itch.io

Hey everyone! 👋

My friends and I just released Top Down Zen, a relaxing stone garden simulator! You can draw lines and circles in the sand, place and stack rocks, or simply watch the butterflies flutter around. There are no rules, no goals and no time limits. 🦋🍂

It is available to play for free here:

https://marius-muehleck.itch.io/top-down-zen

If you download the PC version, not only will your gardens be saved, but you can also find a handy screenshot tool in the pause menu. Feel free to share your best designs in the comments! 🌸🐾

Hey there, thanks for playing Passing By :)

Sorry that you became stuck in such an unfortunate situation. If it isn't too dire, maybe you could try quickly dropping a few heavy items in your inventory, especially balloon designs and sandbags. That would allow your balloon ship to ascend more quickly.

If that doesn't help, you could also send me your savegame at studio-windsocke.help [at] posteo.de. The file is called journey.save and can be found in <User>/AppData/LocalLow/Passing By/Passing By/ (Windows) or <User>/Library/Application Support/Passing By/Passing By/ (Mac). Maybe I could find a way to help you so you don't have to start over. :)

Hallo Marius,

vielen Dank für das Interesse und das Lob! Wir freuen uns einfach wahnsinnig über unseren Preis! An der Bayreuther Uni geht es inzwischen ganz schön rund, was Games angeht, zum Beispiel sind unsere Kollegen von Emergo Entertainment und Nightingames auch fleißig am Spiele-Basteln! Hier ist alles versammelt, was es von der Uni Bayreuth auf Itch gibt.

Die Musik von Passing By stammt vom fantastischen Michael Hochmuth, der hat hat auf jeden Fall auch einen großen Anteil am Erfolg unseres Spiels!

Liebe Grüße zurück, auch vom Marius :D

Thanks! :)

Time goes by

Coming this week! :)

Thanks so much for your comment! Glad you enjoyed the game! :)

Thanks for the super quick fix! I downloaded the new version and it works like a charm! :)

Hey Dreary, thanks so much for the update! I've once again started a playthrough and enjoyed it a lot so far. I'm really looking forward to see the new level :)

Unfortunately, I ran into a bug after completing level 7 that blocks me from progressing. Whenever I try to load a new level now, the game fails to load my stats and equipped items, and I cannot move or interact with anything. There are some items missing from my inventory as well: one or two Pirate's Cures and a special necklace I got from the last boss. Maybe that's the cause of the problem.

I can send you my save game as well if that would be helpful.

Thank you for your comment! Glad you enjoyed it :)

Just a tip, the page's background image is too small for HD screens.

Love it! :)

Thank you :)

Oh nevermind :D

Thanks for the new builds! Don't forget to mark the Windows and Mac builds for their respective platforms, otherwise it looks from the outside as if the game was only playable on Linux :)

Great news! :)

Thanks for your report, we'll look into it! I hope you're still enjoying the rest of the game :)

Thanks a lot for the report! It certainly required precise timing, but I managed to reproduce the issue and implement a fix for it. :)

If the bug still persists in your save game, it would be super helpful if you could reach out to me at marius.muehleck.itch[at]gmx.de so I can help you locate the file and take a look at it :)

Glad you figured it out! :)
About your request for a controls layout for left-handed players: Using the arrow keys would be possible but I'm not sure which keys to choose for interaction (E) and jumping (Space) because you should still be able to reach them with the same hand so you can use the mouse with the other. Do you think you would be able to play using I, J, K, L for movement with U for interaction and Space for jumping?

Hey there, thank you so much for this extensive bug report! :)

The text on the screen is just some debug information for us developers and it can be toggled on and off by pressing the backspace key. However, if you didn't press that key and it became visible anyway, then there's definitely something wrong!

We'll have to discuss how we can solve the issues you found on the Isle of (Broken) Hearts. Thanks for pointing them out to us! And for the loading screen freeze: Do you perhaps still have that save game or did you overwrite it in the meantime?

Oh no, that's a new one! The dialog with the mom should start automatically after you enter the windmill through the door in the cave. So she just stood there and nothing happened?

Thank you for reaching out to us again! I hope, you're still enjoying the rest of the update :)

Thanks for your feedback! :) It's certainly interesting to read because we are constantly torn between trying to make the user interface as unobtrusive as possible and having to cram so much important information in there.

Hey there, we appreciate your feedback! :)

There is currently a problem with dragging and dropping items onto world hotspots (the white blinking rectangles) when the game camera is zoomed out too much. The next update will contain a fix for this. For now, you'll have to zoom in with the mouse wheel to fill the bottle (or to combine any other items with hotspots). Sorry for the inconvenience!

Thank you so much for your kind words! We're glad the game is enjoyable. :)

I'm happy to report we're currently working on a major update for the game that will include saves among other polishes and improvements. We don't have an ETA for it yet, but you could follow the project so you will be notified :)

You'll have to get in range of the landing spot (the furthest left position) of an island, and when the anchor symbol pops up, you'll have to lower the anchor by using the lever in the bottom of the balloon ship (the one you also used to raise the anchor). I hope this helps a bit! :)

Wow, congrats, having explored all 8 islands means you've basically made it through the game! How many souvenirs did you find?

Without spoiling too much, there is a short outro sequence that somewhat resolves things. It triggers after you've visited (or flown past) all islands during a single journey. I suppose this is a bit difficult to achieve right now because the game doesn't save your progress yet. Good news is, we're working hard on implementing save games and have already made good progress on it!

Thank you! It's very encouraging to hear that! :)

I very much enjoyed playing the demo! You've created a very polished and stable experience. The way you focused on player feedback is truly inspiring! Loved the main menu easter egg!

I can't wait to see the game fully fleshed out with content! I feel like some more variety or some unique landmarks could go a long way in making the screens a bit more distinguishable.

Hey there, thanks for trying our game! We're sorry that you ran into such an annoying bug. Did it happen after you interacted with an object under water? If so, we can gladly inform you that a hotfix for that particular problem is on the way :)

Passing By

This game is right up my alley! Love the art, the colors and the variety. Also the exploration, surprises and whimsicalness! And the Game Encyclopedia feature is great in triggering my completionist tendency. Thanks a lot, I had a great time! :)

We did it! After more than two years of work, our small team of four university students just released our big project: Passing By, a surprising genre mix of adventure, puzzle-platformer and survival game! Please feel free to download our game -> here <- or to watch our gameplay trailer below.

In Passing By, you play as Curly, a young balloonist, who is tasked with delivering a mysterious letter and travels through a world of floating islands with their balloon ship. You can explore the world at your own leisure, make memorable friendships with fellow travellers and quirky island inhabitants, and solve various puzzles while having to manage your resources in order to survive. But remember: since the west wind only ever blows in one direction, once you decide to leave an island, this means goodbye for good. An exciting adventure awaits you!