Refuge by chardish

[raw]
made by chardish for LD28 (COMPO)
Refuge is a short adventure game about belonging, nostalgia, friendship, and choices.

The goal of the game is to explore the environment and experience the narrative.

Narrative-driven games are new territory for me. I hope you enjoy it, and I look forward to hearing what you think of it.

Thanks for playing it : )

Ratings

Coolness 100% 1
Overall 3.33 244
Audio 2.36 573
Fun 2.65 653
Graphics 3.29 309
Humor 2.25 495
Innovation 2.80 571
Mood 3.54 95
Theme 3.20 313

Feedback

Gemberkoekje
16. Dec 2013 · 08:40 UTC
As I'm at work I unfortunately had to cut my adventure short for now, I'll try it again at home. But what I've seen so far is amazing for a 48 hour game, very well done.
WhoaConstrictor
16. Dec 2013 · 08:48 UTC
Excellent storytelling given how short game is. Well executed. The portal sound was a bit loud though. I was a bit frustrated thumbing through doors trying to find the right one since they weren't labeled in any way from the outside, but it's only a minor concern since exiting rooms is just as quick and painless as entering them.
Kettlecorn
16. Dec 2013 · 08:48 UTC
A really neat experience! I enjoyed it thoroughly.

I feel as if the decision you have to make comes a bit quickly. I had only talked to each character about once before I had to make a decision.

The scenario though does allow an imagination to wander. It's interesting to think about, but I'm not sure I was deciding the choice the game thought I was.

Great little experience overall though!
ThatGuy
16. Dec 2013 · 08:49 UTC
Fun and short game. I could have used either a map or less rooms, as wandering around that place was kind of difficult/tedious. The dialog and story were both good though, conveyed a whole world in just a couple minutes, nice work!
Kettlecorn
16. Dec 2013 · 08:50 UTC
I forgot to say it in my last comment, but I really liked the geometric backgrounds as well!
primaerfunktion
16. Dec 2013 · 08:59 UTC
Jea, I had a hard time navigating too. But I like the game.
🎤 chardish
16. Dec 2013 · 09:14 UTC
@Kettlecorn: A lot of the dialogue is optional...did you go straight to the common room after getting the transformer?
DaleP
16. Dec 2013 · 10:05 UTC
Great writing; I got a surprising sense of the characters and world even in such a short and simple game. On my first playthrough I accidentally wandered into the common room immediately after finding the transformer (since the rooms were all identical from the outside) and had to make the decision before I had a chance to talk to anyone. Still, it was good enough to make me want to play again to see the rest of the dialogue that I missed.
emmelineprufrock
16. Dec 2013 · 15:18 UTC
I really liked the art and several of the choices you made. I wish there had been labels on the door though. It was incredibly confusing.
whiteknife
16. Dec 2013 · 18:14 UTC
An interesting story. Could have used more build up and a clearer way to navigate the wherever they were, but a good attempt. For how short it was, the dialog conveyed a lot.
vallde
17. Dec 2013 · 00:07 UTC
Good story :)
But so many doors! xD
dqmhose
17. Dec 2013 · 08:04 UTC
I liked it. It had a slow start but I wanted to know how the story continues and what it's all about. Also good job on the nokill challenge :D
supremefist
17. Dec 2013 · 09:28 UTC
Well done! Liked the story! The choice was immediately obvious to me :)
ob6160
17. Dec 2013 · 17:22 UTC
Love the story very enjoyable :D
Ditto
18. Dec 2013 · 08:32 UTC
Very good story telling. Telling such a convincing story in such a short time is very impressive! When getting out of the "common room talk" I got a bug making me talk to someone everytime I pressed interact after that, I made it to the end anyway, just a bit annoying. Is that Hexels for some of the backgrounds btw? :D
RhysD
18. Dec 2013 · 08:48 UTC
Interesting story and adventure. Gives a nice connection to the characters you interact with in a short period of time which is impressive for a 48 hour game.
Kane
18. Dec 2013 · 09:00 UTC
It is a nice little game, a bit sad (?), but really enjoyable to play!

Anyway i think i found a bug near the end of the game, when i leaved the common room i was to close to Nessa and it lauched the conversation with her while going through the door. After that the dialog box stayed until the end of the game.
🎤 chardish
18. Dec 2013 · 09:20 UTC
Yep, that's Hexels : ) I hadn't used it much before this compo and wanted an opportunity to get better with it.
Colapsydo
18. Dec 2013 · 11:06 UTC
Excellent work on the dialogues, they really create an atmosphere and give a weight to the choice we have to make.
Both ends are also written very well.
I like a lot all the graphical backgrounds you used, and in a more specific way the global aesthetic.
I miss some ambient music but for a compo it's always understandable.
Pixelfan Games
18. Dec 2013 · 17:17 UTC
Good story, very polish, and good concept i like the game, good job
thatwhichis
18. Dec 2013 · 18:12 UTC
HEXELS! Also there was a no kill challenge?? Sweetness; think I accidentally qualified!

Nice characterizations in such a short duration; felt for that Scott person.

Agree with several others here that door naming would be super-awesome in the beginning but once I had the place mentally mapped it wasn't much of an issue and door transitions were fast enough it didn't seem punishing.

Thumbs up!
Snuti
21. Dec 2013 · 00:24 UTC
I found the dialogue very interesting in the game and I like how you put Wales into it too :) I did get a bit lost around the floors and maybe a little map might be a nice idea. Good job overall :)
Anshul Goyal
22. Dec 2013 · 23:24 UTC
awesome man. Its truly a good life and we should all be thankful for that :)
Zerkruemler
23. Dec 2013 · 09:12 UTC
Great story and very cute and functional graphics. I was howerver confused by the uniform doors. I was constantly lost. I don't think that getting lost is an integral part of the game, so it would (in my opiniton) improve the game to label the doors.
Great work and good story.
jacklehamster
23. Dec 2013 · 09:48 UTC
Interesting story, and the strange environment also provided a nice mood. I like the mystery of the place they're in, and that's it's open to imagination. For me, I imagine a bunch of teenagers stuck in some house doing drugs, and one day they decide to just snap out of it. It only lasts one day instead of two years, but the drug makes them lose track of time.
bitserum
23. Dec 2013 · 11:16 UTC
Great work here with the narrative. Now I have to play through the generator choice as well. I love it.

The only thing that bothered me is the rooms. There are either too many empty rooms without a purpose for the player, or they miss some sort of labeling so I don't have to memorize which is which.

I'm off to see the generator ending now.
archaeometrician
25. Dec 2013 · 21:25 UTC
Nice story based game I like it ! Great work with the graphics too !
diegocbarboza
03. Jan 2014 · 00:02 UTC
Very nice game! I liked how the characters relations with each other is implied, great storytelling there! Also, it's simple, but I really liked the backgrounds. It helps a lot to identify the different rooms. Congrats!