itch.io

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Ah okay. Is the secret ending the one where she reveals her name? (I got to that one) (OK imma move the rest of my response to the discord lol)

This was spooky! I definitely enjoyed the jumpscares, that slow zoom in to the reveal, the timing, the sounds. I really like the art style too, it's not too much detail or too little. The monsters all look so good! I love their design, really good in terms of both idea and execution. The fact that the monster appearances and doll's hiding place are both random really made me want to try out different paths; I wanted to see all the monsters frankly.

At one playthrough I returned to the kitchen and after the line "..salt water, just in case." it jumped to "You involuntarily try to..." line but I hadn't selected anything to give me a fright and make me start choking. It's a minor detail but thought to just let you know.

I've reached a couple of endings (hmm, how many are there?) and really enjoyed them. It's hard to think of any suggestions to improve the VN aside from the above line point... Maybe getting someone to just proofread in future? I spotted a few small grammatical errors, but honestly they're so minor. This is a really good VN, I hope you're proud of your achievement here; doing the jam solo, especially with so many endings, is no small feat! I liked it a lot; hope it gets more attention.

Ahh! Thank you! I'm so pleased you enjoyed it. I love Paddy, too. Paddy is precious. Thank you for the lovely comments. I look forward to playing your Spooktober entry soon too! <3

Thank you so much! It sure was a balancing act, and it didn't come out the way I planned it, but I'm glad it was ultimately enjoyable. :)

Thank you! I'm glad the writing seems to have resonated well with people, especially as it's my main focus and I wasn't very happy with it in submission. I'll be releasing an update which will clean up a few things I haven't had a chance to pre-submission, such as for the play experience around the prep and cooking stages :) Thank you for the feedback, and congrats on your awesome entry!

Thanks so much! I'm glad you had fun, and sorry if the bad ending pulled on the heartstrings. It did for me when I had to draw poor Paddy like that. Your comments are just lovely, thank you <3

Thank you for playing! And for leaving a comment! I really appreciate it. The accidental click has been patched up in the latest update, so no more missing the scene :)

It was a pleasure. Good luck with the jam results, and path to teaching!

Yay!

Oof I finished all the endings and just wanted more! Maybe another day or so passing where more strange things happen. I think for one of the playthroughs the MC's response to boss yelling felt a little abrupt, like I had maybe missed an earlier escalating encounter. There were many parts of the story I really like - the stories told by MC, the subtler references to eating and hair, the endings were great (I esp. like where the high trust one ends). This is such a great little horror VN! Someone mentioned vibes and yeah, the vibes are great. It strikes a really cool balance with different elements, and I wish there was a bit more I could ~eat~.

Thanks so much! I'm glad you found it enjoyable :) Your own entry is wonderful, I love it <3

Hi! Update to fix that is incoming, thank you for playing :) (Edit: fixed!)

Thanks so much! I'm working on a mini update that will be out soon, but the one after that will have the two recipes I hadn't had time to put in, and extra animations. So glad you enjoyed it! :)

No worries! Ah I heard about that lawsuit. The messaging about that behemoth was definitely not lost on me in the VN, lol.

Such a beautiful story, dealing delicately with a topic that is far from uncommon. I would highly recommend this VN for children as it explores the feelings, choices and consequences in such a gentle, accessible way. It doesn't feel like a lesson, but what it teaches is so valuable. It feels really authentic.

The art is so charming. I love how tactile it feels, from the little icons and settings page to the backgrounds. And the characters are so expressive! Nutmeg looks so squishable, love everything he's doing with his eyebrows.

The music fits so nicely with the scenes, and alongside the credits it brings the story to a nice, slow close. I really liked that as it just gave me time to sit and take in that ending.

An absolute gem of a VN, I hope it gets more attention <3

Woop, don't know where my original response to this disappeared off to (edit: ah in jam comments heh). Thank you! <3

I'm really glad you liked all these parts that brought it together, and that you enjoyed playing through it! Thank you for your lovely comments. They mean a lot :)

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it :)

Thank you! Yep, left hints here and there but still open to interpretation :)

No worries! I really enjoyed it.

A lovely story, with some really lovely visuals and attention to detail in the transitions and camera work. Unfortunately the game crashed on me, at 'You reach inside your pocket and turn it inside out, revealing the hagstone'. Hope there'll be a fix so I can finish it and update comment here, and rate it on the jam :)

adorable-slash-disturbing is exactly what I was going for, so this comment is bringing me inner peace. Thank you!

Just saw your comment on it; thank you (and good luck for judges' scoring)!

