I love this work! I love the idea if I don't give the little raven a name the officer would name it "Maat". It represents a lot.
At first I thought Eliot was just another serial killer but it turned out that he's just enduring his own justice in a ... wel, inlegal way. I like this kind of characters who understands the price of their behavior (I think he knows?) .
By the way Tower of Silence remind me of a fiction with same name by Ogai Mori. I wonder if that's a source of inspiration.
For a story that was so short, the pacing was fantastic and the plot itself was really cool. The interrogation was seriously interesting, and I truly enjoyed uncovering Eliot's motive as well as gathering clues as to where he buried his victim. (Not to mention, reading about the death rituals/mythologies was awesome! I really adore that you put stuff like that into your games and, as someone who studied anthropology/archaeology at one point it was a lot of fun to get a bit of a refresher on some things that I've read about before ❤ ) I did feel very conflicted about the situation, though. Eliot's victim definitely wasn't a good person and did something positively horrible.
I also loved the timed mechanic. It gave a sense of urgency and it was utilized really well. I loved even more that we were forced to basically gain all of the clues before we could even put in our answer. To top it all off, having to type the answer just made the moment even more tense. It was just a lot of fun to be put into a situation where there were those sorts of consequences. (Also, it would have been cute if Eliot had reacted to naming the egg/bird after him. But I 100% understand that under the word limit it probably wasn't possible.)
As an aside... Eliot's design was very aesthetically pleasing. I'm a sucker for characters who wear an eyepatch. And Eliot himself is terribly cute.
I'm trying not to repeat the same comment I made on the video ahah, but I'm so grateful you played it ;\\\\; thank you so much! Feel free to hit me up when you want to talk about anthropology/archaeology stuff, I'm probably not as knowledgeable as you but I like to learn and listen! I also know some oddities I can share only in games, because in normal conversations I'd be frowned upon lol.
Glad that you liked the timer mechanic too! It was the first thing I built the game around, because with that asset\words limitations I wanted to try something new and give a condition of win and loss into a small game. If it weren't for the 1K words limits instead of having Eliot only wasting time with longer answers I would've put more details about the victims and some misdirection too. The typing was to be sure the player wouldn't get the win condition by accident (or by saving and clicking twice on a row of options) +w+ thinking about the redemption arc now!
❤ Of course. And at the risk of my reply here sounding similar to my reply to your comment on YouTube... I definitely had a lot of fun with it!
I would also love to hit you up to chat about archaeology/anthropology, although it's been a while since I dropped out of studying so I'll definitely have to get some new books and papers so that my information isn't too dated. You can always hit me up too, to talk about anything you want to (fun facts, or passions of yours, or anything else!)
UTMT still worked out really well with the limitations that it had, but it would have been so cool to have a full visual novel where Eliot misdirects the detective, and to gain information about the victim! However, having it be such a short game with the time limit and the inability to win by accident was definitely anxiety-inducing in a fun way.
o(≧▽≦)o I'm looking forward to a possible redemption arc for Eliot. If you do start on one at some point (or even something that expands on other things in this VN), let me know so I can keep an eye out for it!
My god never have I ever looked at my typing going "... is it case-sensitive?!?!? Is it space-sensitive?!?!?!? ACCEPT MY ANSWER YOU--"
But legit, I absolutely adore this. I love the art and once I finished the VN and saw the title screen, my heart just broke when it looked like Eliot was reaching longingly to the sky of birds. Honestly, he did seem unhinged but it appeared as though he was well-behaved as long as he had his birds, as obsessive as it sounds. He didn't really mean any harm until the victim so callously killed them without any meaning (I kind of wish it was expanded over the victim suddenly doing this acts and maybe more history on Eliot himself).
The one thing I'm perplexed about is why Eliot wrote a cypher letter and having the police find him when it looked like he would much rather give himself up to the authorities since his precious birds were all dead and he apparently seems to have no will left, or if he prolonged the search by sending a cypher riddle to extend the suffering of his victim which would fit with how Eliot absolutely has no remorse to the person who killed his birds.
Another fact I love is the misdirection itself. I was so caught up with the three books in Eliot's room that I completely miss the obvious hint... It was not my finest moment.
