thank you very much! i actually did see it; and it's still so wild to think there are playthroughs of my games being uploaded to the internet haha.
oxymoron
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took me embarassingly long to play this. just fantastic.
something i've noticed with your games is that you REALLY nail the "feel" of everything. the dinginess, the creepiness, the darkness... it's all so deliberate and well executed. the flashes of black, the pauses in the text, or simply the writing feel carefully considered and make for a piece of art with a very clear vibe and an even clearer voice.
the art? freaking great. the sprites are both impressively detailed and very simple and readable, from the muddy waters and dangerous-looking gas (great use of yellow there!), to the minecarts and crystals, to the beautiful character portraits... your art style is great and it honestly feels like it got even better with this game (also the sound effects, goddamn they were phenomenal).
the themes were extremely compelling. it's rare to find games that tackle these things, or to be as relatable as this. because i related so, so much with a lot of the feelings the protagonist has, or even word choices the game took. it makes you feel like you're not alone. and it's not only the themes; the way it's presented is also great with the intermitent narration and visual storytelling (btw, since i have no idea who hawkzombie is, i'm guessing a lot of the story is references that i'm not getting lol. but in a weird way that kind of enhanced the experience? like it forced me to pay attention to the subtleties and small character moments to understand what was going on).
i guess the cart-pushing mechanic is a little tedious, and the music gets repetitive after a while. and maybe it's a reference or just cause of lack of time but the villain triplets was such a silly concept it kinda took me out of it? idk, that's really all i can think for stuff i didn't like. it's just nitpicks lol.
this was quality stuff. between it and your other games i've tried, you've really solidified yourself as an amazing artist and developer :>
beautiful game.
omg thank you so much for the long comment!!
your compliments to my pacing and creepiness factor are really appreciated <3 they're aspects i put a lot of work on and try to get right by changing even really small details, cuz i think they're pretty much the skeleton of any horror game, so i'm glad they worked for you! (your comparisons to those other pieces of media are so nice omg-) and i'm happy to hear the themes and ending moved you. a part of me is always like "hmm, maybe the feelings i'm trying to convey are *too* specific...", but it's become clear that no matter how alone someone may feel with what they're going through, if they express it there will always be someone it strikes a cord with.
i'm flattered for you thinking my assets were good hehe. it's my first time ever with pixel art, and since i don't have any art experience i decided to give everything a very simple look, and i'm honestly pretty proud with how it came out! and lol you don't have to be jealous, your art style is super cool and detailed! we're obviously going for different things with our styles :>
thank you very much for the criticism! i thought it'd be fun to make a perspective puzzle but maybe i should've tried to make clearer *that* was the point, to change perspectives. or maybe just making the levels lest labyrinth-like. and yeah, in hindsight giving a more obvious indicator that you're changing levels in the mirror part should've been a priority (even in the testing stage i was like "is this actually not confusing or i'm thinking it isn't because i made it-"). and i really like how the doors puzzle turned out too haha.
i'm really happy to hear you enjoyed this, i put a lot of effort into it and your comments are always a pleasure to read <3 though ngl, i'm gonna take a break from game making after this because it was kinda taxing-
this was beautiful. it's so clear there's passion brimming from every part of this game, from the characters to the dialogue to everything in between. i became really attached to the characters' struggles, and unlocking each memory gave me a new insight on this really creative world. the dungeon system was fun, and there was good variety with the enemies and the themes of each mission. and the dialogue is really good too, balancing sweetness with darkness with humor that caught me off guard, and made me endear myself to every character.
but above all, this game feels hopeful. hopeful in a way i've very rarely seen.
the final boss almost made me tear up, and i don't even really know why. something about the "enemy" giving you a final battle just for fun, wrapping everything up in a satisfying conclusion where there isn't any real threat and everyone is content with their lives was just... beautiful. thank you for making such a touching, personal and joyful game. we really need more of those in the world.
