Play game
illusion of choice's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Narrative | #1345 | 3.095 | 3.095 |
| Audio | #4188 | 2.714 | 2.714 |
| Creativity | #4964 | 3.000 | 3.000 |
| Enjoyment | #5655 | 2.476 | 2.476 |
| Artwork | #7500 | 2.048 | 2.048 |
Ranked from 21 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?
this game is an interactive fiction where the narrator remembers the choices you made in previous loops of the interactive fiction. the narrative of the game is also based around the narrator finding out that no matter what choices you make the loop is always by in large the same
(Optional) Please credit all assets you've used
all audio and visual assets were made by me using mspaint, audacity (using a bot called craig to record discord call) and beepbox
(Optional) What would you like to be called if GMTK features your game?
patrickbutsmart
Leave a comment
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
Comments
I recognize the cheeky narration from your Shovel Jam game!
It's a bit less interactive than I usually like in these types of games, but I suppose that's the point
Normally I'd nitpick the art, but the MS Paint vibe kinda fits here
If anything, I think you could upgrade your mic setup. The narration is the central part of the game, so it's a shame that the audio is a bit muffled at times
Either that or some EQ and compression to help clean up the audio
Thanks for the feedback. Especially compared to the shovel jam game this is a lot less interactive, (as u could press basically any button in that game).
Given that the narrator had to remember your choices from previous rounds (idk if rounds is the right word), the amount of interactivity for any one part is quite limited due to scope.
Glad you think the mspaint vibes fits in with the game. The mic is very much low quality (literally just from a headset). I used a discord bot to record the audio which helps a bit with compression (cuz discord has compression). That being said the muffled is probably less the mic's fault and more mine
Really fun interactive fiction with a cheeky, meta twist—like a mini ‘Stanley Parable’ with a narrator who kinda remembers your choices... or does he? The voice acting adds so much charm, the simple art style fits just right, and there's a sweet surprise in the writing that totally caught me off guard. A few folks felt like the clickable areas (like doors) could’ve been more obvious, and some wanted a faster skip option for repeated stuff… but overall it’s clever, whimsical, and surprisingly touching
I am glad that you seemed to enjoy it and thanks for the feedback. If the surprise in the writing is what I think it is (which I would be impressed if so as it is quite awkward to get to), then that was added after I thought the game was completely done. The doors is something I somehow completely overlooked Fortunately once you are hovering over a number you can figure out that it is the clickable part but somehow the doors was oversight. I think I mentioned in a previous reply but faster skip although would have been awkward to implement in a way to where the game still makes sense, would have been a very nice feature
Fun game. I always enjoy this type of game and going down all the paths. Good work!
I am glad to hear that you seemed to enjoyed it. Even if the choices don't matter in the way you'd expect
The game is really beautiful and very unique! I honestly didn’t expect something like this when I first clicked on it — but in a good way, haha. I really enjoy games like this. The voice acting was a great touch; it added so much to the atmosphere and reflected the humor perfectly!
I believe I understand what you mean fairly well. I don't think the game would work nearly as well if you had some idea on what to expect (even if in retrospect the title makes some sense). the not knowing what to expect helped excuse the bad art style potentially to the point where polished art would feel out of place. The concept required voice acting but since majority of games don't have a narrator/voice acting it definitely seemed to have been more appreciated than it potentially deserved. I appreciate you telling me where you believe where the game done good.
The narrator is so funny and relatable lol - and I love how many reactions there are to different scenarios!
glad you like it.
Love the cute, simple art style, charming narrative, and the fourth wall-breaking meta-humor!
Just a little suggestion, I hope the mouse hover indicator/effect on the clickable thing can be more obvious. I click the door for a while, wondering why the game does not respond to my click, until some moment later I realize that I should click the number, not the door itself.
yeh I only had that as an afterthought at some point. in hindsight would have also been very easy to fix. will know for next time
I agree, it would be more intuitive I think to click on the door.
A challenging game to pull off, but you've done well!
I wish the unicorn stayed, haha
ah well maybe if you were faster, the unicorn would have stayed :)
Yes, I would describe this as a "budget Stanley Parable"
Doing meta-humor can be tricky (which I understand personally...); but I think it works here.
My favourite part was how resetting the narrator caused him to forget his own name.
Personally, I would have liked a way to choose doors without waiting for the narrator - especially when replaying.
I felt like the earlier rooms were soft-blocking me from trying to explore more combinations of options in the later rooms; because I had to wait to listen to something that I've heard before.
I don't know what you mean by yes but I really like how you describe the game as a budget Stanley parable. I think the hardest part of meta humour might be that you can't really tell if the humour will land. Glad you like the wee easter egg. The intro was quite along and so it would have been annoying to have to listen to the whole thing each time and it felt like it would make sense that if the narrator's memories were erased by the game that he would be condition to not think the art sucks.
Now that you mention it, it would have been nice to have someway of skipping however it would have been a balancing acts of sorts in ensuring the game still makes sense but is something I overlooked.
Oh yeah, I didn't think it would easy to do.
I totally get why it's not there.
:)
Nice work! I loved how you turned the audio settings screen into a sort of atmosphere building opportunity with the rambling.
I got a little confused as to when I could click through or not, I guess it was only once the color changed to indicate I could move? At one point or another I thought it didn’t go through or even “remembered” I had gone through another door. A bit short, but leaves some room for imagination of how different loops or more of a sequence of clues or actions could build up.
Glad you liked the audio settings. yeh the colour was meant to be the signal whichever changed whenever the guy stopped speaking. There is moments in the game where the game gets which door you went through wrong, there is also a good chance that I messed up the narrator voiceline at some point as it unfortunately wasn't something I could fully test every possibility for 3 or so playthroughs. Appreciate the feedback
Is this the new Stanley Parable? Funny game
glad you thought it was humourous. Although I haven't played Stanley's Parable from what I seen it seems like a great game and references to it is a clear indicator to me that the gimmick of the game (the fact that it is somewhat meta)