itch.io

Heya everyone, we’re looking for more members for our Novembuck team. Whether you have some prior experience or are just looking to learn things, we’d like to hear from you ^^

The story is gonna be a survival-psychological horror inspired by IRL incident featuring two protagonists with different arcs. I can provide more details in DM.

We are looking for:

🎨 Artist: create illustrations mainly in abstract, sketches, or silhouette style. There will be minimal colors as the project favors quantity.

🖌️ UI Designer: create GUI elements (dialogue box, main menu, game menu), create the itch.io page. The project will mostly use NVL format, and will feature two “UI skin” for each protagonist.

🎵 Sound Designer: plan and implement SFX and BGM, look for suitable free assets or create one (if possible).

If you have other talents and want to participate, don’t hesitate to ask! Shoot me a DM on Discord if you wanna join!

Heyaa I’m glad you find it helpful!

Hmmm can you show me how you show the sprite? And is there any other issue beside this?

I’m assuming your Ren’Py version is compatible. See if using only 1 default work, and we go from there

Btw I’ll be easier to reach out on Discord if you prefer that way.

Cheers!

Uh… yeah, this is definitely Wacky’s piece. Right off the bat, you can tell that this is for a specific target audience. It’s crazy, horny, kinky. All in all, it’s a fun read!

The premise is certainly unique. While the writing is not flawless, it’s quite pleasant. But yeah, as many have mentioned, the biggest issue is there’s not much going on within 9k+ words. Overall a cozy read if you’re a fan of the genre. Well done!

Momma look, it’s 2025 Echo! Sorry but I cannot not mention it :(

I think the material and the recipe are there. The opening swiftly hooked me into the story. While the writing is nice, I feel like sometimes it gets a tad too blunt, especially the ending with Cody. Like, that’s not a normal reaction to move on that fast. Unless it’s your intention to say that MC is 100% not right in the head.

The horror is good, but it certainly needs more variety than relying on jump scares. I feel like the whole story can benefit from more slow-soaking, unsettling horror. I guess it’s a complication that arises from having a very limited cast of characters

Nevertheless, it’s a great horror piece. Amazing work!

That’s a lovely read! The visuals are neat. The backgrounds are beautiful and help sell the vibe. The premise is interesting, and I love the message. I can see you try to say a lot of things, and setting the MC as the Doctor helps avoid it from feeling “preachy”. It’s a feel-good story all in all. Unfortunately, I think the ending after the final confrontation felt really abrupt. All in all, it’s a charming one. Well done!

Dawww that’s pretty cute. It’s a simple nice story, but the visuals really help elevate everything. The writing needs quite a bit of editing, and the audio works could use more touch. Nevertheless, it’s a good storybook-like read. Well done!

That’s definitely an ambitious project. Loving the moody vibe. The visuals are great, from the doctored BGs, the CG, and the sprite (Ian is such a good boy). Very clever use to implement multiple playthroughs. The intentional use of Renpy error to indicate that is brilliant. I just wish I didn’t get completely locked after reaching the third ending.

The writing is nice, but not flawless. I feel like the scope can be pushed more into sparking the embers all over again with Ian. I get you want to make the story end on an open end and keep things vague, but you raised too many loose ends, which impacted the experience. Rather than accepting the beauty of the thematic message & end, I was bugged by too many questions.

Overall, it’s a good read. A job very well done!

Alright, that was a wild ride. The shift from mundane life into that sure was a whiplash, but I’m kinda digging it. The characters on their own are believable, but looking at the whole plotline… the execution could be better. The use of backgrounds is pretty effective, and the SFX is good. I just wish there were more ambient sound or music. All in all, this one is definitely unique and fun. Well done!

That’s a delightful read. The writing is neat and the characters are fun. The bright visuals definitely elevate the vibe. I just wish the story kinda… punch harder? There are 2 big things going on, the heist and the romance. I feel like instead of strengthening the whole narrative, they kindof overshadow one another. Guess that’s the downside of having the story happen in a very specific and narrow window of time. Nevertheless, great work!

