Unsatisfying

[Done25]

I wanted to like this game as soon as I saw the store page, I really did, but you forgot one simple fact that every game needs. *Engagement*. As soon as I figured out that every single ending would be bad, the game instantly lost me. I can tell what you were going for, but I just didn't have any reason to *care*. I couldn't even be bothered to get to "The End" because of how un-engaged I was by the 3rd ending.

In fact, the "best" ending is achieved by not doing anything, and even that's more bitter sweet that satisfying. So really, what's the point of a game where the only way to win...is to not play at all?

[Garage Heathen]

Hey, thanks for playing. Would you say that the point of every game is to win?

[Done25]

Originally posted by Garage Heathen:

Hey, thanks for playing. Would you say that the point of every game is to win?

Not so much as to win, but to engage you in whatever the core drive or loop of the game is.

In order for this particular game to "work", you have to engage with the girl. Either positively or negatively. However, since nothing you do turns out well, and the "best" ending *requires* you to flat out ignore her, there's no reason to actually want to play this. Unless the player's goal is to see just how nasty they can be to a captive "person", of course.

To try and condense what I'm talking about: What pain is there in failure, if there was never a chance to succeed? The first death gets you because you want to help her, but, by death 2 or 3, you quickly learn that (almost) everything you do ends badly. So you stop caring, and that's where the game fails imo. As soon as the player stops caring about the girl, either to help or harm her, then the game loses all meaning.

Also, you can't have your cake and eat it too. You can't try and emotionally sucker punch us, only for "The End" to then go: "Oh by the way, I'm not an actual person. I'm just code and pixels designed to make you think that I'm a person who's suffering".

Don't get me wrong. Again, I love what you tried to do here, but it needed *more*.

Even with what you're currently doing, the days are just too short and too few to form a real attachment to the girl. The "Hang On!" route for sure needed to go on for at least 10~15 days. More interaction with the girl. Maybe with her slowly running out of things to talk about around day 5~7, then the next few are just her going ".....". Finally, the girl says, "I can't go on like this any more. When you're not here there's nothing. Nothing but silence and waiting.". With her then refusing to shower, or eat any of the food you give her. You unable to do anything but watch as the days go by until her meters run out and then, well... X_X Heck, you could even be more subtle about the death. Her laying on the ground. Facing away from the camera. Not moving. Her stillness daring the player to rotate around her and look...

THAT, would hit so much harder. You've had more time to grow attached, and more time to let the agonizing inevitability of "I can't do anything" set in until the last, horrible, day finally arrives.

Tl:Dr - Everything outside of the "main" ending requires you to act like a ♥♥♥♥♥♥ human being. I, at the very least hope, there aren't many players who enjoyed starving the girl until she was forced to show off her underwear in an attempt to beg for food, only for her to then kill herself the very next day.

Oh God Why Can't I Stop Typing This Was Only Supposed To Be a Short Reply Please Help Me AAAAAAAAAAAAA - So, I don't know if you played it, but Death Stranding has a situation similar to what happens in this game. A grumpy old man lives way up in this tall, pain in the ass, mountain, and he's damn unpleasant to you. But, if you keep delivering to him, he warms up to over time. Howeverrrr, if you get "busy", or actually busy progressing the story, and fail to deliver his meds, you'll eventually get an email from him. An email telling you that he's finally kicking the bucket. If this was scripted it would be a "Oh ♥♥♥♥ you too, game" moment, but it isn't. He only dies if *the player* fails to ensure he gets his medicine on a regular basis. It's *the player's fault* he dies, and that's what makes the moment grab you by the heart strings for a good hard *YANK*. (Or not, depending on if you *realllly* hated the guy.)

[Done25]

Honestly, you have such a great concept here, and I think it could be made into a larger/longer game. An actual tamagotchi type experience even. She grows hungry/dirty in real time, and you have feed/bathe her on a regular basis. (Bathe at least once, feed 2~3 times a day.) Maybe even buy items from the store for her to play with. (All of which would be paid for by playing a, slightly dull, mini game as a virtual "job".)

Test how long players can go before they either get bored, forget about her, or decide to just see how really messed up they can be. After all, it's just a game. They can always just reset her, right?

Except, as a really mean twist, you could make it so that they only get the one girl. If you mind break her, she stays broken. If she dies, she's dead forever. (Courtesy of a hard to find file that gets hidden somewhere in the user's C drive.)

[chris_dude]

Originally posted by Done25:

Honestly, you have such a great concept here, and I think it could be made into a larger/longer game. An actual tamagotchi type experience even. She grows hungry/dirty in real time, and you have feed/bathe her on a regular basis. (Bathe at least once, feed 2~3 times a day.) Maybe even buy items from the store for her to play with. (All of which would be paid for by playing a, slightly dull, mini game as a virtual "job".)

