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A jam submission

The Widow's ShadowView game page

After her husband’s passing, a widow is thrown into a twisted reality and forced to face hidden truths.
Submitted by Florisam (@floramisuu) — 1 day, 1 hour before the deadline
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The Widow's Shadow's itch.io page

Results

CriteriaRankScore*Raw Score
Music#144.6074.607
Game Graphic & Logo Design#214.7864.786
Game Page Design#224.6074.607
Sound Effects#234.2864.286
User Interface Design#284.5004.500
Overall#284.6074.607
Story#394.5714.571
Character Designs#444.6434.643
Halloween Themed#454.3214.321
Log Line#514.2504.250
Accessibility#564.2144.214
Voice Acting#582.6432.643

Ranked from 28 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.

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Comments

Clean and well designed UI, interesting OST composition. I liked the vibes and the story despite being short has an interesting concept and touches some heavy subjects.

Submitted(+1)

I really enjoyed this, the best thing is really the music in this case, which was a lot of in depth tunes that truly scared me deeply. The graphics, and the monochrome art really fit this, and I liked how its themes fit, and how much the husband wasn't all that different from his own shadow because he was already his true self to her, and that's why she had such difficulty in figuring out who she is. And how she can barely recognize her own shadow too. This is a much deeper story than I anticipated at least. And the shadow too, and the concept, and how there was a mob, and how she was perceived, in comparison to her mental state was starkly contrasted. 

I really enjoyed this story a lot. I had also done a playthrough for it: 

(+2)

A banger of a presentation, with art and design referencing German Expressionist films, but it doesn't stop with the visuals.  Beautiful, engaging music and knockout sound design (which I think is often an afterthought).  I played with a set of stereo headphones on and I heard the wind in the trees, every approaching footstep, and every shuddering creak of an opening door. 

The theme of the story, too is like many Expressionist works--explores sanity and insanity, the subjective perception of reality, and human nature at odds with itself.  Deeper still, we find a character struggling to come to terms with a relationship that has ended, and the exploration here is nuanced, thoughtful, and relatable.

Beautiful game!

Submitted(+1)

The story was really engaging (the camerawork really added to the theatrics!) and I ended up really sympathising with the widow (ending 3 is so deserved!!!!!),  and the art direction- a wonderful homage to film noir! The character designs convey the reality of their 'true selves' really well! (I especially love shadow widow's design (don't want to spoil name)- blinds over eyes,,, ahhh symbolism). The music really was the cherry on top, it tied it all together!

Amazing work, team! (´꒳`)♡

Submitted(+1)

*sips game like fine wine* Am I tasting nodes of jungian sensibilities?

Love the small touches in this game. The cursor, the way the names show up in the text box, its immersing me in the mood. Wonderful, wonderful.

Submitted(+1)

Excellent! Honestly could not find a single fault with this game. They went in with a desired style and story and my gosh did they nail it!

The design, the writing, the gui, the characters, the sound, the atmosphere, all work perfectly together.

The traumatic themes are handled really well and in one ending actually very empowering and the story is gripping throughout. 

For me I couldn't help but compare it the old Hammer Horror films and while playing I even gave the husband a Vincent Price like voice lol

If you haven't played this, play it! You will not be disappointed.

Amazing work everyone!

Submitted(+1)

A polished and intriguing little visual novel! I won't spoil the endings, but what I will say is that your use of camerawork and cinematic techniques was really effective for the story you're telling. This is an excellent example of how to use limited resources as effectively as possible.

I also enjoyed the art direction of this visual novel: the 1920's silent film setting was well-executed, and the character designs reflected the period well too. Special shout-out to the titular Widow's Shadow, with her gorgeous spider-like costuming and makeup.

Really enjoyed this title - thank you for making it!

Submitted(+1)

I'm really digging the aesthetics of this game, it's so stylish and cool!! The writing and art is amazing, I love the shadow's design so much, she's so hot :0 Love the endings too, I was so satisfied when I got the 3rd ending like yeahh!! You go girl!! Anyway, lovely work!!!

