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hahaha I was a technical product manager for years, so it’s just the way I think haha. 

I really enjoyed this! I loved how the story explored the characters' fears and insecurities, making the experience feel personal and unsettling in a way I wasn't expecting. It left me wondering what my own nightmare might look like, which I think is a testament to how interesting the concept is. The Halloween atmosphere was a great fit, too. Thank you for making this and sharing it with us! 🎃

I really enjoyed this little experience! The pixel artwork and atmosphere immediately caught my attention, but I was especially impressed by how much emotion and meaning you managed to convey in such a short story.

I went back to explore the different choices and endings, and I appreciate how the game encourages you to think about the impact your decisions can have on someone else.

I also really enjoyed the Reaper's characterization. There's something quite refreshing about the way you approached him.

Thank you for creating this, DDluz! I'm looking forward to seeing what you make next. 🖤

⚠️ SPOILER WARNING: This feedback discusses gameplay mechanics, progression, and endgame behavior. If you haven't played the game yet, I'd recommend playing it first before reading further!

First off, I thought this game was great and has a lot of potential! I really enjoyed the concept and the mechanics, and I had fun playing through it. I ended up doing multiple playthroughs to explore different outcomes, which is where I noticed a few things that I thought might be worth sharing.

I've split my feedback into gameplay suggestions and bugs/issues to make things easier to review. None of these suggestions are things that necessarily need to be implemented, but I figured I'd share my experience in case any of them are helpful while polishing the game!

🎮 Gameplay Feedback & Suggestions

1. Candy Identification: Pressing the Candy

The candy identification mechanic is fun, but pressing the candy currently seems to be the fastest and easiest way to identify bad candy. Since this method alone can identify the bad pieces, it can make the other inspection options feel unnecessary.

Suggestion: Consider giving each inspection method a distinct purpose. For example, pressing the candy could reveal whether it's firm or soft, but firmness wouldn't necessarily guarantee that the candy is safe. The magnifying glass could then reveal a different visual clue that identifies whether the candy is bad.

This would encourage players to use multiple inspection methods rather than relying on a single action to clear an entire bag.

For context, I used all three inspection methods during my initial playthrough because I didn't want to risk missing anything. However, when I did a second playthrough to record another ending, I discovered that I could simply press the candy and clear an entire bag in a few seconds. It made the process much faster, but it also highlighted how easily the other mechanics could be bypassed.

2. Eyeing the Candy vs. Using the Magnifying Glass

I'm not entirely sure what additional information the eyeing mechanic provides compared to the magnifying glass. At the moment, magnifying the candy doesn't seem to have a meaningful downside, and having to click the eye icon and then the magnifying glass adds an extra step without an obvious benefit.

Suggestion: Either make eyeing the candy reveal a distinct type of clue that can't be discovered through magnification, or consider removing the separate eyeing action altogether if the other inspection mechanics already provide enough variety.

The goal would be to make each interaction feel intentional and useful rather than adding an extra step to the inspection process.

3. Candy Collection and Objectives

Currently, collecting candy seems secondary to progressing through the game. As far as I could tell, it's possible to complete the game without collecting any additional candy beyond what's required in the tutorial.

Since the player has three strikes, there doesn't appear to be much incentive to take the time to bag candy unless doing so is tied to another objective or consequence.

Suggestion: Consider making candy collection a more meaningful part of the gameplay loop. This could be accomplished by introducing a minimum amount of candy that must be bagged, tying the collected candy to progression, or making the amount of candy available affect the outcome in some way.

4. The Timer and Trick-or-Treaters

One thing I noticed is that there's no apparent way to speed up the clock or end the candy-bagging phase early. Since the player needs trick-or-treaters to appear before the father can be distracted, this can lead to waiting around if the player has already finished bagging candy or decides not to collect any.

Suggestion: It might be worth allowing the player to go to the door and hand out candy to trick-or-treaters once they're available. Doing so could trigger the father's distraction and potentially reset the timer, allowing the player to move forward without having to wait for the entire bagging phase to finish.

5. Give Players a Reason to Collect a Certain Amount of Candy

Building on the previous point, I think the game could benefit from having a clear candy-collection objective.

For example, a set number of trick-or-treaters could arrive at the door, with the player having a limited amount of time to inspect and bag enough candy before they leave versus before they arrive. This would give the player a tangible goal to work toward and create a more interesting balance between identifying bad candy, collecting enough good candy, and managing the available time.

It could also introduce a meaningful trade-off: do you take extra time to inspect every piece carefully, or do you risk making a mistake to ensure you have enough candy ready? And how much time do you spend doing the investigation in-between?

