Skip to main content

Indie game storeFree gamesFun gamesHorror games
Game developmentAssetsComics
SalesBundles
Jobs
TagsGame Engines
A jam submission

The Writing In the WallView game page

reveal the dark secrets of a mysterious painting
Submitted by katadog, SmokeyMoses — 9 minutes, 27 seconds before the deadline
Add to collection

Play game

The Writing In the Wall's itch.io page

Results

CriteriaRankScore*Raw Score
Use of the Limitation#73.4323.600
Concept#133.7193.900
Overall#133.4093.575
Enjoyment#213.1463.300
Presentation#233.3373.500

Ranked from 10 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.

Team members
Alex Beachum, Kat Donahue

Software used
Unity, Maya, Illustrator, Procreate

Use of the limitation
there are secret sigils hidden in the walls

Cookies eaten
no cookies were harmed in the making of this game :)

Leave a comment

Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.

Comments

Submitted(+1)

Not bad, I really like the atmosphere and tension created with the sigils. The beast getting closer and closer from the painting with every wrong sigil is a really nice detail and is very intimidating. I also really like environment and art assets. Also the thing with the mirror at the end was pretty cool. It's cool seeing what the player looks like but it could've been cool if there was some kind of twist like the character is actually a monster or something just generally unexpected. I know putting the mirror there was for the last sigil but it probably could've carried more weight narratively since you can't see yourself up until that point.

There were a few setbacks that could've made the game a lot better. I know many others have said this already but no sound really takes away from the experience. Especially with a horror game where sound is one of the most important parts. I like the game being generally very quiet but if it had little minor sounds for like peeling and stuff and then a scary sound when everything goes dark that would be great.

Also I will agree going back and forth to see the sigils is a bit tedious but I think going back can be a good thing but maybe make it consequential. So if the player needs to go back to view the sigil list they get punished. Maybe make it so the monster gets closer or something else. So it ends up making the player need to try their best to remember which ones they need to get instead of them just constantly checking it. This would add so much more needed tension to the game since if you don't remember the right sigil and the player would get punished for going back, it would make them feel more pressured to take risks which leads to a better gameplay experience.

Also one last thing I'm not sure if it was just me but there was a slight bug with the cursor rendering on top of the game while I was playing and I couldn't disable it. So it was very distracting while playing. Kind of a minor thing but it really bugged me.

But overall this has a ton of potential and was really cool! The horror elements were done really well just missing some things to enhance that and the gameplay could have a bit more consequences to make the tension higher.

Developer

thanks for the feedback and your in depth comment! since we plan to revisit this game in the future, it is very helpful! ^_^

Submitted

This was pretty cool, though having to run back and forth between the sigil reference was a little tiring. The ending was neat, though I would of liked a way to quit the game from the menu. I also feel like the sigils that look like an hourglass are too similar, and you have to uncover both ends to know if it's good or not.

Overall though, it's a good game.

Developer

totally get you on those points, we will keep your feedback in mind when we rework the game later :) thanks for taking the time to play and comment, we really appreciate it!

Submitted

I liked the atmosphere, and visuals. The lack is sound kinda makes it scarier in some points. The idea of peeling the walls to find secret sigils is very interesting, but I'm unable to tell which is good and which is bad, there should be some sort of sign. For some reason my mouse pointer wouldn't disappear like in other games where you look around with the mouse like Minecraft or Content Warning.

Overall, great work! I'll play this game more later and will see if there's anything interesting else!

Developer

haha i'm glad our lack of audio due to running out of time worked in our favor! thanks for your note on the mouse pointer, that slipped through and we'll definitely fix it when we revisit this game! you mentioned not knowing which sigils are good or bad, did you find this poster by any chance? sigils

sigils
thanks so much for taking the time to play and comment :3
Submitted

Yeah I've seen it. The issue is that when you peel the wall, you really cannot tell what symbol it is.

Submitted

Absolutely superb game!! It's rare enough to see 3D games in jams, but especially 3D games actually done so well! It runs quite smoothly and it was very satisfying just to look and move around and peel wallpaper (even on a trackpad). I love love love the aesthetic and generally idea (kind of reminds me of the story The Yellow Wallpaper), and the core idea of manically peeling away this demonic wallpaper is super fun. My only complaint is it seemed like sometimes I wasn't able to tell if a sigil was going to be good or not, so losing felt a little RNG-y. But overall, very solid idea with even better execution! Can't wait to see what you do next!

Developer(+1)

woah! awesome comment :D I LOVE the story the yellow wallpaper, maybe we should change the color to yellow XD definitely noted on the RNG-eyness -- ideally it should always be possible to logic your way into a perfect run, but currently its totally possible to get into a situation where you just have to guess since our puzzle design is not super tight, like if you get down to the last two squares in minesweeper >_< BUT we are planning to rework this in the future so hopefully the puzzle design will be much improved with more time :) thanks so much for taking the time to play and comment!

Submitted

The game was incredibly creepy!! I loved it! Even without any sounds, it was still incredibly unnerving. The monster in the picture getting closer and closer, the corridor getting further and further. It feels like every peel you do can cost your life. It feels like a gamble, but you also need to really think about each peel you do. The idea with the peeling mechanic is very creative! I wish it was explained in a tutorial, however, as I got confused at the start of the game. I also really loved the ending - the feeling of uncertainty as you got closer and closer to the mirror, with something weird seemingly getting closer to you as well. It felt like I was taking a risk - should I actually go there, or stay in this little room forever? 

I would suggest optimizing the game, as it was lagging pretty heavily for me. However, for a 3 day game this is an amazing result! Well done!

Developer

good to know it was lagging, since we plan to revisit this we can definitely fix that! unfortunately the jam version will have to remain as it is for now ;_; thanks for your insights, i loved your comment!

Submitted(+1)

I'm looking forward to seeing the updated version!

Submitted

Interesting take on the theme.  The one thing that would've made it better for me would've been adding some way for me to keep a reference of the sigil list on the screen while I peel the wallpaper, instead of having to either go back and forth to the poster or else take notes or screenshots.

Developer(+1)

totally get that frustration! we'll keep it in mind when we rework the game, thanks for taking the time to play :3

i could not play it bc i'm a mac user but the art of this game looks fire!!

Developer

we are working on it T-T

Submitted

This is an exceptionally amazing game! Its very scary and I love everything about it!

Developer

woah awesome! thanks so much ^_^