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DustyKettle

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A member registered Sep 01, 2023 · View creator page →

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a very short but very enjoyable experience. However, the only thing on my mind after playing this is that radio, like how can that thing be a two way communication system, water resistant, able to be used without a cassette or antenna when radio's like that usually need one of the two, and still be damaged in some way as is clear by the horrible grinding noise during the static. just sayin', that radio ain't normal, also I don't like how it looks at me after the tsunami happens. Jokes aside this one was pretty fun with it's ultra retro style and dark atmosphere, I'd love to see you make more! Good work!

Along with Eggs Fried Rice, this is another Grainwood Games Game I only now realized I hadn't reviewed, so in the spirit of the holidays (a whole one year and some change later) I'm going to review this beauty. Starting off with the intro, it was such a jump in quality from the intro in Eggs Fried Rice, though I understand that EFR isn't really a game that can have a big extravagant intro but I very much enjoy it here. I'll quickly add things I'm only going to touch on briefly since I mentioned them in Eggs Fried Rice and they stayed consistent in this game, the animation and unique stylings of Grainwood Games come back again to shine in this one, specifically with animation of the snowball being thrown at the window being my favorite, and again the environments felt so good to explore and much more lively, especially because there were more things to do in this environment with all of the tasks that needed to be done (and George Munson or course). With that out of the way, the extra tasks being randomized was a nice little mechanic that added some replayability and makes every playthrough just a tad bit different which I can always appreciate when it isn't done in a subpar way. Speaking of small things to appreciate, the visual aid on the title screen that marks which tasks you've done and how many you have left to find is such a big help in a game like this, its a really good quality of life feature that you'd think everyone would do if they made a game like this, but you'd be wrong. Compared to EFR, I really don't think this game shines in its story, but it really doesn't need to, this game isn't really one that can be story heavy and more relies on the heat of the moment and not that of the past. This game does still have many of random dialogue bits which is a thing I really liked from EFR so that makes up for it (not that there's really anything to make up for). For the scare factor of the game, I will say that this game does present itself as a more atmospherically scary game than EFR, but that is quickly extinguished when you see the elves every 10 seconds, it felt like every time I turned around there was like 6 elves running in the opposite direction which is fine if your trying to play them off as a joke but they are the serious threat and what ends up killing you in the end and I really think you could have had them be more distant through out the whole game, like up in the mountains or in trees or someplace where they don't feel so close. Even with them diminishing their own scariness, the elves still pack a scary punch in the end which just makes me wonder how much more scary they could have been if they were more distant before the end. To wrap this up (heh, get it?) I'm going to fire off some quick things I liked about this game: the reindeer are so freaking adorable and the little noises they make when you pass them, along with their names, just give them so much more character, I though the gift wrapping mechanic was cool (It could have used some kind of time based or order based system/mechanic but it still worked), the attitude of our character is very present in their dialogue which I liked, the randomness of the game was really something what with the fire crackers and random elf events like getting locked in the cabin. Gotta be honest though, I didn't really understand the axe mechanic at first and it took me awhile to get it. All in all this is another really good hit from ya Grainwood Games and I can't wait to see more in the future, from what I understand you mainly do this just for the love of the game and I think that's incredible, doing great work like this for free just because is something I really admire. Keep up the good work my friend, I'll be keepin' an eye on ya!

