THE_MACHINE_KNOWS_HATE by HexyVexy
They awake, and complete the trials set for them by The Machine, their keeper and tormenter. They are given only a brief flash of light to see their surroundings. They die, many times. It doesn't end.
TheMachineKnows_Hate is a unique puzzle platformer with 20 levels. Played in near complete darkness, you will need to read the layout of the levels with just a brief glance - given every 10 seconds.
The game carries content warnings for flashing lights and violence.
You can learn more about Arcane Rituals at https://arcanerituals.co.uk/
Sound attributions can be found here.

Ratings
| Overall | 151th | 3.966⭐ | 46🧑⚖️ |
| Fun | 163th | 3.92⭐ | 46🧑⚖️ |
| Innovation | 163th | 3.852⭐ | 46🧑⚖️ |
| Theme | 88th | 4.244⭐ | 45🧑⚖️ |
| Graphics | 553th | 3.67⭐ | 46🧑⚖️ |
| Mood | 102th | 4.08⭐ | 46🧑⚖️ |
| Given | 48🗳️ | 70🗨️ |
I guess some downside these flashing lights mechanic is that sometimes you just have to stand and wait for the flash. So it's kinda breaks the flow of the game.
But style and theme are top notch.
To be honest I didn't finish it, but I tried my bad. It's not hard, don't take me wrong, just requires some careful approach to it. Additional like from my side for the minimalistic visual style & storytelling - it works pretty well!
I think having no visual at all of where you are during dark time and bigger levels, and slow movement would actually make it a lot more in line with the theme where you would need to go blind (literally) somewhere and then see in 10 seconds where you end up and go from there. With light around you character (and seeing where said character is) you can pretty much just speedrun all levels without needing a second flash.
Obviously it's always easier to say it afterwards never having to do anything ;D
But overall the game feels great! The fading of flash, simple sound design, great simple lasers visuals! I want to especially pay tribute to your storytelling. I feel like the inspiration comes from I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream and it just adds so much to the game - loved it!
We toyed with harder levels and no feedback on player location, but ultimately went with something more player friendly. Our LD50 game was very hard and we wanted to make something people could finish even if they weren't very proficient with platformers.
You can see where a more demanding structure might have gone in 4-4, for example.
The sound effects really sell how horrible that place is. The icecold scream cut of with bonebreaking noises, the echo in the swiching sound, everything really. Well done.
Are you planning on expanding on this idea?
We have been discussing how we might expand it. More mechanics, better movement, more and bigger levels etc! If you follow us on Itch there may be something in the near future!
You can press `Q` on the keyboard to skip the current level :D
I got a lot of fun from this game)
@tigerfinch Thanks! <3
We are planning to expand the game and I've been thinking about selective use of music for certain stages. Maybe if we want to make a stage *extra* spooky we could give it music :D
Making a platformer feel good is quite hard, and this one is great! The mechanic works great. Having to wait to see what's ahead could easily be boring and push to be careful and wait too much, but here it's perfectly designed, with small levels, fast movement and a mood that pushes you to be scared of waiting too much.
Great job, I really liked it ✨
The SFX were funny, overall great work!!
Nothing, it's a simple game, but it's a masterpiece, with good puzzle, not too hard, and not too simple.
And a little bonus, the singer at the beginning. GG !
@legitamte We have plans!
@mandytoh @macaroni-dev @resacagames @untitled-studios Thanks for the feedback, all!