(spoilers)

A nice spooky story that I can definitely see being told around a fireplace. I was not expecting the monster to remind me of Carpenter's The Thing; creepiness success! I like the characters, incl. their easy flowing dialogue and expressiveness. And the music and sfx, including that heartbeat, really suit the tone. I like how the story had that broader message of sometimes it being better not to know, and I think it's really well contained in the story that's told. Two small suggestions - mapping the Main Menu to a different keyboard key as some keyboards don't have the Fn key, and having the keyboard controls either on the game's itch page (because I forgot the keys quickly) or having buttons/links on screen the whole time.  A fun and definitely creepy VN!

(spoilers) "I've got two bad knees and a mean left hook!" The dialogue in this game... I found myself chuckling quite a few times, and the setup and payoff with the truck at the end - something like 'he won't be getting it back, but it's gone to a good cause', and the wide shot. Just... perfect.

The theme of not wanting to leave your home is so nicely wound in the story, with the revelation of the cause of the quakes/deaths at the end tying it back to that. And the emphasis at the end on people, not buildings, and how there were people that the town forgot... I found it to be really nice storytelling.

It was a bit of a slow start; I don't usually play games with that pace but I hope people play to the end because it was so rewarding. The scene with the first dead body is where I quite suddenly felt the danger escalate. I really like the artwork, the backgrounds look so good and really help to tell the story of the lower levels of town vs the top. The character designs are charming and pop out of the background. The cutscenes were also awesome (love the monster's design <3 ).

That dastardly mouse's thirst for power and dominion is pretty insatiable! I like how he was straight up just a thug, like a villain with no inner turmoil or sad backstory. He just want the power. This was a fun and silly romp of a VN, with dialogue flowing easily, nice music playing in the background (not too distracting which is a thing I see in too many VNs), and really pretty art (also extra kudos to the artist for drawing alllll those coins). Fun VN!

Wow, what a journey. Where to even begin? This is so polished - great music that fits so seamlessly with the progression and isn't too distracting, UI that's enjoyable to navigate, voice acting that is just superb, story that slowly unfolds as pieces of the puzzle of what happened fall into place. I was reminded a little of Slay the Princess, where repetition is not as it seems, and there's a play with memory... (Also, what does Alan Wake say? It's not a loop, it's a <spoiler>). I loved the characterisation of An Old Friend and the complex relationship with the PC; the mix of love and desire for ownership and control was so interesting to read in their behaviour. And I love that each ending has consequences, and how in some endings the consequence is kind of numbed if I step into an immortal character's perspective.

Congratulations to the team on completing this absolute gem of a visual novel, and in the span of a month! You wizards.

Thank you! Yeah, it's a tricky thing to mix cosy-cute and unease. I was afraid it just wouldn't mesh in the end, but it looks like it did so I am so relieved. I'm glad you enjoyed it, people enjoying it is really the best I could ask for :)

I'm so glad you enjoyed it :) Paddy just wouldn't feel the same without your wonderful music, thank you! <3

And cool art style <3

Thanks for playing! Glad you enjoyed it. Yep, I have my eye on that potential accidental jump past the end scene, will be looking into it as part of the next update. Haven't heard of Harvey's New Eyes, checking it out

This looks really cool, I can't wait to play it.

Thanks so much, that really means a lot <3 I'm so glad you found it fun (making it also made me hungry quite often). Look forward to playing yours :)

Thank you :) Doubling up on reply to also say I'm eyeing your game and will play as soon as I recover from post-jam crash <3

Thank you, I'm glad you liked it! Info on a future update is on recent devlog; no plans to expand on single playthrough length but certainly more recipes and animation.

Hi everyone,

Really excited to announce the release of my first VN Paddy Makes Breakfast, for the Spooktober 2024 VN Jam. It's been such an amazing experience and I'm so happy to be sharing Paddy with you all. I hope you like him.

LINK: https://cindercritter.itch.io/paddymakesbreakfast

ABOUT:

Help Paddy make breakfast by finding and preparing ingredients, cooking, plating, and finally, serving. Paddy Makes Breakfast is a short visual novel with a mix of Hidden Object and Cosy Cooking game elements.

GAME FEATURES:

• Choose a breakfast (one available, two more coming soon)
• Search for the right ingredients
• Prepare and cook the ingredients
• Choose out of 3 plating styles
• Witness the fruits of your labour

Plus: 

• Original artwork and animation
• 3 Endings: good, neutral, and bad
• 15-20 minutes playtime

Fit perfectly in my little visual novel 'Paddy Makes Breakfast', alongside your other tracks (all credited in game page) <3

Worked perfectly for my game (https://cindercritter.itch.io/paddymakesbreakfast), credited on game page, along with the other tracks that work so well together. Thank you <3