(SPOILERS)
spent like half my playthrough audibly saying variations of "that's so f*cking cool".
i mean, my dude. my pal. this game was the KING of attention to detail. to a level i don't think i've seen in an rpg maker game yet. the way the girl's sprites changed when you picked up teddy and the blanket? the lightning that gives you a better view of the maps but only for a moment? the way the ice monster changed speed giving it a more erratic and dangerous feel? the way the fire creature rapidly zipped across the screen in a darkly playful way? the fact that oversized words are ONLY used for grandma, giving her words in the flashback and the final battle a truly dangerous aura? the use of everything the player has learned so far in the area before getting home? the sudden and wordless shift in tone when said final battle ends and we interact with the objects of grandma's room? "she's a BRAVE little girl"? the storm being used as a metaphor for pain and grief? just the fact that the text window is pink symbolizing the perspective of the little girl we're playing as and giving insight into whether what's happening is real or not? AND the fact that the pink window isn't used in the ending since now we're seeing the real world? seriously, why did you go so hard in everything???
sorry for the rant of unfocused thoughts, but MY GOD, i had to get it off my chest because this amount of care in a work shouldn't be overlooked. now, on a more coherent note: i loved this! what a great story about a child dealing with her complicated family life, and trying to come to terms with things she doesn't understand. the "child getting lost in a disturbing fantasy world" trope is part of great pieces of media for a reason, and it's no different here. loved the design of everything: the house feels homely but empty when there's no one, the dungeons have a great feel and look to them, the storm and snow visual effects really amplify the vibes... and the sprites and art are super neat too, you really have a distinct style that comes through in this and All I Want really well. and btw, you made this in a MONTH? how?? every time i finished a dungeon i was like "wait it's STILL going???" (in a good way tho, lol). also forgot to mention earlier but the fights were really well balanced too, well done.
if i have to nitpick anything, this might sound dumb but i kinda wish the save system wasn't based around "sleeping"? i know the game is called Sweet Dreams and there's no real way any of what happened wasn't a dream, but i kinda wished i was kept more in the dark about if what happens is real. also some puzzles are a bit unfair, like the moving block of ice which feels like it's impossible to control, getting to zuzu is kind of awkward, and i wish there was more indication that you had to push the giant ice a LOT of times for it to move. i also never used the pop rocks since running out of spirit wasn't a problem in the slightest, and i agree with zem that the game over screen at the end is a bit confusing. but like, all these problems i have are little things here and there, there's no big overarching issue or giant flaw at the base of the game. it all feels really solid and tight, and i'm glad this experience made you learn as a developer.
you really have a knack for game design and storytelling, and if All I Want is any indication, i'm glad you kept it up and hope you continue to do so in your future projects!! :>
yeahhh, i know default assets can really damage a game's chances (and as i've recently discovered, ESPECIALLY with jams heh). since i don't really have art skills, i thought about making my games stand out in different ways; eye-catching thumbnails, vague descriptions and screenshots, playing with sounds, a focus on storytelling (obviously i'm not the first person to ever do any of this but it's what i could put my efforts into that wasn't art)... and i'm really grateful for the people who decided to try my games, and the people who leave comments like yours! :> but thinking about what you say, i'll admit it does sound nice to have a bigger chance in people trying my projects lol.
i'm also brand new to pixel art, but screw it i'll try it for my next game! thank you so much for recommending a tool, i'll look into it and see how it works and if i'm comfortable with it. you're def one of the nicest commenters i've found on itch.io so far, and your encouragement to new people here and suggestions for making my games stand out are REALLY appreciated. wish you a great future on this website!! <3
(also off topic, i'm gonna go try sweet dreams now, i gotta see what the fuss is about-)
congrats on winning the jam!!! absolutely deserved, like i said in my comment pretty much every part of the game was amazing. and this was a jam with a lot of great titles, so you should feel very proud!! :D
here's to hope we get more projects from you, this was an incredible display of talent that got the respect it deserved!
