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A jam submission

Carved by GriefView game page

A Narrative Cosmic Horror Experience
Submitted by Morrigan~Lokken — 2 days, 11 hours before the deadline
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Carved by Grief's itch.io page

Results

CriteriaRankScore*Raw Score
Overall#1783.6573.657
Creativity#1863.8043.804
Visuals#2313.7653.765
Enjoyment#2523.4613.461
Theme#3483.3823.382

Ranked from 102 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.

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Comments

Viewing comments 80 to 61 of 89 · Next page · Previous page · First page · Last page
Submitted(+1)

i enjoyed this a lot!!! its almost nostalgic for some reason?? i love the mix of drawn visuals and photo visuals, the sound effects were super good too! i love the music. 

Developer (1 edit) (+1)

I kind of hope its not nostalgic, considering the subject matter lol

also not sure what drawn visuals you're referring to, it's all edited photos


thanks for taking a look at it though!

Submitted(+1)

the style is nostalgic is what i meant!! 

and my bad, i thought there was some drawn in features (like the fuze box in the house). the edited photos are all stuning, they really do tie everything together! 

Developer(+1)

oh i did doodle a bit on some things that I patched together, I see. the fuse box I did add some lines to make it look less weird in the room

Submitted(+1)

ahh that makes sense!! well i really enjoyed that aspect of things too :3 

Submitted(+1)

I LOVED your game. To be honest, I'm not a fan of graphic novels, there are a lot of low effort ren'py games out there that are mostly boring, but I think yours is the first (or one of the first) that I really liked and that I felt invested in, interesting story, GREAT atmosphere, it made me think I was in that cabin with the pouring rain over my roof. Amazing job!

Submitted(+1)

Oh, I only got 2/4 endings, I gotta keep working, I'll surely come back later and finish it.

Developer

thanks for giving it a chance! I love to write and tell stories, and this one was very personal so I think that helped a lot.

appreciate the kind words!

Submitted(+1)

Oh my goodness, this was so well done
I've never been in a flood, and I can't imagine what it would be like beyond the work you've created.
This is no mockery, or exploitation. You went through a terrible tragedy, and everything you feel is valid.
I hope life will be kinder to you :)

Developer(+1)

Thanks for the kind words, and for giving this a go!

It was really helpful for me to write and process through this story, and it's really neat to see people enjoying this take on all of it. 

Submitted(+1)

Glad to hear it helped you, you deserve all the positive attention too :D

Submitted(+1)

Damn, this hits hard. Very atmospheric, amazing writing and I love the cosmic horror theme, a disaster like that does seem like a cosmic horror. WELL DONE!

Developer

thank you!

I have always loved cosmic horror, and I thought it would be the best fit for this kind of story.

It was cathartic to write, being so personal, but I'm so thrilled that people have gotten to enjoy it

Submitted(+1)

I realised I rated this, but I hadn't left a comment yet!

I just wanted to say that this is such a good, short narrative horror experience; your writing is impecicable. It was super atmospheric! I definitely recommend eveyone to check this out!💛

Developer

thank you! I was hoping i could prop my entry up with the writing and it seems to be true. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Submitted(+1)

I am a MASSIVE bitch when it comes to horror but still this phenomenal

the writing is so good and i can tell how personal of a story this is.

you did an amazing job!

Developer(+1)

thank you! I tried to keep it digestible and slow burning so that people that even folks that arent big on horror could get through it.

Glad you were able to give it a go, thanks for the kind words

Submitted(+1)

The game is very scary which is really important for a horror game which you did very well!

The Art and dialog/Grammar was Peak Shakespearian!

I enjoy horror games and I am intrigued to see your future projects! 

Developer

thanks a bunch Lizard! Shakespeare is a bit of a stretch, but I appreciate the compliment nonetheless!

<3

Submitted(+1)

I really love the writing in this. You have a way with words that makes the sory feel really visceral.

Developer

thanks! I've been writing stories for a while, I was hoping it would prop up my entry :3

Submitted(+1)

I'll admit, I am spooked easily, but this game's pacing was phenomenal; the narrative was long enough to give chills, and it never felt unnecessary or repetitive, I was hooked the whole time. Sorry for what happened to you, I find this game a corageous way to share such personal event and talk about a tragedy I otherwise wouldn't have known existed, congrats on the jam!

Developer

thanks for giving it a chance! Glad you got something out of it

I love all kinds of horror, but I really enjoy when you can sink into the atmosphere and get a slow burn that leaves you feeling it after. I was hoping for an unsettling experience with the writing for this, and I seemed to have nailed it based on the feedback I'm getting.

Submitted(+1)

I'm sorry for what you have to experience. My country has yearly flood too, and I hope it never reached that level of destruction. For the game, I love the atmosphere and sfx. It really brings out the horror atmosphere. I got lost in the deep woods for too long in one of the playthrough, though, but great game still!

Developer(+1)

yep, gotta be careful in the woods, they'll get ya!

(currently its just a step counter to escape, but I have been considering adding more to that section later)

Thanks for giving it a go, and I too hope you don't have to see this level of destruction, it was heartbreaking.

Submitted(+1)

I don't usually like these types of games but I was really invested into this one! The story is great, I really loved that you made a game to deal with grief, I think it adds a very personal touch to it and you can sense that when playing.

