itch.io

St. Nick? Not such a saint it seems.

Fun.

If you ever want any base textures for future projects, or lean low polycount models, check my profile. Am open to requests for particular types of things added. Thanks.

Nice work. Short but a good horror project and showed up at the exact right time for the holidays. 

If you ever want any low polycount efficient game assets, or realistic texture resources, as usual, check my profile as I've got many sets of things that are free or inexpensive. Thanks. 

Great. Nice idea and the graphics aren't bad for a free indie. If you want more resources to draw from in developing future game settings you can check out my profile here:

matthornb.itch.io

Thanks.

Let me guess: It's about someone dealing with schizophrenia?

But that's just my first guess - am about to give it a playthrough. It sure looks like you did something cool with this.

BTW: If you ever need any libraries of textures or low poly 3d assets I'm releasing a ton of them here:

matthornb.itch.io

(Thanks.)

Boklin is actually quite good but the particular very low poly art style seen in the main promo image and the game itself is likely a promotional problem. Add to that the lack of side images on the game listing and the entire opinion of potential players boils down to the single low poly looking header image.

It just doesn't look anywhere near as detailed as some other more popular examples of the adventure genre by other Icehouse creators and others in the specific category on itch such as colorbomb, much less the work of bigger puzzle adventure developers.

But even if you did manage to improve on detailing of graphics, it is admittedly just a niche genre these days and will likely never have a huge audience again even if done really well. Cyan has 93% positive user reviews on their VR remake of Riven, and 88% metacritic and even then that game, though a triumph in the category and the best work Cyan's done in years, and maybe ever, is still struggling to reach the break even mark as the remaining adventure genre audience is just... small. 

I worry about this myself on my own projects. My upcoming title 'Miniature Multiverse' now is a $1500+ production and 75% of the cost is raw materials. I have a TON of cardboard, chipboard, cardstock, sculpting tools, paints and clay and mini supplies and so many types of materials meticulously being built into over a dozen sprawling mini worlds.

Other costs include $200 for the Steam and Epic release fees, and a $150 ad spend going into launch when the time comes. It all is dwarfed by the personal cost of nearly a year of work altogether.

And I cannot help wondering if it has even a chance of making back the production cost. Much less justifying the time put in.

My goal with game dev assest packs here is to diversify, to have a fallback funding source in the event none of the indie game release coming up go well. I haven't seen that fallback go amazingly well itself either but it has raised a few hundred ($) by now which is more than many itch creators can claim. 

For a long time the fallback had been Etsy and it was most of my focus past three years but that did as much as it needed to, it is now on hold having raised a total of thousands in cash, and I am genuinely hoping I can keep things moving and make itch viable the next few months without that, focusing directly on going all in on game dev and asset creation, not printing services. It is a gamble and may not work out but I hope it does. This is what I want to be doing.

Matthew Hornbostel,

Matthornb.itch.io

I will work on getting this done for you as soon as I can. Its development will be prioritized even higher now vs. any other unreleased things placed in the bundle. I stated directly in the bundle notes, roughly 1/3 of listings in the bundle are games or a few asset packs which are actively being created / developed but at this time incomplete, and lack downloads for this reason.

On some, there is just not enough of the material ready yet for even a first release to make sense. 

But this one especially, is clearly close enough to done now that I can push it to the top of the queue and have a viable form of it posted within a week. 

It had only six completed 3d models when the deadline for submission to the Palestine Aid Bundle hit, and as of early 2024 when that happened I opted to attach the 2022 texture pack to the charitable project instead. This pack has been progressing only gradually since that time, often prioritized well below other faster moving projects here or on Etsy.

Thing is: I shut the Etsy shop down fully Nov. 2024, and since then I have been more fully focused on this profile.

That means a lot of new things people have been anticipating for months or years now finally can start to roll out faster beginning around Christmas. Not everything that has so far been unreleased of course, but a substantial number of things previously unreleased. And further updates to existing released packs. And that boost in the pace of updates moving forward should resolve a lot. I am hoping it will pretty much all be completed, out by mid 2025. Which would be amazing.

Scary and unnerving. Good stuff. 

If you want 3d packs or texture maps for future projects check here, maybe useful:

matthornb.itch.io

They just approved their entry. 

So I guess our concerns were unfounded, and we can move forward now.

