Mind Over Magnet

Mind Over Magnet

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insomn14 23 Nov, 2024 @ 4:19pm
(spoilery) Solution to 3-14 Feels a Bit Tonally Awkward
This very well may be me overthinking things, but the solution to 3-14 seems a bit grim when held next to the rest of the game.

This was the first puzzle that really confounded me. I had the thought "oh, here's what I need to do... wait, that won't work" several times until the hint popup showed up and after a bit more stubborn noodling before I finally I gave in.

As soon as I saw the hint I froze from the immediate sense of revulsion I felt at what I was being asked to do. "You want me to do what?!" After a second to collect myself I remember that this is video game with video game logic, but it still caused enough whiplash that I soon after this I ended my play session.

Like I get from the narrative and mechanics of the game that there's no permanent harm done, but the fact that you've got to destroy Min and let her respawn to solve the puzzle seems completely counter to the rest of the game. Like this course of action hadn't even occurred to me as a possible solution because up until that point it seemed like a mini-failure state when the magnets get destroyed.

And on a narrative level, it seems utter baffling to go from the start of the world where Min doesn't trust you, do some puzzles, get to "Sorry Min, I need to sacrifice you in order to achieve my goals," and then immediately afterward there's the cutscene where Min's finally convinced Uni isn't one of the bad guys. Just really took me out of things.
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Showing 1-7 of 7 comments
benjymlewis 24 Nov, 2024 @ 3:36am 
I agree. The puzzle is clever in a vacuum from purely a game design mechanics point of view, but as part of a wider game experience, I feel it's not integrated very well into the narrative nor within the context of the other puzzles, since it's the only one of its kind.

If the magnets weren't characterised, it would be fine. But since they are, I really feel like more care needs to be taken to actually treat them like characters in the gameplay too.


It feels to me the game designer was just trying to show off "hey i discovered this interaction within my engine, let's make it into a puzzle" without really considering if it fits with the rest of the game.
enzopuzzlesolver 24 Nov, 2024 @ 1:54pm 
Imagine me making a game and all I do is "Kill Fosco to revive him again!"
Tintenseher 25 Nov, 2024 @ 11:17am 
I didn't notice it in 3-14, but I had the same thought in the last level. I felt like needing to sacrifice a magnet right at the finish line, even knowing that they come right back, took the wind out of my sails.
enzopuzzlesolver 25 Nov, 2024 @ 1:11pm 
Really, I'm making a game tho. And if I ever want to make a puzzle with the same gag, I gotta do something! It's not just that this realization could come to many, but also that I want to incorporate death as a mechanic in World 6 from MY GAME! Sheeh, I still need to make lasers and permabuttons if I want to acheive this same setup.
Game Maker's Toolkit  [developer] 25 Nov, 2024 @ 9:23pm 
I do agree! I hoped the bark ("Hey!!!") would make light of it. But yes, it's a big cheeky.
insomn14 26 Nov, 2024 @ 3:40pm 
Oh hi, Mark. Looking forward to possibly being a discussion point in a future GMTK episode. XD
Joris 15 Dec, 2024 @ 8:09am 
I came here thinking about 'I found a way to beat 3-14 you are not supposed to'... but it's the real solution? I also got stuck here, enabled the hint.. that didn't help me at all. Looked at the level name, that didn't help me at all...

This then sort of happened by accident.. and I came reporting it as a bug :).
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Showing 1-7 of 7 comments
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