I wish Eliot would have reacted if we named the little egg after his name, he probably would find it amusing if not baffled over why the officer chose it, but maybe in a way he'd feel at peace over the murder of his birds. Either way, I adore everything, from the story, music, pacing, THE GUI MY GOD YOU ABSOLUTELY SLAYED IT, and everything else. I kinda wish we had a bit more, but because of the jam limitations, I must say this is absolutely impressive and amazing!
Hello! First of all, thank you for you kind words ;\\\\; I didn't expect such a beautiful and detailed review so I froze for a moment, I have to admit. I'm so glad that the game touched you and that you enjoyed playing it even if there were heavy topics discussed! The 1K word limitation had me cut some content, but I wanted to include a reaction for the name too - the extra dialogue though would cut other parts and so I had to renounce. Now that the jam is over though I'm thinking about expanding a bit more on it, especially about the victim side of the story because some players are curious. And yes, Eliot had no remorse on the vendetta, the cipher was both a cry for help and a way to occupy and waste the police's time. As for the GUI it's a free one made by Skolaztika, you can find it here on Itch! I found it very beautiful and it suits the mood of the game, doesn't it? Thank you again for playing my game ;\\\\;
You're welcome! I'm stoked to see what kind of story comes when we have the victim's side of the story. Obviously, what he did was horrible even if Eliot was an unhinged person with such obsessive needs, but could it be he was pushed to do it because of his fear of Eliot or was he that much of an asshole?? Either way, amazing job nonetheless and I'm looking forward to what comes next~!
The music is very similar to the ones used in Matsuro / Terasene and I really love them. I liked the plot, the subtle reference to the title and the way it went. Good game!
Hi Mike! Thank you for your kind words >\\\< I love inserting history trivia in my games and I'm happy when I see players enjoying it! As for the music I haven't played Matsuro Death Palette yet but I'm planning too, if the music is good I'm definetly more willing to!
I love the music, for me it kind of went well with the time limit, and I like the way we are facing with Eliot. Is it alright to have sympathy for him? I guess it is. Lastly, I was hoping a little bit that if we chose to name the bird 'Eliot' it would have a special dialogue but I'm also fine with the way things are! Good Job!
Love this little glimpse into the mind of a killer. He has that great "deranged, yet sympathetic" vibe that we get from all the best criminal characters. Killing my murder would definitely make me commit murder!
If there was an element I wasn't going for it was just the music; I didn't feel like it added much.
Hello G.C. Katz! Hearing that Eliot has the vibes of the best criminal characters makes me so happy ;\\\\; it's a huge compliment! Even if the music didn't match the atmosphere I'm really glad to hear that you liked my game and didn't ruin the vibe, thank you for playing it!
I like the time limit but I feel like something miss in this game. if it has a back story little not just listening from Eliot belike about him and why the other guy must kill Eliot's raven or the raven get killed is a wild bird and in the main menu It little hard to understand where to start, where to load the save game and what locked it means.
Hi Chiiaki! Thank you for playing and recording my game >\\\< This jam is really a challenge because of the text limitations but if I manage to make an extended version I'll add more about the victim and his motivation!(For the main menu, the "locked" options is about CGs... I didn't have any CGs to show, that's why it stayed like that... ;w;)
Hi Meeka! First of all, thank you for recording and playing my game >\\\< I'm happy to hear that you liked it, timer and all! Ahaha after that events that tree won't be remembered just because of crows and ravens, definetly!
With the music and the timer it really feels like you are against the clock.
The sprite looks so cool and charming!
I love villain-adjacent characters so Eliot stole my heart in seconds!
I understand where he is coming from even if his actions were too extreme.
.
.
.
{SPOLIERS}
A confession: After my first playthrough; I played again, made myself a coffee and listened to the cell block tango from the musical Chicago while the timer drained and the bad end came cuz "they had it coming"
Now I feel kinda evil but… the poor birds T--T and pets/animal friends may as well be family sometimes
Hi Taumi! Thank you for playing my game, I'm glad that you liked it and also that the vibe worked as intended >\\\< Definetly extreme, but that's why he's going to prison for, even though I'm glad you liked Eliot too!
By the way I know that musical and I love the Cell Block Tango, I didn't think about that but it sounds so satisfying ahah!