a decently scary romp through a nightmarish hospital!
the atmosphere is pretty strong here. the dark hallways and doors that lead to random, disturbing places work well to make the game feel disorienting, and the mysterious patients that wander in and out of the scene are pretty unnerving. my favorite part was undoubtedly the hidden notes; they're really depressing to read and give the entire game a sense of melancholy that can't always be found in horror games.
in terms of things that could be improved, the grammar is a bit wonky and makes it hard to take some scenes seriously (aside from the notes, which are pretty well written. and for the record, i don't really mind grammar mistakes that much in indie games, just thought i'd point it out), and the length of the game is really small for a concept that has a ton of potential. also this is pretty much a nitpick, but when you teleport through a door it would've been better to take the player somewhere where they're facing the same direction and the door is still behind them. like i said though, that's a nitpick. this is overall a scary and fun game! (and hey for all my complaints, i can't say that everyday i find a game with a development aided by a 72 year old man)
wow thank you so much for streaming my game!! didn't expect in a million years a video of a thing i made would be on the internet :>
i'm glad you found the story interesting! tbh it's the part of the game i found most fun in developing, trying to come up with a twisted version of a christmas miracle and the story behind someone wishing for something going horribly wrong. the narrative came first in my eyes and i'm happy to hear you liked it!
with that said, sorry to hear you thought the game was boring. i do kinda feel i went overboard with the dialogue and the ending, maybe a part of me wanted to make the game longer so it wouldn't last 20 minutes. but yeah i'll try to tone the length of certain aspects down for my next projects so they're not as slow to get through. also ngl, i really like writing lots of dialogue and making long moody scenes lmao, but i'll still keep in mind your criticism.
finally, i know i should feel bad, but the bathtub drawing was friggin hilarious XD.
thank you for trying the game and for your feedback!
oh yeah, the chase here was a lot more fair than in the first game (it's not like that one was super annoying or anything but it definitely feels like you guys understood the flaws it had, so congrats on that!)
happy to hear you'll try to improve the storytelling! like i said if you iron out that aspect, the third game could genuinely be amazing :D
Next Year It Will Be Better jam comments · Replied to BroodyGaming in Next Year It Will Be Better jam comments
wow thank you so much!! i'm so glad you enjoyed it! :D thank you for your compliments to the sound design, it was a ton of fun playing with pitches and ways to startle the player haha. the hallway of memories felt like a natural way to get the information across, and i'm always a sucker for creepy linear final areas (though having used that sort of thing in both this game and my previous one is already making me feel like i'm overusing it lol). and i'm also glad you liked the storytelling! i absolutely was going for that "not knowing what's going on but still having to survive" sort of vibe, especially with being trapped in a house with a creature you know nothing about, only for the player to start realizing the main character might not be trustworthy either... happy to hear it worked for you! :>
in regards to making more stuff like this in the future, i 100% wouldn't have guessed i'd be making horror games when i got on this website lmao, but i had a ton of fun with this and now i'm definitely leaning towards making more horror.
thanks again for your comment! :>
i actually haven't played silent hill lol, but yeah the storytelling here definitely feels like it had more learning experience to back it up. neat stuff!
and omg i'm happy to hear you liked my reading! :D you saying it's not wrong caught me off guard lmao i thought i was way off, so that definitely recontextualizes some things from the games...
this was really short, and really good!
it's a super simple game but that's what makes it effective. it gives exactly the right amount of information the player needs to be engaged with the story, and leaves everything else to the imagination, to great effect. each ending is more disturbing than the last, culminating in a sad but powerful true ending that gives a little more insight into what's really happening. and once again the art is really good, increasing both the charming personality of mary and the sheer horror of her and lamby's different fates.
like in the first game, the wording in a lot of parts is a little off but again, i'm not gonna rag on that. and something i actually think was improved over the first game is the storytelling! your "let the players draw their own conclusions" way of writing worked even better in a shorter & simpler experience, giving out the right amount of lore to keep us intrigued.
