#indie mystery game

[shannonsketches]

SO!! You're gonna see me be SUPER annoying about @redclovercasefiles for the next month or so, because I've been helping out on it with my dear friend Mazzie, who long-timers might remember as the author of the horror comic I was working on a few years back, Aura Ambit.

Mazzie was working on this game's script for over a year before she brought me on to help iron out some designs, and has slowly built up our little seven person team over that year, including an accessibility-forward UX/UI artist. She's been funding this entire project out of pocket with her life savings, so that all six of the people working with her on this game are getting paid on their terms, because paying her artists was and is her top priority.

I also need you to know that all six of us, separately, without planning to, contributed extra work to fit as much as we could into that budget, because all six of us, mostly strangers to each other, were So Excited to be working on this game.

I know I'm biased toward Mazzie's writing, because Mazzie is my friend and I've done other projects I've loved with her, and I love her storytelling sensibilities. But since joining onto this I've watched six other people -- four of whom I didn't know prior to this project -- immediately fall in love with the pitch and pour their whole heart into this game.

From our incredible Sprite Artist, Denaseey (https://x.com/denaseey) who is in SUCH high demand and made room for us anyway, to our amazing composer Mark (www.markalanknappjr.com) who got our pitch and just!! DONATED our trailer music pro-bono just to be a part of it (he is signed on and being paid for the whole OST, and he's grEAT), to our UX/UI artist Jenn (https://www.jenniferbertaggia.eu/) who came to our rescue at the 11th hour and made so many gorgeous assets and coached us on accessibility options, one by one we all came in and had the same reaction. We saw this game laid out and fell in love with it, and I have every belief that anyone here who enjoys my work will fall in love with it too.

So bear with me while I spam our ads, because I am SO excited about introducing you all to these characters, and this fun spooky Whodunnit.

I WILL be making fanart of these folks and I happily encourage anyone who feels so inclined to do the same and tag @redclovercasefiles (It WILL get reblogged and I promise the whole crew will scream and cry and throw up rainbows about it). Idk why my friends are all so good at making OCs but.............Goddamn. My time (as a fanartist) has come (again).

Anyway I know things are tight all around and there's a lot going on and backing a video game kickstarter is kind of small potatoes backburner-at-best stuff, but we'd love to make this game as absolutely awesome as we can. This has been a genuine dream project with a small team full of amazing, wonderful people, and I hope you'll give it a look and back us, or consider boosting us if you can!

Thanks for reading all this here's a sketch I did of Jules and Scooby Doo to hype up our crew chat

and as always come check us out on kickstarter buy gold byyyyyyye

[beekeeperspicnic]

[IMG Description - A comic strip with a cartoon of a woman with big round glasses speaking to the reader.

Hello Tumblr! I'm Jabbage, I'm making a game called the Beekeeper's Picnic. You play retired Sherlock Holmes trying to assemble the perfect picnic for Watson and solving cosy mysteries! Since this is Tumblr I need to tell you that you can decide the direction the relationship between Holmes and Watson will take - friends? found family? Queerplatonic partners? Romantic partners? Also there's a dog and you can tell him he's a good good boy. You can play an extended demo for free, and the game is currently funding on Kickstarter. Thanks for checking out my project! <3]

Check out the Kickstarter & Demo here!

You can follow this account for game updates, and reblogging super dooper appreciated!

[faeriedaez]

Yes, it has dolls.

Yes, it has vore.

Yes, it has themes and motifs.

YES, it has the only "sanity" mechanic I have ever seen in a tabletop game or OTHERWISE that effectively and meaningfully portrays the way compounding stress effects someone. But what TRULY elevates it to a master piece is the fact that, YES! It, with a single mechanic, fixes the problem nearly every other ttrpg which thinks it can handle mysteries struggles with.

I am not exaggerating when I tell you I wholeheartedly believe that A.N.I.M.'s Eureka will be the next indie darling in the TTRPG scene.

https://anim-ttrpg.itch.io/eureka-urban-investigative-fantasy-ttrpg

The window to say you "liked it before it was cool" is quickly closing. Click the link.

