The Playdate project is an opportunity to incorporate your individual experience into a game plot, which is barely imaginable in AAA projects. For me, the most challenging part is being able to share your sentiment and inner ache with others. It’s important but not so easy. As far as I am concerned, you had hard times. Sorry to hear that and hope you are okay now. The game is profound. Depression sucks. Hugs.
This game was good. (Actually I came here to confirm I got both endings right haha.) I bought it cos I wanted to see how horror games would be like on the Playdate, and seriously this disturbed me quite a bit. Am very impressed and thank you for sharing! (Also read in comments that you personally have frustrating chronic illness and I hope you are feeling ok lately.)
Thank you for your kind words! Glad you got both of the endings. Did you water Chuck though?
And , my health has been very under control for the past few years, thank you for asking!
...but definitely part of the problem is that the "...Is it coming back?" thought never REALLY goes away, which is what formed part of the horror: needing to constantly be vigilant around it, knowing that most people don't have that added psychic weight.
Nice work on this game! It really drew me in. I’m not usually the horror game type — quite the opposite, in fact — but the good reviews even before the award drew me in. Loved it all. Really impressive that the immersive story drove the real horror of the game. I didn’t think I could feel that creepy a 1-bit game. Nicely done!
Honestly, I think the 1-bit worked in my favor. Because the art is so low detail, you fill in a lot of other details in your mind. The creepy stuff I left unfilled was filled in by your imagination, and the end result was something better and creepier than I could have made.
Lovely game. Played it over yesterday and today. It's funny thinking about my childhood, playing with a Game Boy, where this game could look identical to a Game Boy game, but a game for a Nintendo system couldn't have 5% of this content. Knowing how autobiographical this is for you, I feel for you. The period Elly is confined to a hospital bed is difficult, as it should be.
I hope you'll make another game, whether it's with this topic or another. I love narrative adventure games, and it's great the Playdate can support this kind of storytelling. It reminds a lot of Fran Bow.
Hugely impressed with this game. One of the best Playdate experiences I’ve had thus far, so kudos to all involved.
I did have one question though, how does the flashback/mom section connect to the rest of the game? Is it for autobiographical purposes or am I mistaken?
Thank you for your kind words! At the end of the day, it's about whatever you think it's about, but I'll tell you a little bit about what I was thinking.
The game is very autobiographical in that I have a lot of health issues and more than a few hospital stays, but the purpose of the second night isn't to give you information about Elly's past: It's to give you information about what's wrong with her through allegory.
The theme of the second night is "You should be able to count on this thing to take care of you, and it can't because there's something wrong with it." - A nasty autoimmune condition like mine is a lifetime of "Can my body resolve this issue on its own? Or do I need to step in with medical intervention?" That anxiety is the basis of the horror in the second night.
Hey - I just finished this game, thank you for making it.
People close to me have had long periods of sickness and have delt with thinking doctors would be there to help them to realising doctors have their own stuff going on and actually you need to really push to be heard. So it was good to be able to experience some small slice of that... "Good" may be the wrong word, but you know what I mean.
I was a confused by the jungle section. Maybe I need to play it again, and read the diaries slower, to pick more up. I have the feeling it's partly about medicine feeling like random guessing, like you might as well be performing an ancient ritual? The life's water thing about blood tests, that you need to keep giving and giving and hope something meaningful comes back? I suppose it was also part of the falling back through time, progress in life stopping, slipping back and back and back.
For the final sequence. I really like it. First time I was really confused. But I think it really shows why it's important to try not view ourselves like that, even when that feels easier than viewing ourselves kindly, even when it's really hard. And it's hard to write about!!
Like I say I've just finished it but I'm sure I'll chew on it for a while. Thanks a lot for making it, it's just what I needed today.
I definitely aimed for "busy and rushed" rather than "uncaring", so I appreciate you making the distinction.
