I was able to finish this game a few days ago (thanks for the help running through the bonus endings by the way!), and had a pretty solid time with it. I actually had no idea you could use Ren’Py to make point-and-click segments! That’s really inspired me to try testing that out myself some day, though I’ve got exactly zero experience in game development so it might not go as well as your take on it.
I wanted to share a few thoughts on my time playing, and I’ll do my best to keep it all as spoiler-free as possible.
I really dug the music throughout! It’s got a great synth sound that reminds me a lot of the kind of thing you’d hear in 80s Italian horror films. Upbeat but atmospheric. I can’t decide between Act II or III as having my favourite tracks.
The writing shines its best when it’s describing the horrors we’re trying to escape. It’s a terrifying concept, and you have a great feel for knowing when to give all the details we need to be afraid, and when to be vague enough to let our imagination fill in the gaps. Realizing what was going on in the room across the hall without it entirely spelled out was particularly haunting. Really, really well executed, especially in one of the endings. Fantastic work.
Stash is great! I got a little startled by one of her easter eggs but they’re really cute. I think having her around on your journey is well implemented.
I like the vibe that the art direction for both the characters and the backgrounds give off separately. Everyone is really expressive and really sells their emotions and personalities. The pencil-y texture used on the environments combined with the way they’re drawn plants it in this slightly cozy, slightly off-putting middle ground that pairs great with the horrors we’re outrunning, especially with how they’re represented in-game. But I do feel like there’s a little too much disconnect between the two art styles at times, and that coordination between both artists to maintain the same lineweight between them would make it feel more cohesive. That disconnect really works in its favour throughout Act II, however. I feel like that’s the strongest section, and having those distinct styles mismatch while changing the lighting on the characters helps it feel more eerie and alien, making us feel out of place in a way that comes across as a lot more intentional.
Some of the dialogue paths feel a little too numerous and same-y when going for any alternate endings in a completionist run, particularly with the end of Act II. It felt at times like I was saying the exact same thing with changes so slight that I couldn’t really work out what was different enough to send me down one path over another. It felt a little bit random so it was something I was stuck at for a while.
I think there could have been a little bit more transitional writing for some of the conclusions the protagonist comes to about the horrors he’s escaping. I don’t know that there was enough to convince me that everything was going to be fine and normal at home again in one of the endings, so I couldn’t really rationalize how the protagonist thought it would be. Again, environmental descriptions were fantastic; I just feel that writing involving internal monologuing and speaking needed a little bit more polish.
A handful of the puzzles were a little rough, but I’ve seen in guides you’ve posted elsewhere that you know exactly which ones those are already. Others were pretty good though! I felt Act I and II were the strongest in that respect.
Thank you again for helping me to experience the game in its entirety, and for making it in the first place! I really appreciate your patience with me. You’ve got a lot of potential as a game dev, and I look forward to seeing what else you create!
thank you so much for the feedback! I think a lot of your points have weight and some were just because of constraints of being a solo dev and having to learn everything as I went.
Before making Start Running I had actually never drawn anything in my life or made a UI or programmed at all in python or written puzzles so it was a sharp learning curve and your feedback is super helpful.
The game I made at the end of last year, In The Foundations, is more simple gameplay wise but I think has elevated a lot of things that I learned from making Start Running. Thank you for playing and the kind words!
For a first effort that's actually quite impressive! I've seen far shakier first-attempts at drawing and games so you should absolutely be proud of what you accomplished. I'm sure you'll continue improving with more experience.
I'll definitely take a stab at your next title when I get a chance to!
Hey! I've been giving this game a shot for the past couple days. I've been able to get all the bad ends, but I can't seem to get any main endings other than "Training Run Complete". Any chance I could get a hint at where to focus to divert the path for the other four?
the endings rely on the locations of characters in the game: if you take them or suggest they go to different places that may help you see other endings.
for more granular info that will contain small spoilers: abandon everyone/be mean, do weird things in the sewer, touch everything to everything else, pet Stash a lot, get into the CEO’s office. not all of those things at once, but start there.
