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kaijuCrow
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First, I got ED 2: Hole.
After dying, I was a bit sad to know I would have to go through the entire beginning again... but then I DIDN'T!! I love that failing is an intrinsic part of the game that propels you forward anyway.
Then I got ED 11: NO SMOKING
Whenever I look at the poster wall, it wouldn't let me leave without dying from smoking again. But after that, the issue seemed fixed and I could use the Green Door button freely.
My next endings in order:
ED 10: HELP
ED 3A: DARK
ED 6: REJECTED
ED 8: STRANGER DANGER
ED 12: REAL
ED 5: RADIATION
ED 3B: EATEN
ED 9: FALL
ED 1: ESCAPE
I love the system of pressing the buttons; it's really satisfying. The rat part made me laugh so hard.
Using the function key to move the camera up and down was really interesting too! I enjoyed the mix of 2D and 3D elements a lot! It was something new and really cool to me.
Great soundtrack, amazing sound effects as always. Floor 4 freaked me out so much that I left it early before I could die to whatever was calling to me behind the door. Absolute nightmare fuel.
This was a crazy experience. I loved all of it.
During the line "That's not all there is to why I screamed!" the game froze, ironically. I had to close out and reopen, and then it worked.
I love Augustine 2.
HOLY SHIT I WAS NOT EXPECTING THERE TO BE A MONSTER.
That body-suit graphic is DISGUSTING. And the last-second eyes staring right at you... Jesus Christ. Really great job.
Fantastic music!! I loved all the tracks that were chosen! Perfect sound effects, too.
For your SECOND GAME EVER it has such strong style, character, humor, and scares that this could have been your twentieth and I would've had no idea!
All my years of Penguin Diner have prepared me for this.
During my first playthrough, I accidentally stole cash from the register while mashing Z to see what I could interact with while noises were coming from the freezer... that little pinhole segment was FREAKY too.
It wasn't until the second playthrough that I realized I could sprint with SHIFT. Then the game got much easier. LMAO
The sound effects are spectacular! There was a bit with the TV that had dialogue? It was interesting. I especially like how certain sounds linger after an ending as the credits roll. ALSO THE MUSIC BANGS!
I LOVE that the main menu changes depending on the ending you just completed, with the snow and then the place looking a little crispier than before. ; )
I really like Rody and Manon as characters. Vince's whole deal was kind of confusing; I'm not sure I fully understand his motivations for killing. But the art was amazing (10/10 job on the Catalogue), and I love each character's personality!
If you're looking to improve the game, I would definitely focus on streamlining the restaurant section. You have to press Z a lot in very specific spaces. Less actions to do the same amount of work would make things much smoother (e.g. you can take orders from a two-person table by talking to just one person). The place where you submit your orders isn't really clear at first either.
Additionally, I had to look up how to get any ending other than the 1st one. The steps to get there are kind of awkward. I would prefer talking more often to Vince than not.
Overall, I had a really good time! Played for around 3 hours, right on track with the estimated completion time. I also enjoyed the double Rodys even though it's just a silly glitch haha
I LOVE this.
The pixel art and the aesthetic in general are just beautiful. This screen took my breath away the second I saw it.
I loved the little bird character. It felt very relatable, speaking as a fellow corvid. :P
The ending is a drop of hope into the wistfulness. I really, really liked it.
This game showed me you can add audio to bitsy with hacks too! I was going crazy trying to make my own chiptune beats sound good haha. The highlighted tiles of where to go to progress were immensely helpful too.
This worked on my iPhone— sound, movement, and all! 11/10!!
I really love the writing in this; it sets up the world in a believable and interesting way! I love how the ROs are introduced too, like there’s already something deeper to them that we should be exploring.
My personality was Whisper in the Sands! The little blurb about it is super cool. I’m tempted to implement some sort of personality system in my games now too.
Keep developing!! I would love to see more.
Great game!! The soundtrack is excellent, and I laughed at so many dumb comments while playing it. Here's some of my favorite chat moments.


