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268points
89comments
#265of 3,515 in 2024
Top 8%of 2024 by points

How HN took it

MixedNo clear lean

13 positive, 24 neutral or asking, 9 mixed, 12 critical, out of 58 comments about the project. Thread score +0.07.

Design: 1 for, 7 againstIdea: 6 for, 1 againstExecution: 1 for, 4 against

The thread, comment by comment

Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.

positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker

What HN said

What people liked

  • Realistic, painful frustration that is funny and well designed

    From 4 comments
    • I had the pleasure of trying this out before it was released. I think it's one of those things I can imagine might have a high bounce rate, but I would really like to encourage…
      j0hnyl on HN
    • I hate it so, so much. Excellent job.
      Sirikon on HN
    • I regret there is not a merciful option like "wait for death in a corner". Great job! I had fun and got bored to death at the same time.
      brumar on HN
    • A few comments: 1. It’s not very fun on iOS, especially because crypto mining makes the screen zoom in and it’s no good. Also the sound for the phone doesn’t work so that’s a big…
      KTallguy on HN
  • Evokes Kafka, Dark Room and Universal Paperclips

    From 3 comments
    • What a Kafkaesque game.
      CaptainFever on HN
    • The reminds me a lot of a dark room! Awesome game thanks for the adventure!
      yesthisiswes on HN
    • A Dark Room is great! I started playing it a lot mid way through developing this. That and Universal Paperclips are the gold standards of minimalist web-based games.
      scyclow on HN
  • Many details and easter eggs

    From 1 comment
    • I had the pleasure of trying this out before it was released. I think it's one of those things I can imagine might have a high bounce rate, but I would really like to encourage…
      j0hnyl on HN

Objections

  • Too frustrating and tedious, especially account creation and phone number entry

    From 4 comments
    • I played for a while on my phone but gave up because it's too much hassle to remember and enter things like phone numbers and passwords. I know that's kind of the point, but I…
      esperent on HN
    • This is too realistic. I became annoyed after 5 minutes.
      butz on HN
    • I bailed at create an account.
      tensor on HN
    • Same. Luckily, you only need to provide a name. Still gave up at the next form. I don't even know what I "played".
      addandsubtract on HN
  • Mobile and sound bugs, including text-to-speech and freezing

    From 4 comments
    • "The phone app appears to use text-to-speech based on the device's locale. On my laptop, it's speaking English with the worst French accent imaginable
      maille on HN
    • Great game. Only issue, phone freezes now when I try to open it. Blank screen. I am kind of far, have all the money/coins, still missing some big picture stuff though. Here are…
      kramer5252 on HN
    • https://smarthome.steviep.xyz/voices.js(3): Uncaught TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'cancel') Android 10, generic WebView browser (mobile chrome works)
      dvh on HN
    • Is something supposed to happen when I call a number on the phone? If the number picks up I just have silence until I hang up. Also I made the mistake of resetting the phone in…
      macshome on HN
  • Softlock in the stairwell

    From 2 comments
    • loved the game until I entered the stairwell and was not able to proceed or go back. Having this as a softlock is sad, especially since this could be a continuation of the story…
      ctm92 on HN
    • Anyone know how to get out of the stairwell? The floors seem infinite. It seems like that is actually the end. 02:34:39
      astonex on HN

Requests

  • Automatic text fields and easier account creation

    From 1 comment
    • I played for a while on my phone but gave up because it's too much hassle to remember and enter things like phone numbers and passwords. I know that's kind of the point, but I…
      esperent on HN
  • Better mobile support, including zoom and sound

    From 1 comment
    • A few comments: 1. It’s not very fun on iOS, especially because crypto mining makes the screen zoom in and it’s no good. Also the sound for the phone doesn’t work so that’s a big…
      KTallguy on HN
  • Add a reset option for progress

    From 1 comment

Questions

  • Is the stairwell a softlock?

    From 1 comment
  • Why does new text appear at the top?

    From 1 comment
    • Very unusual that new text appears at the top. Is there any specific reason why you chose to do it this way? I played for a bit but the frustration soon became too real, haha :-D
      Max-q on HN
  • Is it possible to reset progress?

    From 1 comment

Alternatives named

  • A Dark Room

    From 2 comments
    • The reminds me a lot of a dark room! Awesome game thanks for the adventure!
      yesthisiswes on HN
    • A Dark Room is great! I started playing it a lot mid way through developing this. That and Universal Paperclips are the gold standards of minimalist web-based games.
      scyclow on HN
  • Universal Paperclips

    From 1 comment
    • A Dark Room is great! I started playing it a lot mid way through developing this. That and Universal Paperclips are the gold standards of minimalist web-based games.
      scyclow on HN
  • Bureaucracy

    From 1 comment
    • ooh - deliciously painful. I love these things, even if I can't commit more than 10min before the pain makes me stop. Strong vibes of Douglas Adams' game Bureaucracy -…
      neumann on HN

Category, keywords, summaries and labels on this page were made by AI (Thread Reader v2) and not checked by hand. Each point links to the comments it came from.

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