I can see the vision, but it’s not quite there yet. The concept is not bad, but the structure could use some refining. You accidentally set a trap for yourself by setting the time frame for EVERYTHING (pre-afterlife part) very short. As a result, we don’t get to get immersed in the character’s emotion, motivation, etc. The stake was there, but it felt flat. Again, because of the short frame, we’re not invested in the struggles.

I think it can be remedied by focusing the shift on the death part. Let the character dwell in their memory, regret, etc., instead of letting Death dominate the scene.

Well that’s my two cents. All in all, it’s a good attempt.

Good read all around. The writing is neat, and I loved how there are two different branches that complement each other. The characters are fun, but I’m kinda conflicted since most of the time they act “cartoonish”, their supposedly grounded lines felt a bit flat. The MC is gullible, which is not inherently bad, I feel like we’re not digging deep enough for this kind of genre. My biggest issue I have is that building the escape rocket is supposed to be a VERY big thing, but Rover’s attempt is just kinda brushed off like another backyard project. Otherwise, it’s been a cozy and warm experience. Well done!

That’s quite a fun read! It’s just something you’d expect from a DnD adventure tale. The story and presentation are nice. Obviously, it’s not flawless. Some parts might feel a bit too blunt, but that’s the risk with this kind of genre: it needs a lot of visuals to deliver the vision better, but it’s way less feasible than just writing. There might be too many ideas packed in here, but it’s not that bad. Not if you approach it expecting some giggles. By the end of it, I kinda wished there were more. Well done!

Oh wow, I didn’t expect to find such a cozy and gorgeous one like this. I’m not gonna dabble much. The writing is neat, and the presentation is amazing. I’m not a fan of a condensed text box, but it just works this time, and I like that. Could do some fixing with the lack of white space, though, some lines are just too full. It’s a brave topic to pick up, and while there’s not much yet to be said about the overall project, the current content is enough to hook you up.

Great work! Will keep the project under the radar.

As a reader without knowledge of the main entry, I find this one quite enjoyable. It’s true that there are some unresolved questions, like what’s the deal with Nia, how could she just send hefty sums of money to Patrice, what’s the deal with this Croc that sounds important, etc. They itch, but not to the point of breaking the experience.

The visuals are great. Takes a while for me to get used to the sprites’ style, but they look good. The CGs are also amazing ~~I got some funny feelings from some of them~~

Next, uh… I’m gonna go thoroughly this time. Please take my words as constructive criticism, because I genuinely like the piece and am a bit baffled why it causes a bit of mixed opinions.

The banter between characters is entertaining. They feel alive. I don’t understand why some people think the structure is that bad. There are some pacing issues, sure, but I kinda get the importance of each scene. The story gotta tell about Patrice’s dilemma of moving on, his shared friendship and mutual bitterness about Nia’s absence with Liam, etc. However, the pacing was clearly uneven. The first half was slow and cozy, but the latter part felt incredibly rushed.

I personally blame it on three factors:

1. The time frame of EVERYTHING was just, what, not even 24 hours? This might be why some people felt like the gym scenes really dragging. A large chunk of the story took place there in ONE GO: Patrice’s struggle to get out and back into normalcy, introducing Hugo, introducing the wolf, Patrice’s guilt seeing images of his ex on Oliver. That’s a lot of ground to cover. Breaking it down into multiple days might help. And Patrice, my man, I get you’re infatuated by the wolf, I would too, but you HAVE ISSUES. You just met him that afternoon. No way you can be sure that it’s a love. I’m also looking at you, wolf boy. Pipe down. That tiger is hot, I know, but have some control lol. As a result, Oliver’s grievance kinda felt brushed off (?) relative to the whole narrative, when arguably that’s a very crucial plot point.

