Category: Game Review

-Rees

1. None, I won and understood how to play

2. The closeness between my opponent the entire game

3. I wanted to have a way to defend, even when I didn’t have enough spikes to win that round.

4. I would probably give more meaning to the cool lil drawings on each tile piece

5. Maybe add a tad bit more depth with how the characters can interact with other characters in a way thats more than being reliant on the spikes. Like special abilities or bonuses.

6. fun mind game

Frustrating Part:

Some prompts felt a bit too personal and could turn people against each other if the group vibe isn’t great.

Favorite Part:

It was really fun seeing people’s unexpected answers, made it feel playful and revealing.

Magic Wand Change:

Soften the wording on a few prompts and add a timer so turns don’t drag.

Improvement Suggestion:

Reword some questions and add drawing rounds — everything else is solid.

Game’s Message:

Trust your group and expect some real honesty.

3 Words:

Funny, social, revealing

barrel of truth (second iteration)

1. What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played? Their really wasn’t a frustrating thing about this game.
2. What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played? I really liked the new topic cards, they brought some better talking and the public and anonymous was really fun to be funny on the anonymous cards.
3. Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t? No, this game has everything i could have wanted.
4. If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything from the experience, what would it be? Their isn’t any thing i would change.
5. What should be improved with the next version? nothing its perfect.
6. What was the game’s message? talking and getting to know people but being able to tell things you wouldn’t normally but be able to say it.
7. Describe the game in 3 words: truth, fun, friends

What was the most frustrating aspect? Maybe not wanting/ not thinking about an answer to the card

What was your favorite moment? I like the calming color scheme. The discussion brought out aspects of other people you didn’t expect. The social aspect of this game was fun.

Was there anything you wanted to do? Maybe keep going… The board ends but what if people haven’t reached happiness? Could it be a circular pond?

If I had a magic wand to change, add or remove? Maybe labeling the colored lily pads? Which one is sad and which one is happy. 

What should be improved? Board shape/ length of lily pad path – it stopped too abruptedly. Also, no vengeful water spirit cards were chosen… I wanted to interact more with that but then I also question if it contradicts your game’s message? Is the purpose of the game to talk through/solve problems leading to peace? because school questions don’t do that. I guess what I’m getting at is what is the purpose of the Ames Card’s in this game’s larger message.

Game Message? Venting, collaboration, and mutual support lead to social and mental benefits.

Game in 3 words? Empathy, conversation-based, social-health, deep, bonding

Other questions: If taken further, it would be helpful to add more clarity in the rules. how long does it take? Player range? Pieces? 

Most frustrating aspect? I thought the spaces + dice combo was annoying. I felt like I was making progress so slowly. the number of spaces between each butterfly was always one more than the max (3). I felt like it added a sense of predictability: you roll, next turn you get a butterfly, you roll, next turn you get to a butterfly.

Most fun aspect? Answering the question cards

anything you wanted to do but couldn’t? I wish there weren’t card repeats. It makes it less interesting. Oftentimes, when someone reads a card, the group discusses it.

If I had a magic wand to change, add or remove? People shouldn’t begin by choosing to go left or right (people who go left will never win). There should be a couple spaces straight before the first butterfly choice which then directs them left or right.

What should be improved? the card and the boards. Butterfly player pieces would be cute.

Game’s message? to live cleaner and work towards a better world

Game in 3 words? persuasive, revealing, purposeful

What was the most frustrating aspect? People being colorblind

Favorite Moment of the game? People being color blind AND funny, creative, or unhinged descriptions of colors.

was there anything i wanted to do and couldn’t? I really enjoy this game the way it is!

If I had a magic wand to change, add, or remove anything? I think the colors on the card should match the board. I think they also could be more creative with the card designs – what if they were more inspired by pantone swatches? Also, I would’ve liked perhaps a different shape of marker?

Improved for next version? I think this game is functional and fun without any changes! However, I would enjoy the design changes as stated above.