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I was able to finish this game a few days ago (thanks for the help running through the bonus endings by the way!), and had a pretty solid time with it. I actually had no idea you could use Ren’Py to make point-and-click segments! That’s really inspired me to try testing that out myself some day, though I’ve got exactly zero experience in game development so it might not go as well as your take on it.
I wanted to share a few thoughts on my time playing, and I’ll do my best to keep it all as spoiler-free as possible.
I really dug the music throughout! It’s got a great synth sound that reminds me a lot of the kind of thing you’d hear in 80s Italian horror films. Upbeat but atmospheric. I can’t decide between Act II or III as having my favourite tracks.
The writing shines its best when it’s describing the horrors we’re trying to escape. It’s a terrifying concept, and you have a great feel for knowing when to give all the details we need to be afraid, and when to be vague enough to let our imagination fill in the gaps. Realizing what was going on in the room across the hall without it entirely spelled out was particularly haunting. Really, really well executed, especially in one of the endings. Fantastic work.
Stash is great! I got a little startled by one of her easter eggs but they’re really cute. I think having her around on your journey is well implemented.
I like the vibe that the art direction for both the characters and the backgrounds give off separately. Everyone is really expressive and really sells their emotions and personalities. The pencil-y texture used on the environments combined with the way they’re drawn plants it in this slightly cozy, slightly off-putting middle ground that pairs great with the horrors we’re outrunning, especially with how they’re represented in-game. But I do feel like there’s a little too much disconnect between the two art styles at times, and that coordination between both artists to maintain the same lineweight between them would make it feel more cohesive. That disconnect really works in its favour throughout Act II, however. I feel like that’s the strongest section, and having those distinct styles mismatch while changing the lighting on the characters helps it feel more eerie and alien, making us feel out of place in a way that comes across as a lot more intentional.
Some of the dialogue paths feel a little too numerous and same-y when going for any alternate endings in a completionist run, particularly with the end of Act II. It felt at times like I was saying the exact same thing with changes so slight that I couldn’t really work out what was different enough to send me down one path over another. It felt a little bit random so it was something I was stuck at for a while.
I think there could have been a little bit more transitional writing for some of the conclusions the protagonist comes to about the horrors he’s escaping. I don’t know that there was enough to convince me that everything was going to be fine and normal at home again in one of the endings, so I couldn’t really rationalize how the protagonist thought it would be. Again, environmental descriptions were fantastic; I just feel that writing involving internal monologuing and speaking needed a little bit more polish.
A handful of the puzzles were a little rough, but I’ve seen in guides you’ve posted elsewhere that you know exactly which ones those are already. Others were pretty good though! I felt Act I and II were the strongest in that respect.
Thank you again for helping me to experience the game in its entirety, and for making it in the first place! I really appreciate your patience with me. You’ve got a lot of potential as a game dev, and I look forward to seeing what else you create!
thank you so much for the feedback! I think a lot of your points have weight and some were just because of constraints of being a solo dev and having to learn everything as I went.
Before making Start Running I had actually never drawn anything in my life or made a UI or programmed at all in python or written puzzles so it was a sharp learning curve and your feedback is super helpful.
The game I made at the end of last year, In The Foundations, is more simple gameplay wise but I think has elevated a lot of things that I learned from making Start Running. Thank you for playing and the kind words!
For a first effort that's actually quite impressive! I've seen far shakier first-attempts at drawing and games so you should absolutely be proud of what you accomplished. I'm sure you'll continue improving with more experience.
I'll definitely take a stab at your next title when I get a chance to!
Hey! I've been giving this game a shot for the past couple days. I've been able to get all the bad ends, but I can't seem to get any main endings other than "Training Run Complete". Any chance I could get a hint at where to focus to divert the path for the other four?
here’s a few hints!
the endings rely on the locations of characters in the game: if you take them or suggest they go to different places that may help you see other endings.
for more granular info that will contain small spoilers: abandon everyone/be mean, do weird things in the sewer, touch everything to everything else, pet Stash a lot, get into the CEO’s office. not all of those things at once, but start there.
Here, I went and made a guide for you! Let me know if this helps:
Are you looking for alternate endings?
This was fun to play through!
thank you so much for playing!