[Group Play 25] The Groozle

A weekly event where a random games is played and discussed.
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Auro-Cyanide
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[Group Play 25] The Groozle

#1 Post by Auro-Cyanide »

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Group Play is a weekly event in which one game is selected to be promoted within the forums to be played by us as a group. It provides an opportunity to promote some smaller games that would otherwise get lost, promote discussion and promote creativity. This isn't just about the creators of the games, but also us as a community. It acts as a way for us to analyse work as creative people and for us to develop the necessary critical language to develop and pursue our work.

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This week's game is "The Groozle" by Grimble!

You can find links to the game here: The Groozle

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There are some rules to follow in the following discussion about the game.

- In your primary comment on the game, please try to mention one thing you liked and one thing you think could be improved. This is in the spirit of giving both encouraging and helpful comments to the creators. You may of course go beyond this with praise or critique. I can't enforce this rule, I'll just silently judge you.

- Please try to do one play-through or enough of the game to develop a solid opinion. Some things can be commented on early on, but things like plot might be best left until you finish the game.

- There is no rule as to whether you post here only or in the completed game topic. Feel free to do as you like. This is just a space to discuss this game while playing it at the same time as others.

- Please try to think about the game play as a whole, as well as the different parts that make up the game.

- Please be respectful to the game and creator. You don't have to like a game, but you should be respectful to the effort.

- Please follow the forum rules.

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If you would like to make your own suggestions and haven't already, please feel free to PM them to me.

These are the current guidelines for suggestions:

- Anyone can send me 3 games (VN, KN Sim, whatever, just from these forums or related to) that they think are worth playing by PM.
- There can only be three suggestions per person and if a game gets suggested multiple times, they still only get one draw.
- You may suggest your own games.
- For now they must not be 18+, just because we want to encourage everyone to join first up. If it goes well, maybe something can be arranged for the big kids.
- Please try to make sure the game is short (around a max of 30,000 words). It isn't a hard and fast rule, but it's easier to make time for smaller games and it will give this a greater chance of success.
- They must be free and preferably available on all 3 platforms, again for easy access.

And with that, let the games begin!

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cuttlefish
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Re: [Group Play 25] The Groozle

#2 Post by cuttlefish »

Waha! What a great game.

I liked that the story and choices were simple. The illustrations were also nice.
The music added to the cave adventure mood.

The way each sentence appeared made it read like a storybook.
While that helped pace the story well, sometimes the text formatting would look strange because of it.
For example, you have a long sentence with one or two words on the
next line.
And then another long sentence that follows with a few other words
on the next line.

I made it through the first time and I don't think I'll play it again for a while...
I don't want to face the Groozle again so soon. It was a horrifying beast o-o;
Lovely game, in all.

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Re: [Group Play 25] The Groozle

#3 Post by Reikun »

Great game! :D I had to try three times before I finally defeated the Groozle OTL
I really liked the way the clues were laid out in the narration. The first time I got a hint from a sproglet I was totally confused until I got to the description that gave me the answer.. xD
Remembering all the clues was hard for me though @__@;;; but I'm sure that's just me getting easily jumbled up.
I also liked the art style a lot! It reminds me a little of Sunday comics! :3 The names of the creatures also gave me a bit of a Dr. Suess/Winnie the Pooh vibe.
In the end
I tried saving a doughnut for Grimble after defeating the Groozle to see if anything special would happen, but nothing did.
Even so, still a fun game!
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SusanTheCat
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Re: [Group Play 25] The Groozle

#4 Post by SusanTheCat »

This game is super adorable.

The music was quirky and fun.

The art was adorable, but i wish there was more of it. I didn't like the long passages with no background. It would also be nice to see a GUI that matched the art.

This is a nice, short VN. My comments are just suggestions, the game stands very well on its own.

Susan
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Dougstyles
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Re: [Group Play 25] The Groozle

#5 Post by Dougstyles »

Very children's book-like, which seems like what you were going for. All aspects of the game really meshed well. I managed to defeat the Groozle on my first try, with a bit of luck to be sure. Fun little game, doesn't overstay it's welcome one bit.
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