Topic: Are you up to playing dozens of great adventures?

[heltenjon]

The official voting is over, and some games were placed too high and some too low, as usual. 

I played The Cavern Echoes. Nice idea to pop in and out of your body. This entry was designed a bit differently than the engine works, giving a description when the mouse pointer hovers over something, and saying that description isn't interesting when I right-clicked.  The intention was clearly to use left button only. The game wasn't finished, and the ending is text only in the version out now. Short, okay game with decent pictures and easy puzzles.

And after I saw the results, I also played The Telwynium. This gave me vibes back to Conquests of Camelot. There is a lot of fantasy setup with names, titles and areas, but after some minutes it works very well. Very well-written, good character interaction, great world-building and also very good use of what isn't really that many locations. The story finds a balance between darkness and humour without feeling strained. A bit on the easy side, perhaps, but quite a long story. Even though it's not my number one pick, I can easily understand why this one was the overall winner. It's a very good jam game.

[fernewelten]

The official voting is over, and some games were placed too high and some too low, as usual. 

For those interested: The following is the list of games that ranked #1 to #5 in at least one voting category.

Spoiler: ShowHide

[Honza]

For those interested: The following is the list of games that ranked #1 to #5 in at least one voting category.

Spoiler: ShowHide

Just two corrections:

#4 in Mental Engagement is Nebraska Smith (not Darts 2).
#4 in Characterization is Coffin Valley (not Anamnesis II).

[heltenjon]

Well, the jam has ended, but I think I'll play them all, just the same.

I tried Gynoid. This game is unfinished. The dirty look of the building was nice, but it was difficult to see objects. There wasn't much to do, either, though the story seems interesting (if generic) and the atmosphere is good. I'm not really a fan of first person perspective in an adventure games, but that isn't the developer's fault. I found some objects, mostly newspapers and books that gave some backstory, but nothing I could use. (Unless I used the keys automatically.) If there are more locations available than the first house, I failed to find them.

As it is, it's an atmospheric demo of a first person cyberpunkish adventure.

[fernewelten]

Yes, the jam has ended, but even after two months, Thinker is still getting a sporadic trickle of some views and downloads.

People still seem to be finding and playing the jam games, every now and then.

[heltenjon]

I finally got around to playing A Weekend at Villa Apate, and I understand why this was a favourite among many of you. It's small in download size and huge in content.

I really like the characters, the over-the-top humour, and the convoluted puzzles. I played the jam version and was stuck because I didn't see an exit, but got a hint from a comment on gamejolt from another player who had the same experience. This has been improved in a new version. I think this may be my favourite game of the jam, together with IMAGinE.

All you who liked the time-traveling mechanics of this game (or of Day of The Tentacle, for that matter), will probably also enjoy Lucas Mendoza - Amateur Detective DEMO. It's a fascinating way to create games and puzzles. (And vice versa if you only played Lucas Mendoza, of course.) 

[heltenjon]

Those who enjoyed Train to Amber Coast will perhaps be interested to know that the game now is expanded into a finished game. There are now some easy puzzles, more characters and locations and a longer story (ten minutes, perhaps). Very well done. Recommended.

[newwaveburritos]

I just played Train to Amber Coast and I agree.  Very charming and recommended. 

[heltenjon]

Before playing The Creator is Mean 2, I just had to play number one. And I'm glad I did, because the story is connected (even if it's silly).

The first game deals with a drawing escaping the computer and running around in the real world, while the second game is concerned with running around inside a computer, visiting familiar games (sort of) and programs in order to make your escape. I had the most fun with the first one, but I think perhaps most people will prefer the sequel. While the first game drops the drawing in the middle of a bug war, the second is more loosely connected with better puzzles and more in-jokes. I feel I have more positives to say about number two, even though I liked number one better.  No matter. If you like one, you'll probably like the other, too.

[heltenjon]

Next up, I tried first Anamnesis I, then Anamnesis II. These make up a story that will probably continue in more games. Both games are short and a bit unpolished, but with some nice graphics in there some of the time. I was stumped by a matching puzzle in game one that was incredibly easy once you understand what to do. Genious puzzle or lacking design?  A bit of both. i needed a hint from the comment section.

The second game has branching paths, although I only managed to follow one of them to the ending. There is a safe code breaking puzzle that I think relies on having a more sensitive mouse wheel than I've got, but thankfully, I could skip it. There's more of a story this time around, although it's a story that sounds familiar.

These games are okay, but I'd say they are skippable compared to the best in the jam. (Only the second is an entry in this.) But it's nice to know there's someone out there making their story in installments, one game per jam, improving as they go.

[heltenjon]

I played Echoes of Academe. And I was surprised. I can't really say much more without spoiling the experience for others. The game ought to be played several times in a row without quitting, due to the random generation of the campus. For me, this was worth my time.