itch.io

Hi namonakimono,
thank you so much for taking the time to try the game and, above all, to write such thoughtful feedback - I really appreciate it.

You're absolutely right: I am putting a lot of effort into this project, but I'm also very much a beginner developer. A lot of what you see is the result of learning by doing, experimenting, making mistakes, and then trying again in a better way (especially after listening to constructive criticism like yours).

About your specific points:

1. You're totally right that the inventory can become cumbersome once you're carrying many items. To some extent this is intentional: rummaging through dozens of objects isn't really a clean, linear process in real life, and I wanted that slight friction to be felt. That said, this is a game, and gameplay should always come before realism and potential frustration.
   Items are already internally grouped (essentials like lighter, lantern, keyring, lockpick first; then bombs, TNT... and so on), so I've been considering adding some kind of “quick jump” to the next group - or at least using colors to better separate them visually. I haven't found a solution I'm fully happy with yet, so if you have any concrete suggestions, I'd honestly love to hear them.

2. This is a very good point - and I have to admit that in over four years it never crossed my mind! :D
   I can only imagine how many minor heart attacks I've caused by now, thanks to muscle memory kicking in at the worst possible moment...

Thanks again for the kind words and the very useful suggestions. If anything else comes to mind while playing, feel free to share - feedback like this is incredibly valuable to me.

And if you'd ever feel like playtesting or just being curious about what The Parting really is shaping up to be, I'd be more than happy to send you a much larger chunk of the game to try in your free time. Just let me know an email address, or a Telegram / WhatsApp contact. :)

Thanks again!

Wow, what a lovely surprise to read this! I can’t believe you went back to play Their Eyes after all these years - that really made my day. :)

Yes, not only some of the mechanics are a bit clunky, but also some parts aren’t super intuitive (like the oil :D), but it’s so great to see you stuck with it and figured it all out! I’m really looking forward to checking out the video you posted.

And yes… the new game is coming! Right now I’m finishing it and doing lots of debugging. It’s way more ambitious than the first one - bigger, more complex mechanics - so it’s taking much longer than I thought. I originally hoped to finish it in six months, like Their Eyes, but… four years later, here we are! :D
We should be almost there now!

Thanks again for playing and for your super kind words! :)

Ha ha ha - thanks for dropping a note! I’m glad you enjoyed the first game - or at least watching someone suffer through it. I’ve been working hard behind the scenes to polish this project, and hopefully the full release won’t keep you waiting much longer. I really hope you’ll have fun with it! :)

Hey Dreamkilled, thanks a lot for your detailed feedback! I’ve saved your contacts for when the game is ready for proper playtesting.
You did a great job figuring out the storage chest issue - with the ammo that was still stolen if you deposited a weapon while another one was already inside. I’ve fixed that for the next update (0.9.5), which is on the way!
I’ve also limited how many webs the spinners can drop in one area because, yeah, that screenshot was way too much. :D
The camera behavior when shooting... hmm, I’m not sure if that’s something I want or should change. I’ll think about it.
And yeah, I’ve seen a bird freeze in mid-air before too, but it happens so rarely that I haven’t been able to figure out why yet. :/ Still on my radar, though!
Thanks again for your help, really appreciate it! :)

Thanks again for this new batch of reports, Dreamkilled! I'm already working on fixing everything, and I plan to release an updated version (0.9.4) in the next few hours.

A couple of things you mentioned aren’t actually glitches:

• Chests' contents and scattered items should actually respawn upon reloading (while unique items like the Stamina Charm definitely shouldn't! That was actually a typo in a variable! 😅).
• The pressure plate is meant to be avoidable. You just have to be observant and step carefully.

As for the spider web issue, I'm not entirely sure what's happening there. When you reload, the spiders should return to their starting positions and begin weaving from scratch, while the webs they previously spun should disappear - except for the pre-existing ones in the environment. Are you seeing something different?