in fact, in you don't mind, i'm gonna give my interpretation of the story of both games! i'm probably mega wrong but i'll do my best lol:
(SPOILERS FOR THIS GAME AND THE PREVIOUS ONE, BORROWED BOOK)
i think the microorganisms world doesn't actually exist. it's some sort of fantasy world people who have suffered severe trauma go to, to escape from reality. and both rudy and mary are counterparts of their real selves.
in Borrowed Book, megu is someone from the real world that, with some kind of advanced technology (the "simulation"), enters the mind of rudy's human counterpart in order to fix the trauma that left him severely mentally scarred and gave him amnesia. all the spirits and creatures they meet in the library represent different parts of rudy's fractured psyche: the spirit that asks you to find a book and leaves behind a note about a mother (rudy could be obsessed with feeling like a "reject", and his mother maybe played a part in his trauma), the spirit that fake-kills a doll (maybe rudy murdered someone in the real world?), the wall of flesh that gives you a quiz (the dialogue if you fail all questions proves his desire to fit in)... while all this time, megu is lying to rudy, telling him that she's his guide and that she's a microorganism too, which rudy almost realizes as the last spirit asks him who does he trust in. it's all an attempt to fix his psychological state, shattered by some horrible thing that happened to him in his childhood (evidenced by the drawings screens near the end of the game, which give off the vibe of a twisted childhood home).
in Mary Had A Lost Lamb, mary is also the counterpart of a real girl, who suffered greatly from losing her dog at a young age. each ending represents different emotions she felt by that loss: the tree ending is her desire to find her dog again and be together forever, the rifle ending is her longlasting anger at him for leaving her behind, and the god fusion ending... i don't really know what that meant, i'm too dumb to get it lol. however, as we see in the true ending, mary (or marie) has a better grasp on reality that rudy, as she's able to go in and out of the fantasy microorganisms world. also in the end, lamby (or lance) maybe comes back? i'm not sure if that actually happened or not.
so yeah, that was my reading of everything! i know the "it was all a dream/trauma-induced fantasy" interpretations aren't super original but it's what i came up with lol.
in conclusion, really good game!!
heard that Mary Had A Lost Lamb was a spinoff to this, so i wanted to check it out. i liked it quite a bit!
it's so cool to see such an original world and characters. definitely can't say i've seen any game with a concept quite like this, and it made for a really engaging sense of discovery, as i was compelled to figure out what was the world i was playing in and what was the story behind every character. it truly feels like there's a whole universe on the other side of the screen, and a really dark and intriguing one at that!
i really like the art, which gives each character a unique identity and heightens the disturbing moments tenfold; and the puzzles, which aren't super complex but really feel like the kind of petitions these haunted spirits would make, and also feel like there's a horrible consequence if you don't get them right. but my favorite part of the game was, without a doubt, the tonal whiplash. obviously i expected horror elements because of the game's description and content warnings, but... (KINDA SPOILERS) instead of going all in at the start, or even hinting about any sort of horror, the game genuinely starts like a lighthearted and charming quest to help all the ghosts in a haunted library, and i love that! i love that the start makes you keep your guard down and think for a moment that it's going to be a happy and tension-free game, only to either get the first puzzle wrong or find the note the first ghost leaves behind, and the true nature of the game hits you in such a visceral and horrifying way. it's phenomenal!!
if you don't mind criticism, while the world is super creative and compelling, i feel like the game could've used a bit more explanations. i'm intrigued by the story, but by the end i don't think i understood much about the lore or how this universe works. in a way it feels like there was an entire other game before this one, or a presentation of the world that i missed. but to be fair i haven't seen all the endings yet so maybe i'll understand things more if i do. on the other hand, the information that *is* given is written in kind of a weird way. no spelling mistakes or anything, just general wording and phrasing of things (not trying to be mean about it, i for sure know that can be a hard thing to get right lol).
overall i left this game pretty satisfied, and even more intrigued to play the spinoff, so yeah good job!
