itch.io

The largest challange is writting dialogue when it feels like literally talking to yourself, in text, and wondering is it funny and if theres even any point.
I assure you the tone you set is wounderful. You can add more and more scripted events, jokes, and dialogue scenes to interupt the combat.

The best thing you can do is make there be a finite amount of enemies to defeat. This will keep the combat mechanics pleasantly mysterious and make it hard to rely on grinding. The goal is to take combat from being a repetitive nuisance to something you look forward to and end up actively seeking out. 

The multiple ways of ending each battle, as people decide if they want to make their charlie a force for good, be a jerk, or be a violent bad ass, or simply one who runs away, are major selling points for this series and allow for comparisons to undertale in the best of ways.

Charlie being a silent protagonist somehow avoids making her seem generic or boring, partly due to her combat abilities, and adding some dark mystery elements through the story certainly helps (in much the same way Omoroi is kept from being a kiddie story by the odd dark cinematic). Charlie has a real shot of being a Tsundere queen and her Jerkiness should be encouraged. 

The best way to do this is to let you make choices after battles of what to do with the gnomes, even if it has 0 impact on the story or endings. Say, if you end the battle in a good mood the gnome will be chilling in a deck chair. End battle with violence and leave the gnome tied up, something to that effect.

Lastly, it would be very easy to implement some reward item after every major story point based on which combat method was most utilized. Simply awarding an item is easily added mid development without changing game programing or the story elements. However something you can wear/equip would be a bigger challenge but be loads more fun. (Like a pair of sunglasses, a sweater patch, a pair of combat boots, etc...)

I want to thank you for making a list of combat moves that is so difficult to figure out even i havent made heads nor tails of it.

In an rpg game where a list of moves is usually quite limited and boring this is a major achievement and one that makes me think back on this game time and time again. While the story, characters, and funny situations appeal to both adults and children, this world was one i found very much endearing and would have loved to be a part of.

Thank you for the work youve put in to creating something new, even if the project isnt yet finished and life has, as usual, managed to find a way of catching up, as it does for us all...

To round out my suggestions column, here's a listing of potential item/talents (An ability that leads to a unique dialogue option in that playthrough) to go with their hobbies;

Cooking - Always keeps salt/pepper packets on them. When having snacks in private you can stealthily add the salt to their pudding/coffee, forcing them to leave to get  a replacement and giving you time to search/leave. You can fill your hand with pepper when threatened to throw it in the enemies face for a way to escape without injury.

You are able to detect the taste of poison/drugs in food and drink. If being drugged has to happen, you awaken sooner in better shape from only consuming a bit.

Reading -  You start with an ebook reader. It has a document scanner setting you installed but never had a chance to use, which you have the option to employ when finding an incriminating section of a journal or ledger. This way you have documentable evidence of a crime/plan, allowing blackmail or to threaten enemy into letting you go. 

The ability to quickly scan documents gives you the ability to memorize writing in a document when you have but a minute to search a room. 

Gaming - You have a handheld gaming console. During a scene where you have to hide but get captured , you can record yourself with its camera and plant it in a corner of the room in advance. This way, when hiding, you distract the pursuer, allowing you to leave the room behind their back.

During discussions you relate to them by knowing about their games. This calms them and puts them at ease. This could make them hesitate during a crucial moment.

Music - You keep a palm sized synthesizer with you. You are able to use it's record function at a certain point to record incriminating speech. This will allow you to submit it as evidence or try to threaten the enemy. As it has no data backup black mail will not work however, unlike with the ebook reader.

During a scene where you have to play a piano to put the enemy to sleep you can instead play an upbeat melody to dance to. This will boost affinity and get them to open up to you, making a search of their room unnecessary. If you choose to play the piano they will fall asleep for longer, letting you safely search the entire room.

Shopping - You start with that months issue of "Living Large" magazine.

You have the option to recognize the real value of several items you see around the date, such as their car/watch, their tv, and/or their piano. This way, when they tell you the value of their item you can either surprise them by knowing the real value and boost affinity, or you can keep your mouth shut and recognize they are giving you low values because them must be hiding how much they really spend, something you can use as a potential clue.

You have a in depth knowledge  of valuable brands, artists, and companies. For example,  you have the option to recognize that a fabrige egg in their artistic collection is actually a genuine and priceless article, letting you take it easily by rearranging the display. or for example, when you have an option to escape you can recognize which of their cars are the most valuable and which have the best performance, letting you take their fastest car and allowing you to escape them...

