Messages

Good to see two solid entries this month. My thoughts:

Alien Prison Escape by Bulbapuck

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Great idea, good story, really funny and what stands out is the puzzles. I particularly enjoyed the "close up" puzzle.

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Santa Quest by GOC Games

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Despite missing Christmas by a few days, still a good seasonal entry! Rather than having a variety of puzzle, this has a lot of (I think 12?) matchup puzzles based on clues. I got some of them off the bat but some I had no idea. When the game was over I got a "Better luck next time" message. I suppose that gives the game an opportunity for replay by recording which present you gave to which child and then using a process of elimination approach improving the results each subsequent time until you get a perfect score. My own preference was to leave the game as is rather than continuing to play repeatedly

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My vote went to

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Alien Prison Escape because of the variety of puzzles as well as the story. I had an overall more fun experience playing this game

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I played this game last night.

- Top-notch, professional-grade storybook backgrounds and characters. Well designed maps and no effort was spared to design an explorable world with so much to look at.
- Great story and interesting characters. The story unfolds at the perfect pace to draw the player into the game and make you want to keep playing.
- I found the puzzles to be delightful to solve and got a lot of satisfaction out of how my mind was moving constantly, putting together all the different things to do to get through the puzzles. I never found any of the puzzles frustrating. I will say that despite all this, they were on the easier side, and were solved quite intuitively. My absolute FAVOURITE puzzle was:

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The pig-head tracking. I think I may have seen something like this in the past but it is DEFINITELY a creative way to give hints as to where to look

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Overall, exceptional work and congrats.

I made a game!
It's called Alien Prison Escape and I sincerely hope I fixed all the bugs   


Completed games announcements thread
Games page
itch.io page

I had the game crash on me. I 

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tried using the rock on the bed once the bedding was gone

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Other than that, the game is FUNNY and really well designed, clever puzzles. I recommend that the save and load is built into the interface to make it more obvious.

Good job.

[Highland Spirit]

But then I read what Shadow1000, fellow AGS-er whose opinions I value a lot, wrote about Highland Spirit, a game he clearly loves:

My only criticism is that there were some puzzles that you had to literally click every item out of a few dozen till you came across the one you are looking for. This is not unheard of in traditional point and click adventures (in fact, most of the time that you encounter a bookcase, you can expect to have to click all the wrong titles till you find that book you're looking for) but still a bit tedious.

So I guess we're a divided lot. He's critical to the very thing I tell you I want in your game.    In the end, you'll have to do what feels right to you. There's a fine line somewhere between engrossing and tedious, you just have to find it.

Hey, thanks for the shout-out. As far as a divided lot, you're 100% right. There's no such thing as a game that will cater to everyone with every puzzle. I know that (as you pointed out) I can really enjoy a great game even though some of the puzzles aren't my speed, and someone will like the same game for the puzzles that I didn't care for and not like the puzzles I enjoyed. The key is to vary up the types of puzzles and test it on a broad enough group that there's a consensus of people who enjoy it.

Cheers

[Don't give up the Cat by eri0oA]

Well, we got five contenders this month and I've cast my vote. Here are my thoughts:

Don't give up the Cat by eri0oA

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The strength of this game is definitely the amazing 3D immersive experience. Gameplay itself was somewhat straightforward but a very creative implementation of the theme of the month. I enjoyed it for the most part but I did spend about half my playing time wandering.

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Very Serious Plumbing Simulator by Falsely

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Very minimalist in terms of both the graphics and inventory items, but surprisingly packed with things to do and figure out to solve the game. I enjoyed the story and found the gameplay enjoyable and suspenseful

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Highland Spirit by ddavey1983

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This game is the closest of the batch to being a traditional point and click adventure. The graphics, animation and sound effects are all superb. The story is detailed but amazingly opens an even more detailed backstory. I will confess to having more than a few laughs while playing. Having a map that expands as you play is a great touch.

All that said, the puzzles are what really makes this game shine. Most of them are quite logical and follow traditional puzzle patterns in terms of digging around for clues and revisiting old areas. My own experience with the puzzle solving was that I was able to proceed at just the right pace that I always felt rewarded at my progress and never felt stuck or frustrated.

My only criticism is that there were some puzzles that you had to literally click every item out of a few dozen till you came across the one you are looking for. This is not unheard of in traditional point and click adventures (in fact, most of the time that you encounter a bookcase, you can expect to have to click all the wrong titles till you find that book you're looking for) but still a bit tedious.

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Two Ghosts of That House: The Missing Toy by Volcan

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I really enjoyed the background and character art. There is one task to complete rather than any puzzles so the game took about 5 minutes.

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Ghost Hunter: Dracula by newwaveburritos

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I don't think I've ever seen anything like this 3D maze using AGS before! It reminded me of the Bards Tale that I used to play on the Apple II back in the 80s. At this point the gameplay is a bit basic but this sure has a lot of potential, especially if it gets worked into a bigger game

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My vote went to

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Highland Spirit. It's amazing that a mid-length game with this much polish and well-designed puzzles was made in such a short time period.

