itch.io

Hi there! We’re currently working on a visual novel that’s in need of an unsettling ambient score. If you’re interested, please reach out to us at confusedvillains@gmail.com.

OMG thank you so much!! <33 Our artist has recently recovered from their hand injury, so the expanded release should be coming out by the end of the month - we hope you enjoy it!

On behalf of Angel: we apologise ;( Very unprofessional of them.

Thank you for playing!!

That’s entirely on Dave for being the worst at self-marketing ;]

Thank you for playing!

Aww, Lullaby would be touched <33 Thank you for playing!

This feels like a comment left by Hunter on an alt…

Thanks so much for playing - we’re glad you’ve enjoyed them!!

Thank you so much (from the writer)! Writing Angel was lots of fun, I’m glad you enjoyed them <3

SAME (<– from the writer)

We’re happy you enjoyed it!

Thank you for playing!! <3

Thank you - we’re glad you found Lullaby endearing!!

Thank you!! Can’t wait for the next Velox <3

Hi all! Just a quick update - the full version release date got pushed back, as our artist caught a nasty cold. We will publish the updated version once they’ve recovered. Thank you for your support and understanding!

Sorry for the late reply but omg thank you so much for such kind words - it really means the world to us ;___;

Awww thank you!! Hope you’ve enjoyed the update! <3

Thank you very much!! We’re glad you’ve enjoyed yourself!

Thank you so much!! We’re really happy you’ve had a good time <3

Hi there! We’re sorry to hear that you’re having downloading issues. It might help to check some of the fixes listed here: https://itch.io/post/597689/ There might also be a problem with insufficient hard drive space. Hope this helps! <3

Thank you so much for the kind words - we’re glad you’ve enjoyed our game! The art scope had to be limited due to the game jam’s time constraints and some technical issues on our artist’s side, but the full version will contain CG artworks for the demons. More content is going to be added in the upcoming update, so come back to check it out if you’re interested <3

Thanks for the feedback! An interactable button in the shape of a magnifying glass appears at the bottom of the laptop screen when a bio is displayed. You can progress by clicking on the button. We’ll make sure to enhance the button’s visibility in the full version to improve the player experience.

(MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD)

We loved this game so much!! It’s such an incredible take on the theme - the premise is fresh and unique and exciting, and the narrative absolutely lives up to its promises. The writing is so, so deliciously good - it’s evocative, and authentic, and painful - the world and characters feel real and lived-in. It’s incredible how quickly the game gets you attached to them - we’ve only just met these people (and not-quite-people) and we were already invested in all of their stories - Arnold’s and Lidia’s in particular absolutely destroyed us. The sense of inevitable doom was palpable, and made us feel so powerless and frustrated in the best way possible - all of the choices having their advantages and downsides made for compelling moral dilemmas. We loved Jesse, and we loved the Crossroad Keeper, and we loved their relationship - they had such heartwarming, genuine chemistry, and their conversations were so fun to eavesdrop on. They were just so lovable and charismatic. The pacing was also impeccable, with plenty of room for the story to “breathe” while also keeping the readers at the edge of our seats. Watching all the little pieces of foreshadowing fall together in the end has been extremely satisfying, especially given the flowers used in the UI - it was such a clever little detail.

Speaking of UI, we loved it to bits - we kept going back-and-forth between the save menu and the game just to watch the little animation - in general the game’s visual identity is very stylish and cohesive, and oozing with this, rustic melancholy feel. We also appreciated the variety in choice mechanics - figuring out how the promise-making and the riddles worked together was a super exciting “aha!” moment. The hint/answer system was a welcome addition - in our experience, almost all the riddles were very solvable, but for the one we’ve struggled with, using an in-game function instead of having to reference an itch page/text doc felt like getting a high five from the game.

We’ve had an amazing time - congratulations on your well-deserved first place!!

(MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD)

This game goes so hard - to have achieved this level of polish, cohesiveness, and aesthetic identity, in only 4 days? Incredible. The game oozes with personality, the 90s anime style graphics, the subtitles-style song lyrics, the stylish UI, all the little details in the background + bg variations as characters move around and interact with it, it’s all just so charming and brimming with personality. The programmer has done such a good job - the text effects and glitches really sell the sense of unease and darkness at the heart of the plot, and the point-and-click elements + integrating the choices into a pop-up poem CG, felt fresh and ingenious and immersive. In general the integration of writing/narrative with the gameplay/choice structure was so cool - it’s such a creative framing device, and it was really fun to “figure out” in hindsight/on second playthrough. (After finishing the game, we reloaded to the last save, tried to pick the other option, and audibly gasped at the result.)

Do we even need to mention the music?? This vn has one of the most impressive soundscapes we’ve ever seen in a jam game - having not one but multiple fully voiced songs, with actual lyrics, all of which are complete and utter bangers, is an extraordinary achievement, esp given the time constraints of the jam. Not only that - the songs were consistently plot-relevant and thematically resonant - and having a literal voice change in the “Golden Voice” ending (our favourite! we’re certified Quinn simps. it hurt us a lot) was such a clever touch. The musical variation really helped sell the bittersweet can’t-have-it-all of the endings, and emphasise how much of a different person Willow becomes in them - both artistically and interpersonally.

