Really liked the atmosphere here. The writing pulled me in and the branching paths made me want to see both endings. Would have been even better with some sound or music to set the mood. Looking forward to seeing how this evolves into the planned 3D version
Play text prototype
So, about Chrystal..'s itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Story | #34 | 3.813 | 3.813 |
| Overall | #457 | 2.875 | 2.875 |
| Fun | #522 | 2.563 | 2.563 |
| Theme | #548 | 2.563 | 2.563 |
| Mechanics | #573 | 2.313 | 2.313 |
| Aesthetics | #621 | 2.500 | 2.500 |
| Music | #751 | 1.375 | 1.375 |
| Sound | #777 | 1.313 | 1.313 |
Ranked from 16 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
How many people worked on this game in total?
1
Did you use any existing assets? If so, list them below.
I used free images from pixabay, here's the collection (not all were used): https://pixabay.com/collections/chrystal-28516866/
Comments
Thank you for your interest!
I plan to do both 2d and 3d versions, because 2d is a good way to “prep” for 3d (for me at least). 3d doesn’t involve this much writing, while in 2d you are forced to think about locations more carefully etc. And it is very helpful to troubleshoot multiple endings I want in my 3d version as well.
I guess I’m skipping sound a lot because ideally I want to write my own tracks, but in practice I don’t have time or forget to put a placeholder lol. It will be added in next update for the text version.
i have the original 3D project here, after reading the story you can sort of imagine what gameplay would be like based on those 2 prototypes.
Haha thanks! I like story-rich games and have complex plots, so working with Twine engine helps to plan, especially if you have multiple endings like a visual novel (from other genres, Baldur’s Gate 3 is the example of needed writing). I am experienced writer and this project is based on my other bigger project, so it was a relatively quick to do. Yea, placeholders were more for me and also to make people interested in the game’s future. Later I kind of forgot about adjusting them.
I’m going to finish first draft before July, I have a rough idea what happens next, it will be 2-3 more chapters. You do raise a good point here, because those projects are in a horror setting, but the story isn’t as grim right now as it can go & depending on the choices it can be sort of wholesome even.
It is based on a dream I had, was kind of a nightmare, and I rarely call my dreams nightmares. The tunnel was very narrow and you’d have to crawl by lying fully on the floor (it made no sense on the wake up & for the jam game why the character would even try to go there because the tunnel was a death trap). When I was doing 3D version, it was too complex to implement asap & explain why anyone in their right mind even drunk would attempt it, and in text it went a bit different direction. If I figure a plausible explanation, I want to still do it as in the dream for 3D version.
94 days ago(+2)
Hey, thank you! That’s quite the praise, I’m glad you enjoyed it! You mean you only saw 2 pictures total?? That’s odd. The other pictures are all linked from from pixabay.com, maybe there’s some kind of block for you with this site. Here’s how it should look like visually for PCs:
I left happy ending pretty vague for now, because I want to do more branching there. Thank you for rmeinding me I should give it some more attention. I will also add music to my next update.
If you are curious, I have a project roadmap describing what’s next for this game: here
80 days ago(+1)
That’s a weird issue, I’ll keep it in mind for the future. Thank you for checking the video as well.
94 days ago (+1)
Thank you very much, glad it made a strong impression on you! You may enjoy my other jam game in a similar style, Carry On. It is very short compared to this one,3 endings if i recall right.
For this jam project, currently there are two endings and choices lead you to one or the other (you are always offered to “escape the fate”, which kind of relevant later in the story).
In visual novels and interactive fiction the branching likely gives more options than that. They also can lead to completely different stories in next chapters or have totally unrelated plot parts, but in many cases they sort of keep the same plot points.
From the more popular games that aren’t considered visual novel/interactive fiction, Baldur’s Gate has multiple endings. Ideally I want my action games to have the story in them, not otherwise. My original project issues and lack of time decided for me in this jam (jk, i knew i would end up breaking it… i knew it…), had to redo using different engine (Twine for text instead of Unreal Engine for 3D).