Anyway, I really can't thank you enough for your help. Your feedback is pushing the game’s debugging forward by leaps and bounds! Speaking of which... Would you be interested in playtesting the actual game once I’ve cleaned it up a bit? I love your creative approach, and I think you could provide invaluable insight! :)
If you're interested, where can I reach you to send over the executable? Itch doesn’t seem to have private messaging.

Thanks again, and talk soon! 

PS: Also, I absolutely loved the image of the bull storming into the chapel. :D

Well, Dreamkilled, thank you so much for all these details - they’re super helpful!

Yeah, I suspected the phone glitch might be related to traveling between maps. :/ If I remember correctly, the game only checks the old lady’s status once, which would explain the issue. I’ll look into it in the next few hours!

About the grate in the crypt... uh, the lights down there weren’t supposed to go out with a water bomb! 😆 The grate’s lighting is actually tied to the chandeliers in the lower room - if they’re lit, the grate should be too. So, congrats, you found an unintended interaction! 😂 Thanks for pointing it out!

I love how much you experimented with the game’s world! Now you see why I’ve spent over three years on this? :) And yet, as the tutorial already shows, there are still plenty of details that can slip past a solo developer and need fixing before the full release. (Btw, your list of experiments had me laughing so hard. Especially trying to set the boat on fire and trapping the revenant behind an indestructible door, which I didn't even realize was possible. This is what they call emergent gameplay - ha ha ha)

The only thing that really puzzles me is the chests being empty after the tutorial. Do you mean you opened them as usual and found nothing inside? That would be a pretty serious bug! I’m planning to release version 0.9.3 today or tomorrow, so if you remember any extra details - like, did you reload your save? Travel back and forth between maps? Do something unusual before opening the chests? - let me know! It could help me track this down.
[Edit: never mind, I figured out the issue with the chest... That was a really dumb oversight on my part!]

Thanks again, and have fun!

Hey Dreamkilled, thanks a ton for your detailed feedback! I'm really glad you enjoyed the tutorial and appreciated the freedom it gives. Funny enough, the tutorial is actually a very linear and guided experience - while the full game will have a much more open structure.

About the camera shaking - if I understand correctly, you're referring to how the scrolling feels a bit choppy when moving? That’s because the game runs at a "real" low resolution, so the camera moves pixel by pixel. More skilled programmers make it scroll in sub-pixel increments for smoother movement, but I only realized this late into development, and implementing it now would probably break things. 😅 That said, I’ll try tweaking the scroll speed to reduce stuttering when the camera slows down!

The phone glitch is an interesting one - I thought I had made sure the phone wouldn't ring if the old lady was dead, but apparently I missed something. I’ll check it out! As for the empty teacups, that’s actually a consequence of her death… but since it’s never explained, I’m not sure if keeping it that way is a good idea.

Inventory items don’t disappear when depleted - I assumed players would find more of them later, so keeping them in the quick menu felt more convenient. Otherwise having, say, tnt disappear from the quick menu every time you run out might get annoying.

The text speed is currently standard, but I can consider speeding it up a little. Also, if you pause the game ("P"), you’ll get a recap of the controls! 😁

Lightning bombs don’t interact with puddles... but now that you mention it, that could actually be a cool idea! I’ll give it some thought.

And yeah, you’re absolutely right - the dialogue windows shouldn’t interfere with movement in emergency situations or combat. That’s something I was aware of, but apparently overlooked in some places. I’ll fix that!

