Thank you so much for this, and don’t worry about that, I’m delighted with comments anytime! I’m so glad you enjoyed the finished product - and I’m just relieved everything came together in time as I always forget how much work even tiny games are 😅
And aw that’s kind of you, I’m very happy with the response but I've not shared it outside of itch so that’s a reminder I should do so. Hope you had fun in the jam and congrats again on your entry!!🎉
Thank you for this incredibly thoughtful comment and for picking out so many details - and yes I thought Tabetha did a great job!
I'm glad you liked the effects - I'm unfortunately off sick this week but once I'm better I'll hopefully do a devlog about them. Just quickly though - the car paneling was black bars made in-engine and rotated over the ceiling portion of the bg image! Probably only useful for o2a2, but still fun to try new things out :-)
Oh my goodness, you are an absolute genius at this! There are so many wildly inventive details here – but alongside all the clever technique, the story really grabs you (hehe) and keeps you on your toes (hehe!) The use of the animated text is really superb, adds a whole new facet to the dialogue and pacing, but never feels overdone, just the right amount. And all those endings – I got ending 1 first, and was just blown away by how you manipulate the viewpoint to create it – and then ending 2 impressed me even more!?! (although wow, it was very dread-inducing to reach that one!) Also, the extra details in the GUI? It is truly incredible how much you customised in such a short jam! Oh and finally – as a baby who is still too cautious for the main game, this worked perfectly as a stand alone. I think we were given all the (terrifying) pieces we needed!
I really loved this – so many interesting ideas, humour and melancholy, all woven together with a very deft hand! Remi and their mentor have such a vivid dynamic between them, and even with the jam’s limited wordcount, you create a fascinating window their world and ways of being.
Each of the story’s endings were very affecting, and I particularly liked what you did with the background in the first{?} branch, it was a great example of the different options for storytelling in VN format.
And talking of the visuals – the pared back design and art direction worked so nicely here, and I don’t know how your artist made a vulture psychopomp so incredibly endearing, but here we are! They did a great job. Great work also on the voice acting – and fully voiced for o2a2 is no mean feat! A wonderful stand alone piece, though I'd also love to see more of this world if the thought takes you.
A beautiful, intriguing game with a SUPERCOOL mechanic, I really loved this! The art and atmosphere are lovely, and the setting really draws you in - books and flowers and special teas, what a great combination! And the colour palette is so peaceful. I started feeling like I really wanted to visit this place in real life and then was annoyed that I couldn’t.
I was impressed how it felt like the player really began to make a connection with Evelyn within such a concise wordcount – and there were so many interesting hints at wider worldbuilding, I really enjoyed considering the different possibilities for the questions it raised!
I also liked how – in contrast to the cute designs (and super pretty cottage-core sprite!) - some of the endings gave a real sense of menace – and I think the contrast made them even more effective.
Great music choice too, delicate but with a kind of wistfulness underneath, I thought it fitted the story to a T! And that sound effect is very clever, because it makes lot of sense for the use of the ‘ability; but also gives an unsettling feeling to some of the endings,
On a technical note – obviously I loved the lily mechanic, but also having the hint after the first playthrough and a flow chart for checking were very handy, thank you.
I also thought the text / dialogue boxes were very nicely designed! I’m actually really inspired now to go and try make something outside of the usual ‘lower textbox’ structure… Oh and! Such a cute loading screen! All these extra little details really make the most of the limited assets allowed, a very thoughtful touch for this jam.
Thank you for this very kind comment – apologies for the delay in replying, I’m not very well just now and it’s really put the brakes on my online (and VN playing) time!
Anyway – I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed the game, and I’m delighted to think that the ‘endings’ mechanic might have given you inspiration for future projects! I wanted an endings screen that could function as a sort of ‘informational flowchart’ but that which would also look pretty and encourage completion, so when I got the idea for the necklace I was quite excited about it (and then Ingthing brought it to life more beautifully than I could have hoped)!
And thank you also for shouting out the team, I was so lucky to be joined by such generous and talented people, and everyone worked really hard.
I’m still really looking forward to checking out your game once I’m better, and congrats again on your Phantasia update!
Ah I’m sorry I don’t know how I missed this comment?!! Thank you so much, I had a lot of fun writing them and your description makes me so happy as that’s exactly what I was going for!!