You should take away from it what you want, but my intent with the 3rd night was the feeling of a decaying temple requiring arcane incomprehensible rituals to maintain.
I like your take on the final sequence as well. My particular variety of health problems is autoimmune, so the issue of how both you see yourself and how your body sees itself are relevant.
This is a wonderful game and an incredible achievement in pulp. I was engrossed from start to finish(es). The narrative, pacing, dialogue, visuals - all spot on. The fragments of story generate a powerful atmosphere as they are revealed and really got me thinking. This is a game I'll definitely recommend and revisit.
i thoroughly enjoyed this! wonderful game - subtle mood shifts / blurry reality / nuanced dialog / little details, like the way the doctor knocks and walks right in, not waiting for elly to respond. i loved it!
I really enjoyed this game. The shifting of environments and how Elly interacts with her surroundings had me engaged in her story. I actually live close to Harborview Medical Center, so the locale added an extra layer of interest to the game, as if Elly could be any of my neighbors. I hope you continue to make Playdate games and I look forward to seeing what you produce in the future.
Just beat the game (both endings) and I enjoyed the atmosphere and puzzles. It was definitely spooky, and a standout on Playdate.. I'm just not quite sure what exactly happened... ***Spoilers ahead*** Was it all just an allegory? Was it some kind of fungus taking over the city? Was Elly hallucinating the construction and the tree? What came out of the CT? Was it a form of Elly? Was it "her depression" and she had to kill it or leave it? I just don't know if I'm looking too much into it
You are absolutely not reading too much into it: it's intentionally incredibly dense. However, I'm a big post modernist, so whatever you want to take away from it is valid.
*spoiler warning*
The one question I will answer definitively is that the thing that comes out of the CT machine is just... also Elly. It's allegorical, but it's an allegory specifically for autoimmune illness, which is my particular flavor of chronic health problems. The exact diagnosis is never made clear (intentionally) but the doctor notes underwater point to autoimmune if you know the medical terminology.
Because something went terribly wrong, something that you *know* to be your own body is being perceived as alien and awful and needing to be destroyed. Elly isn't sick because she has something foreign inside of her, she's sick because she is unable to recognize that thing as just her. To try to destroy the other without acknowledging it as a part of yourself is tantamount to death, and the "correct" choice is to simply... coexist with it.
just played through the game for the first time. very, very good, really enjoyed it. i'm curious; is the police chief being named molly borowski an intentional night in the woods reference?
A standout among Playdate games for sure! Very well crafted and immersive, but that being said: this is exactly the type of games I'd never expect to play on a Playdate. Those warnings at the start? No joke. This is actually a heavy-hitting, propper psychological horror experience, so if that doesn't sound like a good time to you, it probably wont be. And that goes double if you are bothered with themes of illnesses and hospitals.
"Nightingale" affected me more than I could've ever expected, which serves as testament to how well it is made. But it's absolutely not for everyone.
Thanks for you feedback, and sorry the experience was unexpectedly rough.
Do you feel like there was something I could have done that gave a clearer picture of what you were in for? Want to do everything possible to prevent people from having an experience they regret.
Hey there! Thanks for responding. I appreciated the story for sure, but I simply didn't expect this well crafted of a psychological horror story on the the yellow console with the crank that has tons of games about dogs doing cool things. But in reality, maybe that is what enchanced the experience so much.
If you feel like adding something to the warning screen, I'd throw in a few warnings about people with sensitivity to hospital stays, illnesses and conditions. The way you used the concept to subvert expectations was masterful, but it was the most stressful part to me for sure. I think you get what I mean.
That's why I wanted to come back and leave a review, highlighting that this is a very well made game, but it is true-horror. Consider my suffering a form of praise.