Games message? Training for working at crayola

Game in 3 words? Art-nerd, Group, Creative

For my final game, I really wanted to try to make a video game, so I’ve conducted a little bit of research about various video game making software and applications. I really would like to make a choose-your-own-adventure game, something that is super narrative and text-based. So I started looking up the best platforms to make stuff like this and this is what I came up with. If anyone has any other suggestions for what I could use, I greatly appreciate it! 

• Text Adventures
  • Or I could easily code my own version in HTML (probably)
• https://jams.hackclub.com/jam/story-game
  • This article seems super helpful 
  • It uses https://replit.com/ 
• https://codesandbox.io/p/sandbox/choose-your-own-adventure-game-y9xc0 
• Twine – Interactive Fiction
  • Examples of games I really enjoyed made by this software:
    • https://idrellegames.itch.io/wayfarer
    • https://litrouke.itch.io/a-man-outside – horror game SO GOOD
    • https://artsybarrels.itch.io/goodbye – game about saying goodbye and suicide. so good 
    • https://ghoulnoise.itch.io/thereliefofimpact – game about sleep paralysis 
    • https://yllogique.itch.io/its-a-beautiful-day – a game about self care 
    • https://direkris.itch.io/you-are-jeff-bezos – a game about spending a day as Jeff Bezos and it really makes you realize how much money he really has
• Unity 
• Unreal Engine 

Game Reviews 

As part of my exploration for this game, I also played various interactive fiction type games, specifically ones that were made using Twine. Twine is a big contender for what I will use to make this game, as it is mentioned a lot online and I really like some of the games that people have created using it. I highly recommend playing some!! 

A Man Outside – https://litrouke.itch.io/a-man-outside 

• Was it fun? Yes! And very suspenseful at that! I was super impressed with the way the game was made as well. 
• What were the player interactions? As a single player game, the player did have the chance to interact with other “characters”. There was a text conversation going on between you and your friend, regarding the man standing out your window. The friend would check in on you and it helped escalate the game.
• How long did it take to learn? I learned this game almost instantly. With the help of little notes and flashing symbols indicating what to click, it made it very easy to grasp. 
• Would you play it again? Yes, I would, especially to see if there were any other endings that I missed. I also wasn’t able to play with sound for my first playthrough and I think that would really add to the game experience. 
• Analyze the game using the 3 act structure. Act 1: text conversation with your friend begins. You discuss about how you need to study on your vocabulary app, but there is a weird guy who has been standing outside your window for a long time. You complete the first set of vocabulary flashcards on your phone. Act 2: the man is still there, and you move on to work on the second set of vocabulary flashcards. The flashcards start to glitch a little bit and some of the words have creepy definitions, and the tension really starts building. Act 3: the man is still there (at some point he does disappear though). Your friend gets worried and you have to make the decision to either call your mom or ask your friend to drive there. I asked my friend to drive there, but before she got there, the man disappeared and I heard a sound in the house. I thought it was my friend but when I went to go investigate, I presumably died and had the “bad ending”. 
• What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout? This is a horror game about trying to do your school homework, but there is something that threatens your safety outside, however you are persistent to finish your homework, but it can lead to your demise. I thought it was super interesting to have the player actually go through the vocabulary flashcards. The glitching moments of that were also super cool and made it very suspenseful. 
• What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played? It felt like some of the cards took forever to load up or assess if I was right or wrong, but I’m pretty sure that that was intentional to add to the anxiety and suspense. 
• What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played? My favorite aspect of the game was the subtle details in the vocabulary cards. The definitions seemingly reflected the situation that you were in at times and were actually quite challenging to answer. (It also let you pick your vocabulary level and I thought that was a nice touch!)
• Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t? I don’t think there was a way to go back to the text conversation without exiting the vocabulary app altogether and losing your progress, so I wish I could have done that. 
•  If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything from the experience, what would it be? I think I would have enjoyed more emphasis on the text conversation. 
• What should be improved with the next version? Very little! Maybe more alternate endings?
• What was the game’s message? Homework can wait. Prioritize your safety. 
• Describe the game in 3 words. Suspenseful, educational, dark

