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[Demo last major update: 28/06/23 |Case 01, Part 01]

Solutions links below. 

It was supposed to be a "simple" missing person's case. 
You were supposed to investigate, find out and be done with it. 
All was fine until, on a sleepless and cliché full-moon night, you stumbled upon a creature you've never expected to find. A monster worth anyone's worst nightmare. 
Your life has taken an unexpected turn after this discovery, how will you manage after that ?

You are a private investigator. You were tasked, four days ago, with finding a missing person. You've successfully traced this person's whereabouts to a swamp and decided to have a look around... in the middle of a sleepless night. Yeah, not your brightness idea. Especially when you're finding yourself face to face with a walking nightmare. How will you manage life now that you've discovered the supernatural is not simply a myth, but something very real ? 

Main features

Customize your protagonistYou can choose as you play :

  • Gender (male, female and non-binary option)(trans-friendly option available) ; 
  • Pronounces (he, she, they, or  you can personalize  your pronouns);
  • Name, including aliases and nicknames ;
  • Background ; 
  • Appearances (including complexion, hair, eye colour, height,...);
  • Reactions ;
  • Fears ;

game features

  • Timed choices. You can toggle on a setting to allow you to see the timed choices ahead if you need more time to read. Toggling this on will allow you extended time.
  • Font appearance : the text is available in both : sans-serif fonts (by default), serif, and Open Dyslexic.  
  • Font size : 80%, 100%, 130% and 150%, to make your reading experience as comfortable as can be.
  • You can toggle to read with the metric system (default) or use the imperial measurement system (feet). 
  • Contains sound effect & background music (you can enable and disable the sound from the Settings, by gliding it all the way to the left).
  • There is a dark mode (by default), a sepia mode and a light mode available ;
  • Content for mature audiences can be toggled on and off as well. That will not remove the horror features though. 
  • Trigger warnings are available at each chapter's screen. Or directly via the "Content Warning" link, from the menu; 
  • Some Romantic Options are gender-selectable ;
  • You can choose to romance, date, only be involved physically or not at all with the RO. There are seven way you can interact with the RO : friendly, enemy, neutral, shy love, true love, enemy to lover, or simply lover/physical. 
  • Poly route available between Yu and Mbaya.  Officially unlockable past case 03. Don't panick before that. 
  • Locked romance route—or no romance route—would be able to be selected past case 03.  To give you the chance to meet all RO.

so far

Only the first part of Case 01 (chapter 1) is available. There will be at least 8 cases, with no definite length. 

romantic options

Elias Alistair William, male, 33 years old

To say Elias is a gruff person is to say the least. But you know he has some good will in him behind the non-bothered no nonsense act. He did act to save you, without asking anything in exchange. Though, if you would describe him, you would say he is more like a sulking teddy bear. Yeah, you should probably not say that to him. Elias is probably the only one you're quite certain— not certain, certain, but quite certain — is a human. You have your doubt for the rest of the team. 

"If you think a day can't go shittier than it already is, be my guest."

Appearance : Human, or you can say super-human. 1.97m/6'46. Deep blue sea/cobalt blue eyes. Long white wavy hair (past shoulders). Tanned and weathered  ivory skin. Athletic build with broad shoulders.  3 o clock shadows. 

Has a 4 years old daughter.

Lavanya of Evans, female, 31 years old

How could you describe Anya ? Like the mist ? Always shrouded in mystery ? This is her. She is the incarnation of mystery.  She told you she was 31 years old, but you don't really believe the woman. You think she can bewitch the whole city with her smirk, if it's not already the case. But that smirk she puts on her face makes you not trust her that much. Unless it's a question of life and death. Then, probably, you'll consider her help.

"Why work hard when you can work smart ?"

Appearance : Human... you think ? 1.63 m/5.34 ft. Hazel eyes.  Straight black hair, mid-back length. Golden skin. Build: Lithe

Detective Inspector Sheppard, female, non-binary of male, 25 years old

Miloslav [M] / Mishka [F] / Marcy [NB]

Sheppard seems to be directly in competition with Elias for the title of "Grumpy human of the year".  Though, where Elias appears mostly unbothered in and for all, Sheppard just seems really on edge about everything.  And tense. But you guess it's because of their taxing and demanding work. Or maybe they were just born edgy. It's almost as if their hackles were constantly raised.  But they can be sweet. Somehow.

"Some people are looking for the meaning of life. I'm just looking for what "vacation" means and where I can find it."