I don't think I've ever been as engrossed in a Playdate game as I was with this one for its running time. It's impressive what you've done with atmosphere and setting using the Pulp engine. I was a ball of stress (in a good way). The writing and dialogue - top-notch. It reminded me of Silent Hill 2 and a smidge of Lynch and also reminded me I need to watch Jacob's Ladder soon. I also wouldn't be surprised if this is based on some real-life hospital experiences because it completely nailed the feeling of some recent ones in my life (including my wife's post-op from back surgery, where the nurses almost made her OD by mixing drugs they shouldn't have. Yeesh)
Really hoping you use some of what you've learned and built here to make another game in this vein. I didn't want this to be over, I wanted to go deeper into the muck... actually I might replay as I'm a bit dense and the ending went over my head, ngl.
Thank you so much for your feedback! You're right: I've spent a lot of time personally in hospitals and its VERY autobiographical in that sense. If you have questions about what I was attempting, happy to answer them, but I'm encouraging people to create their own takeaways from it.
If you go back, make sure you get both endings! Also, did you water Chuck?
Cool! I'm happy to create my own reading of it, and it's probably best if you don't over-explain IMO :)
I did get both endings (at least the "knife" vs. "walk away" ones - you helpfully provided the ability to replay the final sequence). I did not think to water Chuck though!
This was excellent. Strange, affecting, impactful, and super, super resonant. I think this is my new favorite Pulp game. Thank you so much for making/sharing this.
I just spent as long thinking about the game and speculating on its story as I did playing it through, so this definitely got into my head! A very well put together first game that brings some worthy representation in the genre to the Playdate. Recommended!
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The Playdate project is an opportunity to incorporate your individual experience into a game plot, which is barely imaginable in AAA projects. For me, the most challenging part is being able to share your sentiment and inner ache with others. It’s important but not so easy. As far as I am concerned, you had hard times. Sorry to hear that and hope you are okay now. The game is profound. Depression sucks. Hugs.
Good game. Reminded me a bit of Sanitarium
Thanks for your kind words! Love me a slow burn surreal horror, as you can tell.
This game was good. (Actually I came here to confirm I got both endings right haha.) I bought it cos I wanted to see how horror games would be like on the Playdate, and seriously this disturbed me quite a bit. Am very impressed and thank you for sharing! (Also read in comments that you personally have frustrating chronic illness and I hope you are feeling ok lately.)
Thank you so much for this game.
Thank you for your kind words! Glad you got both of the endings. Did you water Chuck though?
And , my health has been very under control for the past few years, thank you for asking!
...but definitely part of the problem is that the "...Is it coming back?" thought never REALLY goes away, which is what formed part of the horror: needing to constantly be vigilant around it, knowing that most people don't have that added psychic weight.
Nice work on this game! It really drew me in. I’m not usually the horror game type — quite the opposite, in fact — but the good reviews even before the award drew me in. Loved it all. Really impressive that the immersive story drove the real horror of the game. I didn’t think I could feel that creepy a 1-bit game. Nicely done!
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it so much!
Honestly, I think the 1-bit worked in my favor. Because the art is so low detail, you fill in a lot of other details in your mind. The creepy stuff I left unfilled was filled in by your imagination, and the end result was something better and creepier than I could have made.
Lovely game. Played it over yesterday and today. It's funny thinking about my childhood, playing with a Game Boy, where this game could look identical to a Game Boy game, but a game for a Nintendo system couldn't have 5% of this content. Knowing how autobiographical this is for you, I feel for you. The period Elly is confined to a hospital bed is difficult, as it should be.
I hope you'll make another game, whether it's with this topic or another. I love narrative adventure games, and it's great the Playdate can support this kind of storytelling. It reminds a lot of Fran Bow.
Thank you for writing!
The hospital is, by far, the most autobiographical part of it, as you can probably guess.
Hopefully I'll have some new stuff coming down the pipe soon!
Hugely impressed with this game. One of the best Playdate experiences I’ve had thus far, so kudos to all involved.
I did have one question though, how does the flashback/mom section connect to the rest of the game? Is it for autobiographical purposes or am I mistaken?
