itch.io

The “coming soon” thing might be their way of combating shovelware, but that doesn’t seem to deter people. And it seems like they have enough tools/money to come up with a way to automatically detect and block malware during upload? I dunno.

Yeah, I don’t mind if devs spread their game across as many platforms as possible - I just want Itch to be one of them.

I foolishly bought a game on Steam once. I really wanted to play it, but the dev did the demo-here-full-game-Steam thing. I’d remembered seeing somewhere that after creating an account, I should be able to easily download and play free games, demos, and DRM-free games I purchased without using Steam’s client. That’s no big deal; I create accounts everywhere else.

After buying, I figured out that what I thought I read was impossible. Even though there was a giant green button that misleadingly said “Download” on the page, it still forced me to install the client first.

I repeat: For free games. And demos. And DRM-free games purchased on Steam.

What absolute nonsense.

Anyway, I thought it wouldn’t be such a big deal to install it just to get my game and then uninstall, right?

Omg. The amount of crap lodged deep within my computer that I had to remove…big antivirus software/malware vibes. I bought an app called Hazel just to make sure I got it all.

Never again.

Edits: typos and a missing sentence sigh

That’s good to know!

What an amazing game!

I don’t know much about Steam, but is that the “greenlight” thing? You guys are excited to have us play your game, and we want to play your game, but you have to wait for Steam to…what are they doing, anyway? Definitely not making sure the games are legit, because I’ve been through their store and hoo boy.

I’m obviously not a developer, just a nerd about ethical operational performance lol

That being said, I think it would be good to have real (paid!) humans (that you all can talk to!) internally monitor and tag the stream of new releases without an approval process. If they see something that violates the rules, then it can be removed. If the dev keeps doing it, they are removed. That way, you guys can still instantly upload your games, and we do not all have to wade through quantity slop - not to be confused with quality slop. My tepid take is that some of my favorite games look like they’re fresh from MS Paint or KidPix, and I don’t want that to go away.

This is 100% a service issue that Itch could solve. Do they not know where to start? Do they choose not to care because that’s the “indie” thing to do? I’ve noticed the toxic indie hubris sort of stuff in other niche communities, but I don’t know that much about their behind the scenes stuff, so I’m just guessing.

Also, there aren’t many paid games here in general because they’re on Steam…which has a shopping cart so we can buy multiple games at once instead of individually (that’s a barrier to sales, idc what anyone says). Even GOG managed this, so what’s going on?

I think that if Itch implemented a much lower percentage than Steam’s - like 5% - that’s more than reasonable. Kinda like that Cost Plus Drugs thing, where they only charge the cost of the drug plus a markup to keep the lights on? Nobody’s making kajillions of dollars off grandma’s cancer treatment, you know?

Anyway, I’m ranting lol

Yeah, it really sucks. I’ve been in game Discord servers where I specifically ask when/if they will release the full version on Itch, and the answer is like “no, but we will release on [insert any other platform here]” in that giving-me-the-side-eye kind of way. Why is it such a weird thing to ask if the place I played the demo will also have the full game?

Actually, why do I have to ask that at all? That’s the weird part imo

You can even give the Steam key with a purchase on Itch.

A similarly frustrating thing is when a dev gives out ONLY Steam keys (no downloadable files) if I try to purchase here. A good example is the game Smile for Me. I loved the art style and was really excited to play it. Then I realized that purchasing it on Itch would only give me a Steam key…except they released it on Steam, Switch, Playstation, AND Xbox. Makes no sense.

But usually, developers are keen to release their game on as many platforms as possible.

Yes! Isn’t a sale a sale, no matter how many there are, or where they come from? Especially for indie games. And I’ve seen a bunch that release on Steam to low sales because their niche game’s target audience is on Itch, not Steam.

Interesting how you talk about toxicity while making toxic comments yourself.

I just want to buy and play full games on here without being shunted over to Steam. That’s it.

Not at all! It seems like most of the reasons why people love Steam are reasons why I don’t. Everyone’s preferences are different :)

• I’m a solo offline gamer. I prefer to avoid online achievements, leaderboards, co-op, multiplayer, etc.

• I love weird games. Steam loves popular games. Rarely do the two intersect. I only find stuff I like on Steam after I’ve searched for related games here, only to discover that the “real” game for what was apparently just a really great demo is on Steam. And even the free games on Steam (that look like they belong on here tbh) come with the “install Steam launcher to download” string attached. I’m not doing that.

