Phototaxis
Phototaxis - /ˌfōdōˈtaksəs/ - noun:
The bodily movement of a motile organism in response to light, either toward the source of light ( positive phototaxis ) or away from it ( negative phototaxis ).
With no recollection of where you are or how you ended up in this dark room, your only source of hope is an antique heater producing the smallest amount of light and heat. As the room's temperature drops, you must explore your surroundings and find the exit to this prison, while learning what brought you here in the first place...
SPOILERS:
This was meant to be a personal story representing the end of a relationship (either friendship or romantic). Not all relationships last, and can end in different ways. In this case, the story is meant to portray the feeling of being in a sort of depression, hanging onto the positive feelings of the relationship (the light), while everything continues to move forward. The game was meant to have a more interesting setup, being able to "move" around the place and have an inventory system, with the ending being determined based on the items you pick up and what you do with them. However... I spent so much time trying to figure out the code for the complicated idea, I wasn't able to produce a successful project, making this an unfinished husk of what could've been.
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Left Mouse Click - Progress through text faster
- A and D - Choice Select
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The animated text has NOISE?! I need to start taking better notes on what elements would make my own games overall better. The overall ambiance of your game is astounding. I love the background hums and twinkles
I really like the sound, it makes me feel a bit disoriented, which is perfect. The ambient red light and the images make it feel so real, I would have loved to see what was on the computer/shelves!
The game definitely had a eerie feeling to it and I think the use of various elements and timers was really creative! I liked that I had the option to make the dialogue appear all on the screen if I didn't want to wait for it to appear little by little (which is still a cool feature). I loveee the sleep option's dialogue!
The ambient sound really adds to the concept of the story and it feels kind of introspective (idk if i used that word right). I had read your description prior to playing and I can definitely see what you're trying to convey. I think you did it really well! The "sleep" choice was a little silly (honk shoo mimi) but still fit with the concept.
I appreciate your use of the dark red filter as it creates an eerie feel to it, especially with the shadows. I also got a bit of a retro feel to it because of the text font, but I am not sure if that was actually your intention. Even if it was not, I do think it is quite visually stunning.
I really appreciated the addition of a light flickering of the screen at certain points, it really felt like I was the weak character that needed warmth and sleep desperately. Or did I imagine it?
Not sure if you mean move as in walking around a 3D space, or a point click kind of game, but I mixed the canvas text mesh UI with a textmesh 3D object in the environment to create the multiple texts. For the script, instead of TextGUI (i think), I just used TextUI. I’ll have to look back at my code but it allowed me to put in a regular 3D textmesh instead of it having to be a GUI object!
I really enjoy the aesthetic of the game. I think the color you picked for the page really nicely matches the desire to warm your character in the game. The music is also an added touch that fuels the mystery.
Like others have said, I really enjoy the typewriter effect you had with your text! But my favorite part is the sounds that you used to go with the text in order to make it seem like it's typing. The sounds are creamy and nice and bring a sort of comfort, like the light in the game, despite the errie feeling.
I think this game has a lot of meaning as is. I’m not sure if the loop at the computer screen was intentional, but even if it wasn’t it has its own message to communicate. My suggestion is to try and not look for perfection, but find the good things that may come unexpected and build upon some of those
Even though the creator mentioned this game is unfinished, it already looks really well made. I especially loved the pixel-style text and the way it appeared—it was super effective and I wonder how you did that!
This game reminds me a lot of Aiden’s game with the color scheme and jsa1004’s the other room with the concept.I may have broken the game because it starts to loop when I’m looking at the shelves or the computer. But the aesthetic reminds me of some indie horror games I’ve played, especially with the pixel font.
I definitely agree with tysoob below: the manipulation with the text in order to create a feeling of unease really does its job. The meta play on how the text is presented to the player was probably a really provoking way to bring them into the game when it was introduced, and I feel like you brought it in here very well!
The game's genre is clearly leaning more into the mystery and horror side. I especially love how eerie the game is and makes the player feel, like when the text is full of stutters and makes it seem like you're possessed and then snaps back to normal. An incredible delivery of horror in only just text format!
I agree, even the use of the changing the text speed does a lot to give a sense of unease / instability. I really love the sense of isolation in this work, purely from the text alone. I do think this is a concept worth finishing, or at least seeing some sort of conclusion eventually.
edit: I read the description and I don't know if you necessarily need items (though I think multiple choices leading to different endings would be interesting). I enjoyed the concept in itself and even if it's just a linear exploration of what it means to pursue light (hanging onto feelings) or letting go.
The atmosphere this game is able to invoke via the dim world and scrolling text really gives the impression that the player is somewhere cold and maybe even robotic. Yet, you still feel in control, as you can choose to sleep on the floor and waste away instead of exploring.
something that some text based games are missing is the feeling that the game is alive and breathing and that is acheived impressively well with the speed and style of the text and the unorthodox manner of writing
Interesting choice to have the game dimly lit, it really adds to the mystery of the game. I wonder how you were able to have the text type itself out as it appears. I was wondering how to have something like that happen.
The effect of the text is really cool and it helps the game to be creepier and more immersive~I love the background coming with the text as well, it fits what has said. The only thing is that maybe have an end? Even if a rush end. It will make the game more complete<
The visuality of the background elements was nice. The blinking animation during one of the pathways was also a good touch in immersing the player in the story
really impressive game. I like how you make these typing effect on your text. Besides. everytime I made a choice, the scene will change, it really put me into the story.