This was super cute. And I feel proud as heck for figuring out the whole game (I'm usually not great at these) including the gate puzzle without hints (compo version).
The art is fantastic, and I liked playing through it all to see how things went.
I got through the puzzle ok, but am confused on the ending. I arrive at the farm, but their's no mice or seed and using the shovel and watering can on the dirt does not trigger anything?
Ah, I'm sorry about the confusion. It's not very clear, but you need to solve all the previous locations for them to arrive at the house. In other words, you need to get a blue spiral symbol instead of a red X at all locations except the rightmost one on the map. Then, the seed and the creatures will appear at the house.
I believe you have the lake left to solve? A hint is that the "shovel" is supposed to be an oar.
I had not realized any parts besides the cave door and dark tunnel had a puzzle to solve beyond collecting items. Made it to the actual ending. Thanks for explaining.
I’m sorry about the puzzle being difficult to understand. That’s definitely a failing on my part, not on yours as a player.
I don’t want you to think that you’re bad at puzzles, it’s just that this one was not properly explained. I hope the solution in the game description was helpful at least.
I’m glad you liked the game. Thank you for the comment!
I feel weird saying that this instantly became one of my favorite games of all time, but what can I say? I'm a sucker for <5min games, and this one's just so gorgeous and simple. It really does feel like you included everything needed to tell a quaint little story and absolutely nothing more, which I love.
It does feel a little weird that you put it under Interactive Fiction, when Adventure fits the bill much better. Granted, it's a very simple one. Can I ask what engine it's made in?
↓ SPOILERS BELOW
About the puzzle: your hint shows A2-C3 to be a solution, and I guess A3-C2 would be another one, but I solved it by doing A2-A3-C2, in that order, which took me by surprise! In retrospect, it feels like the solution should require an absolute maximum of 2 buttons.
On the other hand, it didn't really bother me, I just went "well I guess it worked somehow" and kept going. I guess I wanted to tinker with it a little more, and it ended up being a lot easier than I expected, like it solved itself almost, but other people complained that it was too hard so I can't really say a harder version would be better haha making games is tricky.
Wow, thank you! That is so kind, I'm flattered. I very happy you enjoyed the game. Thank you for the nice comment!
I honestly wasn't quite sure which category to pick, thanks for bringing it up. I'm not too familiar with the interactive fiction genre, but I thought that if I picked adventure, people might expect something like Zelda and be disappointed. 😅
Would you recommend me to switch the category to adventure?
The game is made in a little engine I've written myself. It's quite limited in capabilities but it works well for me and the kind of games I like to make. I like working with a simple system where I know how everything works. And I have tools for drawing graphics and creating audio directly in the engine, which means I don't have to switch to other programs and mess around with importing and exporting assets. Even if the tools are limited, I find that it helps me focus and not get lost in technical details.
SPOILER REPLY
Ah, I see what you mean. In my mind, the rule was "activate columns A & C and rows 2 & 3, but no other cells". So all the four cells A2, A3, C2 and C3 are valid, and the puzzle is complete once you've selected cells in both columns and both rows.
It might have been better to have a separate button for submitting the code when you think you've entered the correct one, instead of it validating automatically. That might avoid the confusion you had?
But I'm not quite happy with the puzzle overall, the rules are too vague. And I guess the fact that you found it easy while others found it hard is proof of that.
I want you to know how much I appreciate the feedback though. It's very helpful that you describe your thoughts while playing with such detail. I found it very enlightening. It's so different designing a puzzle from solving it, and it's invaluable to have someone describe how they experienced it.
Thank you for playing the game, and for the effort you put into your comment.
It's true that "adventure" is a finicky term. Adventure games are things like Monkey Island, which have very little action-centered gameplay but are just called that historically because of Colossal Cave Adventure (1976). I'm just used to "adventure" in games meaning puzzles, inventory, a story, slow-paced contemplative gameplay, and sometimes no literal adventure at all. That's why Zeldas are generally specifically called action-adventures. But yeah, interactive fiction almost exclusively means text games, so "adventure" is a much better fit here.
Congratulations on the engine! I hear your about the asset creation. I work in Construct, which has its own graphic creation interface, and I struggle so much when I try to prototype in any engine that requires me to open a separate tool. Incidentally, I'm currently creating my own "engine" (really more like a template haha) for making very simple adventure games in Construct.