Again, thanks for taking the time to write all this! I hope to release an improved version soon with some of these adjustments. 😊

That means a lot - thank you! The game is basically complete, but I’m taking a bit more time (hopefully just a few weeks) to polish and debug it. Given its size, there are bound to be some issues popping up, and I want to make sure everything is as solid as possible.
Stay tuned! :)

Hey TheRedRoom!
Thanks a lot for the kind words and for taking the time to play the tutorial - really appreciate it! And huge thanks for the detailed feedback, too.
That's actually a really interesting suggestion! To be honest, I never really thought about it because I’ve only ever played with a gamepad - so I pretty much just copied the controls from Their Eyes. The decision to hide the crosshair when not aiming was purely an aesthetic choice, but I didn’t consider how it might affect gameplay. I’ll make sure to fix that ASAP!
Thanks again, and I really appreciate your support! :)

The tutorial for The Parting is sorta out! 🎉

After more than three years of development, I’ve decided to release this first (small) section of the game to gather feedback before the full release. If you’re interested in exploring the eerie, decaying world of The Parting, now is the perfect time to get a taste of what awaits.

Your thoughts, bug reports, and suggestions will be incredibly helpful in fine-tuning the final experience. Let me know what you think!

https://black-and-noir.itch.io/the-parting-tutorial

Thanks! I'll keep you updated and will try to figure out the issue in the next few days. As for the next game, if you're curious, feel free to check out this trailer: https://youtu.be/1d3TXFk3sVY?si=su4qI_39jIvS1xaZ
It's over a year old, though, and the game has evolved quite a bit since then.

Thank you so much for your kind words about the game and for bringing this up - I truly appreciate it. I'm really sorry for not having considered how the time limit might be a challenge for some players. Your suggestion makes perfect sense, and I’d love to make that adjustment.
Unfortunately, I currently don't have an active GameMaker license. Due to their licensing changes (from a one-time purchase to a subscription, and now back to a perpetual license), I can't compile a new executable for commercial purposes at the moment.
That said, I’m actively looking into ways to address this. I’ll likely be purchasing the license soon anyway, as my second game (which doesn’t have a time limit! :D) is nearly complete.
I truly appreciate your patience and understanding. Thank you again for sharing your thoughts - I’ll do my best to make the game more accessible as soon as possible! :)

Well, I'm flattered anyway! :) Thank you!!

Are you serious?! I don’t know if it’s true, but it’s undoubtedly very flattering. :D
And where did you use my game? I'm curious, now.

Thank you. That touches me more than I can say! :')

Good zombie gamesa are never enough... I definitely hope to see your idea come true soon! :D

Well, thanks for trusting, but I guess that you are the only one dev suitable to create the game that you have been wanting...
I mean, what I am doing is basically the game that I have been thinking of for the last few years. A game  whose athmosphere and story I know quite well, while unfortunately I have no clue about the game that you are expecting - except for the contemporary setting.
Don't you agree? :D

The time frame is deliberately fuzzy. Don't want to spoiler too much, but expect medieval furnitures alongside modern machinery.
As far as we know, could even be set in the present day. :)
Every idea is welcome!

Actually, I am already making a game like "Their Eyes". :D
Go ahead, though. Suggestions are always welcome!

Well, that is a wonderful playthrough! :D

Thank you!!! :)

Hi Kat. I am truly flattered by your kind words. :)
Actually, I am making something else. I have been working on my second game for almost two years now.
(I know, one should never undertake such a vast and ambitious project as a second game, and yet here I am.)
It's somehow related to the story of Lockwood and the Blind One and so on.
I hope to kinda finish it within the current year, and I'd like to start showing something as soon as possible (uhm, I wonder if this website has a section for posting work in progress too); but I keep putting this thing off because I’m so busy developing the game itself that I don’t have much time left to promote it. :D
So far, the only thing I shared is a ridiculously short teaser: 

Thank you for your kind words, Dreamkilled! So glad you liked my little game. :)
Yes, the ghost was redrawn to be more frightening at some point: if you watch the trailer, you'll notice that the original one was completely different.
As you say, I had fun putting quite a bunch of details in such a short experience (and I'm trying to do the same in the second project I'm currently working on, yet on a different scale... But that's another story).