I've played this game before but only now realized that I had never actually commented here, so I came back to play it again and review it this time. I'll start off with the only problem I have with this game, the FOV, it's understandable to have a preferred FOV in mind from a developer stand point but at least make it a changeable setting y'know? The game is of course still playable and enjoyable don't get me wrong, but the FOV is just really uncomfortable at times and just leaves me wanting to set it to my preferred setting so I can see more of the world and enjoy it even more. Anyways with my only complaint out of the way, time for the stuff I liked (which was everything else). The environments in this game are so cool to explore, so many things to see and admire, the assets all look great and really tell a story, like the backpack and maps in the players bedroom hints at them doing a lot of traveling. The style of this game is also something unique to me because despite it fitting the retro look that a lot of games nowadays seem to be going for, it has its own style in the way it portrays it's world which really stand out to me, probably because with most retro horror games I can look at them and relate with being similar to another game or developer, but with Eggs Fried Rice and Grainwood Games in general I can't do that, This style is so specific to Grainwood Games that I wouldn't even compare it to the likes of Puppet Combo, and I mean that in a good way! The animations are superb as well, specifically the ones that stood out to me were the trash from the alley way blowing out in front of you, the takeaway menu flying off the counter onto the ground, and the Eggs Fried Rice being thrown at your car (though it was kinda hard to miss that last one), these little things give the game so much character that I don't really see anyone else in this genre doing. Speaking of character, the writing in this game is also very interesting, the story is very boiler plate sure, you play as a character that gets creeped on by a dude, very standard very scary, but their also exists some very small but not very obscure narrative elements that give a little back story to our character, that also seem to carry a very sad tone, the calls from the house phone and to the ex-partner from the phone booth both support this as well as the description to the "sleepless night" ending shows that there isn't a lot of love for the character we play as in universe and I love to see things like that happen in games like these, not letting the player character be a blank slate and instead giving them a real life with emotions and personality, it almost feels like a hidden side story or something like that which adds so much more to the game itself and doesn't impede or overshadow the overall story the game is trying to tell, putting it simply: I love to see character given to characters that don't need it, it makes the world feel that much more alive. To talk about the dialogue a little more, again yes, it is boiler plate stuff, but you can still write boiler plate story and dialogue well and this game proves it, the writer clearly had good ideas for this game and it really shines through in the previously mentioned extra lore bits and just general dialogue that this game had to offer. Sorry for the rambling, I just love to share my thoughts on great games like this, I find that I myself love a good commenter to get really specific with what they liked and, more importantly, didn't like about my games so I try to do that myself. Great work and great game and I'll absolutely be looking forward to more from Grainwood Games! (time to play reindeer games again...)

I did play the post credits scene actually and I do think it tied a little bit of story together. I might actually read the article now that you mention it, it'd be nice to get a little more info on this game and what its all about.

A very big upgrade from the first doghouse I must say. The increase in the amount of endings, the variety to the endings themselves, Leonard got some personality in this one, and all around the doghouse 2 is an upgrade from the doghouse 1. I do wish there was some sort of visual marker in the main menu where you could see which endings you got because after a while of hunting for the 3rd one, I started to forget which ones I had already gotten. Still a really good game though and a steep up from the original, great work and I'm looking forward to doghouse 3!

Alright, that was really quick. A really nice little game you've got here, I always enjoyed the multiple endings concept in a "scary" game and for how short this game is, I think the multiple endings is just a nice little touch to allow the player to go back in a really get a taste of what this game has to offer (which is very little because of how short and minimal it is). But like I said, nice little game you've got here, great work! (time to play doghouse 2 now...)

There are so many things I loved about this game, I'm not even sure where to start off. After rolling some dice it looks like I'll be starting with the environments, I really loved how curated the environments were, even from the very beginning with the parking lot, I could tell that the environments had some real effort put into them. From the street lamp models to the snowing effects/particles to the ground textures, everything just felt so well put together and so well synchronized with each fellow element. Inside the mall felt really nice to walk around in, the only way I can describe it is it had a perfect mix of retro look and nostalgia feel coupled will the really well written dialogue for interacting with objects and with characters. Speaking of the characters, man did their art all look so good, the character art was so cool looking and charming, I couldn't think of a better art style or artist to have made these characters look and feel the way they do so real big props to the artist for their amazing work. The dialogue is also really well made in terms of how it presents itself, none of the characters take themselves to seriously (except for the funko pop guy) and all of their dialogue really seems to reflect the type of person they are in even just a few sentences, even just from our character, their dialogue really felt like it came from the brain of a kid, which is a complement seeing as we are playing as a kid. My only critique, and its not even a very good one, is that there aren't really a lot of scary things that happen until the very end with the dark hallway leading out of the mall, but to be fair, I also don't think overtly scary things would work in a game like this, subtlety and atmosphere is everything and seemed to be the basket where you put a considerable amount of your eggs and thinking about it now, I actually think it made for a better game in the end. all of this great stuff combined makes me a little sad that this team doesn't have anything else like this under their belt, I feel like this is probably the only game I've seen done in this style and I really loved it, it makes me hope that you guys will jump back in the saddle to make more games like this one in the future. overall though, this game was really something and the team did a really bang up job on this one, fantastic work!

