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Death Has Been Murdered's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Category: Music | #43 | 4.229 | 4.229 |
| Visuals | #48 | 4.571 | 4.571 |
| Overall | #50 | 4.343 | 4.343 |
| Category: Cinematography | #53 | 4.143 | 4.143 |
| Story | #67 | 4.200 | 4.200 |
| Category: Voice Acting | #85 | 2.629 | 2.629 |
Ranked from 35 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Content Warnings
Alcohol, Mild Blood/Gore, Off-Screen Mutilation
Log Line
Immortality has been shoved down the screaming throats of every man, beast, and creature cursed with the breath of life.
Team Credits & Cast
Writer: DrStew Programmer: DrStew CG Artists: shrimphakao HexadecimalCat Keriancal Sprite Artists: TheLilaDoez MoonMakes Cherujuice Composers: Dmytro Franke Salil Kapoor Lilian FEROU Playtesters: BirdOn1Leg Smani
Was your submission created with Visual Novel Machinery?
No
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Comments
The game was very cool!
I wasn't able to play the entries for a few weeks since I had pushed some important things (like homework) to finish after the gamejam ended, but I finally had some free time to play the entries I wanted to.
The artwork and music was really nice and everything blended well (the background, characters, background music, etc). The setting was very good and I was intrigued from the start. Awesome game! Congratulations to the entire team!
IM FINALLY HERE TO LEAVE A COMMENT!! thank you so much for sharing your game with us!! This was absolutely beautiful. I love the various artstyles used. It did its job very well of depicting various sides of the same coin. The UI was amazing and the soundtrack BEAUTIFUL. I'm writing this as I tackle the other endings but I wanted to rate it before I got busy again!!
Thank you again, DrStu!! This is amazing work!!
Hey, I finally got around to playing this (I would've played sooner but I got ill, oops!) and it's really good!!
I really love everything from the story to the visuals to the sounds/music! Overall, a fun game that I haven't completely finished yet but I hope to soon!! :)
OMG this is just crazy!! 🤯 I’m obsessed with the art, the story, the vibe — every character feels like a love letter to gaming 🎮💖 You can tell there’s an amazing team behind this. Can’t wait to see what’s next!!
I absolutely loved this story, the sense of irony and metaphorical representation of death is very clear from the beginning. The artwork truly dived me in the story and gave this eerie and darkness. Im still trying to get all the endings for it!!
The team has done a great job specially considering its done in unity, this is quite impressive. I am looking forward to further updates to this game and more to come, thanks for recommending it and keep up the amazing work!!
OMG thank you so much!!! :0
I really really appreciate it!!! ^^
I'll tell you how to get the endings below, just 'cuz its sliiiightly unorthodox, but anyways yeah, this is my first Vn ever, I've never even played one before this so I didn't know things like Renpy existed, I'd have been able to save SO MUCH time!!! :c
By all means, the writing on this is genuinely abysmal (no offence, self), I spent like 3 weeks on the programming that the writing only had a fraction of the depth I wanted, so I'm DEFINATELY going to be creating a full-version, this isn't even close to being finished, some of the writing is on the literal first draft. XD
Anywho though, for the endings, only 1 of the stats matter, Sadism.
For Marauder:
Getting 0 Sadism gets the good ending. [Kill no one]
Getting at least 1 Sadism gets the neutral Ending.
Getting max Sadism AND killing the professor at least once gets the bad ending. :]
Also, for the barkeep, to get the good ending, go with the girl, bad ending, dont go with the girl.
