Play visual novel
Within the Beckoning Deep's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Story | #39 | 4.600 | 4.600 |
| Category: Music | #40 | 4.450 | 4.450 |
| Overall Experience | #54 | 4.600 | 4.600 |
| Visuals | #65 | 4.650 | 4.650 |
| Category: Cinematography | #79 | 4.100 | 4.100 |
| Category: Voice Acting | #110 | 2.600 | 2.600 |
Ranked from 20 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Content Warnings
blood, violence, alcohol references, drowning, and body horror
Log Line
Taking anything from the Siren's Cove would bring about a curse, but something washes onto shore that she can't ignore.
Team Credits & Cast
Programming/Writing: Wispna\n\nSprites: Eirin\n\nBackground/Monster Art: Wispna\n\nGUI: Eirin - Wispna\n\nMusic: BGMemon - Wispna\n\nSound: Wispna\nfreesound.org users: goldkelchen - YevgVerh - cdrk - bruno.auzet - Littlebrojay - ssierra1202 - Vital_Sounds\n\nMade with Ren'Py
Work Start Date
9/1/2026
Which engines and/or plugins did you use? (NaniNovel, Light.VN, etc.)
Ren'Py
University League Participant
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Comments
The aesthetic of your game is gorgeous. The main menu is a lovely start with the ambient sound. I would only suggest the idea that a different font for the main menu buttons might serve your aesthetic better.
The quality of the writing is impressive and drew me in. It felt well paced and contained lovely descriptions when warranted. The dialogue felt genuine.
The music and ambience never felt intrusive, only relevant and in partnership with the tones established by the writing and art style. Very well selected.
The cinematics with the townspeople was great, and honestly I could go on and on... This was a pleasure to read and investigate!
Would it be possible to make a video review of the game? I did a few last year and I'd love to include this one if that'd be okay.
Thank you so much for your lovely comment! I agree with your comment on the menu buttons and definitely want to give more love to the GUI of future games if we get the chance.
We would appreciate it so much if you put the time in to review our game! That would be wonderful!
Really good story, I liked all the turns and tides and revelations. It was really interesting to see the different sides of mermaids described by various characters.
The art and music were also good.
thank you so much!! I’m happy you enjoyed it ans the different perspectives of the characters
A beautiful story about mermaids and their world. The music is truly memorable because it pulls you right into the heart of the story, and the art fits it perfectly. I also really liked how the characters are introduced at the beginning: an overprotective father, a girl who feels the weight of that overprotection, and a hidden truth that changes everything. It kept me hooked until the very end.
I did notice a few transitions between musical tracks that felt a bit too abrupt and slightly jarring. The first one happened when entering the underwater city. Still, I think this might be the first visual novel I've played that actually sets the default volume lower than Ren'Py's usual maximum default! 😄
Congratulations on everything you've accomplished with this game!
thank you so much!! I’m so happy you enjoyed the story! I know what music transition you’re thinking about and I did want that situation to feel a bit off kilter, but I’ll reconsider if it felt too abrupt.
always happy to not hurt your ears with too loud of volume when you open the game
Reeeally liked this one! The art is simply awesome and the writing is good. In particular, I really enjoyed how the idea of merfolks was discussed, and how choices can lead to unpredictable outcomes. The music was also very fitting. Great job!
aaah thank you so much! I'm happy you enjoyed it and our take on merfolk.
I had a lot of fun with this one! I like how we keep going back and forth between subverting and confirming the idea of mermaids being vicious killers. We have Cordelia, a siren who tries to do the right thing, but she replaced an actual human daughter, and the motivations of the queen seem pretty bad. I like seeing a nuanced take on sirens, since the folklore is really cool.
aah thank you so much! I liked hearing your thoughts on it too, and I agree that the folklore of sirens has so much to work with
Oh, I loved this game so, so much! Such a charming little fairytale, with absolutely divine artwork. Truly a lovely, lovely entry--well done, team!
Thank you so much for enjoying our game!!
You can tell how I love dark fairytales and wow. It’s so beautiful! I love your artstyle and cough cough why do you make Acheaus hot he’s so hot why
Thank you so much for your kind comment and HEHEHE You've fallen for my Acheaus agenda >:D
Absolutely fantastic! I felt like a kid reading a fairytale. It was so atmospheric and unique and the story was amazing! 10/10 thanks for making such a beautiful game and sharing it!
Aaah thank you so much! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
Thank you so much for reading and for your wonderful comment!!
so cool !
thank you!!
Thank you!!!