I don't think I've ever played anything which tackled grief with such sensitivity, an astounding achievement.
I've never experienced the death of someone very close to me, and this game made me thankful for that because it reminded me of how painful it can be – how painful it will be.
Coupled with gorgeous CG's, good music, and great writing there's nothing more I could ask for. Some scenes were so engrossing with it's intensity that I had to pause for a second to take it all in.
Thank you for making this.
Play game
Graveyard Girls's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Score | #20 | 4.769 | 4.769 |
Ranked from 26 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Log Line
Graveyard Girls is a Halloween-themed Yuri VN about complicated grief and overcoming hardships... Collect Elle’s “Scribbles” to learn about her struggles, befriend a mysterious girl, and have a conversation about death.
Content Warnings
Graveyard Girls depicts the complicated and traumatic aftermath of losing a parent during young adulthood. It contains strong language, mature humor, drug abuse, self-harm, mentions of suicide, alcohol use, and sexual themes.
Team Members
Lead Developer & Creative Director- Sam Kerr
CG Artist & Creative Director- Pommuu
Sprite Artist- MintsTea
Musical Composer- Dalton Attig
Background Artist- Waikikired
Logo Designer- Gwynne Moore/GSE Studios
UI Artist- Pommuu
CG Artist- MelonPanne
UI Programmer- Bunni
Additional Graphic Design- Andrew Tsan
Comments
What a wonderfully well told story~ You have a very light touch throughout all the writing that leaves a lot to the imagination in the best possible way. Thank you for making this game :>
Submitted
Scary GourmetEven though this wouldn't typically be my cup of tea (mention of beautiful girls on the game page would immediately make me close it under normal circumstances cos it's enough to tell me I'm not the target audience, haha), I was intrigued by the story in this since I had a close personal friend who also lost a parent at a young age + I'm trying my best to play all of the games from the jam at some point :3
I found it quite fascinating comparing Elle's experience to my friend's experience. I certainly didn't expect them to be exactly the same, but I also didn't expect them to be so vastly different either. I suppose it goes to show that we all deal with grief in very different ways!
Anyhow, the art is absolutely gorgeous, and I would like to sample everything at the cafe, please! Especially the cheesecake x3
And despite it not really being the type of story I'd normally go for, I did find it to be quite touching :3
Oh, and I love the soundtrack! I think it was the second track that played that was my favourite. It reminded me of a Miku song that I like which I can't for the life of me remember the name of >.< (goes to try and find it) It was Meteor. I don't know why because they're not all that similar, but as soon as I heard the track I just thought of that song xD
Submitted
Limbo LineThis is a raw honest portrayal of the emotions surrounding grief for a loved one, and I can't imagine how difficult it must be for you to get it out, yet it's great that such a work like this can exist. It's because I can see the positive effect this VN has for other people. Despite it all, it is still a story about hope and healing. For Elle to meet Lucia and both of them finding support from a person who finally seems to grasp what they are going through. I found the anecdote behind the blue rose quite beautiful how it ties it up together. The beautiful CG and emotional music really strengthen the themes of hope as well.
Out of curiosity I clicked the 'shut-off' responses to see what kind of difference it brings. I'm glad that you circumvented the typical VN bad ending, that you don't get an ending where for example Elle won't see Lucia again if she said the wrong thing or pushed her away. For a therapeutic experience like this, a typical game win-lose state does not fit, so I'm really happy with the message you are sending where it's okay if you grieve differently. Some people are simply not ready to talk yet or you can't force yourself to act according the expected way. Instead Elle and Lucia still maintain the communication and friendship where you allow them to heal in their own pace (I say friendship in this context because I can sort of see them having reservations about a romantic relationship so quickly if they have so much to go through).
Submitted
Wolfskin's CurseThank you so much for this wonderful comment, it's really encouraging. Honestly, I put a lot of thought into removing the typical bad-ending trope because of how specific and emotional this content was. I'm overjoyed that you noticed and also liked the change in direction! You're absolutely correct, there's no "proper" way to grieve and every path is different. That's why I didn't want to punish players for having boundaries, it wouldn't be fair and sends a bad message.
I came here for spooks, not overwhelming bittersweet feels! Seriously though, great work. It was a bit of a slow burn to start with, but I was pretty hooked by the halfway mark. Good stuff, well done!
Submitted
WaterborneI simply cannot understand how someone can make such a phenomenal piece in only a month
The artwork is stellar, the music fitting, and the topic of grief was handled with the respect and realism most media failt to achieve.
The game also is fairly lengthy in terms of vn jam projects. Whilst it took me a month to make a short, you may created a small movie of sorts.
You have my utmost respect as a game developer. I wish you the best of luck in the judging
(Tim) I lost my grandfather two years ago at around this time of year, and reading this definitely made me feel something. This short VN manages to capture a very universal experience within the span of two conversations: one between the protagonist and her father's headstone, and the other between her and a stranger who approaches her.
Almost everyone who has lost someone dear to them has some unpacked baggage lying somewhere. I can tell that this project was very personal to the team. I hope that creating this was at least as therapeutic an experience as me reading it.
Submitted
PROJECT: Halloween
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