Arts and Crafts - You start with a optical shade-alizer, capable of identifying the exact shade of any color, allowing you to memorize/sample upto 5 specific colors, and has a minor but stable internal memory. This allows you to recognize that stains you find are actually blood, potentially taking  a color sample which will contain DNA. You have the option to copy a specific file on their computer, yet because it's such a unique device it doesn't get searched, taken, or disabled. You have an option to build affinity  by helping them with restoring a unique sculpture, something they only do by eye.  By analyzing damaged paint, you realize the true original color was entirely different, but changed over the years from oxidation. 

You have intricate knowledge of paints and their compositions. By recognizing that prussian blue contains cyanide you can use it to try to make a poison. By knowing that black normally uses bone ash, you can take a sample of the paints, when you suspect they used the parents bone for the pigment. You can gain affinity and dialogue when speaking of their paintings if visiting the gallery.

This turned out to be much longer than the simple checklist id intended, apologies.

I know that some examples are needlessly specific, however i hope you can take the idea itself and ignore the specifics.  Iam well aware how complex dialogue trees can be. Equally aware of how difficult seemingly simple mechanics like player affinity  can be during implementation.

If still working on this title I hope that maybe 1-2 ideas will give you some form of creative insight, especially if you happen to be on the fence between 2 equally appealing ideas. This list was sort of like my early morning warm up exercise so think nothing of it if it's too late or the concept does not quite apply, such as if you have already implemented the hobby system in another way.

The opening UI screen is an very big draw, showing excellent effort on your part. The ability to set a name, quote, pronouns, and pick interests went a long way in driving  up my anticipation for expected features.

The fact that you allow more choices than ive seen in any other story in just the opening makes it clear to anyone playing you have the skill and dedication to implement those same options into the final game.

I had no clue about the gender of Pups or the android (Which is possibly genderless, unless it's a future where they are capable of relationships), which considering you could chose you own characters pronouns, became a moot point while fostering my curiosity . It is likely indicated somewhere but, if it is,  i chose to ignore it so I can easily believe them to be any gender i wish, as the player). With as many talking choices as youve included leaving their gender open is a great way to go, giving people who like those characters or do not, equal chance to accept or reject them.

I believe i may have accidentally confused this game with another where you date a monster, and I'am still not entirely sure iam wrong (as it's a demo) lol. However the quality of this is much better than what was shown for that game, which was a maybe, while this game is a definite "will read!".

If you add an extra option to the star menu,  maybe as a second page since the first is done  very well already, it will  serve to make player anticipation rise even higher for the final release.

A somewhat simple option that fits the game already, is for each hobby you select you get a single "starting item", which you can  

A. Show on a second screen right after name selection, letting you add a paragraph to explain both your interest and the item.  This way either the item or hobby talent will be known to them and they will anticipate a moment to use them. This will be the key in allowing multiple playthroughs.

B. You could make their hobby a part of the story,  not mentioned until needed, but changing the outcome of choices or allowing a unique choice.  Such as if choosing ;

"reading",  when finding hidden documents with a mere minute before discovery, you are able to scan and memorize their contents. 

"Music"  you get a chance to play piano for your date which will put them to sleep giving you several minutes to search their room, however if you are capable in music your song puts them into a deep sleep giving you extra time to search. 

"Cooking" There is a scene where they drug your coffee during lunch. However by talking about the food recipes you complement the coffee and, not recognizing the odd aftertaste from your experience with sweeteners, you get an option to not drink it.

C.  For minimal effort, you could simply add I sentence at the beginning saying "You always keep xyz with you from a lifetime spent learning about zyx".

I know you have the dedication to do it and you will enjoy the challenge of implementation. :)

However i also know you are already implementing a hobby mechanic, if you have not done so already.

I believe there will definitely be a body horror element you encounter with the date, one which you can eventually use to save yourself and your heart. Something about needing/being able to take others body parts into yourself, either for strength or out of neccesity. Including the possibility that the parts willingly gave their lives for their one son, so he could survive, in a unique and questionable procedure nobody would understand. Perhaps one the daughter was meant to be a part of, yet with her surviving, the brother still needs something from her to be complete and truly live among society (Such as eyes, a face, or legs for instance...)

Thanks for entertaining my speculations at the end here, and i will be quite embarrassed if it turns out this game really is about him being a bio engineered monster, yet I didn't see it for being a demo. I would be glad to consider volunteering any help if somebody backs out or you have ideas on expanding the title (I spent a lifetime developing my voice and diction for voice over work and have a library of sounds/effects)

Iam taking time away from itch but if you would like to leave a comment the only social thing i use is my reedit as

Delusion Drive or https://www.reddit.com/user/Old_Macaroon_7169/

Oh my, this games art and cover instantly brings to mind Omori, especially by seemingly giving each character a primary color.

