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This is wonderful!  As an indie developer myself, I'm so pleased to see people who are passionate about shining a light on amazing creators that often go uncelebrated for their awesome work!  I'd love to chat with you/feature in PnP if possible.  I've done a few interviews over the years but none as cool as the ones on your site!  You really get to know people.

So glad to see more dark web related games!

This was pretty fun actually, and it works well for your '2-minute bathroom game' style because it jumps straight into the action.  I first thought that pressing left to short jump, even though you don't actually move in that direction, would be confusing for me, but it actually felt pretty natural as a way of differentiating the jump lengths.  Overall, I think the whole thing is pretty effective considering what you want to deliver.  The toast character is also cute, and there's replayability not just because you wanna beat your high score, but also because you can unlock other characters by the looks of it.  The only issue I had is that when the music volume jumps up when each run starts, the rise in volume is WAY too much.  Almost scared me!

Love to see more gamers who come here just to find hidden indie gems!  💪

I've made 3 games so far, and am always grateful to anyone who plays, so if choice-based games are your thing, one of them might be for you!

Game dev and soundtrack composer here - I've released games on PlayStation myself.  This does indeed look brilliant, and I'd love to hear more about it.  Feel free to send info to my email at:  shirliainsworth@hotmail.co.uk

No problem!  I'm a game soundtrack composer myself, so if you ever have a budget in future and want some custom music making for your games, I'd love to help out!  I make legit chiptune on a modded 1989 Game Boy  😊

Love this pixel dungeon crawler style!  I do have some feedback about the store page: all of the screenshots look almost identical, which I appreciate is kinda inevitable because of the game's visual style, but maybe trying to get a couple of different scenes interspersed between the walls-and-monster shots would go a long way toward capturing people's attention.  Also, the trailer is similarly repetitive, so could possibly be shorter to avoid repeating too many similar scenes, as it makes the game look more boring - and I'm sure it's not!  The music is also oddly cheerful, despite the game having more dark visuals.  Perhaps some more tense/battle style music would be better (I'm a composer and can help with this if needed).

That being said, don't be discouraged, as I like these kinds of games, and it looks nice!

Welcome!  The Reckoning has a very cool and unique air to it from what I've seen.  Glad you have you here!

Personally I'd say the first one looks better!

I absolutely appreciate your openness in sharing this  💜

The protagonist was crafted with several things in mind.  I wanted them to communicate these personal issues in the context of someone you might meet/know, or also someone you might be.  I don't know how much of the game's second half you played, but that section focuses on also communicating the fact that everyone, no matter how they feel and act, is human, is of equal importance, and is deserving of equal compassion.  Mental struggles can create problematic people, but they do not have to define that person, and it's very important to remember the human beneath the actions.  True Colours aims to explore this, and it does have several heart-warming endings that show the protagonist improving their perspective and mental health due to the personal revelations they have.

I'm glad that you saw something real in this game, as I was very much aiming for authenticity, and if you do play any more, then I hope you really enjoy the emotional relief of the good endings  💜

I make trailers for games if you're ever interested  😊

This looks great!  I noticed that the game page is a little sparse.  A trailer and a link to the dev socials would be good additions.  Do you have those yet/in the works?

This demo makes for a very promising full game!  The concept is really sweet, the puzzles are fun without being too taxing, and the fact that you can choose how your character ages is a lovely touch.  I can imagine this game becoming popular for times when you feel a bit frazzles, and need something calm, cosy and satisfying to play.

This is such a sweet idea for a game, and very nicely done so far!  I'll post a comment on the game page  💜

Yeah makes sense.  The rap battle is brilliant even if nothing you say makes a difference  😁

Omg no, the rap battle is everything  😁  I'm guessing the choice you make during that part are redundant in that you can't win the rap battle?  If so, if you ever wanted to expand the game, it'd be funny if certain choices made you win the battle, the shopkeeper puts the eye in the bag, you take it home and then something WORSE happens 🤣

Hi there!  I'm a game dev and soundtrack composer, and would love to chat to you about potentially working with you on the OST for this game - sounds great!  Here's my website where you can hear samples of my work and find some contact info  ^_^

https://borealisgames.carrd.co/#Music

This game has a great concept, and was executed very well.  The sound design and visuals are great, and it's a short but scary experience.  Great job!