Appearance : Not human... 1.78m/5'83. Forest green eyes. Curly auburn hair, cut short. Pale skin with freckles. Athletic build. 

Sahara or Seamus Mbaya, female or male, age unknown

Have you already seen in the eyes of someone some age old lost wisdom ? Flowing like crystal clear water from a time where you weren't even born. Something worth admiring. This is what you can see in their eyes.  Despite being a giant, they are a tranquil, very tranquil person. Now that you think about it, you've never seen them eat. Nor drink. This is suspicious. 

"If someone points you the moon, don't stare at the finger."

Appearance : Surely not human. 2.06m/6'76. Sky blue eyes. Long coiled hair, dyed sandy blond (braided with gold thread). Chocolate brown skin. Lithe build. Nose septum piercing. 

Yi-sea or Yunsu Yu, female or male, age unknown

Yu is, like, the opposite of Mbaya, whilst being almost similar. In front of you stand something from a past long gone. But, instead of tranquility, Yu is a bubbly person. Almost too bubbly.  And you're almost sure that they own at least half the club and bar of  Stonefrey. If not more. Something about the way they move, silently, and almost feline-like, makes you doubt they are human. 

"I'm not saying I don't care. I'm just saying that, if the whole city was about to burn down, I'll still take the time to appreciate my glass of whiskey."

Appearance : Definitely not human. 1.65m/5'61. Black eyes. Dark brown hair (Yi-seo: Shoulder length hair/Yunsu : Ivy league crew cut). Olive skin. Muscular build. 

Owl, female or male, age undetermined

Well. If you could say a word about Owl, you would say that they are dramatic. And fanciful. And they have a flourish for snarking remarks, and seem to have an ego as big as their wardrobe probably is. But what you would say the most is that they are wearing their name well. Owl, for their knowledge. That you could use. If they were on your side, that is, and totally not a wild card. 

"Everyone is such a bore in this city. Well, so long as you owe me — I mean, pay me. And entertain me. Surely this can work, Love."

Appearance : You're not sure. 1.79m/5'9. Verdigris-colored eyes. Wavy platinium blond hair (F: Chin-length plunging square cut/M: Styled curtain hairstyle). Fair and flawless skin. 

Iolrath, female, non binary or male, age unknown

You have met a nightmarish creature, will probably meet vampire, and werewolves — oh, you've met a witch as well. So now, here they are, an elf. Yes, an Elf. Like in Lord of the Things. In the city. With sunglasses. And their impassible way. Iolrath, child of Rivaran and Iltheruyn, they told you, as they were looking around at "mortals and their ways". Nice.

"Why must I say something ? Isn't silence acceptable in a discussion ?"

Appearance : It's very obviously an elf. 1.82m/6'0. Violet eyes. Long silver hair (reach mid-tight ). Shimmery skin. Elvish build of fairness.  Obvious pointed ears. 

non romantic options

Cecil Yuvraj-Abraham, non binary, 41 years old

Of all the group of strange poeple, Cecil is probably the most sane one. And the nicest as well, that might have helped improving your point of viem of them.  They are, what you can call, a quiet force.  Someone really polite and nice at heart but that can turn their huge frame into a weapon of mass destruction if pissed. But you really have to give your whole to piss them. Really, don't think about it. 

Alexander Whittaker, male, 27 years old

Why are poeple sending you to a pathologist to heal your wounds ? You don't really know. Especially when Alexander makes it clear he'd rather stay with his very much not alive patients than with whoever comes to him. At least, his heart is as cold and bleak as the mortuary, so you'll say this rather suits himself.  With that being said, you know he kind of have a soft spot for whomever takes care of his little brother. 

Lukas Whittaker, male, 16 years old

That boy, he is a sweet boy. Everyone says so. And it's true. He is so sweet actually, you might catch diabetes talking to him. Or just be in the same room as him. That's how heartwarming he is. A real way of sunshine. And he is usefull as well, with his "gift", though he dislikes poeple calling it such. You'll add him in your team. One day. When Alex wouldn't murder you for it.

Anna Finsh, female, 22 years old

Anna is... fiery ? Yeah, fiery is the word. And you wouldn't be surprised if you saw her one day spitting fire. You can know for sure she is in a room just by the sheer amounts of noises she can makes. Truly, it's astounding. But well, at least, with her nearby, everything is suddenly more, alive ?  

What is most important is your mental health. This story can deal with heavy themes, and the list will be updated along with the content. If you feel unwell, I'll advise you to stop reading and take a rest. Taking care of you comes first. Reach out to professional if need be.

mature content

 You can find the content warning  here and the side bar, directly in game.  