For this game version there’s basically two ways: you either “avoid the trouble”(you don’t experience the plot of the story) or you don’t(here’s the story).
In the full version I plan you’ll be able to interact with characters, there will be some puzzles and exploration elements (pick objects, use phone as a light, drink alcohol, change music etc). It won’t be much on top of what’s in the game, because under the hood survival horror(the classic one) is basically a walking sim, imo. For visual novels etc, having the multiple endings is the interactive part, as I gather at least. Here’s the earliest prototype you can mentally place the text onto to get a overall idea:
Yes, sound part is in next update.
My devloghas some notes on the future of the project and whatever happened during the jam.
Thanks for playing!
It’s all in the video, just an NPC. I used it only for the jam, the character is supposed to have a different design (my original idea is 3D that looks like PS2 game, I planned to make models in Blender 3D). In the video I just replaced idle animation so that he’d read a book. I have a rough explanation here, if you mean you want to know how it is done
Thank you! The audio will be added, yes. There is a lot more in the works! You can follow this project or my itch.io profile if you want to be updated. I am genuinely not a fan of visual novels myself, they tend to have too much text. I just like multiple endings and it is the easiest way to prototype plots like that.
My text games are “proof of concept” & to hook people with the story. Primarily I am learning to make 3d games that can be later turned into VR games.
I may get sidetracked with my other projects, but this game is not going to stay just a jam entry, because it barely touches upon the actual plot.
Jam helped me to explore the plot from a different character’s POV & see how it can be used as a game plot. It has been just a plot in my head with no concrete medium based on a dream I had. Working on the jam helped me to develop the plot further and see how it may progress beyond what I already had in mind.
I prefer to utilise my older original ideas for jams because I have a huge pile of stuff & if I start something new it will STILL turn into a more complex idea naturally without me actively working on it.
For example Carry On was also some random dream with an interesting idea to turn into a game wth a twist ending. After using it in a jam, now it is a whole serious project with even twistier ending..
Sorry for the late reply, i missed some notifications. Yea, I used to have very vivid dreams growing up, now it is only occasionally. Many of my ideas started with elaborate dreams that were good “pitches” but in a few cases I saw almost full plots. You can induce vivid dreams if you want using supplements like lion’s maine(edible mushroom, nootropic used for brain health).
I do not have any finished projects as of yet. All the stuff I have planned/worked on is mostly in the app I use for writing. My gamedev journey was concentrated on 3D, my full stories are a bit too complex( novel length usually) to realize in full projects right now due to my skill level. This month I hope to finish the first full prototype for Chrystal, because the story is short and relatively simple.
Carry On is kind of an intro to the plot (think first 5 minutes of a movie). The overall idea will revolve around being an astronaut in an ongoing journey knowing what is revealed in the jam version and having moral dilemmas related to how to deal with it. Sort of like Among Us, where you can be on either side of the “conflict”.
I wasn’t originally planning to do text adventures and visual novels, but I see now it fits nicely with many stories I have in drafts, so I’ll keep making similar prototypes. If you’ll follow my itch.io profile, you’ll get notified by the system.
Thank you, glad you enjoyed :) I will add an updated version with music after the jam voting ends.
This game prototype is a part of a bigger story, Chrystal game is sort of a prequel to the main plot. I’ll continue working on it. The full text version with of Chrystal will be posted by the July 1st, ideally. Current version has 1 chapter, full game is expected to have 3-4 chapters and more endings.
95 days ago(+1)
Thank you for playing! Yes, I’ll try to add music to this game version too (it was supposed to be 3d). I used Twine, it us quite limited and so far I only used it for text only prototypes.
I will work on this game beyond jam, so if the plot is up your alley, stay tuned :)
96 days ago(+1)
Haha thanks, I’ll add it. It’s a prototype, the real game will be 3d.
This is one of two endings. It is a bit confusing but this one is not the real ending.
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