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To Walk Alone's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Overall | #1 | 3.958 | 3.958 |
| Audio | #1 | 4.333 | 4.333 |
| Visuals | #3 | 4.389 | 4.389 |
| Gameplay | #3 | 3.611 | 3.611 |
| Fun | #6 | 3.500 | 3.500 |
Ranked from 18 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
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Comments
This game made me feel so anxious. I really really love the message behind this and the simplicity of the gameplay. My nerves really were on edge the entire time... throughout the many retries I did :) Its great that you are highlighting something that is incredibly serious. The fact that the pathway was not as obvious was great cause it encouraged the players to 'explore' more and that made me more anxious and tense. Great game! Love it and the message!!
Cheyenne from Death Door
I have a friend who takes medication for their anxiety and doesn't even leave her house unless she is with someone due to the stress it causes (due to prior experiences). 'To Walk Alone' allowed me to experience just a small fraction of what she experiences - and it was extremely unsettling.
Thank you, this was very thought provoking!
Simon Baumann (TwinHydro)
This game is something else, the gameplay is simple enough to pick up and play immediately, but the story behind is controversial to say the least. Where you to have to stay in the light to prevent your bar from going up is a fun mechanic, and I can see that this game comes from a dark place. Where the world is not sunshine and rainbows but something dark,
To be honest this game got me in the feels but still enjoyable and I recommend other people play it.
Oof, this struck a chord with me for sure. I didnt feel comfortable playing it and it got mind racing which is usually a great sign of a serious game in my book.
Conceptualization, atmosphere and overall game loop is lovely. I especially like how the theme ties into the mechanics you chose. A few comments I'd make about the gameplay is that it feels like a trial and error type of game which I dont see much of the rest of the game leaning into. You set up the objective as find your way home but the signs or hints to do that arent quite clear. Even just a tiny bit of direction to know which way our next potential lamp post is. It would have been interesting to set up some set pieces within the level so that you could set up some sort of isolated story beats in the game. Say for instance you think you're making your way to lamp post and it turns off. You're diverted by these weird men into a corner and so on. I think there is a lot of opportunity to tell more of a message or engage in some kind of storytelling but even as it is I think its still really special. so well done.
Initial reaction: Oh my word!
Repeated phrase: "Get away from me!" and "Where's home? Where's mom?"
Lovely game. It got me creeped out and I could feel the sense of being lost in this big town. Setting it on a rainy night with your only moment of brief reassurance is the warm glow of street lights definitely sets a captivating mood.
Visuals: The pixel art is clear and well animated. Every character's appearance was distinct and clearly communicated.
Gameplay: Nice and simple. Arrow/WASD. Just get to where you need to be...only I don't know which direction that is. As much as I want to say "I wish I had directions", I feel the game would have lost a very important part of its "to walk alone" feeling. Solid stuff.
Audio: Everything was nice and clear. No conflicting sounds. The nice ambiance of the rain and thunder alongside the footsteps of the character blend well together. No complaints.
All in all a beautiful game. Would definitely like to see more from this team.
-ThomasM
The game controls were easy to learn , and the game mechanics simply and easy to understand . The pixel art was also amazing . I did get lost few times as the enemies kept chasing me away from the street lights which created a challenge and also lost as well but this was a solid game well done
Cypher Group - Olwethu Rakgeme Pule
I really liked this game. It took a while for me to realize what the storyline is. The pixel design is as basic as they come, but the gameworld fits the narrative so well! The eerie sound design was crisp👌. Controls were easy to use. I really got lost in this game too(The game world & I "lost" more than once in the game🤣)
I feel like I now know how it's like to walk at night, as a young girl. This touched me😌❤ Well done.
Keep updating it. Guaranteed, I'll enjoy it more
This was so well done. I'm super impressed with the sound design. The menu music already created such a tense feeling and the heartbeat when the anxiety increased stressed me out so much. I think the topic was conveyed really well and it's such a meaningful one. A really interesting take on the theme. Having all those men chase after the character was so stressful and it really made me long for some sort of pepper spray mechanic. Not that I think that's necessary at all, it just would have been great for my peace of mind to be able to pepper spray the creeps.