2. Sometimes there are not enough Patrice’s inner thoughts. I would say in the early scenes, some spoken lines should be thoughts instead, but that’s a minor thing. The real problem is… the narration could be too blunt at times, e.g.: “His body softens up.”, “His ears droop down.”, y’know minor things that describe actions / what’s happening. I’m not saying they’re not important, but dealing with a big topic of trying to move on involves a lot of emotions. The narration could definitely benefit by digging more into Patrice’s psyche, because at the current state, a hefty part only scratches the surface level.

3. Ultimately, the max word count might be your biggest enemy, causing all the uneven pacing. I know you have like 6k more words to hit the limit, but it must have put some mental constraint on how you plan the scope of the story. Some scenes can be cut short, mainly the parts with Liam. Once it’s established that both Patrice and Liam share some grievance about Nia leaving them, I think the story can shift focus to Oliver.

I know it’s tricky when you have a solid roadmap of what you need to tell, but can’t deliver to the fullest. Welp, happens all the time in a game jam, I guess.

On a more technical note, there are some extra minor issues.

• There are unnecessary pauses that require a click to continue, such as “… Spit. It. Out.” Would highly recommend using {w=0.5} instead of plain {w}. On the other hand, some scene transitions could use bit of a pause.

• Sprite blocking. In most scenes, multiple characters are having a conversation, but the sprites are not facing each other, as if they are addressing us, the reader, directly. This is a bit weird because clearly the story is written from Patrice’s POV, and he is on the screen. Could be remedied by mirroring the sprites. Small detail, but it makes things more immersive.

• Audio works. Might be an oversight, but some parts were just dead silence. And I would reconsider picking music that fits better with the story beat.

Overall, the team has done an excellent job delivering this short story. It’s not perfect, but still a good read. Hopefully, my two cents can help the polishing post-jam. Oh, and this VN definitely piques my interest in the main entry. Great work!

The Windows 98 look made me feel so old :(((

But seriously? That is the most impressive presentation I’ve ever seen in any FVN! I just wish the use of audio could be better.

Writing-wise, it’s refreshing to have such structure and a warm, simple story. There are plenty of rooms to expand the story, but I understand it requires a lot of effort to just assemble one scene.

Fantastic work!

Technically speaking, everything is packed with superb quality. Not gonna say much about the visuals & audio bcs they are excellent.

The premise is interesting, but for some reason, I don’t think the narrative delivers the goal of the story that well. Don’t get me wrong, I think the story structure is clever. But if the goal is about telling a tale of someone embracing himself and finding the strength to come out of the closet, there is this… dissonance. I really cannot sympathize with the MC. I didn’t think the conclusion meets the sweet spot between satisfying, and making him redeemable. In fact, I hated how the MC got away with not enough consequences lol.

Maybe one of the reasons I felt that way, is that during the final act, there is somehow a shift in dynamic to be more telling with Kylliki as the mouthpiece. It just felt… less genuine on the MC’s part? It all just felt less grounded. While the epilogue serves as a logical narration to call the curtain, I found it slightly jarring. I kinda wish there were more sections of the IRL parts that show the other side of the MC’s struggles, because that part felt realistic.

Regardless, it’s a fantastic work. Whether or not it’s your intention, you just made a new human MC I despise so much, thank you very much.

LOVED how funky, surreal, weird, stylized, everything! I NEED those good boys. The characters’ sprites look simple but SERVING. Slay~

The writing is not for everyone, but I like it. The mix between silly banter and thought-provoking ideas blends well. And the ending? Honestly… fuck all.

Definitely one of my personal faves, not only due to the sheer abstract absurdity, but also how well thought-out the structure and presentation.

There’s a lot of potential with this one. Like most of the commenters said, the concept is good. The writing is quite enjoyable for the first half, but sadly, once we get to the My Wolf part, things feel so rushed. But it’s all to be expected as a side effect of the time limit of the jam. There are so many topics to unravel, but evidently, 9k something words were not enough.

I found the barebones, sketchy look of the sprites quite charming, actually. Some expression variations, a little tweak here and there, could do wonders. And some audio, definitely. If the project spends more time in the kitchen, I think things will be much better. Nevertheless, good job producing this project!