Giving them a bit more time is certainly fine and I hope that last person contributing here is okay.

Based on what has been said it seems like they might be in crisis. I sold some personalized items on Etsy in the past where a customer was super communicative up until they suddenly weren't. Often it was due to them, or one of their family members, suddenly getting sick or having a serious accident. Or worse, someone died.

Bad things often happen. We will try to be patient and understanding, and helpful where possible.

If the final holdout cannot be reached and they are unable to participate then they can eventually be cut from the bundle. I bet there are tutorials on how to make that work on the itch Discord, or maybe it is discussed in a tutorial somewhere else online like on YouTube, some itch related blog, etc. 

And if Pixonix can't figure out how to do that, well:

I am not thrilled by the option of starting the whole process over but if we do submissions again maybe I can have 2 or 3 asset packs submitted next time to assist and not just the one. It's a learning experience not just for the bundle creator but also for many of us as participants. I didn't realize multiple submissions were even an option going in. Now, seeing what others did, I do. Maybe a few additional new people can contribute added valuable content the second time too to fill this out more. I mean, in the event we do have to restart we might as well expand on things a little bit the second time to improve the odds of the bundle being effective when it finally launches. If nothing else, that allows us to recover the losses from the material which got pruned out.

Very fast paced retro shooter with a fantastic edge to it, great work Hakita.

I am not that good at the genre so it's not my usual thing but can nonetheless appreciate what was done with this, and what you are trying to do here.

And am sorry your comment section has become such a colossal dumpster fire.

Hope your game dev work continues to go well.

-Matt H.

Okay, I just REALLY don't get what's going on here. 

But whatever. 

This is incredibly faithful to the look and feel of the likes of TTD, RCT and old Simcity games... and it is amazing that you did this as it is not in any way an easy genre to create a functioning game in much less one that has a consistent style with this nostalgic charm. 

Definitely following you now as your skill is clear. And the game itself shows early indications of a really fun design. I know it is not finished but there is a ton of promise visible already.

Not going to say my dev or asset pack stuff is in line with what you're doing aesthetically but my profile is here if you want to know a bit more about who just commented :) : matthornb.itch.io

Nice theme for a game. There is something unnerving about being off alone in a remote wooded space, and as with anywhere else, the scariest monsters there are usually in the end other people. 

Reminds me of my days in the boy scouts, almost.

I wish I were entirely joking - it was a messed up inner city scout troop so there really were... incidents. Like one boy throwing a rock at another and the response being a threat of knife stabbing. A tree illegally felled in a state park with the last second yell 'TIMBER' alerting the occupied tents it fell onto. Collecting scorpions in a jar and letting them loose in the troop minivan. Loading others' packs with heavy rocks as a prank right before a long hike. There was also one boy who tried to recruit the others in the troop to help him sell drugs.

The kids' totin chips (the rectangular cards that granted permission to use knives and axes) had so many corners cut we joked they were almost circle shaped. The typical pattern when someone finally had theirs revoked and the knife got confiscated was they would steal a knife from somebody else.

Also *so many things* got lit on fire...

But anyway, nice game, amazing for a first effort and it is good 3d environment with effective mood, especially nice work for a beginner.

I am working on some games too but mine are often longer and there are multiple projects in rotation so feature creep and slow development is a concern. The fact that you got a game done and just put it out there is a major accomplishment. 

I also have a TON (thousands) of varied textures and 3d assets that may be of use (with a bit more pixelation they could easily fit the PSX vibe as the models are fairly low polycount, very efficient and mobile ready and most of the sense of detail and realism is textures, not so much mesh. If you are curious about any of that, check that out here:

matthornb.itch.io

Thanks!

I just messaged two of those last four holdouts on the related submitted listings. 

Let's get this bundle moving!

Hi. Your assets look really great, super high quality. 

But right now I'm noting this asset was submitted to a bundle that I and many others submitted games and game asset packs to - and that you are one of four participants who have not yet approved your submission. 

Right now that lack of final approval is holding the bundle back for everyone else so if you could quickly sign off on the approval it'd help move that bundle forward.

https://itch.io/b/2741/unstoppable-bundle

You submitted this game to a bundle but did not yet approve launch and that is now holding the bundle back from launching.

https://itch.io/b/2741/unstoppable-bundle

A new minor update to this asset pack recently was posted as planned.