Well done!
Erin Hutton - Team Lactose Intolerance
The simple 2D pixel art lends itself well to the main mechanic, as I progressed through the streets I definitely felt anxiety around the other characters getting closer to me. Very effective conveying of your theme. All the visuals as amazingly produced, everything is connected art wise. The simple animations of the player and the other characters are fun to see as they walk/run.
A small tutorial image for controls would have been a nice addition, explaining certain mechanics. As I was traversing the level, I sometimes felt lost, but I don't know if this was an intentional feeling you wanted to convey, because if it was then it was well executed.
All around a visually and mechanically well executed game.
What a great game! Visually, I think it looked great. The animations were simple but very effective. I also think that having such simple mechanics meant that I could focus on the theme of the game. The theme conveyed was very effective, and I think it tackled a difficult topic well. I found navigating myself around the game was quite challenging. I would have enjoyed for there to be a map of some kind, but other than this I thought it was a really well made game.
Well done!
-Michaela du Preez, An Ordinary Day
Visually, beautiful game (I think we'll all agree on that :P). I personally am not a big fan of most serious games, but I must say this felt more engaging than majority of other jam-made serious-themed games. It could use some more polish here and there, as well as some more details to make the experience more immersive (great audio though...). Mechanics could have been better presented to the player at first, but experience still enjoyable.
(CYPHER GROUP - Filippo Cortese)
Love your game! especially the consistency of the art style and sound, it really creates a city like atmosphere.
P.S Really cool how you integrated a small hint on how the game is played on the phone when you start the play through :)
I loved what you did with the concept! Really brought out the anxiety in me. Really liked the level of juice in it! I hope it wins!
Wonderful little game, I am amazed you all managed to get this much done in the allotted time, my only big complaint is a lack of knowing what all the mechanics were at first, but after my first death i got the hang of it, it has wonderful atmosphere too. From an art standpoint I think the main characters sprite and the enemy sprites don't match up looks wise but still the world and the sounds therein is perfect, well done. (Vinnie-Team Tax Evasion Station)
Where to start with this game. The sound design is just excellent, the art is also good, the fact that it is raining making the player even more valuable. The topic this game presents is one that's important to talk about and it was well implemented and communicated. The difficulty of completing this game , if its even possible to complete it, relates to the difficulty we often hear about woman having walking alone at night or in dark places not knowing what the darkness holds for them.
Its scary even for me just playing the game, casually walking then having dozens of men approach me. Not knowing what happens when the men get to me, it makes me just want to run away. Having to also monitor the anxiety meter. Its just and excellent combination of different elements. Amazing job!
(An Ordinary Day- Sabelo Nkwanyana)
Oh man the sound design was... Way too good. Great art, great topic, and very well executed. Not sure how much this follows the Jam theme though?
The game might be a little too difficult. Not sure if this was intentional or I'm just bad lol.
Overall a really great experience.
Hi there! Thank you for your feedback :) I don't know if the description is available (Sorry we're new here...) but here is our explanation to how it connects to the theme!
"To Walk Alone" was created for the Wits and Vega Intercampus Game Jam 2021, and was inspired by the "don't look" theme. With the creation of this game, we aimed to replicate the anxiety and fears many women experience when walking alone, with a particular focus on the feeling of not wanting to be looked at or noticed.
Loved the pixel art and the sounds design, the effects of the rain on the road and subtle lighting on the streets, but I did not agree with the connotations the game was implying...
The absolute effort and care of the visuals is truly something to behold.
Sound effects of the rain and walking were astounding
The difficulty is on the easier side of things, but I feel like that was intentional.
Otherwise a solid game that is just a joy to look at
A great entry, very atmospheric and gets it's message across with a single clear understandable mechanic. Excellent audio design, but the heart beat sound is too good and its a shame it only comes into play when the player is doing really badly, had to play a second time to hear it at all. Visually consistent and lasts just as long as it should. (Jack Rathbone)
Ok, this game is really cool, and definitely more than just a simple game...I can only imagine how truly terrifying it must be being a girl walking alone at night. SHOUT OUT TO THE AUDIO DIRECTION, THAT WAS CLEAAAAN