• I like having physical or digital copies of purchased games on my own redundant media storage so I can play them for as long as possible. Pre-Silicon, I used VMware Fusion to play my old Windows 98/XP/7 games. I still use CrossOver for older Windows games, and SheepShaver for Mac OS9 games.

My more Mac-specific gripes:

• Most of the games I want to play have no Mac version, and I need to be able to purchase a DRM- or launcher-free Windows version to run it on a translation layer like GPTK, Wine, etc. in CrossOver or Heroic. Trying to deal with Steam on top of this is too much hassle.

• Steam doesn’t care about labeling Mac games properly. There are many that are still incorrectly labeled as pre-Catalina or Intel-only, so Mac players never get the memo and purchase what could be a playable version. Devs lose out on sales. Devs don’t see the point in making future Mac ports or Mac-native games because Apple hates them (it’s a long story) and Steam ignores them. The cycle continues. At least on itch, I can easily see when the game file was last updated and correctly guess if my machine can run it.

I understand that everyone uses Steam, so everyone continues to only put full games Steam. It means I can’t buy a game I want to play. That’s a missed sale for the dev.

I’ve noticed many of the games I’m excited about playing only release the demos here and the full version on Steam. I’m tired of being used as a free demo tester by developers who don’t deem me a worthy enough customer to purchase the full game unless I use another platform. I avoid using Steam for ethical reasons, and only purchase games available here or on GOG. Devs, you are missing out on sales with Steam-only releases.

1. Is it too difficult to release a full game on two different platforms at the same time? If so, then why do you have zero issues with releasing Steam, XBOX, and Nintendo Switch versions simultaneously?

2. Is it because this platform has much less visibility for your game? If so, then why release a demo here at all? Wouldn’t there be more free testers on Steam…?

3. Is it because of DRM or piracy concerns? If so, then it doesn’t matter where you release the game - someone will pirate it like an hour after you release it, and that doesn’t change with Steam-only releases. That’s an unfortunate reality of the world we live in.

4. Is it due to a lack of sales? If so, how is it possibly worse for an indie game dev to have one potential sale here compared to the zero you will definitely get by never releasing the full game here at all? Not to mention that iirc every game on Steam costs 1/3 more than it has to (or devs eat the cost) because Steam’s cut is 30% of sales.

I don’t understand. I already have to engage in various shenanigans just to play Windows-only demos and full releases (I have a Mac, and I don’t blame devs for avoiding Apple’s hostile behavior at all).

I just want to buy and play your game, but you won’t let me. Why?

This game looks like fun! Does it have a dark mode? White backgrounds and black text are a migraine trigger, unfortunately.

This is such a great game! It made me smile, and the ending was really clever :)

In case anyone wants to play the Windows version on Mac, I was able to play this game just fine in Heroic Games Launcher using the “Wine Staging 11.2 DXMT” version.

I do wish more game devs would make Mac ports, but most don’t have a Mac to test games on and/or want to deal with Apple’s shenanigans in exchange for relatively few players. It sucks.

Sadly I didnt take many pictures because I was just so invested in the game.

This happened to me too! I was so focused on looking at everything that I forgot about the camera. I love non-horror liminal space games, and there aren’t many out there that have put this much effort into making multiple levels without jumpscares and stuff chasing the player. This was such a nice yet unsettling experience, and the ending was cute.

I just played it on my MacBook Pro using Heroic Game Launcher at 3440x1440 120fps, and it ran well. I think I set the container to use GPTK (Game Porting Toolkit) 2.0. Didn’t work with Wine DXMT. OP might also be able to use CrossOver, but I don’t know the settings for that.

Fun game! I didn’t get very far the first time (I was snooping for clues and accidentally figured it out lol) but I played it again just to see all the messages :)

Fortunately, I found this unique game and loved it so much!

Unfortunately, it introduced me to a genre that’s so niche I can’t even find a name for it?! So far, I’d put With Shining Eyes in the same category as Smile for Me, GlitchSPANKR, Mayor May Knott, Creature Kitchen, and Cosmo D’s games.

But searching for “3D creepy chill cozy clever puzzle game with full commitment to artistic vision and lots of secrets” is not getting me anywhere lol

Thank you for making this :)

I would love that too - but most people don’t have Macs for development, and Apple is notoriously hostile to indie game developers who don’t want to (read: can’t afford to) deal with their nonsense :(

If you decide to play the full game, I discovered that it works perfectly in Heroic with the “Wine Staging 11.2 DXMT” bottle. Not sure what that would be in Crossover?