Very well done :) Played it while drinking my morning coffee. I think you could do a really good interogation game without the text restrictions. Now it tickles me to get back to renpy myself.
Thank you Schiraki! I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed it >\\\< I'm having a coffee myself while reading your comment! It made me want to try to make an extended interrogation game outside of the jam!
Such a cool game! The timer function was an interesting addition that added to the mood, the spritework delicious, and Skolaztika's GUI work is as always out of this world.
Thank you for your kind words, Tymedust! I'm really happy to hear that you liked the game, especially the timer and the sprite! I wanted to add a little spice to the interrogation ahah!
Thank you so much Mori ;\\\\; It's my first time animating a sprite, I'm so happy to hear it was that effective! And also that you played and liked my game ;\\\\; the jam isn't ranked, but the fact you had fun while playing it is an absolute win for me!
First, the sprite was very gorgeous!! And then, WELL, it was intense?? Honestly, the music and the timer really set a stressful and tense mood!
The story in itself was very interesting and uncovering the mystery was fun to do! And if at first Eliot sends off bad vibes, the ending almost makes his actions look selfless and pure (although I'm not sure it justifies his actions, haha, but I guess that's the point)?
Thank you so much for your kind words (and for rating the game), I'm so glad you liked the game Chimerique ;\\\\;
Happy to hear that I was able to set the mood I wanted with the music and the timer eheh! Most of the time in the jam got spent on the sprite, it means a lot to me that you said it looks great! Of course it doesn't justify his actions but I wanted it to be more grey morality than a black \ white solution for the player. You have the option to stare at him and purposefully waste the five minutes afterall...
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I love this work! I love the idea if I don't give the little raven a name the officer would name it "Maat". It represents a lot.
At first I thought Eliot was just another serial killer but it turned out that he's just enduring his own justice in a ... wel, inlegal way. I like this kind of characters who understands the price of their behavior (I think he knows?) .
By the way Tower of Silence remind me of a fiction with same name by Ogai Mori. I wonder if that's a source of inspiration.
Have a nice day!
This was such a fun visual novel!
For a story that was so short, the pacing was fantastic and the plot itself was really cool.
The interrogation was seriously interesting, and I truly enjoyed uncovering Eliot's motive as well as gathering clues as to where he buried his victim.
(Not to mention, reading about the death rituals/mythologies was awesome! I really adore that you put stuff like that into your games and, as someone who studied anthropology/archaeology at one point it was a lot of fun to get a bit of a refresher on some things that I've read about before ❤ )
I did feel very conflicted about the situation, though. Eliot's victim definitely wasn't a good person and did something positively horrible.
I also loved the timed mechanic. It gave a sense of urgency and it was utilized really well. I loved even more that we were forced to basically gain all of the clues before we could even put in our answer. To top it all off, having to type the answer just made the moment even more tense.
It was just a lot of fun to be put into a situation where there were those sorts of consequences.
(Also, it would have been cute if Eliot had reacted to naming the egg/bird after him. But I 100% understand that under the word limit it probably wasn't possible.)
As an aside... Eliot's design was very aesthetically pleasing. I'm a sucker for characters who wear an eyepatch. And Eliot himself is terribly cute.
I sincerely had fun with Under The Murder Tree!
I'm trying not to repeat the same comment I made on the video ahah, but I'm so grateful you played it ;\\\\; thank you so much! Feel free to hit me up when you want to talk about anthropology/archaeology stuff, I'm probably not as knowledgeable as you but I like to learn and listen! I also know some oddities I can share only in games, because in normal conversations I'd be frowned upon lol.
Glad that you liked the timer mechanic too!
It was the first thing I built the game around, because with that asset\words limitations I wanted to try something new and give a condition of win and loss into a small game. If it weren't for the 1K words limits instead of having Eliot only wasting time with longer answers I would've put more details about the victims and some misdirection too.
The typing was to be sure the player wouldn't get the win condition by accident (or by saving and clicking twice on a row of options) +w+ thinking about the redemption arc now!
Thank you again Cryptid! ;\\\\;
❤ Of course. And at the risk of my reply here sounding similar to my reply to your comment on YouTube... I definitely had a lot of fun with it!