[notoh-dev]

Flowers for Kasumi on Itch.io!

Flowers for Kasumi was a demo that @eredoh and I (previously Nedras) released in 2017. It was developed in RPG Maker VX Ace. While Flowers for Kasumi is on an indefinite hiatus, (at least until my other project, The Doctrine of Perseverance is completed) I wanted to share this old demo as it is dear to me, and there is at least one confirmed character who is also in TDOP. Also, the RPGMaker.net download is inaccessible due to their website being down.

I have also merged the setting for both projects (This will be more noticeable once the full game for TDOP is completed): Flowers for Kasumi will take place in Noxton, some other characters in FFK will see name changes as well in the future. Other story elements from this project are subject to change in the future.

Synopsis

Flowers for Kasumi tells the story of titular girl, Kasumi, and how her life ended so abruptly. The game takes place in the fictional town of Kumashina, a small town that holds a grave secret. In the midst of fall, protagonists Isa and Omoka will unearth the secrets behind Kasumi, and the truth behind her death.

Solve puzzles and piece together the dark mystery of what happened to Kasumi Erizawa.

Disclaimer

This is a demo from 2017. The project's development halted around late 2018/early 2019. Eredoh and I were teenagers when we began, but as life got busy, it was ultimately discontinued.​ I have just returned to game development last year (2023). Flowers for Kasumi is on an indefinite hiatus until my other project, The Doctrine of Perseverance is completed.

>> Download on Itch.io <<

Affiliated Links

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[redclovercasefiles]

Welcome to the Seance Soiree!

Freshly minted occult auditor John Tsukimori receives a strange invitation to where his like isn’t wanted: the Seance Soirée, an event hosting some of the biggest stars in spiritualism. Surely it's some kind of mistake, but John's free, and his sister, Julia, is out of school for the summer. Who knows? Might be fun... ...Until a real murder disrupts the morbid circus! John must now push past the smoke and mirrors of professional psychics to prove the killer is among them, and not the great beyond. Time to get to work, Detective.

The Red Clover Casefiles: Seance Soireê is a 2D visual novel where you will be tasked with navigating a murder-mystery, investigating locales, interrogating a collection of intriguing characters, and evaluate all you learn to name the real killer. 

Or killers.

Support us on Kickstarter! • Linktree

[rqbossman]

Hey all, just in case you haven't heard we are developing a Magnus Protocol Board game with the people who made Coup! It's chock full of red-string goodies and backer rewards/add-ons including Bonzo plushies! For more info follow the link!

[tk-sketches]

Sharing some footage from my little robot murder mystery game - there’s been a MURDER and YOU gotta solve it!! Gather clues! Compare witnesses! Yell at people!! That’s right - we’ve got it all! 

(gonna try to get a demo out when i can!)

[anim-ttrpgs]

[morbethgames]

The Recoding of The Bureau is Finished

I’m done recoding the game. All in all, it was honestly about what I expected to be slimmed off once I got a good look at some of the scenes. As I expected, 90% of that were from the first 3 chapters. I am a mix of emotions after arduously spending hours upon hours replacing gender variables one at a time by hand. Which unfortunately, I couldn’t think of another way for doing it, because all of the characters were using the same gender variables instead of independent ones for each character.

I’m relieved it’s done. Disappointed in myself that I had to do it at all. Irritated that some people decided to put the game on blast for it rather than give actionable suggestions on how to fix it. Excited to finally be able to continue writing both the extra scenes that need to be written and the main story. I honestly don’t know which one I’m going to continue with first.

Please leave feedback.

There are still no doubt one or two spots with maybe 1-2k words each that could be slimmed down, but that would require a lot of work for very little payoff. So yes, I’m comfortable saying, the game is almost 400k words long in total. 85k words per playthrough. That’s not including the extra scenes in the stats screen, because randomtest doesn’t go in the stats screen (to my knowledge at least, someone can correct me if I’m wrong). So you still have to play the game roughly 5 times and choose different choices to see everything it has to offer.

