I don't normally comment on itch, but I really wanna say how much I love this game after one play only and some random stuff that came to mind. (yeah theres yapping prob spoilers ahead but this is a like 40 min game so just go play it rq doofus :3)
Anyways, time for the random 3am inspiration rant. And first off. I really wanna mention the small detail on how Chevron (I think the head dude right?) is Charon the ferryman, on the River Styx. Though I don't know a lot at all about Greek mythology, I think it's a nice nod to his character and placement in the story where he's just showing the Player their way out to their own painting in the end. It's a really nice touch that I didn't expect in the slightest going into playing this and tbh I can only thank my 8th grade ELA teacher for me even getting this reference lmao.
I also like how in painting 3 with the retrospective army man, and the spider which I quite don't know the meaning of yet that the lead up to the man is a winding path of seemingly flesh and bone walls. It's like in his (hers? theirs?) flashbacks they realize that the soil is all made up of death, bone, and flesh that proves more to himself that he and his people weren't the good guy.
Sorry for the 3 gadamn paragraphs (w/ the first one anw) but this was a really cool play and I didn't expect how good it was. I mean as soon as you boot up the game it foreshadows the ending and you go back to the title and just go "OOOOOOOOHHH OMFG" but I've mentioned one to many things now. I actually don't know how to end this pretty much one-pager so I guess thank you for making such an incredible game and also thank everyone who read this far. Cya :3
Thank you so much! Yes Charon is meant to invoke the ferryman and the walls in the final level are meant to invoke flesh, specifically a birth canal! I always love seeing analysis like this, thank you so much for your comment!
o ma lord I loved this, the concept of peoples story/death being converted into a painting after reaching a conclusion strikes something within me. Just everything about this game is really inspiring, and i love that u had a change of heart about the AI stuff.
From talking to Charon about monster trucks, to helping him to dicover his favourite food. Every single character iin this was able to discover something abou themselves.
The puzzles were the perfect difficulty to still be engaging and the story had so much depth while still being light enough to be fun and engaging.
An amazing experience that I would happily take again and again. An extended version would be amazing, but I feel that the current length of the game is actually perfect, each experience new and refreshing.
i played this game about a couple years ago and it just kinda never left my mind. i decided to play it again when i was in a bit of a bad state n it was like i opened a time capsule. change is one of those things that not everyone is comfortable with n i'm included. moving on is a process of emotions n we do sometimes need others to guide us to sanctity. very wonderful game, 10/10 ^_^
Thank you for the experience. Absolutely loved it from beginning to end! :)
I can't tell you enough how cool the soundtrack is, it's some stuff I would unironically listen on a daily basis. Would you mind if I asked where you got it from? Is is authoral? Or you got it somewhere else?
About the gameplay, the middle painting (the one with the enigmas and the boy) made me straight up sad. Made me think for a good 20 minutes or so. I guess that's what you were going for, so, yeah, it definitely worked, so congrats!
Lastly, I would like to thank you for your pronouncement rearding the AI art you used. As a fellow artist, I really appreciate your honesty and would like to say that, hands down, this game was the best use I saw someone finding to that, despite all of the implications of using it.
The musician monom made the soundtrack, you can find more of his work here: https://monom.bandcamp.com/ He made it from scratch, though it includes a lot of samples and remixes of pre-existing music.
Cheers to you as well and I hope you have a good one too :) Thank you for the comment.
as in nothing pops up at all -- in the space where the numbers are supposed to pop up, does the game just freeze? or does it go back to the point where you walk around? Does this happen on different devices/downloads?
It's a very good game with a lot of symbolism to think about. I went in playing completely blind and was amazed at the pixel sprites of AI art. The stories are astonishing to read, the writing really is good. I do wish there were more secrets, although I don't know if your dialouge choices change anything.
Charon is the best character and his favorite food is meatloaf
The dialogue choices change some things, but overall I would make them change more (and introduce more secrets) if I were to make this game again. It unfortunately was made in a very rushed development cycle, but I hope to spend more time and effort in future projects. Nevertheless thank you so much for the kind words!
Great game, I don't know what else to say. They definitely need to release an extended version because the gameplay, the story, the characters, the art. It's all so unique and perfect. I want and NEED more, they can't just leave this like this, it would be like painting the Mona Lisa in half and leaving it like that.
this is really coool game the theam is just f perfect the art is desgasting and well the story and the ending is somthing else best free game (after ddlc and the murder of sonic the hedgehog) 9 out of 10 just because it gave me bleu balls mate
I would give this a 10 stars out of 5 if I could!! Such a mind blowing game! I hope to see more games from you in the future! As someone who REALLY hates horror, I will say that this was totally worth it. No bugs found in the gameplay. (If anyone is really stuck for solutions you can cheat with my gameplay... or if you just want to watch me scream at painting 3... there is also that... oops). Thanks for making such an amazing game!
