I absolutely love this game. Saw Manly's playthrough of it a year ago and decided to play it myself, and what better day to do so approaching Halloween.
Alice is a great character, considering the fact that the player only witnesses her last few days of her life it puts a lot of perspective entirely through environmental storytelling and her own comments. Doing so you get a sense what type of person she is without any backstory. I wonder if she always was like this before the well's(?) or the other evil influence that washed over her.
The sound design - it really does well to accompany each day's activity and atmosphere with fitting musical track, becoming worse and worse as days go on.
The artstyle - probably my favorite part about the game. I absolutely adore your artstyle, it somehow blends the cute expressions along with horrifying ones.
The story itself, despite being such a small and secluded location there's so many questions regarding what events transpired here and I really wish the game was a bit longer. Part of me wanted to save Alice by managing to repair the car somehow haha.
Also I'm proud to say that I found the easter egg! When you said that it's "It's extremely hard to find" I thought I wouldn't be able to find it, but alas I was able to. And reading your own thoughts there I do understand where your frustrations can come from when players don't interact with object despite it being the entirety of the game. Well, at least in my case you don't have to worry about that because I inspected everything in the game twice if not more, I don't think I missed a single thing.
There were however a few things I was let down by and that's the inability to interact with apples and other objects, like the shovel/oil etc. I think it would be awesome to add a few monologues if you decide to eat the various kinds of apples or use the shovel for something, and so on.
But overall this game is definitely one of my favorite horror short games out there. And it has always been in my mind ever since I saw it.
Wow, thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a detailed and encouraging comment, that means a lot to me! I’m glad you like most of the elements-especially the artstyle, I used to draw comics before I started making games so it’s really close to my heart! As far as the story length, I was making this game for a game jam and one of the rules was it had to be around 20 minutes. But I think that’s a great idea, and maybe some day I’ll add an update for a potential good ending! (Another highly requested feature is letting the players explore upstairs.)
And great job!!! I’m really impressed that you found the secret on your own, that takes so much dedication! When I built it into the game I was wondering if anyone would even be able to find it at all <XD And good idea on the items too, I should add that! Maybe the bad apples can poison you or something…
I’m honored that it’s one of your favorite horror games, and so happy Manly was able to introduce you to it! I loved his playthrough videos so much. Once again, huge thanks for your kind comment, I loved hearing your detailed thoughts and you gave me some good ideas!
You're very much welcome! Thank you too for taking time out of your day to respond to every comment here, including my own, it's very heartwarming.
I see! I didn't know it was part of the game jam, that would make a lot of sense with time constraints.
And if you do add a potential good ending, dare I suggest that it would be better to make a "remake" of sorts, instead of updating this game? With more interactions/dialogue options and upstairs location and the multiple endings themselves.
Haha, obviously that's just a bold suggestion knowing how much work that would take. That being said I'd love to see any expansion someday! So I'll wait patiently whether it comes to life or not.
Thank you, well to be honest it just took some keen observation from myself and the willingness to interact with everything available (as intended).
Regarding the apples, yeah I was surprised they're non interactable and just an item in your inventory, so I do hope you add this feature someday! No pressure though.
Thank you too for responding and making the game! I'm glad I was able to inspire you in some way! I really do have a lot to say about the game.
Great idea, a remake would be awesome! I’ll give it some consideration. And thanks again, I appreciate the attention to detail that went into your playthrough! I make games because I want to share these stories so it means a lot when people care about the world enough to look at everything. And haha yeah, time to make the apples a bigger threat XD It’s funny in a game that otherwise has no deaths that the apples of all things could hurt the player but like… it’ll be totally worth it! (Maybe I should add more hazards too.)
You’re very welcome, it was my pleasure reading through your thoughtful comments! Feel free to message me on Twitter or join my discord if you want; I’d love to have you!
