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Apply Yourself's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Quirkiness | #10 | 4.059 | 4.059 |
| Secondary Theme Interpretation | #16 | 3.882 | 3.882 |
| Overall | #31 | 3.696 | 3.696 |
| Graphics | #35 | 4.118 | 4.118 |
| Gameboy Soul | #37 | 3.941 | 3.941 |
| Gameplay | #62 | 3.176 | 3.176 |
| Soundtrack/SFX | #82 | 3.000 | 3.000 |
Ranked from 17 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
How does your game meet GBJam's theme?
Job applications involve a lot of luck, and one wrong answer can sometimes cost you an interview - this game attempts to simulate those random and unlucky aspects of seeking employment.
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Comments
That was neat! The art is charming, and the mechanics are competent. Not particularly novel commentary, but true and warranted nonetheless. Good work!
You made it to the end! Very impressive
Funny concept, and the art/music is well done. It’s definitely relatable! The game is unfortunately too much of a grind to be fun, but I would have liked to see the ending (if there is one!) The mouse control and menus felt good to use. I think this was a great art piece, but not so much as a game. I didn’t get the appeal of Papers, Please either, so maybe it’s just me :) Nice work on executing your vision, and props for trying a unique concept.
Depressingly accurate, great job!
Wow, the game looks great and the theme is fulfilled perfectly!
The subject matter in this entry is way too relatable for me, and it's a great interpretation of the theme . The aesthetic of everything here is consistent and serves the purpose of creating a sense of lethargy and exhaustion, but it still manages to have a sense of humor and be an entertaining portrayal of this predicament.
I really liked the writing - it has a dark sense of humor that fits with the tone well. I particularly liked the AI bot being called A.I.N.U.S. The art also really shines here and I like the choice of palette a lot. The music is good and fitting, but it does get a little repetitive with the one track I heard.
The tediousness of job hunting is pretty effectively portrayed in a gamified way here, but imo it was just a little too tedious to be something I'd want to come back to. I wasn't able to get past the aptitude test because I didn't want to have to memorize arbitrary answers and couldn't seem to find any hints around the world. It's a fitting parallel to what it's like looking for jobs in 2025, and I like the social commentary, but the tediousness of it was enough to turn me off from seeing the game through. Other than this, I really liked the game!
Nice entry!
Everyone needs an Artificially Intelligent Nimble User Support ;) Thanks for trying it out, I may look to reduce the tediousness in a future update, or scatter a few more hints around the room for the aptitude test
I didn't expect to play one day a simulation of my 2 year ago life, that one before i finally got a shitty job.
i gave up, questions are to hard haha but its a nice game and very good graphics ! :)
The bookshelf does offer some hints for each stage of the job application process, but otherwise it is pretty much down to luck (or lack thereof). Glad you enjoyed the art!
Very nice game! Applied 35 times and still no job :(
I really liked this. It was thought provoking and easy to relate haha. Great idea, great game!
Great game! applied 133 times and still ended up jobless :(
That's incredibly unlucky ;) Impressive CV spam commitment though
5 stars across the board. Evokes the trauma and dread of Job hunting. I hate the overused term 'cozy' but this game does it right with the well designed room and PC set up. Funny yet not over the top dialogue, cool little references/easter eggs and features S-tier graphics/art. The bonus game Tank Dodgers is an addicting little challenge and the cherry on top. Look forward to more from Smoking Jacket Studios
This one was heavy! Great graphics and idea here—that aptitude test was everything!
Great game in such an awful way if that makes sense
The use of unlucky was really fun and unique. Great game, definitely going to come back to this one.
I think you definitely succeeded in communicating what a dreadful and grueling experience job applications can be. I enjoyed the dystopian and clinical vibe of the game. I thought the art style was the strongest part of the game, and the music was simple, but effective. A pretty interesting entry, I think!
An interesting experience! I had to spend more time than I would've liked spamming cvs, then I just kept spamming bed, then eventually I got the interview. I really liked the art, great gameboy vibes all around. I would've preferred if you left out of the cv spam feature, and instead had a few different possible outcomes based on how you answer things.etc. Then I might replay to see what else could happen. Music was simple but effective in establishing mood. Great work!
Thank you for playing and your thoughtful feedback! The CV spam can be a bit grindy, with each application increasing the odds of progression when you sleep by 1%. I might make that easier on a future update