I am still downloading it, however I appreaciate the unique and personally developed art style very much.

I will be sure to return and you can believe i owe you a full length review for the effort of the Visual presentation alone.

I'am also pleased to see this title is being listed in the "Reccomended section" for other visual novel style  story games. That indicates it is being looked at and downloaded fairly regularly and I sincerely hope that you get enough downloads and donations to make you feel a proper amount of appreciation for coming up with something this unique on your own time.

Off topic, but I was drawn in when i first spotted this title as the White haired boy instantly reminds me of the main character from the emotional animated drama "Kiesznaiver". About an experiment in a futuristic society that connects 7 strangers and teens. That way anytime one of them suffers any injury their pain is muted to 1/7, however the other 6 feel 1/7 of that pain. Their teachers/researchers monitor them and setup several trials/activities which test how they handle the situations. Eventually they start following and defending one another, since any careless consequence, harassments, fights, etc are suffered by all. However it has a flaw, where with time as their connections deepen, the system starts sharing their emotional pain as well as the physical, forcing these strangers to begin to care for each other.

OMG, the art and UI of this game is stunning.

Iam checking for mainstream games and this was recommended from another visual novel from itch, I clicked and was totally blown away.

Iam downloading it now, and cannot say more, but rest assured i will return and provide a full review.

Though I went ahead and gave it 5 stars already.

Consider it a vote of confidence and a bet, I just know it's gonna be amazing. I'am saying that going in as blind as possible FYI, ha.

Romance games with a horror bend are very rare. 

There are many with brutal, s/m, or gorey themes, but it's rare to find one with personable characters, ones who are monstrous but clearly  feel real.

It is a rare soul who can find beauty in the monstrous, all the more so one who can create beauty and eerie in equal measure with emotions to match.

I very much hope you continue to produce titles and would love to collaborate with you if my own project takes me anywhere near where this is. 

If you need a resource for creating sounds, or ever need a specific sound for a scene or a looped background noise (walking, leaves, outfoors) to set scenes ill be happy to put something together for you.

My last project was a collection of horror FX i never ended up using so ill be happy to send along if you like.

Also, Ill consider, if you ask nicely, recording and sending over voiceover files if you have a character you need to give some lines to.

In addition to a professional mic setup and several custom built server pcs for editing, I have a stable tone that never rises above speaking, being told i have a unique ability to be "yelling" at somebody without ever raising my voice.  Having spent several years as a treated gender neutral person my voice does not carry a gender, though i can lean either way, it is ideal for androgynous characters. 

I have been taking a break from itch this year to peruse a career if medical diagnostics so if you have any time sensitive requests you can reach out through my reedit. (I hate social media, like tumbler and tik tok) My user name was randomly assigned, sigh...

https://www.reddit.com/user/Old_Macaroon_7169/

Also, iam currently playing you r game now, but out of several dozen i have searched through, your is the one i've settled on. 

P.S. I hope to god this comment is cut off, so it doesn't crowd your comments. You can remove it worry free if you read and replied or if it gets in the way of the specifically game oriented comments.

I was instantly drawn in by the dark Hand drawn character art.

Perfectly matching a dark brooding poet game style.

I cannot help but be reminded of Fear and Hunger when i see the art.

I sincerely hope you can reference or tie into the fear and hunger games within.

Still unpacking, but the style and theme alone warrants a five star.

Ill be back to let ya know how it goes, ya!

Cool.

A game where the characters are actually animals, 

I cant help but wonder if me, the main character, is also an animal.

This has great potential, for combining cool animals, explosive colors,

and collectible trading cards all into one.

(Though likely a poor combination in real life:)

Here it works great though.

Stick with it and i see you getting a page on GOG in the near future kiddo.

Wow, another example of an open dialogue between a fan who cared enough to not only make their feelings heard, but put in the care to sound tactful and respectful. It's a real delight to read through and a real  course on "Active development" and "Consumer Feedback" as only software development updates can embody it.

It makes one wonder how much rude and hateful comments are merely people venting because with most other games and products "They know nobody is listening".

Off topic, but it reminds me of the irony of the Mcdonalds Company President. You would think he would eat it every day if he devoted his life to the company, however you know most likely he never set foot into one as a customer with his salary. Or like how the walmart president likely doesn't own a thing from walmart ...

The creator is a person who takes his game seriously and you know nobody has spent more hours playing it than him.

