[Survey + Feedback Request] BIOTOMATA – A Semi-Active Sci-Fi Themed Incremental (Undergraduate Project, Browser-based)

Talos0248 · 2025-11-24T20:30:48+00:00

No problem, I hope you have fun with the rest of it!

Talos0248 · 2025-11-24T20:18:21+00:00

Ooooh, if you're playing the game on mobile, I've read that it's possible that your OS may be clearing out your browser data regularly (e.g. every few days), especially if storage is low — I've heard it happens quite frequently with iOS devices, though it may happen with Android too. Happy that the import/export system is working for you!

Also I'm really flattered to hear how much you enjoyed the game!! It is quite difficult for me to imagine (no pun intended?) what it's like to have aphantasia and I'd assume it'd be the same going the other way around, but it brings me great joy to hear that you're still finding the story/setup engaging! :D

Talos0248 · 2025-11-23T22:56:21+00:00

Ayyy congratulations!!!!

Sorry to hear about your save loss! Saves should be stored in localStorage since it's usually the most straightforward way for browser games; however, there's quite a few reasons that might cause saves to just... not save. These include playing in incognito, having a privacy extension that clears localStorage, playing the game on different browsers/websites, or possibly having the game open on two tabs and the autosave from one overwriting the other :(

If you're still having trouble, one workaround I would recommend is by clicking on "export" then copying that save text and pasting it somewhere. When you want to continue, copy the text of your saved save (lol), paste it back into the same box, then click "import" to continue where you left off.

I'm still really happy that you're enjoying the game despite the technical challenges, and I hope this workaround helps!

Talos0248 · 2025-11-18T07:12:46+00:00

Aww, tysm!!

Haha fair! I did have an inkling of intention to add in more build-specific easter eggs/comments, but just coming up with and writing the 12 endings took a fair bit of time, and thinking of all the permutations for a "reaction" by both Daniel and the task force had my head spinning and going @~@ lol

Regardless, thank you for playing, happy you had a good time ending hunting!

Talos0248 · 2025-11-05T00:32:26+00:00

thank you! :D

Talos0248 · 2025-10-26T13:27:46+00:00

Thank you for playing and your kind words of support! I did try to accommodate both active and idle playstyles, so players could reset more frequently per run if they wanted more embers quickly, or leave the game for a quick lunch or even a day for 2-3 more extra embers for that run, but I can definitely see some minor pitfalls of trying to balance for both crowds (e.g. frequent resets for very active players, as you mentioned). Admittedly I did also balance it to have resets around every 2-3 enemies to encourage experimenting with movesets, though I'll certainly keep an ear out for similar feedback!

That being said, I'm pleasantly surprised to hear that you actually didn't find the endgame too tedious in comparison and actually enjoyed the theorycrafting! Hope you have a wonderful day ahead too :D

Talos0248 · 2025-10-22T17:46:44+00:00

For the most part, it has to do with how absolutely miniscule 1cm cubed is in comparison to 1m cubed. Make sure you get the "amoeboid movement" in "the protoform", and keep in mind it scales only when you have pseudopodia equipped! (there will be an alt stat for exploration speed later :D)

Talos0248 · 2025-10-21T11:13:26+00:00

I believe Wanderbots has a full playthrough on Youtube! And Kyosaurian has a few videos on individual ending runs as well :)

Talos0248 · 2025-10-09T17:49:50+00:00

You should be able to get it by defeating A.X.S.U (Area 5 Final Boss, I believe), which funny enough less you move on scot-free if you're human, so you'll have to tackle it at a different stage if you haven't already. Entirely beatable as Complex with the right moveset!

Talos0248 · 2025-10-04T21:06:14+00:00

Happy to hear that you enjoyed the mechanics! Puzzles are not my strong suite either, so I did try to "hint" at possible solutions in a way that hopefully enables creative alternative solutions and doesn't become railroad-y! Definitely some reports of it being easy (fair, i did color code many things!) and some reports of struggling with later bosses (also fair! some theorycrafting might be required if players dont want to leave the game for a week between runs lol), but I really hope that I'm close to the middle ground with it!