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Well done!

I can help out, I think, since I wrote the thing!  It does actually only run in browser right now.  I didn't have time to upload the downloadable version before I ran out of time. Certainly I can add it to the page since it doesn't actually change the game but I wanted to err on the side of caution.  Alt+Enter will get you to fullscreen but I was having problems with the fullscreen popup on itch in that I couldn't always get the keyboard to work and it's actually  keyboard only control.

As to goals there's a magical map you need to find in the second "room" of the maze.  If you get stuck though you can actually just press "M" to bring up the map at any time since I didn't bother to add a check in the game to make sure you actually had the map before using it.  There really isn't a ton to do in the game but hunt down the ghost.  You'll get a bit more direction when you find the map but essentially you're just traversing the length on the maze which is relatively linear in that it's four "rooms" on top of one another.

Thanks! I played the game and took out the ghost. It looks like it has potential. I had no problem playing in fullscreen mode.

I can't imagine there's not a few bugs in here but you can finish the game if you play it exactly like I did!!

A different maze every time you start a new game!!  EriOo inspired me to do a ghost hunt dungeon crawl and I barely made it in time but it's all there.

Ghost Hunter: Dracula

If you like dungeons this is really the bones of a larger project so stay tuned.

Tough to pick just three since the whole game looks so different screen to screen lol...

1. It seems that this game only runs in a browser rather than from the desktop. Can anyone confirm this?

2. Is there a way to play in fullscreen mode? I don't know if it's because it's in a relatively small window on the browser payge but I can't read anything the character is saying.

3. Is there a way to know what the objective is of this game? I wandered around a bit and I'm wondering if I missed something.

I can see this theme lending itself to a bunch of escape-the-room entries. Good luck!

[Highland Spirit - a traditional point-and-click adventure by GOC Games]

I managed to get it (more or less) done! It works fine, just would have ideally given it a little extra polish.

Highland Spirit - a traditional point-and-click adventure by GOC Games
https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2646-highland-spirit/

Becky Speed is an aspiring novelist who is seeking to break her writer's block with a relaxing solo trip to the Scottish Highlands.

However, Becky is about to discover that in her idyllic cottage, she is not alone at all...

I spent about 30 minutes playing this game and I'm really enjoying it. I just can't figure out how to Save and Load/Restore? I clicked the S button but when I click R nothing happens. When I try to load from the title screen, it doesn't show my saved game. How do I continue without losing my progress?

I completed the game in about 25 minutes.

Overall, the idea is excellent and the interface is outstanding! I did find myself wandering a bit but ultimately I did solve the game without getting too lost.

Gostei muito; parabéns!

Wow! Congrats!!

My opinion:

The Stinker by Slasher:

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Great adaptation of the theme and funny backstory.

Ok, I have to admit: I hate vandalism. When I see public property damaged or graffiti spray painted, I get pretty upset. At first, I could not bring myself to cause damage even in the game, but it didn't take long for me to learn how much fun it is to f--- up some park equipment!

Not challenging in terms of puzzles, but a LOT of fun and entertaining nevertheless.

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Siren by GOC Games:

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WOW! I was not expecting that. I loved the spooky feel to the game and playing two characters was awesome! Puzzles are a bit simple but adequate to make the game a really good experience. I hope this gets expanded one day to a longer story with more complex puzzles

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Unfair by ZapZap:

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Very creative game, requiring close attention to detail from the player. Intriguing story that unfolds really well as the game progresses. I have not had the time to complete it successfully but I definitely intend to once my schedule opens up!

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I voted for

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Siren. I had the best overall enjoyment and immersion playing it

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I really enjoyed this game. Like Lorenzo's previous games, pro-grade comic art, creative theme and decent puzzles. Although the puzzles were on the easier side, they were enough to make the game an enjoyable experience. Some feedback:

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1. The character can walk right past the nurse. He can't do anything once there but you probably should block his ability to proceed past where the nurse is standing until the time is right.

2. I realize that the game was made under time constraints, but if you expand the game, you can put in a few things to do or even some challenges or things to go wrong once you've collected the necessary items rather than have the game just end there

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I finished playing Son of Xenon last night and I absolutely LOVED every minute. I don't remember the last time we AGSers were treated to a good full length game.

- Graphics, sound, animation, music, all top notch in capturing that 90s gaming experience.
- Good story that progresses nicely as the game unfolds. I like how the story is "chapterized" with specific characters and tasks in each "chapter".
- I don't usually like games where you die frequently, but it actually worked well in this game, and the smart-a$$ caption on the "you are dead" screen captures that 90s Sierra feel.
- And now for the strongest point: PUZZLES. I love how the puzzles are complex and not obvious, but with just the right combination of logic, intuition and trial and error (ok and some pixel hunting at times), they are ALL solvable and exactly at that perfect difficulty level. I won't say more but the approach in the last chapter was AWESOME.