That is true.

You see this one typing detailed answers with bullet points, like it's their job to keep us happy or something, when we have already received something cool for free. 

This is the true wonder of sites like ITch with free distribution.

I feel like the majority of people do not review, or even rate, titles, but it's always important to leave a "Hey, this is cool , and this worked out well" sortof a message.

Surely we can all understand how somebody getting only " suggestions", however well meaning, can be a bit draining. Ironically, this can be doubly true when the suggestions have a true and valid point.

I feel no soft shows remarkable grace, as the commentators show equal restraint (or vice versa?), in hearing out these "suggest-icisms", without bending their creative vision.

On the flip side, no other game or studio has creators actively listening and responding to fans.

When i made a comment about the lighter mechanic and got a response that was the first time I felt my input was directly heard on a project.

That was a founding moment for me in regards to this site, as somebody who stays away from all social media, memes, and podcasts....

It's little tricks like this that are hard to set up with randomized encounters that make a run thankfully easier and make up for runs that are stacked against you from the start.

Once in a while it's refreshing to kick ass.

I dont think the game needs to be any harder per see.

It's already pretty close in terms of learning curve to fear and hunger.

I made sure to reference and link this game on several reedits on game mechanics and rpg design...

In my post i compared how modern horror games with advanced graphics all reach a point where they start looking like each other (The more realistic the graphics the less variety you can put  in, after all, its designed to look REAL)

This was the horror game i referenced when stating that while big budget games can sometimes only hold interest if somebody actually paid a 50$ pricetag and quieting would lose that investment.

However games like this, virtually free, with no advertising or sunk cost, and under 200mb, I will gladly spend 2 - 3 straight days playing... 

Even when in early, or alpha release...

Ill do my part to spread the word. 

Again, Thank you.

Such an innovative use of the computer pixel art format to tell a story, Wow.

I would lament how few comments there are here, but i Know it is simply because Itch is nowhere near as popular as fandom and wiki sites...

Cough Cough (Donation only COntent) Cough! {totally free Distribution without Charge} Cough

As a linear Piece of Fiction this title it would be boring presented as a youtube video, a cartoon, or as a comic or ebook. No Offense. I Love it...

 But by promoting it in the Format of a GAME by letting you pick the answers (even if the game, Like Dr. Kreugar, sometimes doesnt care what they are:) we can have a say in what happens. Through This freedom to interact with the doctor this experience gains a fourth layer of depth (the Fourth Dimension, 4D)

Any game, no matter the length, where upon finishing it your first instinct is suddently "Lets Play again, see what changed, and is there more", deserves 5 stars.

I would love to know what engine made this work, maybe Godot?

BTW, whenever i need music for my stuff i visit

Soundimage.org - they're free, with over 2000 tracks, and really just happy for their music to be incluided. 

Or maybe my own profile for sounds, more than half of which are free of charge.

Hell, if you give me a theme with 2 or 3 examples,  I will gladly put a sound package for your to use, no cost, for the credit alone.

If any packages turn out to be helpful just a rating or comment would mean lots from the founder of a game like this.

Lastly, many user here do search for free or new games, music, or art. When work goes up for a price, without a massive following, it can very often get as many as 0 views for a week, or even a month. On the other hand, a free release can easily cross 250 views a week even on a new unknown account, but even at a 50% download rate (125downloads/250views) they may still only recieve donations at a rate of only 2% i.e. 6 people out of 250 Views.

It's important to keep in mind Itch is relatively new. Many people visting dont even have an account. Those people may view and download content, but would be unable to save, rate, or buy content even if they wanted to. This is more about exposure and about getting as many people as possible to experiance and respond to your creations. 

If those people have little means to purchase digital media, then we can stil help them by making distribution easier.                                                                                   

The Main point...

I was looking up new games and theres gonna be some Market Damage on account of a new game published by Longplay Studios in late August 2024. As it is titled

Terminus: Zombie Survivors ... 

It is Obvious how google, youtube, and steam searches will be diluted because if this titles release. Unfortunate, i know, as hopefully it is early enough that they can change the Terminus part with little effort.

Despite a 2d, simple, procedural generation on the top down style which is inferior to the pixel art of fear and hunger, it has already garnered 2500 positive reviews. It is truly unfortunate how well it performs in just about 2 weeks since release.

However, in other news i 'am mad Excited over the new Pier and boardwalk areas rumored to be upcoming in the new update. Plus randomizing Effigy locations by adding another 3 is a big bonus for replayability... I have always had to psych myself up to enter the apartments as, creepiness aside, entering the rher dimension was risky and somewhat repetitive ... 