To answer your questions:
[SPOILERS AHEAD]
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Yes, there is a way to stop the ritual. Even if it's not explained,  but only suggested, in that occasion you have the chance to perform a special melee attack; you should wait for the right moment, though.
After that, you will still have to choose whether to go up or down the stairs, but you will have access to the fourth ending.

The four endings are in fact:
- going down the well;
- going down the well with the four alien coins;
- wake up (stairs up from the ritual chamber);
- going down the well after defeating your evil self.

As regard to the sentence in the main menu... Well, it's deliberately ambiguous and left to your interpretation! :D

Hi Arthur!
Thank you for the time you took for testing my game and writing such a thorough comment to it. I truly appreciate your remarks, with most of whom I quite agree.

You don't like the inertial movement of the player? Neither do I.
At first I thought it was a nice idea, and it would add realism to the difficulty of running in environments dense with obstacles.
Now I find it just slightly annoying, and in fact I didn't implemented it in the second videogame I'm currently working on.
If I didn't remove it from Their Eyes it's only because that feature was present from the very first moment, and I'm almost positive you are the first one complaining about it. But, who knows?, I might reconsider this point.

Combat is not an option, you say.
Actually, although it's not possible to beat the game without shooting a bullet, you can theoretically avoid most of the enemies.
Pigs and cows attack only if provoked, as you know; bugs and darkmen can only see before themselves, and only if they have a clear line of sight; hounds can smell you within a certain range, regardless of obstacles, but will not stray too far from the starting point. Not to speak of worms, which are basically harmless if you deal with them with a little cold blood.
Most of those enemies can be killed with a single hit, if caught unaware, and they never respawn - with few exceptions. Furthermore, bugs can be removed permanently from the game.

As a general idea, sounds are of great help in understanding whether you are dealing damage to someone or not.
Bouncing (i.e. ineffective) hits produce a sharp sound, while damage-dealing hits  produce a very different, deeper sound.
The graphic effect is pretty different too.

On the other hand, I didn't implement sneaking mechanics on purpose (sorry for the ambiguity represented by the tall grass! I didn't think about it, but you're perfectly right).
I like them a lot, as a player, but I felt it was definitely beyond my reach to implement an interesting sneaking mechanic in my very first game.
Furthermore, I wanted to prevent the protagonist from becoming too comfortable in a place that was meant to be uncanny and inherently unsettling.

I'm surprised about the issue you encountered with hurtboxes.
They are supposed to be aligned with creatures, and even to change shape accordingly, wherever the vertical and horizontal sprites differ substantially (for instance, the pig's). They actually do, as far as I know. They appear to behave correctly also in the playthroughs of my game I've watched on YouTube.
Nevertheless, as a newbie developer mostly familiar with MacOs, I can't exclude weird bugs I'm not aware of, maybe on some versions of Windows? Would be helpful if you could post a short footage of the problem.
Conversely, I have to admit I don't really understand what you are saying about breaking a door. You mean the door's hurtbox feels off too, or something different? Please explain, I'm really interested.

What you say about the menu  is so true!
Would be very helpful to somehow recall the functionality of each object. Since, as you remark, once you miss the tutorial popup for any reason you have no clue whatsoever on how to use items!
Thanks, I'll work on that - and I'll implement something similar in my new game too (future players will be grateful to this post! :D).

The doll is not working always? That's weird, again.
I assume you are conscious that the doll is a disposable item, correct?
With that said, I'm not aware of any bugs concerning it. I'll look into it.

In conclusion, I'm not trying to persuade you that my game is good and you are wrong! :D
I'm sorry if you had too high expectations because of some positive comments: Their Eyes is just the first experiment of an amateur, most real programmers would have done better in almost all respects.
Some people did like the game, some other didn't, but I reject the accusation of making the game unfair just for the sake of it.
I did my best, trying to make something tough but entertaining.
I really hope I'll do better in the future, and this also thanks to detailed reviews like yours. :)

Ha ha
Well, dunno actually. I probably decided to use the adult tag assuming it could have been a bit scary for a very young audience. :D

Wow, if you're not a fan of horror games in general your appreciation is even more valuable. Thank you! :)

To be honest, I have a Mac; which I already partitioned to install Windows.  I'm a little afraid of messing up my computer too much! :D
I'll look into it, btw. Thank you for the advice!

