First off, let me just say I adore your games and your artwork. It’s truly some of the best I’ve seen on itch.io, but I have to agree with a few of the comments that this one ends a bit too abruptly. I’m all for ambiguous endings, but there could’ve been a bit more to chew on, even if it’s just June’s final thoughts as she deals with whatever decision she made.
I just wanted a bit more, not necessarily an explanation about what’s happening (there’s enough narrative breadcrumbs that implicates some otherworldly entity in the ocean calling people into the water, at least that’s what I gathered), but moreso an elaboration on how the situation impacts June and how that ties into the game’s themes. Elevator Hitch for example did a great job nailing its ending while still leaving the machinations of its world mostly unexplained and its themes open-ended.
I’m also unsure how to feel about the central theme itself. Assuming it really is allegorical to the nature of friend groups, and learning to cut off toxic and self-destructive friends instead of letting them drag you down with them (based on June’s conversation with Ryan on Sunday night), it’s hard to reconcile the fact that their toxic attitudes felt more a result of the “curse” rather than their own free will.
Where we were meant to view June’s friends as toxic even before anything started happening? In which case the message doesn’t fully land as (imo) there wasn’t really anything separating June and Ryan from the other three, other than the fact that they weren’t affected by the “entity”. Or if this was meant to be a regular, perfectly healthy friend group that only soured as a result of the “curse”, then the decision to cut them off doesn’t quite feel earned. I think some additional character development could’ve helped make the game’s greater point more clear.
Still, the artwork was gorgeous as always, the vibes were immaculate, and this was some of the best use of tension and mystery in an Investigrave game yet. I just found out about Jackpot Crash Course and I can’t wait to play that too!