No other horror game has so much hinging on your ability to kick the ass of a washing machine, Lol

I was pleased to find out that the washing machine had roughly 3 codes which repeat between playthroughs, if you look it up. 

Though I always wondered if there's any incentive to winning the hangman game. Especially since the first time I picked "Dog", so i thought it was broken as the letters filled in and nothing happened. Kind of like when my first character was Olivia, so when the janitor took her legs i noticed no change.

Well that isn't very nice...

Itch is defiantly one of those 

"If you dont like it, don't get it"

kind of deals.

I mean most of the people are here to share their assets they end up not using themselves, that could go to waste otherwise...

It should be appreciated whenever someone has the drive to get out there and give back to the community...

Especially for (almost) free.

 If only every designer did the same.

I dont think thats very considerate...

Asking the creator of his own game why he doesnt

let you download and play Linux.

I mean, he's already made a cool original horror game

called "Redemption of Lies", and even includes

a free download, bless his heart!

Here you are asking where you 

can download and play "Linux"...

Shame on you, Sleepy hollow, shame...

He was cool enough to find it for you even.

Wow!

My main and only concern is;

if i wanted to share a key with a new follower or somebody whose products could benefit from my own tools,

and i shared a key, say, via comment, to allow them a free download of an asset, 

do the keys work for a set duration of time or do they need to manually be turned off.

In order to prevent too many strangers from also downloading your tool.

(I wouldn't mind a couple of readers also using the key as iam sure those people normally wouldnt have found my site anyways, 

and sharing tools or assets with people who would not have bought them anyways seems a small price to pay to support a fellow developer) 

Would these keys have a limit on "the number of redemptions"?

I assume this is not the case as of the paragraph stressing the "Hard to guess" nature...

I would greatly appreciate being able to generate single use keys, 

as then the ability to regulate their uses or ensuring secrecy, 

as well as having to make them hard to guess/crack. would not be a problem. 

Hence, if you wanted to distribute more than a handful (Say 10-50 for people who donated within the last month. for example)

you could generate 10-50 keys, and send them to 10-50 people.

Free to do so without worry as they would automatically  become inactive once redeemed, 

leading to zero management or follow up

from Itch or the developer. 

Especially as i periodically get comments, or see posts on other assets, or even find development logs from gamers where i think

"Hey, this person sure could use my files or tools themselves."

Also, I am sure i am not the only one who finds comments on assets talking about the demo versions 

in a way where you know "Cost is an issue" for them, and you just wanna send them a key to be nice...

you know...

Also, anybody remember 

"The Marvelous Adventures of Flapjack" ? Such as the Cuddling episode iam watching now

"Look on the brightside Flapjack,

 you're a sicko, and iam sure there a circus owner out there who you will make very rich someday"...

Knuckels!

"I know i know, take the boy to the candy barrel and cheer him up"

"No captain, I am gonna stay here and beat this thing" (Night cuddling)

"Alright, them I am gonna go to the candy barrel

 and cheer you up"

I, being English (UK) and using windows, did not know so many had problems running the game. The only times i ran into region locking was when running several unofficial translations for Japanese games. (Japan and China love region locking games) I always get original releases cuz I hate steam Forcing PC users into a Monopoly where games dont exist unless they cooperate with steam (Plus, they always censor games and Visual novels)...

It's like, Watching the Titanic where Leo and Kate play a long lost brother and sister pair.  Then they end up arm wrestling on the car and taking a photo together instead of the painting scene. 

To run games from other countries i used an Asian Locale Emulator. 

However this is a popular one that should allow a list of countries if you set up the profile for it's country of origin.

https://xupefei.github.io/Locale-Emulator/

While i cannot help much with the translations, unless making a Russian Edition, if the creator can provide the raw text files, with a reversible guide on how to extract the text files that can be flipped to put them back. Would that be enough to start the process?

I can take a look at the files and see what i can come up with.

Assuming the creator does not object.

What i can do is, I do sound effects work with a studio which mainly does dubbing of videos and games, especially into other languages (They do not translate at the moment ).

As a proof on concept I can select a character route and a voice actor, then try to dub his spoken lines into audible speech.

If such a thing can gain support, i can provide a video showing the concept, and potentially consider doing so for the full game...

As ive been considering my next writing project to be a script for an animated series based on Terminus.

Excerpt of real conversation with Audio Engineer;

"Oh Alex, you are so smart and talented, I wish everybody I knew was as smart and handsome as you!"