That's it. Literally no stats matter 😭
You can even get one ending, load back into that same save, and then just choose the other one. :D
There's only a slight difference in the barkeep one however, really the Marauder has the most dynamic endings. ^^
Have an amazing day m8, you made mine! :D
I haven't finished a full play through, yet from what I have seen, this is one of my favorite games from this jam. The premise is unsettling in the best way possible. The monochromatic art is very fitting with the atmosphere. Absolutely will be playing this to get all of the possible routes.
omg that's so nice! D:
Thanks so much!!! !! :D
I really appreciate it, good fricking luck with judging m8, I bet y'all entry is gonna score super high! >:D
Ooh, this is such an intriguing and atmospheric game! Really enjoyed the delicious strangeness of the setting, which feels like three parts Mad Max + two parts Spaghetti Western + one part Franz Kafka. The moody and expressive artwork, the surreal storyline, and the moody soundtrack all work together beautifully. Terrific work to the whole team! ✨
omg thank you so much! :0
I really appreciate it, I'm a bit upset that I wasn't able to really refine the story much past a draft, cuz I had to program everything, but I'll revamp it sooner or later! >:]
I really appreciate the feedback, have an excellent jam!!! ^^
Nice! I just wanted to put my two cents in on the humor because another reviewer was against it. I found it charming and it felt was correct considering the noir aesthetic. I'd say add more horror and grit if you like but keep the jokes. There's no way these characters could stay sane in their world without them.
Absolutely agreed! I think when/if the revamp comes, that the humor simply gets accentuated : D
I really enjoyed playing through this! I particularly enjoyed the ending and lore present in the Barkeeper's route, the characters you interact with are all very charming, I thought each of their objects really fit their personalities + the spritework is very expressive & enjoyable to look at 🙂↕️❤️
I was able to get 3/5 of the endings available, but was unable to get 2 of them even after picking all the bad options because the counter for sadism didn't seem to be updating correctly. (It seemed to update after every story beat instead of after each choice, not sure if this is what you intended)
But yeah other than that, I think the mood that you and your team created with the sound design, artwork and premise is really effective, thank you for making this :D
Thank you so much, I really appreciate it! It means a lot from you, y'alls sprites were some of my favorite in all 40 of the submissions I've played! :D
You can't tell, but every sprite was supposed to be a boil frame animation, because I really hate when sprites look static, but eh, time constraints. :c
Also sorry, the morality system I didn't have a lot of time to fully utilize, only 1 of the stats matters for the endings, Sadism.
For Marauder:
Getting 0 Sadism gets the good ending. [Kill no one]
Getting at least 1 Sadism gets the neutral Ending.
Getting max Sadism AND killing the professor at least once gets the bad ending. :D
I should have put that in the game page!
Also, for the barkeep, to get the good ending, go with the girl, bad ending, dont go with the girl.
That's it. Literally no stats matter 😭
You can even get one ending, load back into that same save, and then just choose the other one. :D
Anyways though, I definitely need to put this on the page, thanks so much for letting me know, and thanks so much for playing my game, I really appreciate it!! ^^
Your game is absolutely beautiful ! The unique art style really makes it stand out! The interface is well-crafted, the music perfectly fits the universe, and the player is instantly drawn into it. The story is powerful and very moving. I truly enjoyed each character’s story. It’s an excellent game ! ^^
OMG thank you so much!! ^^
There are things far worse than death.
Oh, this game is super unique. I love the art style. The point and click parts were so cool. And you even had a custom mouse cursor!
I know it is a bit harder to achieve when using plain Unity but if you do other games please follow established conventions on how visual novels work. Right-click to proceed, just no. I know some quality of life features are a bit hard to implement that is why many people use naninovel or renpy.
I really liked the character design of life herself. And the barkeeper stories were pretty engaging as well. I adored the ending when you keep the little girl company.
The music really enhanced the unique mood of this game.
Everyone on the team did a great job. Thank you for making this game!
Heya, thanks so much for playing the game!! :0
Thank you so much!!!
Also yeah, up to this Jam I had literally never played a VN ever, let alone know there were engines like Renpy, I could have saved SO MANY HOURS that could've been put to writing! :sob:
But yeah next time I'll know what to do, the Jam's been super informative!
Also thank you, thank you, and thank you! ^^
I really appreciate the feedback, thanks so much for playing the game!!!!
