Relapse

This game drew me in right away, it caught me by surprise time after time again which is far from easy and the hallmark of a game with potential in my opinion. I adored the existential themes, I'd love to see some counter arguments against nihilism as the game progresses besides get shitfaced and you'll be fine (does help occasionally) I think absurdism would really fit the game's aesthetic and thematic

The overall feeling of the game is unpredictable in the best way possible, referring to the environment within the claw machine specifically. Most environments compliment each other where a few really stand out. I loved the change of scenery, I really had a 'how the hell did I get here' feeling. Part of me wants more of that though maybe then it wouldn't stand out as much anymore. 

When it comes to the lore, the core of it seems to be the looping and also accepting the journey, and not breaking that loop. Which you might not understand at the beginning of your loop/ journey when you're mentally suffering. If the game for example tells you at some point 'you can't see it right now, but there could be a point. You just haven't drawn it yet' or similar. To me it is still somewhat inconclusive why the bartender doesn't seem as miserable, and I think some kind of reason for that would help the game reach a conclusion and explains why the bartender doesn't interfere. Accepting the past and letting it happen even if you could change it could make for a really strong message. Accepting it would be harder to do if you wronged someone or did something messed up, and could help build up to a conclusion like that. 

The visuals are straight up stunning, the initial bar environment is just gorgeous. There's lots of areas of interest that prompt you to look around like the NPCs and posters. Perhaps because they are insects and we're used to seeing thousands of them at once it doesn't feel repetitive to see the same characters a bunch of times. The models are also very well made both in concept and execution, I really love them!! The team seems to have kept a close eye on how everything comes together, different aspects of development seamlessly blend into each other. There are a number of incredibly creative level transitions that felt like one of a kind. It seems like a lot of thought and passion and of course hard work went into it, and it absolutely paid off. 

This game is an experience to say the least, It's such a cool concept and the game sticks. It really captured my interest which is somewhat rare even with full release games. You guys managed to bring it to life in all it's awesomeness, amazing work :)

The game has so much work in it and you can see that. It instantly looked very interesting and made me want to continue the story and find out, what exactly has happened to the protagonist.
I cannot even mention enough how crazy beautiful I find the art within this game. So much detail, beautiful lighting and detail. I can tell that further into the game, for example within the sewer, the texture quality has decreased and seemed a bit more rushed, but it still looked very interesting.
I am a huge fan of games that give of a horror-vibe in general,  but this game has such major potential.
Sometimes it was a bit hard to follow the story and understand what needs to be done next. It took me a good 5 minutes to find out that I need to push the arcade machine to enter a secret room and once you enter the VIP lounge I first exited again, because I did not realize that the ''drink'' was a drink, at first it kind of looked like a big candle.
Also, I do not know if it was on purpose, but some of the NPCs would not dance until talked to and there was no animation between ''idle'' and ''dancing'', so it just switched into two different animations once you talked to it.

Apart from that, I love the trippy transition and it just wanted you to continue and was super fun to play and experience.

I am though a bit disappointed over the ending, I am not sure what to understand, was I the bartender all along? Am I stuck within a vicious cycle, or what exactly did this ending tell me?

Overall, fantastic game for 8 weeks!

It looked really cool! I was amazed at the quality of the art, compared to the time that was spend on the project. Really love the story, just how deep it goes.

I love that there is so much dialogue. Didn't think there would be so much will trying. Good to hear extra story elements from them.

I was only confused a bit confused by the ending. First I got stuck there and didn't quite know what to do. Then I just started to randomly press on the npc's until I got the right one.

Love the vibe of the arcade section of the game, really cool character designs and audio work for the voices. The second section seems like it still needs some work, notably in textures, but the concept / story I can see you're going for is awesome. Disco and last sections were also really good, really enjoyed the overall experience.

Really good job on the game! It's a finished experience with good music and sounds used effectively! I really love the patterns that were made for the ground in the arcade and to decorate some of the machines. I think that you guys put priorities where it mattered, if they're would have been less lvl's I think it wouldn't have felt as satisfying as It did now. good job on the lvl design, all the people who worked on that you really got a good feel for it! looks great aswell ofcourse!

Love this one! Amazing job guys! The game is gorgeous!

This build really ties everything together. What started out as a questionable concept with a lot of doubts and fears turned into a really nice psychoholic adventure with strong art direction and a nice narrative pace. Attention to dialogue, soundfx, contrasting themes, music, special effects. Everything is working together. I love how you play with gravity and speeding up and slowing down music. Fantastic how you integrated all other Y1 games in the arcade hall. This is nothing less than a work of passion. It's a pity that the materials in sewer system and outside claw scene are showing the limited time you had to get things done..  This project would deserve some extra time to polish things up.

Absolutely loving this one. I simp for trippy games that both confuse and surprise me. I loved the first two levels, but the bathroom made me walk very long distances and felt a bit out of place compared to the previous levels. If you iterate upon that one, I'd say you have a pretty cool game, my friends!!

Really love the UI work and the environments feel so alive! The concept is actually insane and honestly, I would love to work on this ( Also thanks for the Tropical Trouble plug hehe) I do however have some comments.

The narrative is very interesting but in the end left me somewhat feeling a "now what" feeling, felt as though there was no conclusion to all the crazy stuff happening.

I can tell this is a very design-based narrative game, but I do wish there was an improvement on the art being lighting and textures, you can get away with a simple scene with some atmosphere added to it. The bug dudes however are incredibly interesting, they seem almost friendly but fit so well with the LSD/psychedelic world attributed in this game.

Some areas are inconsistent, the arcade is rich and full but the bathroom and the inside of the arcade machine has a very interesting dynamic to it but I would like to see some more connections between the environment.

The LSD trip areas are cool, like the floating arcade machines that are see-through is straight-up crazy, but please do push the idea by maybe introducing some fractal art background or some psychedelic rainbow vibe, could really help with that feeling. More colors more lighting, please! 

Overall great year 1 game, but a bit of a nitpick for your itch description, avoid talking in a singular form "Oh, and did I mention everyone is an insect?" Who is the reader talking to? It is best to word descriptions in a plural manner "Did WE mention everyone is an insect?" You are a team and is best to present yourselves like that, or in a non-plural suggestive manner "Was it mentioned that everyone is an insect?". Nonetheless, really amazing work guys.

Keeps me excited every new build. I like the mystery around the claw machine.. Being pushed away time after time. Where did the floating colorful tiles go?  There's a lot of stuff already. Make sure you will be able to get enough of that to a finished graphical quality. A lot to texture and a lot of lighting to tweak. That water shader can be a lot better. Dying to see Dancing insects and when will the sounds be in?? What about the rotating corridor?  I agree with Alan on the 'Do Drugs' quote..  Be more cryptic about it. Makes it more interesting. I love the tape appearing at the end. Makes me want to go look for a boombox to put it in. Oh, and the vertigo toilet is ace ;-)