I think this could help tie the candy inspection, bagging, timer, and trick-or-treater mechanics together into a more cohesive gameplay loop.

🐛 Bugs & Issues

1. Previous Playthrough State Prevents Progression (Browser/Web Version)

Observed during: Multiple playthroughs / replaying after a completed run.

There seems to be some persistent state or save data carrying over between playthroughs, even though there doesn't appear to be a way to save or load a game manually.

During my second playthrough, which I recorded, I intentionally gave bad candy to a trick-or-treater. This had a negative consequence and ended the run, as expected.

However, when I attempted a third playthrough to capture what happened when choosing a different option at the end, the game wouldn't let me progress because it appeared to remember that I'd given away bad candy during the previous run.

It seems like some state from the previous attempt is carrying over and preventing a fresh run from starting correctly. User must refresh game to not have this issue.

Possible fix: Clear or reset the relevant run-specific state once a run ends, or provide a way to start a fresh run without inheriting flags or consequences from previous attempts. I suspect some persistent state isn't being reset properly, though I can't say for certain how it's implemented internally.

2. Ledger Can Get Stuck on the Desk (Browser/Web Version)

Platform: Browser/web version.

I've encountered an issue with the ledger twice. If I don't click directly on the page, the ledger lowers without turning the page, leaving me looking at the desk with no apparent way to exit the interaction.

Once this happens, I seem to get stuck in that view and can't continue playing.

Possible fix: Make the page-turn interaction more forgiving, or have the entire relevant clickable area respond consistently. It might also help to prevent the ledger from closing until the page-turn animation or interaction has completed, while still providing a way to exit safely if needed.

3. Game Freezes Before the Final Choice (Download Version)

Platform: Downloadable version.

In the downloadable version, after reaching the end scene once, the game seems to retain some state from that completed run. When I try to play through again to select a different option, it freezes just before the final choice appears.

I tried this twice to see whether it was consistent, and both attempts resulted in the same issue: the game remained focused on the background, with no text appearing and no way to proceed.

This might be related to the persistent state issue mentioned above, although I can't confirm whether they're caused by the same thing.

Possible fix: Check whether the end-of-game flags, dialogue progression, or scene-transition state are being reset correctly when starting a new run. It may be worth testing whether completing one ending affects the ability to reach other endings on subsequent playthroughs.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I really enjoyed the game! I think the core concept is great, and there's a lot of potential in the candy identification mechanics and the different choices the player can make. I especially enjoyed exploring the different outcomes, which is why I ended up doing multiple playthroughs and noticed some of these issues in the first place.

These are just suggestions based on my experience, so please don't feel like you need to implement everything here. I wanted to share what I found in case it helps with balancing or polishing the game.

If you ever want someone to test potential fixes or try out changes to the mechanics, feel free to reach out! I'd be happy to give it another go.

Thanks for making the game, and I look forward to seeing what you do with it! :)

What a lovely little Halloween experience! I really enjoyed the idea of seeing Halloween from the monsters' perspective rather than our own. It's such a fun premise, and I appreciated how much personality came through in such a short story.

The artwork and presentation are especially charming, and I love seeing a first-time visual novel team put together something with this much character.

Thank you to the whole team for sharing this with us, and I'm looking forward to seeing what you create next! 🎃

Of course! I was really happy to play your game, and I'm glad the video was able to help identify some of those bugs! It's always great knowing that a playthrough can be useful to the developers as well.

I really enjoyed the experience, and if you ever decide to expand on the game or develop it further, I'd be more than happy to share some additional thoughts and suggestions if you're interested!

Thanks again for creating it, and I'm looking forward to seeing what you guys do next!

I really enjoyed the mix of humor, mystery, and that constant feeling that something wasn't quite right. The character designs were fantastic, and I loved how each guest had their own personality. The dialogue was especially entertaining, and I found myself questioning just about everyone at some point. 😂

I also loved that the game left me with a few lingering questions even after finishing. It's always fun when a story keeps you thinking about certain interactions afterward!

I'd definitely love to see more from this world if you ever decide to expand on it. Great work to everyone involved!

Thanks for the fun Halloween experience, and congratulations on the Spooktober release! 🎃

There's something really fun about never knowing exactly what you're going to encounter when you knock on the next door. I also love how the game captures that classic Halloween atmosphere while giving it a darker twist.

Thanks for creating this! I'd honestly love to see this neighborhood expanded someday, because there's so much potential for even more strange encounters and monsters!

Thank you for creating HostHarvest! I really enjoyed playing through it!

I went into this expecting a fun little Halloween game about sorting candy, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much more there was to the story. I especially enjoyed how the mystery gradually unfolded, with each new discovery making me more curious about what was really going on.