Just approved my entry, and it looks like most of the other participants have now done so as well.

What happens if not everyone approves quickly? So far most already have but about a dozen haven't. I'm just wondering as I have never managed a co-op bundle and am unsure how that works.

Incidentally, my last incremental update was pushed via Butler and must have messed up a setting on my submission. Looks like the 'hide files from download' checkbox was switched on then on that pack at that time. I will note that this was an unintended change and I have since fixed the incorrect setting.

Everything in the 3d asset pack (Marshes and Meadows) should be downloadable again now. I have another small update headed there and some updates to my other asset packs, and I will need to make it a point from now on to check to make sure Butler doesn't do weird unexpected things to the file settings in the future.

Am really sorry for any confusion or problems this recent mistake caused.

Someone noted these asset pack files were 'hidden' and that was an accidental checkbox setting that's now been fixed.

All the assets in this pack are now fully visible and easily downloadable.

Moreover, some updates to this and several other of my asset packs should go live in next 48hrs by the final hours of the Halloween Sale on itch (Nov. 4) so keep an eye out for that.

Somehow, likely in the last few days, the checkbox 'hide this file' got turned on. I don't know how. I've now fixed that. Sorry for the confusion.

It's also possible this has been a problem on this listing quietly for far longer, in which case it's deeply unfortunate. The files have been present on itch with occasional updates for years but if nobody was able to download them the entire time that's a really big mistake... I'll go through other listings and make sure all other asset pack files have the checkbox set correctly [just in case this has also happened anywhere else]

Thank you for bringing this up. I might not have noticed that issue until much later if you hadn't called my attention to it.

This is So Cool! 

Your work's super inspiring. If I can be even 1% as successful on itch as you are I will be thrilled. And your success is clearly merited as your collections are massive and high quality, which is not only inspiring but a bit intimidating.

My asset packs - hope to reach your level of scope over the next two years but not there yet. And my niche is 3d models, 3d textures (realistic) so not the same category. But maybe in time I can be as good a resource for people in my niche as you are in yours. Lots of work but that's the goal. Clearly you put a ton of work into your assets as they're truly outstanding and there are SO MANY!

Wow. Great work.

Matthew H, Matthornb.itch.io

Incredible assortment of sprites. So much here.

You and Kenney are legit inspirations, I want to be prolific like you are but in a different category of assets, less sprites/pixel art and more like realistic 3d and texture art.

 Not my niche, I do 3d stuff, but you are excellent in your category. I can see it, it's obvious. 

Great job 👏 

Matt H, Matthornb.itch.io

Cool idea. Something can be vaguely creepy about the mini aesthetic if pushed that way, and you did so effectively. When I first began development on miniature multiverse it was an indie experiment - myst like 360 degree game with charmingly realistic miniature look, and it was the only game to use the mini aesthetic that I knew of aside from 1996's the neverhood. Now since I began work on it the idea has just *exploded* with titles from Truberbrook to Armikrog to Lumino City to Harold Halibut. I still see mine as the only free look 360 node based one but realistically it is only a matter of time before someone beats me to release on that as well. Now you are going mini horror and that is another fantastic branch of the handcrafted game concept. I need to keep moving on game dev, the technical side is kicking me in the butt at times as my programming skill is barely adequate. Between that and the rotation between a bunch of tasks, none of my projects move forward to release as fast as I would like. But hopefully soon at least one or two of my games will be out there and fully playable. It isn't a small feat, making a game. you did it even if short so congrats.

Awesome. There's a wide range of stuff on itch, not only horror games, and much of it is super creative. 

The stuff here is a little simple looking but it's the PSX aesthetic so perfectly fits that. But the sheer mass of stuff here is jaw dropping. It's not that the things all look completely amazingly detailed, but there is *so much* there for every category imaginable... that it leaves me almost speechless.

It also makes clear just how much I must expand my own collections in every way to make them fully and unquestionably worth the money. I mean, if this is free then...  well, my paid stuff is good but needs to be better. 

You amaze me. 

Really.

My stuff is all in a bundle for $1.45 for Halloween 2024.