Honestly one of the best games I've ever played on my channel. The design, the atmosphere, the music the story had me hooked and invested the whole time would highly recommend to anyone
Super surreal, super spooky, and genuinely a heartwarming but also heartbreaking story. I'm obsessed with your work and cannot wait for you to put out more!!!
no!no! not my life lol. i just meant real life in general. it just felt like more than a game. i really dont know how to word it 😭 thats just how good ur game is, i cant find words for it haha
This is such an inspiration for me. Makes me think about life and such that no other indie bite sized game ever made me feel like. Thank you for this game, it really means a lot to me.
This game is great! I love the music, the dialogue, the uniqueness in which you bring to the topics of the human condition. I love games like this and am excited to play more from you
This is one of the most insane games I have ever played. The concept, the visuals, the sounds are all perfect and truly portray such a deep, intense concept of time. I originally played this game for something to do out of boredom, but it completely captivated my attention. It's ability to portray such strong characters and stories in a short time is incredible. I hope all that worked on this game feels incredible pride and accomplishment. Thank you for sharing your work. :)
This game is perfect, both verbal and visual concepts are impressive, I loved the dialogues, especially the one in the second frame, its short duration makes it even more enjoyable, definitely recommended.
One of the better written games I have played on this site. Fantastic; very unique, very captivating art direction. Really cool bits where the game talks to, you? about you? It really made me think, and I related to many concepts brought up. Loved it! really inspiring.
I already left a comment before, but I have returned to the page to do it again. I can't really describe what a deep effect this game had on me. It's incredibly sad, terrifying, deep, engaging, and simply beautiful all at once. It's the only game that's ever made me cry, and if it weren't such a small game, I might call it the best I've ever played. It's truly up there though. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for this incredible experience you have allowed me to be a part of.
I am incredibly touched by your words, you are too flattering! I don't think my game could live up to such words but it means a lot nonetheless. Please look forward to my next title!!
I've LOVED this game so far, but I think I need some help. I had to quit the game early, and when I loaded it back up and continued my save, it seems to completely freeze the game after about 5-10 minutes. I tried minimizing it, etc and even when I reloaded the game (tried 4 times), it'll let me play a bit longer, and then it does the same thing. Is there something I'm doing wrong? Or, do I just need to start over from the beginning?
does an error message pop up when it happens? does it stay frozen forever? also what operating system are you playing on (is it a modern version of windows or an old version)? I haven't seen this error before, but I hope I can figure something out to help. If nothing helps, could you try playing the HTML version on your mobile device if you have one?
Gosh. It feels like my mind-dreams and thoughts just gathered and shapeshifted into a game. Not something I expected to see actually, but the only thing I can be sure in, is that I will pass plenty of time thinking about it. Never was I so sure that I can the right things as I am now.
this game was just wonderful. i loved the art, the very well-writen story, it looks like you're good in everything. the end was kinda confusing but everything in this game is on a whole other level. glad to see you have another game. going to play it. its sad indie games dont get much recognition but thats what makes them "indie" or special. i loved your work so keep it up.
I loved the ending, just take a step back and look at what you had to do. (SPOILERS AHEAD!!!)
You helped people move on from a place where only a small piece of themselves could interact with the world. They used what little connection they had to explore every inch and option possible in their world, leaving them trapped in a "dead" world. The music reflects the scene; Beautiful songs with a steady beat, but eventually they become endlessly repetitive. After a while, the music seems tragic, the steady beat has been the same for minutes, hours, and what was once beautiful begins to dull. But then you find another piece of the world, and another, and the track changes, and the game seems beautiful again. But it's that same, steady beat. You are trapped in a finite world yourself, you know, exploring the world with just a character you move around on your screen with arrow keys to represent all that you really are. After helping 3 others leave this world to find the next, it should be a simple task to help yourself... But instead, you wander hallways, you look in the paintings and old, fully explored worlds again... when all you had to do is simply move on to the next room over. There were no directions to tell you to go there, but it's such a simple and obvious path. You trapped yourself in a simple world, listening to the same beat, over and over. Maybe you left the game and returned, but your character was still stuck in the same place. Only when you moved on were you able to beat the game. Congratulations you beat the game, there's nothing left of the game to explore except your own memories. How long will those last until your mortal life ends, or your finite memory betrays you? It doesn't matter, it's something beautiful that you fought and won for, and it's yours to treasure until it's time to move on yourself. Or at least, that's how I interpreted the ending.