uhhh... shit.
wow, that was really friggin heavy (in a good way!). the art style, atmosphere, music and writing all come together to make a game that just... *feels* wrong (in a good way!), and like every decision and step you're making is a mistake you can't come back from. that, mixed with such a dark and depressing story, made me really feel the despair the protagonist is in (in a good way!) and made me question if i should be doing any of the things i was doing. but, like her, i kept pushing forward, determined to reach the end goal, without knowing that that goal wouldn't be what i wished for in the slightest... (in a good way! is it clear yet it's hard to praise such an intentionally disturbing game without it sounding bad-).
honestly? my biggest problem with the game is that i wanted more. having taken certain choices on my first playthrough, i hoped things would change drastically with different decisions, leading up to a bunch of different endings. but then i reminded myself that this was for a game jam with a little over a month to make the games, so that probably would've been impossible lol. still, i'd honestly be interested in checking out a game you made that had a lot of different choices and endings, if that sounds fun to make (or if you've already made one like that).
in conclusion, BroodyGaming is an extremely fitting name for this game! :D
played the first game to prepare. like that one, this is pretty good!
the visuals were my favorite part of arachne's stone, and it's no different here. trading the dark and richly detailed look of the original for a simpler retro rpg was a great choice, and it gives this game such a great identity! the style was so good it even made me feel at times like i was playing earthbound. coupled that with a retro vhs filter, really polished character sprites and the inevitable but greatly executed point where the cheeriness turns to horror, this is some top notch visual presentation.
the level design was also excellent! the snowy woods and the houses feel so immaculately put together, and the "dungeon" (sorry i'm not sure if it's actually a dungeon-) feels like a classic rpg dungeon, with puzzle rooms and dark hallways that have a great contrast with the outside world. speaking of puzzle rooms, i kinda wish the game had more puzzles like the one with the statues (which i have no idea how it was made, absolute kudos to the coding) since that one was pretty cool, but it's not a huge deal since the focus of the game is more on exploration and story.
if criticism is welcome, i'd like to say that the storytelling was the weakest part of the game for me. the wording on a lot of dialogue and text is a bit off, and it makes it hard to keep track of the lore and each character's motivation. it's like there's a whole world of information that's really interesting, but the game can't express it properly and it made me kind of confused (like in the first game tho i don't mean this with ill intent, and i know things like wording can be subjective). (SPOILERS) with all that being said... the ending did make me sad, man he didn't deserve that :(
since this is going to be a trilogy, if the third game manages to improve the writing and keep the visual style up, it could genuinely be a masterpiece!! but the two games that are out are already pretty neat :D
tldr: i like the giant big booby woman
played this to prepare for the prequel (i'm in the jam that game was submitted to). this was pretty good!
what really really really caught my eye was the visual style. haven't really seen another rpg maker game that looks like this, and it's incredible!! the low visibility that forces you to stay alert, the abundance of details like creaks and soil that make the atmosphere feel unsafe, the light that only works forward and makes the darkness almost claustrophobic, the heavy use of blood and cobwebs to remind you whose home you just entered... i don't think i've ever seen an rpg maker project with such a rich presentation, and it is beyond impressive.
while the story is kind of confusing, it kept me engaged the whole way through, and it was pretty cool to go from waking up in a dark room not knowing anything about where you are, to having learned about such a tragic family history and how twisted the protagonist you're playing as is. speaking of the protagonist, i really like how, at the start (KINDA SPOILERS), the game tells you that candy can be used to increase your mental health. then throughout the game, you may start to wonder why is candy being used for this mechanic? it seems like such a random item... until you learn what the candy is, and it's super dark and cool lol (also i tend to not like that kind of system in games, but the amount of candy you get is pretty fair so it's not a problem!).
if i could criticize the game, i'd say its weakest point is the grammar. i understood pretty much everything but some parts are really hard to get, and the choice of words in a lot of places is really weird (not trying to be mean, it's valid to struggle with languages, just thought i'd mention it). also some puzles and steps you have to take are pretty obscure, and i would've liked some more clues. (KINDA SPOILERS) especially with the third ending which (at least the way i played) didn't have any indication at all of existing, and requires an absurd level of timing to get. maybe there was a clue i missed or an easier way to get it i didn't think of, if so please let me know!
regardless of any flaw i had, i did come in the game expecting to just do 1-3 endings and move on, but i ended up doing all 7 lmao. and that speaks for how good this game is!!
