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No Late Returns's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Score | #87 | 2.875 | 2.875 |
Ranked from 8 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Log Line
Live out your dream of being a clerk at a VHS rental store. But beware, some dreams can turn nightmarish...
Content Warnings
Note: This warning is also available from the in-game main menu screen
THIS GAME IS ABOUT WORKING IN A RETAIL ENVIRONMENT, WHICH INCLUDES DEALING WITH THOSE WHO MAY BE CONSIDERED MEAN, RUDE, HOSTILE, THREATENING, OR VIOLENT TO YOU, THE WORKER. CHARACTERS AT TIMES WILL ENGAGE IN EMOTIONAL MANIPULATION OR CRUELTY. THIS IS A GAME ABOUT UNFULFILLED DREAMS, THE PERILS OF EXTREME LONELINESS, GRIEF OVER LOST LOVED ONES, AND THE DEPRESSION OF LOSING THE "BACKUP PLAN" LIFE YOU HAD LEARNED TO LOVE. THIS IS A GAME WITH SIMPLE GRAPHICS AND SIMPLE GAMEPLAY. THIS IS NOT A GAME OF COMFORT. BUT THERE ARE ATTEMPTS OF HUMOR.
SPECIFIC EVENT AND CONTENT WARNINGS:
ONE CHARACTER PULLS OUT A GUN AND POINTS IT AT THE PLAYER
A DOG IS LOST
BUYING AND SELLING OF HORSES
AN 8-BIT DEAD BODY
WITCHCRAFT
MENTION OF DEATHS
IDENTITY CRISES
MAY TRIGGER EXISTENTIAL DREAD
LOST FRIENDSHIP
"YOUR MOTHER" JOKES
A SHIRTLESS MAN WEARING STICKERS IN THE SENSITIVE AREAS
Team Members
SnakeWinter/Sydney Widow: Writer/Game Designer
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Comments
I probably spent a lot longer on this than I should have (I couldn't resist starting over and pissing off all the customers to see their reactions after first taking the time to actually find the right vids for everyone) xD But I had fun, haha. I don't think I've played anything quite like it before, and I actually found the first part of looking for the perfect rentals for everyone to be quite relaxing :3 Even if that's all there was, I would have been quite satisfied, so the stuff after that was like a bonus :D
I kinda know what you mean about ending up having fun with making different things and them becoming longer than anticipated cos I sort of ended up doing the same while working on my team's project, haha. I'd never tried to code anything outside of normal VN sorta stuff before, but I was determined to have a go at making an interactive phone, and wound up spending ages just trying to get everything on that right! It was so much fun though that I almost wish I could've made that the main game xD
Thank you so much! I'm glad someone played through it all and saw the different reactions. It was fun writing all the different movie descriptions and the different reactions. And it's great to hear it was relaxing is great, too. I used to have a job that was really repetitive and it could be relaxing in its own way.
Yeah, I had even planned on going further with the database in this, but was running out of time for another jam I was submitting it to. There was going to be a member database and missions related to it, and a training game on the computer. And I watched bits of some Blockbuster training videos and was going to have some missions related to in-store events I saw in the videos--like what to do if someone is injured in the store.
It's really fun learning how to make new things in a game and even more fun when they work correctly! I have another game that uses an inventory system where you can hold three items. It's not groundbreaking or anything, but it was fun to see it working as intended!
This was such a unique experience! The second part was probably my favorite, it reminded me a lot of RPG Maker games. The ending was a pleasant surprise!
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it.
I'll be honest: the more I played, the more the art style grew on me. By the end, I think that snowman could murder me and I would've loved it.
I spent more time drawing the snowman than on some of the other characters, so yeah, I probably should have put him to more use than being background scenery. Sequel, maybe.
I was working at a retail store, then I started playing a game about working at a retail store, and then I started playing a game inside the game about working at a retail store, but then it broke my perception of space and time, and now I can't remember if I'm in the retail store, the retail store, or the retail store.
I would pair this game with a #1 Grandpa mug filled with Everclear.
Hahaha, I should have gone a level deeper. Sequel, I guess.