Damn, this game went HARD! Really interesting story arc, lots of neat world lore, quirky characters to romance, a good soundtrack and sound design, and nice looking retro-VN-style artwork!
After getting the 3 main endings, I did a few partial playthroughs to get the remaining romanceable character endings, but I'm still missing quite a few Gallery entries (BGs I'm guessing?): - 1st one on page 1 - entries 2, 7, 8 on page 3 - everything except the last one on page 4
Also, is there a way to return to the Title screen from in-game without using your Keyboard? (i.e. is there a mouse equivalent of pressing ESC?)
Now that the jam's over and time constraints aren't an issue, I'd love to see an optimization patch, because when I first launched the game (v1.01?), it took something like 2+ minutes after launching the executable before I could even see the game window anywhere (task bar or otherwise), and it ate up more than 6 GB of memory initially(!!) before settling down in the 2~3 GB range. Plus, when unzipped, the project is almost 5 GB in size.
So any performance improvements would be very welcome. 🙏
I liked the stat system - simple but effective - and the "text-based combat" was pretty neat too.
When I saw some of the stat checks, like the Major's relationship requirement, I assumed the game might play out similar to Edge of Eternity (MC dies, goes to Valhalla, restarts the game as a "New Game+" while inheriting their previous stats, allowing players to gain stat scores above 10 - and thinking that might've even be a requirement to "finish" the game). Even though that didn't happen, I still enjoyed the twists and turns along the way!
That was really fun! Reminded me of classic point n' click games, but without their rough edges. The compass system to change areas is nifty, and I'm really impressed at how we can click to move Rosey to that spot, like an actual adventure game (despite using Ren'Py).
Love the gorgeous pixel artwork. ♥ Rosey, Trine, and Fell are each interesting characters in their own right, and I enjoyed seeing how the events unfolded in each ending.
If I had one minor critique, lower the default music and SFX volumes. 100% volume was a bit too loud for me.
I also appreciate how you managed to fit in lore about the characters' histories and the setting in such a short word count.
I like how interesting and varied the cast is, including our mystery MC (was hoping to learn more about Myah, then the demo ended 😔).
The music is really good, and I love the art style and the colour scheme!
And so many different choices for the MC, both in how to react to everything and who to get closer to (plus the character customization). I'm eager to see the result of these choices in the final game.
Looking forward to playing the rest of the game once it's ready!
I like how interesting and varied the cast is, including our mystery MC (was hoping to learn more about Myah, then the demo ended 😔).
The music is really good!
I did notice a handful of typos while playing. Most of the ones I noticed were related to wrong pronouns or character names.
e.g. I checked the attic with Myah, but there was at least one instance where the game referred to Poseidon as my pair-up instead.
A typo for "hhe" when referring to Felix I believe? And in the kitchen, there was one that looked like multiple pronouns mashed together, something like "Shehethey".
I played v0.1, but I don't recall when I downloaded it, so it's possible some or all of these typos have been fixed already.
I love the art style and the colour scheme!
And so many different choices for the MC, both in how to react to everything and who to get closer to (plus the character customization). I'm eager to see the result of these choices in the final game.
Speculation time:
- Something tells me that the monochrome + red colour scheme isn't just a stylistic choice, but could also be a plot point / potential clue regarding the MC.
- Between the profile listing ??? being 38 feet tall, and the game's title, I'm leaning towards ??? being the (haunted) house itself, perhaps with the trapped MC as the "heart" of the place.
Looking forward to playing the rest of the game once it's ready!
I love the art style, the music fits nicely with the tone of the game, the world lore and characters are really interesting, and the length feels just right - the game doesn't overstay its welcome.
The lantern mechanic is cool - simple but effective.
And you finished this game in only 2 weeks as a solo dev, with very little prior Ren'Py experience?
That's super impressive, so awesome job on everything! 🥳🎉
I love the art style, the music fits nicely with the tone of the game, the world lore and characters are really interesting, and the length feels just right - the game doesn't overstay its welcome.
The lantern mechanic is cool - simple but effective.