I'm floored by your analysis Joseph! I feel like your analysis is more detailed than my own game haha. Nevertheless I feel like it was spot-on, you hit on a lot of the ideas I was thinking of when I made this :)
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This game is incredible, I wish there were more paintings to discover or an option to discover more about yourself.
The music pulled me into the game as if I could feel what is happening inside, it's really good.
I'm not a fan of ai but I think it works well here, as it helps evoke a dreamy and confusing feel.
10/10 experience.
This game beat my expectations, I usually just play to kill time but this one, I enjoyed it!
I'm expecting spanish translation!
A spanish translation is currently in the works and almost done! :)
Wow, such a good experience, huh.
Thank you so much for the comment :)
I don't normally comment on itch, but I really wanna say how much I love this game after one play only and some random stuff that came to mind. (yeah theres yapping prob spoilers ahead but this is a like 40 min game so just go play it rq doofus :3)
Anyways, time for the random 3am inspiration rant.
And first off. I really wanna mention the small detail on how Chevron (I think the head dude right?) is Charon the ferryman, on the River Styx. Though I don't know a lot at all about Greek mythology, I think it's a nice nod to his character and placement in the story where he's just showing the Player their way out to their own painting in the end. It's a really nice touch that I didn't expect in the slightest going into playing this and tbh I can only thank my 8th grade ELA teacher for me even getting this reference lmao.
I also like how in painting 3 with the retrospective army man, and the spider which I quite don't know the meaning of yet that the lead up to the man is a winding path of seemingly flesh and bone walls. It's like in his (hers? theirs?) flashbacks they realize that the soil is all made up of death, bone, and flesh that proves more to himself that he and his people weren't the good guy.
Sorry for the 3 gadamn paragraphs (w/ the first one anw) but this was a really cool play and I didn't expect how good it was. I mean as soon as you boot up the game it foreshadows the ending and you go back to the title and just go "OOOOOOOOHHH OMFG" but I've mentioned one to many things now. I actually don't know how to end this pretty much one-pager so I guess thank you for making such an incredible game and also thank everyone who read this far. Cya :3
Thank you so much! Yes Charon is meant to invoke the ferryman and the walls in the final level are meant to invoke flesh, specifically a birth canal! I always love seeing analysis like this, thank you so much for your comment!
o ma lord I loved this, the concept of peoples story/death being converted into a painting after reaching a conclusion strikes something within me. Just everything about this game is really inspiring, and i love that u had a change of heart about the AI stuff.
Thank you so much!
As in sarcasm or actual shit?
I loved every second of this game
From talking to Charon about monster trucks, to helping him to dicover his favourite food. Every single character iin this was able to discover something abou themselves.
The puzzles were the perfect difficulty to still be engaging and the story had so much depth while still being light enough to be fun and engaging.
An amazing experience that I would happily take again and again. An extended version would be amazing, but I feel that the current length of the game is actually perfect, each experience new and refreshing.
Thank you so much! We always envisioned the game being a short experience so I'm glad you enjoyed that aspect
i played this game about a couple years ago and it just kinda never left my mind. i decided to play it again when i was in a bit of a bad state n it was like i opened a time capsule. change is one of those things that not everyone is comfortable with n i'm included. moving on is a process of emotions n we do sometimes need others to guide us to sanctity. very wonderful game, 10/10 ^_^
I'm so happy this game could help you move on in its own little way :) Hope you are doing well!
Thank you for the experience. Absolutely loved it from beginning to end! :)
I can't tell you enough how cool the soundtrack is, it's some stuff I would unironically listen on a daily basis. Would you mind if I asked where you got it from? Is is authoral? Or you got it somewhere else?
About the gameplay, the middle painting (the one with the enigmas and the boy) made me straight up sad. Made me think for a good 20 minutes or so. I guess that's what you were going for, so, yeah, it definitely worked, so congrats!
Lastly, I would like to thank you for your pronouncement rearding the AI art you used. As a fellow artist, I really appreciate your honesty and would like to say that, hands down, this game was the best use I saw someone finding to that, despite all of the implications of using it.
Cheers! Have a good one.
The musician monom made the soundtrack, you can find more of his work here: https://monom.bandcamp.com/
He made it from scratch, though it includes a lot of samples and remixes of pre-existing music.
Cheers to you as well and I hope you have a good one too :) Thank you for the comment.
for some reason I can't input the code on the second painting, last door.
What happens when you try to input the code? does an error message pop up?
no, nothing happens
as in nothing pops up at all -- in the space where the numbers are supposed to pop up, does the game just freeze? or does it go back to the point where you walk around? Does this happen on different devices/downloads?
its ok I figured it out, i think it was because I was playing on Chromebook instead of laptop.