Submitted(+1)

Oooh--I've been looking forward to this entry since it was announced, and it still far exceeded my hopes as a deliciously spooky love-letter to a film genre and era I adore! A phenomenally polished and beautifully designed package, with an absolutely stunning soundtrack (put me vividly in mind of watching old Kino Video editions of G.W. Pabst films!), gorgeous character art and UI, stylish backgrounds, and fantastic, atmospheric sound design. The story is structured with a clear knowledge of its genre and almost surgical artistic precision. One of my favorites so far, for certain!

Submitted (1 edit) (+1)

The story caught my interest and it is well developed. But what really left me mesmerized was the characters. I think this might be one of my favourites character designs. The rest of the art OFC is on par in terms of quailty. Hats off to you!

(+2)

(Copied/expanded on my comment from the game page.)

I enjoyed every second of this game and am still reeling from how beautifully told the story is! Its art style and use of motion was striking from the get-go and the protagonist's plight immediately intrigued me. 

At many points I stopped and thought to myself how well the music and sound effects went with every moment, and I loved the use of camerawork in the hallway--a really smart move in maximising the assets you have for effective storytelling. I also liked the use of vignettes to frame and block off different parts of the screen to emphasise or conceal characters and background details. The rest of the camerawork also accompanied the story well, and I can't wait to see what will happen if you push it further for future projects. 

I'm quite satisfied with the ending I got but would be so curious to see the other two--but for now I'm happy with the impression I have of it all :)


Amazing work, all of you! 🎉

Submitted(+2)

The widow's shadow introduces its mystery in seconds, and hooks you fast. Each scene is integrated nicely into the build up. The ending we got was very satisfying and the pacing is very well done. Also the choices for music are awesome! The sound effects really fit the vibe and steps sfx for example are well timed with the sprite's movements. Really recommend it! 

Submitted(+1)

This was such a wild ride. I love every second of it, the vibe kinda reminds of that really old vampire movie and that french film les diabolique , which is one of the movies I really love.  The art, music and everything else just compliments the writing. You should check this game out. 

Submitted(+2)

The Burton-esque art style and character designs (I found the choice to give a horn-shaped hairstyle to one specific character especially brilliant!) and achromatic aesthetic of this game perfectly suit the story. 

Oh, and what a story it is! Once the spooky portion of the VN began, I was reminded of Coraline initially, but you've managed to utilize the premise to relay a concise, cohesive message that matters and hits hard. I believe this story has the potential to resonate and provide catharsis to many readers who have undergone similar experiences as the widow and who have dealt with people like her late husband. 

I enjoyed getting all the endings! One particular moment in Ending 2 gave me chills. Perfection! Your team should be very proud of yourselves for releasing such a solid visual novel! Congratulations!

Submitted(+3)

Wonderfully haunting, Coraline like story!

The art, music, and even the names of all the characters fit the tone very well. A cautionary tale and an ode to all the housewives who ever had to put up with this kind of BS!

Submitted(+3)

This is an absolutely gorgeous game from start to finish. The music complements the visuals to a tee, creating a wonderfully eerie and paranoid atmosphere. I can't wait to replay to get the other two endings.

Submitted(+3)

I don't think I've seen this level of cinematrography in any other visual novel! The movement, the art, the expresions, it all kept it alive at all times. The music was just perfect, thrilling to the very end. I got the end 3, and quite honestly? I'm quite happy with that one, felt very fitting, yet I still got to try the other ones.

The initial idea was just so good, and the different paths that the mind game proposed were both, thrilling and confusing. Will you break? Will you carry on forward? What certainties do you have? Just so relatable.

Congratulations, you lot really hit the ball out of the park with this one! I don't know if it was the goal, but I tottaly want to watch german expresionism now lol

Submitted(+3)

I have not had a chance to play this game yet but I am so excited for it! I love the concept, the artwork, and the homage to a very specific film style. I can tell it was made with a lot of attention to detail and love!

Developer

That makes me really happy to hear! I hope you do enjoy it when you play. German Expressionism film-making has been sort of a semi-obsession for me for a while, and this game allowed me to put all that love to use, so I'm super happy it shows!