Thank you for persisting to find that last ending, I worry a bit that it’s so ‘minimal’ but when/if I return to expand this hopefully I can flesh everything out a bit more. But I see you did the jam too so you know that wordcount restriction can be tough! I still haven’t played through all the o2a2s yet but I’ll look forward to checking yours out soon! ❤
Hi Lazy Tiger, thank you very much for this! I’ve replied the game-page version of this comment but wanted to thank you here too, and for crossposting. I still get a bit confused where best to post so that was a good solution you came up with, maybe I should start doing likewise.
Btw, I’m really looking forward to playing your submission – I’ve only scratched the surface of the Spooktober games and I feel like a kid in a candystore sometimes, not knowing where to turn next, but I’ve got yours downloaded and ready to go!!!🎉
YOOO if you read the above comment tomorrow and wonder why I didn't mention your amazing FIRST PLACE AWARD it's because I was sneaking in some last minute commenting before the awards happened and I didn't know it yet!!! (I'm now extra glad I managed to do so before it gets lost in the flood of attention hehe!!!!)
Anyway, a massive congratulations, it is so well deserved and I'm so happy that you'll get more eyes on your game from it! Hurray!!! 🎉
I absolutely loved this game, the writing was absolutely gorgeous and I really liked the way that you uncover more about the story / history / characters with the different playthroughs.
The atmosphere and descriptions were incredibly evocative, and I loved the art too - the mermaid is somehow both so cute and so creepy at the same time, really wonderful character design. Loved one of the CGs in particular but won't say for spoilers!!
An absolute jewel of a game. 💚
I was super intrigued by this after seeing your art style, and wow it did not disappoint! The whole game is a visual treat and incredibly polished, and more than that, very VERY fun as well!
I loved the main character and his wilful disregard for private property, loved the super mysterious premise, LOVED where you went with it, and ahh the place you ‘end up’ was just PERFECTLY done, and the visuals and writing there gave me a proper chill.
The puzzles were super impressive – one of them I did find quite frustrating, but I believe you’ve updated it since I played it (I am very behind with my commenting) so I’ll look forward to checking that out when I replay (as so far I only got the 1 ending!)
I admit that the game did leave me wanting more, but only because I was hooked in so much - and I equally respect the mysterious note you left it on! A really fantastic submission.
I LOVED the atmosphere of this, the writing is so so good (not a surprise there, of course!) and the visuals, sound and interface really add another layer of unsettling-ness to the whole experience.
I had a lot of theories about what might be going on, and I was entirely wrong about all of them, but I had a lot of fun guessing!
(Also, I happened to play this while I was a bit unwell which gave a whole extra layer to ‘being’ this character, if you play it with a headache/feeling sick this is an extra trippy experience 😅)
A very ominous / emotional / worrisome / hopeful / fascinating game.
This game was an amazing experience, I loved the story book feel, and the writing was absolutely gorgeous. The artwork and the user interface were also beautiful and fitted the theme of the story perfectly.
I'm a bit behind on my commenting so I'll be back to leave a more detailed comment later, but just wanted to say at least something in case I'm further delayed! Also, really looking forward to the next part!!
Hello Carrot I’m so sorry for the slow comment, I wanted to take the time to write you something properly detailed but my brain has not yet managed. So for now, here are the bullet points I wrote right after playing -
This was so much fun and so INCREDIBLY polished!
Fantastic action sequences!
Brilliant banter!
Great pacing in the tense moments!
Love the 4th wall asides!
So many clever uses of visuals (especially liked how you did the, hmm, self depreciating spirals??) Also really liked how you did the ‘passage of time’.
Laughed so much at the giant eye and the javascript riddles!!
Enjoyed the rabbit soldier confetti!!
Wonderful writing and so many great turns of phrase
Esp loved the sprite expressions!
Iggy is a such a sweetheart and should be protected at all costs!
And although I’m afraid I’m too fraidy about the trigger warnings in your main game, I’m so happy I got the chance to meet the characters in a slightly less ominous context, they were all wonderful and this game was such a delight!
I absolutely loved this – an intriguing story, gorgeous artwork and very clever cinematography!
The text and the images worked together so well, and the action sequences were fantastic!! The characters fitted into the background art very nicely, and the panning was very clever - in fact the whole game had a very cinematic feel.