That was a nice horror game. Good thing you focused mostly on the atmosphere and not on the jumpscares, as, in my opinion, it would ruin the experience. The unsettling images and music only add up to the horrifying game's atmosphere.
On a side note, would you be interested in polish translation?
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! Yeah I think a jumpscare is a good way to catch the player off guard or add a crescendo to mounting tension, but not enough to carry a game by itself.
And yeah, that would be awesome! Feel free to message me on discord or twitter, and if those don't work for you just reply to this comment with a way to contact me you'd prefer. Thanks!
I really liked this game overall. It's both creepy and interesting, and I love the use of "press Shift to run" as a kind of meta-scare. Plus, as a cyclothymia sufferer, the differences in the weather and the character's moods from day to day were something I could relate to strongly.
With that being said, though, I really didn't enjoy the general way the game associates mental illness and murderousness. There is a massive stigma against mental illness sufferers in real life because of works that lean on these tropes, and to make matters worse, the game falls into the trap of associating specific symptoms (unstable moods, smiling at inappropriate times) with being prone to murderous violence. It's not so much of an issue with the actual horror portraits, but when it's just the main character smiling over something she shouldn't, I get strong "generic murder mental illness" vibes.
I don't think the plot is irredeemable, to be clear. But it would have been better if it leaned less on ableist shorthand and more on the fact that this girl has clearly been poisoning herself with the well water and her symptoms are probably stemming from that.
ETA: I also really appreciate you putting up a Linux build! A lot of devs overlook that and it's something that's always nice to have.
Thank you for taking the time to write detailed feedback, I’m glad you liked the game and that the weather changes resonated with you! And haha, the run bit is one of my favorite parts to watch in lets plays because it really gets people to panic!
I definitely see what you’re saying about mental illness and murder tropes, and that was not my intention. While the story’s open to a lot of interpretations and all players’ visions for it are valid, the intended canon is that the Husk (monster in the window/basement/final day) used supernatural influence to drive her insane and murder her family. The guilt makes her even worse (also the in-game reason she won't go upstairs), in a vicious spiral.
Hope that helps, and thanks again for reaching out with your concerns! Also, very welcome on the Linux build-thankfully the RPG maker engine made it easy to output.
this game is very unsettling and creepy, either it be the mc, her commentary and music, i had to turn it off after 3th day! it was very fun and spooky to play this, definitely one of my favorite horror games there. (and that guitar crime on the book-
I'm thrilled it was able to scare you that bad, and it's awesome that you're investigating all the details and finding the stories! Some of them will have clues for later in the series ;) Thank you so much for playing and taking the time to write a a kind comment, that gives me a lot of encouragement! As for having to put it down, maybe you could see how the rest of the game plays out by watching a youtube walkthrough? (AND YES THAT ONE WAS REALLY FUN TO WRITE XDDD)
Awww thank you so much, I'm so glad you like them! And haha it sounds like something a serial killer would do, so I wouldn't be surprised if it's happened somewhere before X-X
This game is creepy AF, I loved it! The atmosphere is beautiful and unsettling, deeply unsettling. Thank you for the story, the mystery of what will come, and the creeps!
Thank you very much, I'm glad you enjoyed it and took the time to leave an encouraging comment! It means a lot. Believe me, the story is only just the beginning >:D Each game is like a piece to a much larger puzzle, and so far I've made three-working on a fourth. I hope you stick around for the others and enjoy them as well!
Whoa :0 That's some really high praise considering it's a horror game, thank you so much!!! I'm glad it was able to scare you that well, and if you ever want to see how the rest of the story plays out, maybe you could watch a youtube video or something^^
Wow I'm thrilled it left a strong impression on you! Thank you so much for the video and the kind comment, I really appreciate it! Haha No Frills Just Chills is a great line by the way XD
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I absolutely love this game. Saw Manly's playthrough of it a year ago and decided to play it myself, and what better day to do so approaching Halloween.