A separate button for the puzzle would've definitely ironed out the kinks in my experience specifically: I know I would've pressed the 4 relevant cells, hit the button, get the validation, and just assume the solution was pressing all the possible combinations of the symbols from the bottle. Then again, it would add a little more friction to the interaction, which not everyone prefers, so it's hard to tell. I do love it when apps on my phone validate a verification code just as I enter the last digit without asking me to hit enter (and extra points if they just recognize the code from the system clipboard).
Thanks for the clarification, that makes sense! I've changed the genre to adventure now. You're right that it fits better.
Your adventure system looks really cool! It seems like a system that is both expressive and easy to use. It's quite inspiring, having something where it's that easy to make interactions seems great. My current approach is a bit more involved. I will try to keep an eye on your progress with the engine, I'm interested to read more.
Thank you for the comment! I appreciate the feedback and I think you are right on both points. It's very helpful to keep in mind for future projects. I'm glad you still enjoyed the game, thanks for playing it!
The game turned out to be short, but interesting. And despite the fact that I was stuck with the code, I still liked the game. Starting from the drawing style and ending with everything else
← Return to game
Comments
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cute game with nice art !
short but really nice! took me a while to realise the locations were connected, but it flowed smoothly after that. pls make more :)
This was super cute. And I feel proud as heck for figuring out the whole game (I'm usually not great at these) including the gate puzzle without hints (compo version).
The art is fantastic, and I liked playing through it all to see how things went.
- ✨Beth
Can't figure out the keypad thing in the cave.
Hi! Sorry about that. I've made an "improved" version of the game. Hopefully, the keypad should be easier to understand now.
Thanks for playing the game!
I got through the puzzle ok, but am confused on the ending. I arrive at the farm, but their's no mice or seed and using the shovel and watering can on the dirt does not trigger anything?
Ah, I'm sorry about the confusion. It's not very clear, but you need to solve all the previous locations for them to arrive at the house. In other words, you need to get a blue spiral symbol instead of a red X at all locations except the rightmost one on the map. Then, the seed and the creatures will appear at the house.
I believe you have the lake left to solve? A hint is that the "shovel" is supposed to be an oar.
I had not realized any parts besides the cave door and dark tunnel had a puzzle to solve beyond collecting items. Made it to the actual ending. Thanks for explaining.
You’re welcome! Thanks for giving the game another go
I like this game but i am a bit confused by the puzzle in the cave. then again i am not smart with puzzles like that
I’m sorry about the puzzle being difficult to understand. That’s definitely a failing on my part, not on yours as a player.
I don’t want you to think that you’re bad at puzzles, it’s just that this one was not properly explained. I hope the solution in the game description was helpful at least.
I’m glad you liked the game. Thank you for the comment!
i am not good at understanding stuff like that puzzle because i overcomplicate things but i did like the story a lot
Cute. I enjoyed it. :)
I love this game the gate puzzle took me awhile but I like the challenge.
Such a good art style!
I appreciate the comment, thank you!
I'm glad you liked the game! Sorry for the gate puzzle being a bit confusing, good job figuring it out anyway.
really nice relaxed atmosphere, a good time :)
short but cute game :
so cute!! glad they made it home :)
I feel weird saying that this instantly became one of my favorite games of all time, but what can I say? I'm a sucker for <5min games, and this one's just so gorgeous and simple. It really does feel like you included everything needed to tell a quaint little story and absolutely nothing more, which I love.
It does feel a little weird that you put it under Interactive Fiction, when Adventure fits the bill much better. Granted, it's a very simple one. Can I ask what engine it's made in?
↓ SPOILERS BELOW
About the puzzle: your hint shows A2-C3 to be a solution, and I guess A3-C2 would be another one, but I solved it by doing A2-A3-C2, in that order, which took me by surprise! In retrospect, it feels like the solution should require an absolute maximum of 2 buttons.
On the other hand, it didn't really bother me, I just went "well I guess it worked somehow" and kept going. I guess I wanted to tinker with it a little more, and it ended up being a lot easier than I expected, like it solved itself almost, but other people complained that it was too hard so I can't really say a harder version would be better haha making games is tricky.
Wow, thank you! That is so kind, I'm flattered. I very happy you enjoyed the game. Thank you for the nice comment!