Thank you for your kind words! At the end of the day, it's about whatever you think it's about, but I'll tell you a little bit about what I was thinking.
The game is very autobiographical in that I have a lot of health issues and more than a few hospital stays, but the purpose of the second night isn't to give you information about Elly's past: It's to give you information about what's wrong with her through allegory.
The theme of the second night is "You should be able to count on this thing to take care of you, and it can't because there's something wrong with it." - A nasty autoimmune condition like mine is a lifetime of "Can my body resolve this issue on its own? Or do I need to step in with medical intervention?" That anxiety is the basis of the horror in the second night.
Hey - I just finished this game, thank you for making it.
People close to me have had long periods of sickness and have delt with thinking doctors would be there to help them to realising doctors have their own stuff going on and actually you need to really push to be heard. So it was good to be able to experience some small slice of that... "Good" may be the wrong word, but you know what I mean.
I was a confused by the jungle section. Maybe I need to play it again, and read the diaries slower, to pick more up. I have the feeling it's partly about medicine feeling like random guessing, like you might as well be performing an ancient ritual? The life's water thing about blood tests, that you need to keep giving and giving and hope something meaningful comes back? I suppose it was also part of the falling back through time, progress in life stopping, slipping back and back and back.
For the final sequence. I really like it. First time I was really confused. But I think it really shows why it's important to try not view ourselves like that, even when that feels easier than viewing ourselves kindly, even when it's really hard. And it's hard to write about!!
Like I say I've just finished it but I'm sure I'll chew on it for a while. Thanks a lot for making it, it's just what I needed today.
Thanks for your kind words and feedback!
I definitely aimed for "busy and rushed" rather than "uncaring", so I appreciate you making the distinction.
You should take away from it what you want, but my intent with the 3rd night was the feeling of a decaying temple requiring arcane incomprehensible rituals to maintain.
I like your take on the final sequence as well. My particular variety of health problems is autoimmune, so the issue of how both you see yourself and how your body sees itself are relevant.
This is a wonderful game and an incredible achievement in pulp. I was engrossed from start to finish(es). The narrative, pacing, dialogue, visuals - all spot on. The fragments of story generate a powerful atmosphere as they are revealed and really got me thinking. This is a game I'll definitely recommend and revisit.
Thank you so much for your kind words! Glad you enjoyed it.
- VERY small spoiler -
i thoroughly enjoyed this! wonderful game - subtle mood shifts / blurry reality / nuanced dialog / little details, like the way the doctor knocks and walks right in, not waiting for elly to respond. i loved it!
Thank you for your kind words and glad you enjoyed it.
Funny thing about the Dr. entrance: It ended up that way because of a bug, but I liked it enough that it became the intended entrance.
I really enjoyed this game. The shifting of environments and how Elly interacts with her surroundings had me engaged in her story. I actually live close to Harborview Medical Center, so the locale added an extra layer of interest to the game, as if Elly could be any of my neighbors. I hope you continue to make Playdate games and I look forward to seeing what you produce in the future.
Thank you for your kind words! Glad you enjoyed it!
Just beat the game (both endings) and I enjoyed the atmosphere and puzzles. It was definitely spooky, and a standout on Playdate.. I'm just not quite sure what exactly happened... ***Spoilers ahead*** Was it all just an allegory? Was it some kind of fungus taking over the city? Was Elly hallucinating the construction and the tree? What came out of the CT? Was it a form of Elly? Was it "her depression" and she had to kill it or leave it? I just don't know if I'm looking too much into it
Thank you for the kind words!
You are absolutely not reading too much into it: it's intentionally incredibly dense. However, I'm a big post modernist, so whatever you want to take away from it is valid.
*spoiler warning*
The one question I will answer definitively is that the thing that comes out of the CT machine is just... also Elly. It's allegorical, but it's an allegory specifically for autoimmune illness, which is my particular flavor of chronic health problems. The exact diagnosis is never made clear (intentionally) but the doctor notes underwater point to autoimmune if you know the medical terminology.
