The Case of Caldwell Concoctions
Caldwell Concoctions was an alchemy lab appointed by the King to conduct secretive scientific research. However, after weeks of no reports, and when an unidentifiable body is found just outside the lab, it is clear that something is afoot.
As a detective of Saltmoore Detective Agency, you have been tasked with investigating the story behind this fascinating facility. Read notes left behind by the lab members, mix potions, and piece together information to formulate what went so wrong at Caldwell Concoctions.
NOTE: this game is not primarily a horror game, but it does incorporate some horror elements.
Controls:
WASD - Movement
Left Click / E - Interact
C - Open Notebook
Tab - Menu
A/D - Flip page
S - Close note
Game Design Document - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Aepti0YIH9rVfzg1zEd0vdZstxh6JUq2lQ9UZ-Sovzs/...
SOLUTIONS BELOW - if you get stuck
Security Room
Super Tree - Paul mixed this up with his Sugar and Tea.Lab Space 1
Wet Matter (Water). Cecil notes that the lab spaces are connected by the sinks.Lab Space 2
Hot Energy (Fire). There is a spillage at the door, with an empty bottle of oil nearby.Staff Room
Invisible Skin (Invisibility). The motion detector won't detect something invisible. Edward states that he feels invisible.Sofia's Room
Cheesy Beast (Rat). The beast potion is on top of a cupboard. The rat in the room is Sofia, who was turned into a rat by one of Edward's potions. There is a mouse hole in the wall.Cleaning Cupboard
Crushing Weight. Cecil feels like the situation is weighing on him. He mentions that he may have caused structural damage. There is a crack in the floorboards.Cecil's Room
Rising Mist. Cecil's suspicions are Rising. He states that Edward will not be Missed. There is a fan that is pulling air out of the room.Edward's Room
Anti Bloat. Edward was attempting to make an Antidote. The door is slightly ajar, and Anti Bloat would make you thinner.Download
Comments
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Wow this is a complete game. No prototype here.
There were some moments at the start where I didn't really understand what I was supposed to be doing. The first diary/notes mentioned Sugar tea so I thought "Oh I guess I need to make that?" nothing happened. Then I looked around and noticed the grate on the ceiling and the tree in the room and started to put it together.
By the 2nd room I had figured out the goal was to find the combination to transform myself in some way that would let me escape the current room. From there it was just finding the right combination in every room and it was pretty smooth sailing.
The narrative was really interesting. I liked the gumshoe wrapper around the story. The notes were compelling and the notebook with the character/developer portraits was a fantastic touch. I especially liked it filling in as you progressed and their fate being revealed.
The art was fantastic throughout the whole game. The low-poly/low-res style was great but you didn't sacrifice any readability with the notes or potion labels.
The audio was also fantastic, not much in the way of music but it was satisfying when the transformation cut scenes happened to hear a little.
It was a little cheeky that you started hiding the potions that were needed a little out of sight. Not enough that it was frustrating but more of a "oooh you" after finding them.
The ending was a surprising change of pace, I wasn't expecting the almost-jump scare and charge at the player. It's a little sad that the player ended up the same way as the creature that beat him, oh well. Not as bad as being a tree or a rat I suppose!
I suppose my only constructive criticism would be to give the player more initial feedback in the first room that their combination doesn't work. The tutorial page on the wall made no sense to me. Step 1 mix Step 2 circle? Huh? Having the player say something like "These mixtures don't work" would have helped at least in the first room until the player understands the mechanics and what a positive outcome looks like.
Overall this was literally a complete game and I had a fantastic time playing it. I'm genuinely surprised how you managed to pull off such a polished and content complete game in just a couple of weeks. Well done to all involved!
Really glad there's a checklist. Nice story! The transitions were really cool too.
Really happy when I found the solution myself, did get stuck sometimes so also really happy that the solutions are there lol.
Well done!
Nice work. I really enjoyed it. Got stuck a bunch, but I finished it. The story was fun to figure out :)
I got stuck a lot but I love the game :D.
I loved this game, I sadly wasn't able to solve Lab Space 2 so thank you for the solutions. The artstyle is my favourite in this jam and the music/sound fit really good, I hope you'll add more puzzles after the voting, or maybe a different ending if you do some different choises when making potions (I still liked the normal ending)
Totally, I was definitely considering adding extra endings if I had extra time.
Well done, its polished! I was a bit stuck in the beginning but then I got the hang of it. Well done you should be proud!
is there an exe for your game?
No, it is only built for Web. I suppose I could make an exe but the jam specified a Web build :)
oh no well might just wait until the jam has concluded i guess.
Does the web build not work for you? Or do you just prefer playing an offline build?
i prefer playing offline that way i do not worry about losing internet connection.
That's understandable, I'll try to make an offline version for when the jam is finished :)
Great game! Love the visuals and story. Some of the puzzles could use a few more environmental hints, as I got stuck on some. The sensitivity slider could also have an option to go down, as it is way too high.
I definitely agree that some of the puzzles could have more hints, I'll look into it :) the sensitivity issue too, it had some bugs I didn't get to iron out.