Well, in theory I could. But I have no Linux machine to connect to, which is an essential requirement in order to compile for that system. :/

Thanks man, really appreciate your words. :)

Hi again, DreadDecripth.
It took me a while, but I did not give up - as promised!
I should have fixed the issue with code signing that was preventing my game from working on the latest OS. If you:
- download the executable (version 1.1.6);
- move it into the Application folder (or any other folder other than the Download foder);
- open it by clicking with the right mouse button;
- confirm "Open"...
...it should work. :)

Let me know how it goes, if you want!

Hi, yarsavenger! Hope you read this.
I think I've solved the problem, finally (fingers crossed). It was an issue with code signing.
If you:
- download the executable (version 1.1.6);
- move the file into the Application folder as requested;
- open it by clicking with the right mouse button (or Control + click);
- confirm "Open"...
...it should work, even on the latest OS!

I'm sorry it took me so long, but code signing on Apple is really very complicated.
Let me know if it works! :)

...And this was my Christmas present, I guess. :D

I'm doing my best not to disappoint your expectations, btw.

Oh, wow... You made my day, Jubile!

Well, actually I'm working on my second game, a much more ambitious project, which is somehow... related. :)

You definitely should find some time to try it again.
You can't give up now, man! :)

That was another great video!
It's really rewarding to have such players, taking their task as seriously as you do. :)

I found very nice, and very interesting, what you say about the gun/mouse device.
Although there is an alternate key (Ctrl) for reloading (even because, as a Mac user, I'm very aware that not every mouse has the third button! :D) I think you got the point.
As I first designed the gun, my idea was to provide the player from the very beginning with a quite powerful weapon, able to put down in one shot most of the opponents (as long as they're still unaware of your presence); but also a clumsy one, noisy and slow to reload, in order to boost the empathy with the protagonist of this unsettling adventure.
I'm thinking to add, just in the casual mode, some kind of icon always on screen to check at first glance wether the rifle is loaded or not, without pulling out the weapon and looking for the small rectangle that appears on it.
Not everybody like my design choice, but at least I'm not the only one who like it! :D

About the old lady's potion, it "simply" doubles your stamina.
This is not a spoiler, since you're supposed to feel the effect inside your body; but the only immediate feedback is the stamina bar that suddenly empties before filling up again (the total length of the bar stays the same, unlike what happens in Dark Souls - for instance), and the old lady's words ("this potion will make you stronger") are a bit vague.
I will make them more explicit in the next release, because a lot of players have been wondering about the effects of the potion without ever figuring them out.

Eventually, I can only recommend - once again - to talk with people in order to understand how to deal with the giant and where to find some oil for the lantern.

No more tips.
I guess at this point you're experienced enough to make it to the next ending! :D

This is probably a silly question, but... Is there a quick way to clear the sound list in the bottom left corner?
I've been creating sounds for months, and at this point I have a lot of items I'd like to get rid of.

Thank you for the detailed feedback, I really appreciate it!

First of all, one quick question: have you played the latest version (1.1.5), which features a (kinda) "casual mode"?
If not, you should probably give it a try.
However, I'm aware that the game is hard - and partly not by choice but due to the roughness of the code that I've put together.
I'm definitely trying to learn from the (many) mistakes of this first attempt, and I'm currently working on a new game that will (hopefully!) be more enjoyable also for those who are not hardcore gamers.
(I am anything but a hardcore gamer, after all! :D)

Yes, the tree is tough; and the forest is probably the most confusing level.
The problem you encountered when shooting with the rifle is (likely) because walls, and most of solid instances, use two separate invisibile collision objects: one to block the steps and the other one (slightly offset on the y axis) to block bullets and attacks. I'm pretty sure that trees has just one that serves both purposes.
I will check as soon as possibile, and try to correct the issue.

