LudumData

Deeper Understanding by detectiveLosos

[raw]
made by detectiveLosos for Ludum Dare 48 (JAM)

TitleCard.png

Do you even know why you're here?​​

Do these pills help at all?​​

Should you leave?​

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Controls: - WASD - Movement / Select dialog option - Mouse - Look - E - Interact - Escape - Mouse Sensitivity settings (only in Post Jam version)

Post Jam changes: - Added missing collider on one of the doors - Enabled looping for water dripping sounds - Added Mouse Sensitivity settings

Team: - Leonid Dudakov (https://twitter.com/DetectiveLosos) - Environment Art, VFX, Lighting - Annie Owl (https://twitter.com/owl_annie) - Game Design, Programming, SFX, Character Art

Audio Samples Used For Mixing - https://freesound.org/people/Mbazzy/sounds/6803/ - https://freesound.org/people/HerbertBoland/sounds/29679/ - https://freesound.org/people/cvp1965/sounds/275053/ - https://freesound.org/people/InspectorJ/sounds/415924/ - https://freesound.org/people/InspectorJ/sounds/418387/ - https://freesound.org/people/kyles/sounds/454105/ - https://freesound.org/people/InspectorJ/sounds/343763/

Link https://dashingashes.itch.io/deeper-understanding
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/48/deeper-understanding

Ratings

Overall 360th 3.861⭐ 38🧑‍⚖️
Fun 876th 3.375⭐ 38🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 870th 3.25⭐ 38🧑‍⚖️
Theme 925th 3.639⭐ 38🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 115th 4.444⭐ 38🧑‍⚖️
Audio 165th 4.028⭐ 38🧑‍⚖️
Humor 792th 2.818⭐ 35🧑‍⚖️
Mood 55th 4.417⭐ 38🧑‍⚖️
Given 41🗳️ 62🗨️

Feedback

tomlbarden
27. Apr 2021 · 11:10 UTC
Wow! This was dripping with atmosphere, reminding me very much of PT. Unfortunately my laptop was running this at only a few frames a second, but even so I powered through to what I think was the 'end.' The aesthetics were fantastic, and I was pulled right in my the mystery of it all. I'd love to see more: more stuff to investigate, more text, more rooms?? Fantastic work, really well made.
jefvel
27. Apr 2021 · 11:14 UTC
This is a very atmospheric game!

However I'm not sure if it has an end or not? I've tried almost every combination of reporting/not reporting, taking all meds or a few of them or none, answering the phone/door.

It would be nice if there was some kind of clearer indication of what went wrong or right. Maybe there could be a notebook left on the last day showing research stats about the different med efficiencies? Or maybe I've missed something?

Also it's possible to walk through the door left to the exit, making it hard to get back since you're in complete darkness.

Anyways it's a spooky, and slightly confusing experience!
JoeDev
27. Apr 2021 · 11:50 UTC
Wow, this equally terrified and intrigued me. The atmosphere was very well done, the audio really did a good job of setting a creepy scene and making me feel anxious with the dripping, constant knocks, that ear-drilling phone. I will admit I was absolute freaked out when the [SPOILER] turned up on my counter haha, I'm never agreeing to watching a movie again...

Good job!
Sempiternal
27. Apr 2021 · 14:44 UTC
This is absolutely fantastic! Love the atmosphere, the game silently restarting itself and days being repetitive like that really plays well with the theme of descending into a mental illness. I seem to have tried every combination out there is but like some of the other commenters wasn't sure if I have seen all the endings. Wish there was more of this game!

The only issue I've had was the mouse sensitivity being too high, maybe a slider on the intro screen would be helpful.

Well done!
Annie Owl
27. Apr 2021 · 14:53 UTC
@tomlbarden Yeah, we hadn't much time to optimize this game :smile: I'm glad that you still enjoyed it!

@jefvel Oh man, I guess we forgot to put a collider on that bathroom door :sweat_smile: Thanks for pointing it out! Yeah, the game has no "real" ending. I was planning to make some sort of conclusion to the story, but we ran out of time. Though, the looping of the game is kinda tied into the story of the game (how you are constantly being experimented on with different types of drugs).

@joedev Glad you enjoyed it! I was worried the sounds would be a turn-off for people because I maybe went a little bit too far with the noises and stuff.
Annie Owl
27. Apr 2021 · 15:00 UTC
@sempiternal Yeah, the mouse sensitivity was a problem even for us when we were testing. On one PC it was too low, and on the other too high. We had no time to make the options menu during the jam, but maybe we would make a post-jam update in the future with the options menu and some new content.

And regarding the endings (SPOILER ALERT): the are just 3 "ending" - 3 different characters you meet on day 4. Hopefully, I would have some free time to make an update soon.
toilari
27. Apr 2021 · 15:17 UTC
Great atmosphere, gives a good "wtf" feel! The "ending" is a bit confusing, but interesting game nonetheless! :thumbsup:
Local Minimum
27. Apr 2021 · 16:43 UTC
Most of all I really enjoyed meeting the supervisor and the neighbour/friend. Good work with face-parts! Really good. The mood and style of the game was really great too. I liked how I got annoyed by the banging on the door and the insistant phone ringing and that the protagonist had the dialogue option to express the same sentiment. It's a pity you didn't have time for more progression and a more complete narrative arc. Very well made entry.
Annie Owl
27. Apr 2021 · 23:08 UTC
@toilari Thank you! Glad you've liked it!