Have an excellent day! :D
One of the best entries I've played so far. Thanks for the recommendation.
That means a lot!! :0
Thanks so much, also I'm about to play your submission, so stay tuned for that. :D
I really liked the premise of this, and I'm glad that right from the start, it explicitly described Death dying as being a bad thing. There's something nice and ironic about people not being able to die, but society dying a result of this. The tone was nice and melancholic, and the Bartender's story explored this new world in an enticing way that still left a lot to the imagination, and ripe for further exploration.
Of the two stories, I definitely preferred the Bartender's. The ending which I got had him no longer being alone, and I love the way that it reflected the text used for the previous time skips. It did feel as though the idea of him feeling alone sort of came out of nowhere towards the end, but in retrospect I can see how it fits his characterisation. His story was enjoyable nevertheless (and I'd love to know whether the soldier gets better or not).
The Marauder I was a bit less keen on - there's a lot of mystery around who he is and what he wants, and I didn't feel like I really empathised with him as much as I did the Bartender. Thinking about it, I guess that it's his quest is less relatable - the Bartender's just getting by and doing what he can, whereas the Marauder wanting to kill Life isn't really something attainable in real life. That being said, I feel like he was a bit more engaging in the Bartender's story, for what it's worth.
Overall though, I still felt like you did a good job of committing to the concept, and of exploring both the ramifications of Death dying and of the mindset of the characters that would inhabit such a world, without making things too depressing or dark. Great job!
First of all, banger premise! You wrapped it up with an appropriate artstyle as well to sell the vibe. Reminded me of 1930s' animation. If I could be a bit nitpicky, here are some feedbacks;
The dialogue and narration could be improved. There's a lot of telling instead of showing. Especially the narrator. I'd love a little bit more description that engages the senses, making the story feel more immersive and alive.
The UI is also solid, but could use some work. Specifically, the transition and interactables. There were times where I waited for like a whole minute, thinking that I was currently in a cutscene since I couldn't just right click to proceed, only to realise that I had to put my mouse in an exact place to trigger the "?". In cases like these, a subtle indicator for selectables would work wonders!
This leads to my next point: accessibility! I really wished I could use my keyboard to navigate choices and advanced text. Limiting it to only right click to proceed and left click to skip text feels very clunky.
All that said, everything already ties together nicely. Super cohesive work overall! :D
The choice of black and white art is very appropriate. I focused on the Barman.
I know how difficult it is to create Unity's mechanics, and it takes time. Unity's brother.
Writing the story and defining the tone is one of the hardest parts.
I really enjoyed Life in Color (and I'm glad the others picked up on the reference).
Original story! Rooting for you!
Oh, thanks a lot! :D
Appreciate 'cha noticing, I hope the judges like it! ^^7
What I want to appreciate is the sound design. I felt like every click had a fun or appropriate sound response. I really like clicking into nothing and getting a variety of clicking noises. Which is small but I think it speaks to the level detail put into the game design.
Oh yay, thanks for noticing!!! ^^
I was hoping that it wouldn't get annoying, glad you liked it!! :D
I really, really appreciate you playing my game!!! =]
I absolutely love the art in this game!! The monochrome colours really add to the dark and spooky vibes, I also find the concept of immortality where the body can still be destroyed very unique and a really cool concept I have never seen before! I also like the detail of life having some colour on them! Overall I really enjoyed this :3
OMG, thank you so much!!! :D
yeah I'm genuinely surprised I don't see any media where immortal people can still get hurt, it's such a simple concept, idk if it's a trope or not but if it does, it's way under-utilized!