"Thank you beautiful person also named Alex, only another equally smart person would realize how true such a statement is..."

"Of Course, such a thing should be obvious too all, I've even decided to chose a user name just like yours as a tribute to your greatness" 

"Really, you shouldn't have. As Iam so loyal and humble I'am left speechless by the length you have gone to state the facts of my abilities so plainly"

"Speechless... You? Well, than I will take advantage of your good nature and make passionate love to you for what i' am certain will be a very long time"

Dictated, recorded, read, and transcribed through the Delusion Drive Fan Club... 

Very worthwhile. I would only suggest releasing a single or dual frame as a demo download. TO see if the format matches the resources they are currently working with and to ensure these are compatible with their game maker of choice. With pixel art a renpy visual novel will need many more backgrounds. But a game maker or rpg maker game title will benefit from this asset pack. By using a series of backgrounds one becomes committed to the style, which means somebody will likely have to have plenty more backgrounds all in the same style to be able to continue on their project. If you intend to continue it would be helpful to eventually release themed packs (Summer/winter, day/night, rain/shine) for different tones of games.

1 More thing i forgot. 

So the other day i found a giant (3.5gb) Visual Novel by an indie developer on here,

https://tales-from-the-creepy.itch.io/abc-sunshineandthemidnightdaycare

with characters that stayed in my minds eye.

This horror title reminded me about that message i said about making a horror themed asset pack.

So yesterday (Seems so far away) I started assembling and finishing my Spooky Sounds pack.

If you would like, i will gladly send you a copy of the final release.

Just in case, i guess ill make a separate folder with relevant sounds

I.E. Lighter, Axe, Gunshots, attacks, and being attacked, that sort of thing.

No need for any sort of payment. But to be helpful.

if so you can either send me a mail (delusiondrive gmail)

or name a date, and ill make it free for that day.

https://delusiondrive.itch.io/horror-sounds-pack-by-delusion-drive

I appreciate the reply. 

I am unpacking it now, 

as i've has another one of those "Wake up at 5am and spend 12 hours at the desk"

kind of days. Cuz i woke up and decided to make a release of Horror Sound effects.

Then, 12 hours later, i finally had it done, and fell asleep.

As seeing your title,  coupled with the last game i played "no eye softs" no skin man,

https://noeye-soft.itch.io/no-skin

both made me feel the horror indie genre could add some fun variety to conventional sound work, 

horror theme of this release.

I will gladly send you the new sounds pack to check out,

https://delusiondrive.itch.io/horror-sounds-pack-by-delusion-drive

at your leisure, in case there is anything of use for your work.

Well, you should have my email by now :)

so if you send a message

ill be able to send a copy.

Any additional packs you see, just drop me a comment and ill send it to you.

I got the feeling alot of the added rooms skewed the randomness, since i got the feeling they actually made the game more difficult. LIkely to make up to it getting easier as you learn more. The added variety was a logical and smart move to allow repeated replays to feel fresh.

 They definitely did not seem boring.

While learning the games secrets helped  In a very "Fear and Hunger" sort of way. I've only played the updated version and Iam happy to hear the steam release is coming! 

I hope you make lotsandlots of money!!!

I love the character designs. 

Iam going to go through the game as

my very next break from work.

I wonder if it has at all a Higurashi vibe

(Where everything seems innocent for like an hour, before gets real, and i mean REAL!)

This is the first release i genuinely wished to pay for

(I had an old card on file, then had to plan to update my info) but once thats done...

When it comes to VN's you can guess the approximate length by file size by around 

7.7 hours per GB, divided by the number of endings + 1/2 of Hours before reaching the first branch point.

Ill let you know if it holds true here.

But 3.5gb for an indie release is a big deal.

Visual novels came a long way when the engine started pulling a select background for every scene from a pool, as opposed to the old days where each scene was manually added to each background. I.E. If there were 100 lines of dialogue in a classroom, the game would save 100 images of the characters in a classroom, with a different line per image. Where as now the dialogue is generated independently of the background and music, so each dialogue is keyed to a background that is pulled from a pool, so 1 image is loaded repeatedly from 1000's of lines, saving file size immensely.

Sorry for the musing, starbucks 2x shot, first of the day...

The art i s a great touch. 

If I put together an illustration of undead, vampire, ghost, and monster creatures, you'll be the first i contact with it, ya.

As a player of visual Novels,

I was surprised by the amount of fun I had

doing the "Choose your own adventure" style of gaming

in text based narratives.

Of Course, there are never enough games where you play the villain.

If you too are tired of 9 out ever 10 undead games being called

"Crush the dead" or "Kill the Evil Wizard", consider giving this title a try.