Alice is a great character, considering the fact that the player only witnesses her last few days of her life it puts a lot of perspective entirely through environmental storytelling and her own comments. Doing so you get a sense what type of person she is without any backstory. I wonder if she always was like this before the well's(?) or the other evil influence that washed over her.
The sound design - it really does well to accompany each day's activity and atmosphere with fitting musical track, becoming worse and worse as days go on.
The artstyle - probably my favorite part about the game. I absolutely adore your artstyle, it somehow blends the cute expressions along with horrifying ones.
The story itself, despite being such a small and secluded location there's so many questions regarding what events transpired here and I really wish the game was a bit longer. Part of me wanted to save Alice by managing to repair the car somehow haha.
Also I'm proud to say that I found the easter egg! When you said that it's "It's extremely hard to find" I thought I wouldn't be able to find it, but alas I was able to. And reading your own thoughts there I do understand where your frustrations can come from when players don't interact with object despite it being the entirety of the game. Well, at least in my case you don't have to worry about that because I inspected everything in the game twice if not more, I don't think I missed a single thing.
There were however a few things I was let down by and that's the inability to interact with apples and other objects, like the shovel/oil etc. I think it would be awesome to add a few monologues if you decide to eat the various kinds of apples or use the shovel for something, and so on.
But overall this game is definitely one of my favorite horror short games out there. And it has always been in my mind ever since I saw it.
Wow, thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a detailed and encouraging comment, that means a lot to me! I’m glad you like most of the elements-especially the artstyle, I used to draw comics before I started making games so it’s really close to my heart! As far as the story length, I was making this game for a game jam and one of the rules was it had to be around 20 minutes. But I think that’s a great idea, and maybe some day I’ll add an update for a potential good ending! (Another highly requested feature is letting the players explore upstairs.)
And great job!!! I’m really impressed that you found the secret on your own, that takes so much dedication! When I built it into the game I was wondering if anyone would even be able to find it at all <XD And good idea on the items too, I should add that! Maybe the bad apples can poison you or something…
I’m honored that it’s one of your favorite horror games, and so happy Manly was able to introduce you to it! I loved his playthrough videos so much. Once again, huge thanks for your kind comment, I loved hearing your detailed thoughts and you gave me some good ideas!
You're very much welcome! Thank you too for taking time out of your day to respond to every comment here, including my own, it's very heartwarming.
I see! I didn't know it was part of the game jam, that would make a lot of sense with time constraints.
And if you do add a potential good ending, dare I suggest that it would be better to make a "remake" of sorts, instead of updating this game? With more interactions/dialogue options and upstairs location and the multiple endings themselves.
Haha, obviously that's just a bold suggestion knowing how much work that would take. That being said I'd love to see any expansion someday! So I'll wait patiently whether it comes to life or not.
Thank you, well to be honest it just took some keen observation from myself and the willingness to interact with everything available (as intended).
Regarding the apples, yeah I was surprised they're non interactable and just an item in your inventory, so I do hope you add this feature someday! No pressure though.
Thank you too for responding and making the game! I'm glad I was able to inspire you in some way! I really do have a lot to say about the game.
Great idea, a remake would be awesome! I’ll give it some consideration. And thanks again, I appreciate the attention to detail that went into your playthrough! I make games because I want to share these stories so it means a lot when people care about the world enough to look at everything. And haha yeah, time to make the apples a bigger threat XD It’s funny in a game that otherwise has no deaths that the apples of all things could hurt the player but like… it’ll be totally worth it! (Maybe I should add more hazards too.)
You’re very welcome, it was my pleasure reading through your thoughtful comments! Feel free to message me on Twitter or join my discord if you want; I’d love to have you!
That was a nice horror game. Good thing you focused mostly on the atmosphere and not on the jumpscares, as, in my opinion, it would ruin the experience. The unsettling images and music only add up to the horrifying game's atmosphere.
On a side note, would you be interested in polish translation?
