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Thank you for making it!

I forgot to mention about BUG 1 that I...

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left the alley and acquired the hacking tool and when I came back I encountered the bug. Not immediately after the encounters.

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Now that I think of it, this might be important in trying reproduce the bug. Though it seems you already took action. 

Hello Rik!

First of all congratulations on the release!

I love the city lights and the nocturnal technopolis atmosphere. You've got me intrigued by the story by giving me bits and pieces of the still obscured whole. The transition animations are very cool! I've enjoyed the puzzles so far very nicely. I think the first combat sequence was a bit overwhelming with the moving camera and John joining the fight. I felt like the time that I was actually playing was just a fragment of the overall sequence. The hacking minigame on the other hand is pretty neat, it's fast paced but clear.

I've encountered two bugs:

First:

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After the first combat I walked to the end of the alley behind the hospital and the player character went down to the boiler room where the first fight takes place. There were John and a Secubot in battle stance ready to rumble and I could walk around them. This would have been a minor bug, but when I climbed the ladder back up the player character would immediately turn around and go back again, so I was trapped down there. Good thing I had a save just before I made the mistake.

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Second:

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The second bug happened when I was on my way to Alexander's house the second time and I got stuck on handling the SecuBot going to and fro in front of the house. Without taking care of the bot I just started hacking the front door and managed to get in, but when I go to the TV room there's no John or cutscene or anything. And I was trapped again 'cause I couldn't leave the house either.

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Thanks for the kind words! I'm happy to see people taking an interest.

@RootBound

Looks really weird and interesting. I love the character art!

Nice! There will be many characters to come.

@agentbauer

Looks like it is heavily inspired by Manhunter.. And I love it

I love the art of Manhunter and the world that it has. I've been deterred from seeking it out and playing though, due to the punishing gameplay of games from that era.  But I'm definitely not unhappy about the connotation!

@heltenjon

Melon Head looks like he might have relatives in Shape Village. 

"And across the ages the basic shapes of Shape Village would evolve into... melons."

[I'm announcing my latest project:]

I'm announcing my latest project:



This time it's not a simulator, not a visual novel, not an exploration game, but a bonafide point and click adventure game from the first person perspective.

After some experimentations, this game has been on the works for two months now and it will be for many months to come. 

ITCH PAGE

Story:

In the hedonistic capital of His Majesty's Realm a faceless king commissions a local sculptor, Melon Head, our protagonist whose head is shaped like a melon, to craft an extension to His royal staff.

An extraordinary vision reveals an object of rare composition: A Crystal Iris Distillate. Pursuing the parts needed to craft the object essential in fulfilling the royal request, Melon Head precipitates to a strange adventure across His Majesty's Realm. He must use cunning, questionable morals and sharpness of intellect to succeed in his task and, ultimately, to choose between allegiance to his perceived benefactor and the rising forces of dissidence seeking to overthrow the balance of power.

PHOTOSENSITIVITY WARNING:

This game contains flashing lights that may not be suitable for people with photosensitive epilepsy.

Player discretion is advised.



Features:

-Strange characters of undefined species.
-Puzzles to intrigue the mind (item puzzles, dialog trees and other stuff).
-A built in hint system if you get stuck.
-Exploration of different areas of His Majesty's Realm.
-Three endings depending on choices.
-Colorful and highly saturated pixel art on a 16-color palette (an original art style using the EGA palette).
-Psychedelic visions.
-An out there jazzy original soundtrack.

Current status of the developement is:

Coming out in October 2024!

Here's a picture of Melon Head himself:

Congratulations! This is a big one for sure.

A very solid short game! The puzzles had some nice little riddles to solve and the music added a touch of drama to the story as well. The option to turn off the shadow in the text font was very considerate. This game might also have the tiniest dragon ever.  Good work, all in all!

(Can't wait for Mortville Manor)

Oh my, this game really nails it in all fields. Only gripe I might have would be the shortness, but then again there are so many games and so little time that it's pretty much just welcome. Wonderful game!

Yes! Back on track, then.

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There is an ingame hint on day 2, where Gaya says she gambled a family locket, but that's really all you have to go on to make the connection. It's pretty easy to miss for sure, considering how much text there is in the game. Maybe a way to examine the shop items might be in place!

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Hello @Nahuel! I'm sorry for replying so late. I have absolutely been sleeping on this thread.

As for your problem,

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Have you gone shopping yet?

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Thank you @Nahuel! Hope you enjoy the stuff added since the demo!

Oh my! I'll have to check this article asap.