(now brb i'm gonna play the prequel-)
that was great!!
what a polished, well-designed and atmospheric game! it's really clear a lot of thought went into this; the level design is really good, the story is intriguing and confusing (in a good way), the main character feels fleshed out and acts like a real person would... it was all so good!
my favorite part was the atmosphere of the mansion. i'm not sure what was programmed by whom, or what was a plugin, but the combination of details like the quiet but noticeable footsteps, the unique and smooth camera pan, the erratic but focused movements of the monsters... that, and the size and design make the mansion feel so empty and menacing. the puzzles were also really well made! they all had pretty understandable clues and none of them made me feel like i had to scour every room or interact with every tile or something like that (my favorite puzzle was definitely the kitchen bit, i mean HOLY CRAP how do you even program that, it was so cool-).
if i had to nitpick anything, the music can get a bit repetitive and i would've liked a couple more quiet moments (like the one where you get out of your room for the first time). also while the mansion ends up being pretty intuitive and i can recall more or less which room is which, it's a bit hard to remember on a first playthrough and it could've done with visual cues outside the doors or something like that. also this isn't a deal breaker or anything, but i got this bug where on my first interaction with the father's door (when you can't open it yet), a sound loading error kept appearing and made it pretty much impossible to keep playing. it's not horrible since i just loaded a previous save, and by the time you can open the door the error doesn't show up, but i thought you'd like to know.
lastly, i'll talk about the story. it was pretty intriguing all the way through, and it made me really want to know what happened to the family and the mansion. there's really subtle but great details all over the place that hint to the ending. and about that ending... i won't spoil it if anyone's reading this and wants to play the game, but wow that was so sad and so hopeful at the same time... a great bittersweet note to end a great game.
i liked it! a pretty cute & short christmas tale with fun characters and an interesting story.
the puzzles weren't too difficult, which i appreciate since in development it's easy to just make them "now find an item in a completely random location with no visual cues whatsoever!" (i speak from experience lol), so it was nice that they felt pretty fair. the story is short, but it kept me engaged and made me want to see the maid and two kids get a happy ending. also the boy is really charming lol, he's such a mischievous little gremlin and i love him! i also liked the character portaits, they give them a lot of charm and make them feel more unique. i also also liked how the "help everyone in town with their problems" gimmick is also used in the final stage, just with a different context and a sense of finality. that's pretty clever game design.
if you don't mind constructive criticism, a lot of tiles have some kinda weird passage problems, and the way the player interacts with them also feels pretty random (like only being able to interact when looking at the tile at a specific direction). There's also some spelling mistakes, which don't personally bother me too much but just to let you know. and while i said the puzzles felt fair, there's one or two that had me stuck for a couple minutes, and maybe could've done with more clues. but yeah, overall i liked this and there's definitely care put into it, which is always a win!
(KINDA SPOILERS) also the ending did NOT need to be so dark (and i mean that in the best possible way), oh my gosh-
o_O omg this is one of the nicest things i've ever read! thank you so much!!
i'm kinda surprised you relate to a lot of the things the main character goes through, ngl i was a bit worried they were too specific haha. but i'm glad you enjoyed it! the main thing i wanted while i was making it was for people to get something good out of it, whether it was a little bit of solace, jokes that made them laugh, or something that affirmed life is worth living... so you thanking me for putting this out into the world means so much.
thank you for playing the game, and for your super nice comment!! :>