I can see the vision, but I’m not sure about the execution. It’s great that you gamified the VN. I’m all for it. The idea of including an interactive section is good to add a new engaging experience. If you play it right, it will make the VN more immersive.

You took the gamble on putting so many mechanics, but I’m afraid they don’t all land where they should be. The concept of navigating a maze and piecing together memories marries well, but boy I had such a hard time, it wasn’t fun anymore. The ever-changing orientation of the compass (and everything) was very disorienting. It took away the experience instead of adding to it. Further, I don’t know if it’s an oversight, but it seems like skipping the maze skips the entire memories altogether? I don’t think that’s a good idea if the bits are integral to the whole story. After all, first and foremost, it’s a novel.

As a reader, I think I should spend more time digesting the story, getting immersed in the characters’ emotions, but instead, most of my energy is spent on trying to progress. Felt like Dark Souls but VN, except people actually expect and like got beaten to death playing DS, and, y’know, read when playing VN. Maybe the experience could be remedied by having thicker slices of the story, including the memory bits. That way it could feel more rewarding. The writing could also use some refining, making it less blunt. For some reason, even getting the true ending did not excite me that much since the struggle to solve the puzzle and figuring out the wolf’s name upset the experience.

Really appreciate the ambition to tell the story beyond the words, but alas it’s not perfect. The whole concept and plotline are cool. I can see the effort put into the project. Despite the flaws, it’s still a job well done.

Adorable. I think it’s a good, charming read. The writing is quite entertaining if you don’t approach it too seriously, it’s given by the art style anyway. The visual just blends together with the story. Great work!

Absolutely gorgeous! The visual is so stylized, I think it’s one of the best ones in the jam. Loving how the sprite is very expressive!

While the theme is quite a cliche, every element of the VN falls in place just right to deliver the beautifully painful tale. The writing is excellent. The idea that mundane little things can affect so much of the character’s life is well written. I just wish there were more. Sometimes I feel like the story is a bit too straightforward in a “telling” way. There is space to dig deeper into the MC’s psyche, elaborating more on the conversation on the rooftop. That being said, it still serves as a complete, satisfying read nonetheless.

Great work!

Bold and moody. The writing is pleasing and just enough to dig into a deep theme. I love how the visual elements carry the storytelling. The sound design is good, though I feel the choice of music with that kind of beat perfectly fits the tone. All in all it’s a great short read!

That sure was a wild experience. The whole project is very ambitious, I just wish the narration wasn’t “drowned” by the gameplay. I’m curious how things will look once you finish polishing the game.

Batshit insane story, desperately trying to reach the minimum word count. Definitely not written by Reki.

I lost count of how many “What?” escaped my mouth. Not in disdain, but more of amusement. Preparing myself to approach this entry as purely a fun read, not at all a serious story, really helped.

It would be way more hilarious if you put the whole textbox upside down for the first few lines lol.

Honestly, not every story has to be a deep deconstruction of philosophical ideas. Some can just be about shamelessly horny adventure like this one just for fun. Good for you for embracing what you want.

I’m not gonna say much since I’m probably not the target audience. The writing is not flawless, and some parts feel like they were lost in translation somehow. Regardless it’s still a fun read.

I can see the vision, but I’ll refrain from saying much since it feels like a very early draft.

Writing for your own enjoyment is a good, fun way to spend your time; but making a product that everybody else consumes is a whole different thing. Lots of the lines still feel like fragmented ideas that didn’t flow cohesively into a consistent narrative arc.

I would strongly suggest investing in editorial work before going further. Refine the rough edges into solid structures, maybe have someone beta-read and give detailed suggestions.

Did you put the files in the game folder? Have you completely read the devlogs?

Thanks for giving it a try, but I’m afraid I cannot help troubleshoot your problem if you don’t tell me the exact steps you did as I asked earlier.

With all due respect, this is the first and only time someone has encountered a total crash like that. The scripts are all tested and work, even for a freshly created projects.

