itch.io

Youtube served this up to me today and I'm glad it did.  

It's not really my thing (I like the mystery stuff from Umineko more than character drama) but I can tell you and I have similar interests in making these fan VNs (i.e. actually learning how to frickin make one instead of just writing them out as fan works.)  I liked reading it even if it's not my vibe.

My recommendation is to keep an eye out on humble bundle and other sites for some cheap music licenses or creative commons music. I used Nicholas Jeudy and some bandcamp compilations for my Umineko Christmas Special VN and it adds a lot.

Best wishes on whatever comes next.

I'm resurrecting this one because I am having the same issue. No layered images, just regular old pics:

define g = Character("Inspector Greenfield", color="#4b4efa", callback = name_callback, cb_name = 'gfield')
image greenfield2 = At('greenfield2', sprite_highlight('gfield'))

I'm pretty sure it's the image definition since the character appears ("show greenfield2 at right") before he speaks.  Should I be renaming the spright_highlighted image something else? But then what goes in the definition? I've gone around in circles on this a million times. 

There is some hot stuff here. I will definitely use some of these in future projects. Best wishes for next year

I'm doing a mystery game where you find and read documents, so this is extremely helpful! Thank you!

Here's one at the Library of Congress (though judicious searching in the digital collection can get a wider net, these are pre-curated): https://www.loc.gov/free-to-use/

My overall take is that I'm not sure the shooter elements really add much to the puzzle elements (or vice versa). The level's space is really well used. I get the feeling of a labyrinthine island but it is all tangled up together. I'd say it's a solid first draft!

Thanks for the color matching idea. I definitely have some presentational ideas I would have liked to do if I had more time - some common frames for the pictures, for example.  Maybe I'll polish it up and see what can be done...

I'm hoping to find some time to play some more submissions soon! 

I'm really happy you enjoyed it. Post-jam revisions are definitely going to spruce up the player choice aspects of the final sequence, so if you're interested, give it a follow!

As the guy who has probably played more Primetime Adventures than anyone on earth, possibly including the designer, I'm always up for a TV-structured tabletop RPG. This one has a lot of thought into structure but less into content. That's the area I'd suggest fleshing out in the post-jam revision times. I haven't seen these shows so when the game says "design a cool kaiju" I need more than just a few systemic prompts to help me do that. However, it's really well thought out in terms of structure, which is unusual for an itch.io jam game genre effort. Nicely done, you can feel the passion for the subject.

A nice start on a rhythm-based brawler.  I definitely see potential for more here!

Incredibly original mechanic. I love the challenge of focusing a camera through the bouncing ball. You could easily polish this up, add on some new city layouts, tee boxes, and kaiju and have a full, hilarious release.  Really exceptional, this was the game that had me the most excited about its possibilities.

Nice, very solid and focused experience. 

I think the design of the kaiju here is the real standout. Spooky, alien, horrific, well suited to the environment. Nice job

This game is cute as heck! 

There's a lot of prompt games on itch.io that don't really do much mechanically, which is a shame because good prompts are best when they're accompanied by good mechanics to carry you through them in a way that isn't just flat randomness. This game fully overcomes that with the decks of cards used by players and by the Threat.  It has a great deal of potential and could easily be polished into a real gem - the perfect compliment I can give to a jam game.  Exceptional!

There's randomtarotcard.com but the issue is that you need to pull cards and then discard them as you proceed through the deck.  Probably best to order a cheap deck if you want to play.

A shockingly polished game for a 2-week jam game. The mini-games made me laugh because of how varied they were, and the concept of the game is so cute and fun that I was just charmed from beginning to end. As someone who is just getting started in VNs, this is an inspiration for sure. My highest rating!

The atmosphere of this game is really nice (although I question the use of the hands in frame, from the time I spent with it it doesn't appear that the hands do anything. I definitely think there's a lot of potential here. The audio work and the style of the houses is excellent.

I really like the fun, lighthearted aspects of this game. You feel like you're on a goofy adventure the whole way through.

I downloaded it and this is a lot clearer:

"Centered" acts like it did before. Whenever I type, it snaps to the center of the page and as I type it pushes text off the top of the page.

"Sticky" allows me to select anywhere on the page, that line becomes the line that acts as "centered" above. This is my ideal portrait working mode. I put the sticky line near the bottom of the page (so I can see if there's something after what II'm writing) and still feel like I'm working on a roll of typewriter paper.

"Off" just types down the page to the bottom and then text above scrolls up.

Great job, it seems like it's working now! Thanks for the quick updates.

No prob.  It's a nice little thing and worth the cheap price.

Not sure I "get" this update. When I have "Centered" turned on, then I can click anywhere in the document and type and the cursor works its way down from the top all the way to the bottom, pushing text ahead of it if there is any. If I slide the scroll bar down (moving the text up) then when I start typing again it just behaves the same way. The text doesn't "automatically" scroll up until I'm at the very bottom of the page. This is the requested behavior I have above but I can't "start" the text scrolling anywhere - it only automatically happens at the bottom of the page.

When I have "Sticky" turned on, it behaves like it did before - I can click anywhere I want, but when I start typing the text jumps so that the line I'm working on is always in the middle of the page. Doesn't seem like anything I can do can change where on the page my work is going.