Goodbye – https://artsybarrels.itch.io/goodbye (depression and suicide warning)

• Was it fun? I enjoyed the game, but I’m not sure I would call it fun. It’s a little too sad a subject for that. 
• What were the player interactions? The player got to make decisions that determined the actions of their character. The player was also able to interact with other characters, most notably, the mom, as they are on their way to end their life. In certain paths of the game you also have the opportunity to call other characters such as your sister, dad, or friends to say your goodbyes. 
• How long did it take to learn? Games like this are pretty intuitive so I understood it pretty much instantly. 
• Would you play it again? Yes, I would like to go through all of the different storylines and endings. 
• Analyze the game using the 3 act structure. With a game like this, the 3 act structure is going to change based on your actions. The 3rd act in some of the playthroughs ends with your character ending their life, and the others you decide not to. But generally the first act is how are you going to start the day that you intend on ending your life (will you shower, clean your room, etc.) and then the 2nd act is when you go downstairs and have to say something to your mom as you are leaving. This is a pretty pivotal point in the game as your mom notices that something is wrong and here is where you may select a choice that will convince you to not end your life. 
• What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout? The game’s metaphor is about depression, suicidal thoughts, with a big emphasis on saying goodbye to people before you end your life. The mechanics themselves weren’t necessarily anything special, but I really liked the touch of being able to select who to say goodbye to in the one ending. 
• What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played? I think the frustration I experienced was mostly out of anxiety of not knowing what was going to happen. It is frustrating because you don’t want to think about someone ending their life and frustration about what your family members have to say in their last conversation with you. It was all intentional. 
• What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played? The art style of this game was beautiful, and I think they really portrayed a scenario like this well. It definitely had me in my feelings. 
• Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t? 
•  If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything from the experience, what would it be? Not really!!
• What should be improved with the next version? Maybe slightly more interactivity or choices? But I also don’t want it to become unrealistic for a person who is battling depression. 
• What was the game’s message? Saying goodbye to loved one’s before you end your life. (very well done!!)
• Describe the game in 3 words. Beautiful, heart-wrenching, poetic 

Evelyn’s Around the World in 80 Days

This was a great game and I could see myself playing this with my family! 

1. What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played? It was frustrating playing with so many people. It took a long time to get to my turn, and we weren’t able to finish the game. But that’s not really an issue with the game’s rules though! 

2. What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played? I like the cards where everyone has the chance to participate, like with naming all the countries that start with a certain letter.

3. Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t? Not that I can think of. 

4. If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything from the experience, what would it be? Maybe make the board a little more exciting. I feel like for the type of the game it is, a square board just feels a little boring, but I wouldn’t be mad if it wasn’t changed at all! 

5. What should be improved with the next version? I’m not sure how I feel about the blank spaces on the board, part of me wants something to be there but I’m not sure. Maybe some of the trivia cards could have some stuff about capital cities as well?? You could also include some more visual-oriented cards like country flags, fashion, etc. 

6. What was the games message? The game was about culture and geographic education. 

Evan’s Cracking Jokes Game

This was a pretty fun game! I could see myself playing this with friends! 

1. What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played? It was just a little too unstructured for me. I feel like I need a timer or a way to keep track of who is “winning”. 

2. What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played? I enjoyed cracking the glowsticks, telling jokes, and listening to what everyone came up with. 

3. Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t? I wanted some of the jokes to be something where the whole group had to tell a joke with that category. 

4. If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything from the experience, what would it be? Just adding things to switch up the turns so it’s not just pick up a card, tell a joke, and repeat. 

5. What should be improved with the next version? You could consider adding the idea of having a spinner or something that determines if the whole group was gonna tell a joke, if it would just be one person, or maybe their is a “duel” with two people? I think that something like that could help make the game a little more exciting (don’t get me wrong I love this game though!) I also wonder if there is an alternative to the glowsticks that you could use so that it isn’t as wasteful?

 6. What was the games message? Telling jokes, making others smile?