I understand you are frustrated, but saying this is not tested is very out of pocket. There are already some projects that successfully use this script.

The files are self-explanatory: GUI assets for the template GUI, GUI scripts for each elements, and mobile for Android. I’m not sure what you mean by “this is for Android only” when it is not the case.

And to use them without any customisation, you just have to extract and replace. But for some reason like I said, your project seems to be missing a file.

It seems like for some reason the file "window_icon.png" is gone from your game directory. Can you explain step by step what exactly did you do?

Hi, you only need to replace the gui.rpy if you want to make android version. Otherwise, to implement your own GUI or use my template, you just need to copy paste other assets without replacing gui.rpy and screens.rpy

Congrats on finishing your first project. It's one of the hardest steps, and you made the leap! I'm gonna try to be more detailed for this one. Hopefully, my thoughts can be helpful.

You set up the vibe well with the title and the opening, which is great, but that also instantly sets some expectations for the reader. The writing aims for realism / a more grounded vibe, which is great for a sentimental piece, but I feel like it's not fully commited.

The spoken dialogues work well, doing the heavy-lifting even. The lines are fun to read and capture the characters' personalities. However, sometimes it's not the case for the narration.

For example, the line "We begin watching the movie. This is an action movie, fortunately, all four of us have a passionate love for this genre. Even Manny and Ryan are shutting up to focus on the movie." does not sound like a sentence someone would say, even to themself, mainly because it falls flat when it's supposed to indicate a semblance of passion. The line could do with a small touch-up like "Heck, yeah, this is an action movie. Fortunately, all four of us have a passionate love for this genre. Manny and Ryan usually could not stop talking over the film, but now they keep their focus on the screen."

Obviously, everybody writes differently. However, as someone who likes to write in a grounded tone, I would suggest first deciding on what emotion you want to evoke for each scene. Everyday-things are mostly mundane. Without a specific and strong angle, they will fall flat.

Last issue I found is lenghty lines. Longer sentences don't necessarily mean it's better. Considering the nature of the medium, generally it's better to pack the writing into one-or-two-breathable sentences per click. Readers need to breathe. Helps with the pacing, too, and makes it look neat / not crowded. If you really want to show a longer line on one screen, you can use pause {w} more often.

Overall, it's a good starting point. Well done!

Solid visual direction and gorgeous art (sprites and CG), both work really well to elevate the simple, fragmented narrative. The writing is enjoyable and delivers just enough story, though if we stick with the jam theme, a touch deeper into Dusky's struggles (like the fountain scene) would be better.

Not sure if you intended the story to just scratch the surface and lean on realism, basically saying, "yeah, this is the short story of one gay dude, could be anyone you wouldn't know". I just feel like you can brew a stronger mix. Regardless, it's a nice read.

This is very Loudo and Kerche, and that's a good thing. I like the ambitious premise you aim for, though unfortunately, time is not in your favor. The visual direction is quite strong, albeit you can tell things fall apart as you're dying to make it to the finish line, but that's understandable. But the very little scenes there is, they are made very strong impression. Should've kept the textbox floating to give stronger artsy aesthetic.

My biggest issues are two: 1) While the idea of clashing the world of play pretend and the real world is bold, it doesn't sit right with me when most of the "plays" are narrated instead of, you know, acted. I guess that's why it's very amusing when the director breaks the barrier between the worlds, which feels like an actual thing in a stage-play. 2) I understand you set up an ambitious goal of creating a story within the story, but there is some disparity that I can't really put my finger on. The Crni & Bella scenes - back and forth with the off-stage scenes - were smooth. But the three brothers... I guess one of the factors is that we never really get to interact with them as men, not the actors. As a consequence, you had to establish their in-play characters well, but it did not quite land at the right spot, especially with Basil "the Smart". There is more of the narration and "less of the three brothers".

Nevertheless, I can't wait to see the whole picture you want to paint. So chop, chop, get that kitten back to the dungeon!

