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Cannot BELIEVE I didn't play this sooner, it was such a lovely epistolary journey through the start of these two characters' relationship! I absolutely loved the ability to read between the lines of their respective letters through seeing the shifts in their expressions. There was such great humour throughout, and I felt I got to know Harold and Hawley so much better through this game! Encore  👏👏

A very cute little game! I definitely enjoyed the wealth of unique camera shots and sequential images that helped bring some life to the story and the surprisingly wholesome budding romance.

Loved the end credits treatment too, it was nice to have a glimpse of their date the next day :) 

Great work!

(Copied/expanded on my comment from the game page.)

I enjoyed every second of this game and am still reeling from how beautifully told the story is! Its art style and use of motion was striking from the get-go and the protagonist's plight immediately intrigued me. 

At many points I stopped and thought to myself how well the music and sound effects went with every moment, and I loved the use of camerawork in the hallway--a really smart move in maximising the assets you have for effective storytelling. I also liked the use of vignettes to frame and block off different parts of the screen to emphasise or conceal characters and background details. The rest of the camerawork also accompanied the story well, and I can't wait to see what will happen if you push it further for future projects. 

I'm quite satisfied with the ending I got but would be so curious to see the other two--but for now I'm happy with the impression I have of it all :)

Amazing work, all of you! 🎉

I enjoyed every second of this game and am still reeling from how beautifully told the story is! Its art style and use of motion was striking from the get-go and the protagonist's plight immediately intrigued me. 

At many points I stopped and thought to myself how well the music and sound effects went with every moment, and I loved the use of camerawork in the hallway--a really smart move in maximising the assets you have for effective storytelling. The rest of the camerawork also accompanied the story well, and I can't wait to see what will happen if you push it further for future projects.

Amazing work, all of you! 🎉

I really enjoyed this! It was charming from the get-go and hooked me with great characterisation and vibrant 1920s setting (I'm a fan of anything historical.) There are a lot of great tasteful choices made here, from the GUI design with its limited palette to the writing voice and integration of 1920s slang in contexts well-primed for modern players. The use of the backgrounds was simple but effective, and while different from the character art style, still conveyed each location nicely.

I'd be excited to know if there are plans for sprites of James, Elsie, and Cherry down the line! It's lovely to see those supporting characters be so prominent and fleshed out (especially featuring a constructive relationship between ex-partners) even in the short span of the demo.

I was already looking forward to the voice acting and it very much enhanced the story, complementing the delicate art style and character chemistry. They all sounded distinct and fitting, and I want to hear more of everyone!

Great work 💖

Can't imagine how inundated you all must be if you're closing them so early, thank you for your hard work!  🫶 💖

Ahhhh thank you!! 😭 This is all such high praise! The heartfelt nostalgia is really something I wanted to push with the sepia and story and everything so I'm glad it came across 🥰

The silhouette shadow thing was a real stroke of inspiration, I added it so last minute but I think it was the last element that part of the game was missing! Really grounded that visual, I think.

And omg, I was in disbelief over the music and voicing myself! Henri and Max did such an amazing job with what I gave them in so little time, it helps that we'd worked together on OSAS already but I was still in awe! The emotionality is just so on point thanks to their contributions 🥺

I hope you do enjoy the rest of the OSAS demo! 😆 Here's to the slow, slow burn ahead before they can get to where Confluence has them!! 💖

Thank you v much for playing it! 😊 I love a bit of fancy renpy camera work, so I'm really glad it was effective here!

I'm so happy you did, thank you!! 🥰 (I'd pay for a full game of this too ngl)

Thank you so much! 💖 I'm in a little disbelief I pulled it off myself 😂 Warm and cozy was definitely the vibe, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

A really sweet little story! I enjoyed the wholesomeness of the walk down memory lane Allin and the MC take, bonding over the MC's grandma!

I especially liked the lighting on the sprite and the window behind him to match! Thought it was a great detail :) Nice work!

Seeing that chibi of them on the game page hits so differently after playing the game 🥺 Really lovely short story and I loved the colour palette in it! It made for a very ethereal and emotional experience, great work :)

Loved this game! It's so short but manages to exhibit a lot of nuance of emotion in how you handled the back-and-forth. There are such great creative decisions made here. The player/priest having to choose every response definitely made the conversation weigh a lot more, like much more responsibility rests on the player's shoulders as to what comes from the confessional!

I wasn't able to find Ending 1 but got 3 several times... Don't know what that says about me?? 😳 Either way, amazing work!! 

I agree with everything here honestly, the music immediately set the right tone and I'm also still listening to it! 😂 

Such a sweet game with great use of the jam limitations to its advantage! I loved how natural and personalised the dialogue felt and was ooh-ing and aah-ing at the little UI and scripting animations throughout! I hope they did manage to get more than McDonalds that night 💖 

So for the game the image assets can either be:

1 Sprite and 1 BG OR 1 CG

But not:

1 Sprite, 1 BG, and 1 CG?

Hi there! Back with a question about the single CG Illustration: 

The rules state the illustration may be used in place of a sprite + background. Does that mean the CG must be the only image onscreen when it is displayed?

