Where They Once Were

by hempuli
Overall★★★★★★★★★★4.19
Fun★★★★★★★★★★3.77
Innovation★★★★★★★★★★3.40
Theme★★★★★★★★★★4.28
Graphics★★★★★★★★★★4.72
Audio★★★★★★★★★★3.31
Humor★★★★★★★★★★2.65
Mood★★★★★★★★★★4.61
Coolness★★★★★★★★★★80%
WTOW is a weird survival thing about a woman finding a weird abandoned cottage while escaping pursuers. Can you find out the secret of the cottage?

CONTROLS:
ARROWS - move
SPACE - interact
UP - Pick up / Put Down

Made using Multimedia Fusion 2 by Clickteam.

Comments44

Conk
Conk8 Dec 2014, 03:48
The art is fantastic! Really impressed, when seeing the pictures over the weekend, I was unsure how it would work on just one screen, but it did, really well.

I can't get the first ending though, that thing is damn creepy! And bullet proof.

I did climb out the roof and into the sky. That was funny.
Hempuli
Hempuliauthor8 Dec 2014, 03:55
Augh! Nice catch, haha :D

Glad you enjoyed it. Endings 1 & 2 are pretty mundane in comparison, there isn't really that much into the weirder stuff since I ran out of time :)
nuiguy8 Dec 2014, 03:57
Wow, this is a really amazing game!
I really like it, but I still haven't managed to find the 3rd ending?
I'll keep playing...

-Nuiguy
qristofer8 Dec 2014, 04:17
Beautiful art and a very effective atmosphere.
Brian Mayberry8 Dec 2014, 04:31
Mesmerizing! Amazing mood, lovely graphics. Could not get 2/3 for the life of me... Must keep trying!
rogberth
rogberth8 Dec 2014, 04:31
This game really puts you inside, great job!
Good luck!
Phoenix8498 Dec 2014, 13:13
You've nailed the mood totally! I kinda like the drone soundscape, but wish it had some sounds, even the simplest quiet ones. The creature near bed really got me the first time. The fear of unknown - you are doing it right!

Couldn't get the first ending though. Grew tired of same interactions.
LostTrainDude
LostTrainDude8 Dec 2014, 15:25
Another great entry! :D

I peeked through the blog posts while the competition was on and couldn't wait to discover what this game was about.

The mood is great, a little more sound would have probably made it greater, but still :D

Good job!

---

I think I spotted a bug but SPOILER ALERT.

On day 2, in the cottage and facing the left wall, If I shoot twice the stairs will go through the roof!

I took a screenshot here: http://i.imgur.com/UanGae0.png
JayCee238 Dec 2014, 17:35
I love the art and the gameplay. The sound was good.
I got all three endings backwards, though.
Hempuli
Hempuliauthor8 Dec 2014, 21:52
LostTrainDude: yeah, noted that earlier today as well. Oh well :/

Thanks for the comments! I'm going to enter the same game to the Jam, but this time with a fourth ending and sound effects. :)
plauk
plauk8 Dec 2014, 22:39
Very cool, but too dark! I can't see anything.
Quikding
Quikding8 Dec 2014, 22:57
Great game! Awesome graphics. Fun picking up and using the objects, well done.
Zanaku8 Dec 2014, 22:59
I love it! the graphics are lovely, the mood is fabulous.
The audio is good, but I feel like there could be a wee bit more?

(Also I was stuck for an embarrassing amount of time on day 2 trying to figure out how to get at the food...)
folmerkelly8 Dec 2014, 23:39
Love the atmosphere and the graphics. I wanted to mention each of those though they stand out because they work well together. Kudos!
sheigeno
sheigeno8 Dec 2014, 23:52
..really awesome game :) graphics like this always catch my attention
rabbit
rabbit9 Dec 2014, 00:08
Really nice graphics but its so dark that I can't find what I need to light the fire. :(

Fantastic sound and mood.
borgi
borgi9 Dec 2014, 00:08
Very atmospheric, good job! I really enjoyed it!
I did not have any sound/music (I did not rate it). The problem is on my side?
Hempuli
Hempuliauthor9 Dec 2014, 01:11
Uh oh, I should've made the initial lighting brighter. Oh well :( There's a matchbox on the right side of the fireplace.