Also yes, pigs and cows get angry (collectively) if you shoot close to one of them.
You  get a hint about that from the warden in the first hut.

The invisibile thing in the graveyard could be theoretically avoided, with a lot of luck, but is meant to be dealt with only once you got a certain object I'm not going to spoil (you get some hints about that from a couple npcs): that's why I preferred to not give any indication to the player about its position.
In theory you can run through it, the problem is once you get hit you have only one second of invulnerability; so, by the time the knockback effect is over, you are vulnerable again.
I'm going to double the invulnerability period in the next release (it was already planned), also to prevent frustrating chained deaths.

I will also add an indicator (at least in the casual mode) to make it clear wether the rifle is loaded or not.

Thanks again! :)

Thank you for playing, man!

I'm sorry for the lack of details about how to shoot and reload.
In the version you were playing you just got a popup as you first collect the rifle. If you happen to try the latest version, though, you will find several improvements and bugfixes.
For instance, you will get a reminder in case you try to shoot while the rifle is unloaded - saving you quite a lot of of failed attempts! :D
Also, you'll see that when a certain object make you resurrect, you will start over in a better location - getting the chance to survive longer.
I also implemented a "casual mode" (not so casual, to be honest) that grant you a little more health and some tweaks, in order to make your life a little easier. :)

I hope you will enjoy it, as I enjoyed your video!
In any case, I'm currently working on my second project. So, yes, I will definitely give you the opportunity to play more. :)

PS: unlike other games, talking with npcs doesn't "unlock" anything; it's just a way of collecting lore as well as very useful informations that will help you to survive and defeat your enemies. Therefore, there's no point in skipping the dialogues. If you already know what a npc has to say, you should probably save your time and avoid the conversation.

I've enjoyed your playthroughs quite a lot, so far!
I definitely hope to see more.
Your theories are pretty interesting, but I won't comment on that: as you delve deeper into this game, I'm sure you will collect quite a few other pieces of the jigsaw.

A couple of remarks.
You toggled off the tutorials almost immediately: I understand that the very first popups about how to walk and stuff can be bothering; by doing so, though, you've also deactivated the explanation on how to use a new item you've found down in the village: the lockpick!
My suggestion is to leave the tutorials enabled, they are not so frequent and in some cases can make the difference.
Also, I'm aware that dive straight into the action is sometimes more entertaining than talking to npcs: most of them are there for a reason, though, and if you pay attention they will provide you with precious hints on the lore and, most important, on how to deal with enemies and things in general. Also, dialogues change over time, depending on your deeds; so it's always useful to have a chat with someone who isn't apparently going to kill you. :)

At some point, talking about the aiming - shooting - reloading mechanic, you state that you're not used to such a layout of controls.
Since I'm not very experienced in playing action(ish) games with mouse and keyboard, I did some thinking (and some researches) about this topic; but I'm far from satisfied.
And now I'm developing my second game, so the question becomes crucial in order to build a better experience: which layout do you think would have been the best one?
Which the most handy, or at least the most common one, for such a game?

A final tip: the version you played was 1.1.4, but from 1.1.5 on the game features also a "casual mode" - which is not that casual as the name might suggest, instead a slightly tweaked version meant to prevent frustration. :D
Basically you get a little more health at the beginning, ammo packs contains four bullets instead of three, and so on.
Check it out, if you are interested.
In any case, newer versions come with bugfixes too.

In conclusion, thanks a lot for playing my game and making great videos! :)

Ok, good to know. :)
Enjoy the game, then!

Are you a Windows or Mac user? Either way, you should be able to switch between full screen and windowed mode just pressing F1... Let me know if it doesn't work. :/

Thank you for the feedback, btw! :)