The local news is saying that six people are missing at Oak Mountain. Truth is, we've found one corpse, but whenever we send people out for them... they never come back. With that first body was a strange clock that's counting down ever since. It has following inscription:

Down 'til the end of days this clock ticks

You'll likely send your best minds to the mix

But they'll never see through my bag of tricks

We've assembled a team of experts for you to direct on the quest to find out what's going on.

To direct them, first click an agent in your door. Then you can see their stats.

  • Hiking reduces their chance of getting lost and speeds them up.
  • Fortitude increases their stamina and ability to weather elevation so they won't stop so much.
  • Combat increases the likelihood that they survive an encounter.

Giving them any of the items on your table can increase these stats, but be careful not to lose them in the woods.

Click the map and then drag from the Trailhead to draw a path through the park. The last crew heard strange noises coming from Peavine Falls, so I'd recommend starting by sending someone there to check it out.


Tips:

  • You can have more than one agent out at a time.
  • If you're lost, feel free to send an agent deep into the wilderness to see what they find.
  • Don't bother drawing loops: people always go to the path end, stop, and return.

Known bugs (spoiler):

  • The final win/loss condition is broken. It will be relatively clear what this is when you figure out how to do it, but remember solving it is only half the battle (see if you can actually do it). You can check your solution with the one in mediyaz's feedback.

  • There is a temporary opacity bug that happens if you click past the intro screen too soon.

  • A version with the two above bugfixes can be played here (done after gm48; not for review).

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  • Kwis
    Lv. 67

    Oh yeah, actually yes I was confused wether or not we could pick up flowers and stuff, so I tried to make a track but nothing neither. Too bad :/

    Too bad for the lack of sounds, this game really got me interested. It lacked a bit of juice, and sounds would have helped.

  • C0DERP1GLET
    Lv. 36

    Really unique game setup! It doesn't just stand out in GM48 but over games in general too. And most of all: It's really effective to tell the narrative. It's not much on the outside but with a little bit of imagination, the pixely graphics feels just as mysterious as the icon. Which also is really good!

    It's really sad that you didn't add any sound this time. It affects the ratings quite a lot.

  • Panda-K
    Lv. 17

    Really interesting idea. It would be nice to have a bit more feedback about what the agents are doing while out in the field, but this was fun to play around with and try to solve :)

  • Fachewachewa
    Patron

    Very intriguing game with a cool idea. Too bad you can't really win. I'd say there's also a lack of feedback at some points. The mystery is good but sometimes you don't really know what you're doing wrong.

    Some music would have been so good too :(

    Boyard
    Submitted

    Boyard

  • 89o
    Lv. 18

    Wow! Such an original game! This was really fun to play and I had a great time with it. I have a problem though: I sent one agent through all of the flowers and both mushrooms at once, but I didn't win. Is there still a third mushroom? Do I have to go to the Peavine Falls after that?

    • Cajoled
      Lv. 20
      Cajoled Developer of Oak Mountain

      5yrs ago

      The win condition is:

      • 3 flowers
      • Burnt tree
      • Rust fungus
      • Double oak lake

      in no particular order, followed by Peavine Falls. In the original upload for the contest, it's broken anyway.

  • Jupiter Hadley
    Lv. 13

    Very complex game! I included it in my GM48: Countdown compilation video series, if you’d like to take a look. :) https://youtu.be/sIqVaQkuHIo

  • Ampersand Game Studios
    Lv. 4

    Thought that game was fantastic! Manages to accomplish a great deal, in terms of both immersion and gameplay, with the core mechanic.

    The visual representation of the map, and the interaction with it, is what makes this game stand out for me. Watching all your agents out in the field, and solving thoughtful puzzles (which take the map into consideration, and not just ignore it!) is such a great feeling!

    Shame about the ending being commented out :(

    One suggestion I have is to maybe be able to select the agent you want to use? I found that when a useless agent had to be used, I sent him on a pointless short trip just to get rid of him. It might be good to also give the agents some character, such as a name and a backstory perhaps?

    I agree with the other points mentioned here. Adding sound would bring this game to life, and be a huge improvement. If the game was expanded upon, with a larger map, I could definitely see this as a worthwhile purchase.

    Turnover
    Submitted

    Turnover

  • Luke No Further
    Lv. 14

    After the initial OMG WAD DO I DO? - It really grabbed me and engaged me. It takes a little while to get your head around stuff, but after a bit I felt like some kind of FBI controller in Silence of The Lambs.

    I couldn't complete the game unfortunately, but not for lack of trying! :SPOLIERS: I tried to make a trek that went through all the flowers and through other things (burnt tree, decaying mushroom, deep blue lake) and then ending at the cauldron by the falls - but I think I was supposed to collect these items and I didn't know how - I just walked an agent by each of the them but nothing happened :(

    I think this is a game that would really lend itself to some atmospheric sound and music - some lo-key spooky track with some ominous footsteps-in-the-woods-crunching-leaves sfx and a distant disembodied scream when an agent dies :D In my head I was playing this music while I was playing and it seemed appropriate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1Id5-iKKFs

    Initially sceptical - then enthralled!

    • Cajoled
      Lv. 20
      Cajoled Developer of Oak Mountain

      5yrs ago

      You just made me facepalm so hard. The working version has the line of code that lets you win the game commented out!

      Your solution was correct. Anyone who thinks they should have won but didn't, just check your answer above.

      Thank you for the kind words!

      Edit: Also that music is pretty bumpin

  • Ramkey
    Lv. 2

    Very simple mechanic and interesting mistery. I like that it differentshiates itself from the other ones on the game jam.

  • kbjwes77
    Lv. 19

    This is one of the coolest gm48 games I've ever played. Would love to see this game expanded upon. If Oak Mountain had a bigger map with more clues, more items, and some polished assets, I would gladly pick it up on Steam. One of the most interesting concepts I've seen in a while. Loved the mystery, the simplicity, and the puzzles. Great entry that really brought me back to my early days of gaming.

    By the way, I'm glad the game didn't end when the timer ran out!

    Time's Up
    Submitted

    Time's Up

    • Cajoled
      Lv. 20
      Cajoled Developer of Oak Mountain

      5yrs ago

      Wow. I'm stunned. What a nice review.

      Seriously, after two test-runs that were abysmal failures 2-3 hours before the end of the jam, I wasn't sure anyone would be able to 'get' it.

      Turns out, I left out the code for the game to end, win or lose, in the final version. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

      But thank you so much! I had a lot of fun making this game and your review makes me super happy.