Thank you so much for this gem - and congratulations on your well-earned victories!

My god this was genius. Our writer went into it blind, and belly laughed through the whole thing. Absolutely lost it when the girlfriend’s sprite appeared on-screen. The sprites + bg were drop-dead-gorgeous - we dig all of those visual gags!

(MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD)

Gorgeously written, atmospheric, haunting piece! Seriously, the prose was impeccable - had to stop at several lines just to take it all in. We especially loved call 777, and laughed out loud at basically all of the “dead end” lines.

We really enjoyed how cohesive the visual style was, and the UI really pushed the game’s aesthetic to the next level. The solitary/deserted locations felt really melancholic, almost liminal, which did wonders for the game’s themes of detachment/isolation/death. The music was equally immersive - and the loud oppressive bang in the New Game+ ending was beautiful, and hit us at just the right line. The idea of a New Game+ is also really cool, and well-executed - particularly the name change!

We weren’t able to find credits for the photos used, which was a bummer - it would be helpful to know if all the visual assets used in the game have been original, or licensed/taken from free sources.

Glad you enjoyed these gal-pals ;3

Thank you! :)

You are so kind! I’m really happy you enjoyed it so much.

That is much appreciated! Thank you so much for playing.

Glad you enjoyed it! :3

(Thank you for the kind feedback)

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We were excited to play this VN after last jam’s PRETTYBOY Inc., and oh man it didn’t disappoint!

We loved it!! The story was gripping, the characters nuanced and believable, and their dialogue flowed naturally, and made Evade’s (possible) change of heart very compelling. The fairy tale framing device was handled extremely well - the reveal of its relation to the characters’ situation hit hard, and was well-foreshadowed. Much like PRETTYBOY the writing is intimate and introspective, and doesn’t pull any punches. The UI/textbox was a gorgeous sci-fi/art deco mix, and did a lot to subtly establish the atmosphere.

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The characters in this one were amazing! It’s super impressive how much you’ve managed to flesh them out over the course of one tabletop-gone-wrong. Our writer found Esra’s inner workaholic conflicts painfully relatable. Andy and Esra’s friendship felt touching, real, and “lived-in” - we would have loved to find out more about their joint backstory and the sources of Andy’s trauma (tentatively hopeful you’ll write more about them??). The division between narration/dialogue got confusing at times, but the writing was very strong and immersive. The background is absolutely stunning, and the sprites were expressive and full of personality! It would be awesome to see more reliance on “visual” storytelling when the art already builds a cohesive picture - for example, at the start of the novel, when Andy describes her own appearance, you could just jump straight into the part where she reflects on things that weren’t already visible in the sprite (like her sister’s opinions on her clothing).

The novel left us with a sweet melancholic feeling of wanting to hug and play tabletops… >_>

Absolutely in love with the writing and narrative in this one!! Both endings were hard-hitting and impactful, and the parallels and foreshadowing were top-notch. The UI was beautiful, and the music really build the atmosphere - it’s super impressive to have composed a soundtrack with so much personality in such a short timespan, especially while juggling the other elements of what makes this such an impressive solo(ish??) project!

. . . (MINOR SPOILER)

Extra ingenuity points for the use of changing pronouns as a symbol of humanisation + the flickering “its” to indicate lingering doubt/hesitation. It came off very authentic.

Ending 3 plot twist was genius. We were also charmed by the traditional/watercolour bird sprites!

We really liked the premise! The day/night slider visual looked awesome.

Aww such a sweet compliment, thanks so much!

Thanks so much!

Thank you so much! Our artist and writer really did such a great job with the time they had.

Ah… your praise does melt my heart, and yes I have always thought workplace bureaucracy and eldritch horror are a match made in heaven! Sorry for just getting around to replying to your comment, we’ve been working non stop to update the game to fix bugs, include new visuals, music, and audio and have just released the (probably final) update. Feel free to check it out if you have the time. And again thank you for playing :)

Hey thank you so much! We’re so glad our little game had such a big impact on you. If you are looking for more of the game we just released a big update that addresses bugs, adds new visuals and new audio to the game. Feel free to check it out :)

Deepest Grievances is a horror-comedy visual novel about the incomprehensible horrors of workplace bureaucracy, and the consequences of being a stubborn detective who refuses to give up on the case or put down the coffee cup. It features point-and-click adventure style elements and a cast of mysterious and obstinate characters.

Check it out here

This was a game made a few weeks ago for the Velox Fabula Jam, but we just released a major update that fixed the state the game was in a few weeks ago and is now a product we can be proud of.

With Deepest Grievances,

17 Confused Villains

Loved the twist! The tone was impeccable in hindsight. We all laughed a lot.