Journal of Poisonous Experiment by Aquaaa
https://youtu.be/zdoiP9KwiBk?si=BDun_S1ZeNkq4ahF
- Hello? Are you there, 0419? Listen……Your mission is to collect plant samples on this Alien Island. Be careful! These plants all have some strange toxicity. Don't get hurt and come back alive! Keep in mind——the mission is completed only when you collect ALL samples!
When you are ready, tab anywhere to start!
In the game, you will take on the role of a biologist explorer codenamed 0419. Your core mission is to collect all unique plant samples on this mysterious island and return safely against the deadly toxic threats!
Game Rules
- Encounter: Click on a new plant when you first encounter it to start identification.
- Identify: Read the plant’s tags carefully and drag each tag into its corresponding note box.
- Fatal Error: After sorting all tags, placing 2+ toxic tags into the non-toxic box will result in an immediate death.
- Poisoning: Placing 2 or fewer than 2 toxic tags (1 or 0) into the non-toxic box will cause poisoning, which persists until you encounter a new plant. A second poisoning will lead to death.
- Success: Sort all tags correctly to collect the plant sample and proceed to the next exploration.
- Objective: Collect all new plant species on the island to complete your mission successfully.
Controls
- Mouse only: Aim and click to interact with plants | Drag tags to the corresponding note boxes
Plant Survey Note
- A built-in Plant Survey Note will unlock as you collect valid plant samples! All successfully identified plants will be permanently recorded in the note, with their full tag details and toxicity traits unlocked. Check the note anytime to review your progress and avoid repeated mistakes with toxic tags.
Plant Attribute Tags
- Thornless 无刺 | Flowering 开花植物 | Green Leaves 绿色叶片 | Thorny 有刺 | Fruiting 有果实 | Luminescent 发光 | Nose Irritant 靠近它鼻子痒痒的 | Dizzying Scent 闻起来有点晕 | Slimy Residue 有粘液粘在手上 | Rough Surface 表面粗糙 | Hint of Caramel 有淡淡的焦糖味 | Hint of Fruit 有淡淡的果香味 | Cold to Touch 摸起来冰凉 | Glowing 发光 | Hot to Touch 摸起来发烫 | Mimicry 拟态 | Curling Tentacles 有卷曲的触手
Quick Tips
- Double-check each tag before confirming—toxic traits on Alien Island are easy to misjudge!
- Keep the Plant Survey Note in mind: it’s your most important survival tool for this mission.
- Poisoning is a warning—correct your tag-sorting strategy for the next plant to stay alive!
Credits
Aqua, 500, Conis, Alex, Dr Lancet
All art assets in this game are original creations with no AI tools used; music and sound effects are made using publicly available commercial-use materials.
| Link | https://aquaaa-333.itch.io/journal-of-poisonous-experiment |
| Original URL | https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/59/journal-of-poisonous-experiment |
Ratings
| Overall | 436th | 3.561⭐ | 68🧑⚖️ |
| Fun | 587th | 3.121⭐ | 68🧑⚖️ |
| Innovation | 338th | 3.515⭐ | 68🧑⚖️ |
| Theme | 650th | 3.22⭐ | 68🧑⚖️ |
| Graphics | 111th | 4.381⭐ | 69🧑⚖️ |
| Humor | 529th | 2.492⭐ | 63🧑⚖️ |
| Mood | 480th | 3.539⭐ | 66🧑⚖️ |
| Given | 86🗳️ | 147🗨️ |
i enjoyed the visuals. the plants are just gorgeous. i couldn't quite understand how do i understand which tag is toxic and which is not — if i get a signal does that mean that all tags have to be poisonous?
i also encountered this bug on the third plant, first i thought that i just did something totally wrong :D
1. Currently, our game mechanics are designed for players to gain experience through repeated play. We’ll be adding some hints in future updates.
2. The prompt icon appears when a tag was placed incorrectly in the previous level.
3. We’ve also noticed the glitch in the third level and are investigating the cause ~ Thanks for the heads-up!
(Bug report: I opened the field notes as soon as the next plant showed up and the traits didn't appear...)
The music is super chill and I really love the artwork. Unfortunately, sometimes, I got stuck because no tags were showing up.
It might be good to allow players to skip the text in the beginning. You will likely need quite some tries to get everything correct :D
That being said, i absolutely love the art, music and the whole setting, crushed it there guys ^^
PS. Don't know if it's considered ok to do bugfixes when the time is out ;)
the game loop is a cool idea, sadly i didn't really figure out how to differentiate the tags as well. A few stronger hints here would have been nice, but awesome job!
I was confused by the survey notes, so I made my own :smile:
It seems the colors are wrong. Green is supposed to be toxic, and blue benign, right? The same tag even changes colors from plant to plant.
Anyway, I managed to finish the whole thing! Didn't get more notes though.
I love the art and the overall idea behind the game. The concept is solid, it just needs to communicate the player's findings better. Maybe confirmed tags could even display a toxic/benign icon, so you can see them at first glance, and focus on the new ones?
I deeply respect your vision, the game is suuuuuper atmospheric with great and varied art. The vegetation is so lush and alien, I love it. Also, your choice of music and sfx works extremely well.
In practice while playing, I have to agree with what others have said before, a little more communication about the traits would go a mile in playability and fun.
But! Even though I think your game could easily be * more * fun, it still left a mark on my, this is an experience I definitely cherish!
- The art and music — everything is great
- The idea and interpretation of the theme — very cool
What I didn’t like:
- I don’t see any clear logic (or I just don’t understand it) for determining a tag’s property. It feels like pure trial and error. I’d like to have some additional mechanic to make informed guesses without risking a full session failure
- Restarting after a failure takes too long — I want to return to the plant I hadn’t studied yet, not click through all the plants again :( Also, the intro radio dialogue can’t be skipped
- I tend to place toxic tags on the right and non-toxic on the left. But in the hint book, for the first two plants, the toxic tag is on the left and the non-toxic one is on the right. Since there are only two tags, I didn’t immediately realize they’re color-coded
- If I make a mistake on a plant I’ve already studied, I lose the knowledge I had gained about it
Overall: the idea is great, and the game is very polished for a jam. But if you plan to develop it further, please take my experience into account.
Thanks for the game!
Also, the intro can’t be skipped, and since you end up retrying often, it becomes frustrating not being able to jump straight back into the game.
The art is very beautiful, and that psychedelic feel is a very emblematic feature. Its saturated colors also make the atmosphere strong and striking.
The music and sound effects go very well with the game and allow for concentration on choosing the characteristics.
I managed to reach the end (theoretically), but I didn't get any other plants in my survival notes. Is there any way to get the other 5?
Congratulations to everyone!