I loved the way the title transformed into different endings. I learned some SQL, exec horn(), and got odxny to seekLife. Fantastic art (especially the little custom emojis), surprised me with the voice acting too! I had lots of fun. :]
I survived 9 nights! Could have used more health/attack speed instead of going all for movement but I love being a speedster. :P Yes, the moth won against me too...
This was a fantastic game! Music is great and the art of the bartender is so cool. I would definitely play this if it became a full release. Time to grind to see if I can reach Night 12 :')
I just finished watching your stream VOD! Sorry I couldn’t make it while you were Live. We seriously appreciate the time you took to play Shadowsand Defense (and highlighting some other Pirate Jam 15 games)! I’m Crow, the Narrative and Design (writing, music, SFX) person in the credits. This is my second Pirate Jam, and my fourth jam ever joined!
It was so surreal hearing my dialogue be voice-acted. The way you and your chat clocked the vibe between Lux & Umbra immediately. “Oh they ARE tragic enemies-to-lovers!” And “I choose Life… with you!” LOLL
To acknowledge this question from your playthrough:
“What’s the origin behind the shadow critters? Did they, like, go to the same magic school… I guess the Tower is where they learned their craft? …And like, Umbra’s come to ‘save’ Lux, AKA, get him to join him in evil, and Lux is like ‘noo, I want to use my powers for good!’”
At the end of Round 5, there is some dialogue between two unknown characters. One is a soldier of the Tower, the other is a high-ranking official of the Tower.
Tower Soldier: Lieutenant General! Have you any orders for us?
Unknown: Shadowsand, torches, and... what are these, pickaxes? What happened here?
Tower Soldier: As of yet unsure, sir. This must be the work of a dozen sorcerers or more; we've never seen so much destruction!
Unknown: ...It is a shame that so much harm must come to nature.
Unknown: Send a messenger back to the barracks. I will take some scouts and venture out from here.
Tower Soldier: Understood, sir! I shall take my leave!
...
Unknown: Lux... I hope you're not alone.
Unknown: I hope you are safe.
Unknown: I am coming to take you home.
I don’t want to give away all the answers just yet, but I can provide this. All creatures with spirit are made of a substance called “shadowsand.” It is basically the equivalent of quintessence in alchemy. Lux and Umbra have an unnatural attunement to shadowsand, allowing them to transform and even imbue objects such as trees or rocks with it. They were childhood friends, both sharing this otherworldly ability, but circumstances led them on separate paths. Now, Lux is a misunderstood altruist wanted by the Tower, and Umbra is a jaded old friend who just can’t manage Lux’s idealism.
If we ever add voicelines in a future update, I would be totally up for featuring you in it! Thanks again for the stream and your comments!
The music, art, and level design went OFF!! You guys did amazing!! It felt like I was playing a fully published game. The music felt very Undertale and the comedic aspects in this were unexpectedly wonderful. I can't believe I got Corolla'd.
Seriously looking forward to if you guys continue development on this. I had so much fun blasting up into space by holding down with my Explosion potions!
This was pretty interesting to play! I got kinda stuck in the Infernal Wastes and couldn't gather materials from the Crystal Caverns without dying. I restarted a couple times but couldn't figure out the recipes :'D
I think this is a really cool idea for a game, though! I like the idle-lite elements, and crafting things and having them work felt very satisfying.
This was awesome! I kept teleporting in the room with the key and I'm not sure why, maybe I followed the path wrong or something.
Apart from that, I really love the enemy designs and the twist at the end!! I had a lot of fun playing this, especially with such a unique battle mechanic. Feels like I'm playing a rhythm game and Punch-Out at the same time. :P

(take this as a reminder to hydrate)
I love the little comments. Jumping around was so much fun. I want to print these screenshots and have them up on my wall for motivation.
What a fun funky track to gather Eggs? to! Thank you for so many checkpoints as well, I am terrible at platformers/sidescrollers and I loved starting right where I left off.
(I found the secret easter Egg? too, but I won't post a pic of where it is c;)
More Egg? Please!
I tried as hard as I could to get my score to 69420, but I was a bit off...

I played this on what I consider "hard mode" with just a keyboard and mouse and it was still a blast. Beat the boss and won the game! I greatly enjoyed the enemy designs and my little wobblin' wizard. The music was a bit scary though.