Multiple endings in a jam game is amazing, I replayed the story several times to get more!

Good job!

Developer(+1)

thank you for the kind words, it was very personal. I think that has actually helped the game along with a lot of folks.

I wanted to make sure I had enough content for a good 10-20 minute playthrough, so I knew having multiple endings and replay value would be key

glad you enjoyed it, thanks for giving it a chance!

Submitted(+1)

There is so much to say about this absolute gem of a game, and it goes to show how important good writing and delivery is for immersing people in your art. I have been a huge fan of Lovecraftian horror since I was a tiny potat, and I love when such stories manage to create an unsettling dread of the unknown. The fact that this is based on real life trauma makes it such a powerful story. Learning that Morrigan has played a lot of TTRPGs came as no surprise :)

Developer(+1)

Again, thank you so much for letting me watch you okay this on stream, I was bubbling with excitement that you were enjoying it! 

That was a really magical moment. Thank you so much for the kind words!

Submitted(+1)

You’re welcome, and they are well deserved :)

Submitted(+1)

This was an incredibly heartbreaking story, I'm so sorry you had to experience that. While I haven't actually been a victim of a natural disaster, I did live in Kansas for a long time which was a part of tornado alley. Spring was never a fun season, it was the season of constant alarms to take cover or be swept away and crushed along with all your loved ones. Occasionally buildings within my small town would be broken or swept away, but hearing about other locations that became victims instilled a deep and constant fear of death in me. I can't imagine actually experiencing it. 

Again, spectacular game and storytelling, and the visuals and sound design provided a great aid for your beautifully carved words (no pun intended!). I really liked that you put the true story at the end to spread awareness, and I hope you continue your career in game making and story telling for years to come. Amazing work!  

Developer(+1)

Aww thanks frozen! 

I lived in Alabama for a year and Tornado season was no joke either! Nature is powerful and scary at times. 

I'm so glad you enjoyed your time with my story! Thanks for the kind words!

Submitted(+1)

I liked this a lot, well done!
I couldn't turn the skip button off though so I did miss a bit while trying to get the last ending

Developer

In theory it shouldn't skip anything you haven't already seen but sometimes it's tricky. It's part of the TB engine I used and I'm not sure if I have any control over it.

Glad you enjoyed it though! Thank you so much for playing!

Submitted(+1)

These kinds of games arent usually by thing but I looove the art style, the atmosphere and the fact you have multiple endings. I also like that the whole game has a bit of weight to it, if that makes sense? Really good job uwu

Developer

Thanks for checking it out Val! 🩷

Glad you gave it a chance and enjoyed it!

Submitted(+1)

Very interesting game. I got ending 4 on my first playthrough and what a wild ride that was!
I like how parts of it felt like a text adventure where you explore around the area. The visuals and subject of grief reminded me of some tense moments from my own life and put me in weird mood tbh. Still, one of the better visual novels I've seen during this game jam!
Great work and thanks for sharing :)

Developer(+1)

Thank you! The goal was to be unsettling and u uncomfortable,so glad to hear that landed! Hopefully it didn't dredge up anything too painful.

It was really cathartic for me to write and process, it's still really cool to me that it's resonating with so many people in the jam ☺️

Submitted(+1)

You're welcome! I mean, it was too painful at the time, but not so much anymore. 😅🤷‍♂️
I'll go one step further though and say that I think this game counts as art because of its ability to convey  a personal experience while causing the player to have their own emotional response to it. Very subjective and hard to pull off, but very cool! 

Developer(+1)

aww thanks! that's a really awesome compliment!

Submitted(+1)

Alright so I'm a sucker for narratives (making one myself) so I wanted to try some story based games. Yours might've hit me the most so far. Great dialogue and visuals along with beautiful sound design really made this one stand out to me the most. I definitely stayed to get all the endings and play it through 100%, and wanted to say that I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it! Thank you for sharing your story and by all means keep making games!

Developer

Thank you so much! 

I love telling stories, and this one was very personal, so it's so heartwarming to see people resonate with it and enjoy it. Glad you stuck around for all the endings!

Submitted(+1)

Pretty good game! Though, I wasn't quite sure how to get the last ending lol.

Developer

The third and fourth endings are linked, so if you get #3 then you just need to come back to that choice and pick the other option.

Submitted(+1)

Very eerie and ominous.

Also, I'm sorry to hear about your circumstance. I don't know what to say.

Developer(+1)

Thank you! I was able to make peace with a lot of it by writing this story. It's weird what things can help you heal.

Submitted (1 edit) (+1)

Wow, I really enjoyed this! Not sure if I've actually played a text adventure before but your storytelling was really great, really put me in the moment and inspire me to tell my own stories, cosmic or personal. We were hit with Hurricane Harvey in my area pretty bad, luckily my city wasn't worst hit and not too much personal damage but I still think about it to this day and how much it affected so many people. I can't imagine how horrible that must've been for you. Thanks for making this game!

Developer

thank you for giving it a go!

It was very cathartic for me to write this story out and make something with it. 

Storms like that are unreal at times, its wild to face down nature's fury like that.

Viewing comments 80 to 61 of 89 · Next page · Previous page · First page · Last page