@borgi: I didn't have time add anything but ambient noise
cmdr
cmdr9 Dec 2014, 07:23
The art style is fantastic! I'm impressed that you made all this in 3 days. More sound definitely would have added to it but nice job, and way to be seasonal :)
mortus
mortus9 Dec 2014, 08:51
I love it, wish there were more! I couldn't find 2nd ending, but I'll get back for it later for sure.
headchant
headchant9 Dec 2014, 13:00
I love everything about this!
Steven Colling
Steven Colling9 Dec 2014, 13:06
Fantastic atmosphere. Really enjoyed playing it, but I couldn't find the other ends...

You should elaborate on this game and add more puzzles/mechanics.
Bygmalion
Bygmalion9 Dec 2014, 13:24
I don't know if the lack of music was intentional, but it added so much to the atmosphere, impressive dude. Got all the endings, I wish the wolf would be friends with me :<.
dcolgan9 Dec 2014, 14:40
Awesome game! Very atmospheric and excellent pixel graphics.
InfectionTeam
InfectionTeam9 Dec 2014, 17:49
I love the looks of it :D nice game
runvs
runvs9 Dec 2014, 22:23
Super awesome art! The atmosphere is great and you mostly know what to do.
Sound could use some improvements (like a sound for the shotgun, the wolf or the fire), but the background "music" alone convey a great mood.

I enjoyed it alot!
Elemental Zeal Games Studios
Really great atmosphere. I definitely enjoyed playing through again to try and find the other endings. Really nice job. :)
Anshul Goyal
Anshul Goyal9 Dec 2014, 23:07
Impressive! I wasted my shotgun shells in the beginning and the wolves ate me, I am such a noob :D. The art is fantastic, good work!
thopis
thopis10 Dec 2014, 04:54
Very good game!Beautiful aesthitics and strange mood!
ShellfishGames10 Dec 2014, 13:21
This is perfect! Amazing graphics and mood. Truly fantastic job. +1 for letting us kill the snowman. :P
rubna10 Dec 2014, 19:34
amazing!! i love how you're able to build a great story in such a short period of time! Loved the dream sequence, snowflakes, and the third ending's color change blew my mind!
Also the intro puzzle was really well done. Having a locked door and a key right next to it explains the gameplay mechanics really well. Didn't get the last ending though xd Probably the happy one, too.
Amazing job!!
mathmadlen11 Dec 2014, 00:00
I love the art! The mood is fittingly sinister and mysterious. It really stands out
Alex Rose
Alex Rose11 Dec 2014, 23:27
That was extremely impressive. I went outside without the shotgun and got killed by the monster :(((( . I'll have to play again, but yeah.. this was extremely impressive. The art was amazing.

The sound was perfect too, exactly the right tone, nothing overstated. And the monster was horrifying. Lovely game.
flyingbear12 Dec 2014, 05:57
I know the secret of the cottage, and boy is it creepy! (I had to play until I found all 3 endings) It's extremely impressive how you manage to capture that survival-in-the-wilderness feel in so few pixels and actions. The art is top notch too.
markusfisch
markusfisch12 Dec 2014, 22:02
AWESOME! Absolutely love it! That's just my kind of game. Really, really, really great! I'd pay for this.
SuperDisk13 Dec 2014, 00:08
Hi Hempuli. The art really is fantastic, as well as the atmosphere. I'm afraid it's really a visual novel of sorts though, but the excellent art, sound, and overall experience makes it forgivable.
pavel_insight13 Dec 2014, 21:12
Excellent interactive thriller. I revealed all 3 endings. I even tried to shoot that creature while it was near snowman. :) Is there any hidden happy end, too? :) Interesting, who pursued a woman? What was written in the diary? There are a lot of possibilities to extend the game, it will be a real hit. :)
Franklin's Ghost
Franklin's Ghost14 Dec 2014, 11:04
Another great entry, everything feels so polished. Did take me awhile to figure out what to do once I'd started the fire and gone to bed but once I'd played around a bit I was able to figure it out. Loved the mood of this one.
Tifu
Tifu16 Dec 2014, 14:41
Managed to get all three endings! Nice game, great atmosphere and graphics.
Mach60KAS
Mach60KAS17 Dec 2014, 22:16
Hi, loved your entry! Although there was no audio apart from the white noise, I thought it suited the sense of isolation super well. The graphics and animation went really well together, they really made the game shine. I got ending 3 first time round, boy was I freaked! Took me ages to figure out how to get ending 1, until you mentioned that there weren't any happy endings :P My only real complaint was that having to play through all the same stuff again to hunt for that last ending was kinda tedious. Fantastic work, keep it up!
PixelCrust
PixelCrust21 Dec 2014, 16:08
Neat game, nice pixel art also :)

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