Ever Shifting by PhilStrahl



Description
Ever Shifting is an attempt at a Myst-like adventure where every 10 seconds, something changes... don't get lost while you hunt for the missing pieces to the puzzle.
Sadly a lot of things ended up on the cutting room floor and what is there is barely playable.
Features
- Photoreal graphics!
- Video cut scenes!
- Voice acting! (please play with audio on!)
- Myst-like gameplay!
How to play
Navigate the space with WASD and your mouse. There might be things messing with you, but don't get deterred and keep searching the locations. If you can interact or pick up with something, the cursor changes color.
Controls
- W - Move forward
- S - Move backward
- D - Turn clockwise
- A - Turn counterclockwise
- Left-Click - interact
SPACE - Skip cut scene
Esc to quit at any time.
- Alt+ENTER to toggle full screen
Credits
A game by Phil Strahl a.k.a. Pixel Prophecy made in less than the 48hrs because of being in the middle of moving! I almost lost my mind twice (thanks, GameMaker and Audacity) and without my usual setup, this was all i could muster in time. Sorry for the bare-bones experience.
Versions
1.0.0.0: Initial release 1.0.0.1: Game breaking bugs (yes, plural!) fixed (hopefully!)
Ratings
| Overall | 191th | 3.525⭐ | 22🧑⚖️ |
| Fun | 385th | 2.9⭐ | 22🧑⚖️ |
| Innovation | 143th | 3.55⭐ | 22🧑⚖️ |
| Theme | 441th | 2.921⭐ | 21🧑⚖️ |
| Graphics | 122th | 3.825⭐ | 22🧑⚖️ |
| Audio | 164th | 3.4⭐ | 22🧑⚖️ |
| Mood | 45th | 3.875⭐ | 22🧑⚖️ |
| Given | 12🗳️ | 2🗨️ |
I had some problems navigating around, but not sure if it was part of the game or a bug. Didn't succeed before starting clicking at doors at random.. Amazing you got it done with everything going on. Great job :thumbsup: I was entertained and the mood... very nice mood. You really have a talent for creating a eerie mood.
Wish you a more stressless move (i know - moves are everytime stressful).
But it is a good thing that you put your old aparment in a final video game.
sad to see your place so empty :( but every end is a new opportunity :D
I love this format! Well done!
As to my experience - very nice idea. It reminded me of the old VHS games, and I instantly had a flashback of Rita Repulsa screaming. However, graphics quality is much better in yours :). You use the medium well, the photo-video work is nice, and it results in a fine atmosphere.
The game could use some more complexity, as it can be basically finished by just stumbling around and picking up every thing you see. Like maybe allowing the player to assemble the things himself.
The one thing that confused me were those eyes. I figured they are a remnant of some cut feature (examination?) but maybe it's a bug. In any case, the eye icon seems to do nothing.
Also, we do need a Part 2 to answer one very important question: What is on the diskette?!
Edit: I just realized the blue pulses where the 10 seconds? What happened there? What is the discette for? I just took every thing and run out of the appartment. And what puzzled me the most was that I could not access the kitchen, because I though first thing you would do when you wake up and dont know whats going on is going into the kitchen and make a coffee.
@mudlee I am so sorry! Still used GameMaker for this and export to other platforms is virtually impossible without a dedicated setup for just that. But you haven't missed much, at least ;)
@jacob-diaz Thank you! A little bit of color grading went a long way, apparently ;)
@incd021 Thank you for your kind words! The game's "feature" is that every 10 seconds the doors' destinations change but in the end it just feels random because it happens way too often. At least I know how to set a moody atmosphere 😅 Fun Fact: If you hit Tab you can switch to the edit mode that I haven't deactivated in the rush to the finish.
@neowhoru Thanks for sticking with it to the end, "cheating" is definitely allowed! And it was nice to bid the old apartment farewell
@rvenson Thanks for playing to the end, glad that it got a laugh! 😊 And the blue fade should symbolizee that the doors change but, yeah, that's more confusing than interesting in the finished "game"...