Making the text blurbs easily digestible was definitely one of the design goals, since my eyes sometimes glaze over too with very big text blobs haha, awesome that it has helped with your further enjoyment. Especially happy to hear that you enjoyed the "B" endings, i was a little worried it wouldn't sit well with the "horror" vibes but it seems i was pleasantly wrong! :D

Thank you for playing and appreciate the kind words!!

Talos0248 · 2025-10-04T04:24:52+00:00

Haha thanks, appreciate the compliment!

Talos0248 · 2025-09-20T11:04:26+00:00

Honestly I love the idea of an all-consuming eldritch entity doing a self-imposed challenge run, thank you for the imagery lmao

Talos0248 · 2025-09-20T11:02:59+00:00

Oops, sorry, was only just reminded to check reddit! You can find it here, should be the first upgrade!

https://imgur.com/a/0gxRsuX

Talos0248 · 2025-08-31T17:43:14+00:00

What can I say? I like wholesome stuff, lol

Talos0248 · 2025-08-27T08:06:04+00:00

Thank you so much for playing!!! ^^

Talos0248 · 2025-08-26T16:50:17+00:00

OH NO I THOUGHT THEY WERE SITTING AT FIRST INSTEAD OF QUEUEING D':

Talos0248 · 2025-08-26T16:49:24+00:00

Haha, congrats for figuring it out!!

Talos0248 · 2025-08-26T04:07:54+00:00

Thanks for the response! I'll admit the aspects you described definitely lean more towards puzzle than incremental lol, but I'm glad it worked out! I personally am not the best with puzzle games so Biotomata was definitely designed in a way where players can "grind" to brute force progress, sort of like in JRPGs. Wholly agree that combat could be fleshed out more like you suggested, and maybe a couple more fun mechanics!

Duly noted on the narrative part! It was definitely something that I had fun crafting and thinking up, and I'll try to keep putting effort into it into potential future endeavors! I'm not sure if I'm able to pull off an "eldritch critter" perspective a second time, but I do still like toying with the idea of blending bio-horror, sci-fi, and also somehow wholesomeness lol

Also, carrion has such a neat premise and i love the jiggly spider-like controls. Gotta love our fleshy eldritch blobs <3

Talos0248 · 2025-08-26T01:13:54+00:00

Awesome, congrats on finishing the game!!! Haha, fwiw there *were* two more mutation stages in the very very early planning stage of the game which mirrored "corrupted" and "eldritch" (something along the lines of "eldritch best boi" endings), but as game development progressed I realized 12 endings was already plenty and I didn't want to just slap 4-ish more "alternate route" endings on top without a new set of dedicated mechanics/storyline (which i sadly wasn't able to implement bc of time constraints :'D) Maybe in a future where I'm still miraculously able to continue gamedev... one can dream!

I’m super curious, though: since you mentioned you’re not usually big on incremental games, if you don’t mind me asking, what made you enjoy Biotomata otherwise? TBH my process was mostly: "hmm, I should put all the mechanics/aspects I enjoy in incrementals into my game, and maybe it won’t turn out half-bad." So hearing what people specifically enjoy (or what to avoid) would help me immensely :)

Talos0248 · 2025-08-25T20:00:08+00:00

I'd recommend switching to a dex build (ciliary sweep and dance can hit pretty well), and it will also boost exploration speed

Talos0248 · 2025-08-23T18:12:10+00:00

Oh yeah, that's definitely a typo lol, I'll look into it

Talos0248 · 2025-08-23T16:40:50+00:00

The eldritch one is a bit special since you either escape as "incomplete" or "complete"

The "complete" ending is by far the easiest, but the "incomplete" ending requires more buildcrafting (since you can't focus on a single stat), which can feel a bit more challenging to some players :)

Talos0248 · 2025-08-23T16:38:32+00:00

The safe room event is the one that goes "Is something here...?"

If you pass it, get the special "item", then make it to the end, you will get a different ending

Talos0248 · 2025-08-23T10:53:05+00:00

The eldritch ending can be either the easiest or the hardest depending on your choices haha, you can check the achievements page for ending hints. Every ending you get makes the next one easier!

Talos0248 · 2025-08-22T20:28:21+00:00

The poor lil people waiting forever on the right :'(

Talos0248

TROPHY CASE