This was a very visually pleasing game with a great concept!  The atmosphere was very fitting, and the sound design elevated the experience.  There are a couple of typos, and sometimes the music/ambience cuts off too abruptly, but other than that, a very good game!

This game was so funny  🤣 it was the perfect length, was fucking hilarious and had just the right level of 'what the fuck' without getting too bizarre.  The variety of choice mechanics and combat was cool too.  10/10 would get into a demonic rap battle again.

Dude this was so funny  🤣 for a start, I love that you made mock-up PS1 box art for it - perfect considering the game's graphical style.  Also love that your brother (iirc?) made the music for you - I'm a soundtrack composer myself, so I always appreciate devs using actual humans to make their game music!  Third, the game was the perfect length, fucking hilarious and just the right level of 'what the fuck'.  The variety of choice mechanics and combat was cool too - gave the experience more depth.  I feel like this should start a trend now - I want more interactive rap battles in my games  🤣 awesome job.

I checked out the game page and trailer, and this game has great appeal!  Simplistic in the right way, that has that retro feel.  Also the soundtrack for the trailer is perfect  👌

This looks very well made, and great trailer with effective sound design!

Very cool premise, and the art style leads you into a false sense of security, as it doesn't look particularly horror-based on the surface.  A good trick to make the spooks even spookier!

This looks like a very promising game!  I appreciate horror games that incorporate something from real life - gives an extra dimension to it.

Haha what a dude (derogatory)  🤣

Richard Ramirez?  😁

Oh thank you!  Yeah I definitely remember it - I really enjoy indie horrors.  Best of luck to you too! 

Haha I love that.  I just checked out your game page and not only do all of the games look very cool, but also I remember Dere.exe cos I saw Markiplier play it  😄

This is a great demo that marries the joys of text based games, choose your own adventure and poetic storytelling.  I also love the variation you've offered with the types of relationships.  Very promising!

The perfect nostalgic visual style, with spooky elements!  What's the premise of the game?

Just gave it a try.  For me personally the keyboard controls weren't entirely natural - I kept hitting the wrong key and doing the wrong thing.  Also at the very beginning, it says press any button for the menu, but the only key that would actually work was J.

Otherwise, the game is very fun!  All enemy sprites and scenery was bright and attractive, the music was perfect for the genre, and it's got some good overall polish to it.

The classic Game Boy platformer visuals are so pleasing  🙌

Thank you!!

Hey nice job!  Love me some breakcore

Hi everyone! UK solo musician and game developer Borealis here.

I've been a semi-professional performing and recording musician since 2008, and have been composing soundtracks for indie games for the last 5 years. I'm pretty versatile, as I enjoy and write in various musical styles, so I'm game for most genres. However, I'd say my specialties are soft piano pieces, lofi-style beats, rock band style arrangements and my personal fave - retro electronic chiptune, which I create on a modded 1989 Game Boy for authenticity! I'm also a singer, so I can provide lyrics and vocals. Whatever your project needs, I'm here to bring it to life  🎵

Here's my SoundCloud:
https://soundcloud.com/shirliainsworth

Thanks for reading - hope to work with some of you soon!
Borealis

Wow this looks atmospheric right off the bat!

EDIT: just checked out the game page, and boy have you designed that well  👌 love the online shop premise - perfect for the game.

Hey, I just gave it a go, and these are my main thoughts:

Firstly, it would be good if the sound effects altered a bit more as you moved around.  I appreciated the buzzing that faded in and out as you went through a corridor, but more variables like that would be good, especially because the main drone stays at the same intensity the whole time.  It'd also be good if the sound of Annie's footsteps were a little closer together, and changed sound when you walk on another surface, like the grass outside.

Secondly, the mouse movement to look around doesn't work very well while you're walking.  I kept moving my cursor but the view wasn't moving with it.  If I wanted to properly change direction, I had to stop walking for a moment to move.

Thirdly, I'm not sure how much this demo version contains, but I ended up quitting because I had no idea where I was meant to go.  I seemed to reach a dead end and couldn't find anything else to interact with.  If that's just the end of the demo, then that's fine, but it'd be good to mention that on the store page if so!

Lastly, I do think the demo version should contain at least a fleeting encounter with some sort of monster/scare, as currently, you just wander around opening doors and you don't really get a sense for what's lurking out there.

I hope these points can help you!