This was wonderful! I love the handmade, cozy feel and the music was perfect.

I’m glad you found my maniacal late-night conspiracy theories interesting! :)

I wasn’t going to comment at all, but I was very confused by the comments. If this were a horror movie, I’d be picked off first - by everybody else, because I am always ruining the vibes XD

“Isn’t he cute?”

Y’all. He doesn’t have a face.

“I want to help him.”

Did you notice he never really explained why he doesn’t have a face?

“Aww, he’s so adorable and lonely.”

Just wanna remind you, in case you forgot - he has no mouth…so how is he talking to us?!

lol

For me, the real “psychological horror” is that once my disbelief suspenders were in place, it was so easy to trust and believe. To relegate major details (facelessness, weird behavior, my sense of emotional self-preservation) to background noise if I perceive someone as generally inoffensive or emotionally vulnerable. Like Myrddin’s a friend who’s a little weird at times, but otherwise a great guy.

How do I know he’s a great guy?

Because he told me he was…?

Yiiiiikes.

I can’t believe it took me so long to find this game. It’s so much fun to (over)think about. Thank you for making it :)

What a great game! Really love the mystery and clever lore. My thoughts:

I didn’t figure this out until I started reading the comments! I thought poor Ludir was begging the gods (us) for help and to please stop letting our pet chimera wander off because it was eating things it shouldn’t haha

This is such a fun and clever game! I would love to play a longer version with deeper lore.

And thank you for making a Mac version - there’s tens of us :)

This was great! Now I’m wondering where a spleen’s taint would be located lol

Wow, this game is so clever! I love the premise, and the cryptograms are challenging. I hope you expand this game in the future.

I agree. This is such a clever and fun idea, and I’m surprised it hasn’t been done before now. I would love to play an expanded version, too. Thanks, Celia!

ETA Just found out Celia also makes The Daily Spell. Such a great game.

What a great game! A few typos (and I want to know what part of the world has 6’11” people everywhere lol) but very entertaining and clever :)

Hi! The letter options have two Xs and no W?

It took me forever to figure out what to do with the wind, too!

Answer (rot13): Lbh unir gur qent gur jvaq bagb gur yriry 1 evqqyr ba gur nepnqr znpuvar

I was like "wow these games are deeper than I thought" lol

Since Flash was deprecated, it's been really difficult for me to find small, well-made (free) games by developers who love making games as much as their community loves playing them. This is exactly what I've been looking for - and I just realized there's a whole series of them?! 

Thank you both for making these :)

What a wonderful game! Very charming, had an unexpected twist, and was (mostly) bug-free. 

I wonder if Maillard went back to his mail rounds, or became a detective? It seems like the Sheriff could use the help.

I love survey horror - and this one was great! I was thinking more along the lines of "identity theft horror" with the specificity of these questions though lol

I don't care if devs use AI art and writing, but I do care if they use bad AI art and writing - especially if they're creating a MYSTERY game. Games like The Roottrees are Dead used AI art, but that dev understood his audience. He knew that he had to carefully analyze the image results and choose what to use, because players would also have to carefully analyze the images for clues.

Someone having 6 fingers on their hand - like in this game - would be a clue that he didn't do the most basic AI art check there is. 

If you're going to have AI write/translate, ask a few native English speakers (in different parts of the world!) to look over the script before finalizing it.

That's why I'm disappointed, and it's why I didn't make it more than 5 minutes into the game. Please take this constructive criticism into consideration as you make your next game.

Wow. What a pleasant surprise! I thought this was going to be a something quick or a demo, but it's a full game...with more content after the main story?! Thank you for releasing a (mostly) complete game for free with minimal bugs.

That being said: Please finish this game and take all our money.

Seriously. This niche has very few quality games. Making them requires an amount of effort closer to "obsessive labor of love", and most devs aren't into doing all of that. Those who are should be compensated.

ETA Naming the "oracle" Delphine was a clever play on words :)

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Ah, that makes sense! Thanks for responding anyway :)

Or on GOG? Humble Bundle? Your own website? Literally anywhere besides Steam? The bit I've played was great, and I want to buy the full version. There's a little bit of something for everyone to enjoy in this game, but imo it's not as accessible to the crowd most likely to play it - niche indie retro gamers.