In all, the game must have been a huge time investment over years and the effort really shows.

Big congratulations.

Hi Shadow1000,

No, you don't need to go back to the egg, you can't get more shell anyway. The search process is "hit and miss" in a way, but if you've been overflown by the big bird it's showing you a direction and you don't need to go too far.  Without playing it again I think that from the cactus you go

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south, west, west. north and you should see an oasis in the distance.

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I hope that helps and that you're enjoying the game. Cheers!

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Before I posted, I actually mapped out every square that you can reach after drinking from the cactus and unless my map is wrong, there is a killer cactus if you go (starting from the shadow) south, west, west as well as one to the north of that. (I just tried again and this is correct) Maybe there's a way to bypass the killer cactuses that I don't know about?

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OK I tried again and

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The oasis is SWWN from the egg, not the shadow

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Thanks a lot!

You need to find your way further through the desert.
You will find

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a cactus to drink some water from it.

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And later

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some kind of oasis.

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I'm stuck at the same place.

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I got water from the cactus and I know I'll have to get back to the egg to get more shell (at least I assume I need to?) I've seen the area with the  dark shadow overhead but spent about 45 minutes trying to find the oasis. Is there some logic to this part of the game or is it just a matter of trying every direction and restoring till you get it?

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[Cutman]

It's good to see three great entries. Here are my thoughts:

Cutman

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Really creative and original. I don't think I've seen anything like this made with AGS before. Not a fighting game per se, as you don't control the movements of the fighter, but the fighting is a great way to set a context for the healing and fun to watch. Putting a timer on following the steps was a great idea so it's not just a guessing game. I enjoyed playing playing this.

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State of Mind

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Slasher is baaaaaaaaaaaaack!!! And out with another Slasher style game. Multiple locations, vibration bar, numerous NPCs and puzzles, overall an easy to solve, but entertaining entry!

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The Potion Master

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Quality pixel art that makes you feel like you're right there. Great story and perfect adaptation of the theme. Great combination of inventory puzzles, closeup puzzles, identify items using reference books, dialogue puzzles and everything that makes a complete adventure game. What really stood out to me was the pacing of the game and puzzle design. In my opinion, these are the hardest to get just right because everyone is going to experience the same game differently. But MY experience was that I had to work to solve the puzzles and the story unfolded in perfect sync with the progress.

Of course this game has a LOT of room for expansion: more places to visit, more potions to use, more people to talk to and so on. But for a MAGS entry made under time constraints, this is an outstanding work.

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My Vote

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Potion Master gets it this month. Aside from the features I mentioned, the overall polish and extensive interface is so outstanding that this is my vote.

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My thoughts:

The Will

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I enjoyed the entire experience. Background graphics are good, characters are a bit on the simple side, sounds effects are perfect. What really makes this game shine is the story and puzzles. The difficulty of the puzzles is exactly where I would want them: I did not breeze along but progress felt rewarding because of the effort that solving the puzzles entails.

Good story that's appropriate for the length of the game and some of the puzzles are quite creative in the sense that I don't think I've seen the thinking that was required to solve them in other games.

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Masquerade at the Con

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I completed the game. As someone pointed out, you can basically guess your way through. I never felt like I was part of the game; it was more like clicking squares and making dialogue choices. Short enough to remain entertaining.

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AGS Werewolf

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I found the posted rules complex and hard to follow. I tried playing but had no idea what was going on and gave up in a few minutes

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My vote

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The Will. Amazing result for a game created in such a short period of time!

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I just finished this game and honestly, I enjoyed the entire experience. Background graphics are good, characters are a bit on the simple side, sounds effects are perfect. What really makes this game shine is the story and puzzles. The difficulty of the puzzles is exactly where I would want them: I did not breeze along but progress felt rewarding because of the effort that solving the puzzles entails.

Good story that's appropriate for the length of the game and some of the puzzles are quite creative in the sense that I don't think I've seen the thinking that was required to solve them in other games.

You might want to proofread some of the text to correct some minor spelling errors. Lastly, it took me about an hour and a half to complete the game.

Well done.

[you spoiled the end of the game, you're supposed to put that in a spoiler]

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you spoiled the end of the game, you're supposed to put that in a spoiler that's the purple sky with the stars of the Purple Tentacle like on the cover. That is, he conquered the world, Bernard could not make it. Did you forget what's in the letter? When the sky turns purple, you have gotten the purple shit end of the stick and if the sky has not trund purple yet you still have a chance.

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I didn't realize there were multiple endings. I solved all the puzzles; does the ending depend on the number of points or something else? I had no idea whether the sky turned purple because I can't identify colours.

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