Test how long players can go before they either get bored, forget about her, or decide to just see how really messed up they can be. After all, it's just a game. They can always just reset her, right?

this sounds like a great set of ideas, which could work perfectly for a SEQUEL to this game...
and along with those ideas, the sequel should have a happy/neutral ending(s) too,
for a more complete experience in the game, along with a ''shop'' where you can buy stuff for her,
also to have some extra activities for her, (exercise, running, playing a sport, dancing, listening to music, etc etc), and adding extra stuff around her, so that the space close to her doesn't feel as empty as it originally was....

my only objections to your ideas is the ''real time'' hunger/dirty meter decreasing, for it would require a daily/constant vigilance over the girl's well-being, and noone can be so devoted to a game 24/7.

she should get hungry/dirty in ''game time'' instead, as you play the game...

another objection of mine to your suggestions is the ''permadeath'' mechanic.
a permadeath would kill the interest anyone would have for replaying the game, and in this game, replayability is the most important thing in it...

i could also suggest having her ''change'' according to your actions, if you overdo some things...

feed her too much? she gets fat.
exercise too much? she gets fit/very strong.
dance too much? she becomes a rave girl.
give her a specific type of music to listen too? she becomes a goth girl.
give her too much make-up +silly magazines? she becomes a bimbo.
etc etc, so on and so forth... you get the idea!

having such drastic changes for her and extra endings (along with a good one), would make this game's sequel a great game, imho.

also exploring the lore of her ''daddys'' dark land where ''huge thunders fall and darkness is everywhere'' as she stands ''under the sycamore trees'', this would be a great mystery to unravel in the sequel of this game...

thats some food for thought.
this game has got a good traction already, and its so small, so imagine how good a (much) bigger sequel would be, mr developer!

[chris_dude]

PS: my above message isnt just addressed to mr ''done25'', who is a fan of this game (as i am too), but i also address it to the developer of the game too, to mr ''garage heathen''.
i sincerely hope that the ideas above and the general interest in his game will inspire the developer to create a cool sequel to this thought-provoking game...

[Done25]

Originally posted by chris_dude:

My only objections to your ideas is the ''real time'' hunger/dirty meter decreasing, for it would require a daily/constant vigilance over the girl's well-being, and noone can be so devoted to a game 24/7.

I mean, that's the basis of how an IRL tamagachi game works...

Originally posted by chris_dude:

i could also suggest having her ''change'' according to your actions, if you overdo some things...

feed her too much? she gets fat.
exercise too much? she gets fit/very strong.
dance too much? she becomes a rave girl.
give her a specific type of music to listen too? she becomes a goth girl.
give her too much make-up +silly magazines? she becomes a bimbo.
etc etc, so on and so forth... you get the idea!

having such drastic changes for her and extra endings (along with a good one), would make this game's sequel a great game, imho.

Seeing how she slowly changes over time would be a big part of the draw, yes.

Originally posted by chris_dude:

also exploring the lore of her ''daddys'' dark land where ''huge thunders fall and darkness is everywhere'' as she stands ''under the sycamore trees'', this would be a great mystery to unravel in the sequel of this game...

Gimme muh lore. I want moar...

[Osama Bin Hidin']

I think my problem is the days are too short. A game kinda similar is doki doki literature club were you have more time to play the game and make choices. The emotional impact come way to early to me to have any feeling to the girl especially when it happens so suddenly. I think it should be a bit slower for her to change moods or have my actions not be so drastic for the ending to happen, at least with some ending

[Done25]

Originally posted by Robot Jones:

I think my problem is the days are too short. A game kinda similar is doki doki literature club were you have more time to play the game and make choices. The emotional impact come way to early to me to have any feeling to the girl especially when it happens so suddenly. I think it should be a bit slower for her to change moods or have my actions not be so drastic for the ending to happen, at least with some ending

"...the days are just too short and too few to form a real attachment to the girl."
Pretty much what I said earlier. Even if it got buried in the wall of text I made. ;>x>

[I love chara]

I think the game should have a good ending.....

[IchigoMait]

One ending where she leaves the place, is the only good ending, unless you think that only you matters? Considering all the other endings are bad, because she is stuck in that place.

[Perberos]

I really wanted more lewd content ... don't judge me! *hides under a rock* *whisper* but I would love a sequel

[Perberos]

Seriously speaking, the style of the game is very
Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Where everyone loses. There is not always a happy ending. But the happy thing is to have played the game and that it remains in your memories, that is an epic win for the developer. So good work. Ignore me, I had some vodka cups, because today is monday and I have so much delayed work eek but new content and achievements is always welcome, although I always suggest creating a new game. So that the developer can get more money, on the condition that this game has covered all the expenses to create a new game. Welp.

[Kate_Unknown]

I enjoyed the game a lot, but it would be very interesting to see a sequel where the player has a little more influence and choice. Like maybe with actual tamagotchi mechanics instead of faux ones.

One example that stood out to me was the player being forced to leave for extended periods of time. I get that this is supposed to emulate the natural flow of how people generally interact with these kind of pets but it can feel a bit less authentic when you promise to see Tgotchi again the next day and have no way of actually following through with that.

I am not sure how feasible such a sequel would be considering the number of paths, but it would be cool and I will play that right away.

[IchigoMait]

Originally posted by Uzumaki:

I enjoyed the game a lot, but it would be very interesting to see a sequel where the player has a little more influence and choice. Like maybe with actual tamagotchi mechanics instead of faux ones.

One example that stood out to me was the player being forced to leave for extended periods of time. I get that this is supposed to emulate the natural flow of how people generally interact with these kind of pets but it can feel a bit less authentic when you promise to see Tgotchi again the next day and have no way of actually following through with that.

I am not sure how feasible such a sequel would be considering the number of paths, but it would be cool and I will play that right away.

Ironically, when I used a real tamagotchi in school, then I checked on it every time I had free time, until it evolved fully, don't remember what happened at the end though.

[Suzuki Joe]

Originally posted by Garage Heathen:

Hey, thanks for playing. Would you say that the point of every game is to win?

In all fairness, a game isn't much of a game without a victory condition...