Awesome, I re downloaded and it looks great. Best wishes in this or future projects.

Got it. Yes, if it could be moved lower or turned off that would make portrait orientation feel a lot better. Right now if you're at the end of a file adding more text, half the screen is empty.  (When editing, of course, it's fine to have it on because being in the middle looks normal.)  Thanks and best wishes!

Hey, I really like this! I use a lot of "full screen" writing programs to aid in my process and this is one of the simplest and most effective. 

My question is this: I use a portrait-oriented screen (for that classic typewriter sheet experience).  As I write, the text only flows about halfway down the screen, and then begins to scroll off the top, leaving the lower 50 percent of the screen blank.  Is there a setting that I can use to completely fill the whole screen (or to customize where the scrolling begins, perhaps?)  

Great work and thanks!

I came back to re-download this for my archives and realized I forgot to mention that sometimes when I run it I make the witch a real witch! But she still just really wants to have some nice visitors every so often. And she really likes soccer and listens to the games on her radio.

Great atmosphere - I never found the whispering face and plenty of people seemed to get into the ritual without doing more than I did, so wasn't able to proceed. I think the pixelation is fine, but maybe limit the launcher a little more; just don't let people launch it at the higher resolution, because it makes things very hard to make out. And I'd suggest taking another look at the boundary behind the buildings - unlike the one across the road, it often appears just as a big black blank with some pixelated wire (?) at the top.  I love the path through the game though, and the soundscape is top tier.

Really really solid. The brevity of the experience makes it so that each little bite of emotional memory is sharply in focus. The "stores" are both simple and intriguing. Sharp and incisive.

Cool stuff. I love the use of color. My only thought for improvement is stuff like allowing quitting and adjusting visual and sound for accessibility. In terms of what's actually here, maybe I might make the "leaving" ending a little more aggressive. Don't let me turn around and walk back in...but that's all I can think to say. Great job!

A very nicely done and creepy VN scene with a lot of promise for the future. I'm not sure the choice adds a whole lot - either put more in or less. :)  Anyway, I hope your next project goes as well!

Good:
* Amongst a sea of other lo-fi horror games where they just look crappy, the VCR effects really work here. 

* The gun, sound effects and level design really seem like a 90s shooter that isn't quite ready for prime time. In particular the textures and map just look perfect. (On the other hand this doesn't look anything like a 1984-5 game. Here's a link to a screenshot of a first-person game from 1985, for example. The game should be from 1994-1995 - still quite advanced for its time - like a Quake mod - but within the realms of that period's imagionation.

* JOHN_DEV is a funny, good character. I interacted with many people like him in the chat windows of games like this. I'd love to have even more interaction with him.

Needs Work:

* But why is it on a VCR tape? Is the idea that the player recorded this in 1986? If so then why are all the servers empty? The "found footage" element of this doesn't mesh with the concept of finding these ancient servers still running.

* What, exactly, is the "other player" doing? Are they perceiving the level this way? Are they capturing the flag as well? I guess not because if they captured the flag the servers would go down. But then why are they another player? Are they a threat or is it just a misunderstanding? Remember that we are TWO levels removed from the threat - watching a screen on which someone watches a screen. We really need the  other player to pop in order to make it through all that.

Nicely done and can't wait to see what you'll do next.

Really nice job. I think you could even do more with the "dad who is the escape room guy". Is the main character tired of his BS, or is he sort of fond of the puzzles, or are they really excited for dad's latest game?  (How about mom, how does she feel?)  Then there could even be some tension when the danger arises; is this part of the game or not? 

Honestly the best thing about this game is Mrs. Burnwood. So often in horror games with a youthful protagonist, adults just don't behave like adults often do - in a protective or supportive manner. Nice to see a character of this sort.

Usually the "haunted PS1" vibe is meant to elicit feelings of dread - like you're playing a cursed game. I think the low fi aspect to it here could be explored a little more. Is this the memory of someone who played a lot of PS1 games? Etc.

Best wishes on what comes next!

I'm always a sucker for meta bullshit so this one is right in my wheelhouse. However, I think a little bit more attention to user experience (quitting easily, etc.) is always welcome even in exercises like this.

Really solid pacing make this a harrowing and exciting way to spend a bit of time. My only critique is that you should consider adding a gamma slider. In, ah, part two, especially, this might be an accessibility issue for some. Great work and best wishes on the next thing.

Really nice demo. A few notes:

The white UI elements (back arrow, and sometimes even the cursor) can be invisible in the high-brightness backgrounds sometimes.

While I approve of the webcam idea in theory, it's hard to ethically pull off. Unless you tell a player up front that their camera may activate, it really isn't the right thing to do. You don't know who else may be in the room or what the camera may catch. I know it isn't transmitted but it's the difference between talking to someone on the phone and putting a bug in their house.  And if you tell the player up front you will certainly miss out on the surprise of the reveal.  I'm just not sure the needle can be threaded.

Great first pass, hope someday it comes together!

A lovely little puzzle game - not too hard, but there are a few levels where if you haven't been careful looking at all elements of the game that you could get yourself in trouble. As most of the people here mention the colors, music, and design are all immaculate and extremely pleasant. I'm not sure the story adds up to much but it certainly doesn't take away from the accomplishment. Nice work.