@local-minimum Glad you've liked the characters :smile: I've wanted to incorporate that "collage" character style ever since I've seen it in Grim Fandango.

![maxresdefault.jpg](///raw/a20/d/z/40fff.jpg)
AronIngi
28. Apr 2021 · 12:09 UTC
Wow, I absolutely loved this game. The atmosphere and aesthetic are amazing, I really like the weird "collage" style on the characters. The atmoshpere was very creepy and the sound effects really added to that feeling.

Probably my favorite entry so far, great job.
asdehielo
28. Apr 2021 · 12:30 UTC
I always give props for doing 3D games in a jam, and this one looks specially amazing. Congrats!

For me, more than scary, it was anxiety inducing (which isn't bad, but I think it wasn't your intention). I believe the pacing was a bit off for a horror game, as in the events happened with no time between each other or even at the same time in the third iteration. And then the characters breaking into my house, that would make me go crazy in real life!

Music would have also helped to build that horror atmosphere.

Nice game overall, and very different to some of the other entries, which was appreciated :)
jk5000
29. Apr 2021 · 10:26 UTC
The game looks and sounds great. The atmosphere is interesting, even though I found it more weird then scary, but that is not a bad thing. Overall a pretty good jam game.
Frostfall
29. Apr 2021 · 10:48 UTC
Very well made game, especially for a game jam. If i'd stumbled on this on Itch.io I wouldn't have guessed it was a submission. Really well polished, and you absolutley nailed the atmosphere. I kept wanting to head straight back to sleep to avoid anything. Great job!
Just_Dante
29. Apr 2021 · 11:39 UTC
Very good game. I liked it and hated it at same time. Great use of sound effects, it made game really unsettling
the_body
29. Apr 2021 · 13:10 UTC
Great game! I love horror and really enjoyed it. I like your idea of weird collaged characters and visual aesthetic, but the most I like the sound part of the game, it really makes the atmosphere. Love it, good job!
Marcenat
30. Apr 2021 · 12:43 UTC
That's very impressive for a jam game, horror games are really hard to makes since it's all about atmoshpere, and you really nailed that part.

Graphics are amazing and with a unique style (omg those "collage" monsters are creepy!)
Audio is effective, all the sfx are great.
My only complaint is that there is no real ending/payoff.

Overall great job :)
LDJam user 236586
30. Apr 2021 · 16:51 UTC
Shellie was such a sweetie!

Super atmospheric and unnerving, would love to see where this goes with a little more development time!
shieldssounds
30. Apr 2021 · 17:02 UTC
This gave me chills in the best way. Those characters are so unique and really add to the atmosphere
kristof
30. Apr 2021 · 17:15 UTC
I gulped it all down :) Very good job on the atmosphere! I had goosebumps when Shellie and the Supervisor suddenly stood in my apartment. I liked that you limited the play area to one room but filled it with a lot of interesting details. Very well done!
guimm12
30. Apr 2021 · 18:28 UTC
Ok, I don't play horror games, but for some reason I made a exception today... God I was so scared at every second lmao, like for real. Every time I had to look behind me I was scared something would have changed. Every time I went to answer the door I was scared the bathroom door would open, or that the person outside would open the door. I was scared of having hallucinations so I didn't take meds until the headache got at it's worse, and dear god, when that thing appeared on my counter, I fucking can't even describe how I felt, holy shit. I ended playing up to 2 different “endings”, until I felt that was enough for me haha.

I don't know if this is helpful, but consider this the feedback of someone who never plays horror games lol. This is definitely getting a perfect mood score from me!
Runuchok
03. May 2021 · 15:45 UTC
Haha! Shellie is the best)) Interior looks very good! Overall gameplay is a bit simple, definitely I want more surreal scenarios! Something like walls starts glitching or something in Cyriak-like style starts happening (besides Shellie!)
nosfer
03. May 2021 · 18:36 UTC
Cool vibe, reminds me very much of the PT already mentioned by @tomlbarden . I would love to see the final version with the ending.
JGUR
05. May 2021 · 06:26 UTC
The graphics look really awesome, I love the sound design and lighting really set the mood. Although I did find the gameplay a little confusing as I felt I got stuck in some sort of loop and wasn't sure how to win. Other than that I really enjoyed this experience. Good Work!
LazyAlarm
07. May 2021 · 02:59 UTC
Absolutley amazing graphics. The storyline was fairly generic but those characters were something. Startled me everytime they popped up in my room! Great job!
Dane Tesla
07. May 2021 · 15:16 UTC
Wow, amazing! I explored a lot to discover all available content, so cool! Really moody, surreal and has a big re-play value already. If you want to turn it into a full game, I'd love to play! 5/5 :star:
Ivan Nosov
07. May 2021 · 20:37 UTC
Deep, moody game.