I would also love to hit you up to chat about archaeology/anthropology, although it's been a while since I dropped out of studying so I'll definitely have to get some new books and papers so that my information isn't too dated.
You can always hit me up too, to talk about anything you want to (fun facts, or passions of yours, or anything else!)
UTMT still worked out really well with the limitations that it had, but it would have been so cool to have a full visual novel where Eliot misdirects the detective, and to gain information about the victim!
However, having it be such a short game with the time limit and the inability to win by accident was definitely anxiety-inducing in a fun way.
o(≧▽≦)o I'm looking forward to a possible redemption arc for Eliot. If you do start on one at some point (or even something that expands on other things in this VN), let me know so I can keep an eye out for it!
My god never have I ever looked at my typing going "... is it case-sensitive?!?!? Is it space-sensitive?!?!?!? ACCEPT MY ANSWER YOU--"
But legit, I absolutely adore this. I love the art and once I finished the VN and saw the title screen, my heart just broke when it looked like Eliot was reaching longingly to the sky of birds. Honestly, he did seem unhinged but it appeared as though he was well-behaved as long as he had his birds, as obsessive as it sounds. He didn't really mean any harm until the victim so callously killed them without any meaning (I kind of wish it was expanded over the victim suddenly doing this acts and maybe more history on Eliot himself).
The one thing I'm perplexed about is why Eliot wrote a cypher letter and having the police find him when it looked like he would much rather give himself up to the authorities since his precious birds were all dead and he apparently seems to have no will left, or if he prolonged the search by sending a cypher riddle to extend the suffering of his victim which would fit with how Eliot absolutely has no remorse to the person who killed his birds.
Another fact I love is the misdirection itself. I was so caught up with the three books in Eliot's room that I completely miss the obvious hint... It was not my finest moment.
I wish Eliot would have reacted if we named the little egg after his name, he probably would find it amusing if not baffled over why the officer chose it, but maybe in a way he'd feel at peace over the murder of his birds. Either way, I adore everything, from the story, music, pacing, THE GUI MY GOD YOU ABSOLUTELY SLAYED IT, and everything else. I kinda wish we had a bit more, but because of the jam limitations, I must say this is absolutely impressive and amazing!
Hello! First of all, thank you for you kind words ;\\\\;
I didn't expect such a beautiful and detailed review so I froze for a moment, I have to admit. I'm so glad that the game touched you and that you enjoyed playing it even if there were heavy topics discussed!
The 1K word limitation had me cut some content, but I wanted to include a reaction for the name too - the extra dialogue though would cut other parts and so I had to renounce. Now that the jam is over though I'm thinking about expanding a bit more on it, especially about the victim side of the story because some players are curious.
And yes, Eliot had no remorse on the vendetta, the cipher was both a cry for help and a way to occupy and waste the police's time. As for the GUI it's a free one made by Skolaztika, you can find it here on Itch! I found it very beautiful and it suits the mood of the game, doesn't it?
Thank you again for playing my game ;\\\\;
You're welcome! I'm stoked to see what kind of story comes when we have the victim's side of the story. Obviously, what he did was horrible even if Eliot was an unhinged person with such obsessive needs, but could it be he was pushed to do it because of his fear of Eliot or was he that much of an asshole?? Either way, amazing job nonetheless and I'm looking forward to what comes next~!
The music is very similar to the ones used in Matsuro / Terasene and I really love them. I liked the plot, the subtle reference to the title and the way it went. Good game!
(+ the history facts were good too)
Hi Mike! Thank you for your kind words >\\\<
I love inserting history trivia in my games and I'm happy when I see players enjoying it! As for the music I haven't played Matsuro Death Palette yet but I'm planning too, if the music is good I'm definetly more willing to!
I love the music, for me it kind of went well with the time limit, and I like the way we are facing with Eliot. Is it alright to have sympathy for him?
I guess it is.Lastly, I was hoping a little bit that if we chose to name the bird 'Eliot' it would have a special dialogue but I'm also fine with the way things are! Good Job!Love this little glimpse into the mind of a killer. He has that great "deranged, yet sympathetic" vibe that we get from all the best criminal characters. Killing my murder would definitely make me commit murder!
If there was an element I wasn't going for it was just the music; I didn't feel like it added much.
Hello G.C. Katz!