For a game that didn't really make a whole lot of sense to me, that was actually pretty fun. The art was pretty well done, the music was great for how simple it was, the story was a little, in simple terms, out there, but I still loved the wackiness of it all. There were a lot of cool gameplay elements in this game as well, both chase scenes and the walking scene with the vases stood out to me as a unique use of mechanics and world building among others. Really good work!

That was awesome! The art was great, the music was really something special to me because it felt like it really fit with the themes of the game, the SFX were really well done and not over or underused, and the writing was just the highlight of this whole experience for me, I really thought I had the whole thing figured out until near the end, it totally flipped my expectations right over my head. Through all of this greatness however there were some flaws, but they weren't game ruining in any way, just some minor stuff like the game not really telling me where to go at one point (which didn't really matter because I figured it out quite easily anyway), there was a single line after you make the missing person's report that I think wasn't translated in the English version, some triggers don't delete or deactivate themselves which causes some small cutscenes (like the doctor one) to happen more than once if you back track when its clear that they should have only happened once, and just small things like that but to be honest, that is to be expected in a jam game. Speaking of this being a jam game, how incredible is that? all of this done in just a month for a jam, it really is astounding the level of detail and dedication that was clearly put into this in only a month. These types of games (2d, side scroll, investigation, etc) really aren't even my preferred type of game but the story telling and the atmosphere really hooked me in a way that I frankly didn't expect it to. phenomenal work on this one, you truly did something pretty cool with this game and I can't wait to see more from you, fantastic work!

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Really awesome game, everything felt pretty well put together and the mid game "breaks" like with the school yard before the school loot segment was pretty dope and the ability to go in the RV as a sort of home base felt really cool. All of the art looked really good as well and I really liked how much detail all of the looting sections had. I do wish there was a little bit more to interact with for extra dialogue and lore and stuff but I understand that there are a lot of points in this game where that just isn't really feasible. Great game overall though and I might actually come back to this once the full version is out, great work!

I don't really know why but occasionally I get compelled to come back to this little de-make and replay all of it just because. The retro look and feel work so well with the FNF brand and it really does show in this project, plus the controls feel really responsive and smooth which is just icing on the cake. Great work!

Aw yeah, sweet! Thanks so much! Like I mentioned I've got a future project planned where this will be instrumental in so this really helps out a ton!

That was actually pretty fun. I figured this game would take an actually scary turn at some point but I'm kinda glad it didn't, made for some good fun, good work!

Oops, don't know how I got that mixed up. Only having 50 events sounds even rougher to work with than tile limits. Still a great project especially now that I know the limitations of construction.

This game is a really good experience, almost all around! the art is fantastic and the minimalist animations work well with the style, the atmosphere is quiet and ominous which adds a good bit of tension (even though nothing really comes from it but it's whatevs), the story and dialogue is dark when it needs to be and some of the situations are downright horrifying, and not in the cheap jump scary way either. The only problems I have is the player being just a little bit to slow and the background music being really cookie cutter basic. But hey, other than that, Leftovers really does a great job at telling its story through its dialogue and gameplay, really makes me wish these developers worked on more games, but it seems this is the only one we'll get from them for the foreseeable future unfortunately. Fantastic work!