I play in Chromebook and it worked pretty well. It could've been something else.
It's a very good game with a lot of symbolism to think about. I went in playing completely blind and was amazed at the pixel sprites of AI art. The stories are astonishing to read, the writing really is good. I do wish there were more secrets, although I don't know if your dialouge choices change anything.
Charon is the best character and his favorite food is meatloaf
The dialogue choices change some things, but overall I would make them change more (and introduce more secrets) if I were to make this game again. It unfortunately was made in a very rushed development cycle, but I hope to spend more time and effort in future projects. Nevertheless thank you so much for the kind words!
Great game, I don't know what else to say. They definitely need to release an extended version because the gameplay, the story, the characters, the art. It's all so unique and perfect. I want and NEED more, they can't just leave this like this, it would be like painting the Mona Lisa in half and leaving it like that.
Thank you so much! If you're looking for more, I think you will enjoy my upcoming game, Project Obelisk!
this is really coool game the theam is just f perfect the art is desgasting and well the story and the ending is somthing else best free game (after ddlc and the murder of sonic the hedgehog) 9 out of 10 just because it gave me bleu balls mate
Glad to hear it mate lol
I would give this a 10 stars out of 5 if I could!! Such a mind blowing game! I hope to see more games from you in the future! As someone who REALLY hates horror, I will say that this was totally worth it. No bugs found in the gameplay. (If anyone is really stuck for solutions you can cheat with my gameplay... or if you just want to watch me scream at painting 3... there is also that... oops). Thanks for making such an amazing game!
Thank you so much! I love your avatar, it is so detailed you can see the fear when the monster shows up lol
the way i died but im just laughing
kind of stuck on the settings menu...
oh no I hope you became unstuck! (by your later comment it seems you were lol
I really loved the game, i played it a few months ago and its still on my mind :3
I'm glad to hear it :) thank you!
Absolutely loved the game, really hit hard. Keep it up!
Thank you so much for the let's play! I didn't even know my own game had controller support lol
Honestly one of the best games I've ever played on my channel. The design, the atmosphere, the music the story had me hooked and invested the whole time would highly recommend to anyone
Thank you so much! I was so touched when you complimented the story at the end of the video :)
Honestly the Ai art really inhanes the game, as this is the inbetween, what humans can't imagine, and the second painting made me cry T-T
Thank you! Though I regret associating my work so much with AI art and using it here, at the time I felt it suited the tone quite well.
this was so good that if I weren't in school I would shed one single tear but it would also rise up into my eye again... really really awsome sauce
Thank you! I hope I didn't disturb your school session that much haha
Super surreal, super spooky, and genuinely a heartwarming but also heartbreaking story. I'm obsessed with your work and cannot wait for you to put out more!!!
Thank you so much! Please look forward to my next game, Project Obelisk!
Ahh!!! So excited!
I LOVE IT. AND THE END WAS SO CREATIVE (the game also felt really realistic if that makes sense?)
Thank you! If this is realistic to your life I would be scared to live in your shoes though 0.0
no!no! not my life lol. i just meant real life in general. it just felt like more than a game. i really dont know how to word it 😭 thats just how good ur game is, i cant find words for it haha
This is such an inspiration for me. Makes me think about life and such that no other indie bite sized game ever made me feel like. Thank you for this game, it really means a lot to me.
Thank YOU for playing it!! :)
A weird atmospheric experience with a very good soundtrack and story. I enjoyed playing it.
Thank you! :D
Thank you so much for playing! And yes that is the right piece by Debussy in the comments :)
haha! I mentioned it in the video but I wasn't sure of the name! I love Debussy
this game is soooo cool i love it i wish i could erase my memory and play it for the first time again. amazing work!
same thing here. awesome job man.
that is high praise!! thank you so much :,)
THIS GAME IS SO GOOD WTF. Not to spoil it but the end being the way it is is SO good. It really cheered me up
thank you! i'm not sure how else i would end the game lol it seemed like the right way to end it
This is one of the most insane games I have ever played. The concept, the visuals, the sounds are all perfect and truly portray such a deep, intense concept of time. I originally played this game for something to do out of boredom, but it completely captivated my attention. It's ability to portray such strong characters and stories in a short time is incredible. I hope all that worked on this game feels incredible pride and accomplishment. Thank you for sharing your work. :)
thanks!!! you are too kind omg
This game is perfect, both verbal and visual concepts are impressive, I loved the dialogues, especially the one in the second frame, its short duration makes it even more enjoyable, definitely recommended.
thank you so much! I'm flattered :))
God... I don't have words, damn. I 100% recommend playing this!!! I LOVE IT
Thank you so much it means a lot :)
One of the better written games I have played on this site. Fantastic; very unique, very captivating art direction. Really cool bits where the game talks to, you? about you? It really made me think, and I related to many concepts brought up. Loved it! really inspiring.