I did notice a couple small issues:
- Typo: "an nearly-filled"
- 1 or 2 dialogue lines where the speaker name is missing (e.g. "Wise Woman Claire", "Claus", etc.)
You finished this game in only 2 weeks as a solo dev, with very little prior Ren'Py experience?
That's super impressive! Awesome job on everything! 🥳🎉
Really great visual presentation. The sprites, animations, and CGs all look awesome! 🤩
Each of the characters was interesting and distinct, from the wayyyyy too chill Mr Rib, to the wacky dynamic of Hip / Hop (and Rap lol), and Mona the bitter, lonely, emo teen.
And it was cool seeing the different perspectives on Mona, as well as the shop patrons (however tragic... 😢).
First off, nice pun with the game name: Hell's Pawn (Hellspawn). 😂
Really great visual presentation. The sprites, animations, and CGs all look awesome! 🤩 (Is there a way to hide the UI to see the CGs better?)
I liked how the dialogue had a good mix of sass, humour, and also crushing realism regarding the characters' circumstances.
I was really confused by the demon book initially. Took me a while to figure out how to use the magnifying glass feature, or that I could click + drag the Notes up from the corner to look through those (the "v" arrow made me think that clicking on it would make the Notes slide up, like a toggleable button, rather than a mostly hidden draggable).
Outta curiosity, how many of the runes / symbols can actually be deciphered in-game? (I haven't tried piecing together what the symbols for the other paraphernalia in the shop do, like the body parts, the doll, the cat's collar, etc.)
For repeat playthroughs to see the other combinations + endings, I wish the Void sections (videos?) were skippable.
Each of the characters was interesting and distinct, from the wayyyyy too chill Mr Rib, to the wacky dynamic of Hip / Hop (and Rap lol), and Mona the bitter, lonely, emo teen.
And it was cool seeing the different perspectives on Mona, as well as the shop patrons (however tragic... despite her circumstances, she deserved better 😢).
That makes sense re: the special ending - the time crunch is real lol. It's honestly impressive how much artwork y'all finished in just one month for the jam! ♥ 💪
A 12 hour shift for a "full" release would be cool. 👀 Should give ample time for some calmer sections in between story beats, and even give you a chance to add more patients, if you wanted to and/or flesh out (heh) existing ones.
IMO, 24 hours would prolly run the risk of (even worse) scope creep: true horror when it comes to game dev. 😱 😂
Also, oof... sorry to hear that about your pandemic shifts. That sounds brutal even during "normal" times. 😢
Haha wow, no kidding! Clearly the foreshadowing is solid then, if it's so subtle even your team didn't pick up on it! 💪
An expanded version of the game would be really cool! 😄
One thing I think the game would benefit from is more moments of rest and downtime in between all the high octane horror. Once Lia's shift started, the intensity felt like it was at 8/10 or higher all the way until the very end, when suddenly her shift is over (if she lasts that long 😈 ).
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Especially considering Mr. X will die if not attended to quickly, and his story is really intense, so padding out the story with more short moments of slower pacing so we can catch our breath between the (jump)scares would be welcome.
I am also curious to know a bit more about "Fatima" (if that's her actual name), from Mr. X's epilogue CG, and also the (nameless newbie) Nurse - does she have her own epilogue?
"The empty rooms did have a special ending tied to them, but I would like some inputs!"
Oh interesting, maybe I missed that ending then...? I got the Bad Ending, Normal Ending, and 5 Epilogues along with all the CGs so I figured that was everything.
I guess I'll wait until the guide is out to see what I might've missed.
Also, I would find it really helpful in the in-game Extras menu if missing CGs had text hints or hover tooltips with some guidance on how to unlock them - so that it's not necessary to check the upcoming guide on itch except as a last resort if really stuck (even if such hints only unlock after getting at least 1 ending, or 1 epilogue, meeting specific conditions, etc.). ♥
A surprisingly heartfelt story and cast of characters, considering how creepy it comes across at first!
Really well done!
I'd never been exposed to those aspects of Indonesian folklore, so thank you for sharing that.