For as interesting as whatever this is is, I'm leaving a comment to ask a question, how did you get these sound clips to sound at least ok in gb studio? Just wondering because a future project of mine is going to use random short voice clips for the main antagonist. I'm assuming you used .wav's and just bit crushed the hell out of them to make them applicable to the gb studio sound effects player but if that's not the case then I'm genuinely curious.

This game was pretty aesthetically pleasing and it seemed to know what it was going for and I appreciate a game with a good sense of self. I will say that I was not able to make it that far, it seems that I broke the sequence as the cauldron tells me that I already have a potion, but I didn't have the ingredients to make the potion I was requested to make which made me think that maybe the game broke and just made the potion anyway but when I tried to give it to Lancer (nice reference by the way), the game gives me dialogue that indicates, at least to me, that I should be making the potion, which I can't because the cauldron seems to think I already have one. I still enjoyed the little bit I was able to play of the game, there were a couple graphical bugs here and there and some of the collision was a little wonky but overall, it was still a fun time. Good work!

This is so damn cool, and so useful as well! I'll be using this for as many of my projects in the future as I can, amazing work!

The art in this game is very well put together (for the most part) and I have half a mind to think that's what you spent the most time on, which isn't a bad thing, but there are some things I wish had more care taken to them. There are a couple dialogue issues here and there and I'm not talking about the grammar, though I wont harp on that at all since it seems that English is not your first language and I don't think it's fair to hold something like that against you.  I feel that the game ends without answering any real questions, there was no point where the crying lady showed up or made a statement or a call to action or anything so the whole "crying women" mystery person, at least from a players perspective, didn't really matter in the end. I do see what this game is trying to be though and I do think you did a not to shabby job at telling the story you wanted to. Overall, the stylings of this game carry it and it is a good first attempt at a folklore game, good work!

I will say, this game has a lot of potential, the concept is on point for an 80's inspired slasher, the different characters are portraited pretty well, and the environment is pretty well put together for the most part. But there are some problems and those problems are noticeable. Firstly, for how many random objects there are in this park, you can barely interact with any of them, and the dialogue for the objects you can interact with just feels stiff. Secondly (and to fire off a bunch of small issues I had), The owl is a little to forgiving, some of the assets look a little strange, some parts of the forest don't really make sense from an orientational perspective, and to put it lightly, the music could use a lot of work. Also there being no save system, not even an auto-save system, is a pain in the ass if you actually do get caught which isn't fun and turned me away from actually beating the game since I couldn't find the 3rd page and died in the forest. However, you do have a great concept for a good game here and I hope you do keep making retro games or just games in general because this is a great stepping stone for the future! Good work!

Loved this one a lot! The art just screams charming and all of the characters and their art scenes are just so pretty. The music and random SFX that were slid in there was a very nice touch as well. Seeing things like this be done by a fellow solo dev on top of everything is just inspirational and the cherry on top to say the least. An interactable overworld map is also a very fun concept for a game like this and it's executed pretty well all things considered. Very fun and very aesthetically pleasing, Fantastic work!

An interesting test of the limitations of GB Studio. The art and aesthetic are definitely the stand outs of this experience, I do think the game could use some quality of life changes like making the door and stair transitions not so long and maybe a little bit more of a sense of direction, but other than that I can't say anything to critical of this game. Very creative and very enjoyable, great work!

This was a true gem of a Gb Studio game that I can't believe I haven't discovered until now. The platforming mechanics are super smooth feeling and really make me feel like I have control of my character, which is more than I can say for certain other platformers I've played in the past that were made in engines with much higher capabilities. The art is great, the cutscenes are an unnecessary but very appreciated and quality story telling device, the style is perfect for what this game is trying to be, the dialogue is simple yet meaningful, and lets not forget the music and SFX that were straight fire! This game is pure heat and I can not (but I will) wait for the DOME edition to come out soon. Fantastic work!

