Open Spaces by Frederika
Agoraphobia is the abnormal fear of being in crowds, public places, or open areas, sometimes accompanied by anxiety attacks. This is a visual novel designed to create awareness for this form, and other forms, of anxiety and depressive disorders. Your character decides how to interact with other characters, who either show you support or impatience. If you make decisions to isolate yourself, or let the negative thoughts take you, the dark mass of "Fear" creeps further and further into your mind. There are many ways to combat anxiety, and there is no single solution for everyone, but seeking support is always a good first step. This is the first game I have written and designed and it could not have been completed without the incredible talent of the members of Tech Valley Game Space in Troy, New York.
Trigger Warning: This game includes depictions of anxiety through audio and visual elements which may be difficult for some.
| Windows | https://modefy.itch.io/open-spaces |
| macOS | https://modefy.itch.io/open-spaces |
| Linux | https://modefy.itch.io/open-spaces |
| Original URL | https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/42/open-spaces |
Ratings
| Overall | 317th | 3.65⭐ | 22🧑⚖️ |
| Fun | 690th | 3.139⭐ | 20🧑⚖️ |
| Innovation | 289th | 3.5⭐ | 21🧑⚖️ |
| Theme | 337th | 3.789⭐ | 21🧑⚖️ |
| Graphics | 273th | 3.925⭐ | 22🧑⚖️ |
| Audio | 128th | 3.775⭐ | 22🧑⚖️ |
| Mood | 44th | 4.1⭐ | 22🧑⚖️ |
| Given | 21🗳️ | 10🗨️ |
I do think that for the most part, the progression of the story is smooth and believable, though a bit compressed. The presentation is excellent, with the sketchy penciling heightening the tension, and music that uses unconventional instruments. I do appreciate the majority of the character dynamics, but there's a line with Quinn that makes her sound like a Mary Sue (the "Nelly thinks she's helping, but she's really not" part), or at least a sudden and uncharacteristic author-insert. And while neither of these problems are immersion breaking, I managed to find a typo and a bug while pursuing all the bad endings (because I'm a jerk).
For the typo, in the scene where you go to Quinn's party without a therapist's help, Quinn suddenly starts referencing themselves in third-person (was she secretly a cartoon villain this entire time!?):

For the bug, right after choosing "You're right" when Nelly confronts you in Quinn's party...

...well...

I'm on the same team as @mister-kweh, and we were happy to see another group tackle something similar to us (different topics, but similar mood/tone/presentation).
I really liked how yours had options that led to different scenarios. I actually played through a few times because I was curious how the other responses would turn out. Our team had planned on doing something similar, but we weren't able to squeeze it in with the limited time.
I'm very impressed you were able to make such a unique game, especially with the varying situations.
Also, thanks for checking out our game :)
You've done a great job, The game is very interesting!