Is the game smaller? A bit, yeah. Is it 100-150k? It’s more than double that.

Now, that doesn’t say anything for the state of some of the writing. If I have to read someone nodding, or smiling, or ‘slightly’, ‘a bit’, or ‘a little’ something in my own work again, I’m gonna jump out a window. Obviously, back when I started writing this, I was very much influenced by Wayhaven. I’ve since grown out of that idea. Since the game has taken on an identity of its own, and while I will forever be grateful to that series and continue to support it, there’s gonna be some changes in the final version of this game. Less of what I said above, less ellipses, and the flirting (especially in the beginning) will seem much more down to earth and believable for the setting it’s in, with a bit of wiggle room since this is still very much a YA game.

Please leave feedback.

The rewrite will not be happening until the first draft of the game is fully finished. I refuse to get stuck in a rewrite phase, mostly because I would just find it way too boring.

My patreon will continue to have static fiction on it, as well as sneak peeks into upcoming stuff. In case you’ve been missing it, Love In Stasis is up to Chapter 6 at this point, with more to come. I’m also thinking about potentially starting a horror static fiction.

I’ll be relying on people to playtest this new version of the game to tell me about any continuity errors, and gender errors, any anything errors. So please, play the demo. Let me know if you notice anything. I think if I’ve proved anything at this point, it’s that I act and fix things based on feedback.

And pettiness.

But mostly feedback.

Please leave feedback.

Last thing I’ll say; I’m gonna stop saying I’m bad at coding. Someone who’s bad at coding wouldn’t have been able to implement the text boxes and fine tune them. Someone who’s bad at coding wouldn’t have been able to code Golden Eyes. Someone who’s bad at coding wouldn’t have been able to slim down the game that much from where it was. So it’s time I give myself the credit of someone who at least knows what they’re doing. I’m not adept at it, but I’m certainly not bad at it either.

I’m still expecting the game to end up over 500k words when all is said and done. It will not be one million words, but I’m actually kind of happy about that. This is proof I’m still working on this game, and the next time it updates, it will have new content. Thanks for those that are patient and stick around, your support does still genuinely mean a lot.

Please leave feedback.

Stay Brilliant,

-Vi

P.S. Please leave feedback.

🛡️Patreon | Forum Page | Demo Link🛡️

[s-che]

Parasitic Games

So I've been rewatching Gravity Falls, right? And reading the Book of Bill, of course. And also playing a lot of Cultist Simulator? Which is a weird one but also a very specific combination of vibes.

Anyway I blacked out and finally wrote a twin pair of journaling games, A CALAMITOUS COINCIDENCE and THE ALCHEMIST. I wrote them in my dark basement research center (apartment) while remembering only occasionally to fulfill my obligations to the outside world (still going to work, I guess) while attempting to string together the clues and assemble, at last, my magnum opus (get them on the actual page, or screen I guess).

Anyway, let's do some normal ad copy.

Calamitous Coincidence is based on stories of lonely investigators, clever children, and inescapable tragedy (like A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Mysterious Benedict Society, and Gravity Falls) while The Alchemist lets you jump right in to bullshit esoteric thinking inspired by absolute freaks like John Dee and Aleister Crowley (or Cultist Simulator and Susanna Clarke's Piranesi, which are the reasons I actually wrote it).

I'm really putting that religion degree to good work, huh?

Both games give you the tools you need to figure out who you are in the world, what you're looking for, and where you think you'll find it -- neither give you the answers you're looking for. You'll have to find those yourself.

Both games are prototypes, currently available on Patreon for anyone paying $3 or more. As always with my patreon stuff, I extremely, extremely encourage you to sign up for a month, download the stuff you're interested interested in, and then cancel. It still means a lot.