ALSO THANKS FOR NOTICING LIFE HAS COLOR, AHAHAHAHA! >:D
Your game was also amazing, good luck with judging! ^^
I like the monochrome art. The setting of people cannot die reminds me of a certain anime I liked back in the day. Interesting, I must say. Between the barkeep and marauder, I'd say I enjoy playing as the barkeep more. Great work!
omg, thank you so much for playing!!! :D
I will say, the barkeep was fleshed out a bit more, if I didn't have to program the writing would've been SO MUCH better :sob:
Anyway though, I really appreciate it, I'm gonna be playing/rating your game in a bit, I'll leave a comment there! >:]
This game was amazing. I played as the barkeep and i got a good ending. The dialogue was weird but the game was still god. I liked the cursor design. The art style looks amazing as well. The characters were awesome, I really liked the marauder design. I didn't know he had a mask on until The option showed. The immortality premise was also good, it would be scary to have your whole body destroyed but still being alive. Very nice game.
Thanks so much m8, I really, really appreciate it!
Good luck with the judging! >:]
Really interesting concept! The idea of an immortal world isn't new to me, but the idea that the body can still get ruined (as the game says) and the person still lives? That really is hell. I finished this game wanting to see more about the state of the world and its people... I also really liked how the little girl and a part of Life was shown in colors while the rest of the game is in black and white. Incredible work to the entire team!
Some notes--the Marauder, if played first, would be confusing to players as the Barkeep is the only one who does the worldbuilding. Also, both stories don't seem very connected. How does the Barkeep remember the Marauders name in the Marauders storyline, but not his own?
There were also some visual glitches when advancing fast during a transition. Maybe you can disable player input until the next scene is properly loaded? (I was a little shocked to see you did this in Unity-- I'm so sorry)
I'm a little unsure of the tone you want for the story. Dark and gritty is what I gathered from the logline and screenshots. If that's the case, the usage of emoticons takes away from that. There were some comedic moments in there, which takes away from the impact of... well, everything. It's less "oh, hell. Everythings horrible" and more like "oh, okay. Everything sucks". Of course, not saying to get rid of it completely--there's ways to have comedic moments in a dark story without taking away from what's important!
This part can be disregarded, but it would've been cool if Life's character design was less human and appealing and more... strange? Eldritch? Inhuman? Life, although they're the one keeping humanity tethered to this hell, seems very disconnected and harbors some form of grudge. It would be nice to see more of this anger in more than just facial expressions! After all, this is a concept/god we're talking about
Heya! Thanks so much for playing the game, I really, REALLY appreciate it!!! :D
I'm so glad someone noticed that Life/The Girl were in color, I had a whole sequence how everything was just in regular color, but as the centuries went on, and things got more hopeless and gray; literally. XD
Yeah I will admit, I'm really fricking sad I didn't get to do as high quality writing as I wanted. Almost half of the jam was spent just making the dialogue systems and stuff (I didn't know there were Engines like Renpy :sob:), so that is entirely valid, I of all people regret that the story was geuinely really sub-par in the Marauder route, thanks for the honesty!
The transition thing, yeah I was considering just freezing player input, but then people would have to wait A LONG TIME, so I just opted to make it possible to be watch slowly and perfectly, but if they wanted to speed-run it, they can just M1 + M2 and watch it kind of have a stroke. XD
And again, the writing totally had flaws, thanks for pointing them out, that's actually insanely useful! :D Most of it was just of course, a lack of time with being the only writer and stuff, but also I was a bit sheep-ish about writing something so insanely horrifying, but after thought that's definately what I should've been going for, I'm noting this!
Lastly, heh, the reason life's sprite was so different was, literally, I can not draw hair. XD
Every single character I had several concept art's, so all the artist's know what to draw, and of course I story-boarded every cg, but um, I was planning for life to possibly have hair, which I can't draw, so the artist had to both come up with a design and finialize all the sprites in like less than a week since the jam was almost over! :sob:
Moving forward I'm almost definately going to continue this story, this jam was my first time working for a team, and I'm just gonna say, I had no idea what I was doing at first. XD
NOW THOUGH, I now just what to do, especially with the writing! I've noted most all of this, I really, really appreciate all of the feedback, this will help a ton!
Have an excellent day, and good luck with judging!! >:D