I think the most constructive thing I can say is that the game page, title screen, and intro of the game really reeled me in with its art, design, and SFX, like a Gameboy game without the limitations of a Gameboy since its made in GameMaker and not GB Studio? That sounds fucking sick! But the actual game really didn't snag me hook, line, and sinker like I thought it would which was a little disappointing. That's not even to say the game is bad or anything like that, it just felt like the actual game had a significant and noticeable change in quality even as soon as right after the intro sequence or as soon as getting into the cave. I would absolutely love to see you do more work in the Gameboy horror genre since the art and especially the sound design (more specifically the custom SFX and music/ambient sound tracks, or at least I think they are custom since I don't recognize them from anywhere else) really drew me in. Keep making games, you could use some practice, but you obviously have talent in the retro horror field and I would love to see you do more with it! Good work!

Very good use of tiles for a gb studio game, the animations on the fucked up rabbit are really good, I can only imagine how annoying it was to work with the tile limits for that animation. The SFX and music were pretty good to, very basic but that's kind of the point of a gb studio game and I appreciate the effort there. Hunting 20 rabbits on night 3 is a little tedious but the feel of the game is there, I wish there was some dialogue or anything like that really (there might have been but I didn't see any). Overall good game and really good feel through out the whole thing, good work!

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As short an experience as that was, that was actually pretty fun! I liked the mechanic of being able to rack a shot depending on how you want to play (and to not shoot yourself). The art and level design is also very cool and the character designs are pretty cool looking as well. Very well put together for your first game and I definitely think this game could do well with a patch update to fix some of the problems I had, like missing a shot when it absolutely should have hit, or maybe a content update with more levels and bullet types as you progress. Still very good and very fun, great work!

Fascinating game, I can't believe I missed it during the jam. I'm am definitely taking the time constraints into consideration since that is something I can absolutely relate to with my time in the jam. However, there just isn't really "enough" early game to get me hooked and most of the interactable's being completely useless, like not even for flavor text, made me think that none of them were going to have anything in them (even though some of them did). Still a fun concept thought and while it is a little funky looking, the art and environment design definitely carry this game and the character design and color palette used for Corvus is very good looking. Overall, I feel that this game would really benefit from a content update or something with a lot more things to do in between the main content. Good game and great work!

Thanks for playing! I see the art struck you again, really nice to hear that considering this project was like 60% rushed time including the art but I'm happy to hear that the art and everything turned out all right. I love to see criticism I haven't seen before and I don't believe that I've seen the "I want to do more as a player" critique yet, and I 100% agree with it. Like mentioned in a lot of my other comments on this project, this game went though a ton of cuts to content and story in the interest of keeping it feasible for jam time. Buuuuut I have been keeping the idea for a full version of this game in my back pocket since a lot of people seemed to want it so rest assured that when the full version of Fathers Farm comes out, you will be able to do much more and explore many more than just one ending! Thanks again for playing and I'm glad you've played and enjoyed both of my games so far!

Glad you liked the art! I am planning on revisiting this game sometime in the not to far off future for a remaster to make this game everything it could have been (and to connect it more to the other games in it's collection), so if you DO in fact want to see that, be sure to follow me! Thanks for playing!

Really fun little puzzle game! even better that its made in the PICO-8 engine since I love PICO-8 games. there was a lot more levels and variety to the levels then I expected and the art style for the sprites and background tiles really fit the feel of the game very well. Overall a really good game for some short fun. Since this seems to be your one and only game and it was posted 8 years ago, I really don't think I'll see more from you but I really hope I do because this is again, a really good game. Great work!

It definitely isn't bad, there isn't much I can say about it since it is just a proof of concept. I will say that the environment art did look very well put together for a proof of concept game and the light coming through the door in the bathroom scene (or what I think is a bathroom) was a very clever use of color palettes. over all for POC standards this one is very well done and I hope to see more from this project and you later on! good work!

Really good atmosphere! the lack of fish everywhere really adds to it. I wish the game kept itself a little more cryptic with the thing in the temple because it really felt like that's what it was going for but the game is still really well made and the reloading animation and the effects like the bubbles and stuff were really well done! Overall good work and I really hope to see more from you!