It is over a thousand photo based seamless texture files, mostly 2048*2048,  and a few hundred 3d models. Which is good but people like you continue making it clear it all needs major improvements, in scope. And I feel justified in putting the work in and making that happen because a lot of people are finally getting excited about my material and that means maybe, just maybe, it will actually pay off in some way. 

Thanks everyone. Thank you all so much.

The quality and scope I am seeing here is absurdly strong for something free, so much so I will now really have to up my game considerably on my medieval/fantasy kit to really justify its existence.

This is phenomenal work. You should be super proud of what you did here.

If anyone wants a few hundred 3d assets, over a thousand texture files, and much more coming soon all bundled together for under $2, that would be on my profile during itch's Halloween sale 2024. But there are a number of genuinely superb 3d asset packs on itch right now already from many others and I am convinced this might be one of the very best I have seen so far.

Yes, these are indeed great. Good job!

I have a  bunch of similarly low polycount assets on my profile and it isn't easy or quick to put together hundreds of them (I know from experience) and make them look decent, again, from experience, but you did and that's pretty great. 

And you even made them available for free which is sort of insane but super admirable given the scope of the collection.

Great work!

Stylized, hand painted and clearly TONS of love and work went into this pack. It's astonishingly awesome. It's art. Love this.

I have made more straightforwardly 'photoreal' stuff.If anyone also wants that. 1500+ texture maps and 500+ 3d asset files for under $2 this Halloween [2024] and I just want to say thank you to everyone who's supported and encouraged me on that so far, this community's amazing.

Super unique, love the idea. Very distinct from every other texture set I've ever seen on itch. More stylized stuff always welcome.

My stuff isn't quite of this type but anyone interested in photo based material plz look here.  1000+ photo based and fully seamless texture maps of around 2048x2048 res. Plus 3d model packs, some small freebies. Plus it's all under $2 in a bundle this Halloween.

Tiny textures - absolute opposite of my photo-based 2048x2048 packs - but really nice for anyone looking for pixel art packs. Good job PiiXL!

-Matthew Hornbostel,

matthornb.itch.io

Again, as noted elsewhere on Screaming Brain Texture Packs, I'm also someone who's posted huge texture collections on itch.io and 3d asset packs, mostly paid but they're going to all be combined for under $2 in a bundle this Halloween [2024] and that may be of interest to this audience as this includes thousands of high-res seamless texture maps from wood to metal, rock, fabric, ground surfaces, etc, and hundreds of 3d models of various types starting with a ton of nature / plant models and increasing to more and more new categories since then. [indoor objects, city/street details, etc...]

And yes, I'll be supporting Screaming Brain Studios along with many other itch profiles that have been highly effective as a way of increasing awareness of my own profile. These link posts are seen as spammy maybe but the fact is I'm more than willing to send a few $ to people when I post these messages on their profiles, as it's clear these links are as effective as banner ads outside of itch in making potentially interested people aware my profile and asset packs exist.

Thanks to everyone for useful and positive feedback lately, for sales and tips, for positive reviews/ratings, comments, suggestions and questions. Your responses are super helpful. Am also definitely open to requests for new asset types.

Matthew Hornbostel

-matthornb.itch.io

Again, more phenomenal batches of small textures by the always awesome Screaming Brain Studios.

I have an absolute ton of seamless textures too - but mine are in the 2048x2048 resolution range mostly so a bit more high res with associated bump/normal maps. Sometimes specular, opacity too.

Still, these are free which is super generous of the developer.

I've decided I'm going to give this dev and a list of others a bit of donation support [$1-2 range] in the next week. I have tried paid ads, banner ads a bit directing people to my itch profile, and they have some results, but I get nearly as much activity from just posting in spots like this. Fewer see these posts but they're all already itch.io people so the audience is perfect. So I figure from here on out the $5-6 /month ad spend should go to other itch creators instead of the outside ad systems. 

My own profile btw is matthornb.itch.io <- and it has over 80 followers now, over a dozen positive ratings via itch's rating/review system that people rarely use. Lots of comments. All asset packs on the profile will be bundled together under $2 this Halloween which is 96% off, and that includes THOUSANDS of texture files and hundreds of 3d assets with more about to go live including new textures, 3d, some smaller freebie packs, a European 3d/texture pack built using photography from an actual recent trip through multiple countries [Germany, Switzerland, Austria] and a Halloween 3d asset pack. Plus other scattered updates by Halloween 2024 and many more beyond that.

