Skip to main content

Indie game storeFree gamesFun gamesHorror games
Game developmentAssetsComics
SalesBundles
Jobs
TagsGame Engines
A jam submission

My Mother & MeView game page

A daughter visits her deceased mother to pay respects. They share a hidden past that’s about to come out of the grave.
Submitted by JOS87 (@JOS87games) — 3 days, 9 hours before the deadline
Add to collection

Play game

My Mother & Me's itch.io page

Results

CriteriaRankScore*Raw Score
Emotional Engagement#14.3474.347
Lasting Impression#123.8373.837
Characterization#133.9593.959
Overall#223.6703.670
Overall#423.5923.592
Mental Engagement#762.8162.816
Atmosphere#903.4693.469

Ranked from 49 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.

Leave a comment

Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.

Comments

Viewing comments 40 to 21 of 45 · Next page · Previous page · First page · Last page
Submitted(+1)

I was not expecting that from this game. I was originally going to make a comment about how it would be nice if there were occasional dialog options to make it more interactive/interesting, but I quickly found out they were not necessary for this game to properly portray it's story. Incredibly well made and written.

Developer(+1)

Thank you!

Submitted(+2)

Just echoing what others have already said, the ZZT style somehow made the story even more raw and honest. Games like yours really hammer home how powerful a game narrative can be, well done :)

Developer

Thank you, that means a lot!

Submitted(+1)

I'm speechless,  definitively the main arc of the story is brutal. Even the ZX Spectrum vibes makes it interesting at the very first steps. But after a minute the story overtakes the focus. Congrats! This is a huge    job! and a big hug!

Developer

Thank you! I appreciate you sharing your experience, I was pretty fussy with the story's pacing and I'm glad you found it effective.

Submitted(+1)

Ok that really scarred me, honestly I could complain about the graphics, but the story really hits hard for me you don't need a good art in order to create a strong story, cause it's already strong and it hits me especially when I lost my dad and I really cared about my family so much, when the abuses  starts it's nothing but pure stress, cause you can't do anything on that situation.

A really short, and simple game, but a strong story, F*CK it really hit hard like a truck, you honestly deserved some love, please take care yourself <3.

Developer(+1)

Thank you! 

Submitted(+1)

That was tough. Very well told. The lo-fi art and audio amplified the emotional dread. The game feels autobiographical, if it is I send you a very big hug, if it is not I send it to you anyway because you treated very well an extremely difficult subject.

Developer(+1)

Thank you! I appreciate the big hug, but yeah I think regardless of any potential autobiographical elements I just hope it gets people thinking about and discussing these tough topics. Like one person I've known for a decade played it and afterward they opened up about their childhood, I think it was a good experience for them and it sparked a really good conversation. That was what my hope was with this one.

Submitted (1 edit) (+1)

This was a story told extremely well. It feels so horrifically real - the mention of the grandfather's drinking, casual verbal abuse, the mother lashing out at the daughter later, comparing her to the father, her guilt, just everything. Every new scene, I felt a pit in my stomach dreading what was next. The characters are also very well written.

I'm glad that you chose a more "simple" art-style. It does its job well but still leaves out the gory details that a realistic art-style wouldn't have.

This kind of story requires some finesse and I think you managed it well. Good job!

Developer(+1)

Thank you, that means a lot! I'm glad you dissected all the little details, that tends to be how I analyze texts and I think it informs how I make anything creative. I get pretty fussy about what small bits go in and which are too baggy or unnecessary. 

(+1)

This game is very emotionally charged. Extremely well written story and the simple visuals mesh well with the dramatic content. It was engaging the entire way through and the music was at times, gut wrenching as you traversed the past. Thank you for the experience! 

Developer

Thank you!

Submitted(+1)

Wow - it was heavy. You did a great job storytelling - and even if the graphic is minimal the narrative works. I can't say I liked it (I guess it wasn't supposed to be pleasing) but congratulations (and the final lofi music is a nice touch)

Developer(+1)

Thank you! Yeah, I think drama/melodrama stories aren't really for everyone, but I'm always attracted to the kind of feelings they evoke and the messages they can share. I'm glad you still appreciated it!

Submitted(+1)

Good dark narrative, I enjoyed going through it. The art was a bit weird at times, and the audio design was sometimes questionable, but that doesn't take away from it much. It was a story that felt real and was conveyed well.