I did NOT expect that twist at all. Started with your-usual-cozy-cafe scene, things got interesting with little bread crumbs here and there. Though the presentation was rudimentary, the premise was good. I wish the characters delved more into the philosophical debate. When the MC brought up the idea that the other 3 are "unnatural"... Loved that! There are rooms to explore, but keeping the story short is an understandable choice. Overall, it's an enjoyable short read.

Very unrealistic how the MC managed to keep himself from fucking the fluffy wolf.

Jokes aside, the haunting vibe is portrayed well. Love the aesthetic and the choice of the BGM. The sci-fi flavor was just enough to serve as the foundation without causing any confusion often happens in the genre (mainly from using foreign terms / jargons). But I do think it's a tad bit too short. You could explore more sides like MC's descent to hopelessness or Herman's PoV.

Overall, it's a nice quick read!

Safe to say this one has the most solid visual direction so far. It strengthens the ephemeral, somewhat serene-but lonely feeling. I can see the thematic idea, questioning what kind of things are worth "value" when everything seems to be meaningless at the end of the world. Classic, but it works. I just feel like the pacing could be improved. IMO it's better to let the story simmer, let us soak the fleeting feeling of living in a world that has completely changed. Pauses would totally help, especially between scenes.

Unfortunately, the presentation isn't flawless. I could be wrong, but I think you're experimenting with this one. The text animation and the comic-style sequence on the laundromat felt overdone. The sprites' animation in the first half was good, but the second felt jarring bcs they kept moving. The music on the main menu was excellent and managed to set up the vibe from the get-go. It would be so much better if you could use more music or ambient sound throughout the game (and silence whenever necessary).

Nevertheless, I think it's a good project to experiment with, and I bet you can gain a lot of insight. Well done!

10/10 poetry. 100% art. It probably won't sit right for some people, but I enjoyed it!

Minimalistic style, but you utilized the medium very well. My only complaint is, for some reason, the Wolf's dialogue text got pixelated (instead of glowing, if that's what you're aiming for). And there was that one part where the dialogue overflowed to the bottom. Big chunks of the lines didn't show up in history, but I probably know why.

Nice cozy read. Great work!

Cool and very unique concept. This is what a VN should be: not just a written story / novel supported by visuals to help imagery, but a story that also utilizes audio-visual aspects as the storytelling device. 

It has the potential to be an excellent short horror VN. Taking away the visuals really sets in the feel of the story, though I'd argue using really blurred out background would better fit the title. The joyful look of the main menu works well to strengthen the eerie vibe, made me think about Midsommar tbh. I only have a small grievance about it: some elements don't contrast well, which makes them hard to read (unless you did that on purpose).

Unfortunately, aside from suffering from being undercooked, it missed the opportunity to lean way harder into audio. Making us "blind" will force us to focus on other senses.  The chimes and the "chase" scenes were great, but it could use way more. After all, nothing is really silent; there is always ambient sound. Even the silence/absence of sound, at times, can be used to build up unsettling / "something is wrong" vibe.

Nothing that can't be fixed, though. Great work!

Cheers!

Cool and very unique concept. This is what a VN should be: not just a written story / novel supported by visuals to help imagery, but a story that also utilizes audio-visual aspects as the storytelling device. 

It has the potential to be an excellent short horror VN. Taking away the visuals really sets in the feel of the story, though I'd argue using really blurred out background would better fit the title. The joyful look of the main menu works well to strengthen the eerie vibe, made me think about Midsommar tbh. I only have a small grievance about it: some elements don't contrast well, which makes them hard to read (unless you did that on purpose).

Unfortunately, aside from suffering from being undercooked, it missed the opportunity to lean way harder into audio. Making us "blind" will force us to focus on other senses.  The chimes and the "chase" scenes were great, but it could use way more. After all, nothing is really silent; there is always ambient sound. Even the silence/absence of sound, at times, can be used to build up unsettling / "something is wrong" vibe.

Nothing that can't be fixed, though. Great work!

Cheers!