Took me a while to get the final ending; had a feeling I knew what I needed to do, but figuring out the correct order was a struggle. ^^; Worth the effort though! 🕯
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A nice mix of morbid tragedy and (largely) positive outcomes in the epilogues, especially the special ending. The state of healthcare workers is definitely still precarious, so thank you for shining another light on the topic, and also for the hopeful ending re: the possibility for change in the industry.
I do wish the "empty" rooms played more of a role in the game. From what I could tell, they could be mostly or even entirely ignored while trying to get the different endings and epilogues.
Also, good use of foreshadowing! I did notice early on how Lia and the nurse's sprites moved back and forth, meanwhile Satriya's were stationary the whole time - just didn't know what that meant (if anything) until Mrs. Mulyono's revelation. Clever!
Really enjoyed it, and looking forward to the full release!
Great use of character and camera animations. The UI is clean, easy to read, and matches the aesthetic of the game. The music and sound effects fit pretty well, and are used to good effect. The writing held my attention all the way through. The artwork looks really nice.
My only real beef is the pixel hunt in the point n' click segment—some way of making that more obvious would be appreciated. 🙏
Not being all that familiar with Greek mythology, I don't know where the story is going, but I'm intrigued!
DAMN YOU, who's chopping onions while I'm playing...? 😭
For real though, amazing job!! Everything about the game, from the writing, the CG variants, the use of NVL mode, the GUI, the music... it all coalesces together into a beautifully orchestrated symphony of heartbreak. 💔
To convey all of that in only 1000 words, and create it all in just one week?! Hot damn... 👏👏👏
And as usual, you always include awesome accessibility options, even for such a short game jam.
In terms of the case room mystery, since I can't remember, I am kinda curious about... (spoilers)
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the location of the bullet. Did it get lodged inside the body? If not, was there some evidence of it elsewhere in the room? I also don't recall if there was any blood on the scene from the gunshot wound.
Because similar to "the voice," this first case room looks relatively simple at first glance. But I can't tell if there's more to it that I haven't yet noticed and/or didn't make it into the demo. 👀
I like how they were able to eventually have a candid conversation about how they were each feeling... after peeling through layers of awkward social conventions and social niceties — the dialogue felt very realistic with how forced and awkward it was, both characters heavily reluctant to openly share their true feelings.
I appreciate how you sprinkled in lore here and there while resisting the urge to explain any of it and break immersion with unnecessary exposition.
I'm rooting for Solaris x Kaizer!
Also, "Kaizo" is a great nickname LOL. I wonder how many frame-perfect conversations Solaris will have to have with him before he starts really warming up. xD
One small critique: The crowd noise at the very start of the game sounded REALLY loud to me, and none of the volume sliders in the menu seemed to affect its volume. The only way I could adjust it was Mute All (which defeated the purpose lol), or by adjusting the volume of my headphones and then balancing the Music/SFX/blips volumes accordingly.
Excellent, another ontological mystery game to look forward to upon the full release!
The artwork is nice, the music seemed fitting (if a bit loud at times), and the voice acting is quite good!
I enjoyed the characters and their dynamics so far (Vivian x April, MAKE IT SO 🌈).
I'm intrigued by the writing, especially with the different endings in the demo and how that'll branch out in the full game.
The puzzles were interesting and decently varied (even though I struggled with one of them, b/c the in-game hints kept telling me things I already figured out on my own :').
And the game has a flowchart! You love to see it. ♥
Maybe I'm blind, but it wasn't clear to me that the different arrows on the flowchart go to separate sections of it, so I wonder if there's a way to make that (more) obvious.
Really awesome sci-fi mystery story, reminiscent of Exit/Corners or Zero Escape.
Feels very polished — great artwork and GUI, awesome atmospheric music, nice camera and sprite animations, interesting and believable characters (however edgy for some lol).
A thought-provoking story about someone's "current" self VS their "ideal" self. An interesting read, and one that's growing on me the more I think about and reflect on it afterwards (however painful that might be, recognizing aspects of myself in the story 😰).
The scripting and ATL are super well done! 🎉 Really dynamic and expressive! And I appreciated the camera work and the custom screen transition(s) - those were cool.