Developer

Thank you! Yeah, a lot of the sound and art designs were based entirely on personal preferences related to things I loved about retro NES and PC games from the early 90s, specifically ZZT as the game mentions in the credits. I know it won't be everyone's cup of tea, but everything is done with a specific reason and intent here. Glad you enjoyed it either way!

Submitted(+1)

Woah, this is quite graphic and "in your face" despite the simplified visuals. Sad and vile story, especially for those, who met that kind of behaviour in real life. However, hopefully there's always a better end/life development. Really loved the sound design and how you directed the game overall.

Developer(+1)

Thank you so much!

Submitted(+1)

Good storytelling, the story told here is very harsh, I hope it's not autobiographical.
It brought me feelings of sorrow and anger.
well done

Developer(+1)

Thank you! Regardless of any potential autobiographical stuff going on, I think it's a story worth telling.

Submitted(+1)

You have a real talent for storytelling. Even if the art is simple, I was hooked to the story. Great work on the narrative corridor too, that was a really good idea. The music fits well to the atmosphere. 

Overall, this is the game I've had, by far, the most emotional engagement. Well done, you got me by the feels.

Developer(+1)

Thank you so much! 

Submitted(+1)

This was really powerful! I think the simple graphics make the dark story even more effective. Really well done.

Developer(+1)

Thank you! 

Submitted(+1)

Wow that was a very well done dark story, yet realistic that resembles families in real life. I'm sure some people will feel very emotional about it as it can be easily relatable to their own lives. Emotional relatability like this goes a long way in game development, so good job! I think you did that very well. My only gripe is the some of the SFX/Music was a bit piercing and "scrambled" sounding so I had to turn it down really low. But overall good job!

Developer(+1)

Thank you! Any of the voiced audio is intentionally bitcrushed to sound like compressed voice samples from NES games. My good friend did the Adlib sounding parts of the soundtrack, and some of the parts like in the violent hallway sequences do have some piercing sounds for sure. Glad you still enjoyed it. I hope people who relate to it can get something out of the narrative, but even if they don't I hope it just gets them thinking about these kinds of topics you wouldn't normally discuss at a dinner table.

Submitted(+1)

Wow. Really good use of the medium, especially the forced narrative corridors.

I have a small nitpick regarding the gameplay:
Moving by clicking around with a follow camera meant that I kept holding down left click to keep moving, but that also meant that when a dialogue came up, half the time I would dismiss it without reading it because I didn't stop holding left click in time. It should be an easy fix to cancel/ignore the input when dialogue appears.

Btw the credits really took me by surprise and the song was just perfect to complete the story and the emotional journey, it just fit so well.

Developer(+1)

Thank you! I’ll disable the hold action button to skip dialogue in a post jam build. I actually only tested it with keyboard and controller, thanks for letting me know.

Submitted(+2)

Holyyy the story... goodjob on making this, it's very different from everything I played and it was amazing i loved it. Great work!!

Developer

Thank you!

Submitted(+1)

Can't believe you made me cry. What a story! Really shows you dont need fancy graphics to tell a great story. The unique visuals, music, story, all fits very well together. Well done!

Developer

Thank you! 

Submitted(+1)

An emotional and dark story. I like it! The music/sounds fit the scenes perfectly, for example the noise during the dark scenes. I also like the graphics since I think they give a feeling of false happiness.

Developer(+1)

Thank you! One of my good friends makes a lot of chiptune music, and for the noise during the scenes you're talking about I commissioned him to make something that sounded violent. I think he did a really good job with that one.

Submitted(+1)

Amazing story telling and sensibility to talk about deep themes. Very original graphics and sound. 

Great game!

Developer

Thank you!

Submitted(+1)

That was harrowing. But in the way it should have been.

Well done on creating such an intense and immersive experience. If any of that was inspired by personal events, insert a huge digital hug here - that's a lot to have gone through.

I'm so glad you commented on our game because I might not have engaged with this otherwise, but I'm really glad you did. It's a masterclass in telling a story. Even the limited art style actually served it really well, as I found it was oddly more visceral as it drew from your own personal imagination.

Developer(+1)

Thank you so much for the kind words, I'm really flattered. I think regardless of any autobiographical elements, the important part is opening up a discussion about these tough topics.

Viewing comments 40 to 21 of 45 · Next page · Previous page · First page · Last page