@yoko-san Thank you for calling it "good"! And the old apartment will be missed but not for too long (hopefully!) ;)
@digital-bacon Thanks for playing and "enjoying" the empty place. Hope it wasn't too annoying to find your way!
@civmaniac I planned for much more mystery. Hopefully I can make an expanded "developer's cut" post jam version that should provide some more answers (and puzzles!). I was just lucky to cram the bare minimum in. And yes, the eye-icon (eye-con HA!) meant for examinations but I didn't get it implemented in time, so nothing happens when you click.
As for the diskette: I am super happy that my sequel-baiting worked! 😅
@xparker Thank you for finishing it. Must've been somewhat annoying I fear! 😅
@bloham Thhank you for playing! Glad you liked the spooky atmosphere because it feels very eerie in there, alone. And every 10 seconds the door change destinations, but it happens far too frequently to make sense of it as a player, so doors feel glitched/random.
The kitchen/coffee problem was not intentional but that's a great idea, that naturally you would want to make yourself a cup of coffee! 😅 Thank you also for the feedback!
1. the concept reminds me a bit of the shapeshifters from [*The Curious Night of Jacob Price*](https://itch.io/jam/brackeys-8/rate/1680855)
2. controls are QWERTY-only instead of layout-independent (I have an AZERTY keyboard)
3. hovering over the briefcase turns the hand into an eye, but clicking does nothing! :o
4. gulping sound? XD
5. Anteroom Hallway W: the ninja reference is a bit lost on me; *Ninja Gaiden*?? Something else??
6. took me a few seconds to notice the "GameBoy Camera," (sic) text! I think the font is a bit too small
7. this is SO HARD to navigate XD Quickly got semi-lost! I have a bad sense of practical orientation, though
8. upon reading the *Myst* inspiration, I was thinking of *The Witness*, and those that have gone through the "true" ending may be reminded of it by the videos here, especially when picking up objects ;)
9. not always obvious to know whether you can move forward or not
10. currently in the process of robbing every Game-Boy-related thing on the premises… (I have dabbled in Game Boy development since recently, so I need some material for physical testing :p)
11. I also still do not get what is changing! Maybe the architecture? In which case, HELP XD
12. oh, it looks like this is the effect! :S What?! Trapped in the small box room! Then suddenly exiting, and the pieces are used!! Did I double-click unintentionally, or is this automatic??
13. briefcase/chest: went back once, thought I locked myself, could look again by turning… Weird!
14. once everything taken: stuck in briefcase scene?! (after some moments of reading several comments to check if someone else had been stuck) Can suddenly go back, phew!! I did not expect to have trouble with movement in a static images game! XD
15. all right, escaped the flat of ~~doom~~ confusion and Game Boy! The cursor still changes to "door" when moving it to the right during the video, by the way
16. the final line on "35 minutes before the deadline" makes me think of what I was doing at that time :) (Adding the "targets", I think; checking my notes: yes, I did do that towards the end instead of earlier XD)
**Takeaway:** an interesting twist on *Mist*-y games, although as you note yourself, 10-second changes in the "rooms" connections is way too much to take/process! Ironically, it somehow guided me towards the end without having to really think about it. X) Even without this, it would have already been somewhat complicated to navigate, because turning (and walking) is instantaneous instead of smooth (which would have gone a long way to help knowing one’s whereabout, but I totally understand this would have been hard to set up; or maybe just using a lazy morphing technique??). Not that many games with voice-over, too! (*10 Seconds To Avoid Death* comes to mind; did I encounter another? Maybe not.) And even less with filmed sequences! (Although scandalmongers will say this is the lazy man’s way of avoiding programming. ;)))
Thanks for the visit! :)
[Do not forget to review and rate other games, if you have enough time; it will also help yours get noticed and have testers and feedback. :)]