In some ways being able to see ahead by "Knowing the strength " of enemy kingdoms, them being all listed at an even 20, takes away from the mystery and replayablility. Possibly if you rolled a 5d4 for each kingdom and kept the values hidden (Or simply listed Tough, sturdy, faltering, weak, and Feeble)

In addition, the actions generating hostility could also detract from kingdom strenght. If you had a script where you add up all hostility numbers towards a race, say 5 cumulitive points, leading to a 5% chance every non-scripted action for them to randomly loose a kingdom health point.

I know, the coding is tricky.

Ive been using deep ai for developing basic codes myself while learning software engineering...

I had to learn how to add and edit my collection page solely because of this little title. Making it a browser game ensures it is quick and easy to launch, with zero downside  to trying out. I sincerely hope you can add some new abilities and a shiny pixel art UI to get a steam release soon. 

May your imagination lead to barrelfulls of your nations currency.

It appears to have been made by a single, creative person.

While it could definetly benefit from some polishing on the tokens, cards, and enemies.

The basic premise and idea is all there.

Most importantly, this game is fun.

That same timeless sort of fun like old sonic and zelda games.

I think adding a donate option may surprise you.

Unless of course you entered it into a JAM.

For example the "Mental Health Jam" is for games release from now until October i believe, and requires a made game that isn't a commercial release, to qualify.

Just wondering if that is what you are going for.

I've been working on a collection of drawn Tarot deck cards and i will take a look into making several cards with images, which i hope you may consider using. Assuming you can edit the title and text into the design.

Excellent!

tHIS IS just the kind of creativity renpy and 

asset collections on sites like itch are made for...

I have made a few sound, character, and ambient track packs on itch.

I have the opposite issue, where i enjoy working with sounds and character art,

but i lack the time and story to put them together.

Feel free to check my page, in particular the characters/avatars pack,

i will gladly allow you free downloads of anything not free,

on the condition if you use them in a project, you make lots and lots of money.

Perhaps with a small slice for old Delusion Drive here :)

Ill download this project and take a look,

but honestly since ive been collecting and posting assets, making demo videos, and designing Pixel art characters, i havent played a single game...

or watched a show, or movie, etc...

But yeah, if you have a few characters you like, i will consider making a pack around them, or creating similar characters, specially for your thing...

That way youll own it, you know...

One things i wondered about, 

I find files I appreciate, but dont necessarily have a use for at the moment.

In cases like that i would gladly consider donating 1$ or 2.50$,

but in cases like this, it seems the minimum price is 5$.

While there are buttons to Support the Artist on the bottom,

of 1, 2 or 3$...

I 'am not sure if you know this, as i didn't at first,

but clicking the 1$ button on a 5$ file, simply changes the price to 5.99.

Or the 3$ button makes it 7.99$.

I was wondering if you would consider making a smaller price,

such as for somebody who might only need 10 or 20 tracks (1 of the four packs),

but then set the alternate price as 5$ for those who love and plan to use the whole set.

Again, I could be wrong, maybe then instead of selling 25 packs a month for 5$, you would just sell 25 packs for 2$, in which case ignore this comment completely.

Hi, an immpressive collection,

As a character design, sound effect, and pixel art creator,

I too have spent many an 8 hour day sorting 

through files to make just the right collection.

Listening through dozens of sounds before saving the 

Prototype "footstep", looping "forest Rain with Thunder" file,

or "shotgun hitting a wall" sound.

It shows how much effort you've put in.

Your titles will be the 1st i will include when setting up my own game,

and you can bet i shall contribute and give full credit as soon as that occurs

(I keep my word, it will occur)

I made sure to save the archives with your studio Name :)

Also, in case others, like me sometimes, go on file collecting sprees,

i dont think it would be at all egotistic or improper to put your studio name or your own title (Like Abstraction) in the title of your archives.

Personally, i dont always have the time right away to go through all the files at once. So i have a very real fear of finding a good resource, begin using it,  only to realize nowhere in the file does it list the name and where i can go for more...

I sincerely hope there aren't people who go around looking up game files, then contacting the creators, pretending to be the image/audio artist, only to blackmail them for a payout. 

A preview of character images in varied backgrounds, with numerous characters, and in different outfits is shown in this youtube demo video.

Hey, i saw your itch post. 

Iam pleased to see you almost got to the 1/2 a GB size milestone.

Plenty of ambiance and music.

Even voice acting from the looks of things...

Iam downloading now. Ill be sure to let you know how it goes.