I got a bit confused by the wording and wasn't sure if I could only have a sprite/background OR a CG illustration, but I assume it means the above.

It is a looping one yes, thank you!  Excited to make it happen :)  👍

Hi! I have a question regarding the background art rules:

The rules and FAQ say one background/time of day/location, which should not change the scene significantly when zoomed into, but I'm planning on having a single rotating background that makes use of silhouettes (like a cityscape) that aren't actually indicative of where the game is taking place because the game will mostly be location agnostic character monologue.

The background is planned to rotate constantly without shifting to different parts of the image to match the writing itself.

A very nostalgic feeling game with the graphics, old-school transitions, and music to match! I can tell a lot of care was put into setting up the story, perhaps in preparation for a shoe to drop later on...? But that could just be me. There's nothing undelightful about this game as far as can be seen!! 😄 

Hey there! If you click the "Download Now" button in this devlog it will take you to the main game pagewhere you can download the guide by itself in the files section. Hope that helps!

My heart still feels like it's suspended in my chest! The story was very short and... maybe not sweet, but effective! It packed in just enough information about the characters and the world to make the end all the more shocking! 

I really enjoyed the attention to detail on the visual effects--they really helped elevate the suspense and made for a great cinematic presentation alongside the music and SFX. I also enjoy the UI choices made for the game, with the "static" effect and font usage making everything very tone-appropriate and cohesive.

Also, I love a good concept art gallery! It's so cool to see how the visuals were made.

This was an awesome story!! Congrats to the team on a job well done :)

My heart still feels like it's suspended in my chest! The story was very short and... maybe not sweet, but effective! It packed in just enough information about the characters and the world to make the end all the more shocking! 

I really enjoyed the attention to detail on the visual effects--they really helped elevate the suspense and made for a great cinematic presentation alongside the music and SFX. I also enjoy the UI choices made for the game, with the "static" effect and font usage making everything very tone-appropriate and cohesive.

Also, I love a good concept art gallery! It's so cool to see how the visuals were made.

This was an awesome story!! Congrats to the team on a job well done :)

This game already looked great in the making, and it all came together so well! The story was short but effective, and I appreciated the questions it left Lavinia with.

The star of the show here is, of course, your art! The art direction was very tasteful. The range of sprite poses and usage, along with the interactive comic style and panning background, made for a really immersive setting. I especially enjoy the transition between settings using the background--from the forest to the cave entrance to the cave itself, it worked very smoothly and was a really smart choice!

Amazing work, congratulations on this spooktober success! :)

(Comment copied over from the Jam submission comments!)

This game already looked great in the making, and it all came together so well! The story was short but effective, and I appreciated the questions it left Lavinia with.

The star of the show here is, of course, your art! The art direction was very tasteful. The range of sprite poses and usage, along with the interactive comic style and panning background, made for a really immersive setting. I especially enjoy the transition between settings using the background--from the forest to the cave entrance to the cave itself, it worked very smoothly and was a really smart choice!

Amazing work, congratulations on this spooktober success! :)

I laughed, I cried 10/10

A small but heart-wrenching (and nicely polished) visual novel with a relatively simple story but an impressive depth of world-building around it! Emil and Emilia's story contains so much more than I expected, and I loved being able to find more context in the ending cards and story. Thanks so much for making this <3

A whimsical and macabre run-in with the Grim Reaper. Nice overall aesthetic and an interesting character study! Great work <3

Bittersweet and complex, with art and atmospheric effects to match. I felt as though I learned a lot about the player character as well as Gad, and the story, though short, was well developed! Encore!!

A fun little game and quite challenging to play! I love games inspired by letter-writing and it was fun to cobble together amorous phrases. I only lasted 9 days, but they were a fun 9 days.

This was my first delve into the Bertram Fiddle universe, and it was delightful! The story was full of quirky personality and unexpected turns, and each ending I encountered made me want to go back and see what else would have happened had I chosen a different fate. Thank you for making this!

Thank you for this guide and the linked resources! They definitely helped confirm some decisions I've been considering for my own GUI :)

This is a lovely little game! The tension you managed to build with the music and imagery really hooked me in. I felt that Aziraphale's groundhog day-esque confrontation with Gabriel was very fitting.

(Copying over from Steam)

I returned to this game, after playing Act I in June, when Act II came out- and it delivers on everything Act I promised with a vengeance and then some.

Act II is just as well researched and realized as the first act, and the story successfully sprawls across all the shell-shocked ground it  covers. Allies and foes alike are pulled into the light as you venture through the trenches as Elfriede, and through her words you feel the sheer gravity and fatigue of everyone who is caught up in the war.

The addition of so many new characters and perspectives enhances, for the viewer, what is at stake and what the war means to people from all walks of life. Though senseless acts occur, the actions make sense given the circumstances.

This drama works in contrast with its more light-hearted art style and somehow makes things all the more tragic when everything goes wrong.

BWH thus far is an arresting game that will take your heart, drop it on the floor, and leave it to beat helplessly through rain or shine-- and while it does pour, the sun peeks through!