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! Yeah I think a jumpscare is a good way to catch the player off guard or add a crescendo to mounting tension, but not enough to carry a game by itself.
And yeah, that would be awesome! Feel free to message me on discord or twitter, and if those don't work for you just reply to this comment with a way to contact me you'd prefer. Thanks!
I really liked this game overall. It's both creepy and interesting, and I love the use of "press Shift to run" as a kind of meta-scare. Plus, as a cyclothymia sufferer, the differences in the weather and the character's moods from day to day were something I could relate to strongly.
With that being said, though, I really didn't enjoy the general way the game associates mental illness and murderousness. There is a massive stigma against mental illness sufferers in real life because of works that lean on these tropes, and to make matters worse, the game falls into the trap of associating specific symptoms (unstable moods, smiling at inappropriate times) with being prone to murderous violence. It's not so much of an issue with the actual horror portraits, but when it's just the main character smiling over something she shouldn't, I get strong "generic murder mental illness" vibes.
I don't think the plot is irredeemable, to be clear. But it would have been better if it leaned less on ableist shorthand and more on the fact that this girl has clearly been poisoning herself with the well water and her symptoms are probably stemming from that.
ETA: I also really appreciate you putting up a Linux build! A lot of devs overlook that and it's something that's always nice to have.
!---Spoilers Ahead---!
Thank you for taking the time to write detailed feedback, I’m glad you liked the game and that the weather changes resonated with you! And haha, the run bit is one of my favorite parts to watch in lets plays because it really gets people to panic!
I definitely see what you’re saying about mental illness and murder tropes, and that was not my intention. While the story’s open to a lot of interpretations and all players’ visions for it are valid, the intended canon is that the Husk (monster in the window/basement/final day) used supernatural influence to drive her insane and murder her family. The guilt makes her even worse (also the in-game reason she won't go upstairs), in a vicious spiral.
Hope that helps, and thanks again for reaching out with your concerns! Also, very welcome on the Linux build-thankfully the RPG maker engine made it easy to output.
this game is very unsettling and creepy, either it be the mc, her commentary and music, i had to turn it off after 3th day! it was very fun and spooky to play this, definitely one of my favorite horror games there. (and that guitar crime on the book-
I'm thrilled it was able to scare you that bad, and it's awesome that you're investigating all the details and finding the stories! Some of them will have clues for later in the series ;) Thank you so much for playing and taking the time to write a a kind comment, that gives me a lot of encouragement! As for having to put it down, maybe you could see how the rest of the game plays out by watching a youtube walkthrough? (AND YES THAT ONE WAS REALLY FUN TO WRITE XDDD)
ahh I am looking forward to your next games!! they are so good and you are very talented at writing <3. I thought the guitar crime was real at first 😭
Awww thank you so much, I'm so glad you like them! And haha it sounds like something a serial killer would do, so I wouldn't be surprised if it's happened somewhere before X-X
fun game!
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! I hope you stick around for the others and see where the story goes!
This game is creepy AF, I loved it! The atmosphere is beautiful and unsettling, deeply unsettling. Thank you for the story, the mystery of what will come, and the creeps!
Thank you very much, I'm glad you enjoyed it and took the time to leave an encouraging comment! It means a lot. Believe me, the story is only just the beginning >:D Each game is like a piece to a much larger puzzle, and so far I've made three-working on a fourth. I hope you stick around for the others and enjoy them as well!
2 More days & I just couldn't go on this game is creepy AF! Idk why this game reminds me of what life would be like after life!
Whoa :0 That's some really high praise considering it's a horror game, thank you so much!!! I'm glad it was able to scare you that well, and if you ever want to see how the rest of the story plays out, maybe you could watch a youtube video or something^^
This was such a creepy game. I loved the psychotic break of the main character and how she degraded over time. Keep up the great work!
Wow I'm thrilled it left a strong impression on you! Thank you so much for the video and the kind comment, I really appreciate it! Haha No Frills Just Chills is a great line by the way XD