Thank you so much, you are too kind!
I already left a comment before, but I have returned to the page to do it again. I can't really describe what a deep effect this game had on me. It's incredibly sad, terrifying, deep, engaging, and simply beautiful all at once. It's the only game that's ever made me cry, and if it weren't such a small game, I might call it the best I've ever played. It's truly up there though. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for this incredible experience you have allowed me to be a part of.
I am incredibly touched by your words, you are too flattering! I don't think my game could live up to such words but it means a lot nonetheless. Please look forward to my next title!!
I've LOVED this game so far, but I think I need some help. I had to quit the game early, and when I loaded it back up and continued my save, it seems to completely freeze the game after about 5-10 minutes. I tried minimizing it, etc and even when I reloaded the game (tried 4 times), it'll let me play a bit longer, and then it does the same thing. Is there something I'm doing wrong? Or, do I just need to start over from the beginning?
does the download version for Mac or windows work?
I downloaded the windows version
update: it happened searching through the trash again, in a brand new save.
does an error message pop up when it happens? does it stay frozen forever? also what operating system are you playing on (is it a modern version of windows or an old version)? I haven't seen this error before, but I hope I can figure something out to help. If nothing helps, could you try playing the HTML version on your mobile device if you have one?
One of the coolest weirdcore games!! I loved every second of it. Amazing use of AI, super creative and innovative. Super inspiring.
Loved the video but side note: YOU RUN YOUR GAMES FROM THE TERMINAL???? love the old internet aesthetics haha
thank youuu yes lmao
Gosh. It feels like my mind-dreams and thoughts just gathered and shapeshifted into a game. Not something I expected to see actually, but the only thing I can be sure in, is that I will pass plenty of time thinking about it. Never was I so sure that I can the right things as I am now.
Thank you so much I'm honored!!
A very unique and fun experience that I was not prepared for! The soundtrack is insanely good had me dancing!
I loved your jam sesh and sound effects LMAO
I'm glad you liked it lmao! I already got cohabitation in my list of games to play next!
Very fun! I didn't plan on completing it on the first playthrough, but it kept me hooked
Thanks :))
this game was just wonderful. i loved the art, the very well-writen story, it looks like you're good in everything. the end was kinda confusing but everything in this game is on a whole other level. glad to see you have another game. going to play it. its sad indie games dont get much recognition but thats what makes them "indie" or special. i loved your work so keep it up.
I loved the ending, just take a step back and look at what you had to do. (SPOILERS AHEAD!!!)
You helped people move on from a place where only a small piece of themselves could interact with the world. They used what little connection they had to explore every inch and option possible in their world, leaving them trapped in a "dead" world. The music reflects the scene; Beautiful songs with a steady beat, but eventually they become endlessly repetitive. After a while, the music seems tragic, the steady beat has been the same for minutes, hours, and what was once beautiful begins to dull. But then you find another piece of the world, and another, and the track changes, and the game seems beautiful again. But it's that same, steady beat. You are trapped in a finite world yourself, you know, exploring the world with just a character you move around on your screen with arrow keys to represent all that you really are. After helping 3 others leave this world to find the next, it should be a simple task to help yourself... But instead, you wander hallways, you look in the paintings and old, fully explored worlds again... when all you had to do is simply move on to the next room over. There were no directions to tell you to go there, but it's such a simple and obvious path. You trapped yourself in a simple world, listening to the same beat, over and over. Maybe you left the game and returned, but your character was still stuck in the same place. Only when you moved on were you able to beat the game. Congratulations you beat the game, there's nothing left of the game to explore except your own memories. How long will those last until your mortal life ends, or your finite memory betrays you? It doesn't matter, it's something beautiful that you fought and won for, and it's yours to treasure until it's time to move on yourself. Or at least, that's how I interpreted the ending.
I'm floored by your analysis Joseph! I feel like your analysis is more detailed than my own game haha. Nevertheless I feel like it was spot-on, you hit on a lot of the ideas I was thinking of when I made this :)
Thanks for reading! I love your work (I'd be happy to work with you...), and I'm looking forward to your new PROJECT! 😉
(PS: Oh cool, you have a discord!)
Thank you so much! I feel so flattered by your words
I just want to say that this is an artistic master piece. I hope you get the appreciation that you deserve.
Thank you so so much!