I also appreciated that the story had some interesting moral questions woven into it. It gave me a lot more to think about than I initially expected, and I was pretty satisfied with the ending I got!

Overall, a really creative Halloween experience with a great atmosphere and a surprisingly compelling story. I had a wonderful time with it, and I hope you continue creating games like this!

I really enjoyed this! The pixel art and atmosphere were fantastic, and I loved how much personality the bayou and its creatures had. The writing did a great job of making the choices feel meaningful without ever making them feel obvious.

I also really liked that the game gave you room to decide what kind of person you wanted to be as you moved through the story. I was very happy with the ending I got, but knowing there are multiple paths definitely makes me want to come back and see what I missed.

Wonderful work by everyone involved, this was a really memorable little horror experience.

I really enjoyed Vestige. I went in expecting the one-hour ultimatum to be the main source of tension, but I loved how the story gradually became something much more emotional. The conversations about Yichen, grief, memory, and what we leave behind hit harder than I expected, especially for such a short game.

I recorded my playthrough as well if you'd like to see my experience with it:

I also really liked the presentation of the mysterious figure and the subtle way his expressions/colors helped communicate what he was feeling. It gave the conversations a lot of personality without taking away from the atmosphere.

Thank you for creating this. Vestige is exactly the kind of short visual novel I love finding—something with a great hook that ends up having considerably more heart underneath it than you initially expect. I had a great time playing it!

Really enjoyed The Ferryguide! The humor was great, and I loved just how chatty the Ferryguide was — the conversations gave him so much personality and made it genuinely fun to keep talking to him. The voice acting was also really well done and added a lot to the character and the overall experience.

Thanks for making such a fun and memorable little game! I recorded my playthrough here as well:

Looking forward to seeing what you make next!

Thank you for creating BlinD EnDeavor! I really enjoyed the story, especially because Minhee’s obsession didn’t feel like a standard “obsessive character” setup.

I really enjoyed thinking about that dynamic after finishing the game. I recorded my playthrough as well if you’d like to see it: 

What made it more interesting to me was the fact that Rowoon should almost feel a sense of safety around her, simply because she’s one of the few people whose face he can actually see. That makes their connection feel much more complicated than just attraction or obsession.

It also made me wonder if that played into Minhee’s mindset too, almost like she could interpret their connection as proof that they were somehow fated to be together.

Thanks again for making it, I’d love to see more from you in the future!

Thank you for creating this game. It really stuck with me, especially because I know a few people who have gone through experiences similar to some of the themes in Eloise’s story. I think what you created is worth sharing, and absolutely worth playing.

I included my playthrough here, and I really hope you continue with this world and these characters. There’s something special here, and I’d love to see where the journey goes next.

Thank you so much! ❤️ And yeah, that actually lines up really well with how I ended up interpreting it while playing.

At first I thought the masks were going to be different people or separate identities, but once I started seeing Evelyn herself wearing them, it became pretty clear to me that they were different parts of what she was feeling.

I think where I was getting a little hung up was trying to figure out what each color specifically represented, like whether red was anger, blue was sadness, etc., when it sounds like the point is a little messier than that, with all of those emotions overlapping and contradicting each other at the same time.

I really liked that uncertainty though. It made Evelyn feel a lot more human, and it definitely left me thinking about her after the game was over.

Thanks again for making it and for watching the playthrough! ❤️

Ohh! Okay that makes sense! 

Fantastic story, and great artwork. I love her going through the different emotions as other masks to try on and see what fits. I tried another play through with different options and I think it only had a singualr ending regardless of option chosen? Either way it was a lot of fun. I've included my playthorugh below. I'd love to see what next you all work on :).

Wow! This is your first game in your dev journey? It doesn't feel like it. I love all the branching paths. I played through it and didn't record every option, but there was so many different paths even with just Prey option. It was pretty well done and the art is AMAZING.

This has been on my backlog and I wish I played it years ago because it is actually really good! The voice acting was really good and the dialogue was really good too!

Nice. That makes sense! Well I'm definitely keeping an eye out for anything else you all develop. I love the artistic take on it!

Wow! This was such a great game! I love the intro the most, the way it was artistically done before even getting on the boat. I wish there was more fishing to do. Like incrimentally you catch fish and you have some that you just can't place on the chart because it doesn't match anything 'normal' that you would get. But the overall dread from it is was greatly done. 

Nice  liminal space type of game, I love the loop effect on it and its a different type of take on a backroom game. Here's my playthrough of it:

I really enjoyed this game and the different endings! The personality test was pretty fun. I wish it played a little more into the story based off of what you got on the test, but that would create a lot of branching paths haha. I do wander if perhaps there could be a sequel depending on which ending was the true ending.