I'm a bit late posting this but I had issues with CleanTalk.    Anyway...

I'm happy to inform that Menial is available in FireFlower Games' store!

Here's the link: https://fireflowergames.com/products/menial-a-utopian-bagel-simulator

Menial's demo is nominated for the Best Demo category in the AGS Awards of 2022!



A big Thank You to everybody who voted!

If you didn't, then here's a link to the database so you can check it out: https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2638-menial-a-utopian-bagel-simulator-demo-/ 

Congratulations on the release!

This game is immensely good! There's a lot to manage and many choices to struggle with. I just got into a situation where I had to choose between food and medicine for Walter, and it felt really dramatic! What I really like about this game is that with all the different status effects there's a great degree of chance in the game, which sort of creates a story of it's own along with the events that Walter goes through. Love the gameplay on this one.

I hadn't heard of Lankhor until I stumbled on this thread. I got inspired, did some digging and played the Black Sect remake from the database, which was awesome! It was just what I had been looking for after playing some MacVenture titles 

I'm sure you'll do a great job with this one. Having three palettes to choose from sounds like such a treat (the Dos(EGA) is my favorite by far).

Thank you!

Thanks FireFlower! The game's such a mash up of genres I don't always know what I should call it, it's a bagel simulator for one thing, it's a visual novel for another. 

Anyway, I'm releasing the full game, so off to the completed games thread and downloading the full version!

https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/completed-game-announcements/menial-a-utopian-bagel-simulator-releasing-the-full-game!/

[Menial: a Utopian Bagel Simulator]

Menial: a Utopian Bagel Simulator

For those who are intrigued about how Maria's story unfolds, I salute you!

For those who find this game presently, I salute you too, and I'd quickly describe Menial as a restaurant simulator and a visual novel, with some light point 'n' click puzzling in a comic pixel art style very much inspired by the NES.

More broadly Menial is a game about making bagels and living in the City State of Ineria, a fully automated utopia. You step into the shoes of Maria who's lifelong passion has been the (perhaps modest) art of making bagels. What does the following of your passion entail in a world of myriad possibilities? What pressures and attitudes must Maria endure from her surroundings? What is the utopian state of Ineria like and who lives there?

Core gameplay in Menial consists of daily setting up the stand, then making bagels and selling them to customers (or failing to do so). In the course of eight days Maria will meet some goofy characters of Ineria and hear their stories, problems and beliefs, and must face her own existential demons. In between days you'll visit Maria's home and have a chance to shop, gamble, dream and decorate the appartment.

Here's a link to download: https://wavey-games.itch.io/menial
Database: https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2661-menial-a-utopian-bagel-simulator/
Also available on Fire Flower Games' store: https://fireflowergames.com/products/menial-a-utopian-bagel-simulator


Maria has to go through a morning routine each day, which involves light puzzling.

A shot from the Bagel Simulator 1.0 where you construct bagels for customers.

A guy talking about the world after having bagels.

A picture of Maria's recepy book.

Just sitting in the rain before the shift begins.

For your consideration I present:

Menial: a Utopian Bagel Simulator (demo)

DATABASE LINK

This game is a genre mashup between a Visual Novel, a Restaurant Simulator and a Point and Click -game. You play as Maria who's trying to figure out life in a fully automatized utopian society working as a bagelist; yes, that's someone who makes and sells bagels. You may expect lots of dialogue to read with interesting characters and world building, some light puzzling and a bagel making simulator to mess around with. I'd love for you to try it out!




As the game is a demo, please consider Menial for the category:

-Best Demo

Exciting!

https://youtu.be/3MNo3S4MvT0

Hi and happy 2023!

I'm further expanding the gambling options! Here's a peek to a vintage slot machine (with Shape Village characters!) you can blow cash on. The odds aren't exactly favorable but I once got a jackpot on it. I must sadly say that a Blackjack won't be making it to the game. It's not poker, sure, but it's still a complex enough game that it'd take too much work for a mere side-activity. So I don't think it would be smart to start wrestling with. I'll be sure to come up with a third option for reckless gambling, however!

I'm glad to hear that!

I think this game came to have a more traditional narrative arc than my previous games and it's been a challenge to try and structure a story in a classical way like that. Fool Around had a dream setting so I think a stream of consciousness was definitely the way to go there. Shape Village had the branching storyline so again it offered much freedom. Also due to the lesser amount of exploration and gameplay in general there's been a special focus on the story in Menial.

All in all I do hope it's an enticing story!