of dialogue are good, people! WAKE UP!!
wow thank you so much for such a detailed review! I'm incredibly flattered by all your kind words and for taking notice of all the little details!!
I'm always nervous about sharing games I make because I don't make my own tilesets and i feel that sets me back a lot, but I'm glad I can still make something worth playing with these tools anyway!
I'm so glad you liked Alga too, I was worried people might think I made her too woobie or annoyingly pathetic.
I always want to make sure I credit people for the hand they had in helping me make my games a reality, and I tend to credit as much as possible when I can, haha! I'm so so grateful for the plugin creators for their rly life saving (er, game saving) tools!
I think when I make maps and such, I tend to focus on what makes the most sense "in real life" or "would x make sense in a 3d space?" A lot, so they end up sort of plain but I'm glad you could appreciate the little touches I made for them!
As for the hints, I also think I went a bit overboard, but I noticed with other games of mine, people tend to get confused or unable to understand what to do or where to go immediately after certain events, and end up wandering about- something I probably need to work on to make certain things more obvious yet not as blatant as telling them what to do next- I'm slowly figuring out a nice balance, so this is good criticism!
As for the horror elements, it really was more of an unsettling undertone other than the gore parts, I'll admit- I once again focused mostly on how to make the story cohesive, and ended up making the game itself more like a story than an actual "game-game", haha
But, again thank you so much for noticing the little things and for playing my story ❤️ I feel like I learn a lot with each jam in a part of, so I really appreciate the helpful feedback!
Hey, playing this game took us about 2 hours since English is not our first language and we were unfamiliar with some words. Overall, we really liked the aesthetics, especially the characters. Both the busts and the pixel art have a great finish. Additionally, the sound greatly contributes to the atmosphere. The story is easy to follow since it has a clear setup and ending, and it does a great job of conveying Alga's personality. We would have liked the gameplay to be a bit longer, and being a game for a horror jam, we feel that the horror aspect is lacking, as it is overshadowed by the protagonist's personal feelings, making the experience softer and the game feel more like a drama. All in all, we enjoyed it a lot. Congratulations, great job! :)
Ohh I'm sorry about the long playtime, but thank you so much!
Youre right in that, a lot of the more "horror" aspects of the game are mostly in the plot/already anticipated. I also thought the gameplay was lacking compared to the story/text, which is definitely something I've got to work on more!
I really appreciate the critique, it's really helpful! Thank you again for playing!
I wanted to play this the day it got released but ugh finally i found time to do so!!
i absolutely love the story lines in your games, Egg, although im a bit sad that her freedom was becoming a siren, but finally she is free!!
always looking forward to your future works!! <3
aw you're so sweet- thank you so much! I wanted this story to end up being somewhat bittersweet in the end- something I think I do pretty often haha;; She's free, but at the cost of her ability to think/feel like a human would.
I'm glad you enjoyed it, and thank you sm for playing!! <3
Ahh!! I just finished it finally!!
Oh my gosh. So many elements of this were so nicely laid out. SPOILERS AHEAD for anyone reading.
The easy stuff to say is the art and the sprites were all really cute and readable, I loved her sad little pout even on her sprite. The villagers had a cool design, effective and convenient. the way small things interacted was cute, like the way they looked in the water and her hands rowing the boat and her little feetsteps in the sand.
But on TOP of that! I really liked the subtle undertones of the story. And forgive me if I'm just like, reading into it haha. I liked the theme of choice and freedom throughout the story. There was some moment where she's standing in this trapped cave about to hurt herself and she's like "I'm so free!" and I'm like girl you're literally trapped haha. But that's so honest to how humans are. The illusion of choice and of "getting away". But no where is really away. She wasn't free. She was still running away and that's not free.
AND I liked how she had help up until she made her ONE choice for herself. No one was around to tell her what to do. She was all alone in that cave and made the choice (or I did lol) to pick up and use that knife. And the second, the very second she makes her ONE choice for herself I thought it was so interesting how the old sailor turned on her. I get why, he was afraid for his life. But thematically I thought it was so fitting how immediately she gets ostracized and called a monster after making what (in her eyes) was the one adventurous and bold choice she had ever made for herself.
I thought the pacing was really good I could feel what "act" I was in at ever moment and that speaks to your skill as a writer, for sure. I can't think of any major issues I ran into. I didn't do down the bad paths so idk what's down them, now I think about it. I thought the water chase scene where you're swimming away from the mariner dude was a little sudden and out of place with the rest of the game? The placement of the rocks in the water make it a little tricky to tell where you bump into them and in a crazy chase sequence that can be frustrating. I got through it on my second try but i IMAGINE if I hadn't I'd be annoyed. But just cuz of the rocks.
Also! (spoilers for The VVItch 2015 movie) it reminded me in many ways to the ending of that movie. I ummmMMMM won't say why haha. if you know you know.
Sorry this is an essay, I really loved this one Egg!! The music and vibe of it were really well done and all your maps looked so clear and cohesive. It's harder than ppl think it is to use RTP stuff and make it look nice and like it really belongs in the world. Really well done.
Omg thank you soso much for the detailed comments!! Im so glad you enjoyed it, and dw i dont think you're reading too much into it-
SPOILERS ahead while i gush as well!
I Really wanted to convey that, no matter what she did. She was always somewhat trapped in a way? Like even if she got whatever it is that she thought she wanted, It would still be at the risk of losing absolutely everything in her life as a "human".
She'd be backed into a hole regardless- but when looking down the barrel of what awaited her, should she go back- she thought: "screw it, I'll play along- what else do I have to lose??"
I wrote a lot of notes around how Alga was so deeply wishing for a way out of this "human" life, how she just wanted freedom, even at the cost of her cognition- though ultimately, it happened without her realizing that till the very end. I had notes writing down how she wouldn't continue about the sacrifice till she saw what she'd become, and choose to become a mermaid in the end anyway, too.
I'm glad you saw what you did in the old mariner, because that's exactly what I was going for! A guy who had seen the horrors of the past- he knew it would only lead to more chaos. And you're right- the one time Alga made her own decision without the assistance of others, it snowballed into the climax of the game.
I will say, I didn't originally plan for the chase scene at the end- I felt like it ended too abruptly without it, so it was a last minute decision. I did have a somewhat hard time setting up the rocks in a way that would be challenging but not too easy for players, though if anyone looked at the eventing/region stuff I did, they'd be appalled at the structure I went and did just to make it work 😭 so that's on me, I apologize! But I'm glad you made it in the end of course!
It's wild you mention that film, because I have seen it and the parallels are totally unintentional, but that's so cool that it made you think of it- it's incredibly flattering!! The VVitch definitely had that aura of it all, and i wonder if it influenced me in a way I wasn't aware of (since I hadn't seen it in several years, but it def stood out to me!) So thank you!!
To note, no RTP was used in the game, aside from rtp edits made by com-sho, and the rest were purchased assets (rtp meaning the default assets that come with the engine), but I do always worry about not making my own tiles;; I'm just not confident in making my own haha;; maybe one day!
All in all, thank you so much once again for the wonderful comments and the deep dive (lol) into the lore! You've no idea how happy this made me to read, and it only serves to help me grow, moving forward! ❤️
this is brilliant! art, music and story are so well put together, bravo!💙
Thank you so much~! <3