Because something went terribly wrong, something that you *know* to be your own body is being perceived as alien and awful and needing to be destroyed. Elly isn't sick because she has something foreign inside of her, she's sick because she is unable to recognize that thing as just her. To try to destroy the other without acknowledging it as a part of yourself is tantamount to death, and the "correct" choice is to simply... coexist with it.
just played through the game for the first time. very, very good, really enjoyed it. i'm curious; is the police chief being named molly borowski an intentional night in the woods reference?
Absolutely it is. Glad you noticed, and thank you for the kind words!
NitW made a HUGE impression on me, so it seemed only fitting.
A standout among Playdate games for sure! Very well crafted and immersive, but that being said: this is exactly the type of games I'd never expect to play on a Playdate. Those warnings at the start? No joke. This is actually a heavy-hitting, propper psychological horror experience, so if that doesn't sound like a good time to you, it probably wont be. And that goes double if you are bothered with themes of illnesses and hospitals.
"Nightingale" affected me more than I could've ever expected, which serves as testament to how well it is made. But it's absolutely not for everyone.
Thanks for you feedback, and sorry the experience was unexpectedly rough.
Do you feel like there was something I could have done that gave a clearer picture of what you were in for? Want to do everything possible to prevent people from having an experience they regret.
Hey there! Thanks for responding. I appreciated the story for sure, but I simply didn't expect this well crafted of a psychological horror story on the the yellow console with the crank that has tons of games about dogs doing cool things. But in reality, maybe that is what enchanced the experience so much.
If you feel like adding something to the warning screen, I'd throw in a few warnings about people with sensitivity to hospital stays, illnesses and conditions. The way you used the concept to subvert expectations was masterful, but it was the most stressful part to me for sure. I think you get what I mean.
That's why I wanted to come back and leave a review, highlighting that this is a very well made game, but it is true-horror. Consider my suffering a form of praise.
I don't think I've ever been as engrossed in a Playdate game as I was with this one for its running time. It's impressive what you've done with atmosphere and setting using the Pulp engine. I was a ball of stress (in a good way). The writing and dialogue - top-notch. It reminded me of Silent Hill 2 and a smidge of Lynch and also reminded me I need to watch Jacob's Ladder soon. I also wouldn't be surprised if this is based on some real-life hospital experiences because it completely nailed the feeling of some recent ones in my life (including my wife's post-op from back surgery, where the nurses almost made her OD by mixing drugs they shouldn't have. Yeesh)
Really hoping you use some of what you've learned and built here to make another game in this vein. I didn't want this to be over, I wanted to go deeper into the muck... actually I might replay as I'm a bit dense and the ending went over my head, ngl.
Thank you so much for your feedback! You're right: I've spent a lot of time personally in hospitals and its VERY autobiographical in that sense. If you have questions about what I was attempting, happy to answer them, but I'm encouraging people to create their own takeaways from it.
If you go back, make sure you get both endings! Also, did you water Chuck?
Cool! I'm happy to create my own reading of it, and it's probably best if you don't over-explain IMO :)
I did get both endings (at least the "knife" vs. "walk away" ones - you helpfully provided the ability to replay the final sequence). I did not think to water Chuck though!
This was excellent. Strange, affecting, impactful, and super, super resonant. I think this is my new favorite Pulp game. Thank you so much for making/sharing this.
Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad you enjoyed it so much!
Very cool little piece of art you made here - great work. Love the visuals, writing, and overall vibe.
Thank you! It's my first *anything* pretty much, so glad to hear you enjoyed it!
I just spent as long thinking about the game and speculating on its story as I did playing it through, so this definitely got into my head! A very well put together first game that brings some worthy representation in the genre to the Playdate. Recommended!
It really looks promising! I'm looking forward for the release
It's up now