Absolutely loved this one, so simple yet so fun. I do wish there was a little bit more going on, like a little bit of random notes or more dialogue or something like that to fill the empty space but the game is really well put together anyway so it didn't even really need that. the simple shotgun mechanics were really fun as well, took me a second to realize that I should be shooting the cultists in the chest instead of the head but I liked how large the hitbox for picking up shotgun shells was, once I realized I'd probably need to do that while running for my life I was a little worried that I wouldn't be able to so that was a very good quality of life decision. This coming from the same guy who made slay bells is a little surprising because the jump in quality and style is almost surreal, in a good way! I would absolutely love to see more like this from you in the future, great work!

Just played and rated yours, great work!

This game feels very complete for a jam game and after taking a small look at your profile, it doesn't surprise me at all that this isn't your first game, one of the first impressions I got when looking at the game page is that this project came from someone who has made games before. The controls feel smooth and responsive, the charge time isn't to long, when I mess something up or go in a direction I didn't completely intend to go I blame myself instead of the game (which is good). I do think the models inside the tank like the squid, could have used some more detail since everything else in the background looks really detailed, the aesthetics all together are really appealing though and the TV guy is really creepy with his two frames a second eyes and mouth. Overall, a really well put together product, great work!

Thanks for playing! I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed the writing, writing is my favorite part of game making and one of my favorite hobbies in general and hearing the pros and cons of my work is always a pleasure. Thanks again for playing and thanks for the complements!

Thanks for playing! I'm glad you like the many pieces of dialogue you can get when in the house, writing those was one of my favorite parts of making this game, giving more insight into the world around you and how the main character might be feeling, it feels like a more well rounded world because of that I feel. And since you mentioned it, PLUG TIME! If you DO want to keep up with future versions of this game (and my other upcoming projects for that matter) then consider following me on itch! It helps me out a ton and allows people that are as interested as you are to be up to date on the status of my games, you could also follow me on Twitter or Bluesky where I post teasers of games I am currently working on, like the second installment in the Marrowglen Trinity: Games Collection, Night at the Laundromat. Thanks again for playing and I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Thanks for playing and thanks do much for the in-depth comment! To start off,  the lack of sound was unfortunately a result of bad time management, nothing really more to be said with that. The path to the barn was supposed to have a lot more to it, dialogue for every room about the character reminiscing about the past, maze mechanics with the dissecting paths, and a lot more interactables (signs, random debris, etc) that would have filled up the walk to and from a lot more. in the draft/early versions of the scripts, you were to spend much more time in the house exploring the different rooms and even doing some puzzle like mechanics to find your way deeper into either the basement or higher into the attic (which either one you got to would decide the games many outcomes), that had to be scraped and shortened to the game only letting you get to the second floor in which you initiative a "chase" and die. The goats were also supposed to have a more involved role with each of them getting their own separate scene with the player and there would have been many more scenes and instances that would tie the activity of the goats more to what is going on in the house (in the earlier versions of the script of course) but again, this had to be subbed out. Little to no build up was also unfortunately a victim of scrapping and subbing. In short, you are 100% correct in the statement that all of these issues were unfortunately victims to time and had I been given more, I would have done more. Thanks again for the detailed comment, comments like these always make my day, the fact that someone would explore my game so deeply, Thank you so much!

Thanks for playing! the limited sounds were in fact NOT an issue on your end and instead a result of my struggle with the deadline. thanks again for playing and I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Thanks for playing! without spoiling much I will say that the thing at the end is an evolved/mutated goat that has mutated through a ritual that took place before the story of this game. Shameless plug time! if you want to know more about the story and maybe keep up with the development of the full version of Fathers Farm then consider following me, doing so helps me out a ton and keeps you up to date on my future projects, a lot of which are similar and more polished (story wise) than this game. Thanks again for playing and I hope to see you stick around!