It will take some time (Ive been working on my own ambience/sound pack day and night and havent played anything in 2 weeks now :( )

Ill definitely support if the story and characters match my interests.

Also, Umineko, LOL. Thanks

Ohhh, also ill send you my sound pack in a day or 2. For your next title, Iam curious to see if visual novels are a possible use for it.

With that in mind ill likely have to make the Modern Combat folder an optional one, thanks to you :) Considering how few 3d FPS games are on here and all, it's probably best.

Hi, you have an impressive collection of assets.

I was curious, as under the previews there is a document link for a list of sounds. 

The file durations (10-40 seconds) indicate they are mainly sound effects. I 'am curious if there is a list naming the sounds, as they are all labeled ambience 101 - xxx - 199 in the document.

This makes me wonder whether the downloaded content would have the same naming scheme, which would require listening to and manually naming the sounds. The prospect is itself a bit daunting,  unless that is a feature of the document, with the downloaded sound files themselves having conventional labeling?

I.e. BatsChirping01, WolvesHowling01, Wolveshowling02, etc...

Awh Sweet!

It means the world to hear mine and your thoughts on the lighter seemed to be in line.

It took the longest time for me to use it for the first time...

Plus... More Cigarettes, Lol - Always cool.

Also, i feel the long gilled fish is one of the most unique NPCs i have ever encountered in a game.

For my next Project ill work on a Pixel Art Characters and Sprites Asset Pack - " Dark and Bloody Edition"

As a nod to your title!

I still wonder just what exactly are blood fragments...

It reminds me of my favorite browser game, Kingdom of Loathing, where the currency is Meat.

Combining a 100 makes a meat stack, a 1000 makes a dense meat stack (A crafting item) LOL.

I just wanted to add, for you and other readers, that your title brings to mind 2 other game titles;

1. World of Fear - Lovecraftian Detective game done as a windows 95 emulated interface with pixel graphics, which make the enemies look disturbing.

2. Fear and Hunger - Due to difficulty, replay being essential, and learning curve makes future playthroughs easier. The monsters are uniquely and  disturbingly designed.

Both have a similarly well developed unique game world and have a mysterious story which is still unknown even after finishing the title, I.e. The story is what you make of it.

Thanks for all the hard work you put in.

Did you use a tool, generator with parameters, make them by hand, or run a regular icon pack through a filter (In theory some people can take existing icon files and run them through a filter program, Like Pixelme, and modify them to suit your own project)?

I appreciate making core files free and the whole collection a payed item. That a unique way to market without making 2 seperate projects and a clever way to do it!

It feels finished enough...

I feel getting the living guts 2 or 3 times is a must to really beat the last bosses. I end up saving my nightshades or gunpowders for the 1st then final boss.

Plus getting the fossil always helps...

The only sortof bug i found is that the ability to spare monsters close to death should open a unique dialogue with the fossil, as sparing the fossil this way does not recruit them, even if getting to 1 health.

Also, getting the knife before finding the hanged man (before 30 skin, as after 30 the frogs sell different items), is very difficult (and pointless for future characters as it replaces good weapons). I had to do 3 unique playthroughs just to cut down the hanged man, before realizing all it did was give the item without losing health.

I was fully expecting cutting him down to give a special reward or unlock a new character or helper...

That would be cool considering just how difficult it is to cut him down...

Though, if i wanted to sound like an ass, i could mention how any knife should be enough to cut him down... I had to, sorry ...

Perhaps you could try to shoot him down too (With a chance you hit him, getting only blood fragments, and remove him for the rest of the playthrough) 

To balance the final character, perhaps she should be allowed to cut down the hanged man with her regular weapon, as she would never replace it for a knife. Also, the lighter was one of the last items i used, so perhaps it could grant a reward AND several cigarettes. Since i noticed you only really find cigarettes in the 1st half of a run and only get to use them on 1 enemy or boss (As using only 1 or two rarely helps). As such you are unlikely to have any for the 2nd half. Having a small and secret way to get a couple would help, those who actively seek them, such as by using the lighter.

I was surprised just how much fun i had. Its amazing how much entertainment one can fit within such a small file size. While the mysterious narrative leaves much to the imagination, a refreshing change from big box titles which feel they have to spoon feed every plot point to their gamers. Even after reaching the end the story is hardly any clearer.

Adding multiple characters and the moon shop give a feel similar to Fear and Hunger series. Combined with the mystery narrative and horror theme, i sincerely hope it was an influence in this game. If not, i bet anybody who enjoys this will have fun (if it can be called that) with fear and hunger.