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bwd: the invisible companion's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Most Heartfelt Award | #2 | n/a | n/a |
| Community's Voice | #90 | 3.153 | 3.250 |
Ranked from 16 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Creative Vision / Rationale / How Did You Incorporate the Theme
Full Build Download Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/15tkNDeaGvS169DUmMypfi-CWlvVhX0Ox/view?usp=sharing
View Game Walkthrough:
https://vimeo.com/1151513358?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci%E3%80%91
bwd: the invisible companion explores grief, disconnection, and reconnection through a sensory-driven experience. Set on a magical grassland, the game follows Goust, an invisible ghost dog who has died, as they try to help their living friend feel the presence of companionship again. Our vision is rooted in the belief that relationships are formed through shared sensations: seeing, hearing, touching, and responding. As long as Goust can gently affect their friend’s senses, they are not truly gone.
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Comments
A fairy-tale art style with a warm, moving interpretation of connection.
Despite being a story about sad separation, starting from the perspective of the one who departed fills it with love. The experience felt incredibly calm and healing.
Regarding the guidance confusion mentioned by others: I actually felt it fit the narrative. Trying to reconnect and lead a companion out of grief is a difficult task where you often don't know where to start. It naturally requires trial, error, and waiting.
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很喜欢！童话一样的画风和故事，温暖动人的对连接的诠释。
明明是悲伤的离别，但视角却从离去者的爱开始，玩起来非常平静和治愈。
引导确实有一些让人困惑，但我认为这反而很契合——尝试重新连接、带领伙伴走出悲伤，本来就是件不知从何做起的难事，需要大量结果未知的尝试和等待。
This is such a precious idea <3 good job!
I WANT TO VOTE FOR THIS, IS THE VOTING THING OVER? I CAN'T FIND WHERE TO VOTE
Haha thank you so much for the good review!If you’ve submitted an entry to #thatgamejam, you should be able to vote for us. There’s a Rate this game section right above the comment area. Voting will be open for another 18 days, so there’s still plenty of time!
That said, if you’re not able to vote, that’s totally okay too. We have already felt your kindness and support via words! 💛
awwwwww such incredibly adorable dogs! The visual style is very unique—the ghost’s trail on the grass makes controlling a transparent character feel clear and easy. Starting the game in a graveyard is a great storytelling choice. It quickly sets the mood and helps players emotionally step into this sad beginning.
The red flowers that release a scent to attract the white dogs are a really nice idea. However, one slightly frustrating point is that the blue and yellow flowers look like important points of interest but don’t seem to have any actual gameplay effect. This is especially true for the blue flowers, which have a contact animation similar to the red ones. This can make players think there might be some hidden mechanics, but in the end, there aren’t.
If the gameplay is meant to be more exploration-focused, as I understand it, it might help to more clearly separate objects that affect gameplay from those that are mainly for atmosphere. For example, the blue and yellow flowers could be less visually highlighted. A small amount of weak guidance could help players feel less confused while still keeping the sense of discovery.
Thank you for taking the time to write such a thoughtful and detailed comment, and thank you again for all the love you shared for our game! We really appreciate how constructive your feedback is, and we’ll definitely take this into consideration as we continue polishing the experience and clarifying the balance between atmosphere and mechanics.
It’s been a real pleasure talking with you, 希望我们能在游戏开发和设计的旅程上继续星月协奏！ ✨
An incredibly cute game! I loved the art style and story! However, I was a little confused about what to do to progress, especially when interacting with the big hill at the center. I think the control suggestions were bugged, maybe? Either way, I really enjoyed it. From one grassland game developer to another, nice job!
Hi Chriangle, I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed the game even with some missing tutorial arcs! We planned more buildup before the moment when Goust destroys the grave, and your feedback is super helpful for us moving forward :D High five and wish you a good result!
Wow, very cute and cozy game. I admit in the beggining I was a little lost on what to do BUT I managed . Dispite that lack of user orientation I think it is a beautifull experience , simple controls and some good concept/menaing behind it! Great game and hope to see more!
Awww good job figuring out how to be an invisible puppy on your own!
We’d love to hear more thoughts on how we can improve onboarding, as we do intend for players to experience some difficulty while learning to act in their new form, but not feel frustrated or punished by it. Either way, the team really appreciates your feedback, love, and kind words!
Pretty cool game with a unique art style. Having the grass part to show where the invisible character is, was a nice touch
Thank you so much for your kind words! That’s actually exactly what we were trying to explore, the how to make an invisible player controller feel good. I’m really glad that came through!
Very cute little game!
Thank you! I like your game a lot as well, easily quirky and fun!
Wow this game is beautiful~ Really enjoyed my time playing it! It was a little confusing on what to do, but I liked exploring the environment, so I figured it out eventually. Great work :D
Thank you for taking your time with our goust and friendog : D The WonderLawn appreciates you!