ThaumOS by LDJam user 96965
ThaumOS
WARNING: This game may induce seizures.
We highly recommend the downloadable version over the browser version.
We also highly recommend writing down as much information as you can - names, passwords, emails, hierarchies, etc.
October 30th, 1997. As the brand new intern at a shady company, you receive a computer at your door for you to work in. Its boot-up screen reads: "ThaumOS".
ThaumOS is an investigative point-and-click game set in a Windows 95-esque Operating System. Invade your coworkers' emails, find clues about the conspiracy behind the company and pretend to work while doing it.




CREDITS
André Bariani (@grasstypefire): Programming, Sound Design
Dan 'MisterProject' Isamu (@MasterProject): Programming, Narrative
Felipe Bertoni: Art
Fernando Abromovick (@kyleflick124): Art
Giovanni Rossi (@Giovanini): Art, Narrative
Ágata Rangel Drigo: "You've got mail" sound effect
arlez80: Glitch effect (https://godotshaders.com/shader/glitch-effect-shader/)
| Web Version | https://misterproject.itch.io/thaumos |
| Windows Download | https://misterproject.itch.io/thaumos |
| Linux Download | https://misterproject.itch.io/thaumos |
| Source Code | https://github.com/andrebariani/ldjam_48 |
| Original URL | https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/48/thaumos |
Ratings
| Overall | 412th | 3.823⭐ | 33🧑⚖️ |
| Fun | 689th | 3.484⭐ | 33🧑⚖️ |
| Innovation | 100th | 4.097⭐ | 33🧑⚖️ |
| Theme | 685th | 3.817⭐ | 32🧑⚖️ |
| Graphics | 780th | 3.79⭐ | 33🧑⚖️ |
| Audio | 670th | 3.484⭐ | 33🧑⚖️ |
| Humor | 417th | 3.367⭐ | 32🧑⚖️ |
| Mood | 395th | 3.903⭐ | 33🧑⚖️ |
| Given | 61🗳️ | 43🗨️ |
The thing I would change is either removing the prompts or making them much less frequent, they didn't add to the experience for me and I found it far too distracting fromt he main goal.
In regards to feedback, the only thing I really wished there was more of was a tutorial/training-wheels section towards the beginning so the player is guided through the expected gameplay loops before being dropped in the deep end. That does sort of challenge the immersion of being able to just boot up the "OS" & hop in & out, so who knows. Being that this was a game jam, it's totally understandable why there wasn't a tutorial. Would be stoked to see what future updates could bring to this!! Hats off!
I'm wondering if there were other endings, but when I restarted the game and all the passwords were different, I fear I lost the will to replay to figure out if I could've summoned anyone else.
I stumbled upon the first puzzle by accident, when I logged out and then didn't even realize I was logging into someone else's account because I didn't remember who I was. It took a bit too long to make that first leap. I think if the log out button were more prominent or in a part of the screen that the eye wanders to, it would have been easier to find the puzzle. Before that, I was wondering whether I had to purposefully fail tasks to continue the story, which would have been annoying since I had nothing to do between tasks.
I wish there were a way to stay logged in to someone else's email after completing a task. Often I would be perusing someone's email, get interrupted by a task, and then when I went back, I had to log in again, or my clipboard hadn't saved, etc., and that was a bit annoying. Still, I suppose I am very grateful that CTRL+V and TAB and other such shortcuts actually worked. Saving some time!