The last bus was scheduled to depart 20 minutes ago.
It did not.
It's been a long time since I made a game, so I decided to get back into it by challenging myself to make a short game/prototype (is this the right forum for it?) using AI-generated art, sounds, and voice acting. Unfortunately I can't quite manage to make AI-generated animations yet, so keep that in mind!
(https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/images/games/2753_1.png)
(https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/images/games/2753_2.png)
(https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/images/games/2753_3.png)
Play it online: https://the-last-bus.vercel.app/
Download: https://drive.google.com/file/d/10U2DWA1HOHVNwMHYMmbII6M7r40Il73_/view
AGS database: https://adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2753-the-last-bus/
Feedback much appreciated. Thanks for playing.
The AI graphics look nice, but fake in some way. I guess it's because the interactive bits stand out and lack shadows and the like. It reminded me somewhat of those toys with movable stickers (or magnets) on set backgrounds. Or the Kalkitos rub-off non-removable stickers from my childhood. Ahhh. [/Nostalgia mode] Anyway, it would be easy to slag off the game for using this tech, so I won't do that.
The story is silly and the humour darker than one should expect. I liked the interaction with the old man, while the puzzle solution left me wondering. Heavy spoiler:
Spoiler
So, I basically murder the bus driver, steal his keys and drive the bus to my home. The main character is ending up in jail right after the game ends, I guess. There's an explanation problem with the bus parked in the driveway. (laugh)
I know, I never complained when you had a whale with a cell phone in Nauticell (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/1713-nauticell/), so I guess my sudden bout of realism here is my problem. But this story didn't quite stick for me, and I ended up not liking the character I'm playing. Good to see you making games again, though.
I liked how the full room was revealed after the first couple interactions, creating sort of an interactive intro sequence. Nice.
As heltenjon said, the story flow is somewhat odd.
Spoiler
We needed the barista's permission to snatch a donut, but we had no issue getting the bus driver to choke on the gravel (that's what I assume happened), stealing his keys and hijacking the bus? Are we playing a psychopath? :=
If you don't have animations, you could perhaps consider using first person perspective. Maybe with the protagonist's portrait sewn into the GUI somewhere if you want the player to know what he looks like. For a training game it probably doesn't matter much, but if you're planning to continue using static graphics in your projects, this may be a good way to work around the lack of animations without making the games feel like a work in progress.