Hearing that Eliot has the vibes of the best criminal characters makes me so happy ;\\\\; it's a huge compliment!
Even if the music didn't match the atmosphere I'm really glad to hear that you liked my game and didn't ruin the vibe, thank you for playing it!
I like the time limit but I feel like something miss in this game. if it has a back story little not just listening from Eliot belike about him and why the other guy must kill Eliot's raven or the raven get killed is a wild bird and in the main menu It little hard to understand where to start, where to load the save game and what locked it means.
Hi Chiiaki! Thank you for playing and recording my game >\\\<
This jam is really a challenge because of the text limitations but if I manage to make an extended version I'll add more about the victim and his motivation!(For the main menu, the "locked" options is about CGs... I didn't have any CGs to show, that's why it stayed like that... ;w;)
Oh I see, if you will add anything about them in the future I will looking forward!
Definitely feel like the cops should take the 'Murder Tree' title more literal in future, maybe have regular patrols to that spot just to be safe :')
Great job on the jam, looking forward to your next game!
Hi Meeka! First of all, thank you for recording and playing my game >\\\< I'm happy to hear that you liked it, timer and all!
Ahaha after that events that tree won't be remembered just because of crows and ravens, definetly!
I loved the vibe!
With the music and the timer it really feels like you are against the clock.
The sprite looks so cool and charming!
I love villain-adjacent characters so Eliot stole my heart in seconds!
I understand where he is coming from even if his actions were too extreme.
.
.
.
{SPOLIERS}
A confession: After my first playthrough; I played again, made myself a coffee and listened to the cell block tango from the musical Chicago while the timer drained and the bad end came cuz "they had it coming"
Now I feel kinda evil but… the poor birds T--T and pets/animal friends may as well be family sometimes
Hi Taumi! Thank you for playing my game, I'm glad that you liked it and also that the vibe worked as intended >\\\<
Definetly extreme, but that's why he's going to prison for, even though I'm glad you liked Eliot too!
By the way I know that musical and I love the Cell Block Tango, I didn't think about that but it sounds so satisfying ahah!
Very well done :) Played it while drinking my morning coffee. I think you could do a really good interogation game without the text restrictions. Now it tickles me to get back to renpy myself.
Thank you Schiraki! I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed it >\\\< I'm having a coffee myself while reading your comment! It made me want to try to make an extended interrogation game outside of the jam!
Best kind of artist interaction. ;)
We're hyping each other up xD when you reprise Renpy and make a game let me know, I'll play it gladly!
I have to do my next in english then. ;D I will try.
Such a cool game! The timer function was an interesting addition that added to the mood, the spritework delicious, and Skolaztika's GUI work is as always out of this world.
Well done!! :) <3
Thank you for your kind words, Tymedust!
I'm really happy to hear that you liked the game, especially the timer and the sprite! I wanted to add a little spice to the interrogation ahah!
Loved the game, especially the character design and animation (I audibly gasped when his mouth started moving, lol)
I really enjoyed it! Hopefully it wins, but even if it doesn't it was a very fun (albeit stressful) experience
Thank you so much Mori ;\\\\;
It's my first time animating a sprite, I'm so happy to hear it was that effective! And also that you played and liked my game ;\\\\; the jam isn't ranked, but the fact you had fun while playing it is an absolute win for me!
Hey! I played the game and it was neat!
First, the sprite was very gorgeous!! And then, WELL, it was intense?? Honestly, the music and the timer really set a stressful and tense mood!
The story in itself was very interesting and uncovering the mystery was fun to do! And if at first Eliot sends off bad vibes, the ending almost makes his actions look selfless and pure (although I'm not sure it justifies his actions, haha, but I guess that's the point)?
It was a great O2A2 entry, congrats Banya!!
Thank you so much for your kind words (and for rating the game), I'm so glad you liked the game Chimerique ;\\\\;
Happy to hear that I was able to set the mood I wanted with the music and the timer eheh! Most of the time in the jam got spent on the sprite, it means a lot to me that you said it looks great!
Of course it doesn't justify his actions but I wanted it to be more grey morality than a black \ white solution for the player. You have the option to stare at him and purposefully waste the five minutes afterall...
Merci beaucoup! ;\\\\;