I honestly wasn't quite sure which category to pick, thanks for bringing it up. I'm not too familiar with the interactive fiction genre, but I thought that if I picked adventure, people might expect something like Zelda and be disappointed. 😅
Would you recommend me to switch the category to adventure?
The game is made in a little engine I've written myself. It's quite limited in capabilities but it works well for me and the kind of games I like to make. I like working with a simple system where I know how everything works. And I have tools for drawing graphics and creating audio directly in the engine, which means I don't have to switch to other programs and mess around with importing and exporting assets. Even if the tools are limited, I find that it helps me focus and not get lost in technical details.
SPOILER REPLY
Ah, I see what you mean. In my mind, the rule was "activate columns A & C and rows 2 & 3, but no other cells". So all the four cells A2, A3, C2 and C3 are valid, and the puzzle is complete once you've selected cells in both columns and both rows.
It might have been better to have a separate button for submitting the code when you think you've entered the correct one, instead of it validating automatically. That might avoid the confusion you had?
But I'm not quite happy with the puzzle overall, the rules are too vague. And I guess the fact that you found it easy while others found it hard is proof of that.
I want you to know how much I appreciate the feedback though. It's very helpful that you describe your thoughts while playing with such detail. I found it very enlightening. It's so different designing a puzzle from solving it, and it's invaluable to have someone describe how they experienced it.
Thank you for playing the game, and for the effort you put into your comment.
It's true that "adventure" is a finicky term. Adventure games are things like Monkey Island, which have very little action-centered gameplay but are just called that historically because of Colossal Cave Adventure (1976). I'm just used to "adventure" in games meaning puzzles, inventory, a story, slow-paced contemplative gameplay, and sometimes no literal adventure at all. That's why Zeldas are generally specifically called action-adventures. But yeah, interactive fiction almost exclusively means text games, so "adventure" is a much better fit here.
Congratulations on the engine! I hear your about the asset creation. I work in Construct, which has its own graphic creation interface, and I struggle so much when I try to prototype in any engine that requires me to open a separate tool. Incidentally, I'm currently creating my own "engine" (really more like a template haha) for making very simple adventure games in Construct.
A separate button for the puzzle would've definitely ironed out the kinks in my experience specifically: I know I would've pressed the 4 relevant cells, hit the button, get the validation, and just assume the solution was pressing all the possible combinations of the symbols from the bottle. Then again, it would add a little more friction to the interaction, which not everyone prefers, so it's hard to tell. I do love it when apps on my phone validate a verification code just as I enter the last digit without asking me to hit enter (and extra points if they just recognize the code from the system clipboard).
Thanks for the clarification, that makes sense! I've changed the genre to adventure now. You're right that it fits better.
Your adventure system looks really cool! It seems like a system that is both expressive and easy to use. It's quite inspiring, having something where it's that easy to make interactions seems great. My current approach is a bit more involved. I will try to keep an eye on your progress with the engine, I'm interested to read more.
very good work, hope you continue whit this type of art in your games
good work !
Good, but a little short, and the code seemed at odds with the rest of the gameplay to me... 9/10
Thank you for the comment! I appreciate the feedback and I think you are right on both points. It's very helpful to keep in mind for future projects. I'm glad you still enjoyed the game, thanks for playing it!
Love your illustration style, choice of music, and gameplay. This was a fun experience. Hope you make more.
That is very kind! Thank you for the encouragement 😊
i'm stuck in the moment with code, i don't understand
I'm not sure how to explain it without giving it away, but think about the symbols on the code as coordinates on a graph. Hope this helps
Thank you, that is a great explanation! I hope it's ok that I've added it to the description as a hint (with credits to you). Let me know otherwise.
Thanks for playing the game and leaving a comment, I appreciate it!
All good my friend, happy to help
thank you, it really helps me
I've added a solution to the description page (click the arrow next to "Gate puzzle solution" to see it). Sorry for not providing it earlier!
Thanks for playing the game!
The game turned out to be short, but interesting. And despite the fact that I was stuck with the code, I still liked the game. Starting from the drawing style and ending with everything else
Thank you for the comment, and for coming back to finish the game. I'm glad you liked it!
A tiny dream with a little seed. This is the art.
That is very kind, thank you!