I also really liked all the character designs, especially the armour which was beautifully detailed. Oh and I thought the roses background was very clever as it changed as the game progressed!!
It's exciting to hear you’re intending to expand this a bit, but it’s still a jewel in its current form - I enjoyed it very much indeed. 🌹
Ah I'm sorry, I replied to your gamepage comment and not this one - thank you v much for the feedback! That was a suggestion from an early playtester and although at first I’d wanted to keep the loop the same, our planned word count doubled and it quickly became obvious I needed to work out a quicker mechanic!! I’m glad it worked for you! Also btw, I have now played your game and LOVED it, I need to leave you a proper comment but just to say it was absolutely gorgeous!! ❤
Oh wow thank you so much for this – I admit I do like stories where you have to fill in the gaps a bit yourself, so I’m really happy this worked for you, as I’m never sure how much is too little/too much info!!
I’m glad you enjoyed the art, and thank you for specifically mentioning the backgrounds – the artists had a big job, especially as in a lot of scenes we don’t have any characters present, so I was really grateful for their hard work!!
And btw, I’ve now played your game and it was absolutely WONDERFUL! Once I’ve caught up on replies here I need to leave you a proper comment, but just to say it was super immersive and I’m really looking forward to more!
Hi SeaLiteral, I just left a comment on your main page about the things I really liked, but I had a couple of thoughts so I thought I'd put them over here.
In my playthrough, if I don’t trust Clara, then go to the park and see her, then we go to the inn together, I get an error message saying
Line 255 if seen_bard:
Name error: Name seenbard is not defined
I'm not great with errors but possibly you’ve set up your variables using “define” rather than “default”? I think maybe putting default seen_bard = True (before the start label) might fix this.
Also, at the inn with Clara, it might be worth to put a visual effect or line of text saying “I slip into a dream” before the dream sequence, as when I first reached that scene, it appears quite suddenly and I thought the game had accidentally jumped back to an earlier point.
Another suggestion is - it sounds like you had a disappointing experience with your proofreader, and likewise with the card game mechanic, but a new player wouldn't know about these issues, so I think it might serve the game better not to mention them at all. With the card game specifically, you could just add a line of text describing winning the game, and it wouldn't interrupt the flow of the story.
For proofreading, I didn’t spot any issues except this sentence - “I hear he blows the candle, it goes dark” which should be “ I hear him blow out the candle”, but its still understandable!
For the art, I really liked your pencil drawing - and I wonder if it might have been fun to make all the art 'traditional style', to fit in with the storybookish feel? If you bump up the contrast on some drawing like the sheep one, you could maybe create some quite nice visuals without having to go the photo editing route either.
I hope you don't mind these suggestions, and if you've already fixed anything in your new update, apologies for being slow with the comment.
PS - forgot to say in main comment, but I love the title you chose for this game! A very dreamy and evocative sounding name!
I really liked the atmosphere and the worldbuilding in this game! So many interesting details of this land and characters, and the main characters all felt very sympathetic (except the antagonist of course)!
I admit I’d have liked a little bit more to the script so we could learn more about the background and situation with the dragon tamer, and Al’s abilities, but I release jam projects do have their limitations, or maybe you wanted to keep it more mysterious.
Probably my favourite scenes were with the bard - his song was delightful, and then when he tries to give Al a poem, and Al says “no, I don’t need this” – that made me laugh so much. Absolutely devastating response. It's a bit of a shame you don’t get to meet him if you trust Clara, which is tricky as she is very trust-able – perhaps if you do update the game later, you could weave their stories together a little.
Talking of Clara, her VA was wonderful, she did a great job conveying the character, and it was tough to leave her behind to get those bard scenes! You also did a good job filling in the Fleming part yourself, though maybe for a future update it could be nice if both of his scenes had VA, for consistency.
I had a couple of other logistics suggestions I’ll pop in the jam comments, but I see you've made an update since I played this, so maybe some won’t still be relevant.
PS – loved the little glowsheep game icon! That was a really nice touch and made me smile to see.
Ah, apologies that this wasn't clear! You need to play through to Main Ending 10 again, after which, if you have epilogues available, they will be offered to you! Also feel free to use the Skip (fastforward) function when replaying to reach 10, though without taking diversions it should hopefully be a fairly quick route!
Thank you also for your kind comment, and please let me know if this works okay! ❤