I've been making about $20-30 a month on itch lately in sales, which is more than ever before, and working 30+ hours on itch content minimum every month the past two years. It is not viable exactly yet but other stuff like a thriving Etsy shop props that up. 

My aim the next three months is 10% of itch revenue goes to itch.io [platform] 20% to support a rotation of many other itch creators including Screaming Brain Studios, who've been driving traffic to my profile, 20% to development tools/software for future asset, game creation, 50% donated to a batch of worthwhile charitable causes. [eg charities deemed highly effective by groups like GiveWell, Charity Navigator, etc.] 

Right now of course that makes itch a net loss for me and a net gain for the world and the itch community in general. That's fine by me. :)

Maybe the early losses will pay off later. Super grateful for everyone who's already been supportive of my profile and asset packs. That's been hugely motivating, all the positive feedback, encouragement, ratings, suggestions and questions/asset requests. I'm excited about participating in the itch.io community, and definitely thankful.

-Matthew L. Hornbostel

matthornb.itch.io

Am definitely going to have to give this one a purchase and play really soon.

$1.99?  Yet still on the front page, with an actual price point, even if a low one, which indicates you did amazing work. There are over a million games on itch and being on page one at all is always a great accomplishment, more so if you did so with a paid game. 

Your graphics just looking at what is on this page look great, have a 'realistic' but also super moody atmospheric look.

If you are interested in it in the future know I have a ton of seamless textures based on IRL photography, lots of surface source material from nine different US states plus five non US countries so... general purpose fabric and wood, stone, metal, ground texturs, stuff like that. And a bunch of 3d models, all of the asset packs bundled together under $2 this Halloween including a horror 3d asset pack I am about to launch. That's all on matthornb.itch.io

Am also open to requests, suggestions for new asset items people might find useful. Some freebies too here and there. 

Anyway, would say good luck but if you're on page one with a paid game I guess that's not needed. You already made your own luck by making something of standout quality. Congrats.

This is a tiny and well optimized game filesize reflective of a small game setting, but within that setting you did things which were more interesting and unnerving than I expected.

I now see why your game's trending. It's a really good horror game,

If you want more base texture assets for use in bigger future projects know I have a ton available - thousands of PBR seamless metal, wood, cloth, ground textures etc -and way more inbound soon plus many 3d assets (all bundled for under $2 for the Halloween sale) and I also have a few freebies with more on the way. Am working on a new horror pack too which should go live in about a week.

Anyway good luck and hope you continue to make great games.

-Matthew Hornbostel,

matthornb.itch.io

Phenomenal storytelling. Just flat out still one of the best executed indies I have seen on itch and I have seen a massive number of indie horror titles here.

If - again - you want resources (texture maps and 3d models) for future use in game dev, check these out and know also I am open to feedback, requests for specific types of items. Will release a big horror game asset pack soon as people keep asking me for more horror related material.

More freebies (free assets) will be posted in the next few days there too.

Well this is really different and creative.

Interesting (if unusual) concept though.

You clearly have a particular sort of art style going so maybe much of what I have isn't going to fit it but I do have some massive texture collections you may find useful as a resource for future projects here.

I will congratulate you on making something that stands out so solidly it made it to the second place in activity currently out of all the million plus itch games. And starting from from a short game jam no less which is doubly impressive. I love it when indies are imaginative enough to make it that far even under serious limitations, which you did and it is well deserved.

-Matthew L Hornbostel

This is really cute, love the colorful, chill art style and mood.

Seconding those who think it could be popular on mobile.

But it is great as is.

- Matthew H.

matthornb.itch.io

Have submitted a 3d plant objects asset pack. 

Hope things work out for your mother.

To Pixonix Studio:

I saw your post on my profile (matthornb.itch.io) requesting a submission to help your mother, I am so sorry to hear about her stroke and yes, I've just submitted one of the asset packs you commented on to that bundle.

Hope she recovers and that it goes well. Medical bills are tough, and I've not just joined that bundle but I'll be sending you a dollar or two here [this page] later this week. Hope things get better for your family.

For anyone else who wants to look at that bundle and maybe help contribute something to be included in it, it's here:

https://itch.io/jam/bundle-to-support-my-mom-after-stroke/