Both games have been setting my brain on fire for the last month and a half, and I'm glad to get them out into the world (even if they are still a little broken).

I hope you like them:)

[beekeeperspicnic]

🐝 The Beekeeper's Picnic 🐝

Explore a seaside town in the 1920s and solve cosy mysteries as the (retired) Great Detective in this point and click adventure!

Wishlist on Steam | Itch.io Demo | Discord |

The game will be available for Windows, Mac and Linux.

🌸 Features!

Visit and explore a seaside town It's the  day of the village fete, a suspicious new neighbour has taken a lease on  a long-abandoned cottage and something strange is happening down on the  beach...

Interrogate and befriend a cast of eccentric characters

Make deductions and decisions. Puzzles often have multiple solutions, some of which may please your neighbours more than others.  What path will you choose? Who will you enlist  to help you?

Shape one of the most beloved literary partnerships of all time by choosing the form which the relationship between Holmes and Watson will take: are they dear friends, platonic partners, found family or a romantic couple?

Phone for help of you get stuck! Your older brother Mycroft is always ready to act as your consultant, just give him a call at his club if you need a hint. 

The lovely cover artwork is by @gooolabatooo Music by @sandygarnelle

[spicybreadproductions]

Our game has a trailer! Check it out and wishlist on Steam.

[artistotel]

i made a little game played with pen, paper, a dice and a pack of playing cards. its a two player epistolary rpg, and its free! check it out, let me know your thoughts, tell me if you play it! ;P

[bestlaidplansproductions]

Want to play a villainess isekai game where 1 of your love interests might murder you?

Try Save the Villainess' upcoming demo, which is = My Next Life as a Villainess + Knives Out.

See our links in our pinned post on our tumblr blog!

[prikarin]

Where Winter Crows Go's 1st Anniversary!

It's November 14th, which means it's been one year since Where Winter Crows Go's full-game came out!

All I can say is that I'm very grateful to everyone who's played this game, left a nice comment and/or review, or even supported me by buying it.

Your support motivates me every day and makes me think that my dream of being a full-time gamedev may not be so farfetched after all.

Thank you so much!!

Art by @antagames!!

[sweethoneyrose83]

 Rambleberry Juice Punch

 Ingredients:

- 1 cup raspberry juice - 1 cup blueberry juice - 1 cup blackberry juice - 1 cup cranberry juice - 1 cup orange juice - 1/2 cup lemon juice - 2 cups pineapple juice - 1 liter of sparkling water or club soda - 1/4 cup honey or simple syrup (optional, adjust to taste) - Fresh berries (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries) for garnish - Sliced citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, limes) for garnish - Ice cubes

 Instructions:

1. Mix the Juices: In a large punch bowl, combine the raspberry juice, blueberry juice, blackberry juice, cranberry juice, orange juice, lemon juice, and pineapple juice. Stir well to ensure all the juices are thoroughly mixed.

2. Sweeten (Optional): If you prefer a sweeter punch, add honey or simple syrup to the juice mixture. Start with a small amount and adjust to taste, stirring until the sweetener is completely dissolved.

3. Chill: Cover the punch bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour, or until thoroughly chilled. This allows the flavors to meld together.

4. Add Sparkling Water: Just before serving, add the sparkling water or club soda to the punch bowl. Stir gently to combine.

5. Prepare Garnishes: Add fresh berries and sliced citrus fruits to the punch for a beautiful and flavorful garnish.

6. Serve: Fill glasses with ice cubes and pour the Rambleberry Juice Punch over the ice. Add additional fruit garnishes to each glass if desired.

Tips: - Customization: Feel free to adjust the types of juices based on availability or preference. You can also experiment with other fruit juices like pomegranate or cherry. - Alcoholic Version: For an adult twist, add a splash of vodka, rum, or sparkling wine. - Herbal Infusion: Add a few sprigs of fresh mint or basil for an herbal note.

Enjoy your refreshing Rambleberry Juice Punch!