This story currently contains :

  • Blood
  • Body horror 
  • Cannibalism (mention only)
  • Death and depiction of death (yours as well as others)
  • Drowning
  • Gore
  • Gun and use of gun
  • Recreational drug and/or alcohol use 
  • Partial nudity and/or nudity
  • Psychological horror and disturbing content (including mental illness)
  • Strong/vulgar Language
  • Violence and graphic depiction of violence

disclaimer

The story, all names, characters, locations and incidents portrayed in this production are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.

warning

Some passages contain animated text. (You can disable this directly from the Settings, in game).


Tumblr | Report SomethingKo-Fi | Video trailer

Case 01 

Part 01 | [1st Keywords] [2nd Keywords]

StatusOn hold
PlatformsHTML5
Rating
Rated 4.7 out of 5 stars
(31 total ratings)
AuthorSerenityW
GenreInteractive Fiction
TagsCharacter Customization, Detective, Horror, Modern, Monsters, NSFW, supernatural, Text based, Twine
Average sessionA few seconds
LanguagesEnglish
LinksReport a bug !, Blog

Development log

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Comments

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(+1)

Below would be a small guide of keywords! Spoilers be warned!

I have to say, it's incredibly well-written and the atmosphere itself is stunning, terrifying, and hair-raising tensions. I have to say, I love how the writing was so descriptive and downright terrifying, it made reading tense especially with the aptly put in sound effects that really elevated and heightened the feeling.

The content warnings themselves were really put into use, I had never felt dread over just a few texts on a black screen and even then it terrified the fuck out of me. My main gripe would have to be the textbox because it was pretty hard to get keywords without proper clues to help guide us and the hints were somewhat okay (the last hint was really perplexing and super annoying for me to go through) but I liked the challenge of typing and seeing through to it... But man, was it rough.

Maybe having some words highlighted within a text/pargraph of MC ruminating their detective thoughts and the hints could be taking specific lines from the paragraph to guide the MC as options would fit more in? Because the text box was really cool and fun, it was just really easy to run into some problems...

And as promised. below will the spoilers for the keywords but you can also find them at this tumblr post made by the dev: dev's hints

Regarding the last hint, if you just want a brief help, remember your English grammar...



















For the questioning towards Elias (the strangers) you can use some of my keywords that I used:

  • monster/creature
  • swamp
  • stranger
  • speak

And for the last one, the one that admittedly damn near broke me, it is literally but a simple word.

  • is

Like oh my god, that was it. I was really stressing all over the place especially because the hint made me blankly stare at the screen going "... this is not what the English grammar taught me".

Regardless, this was a really good IF! I really love the writing, atmosphere, and clue hunting! You really put a lot of time and effort into fleshing out the world so much that I nearly spiralled myself in a rabbit hole reading a lot of things~!! Good luck with further development and solving further cases!!

(+1)

I woke up to this and it was so precious ! 
Like I blinked, unlocked my phone, saw the notification and clicked grumpily, and then boom, light, sun, warmth, and all fuzzy-cosy emotions in my heart <3

Thank you so much for your comment, especially this part which I noted : 

"Maybe having some words highlighted within a text/pargraph of MC ruminating their detective thoughts and the hints could be taking specific lines from the paragraph to guide the MC as options would fit more in? Because the text box was really cool and fun, it was just really easy to run into some problems..."

It will be useful into the clues section I'll have to put more work into, so that you can have everything you need in your hand :) 

I know it can be frustrating, but I wanted to share as well the frustration of thinking about clues and the satisfaction which comes with solving the keywords system ! 

Also, you have, in the solution part of the description on the game, above, the solution for keywords directly in the devlog ;) 

Thank you so much for you feed back and for sharing with others clues for their game <3

Much love,

(1 edit) (+2)

just a question, is there currently any way to raise your relationship status with Elias above 1%? I tend to delete old saves so I just want to do things right from the get-go.

(+1)

As you're currently still on the "prologue", kind of, any choices you make for now has low impact on variables. Currently, the maximum you can reach with Elias is indeed 2%.

Starting Case 02, the choices you'll make there will progressively have much more weight.

It's only at Case 03 that you may impact relationships more. 

I've built it that way so that you may, at first, get to know the system and built your character accordingly, and mostly, I didn't want to make high impact choices on the get go so that you may be introduced first to all RO and will be able to make your choices and moves after.

Hope that helps 🤗

(+1)

From a design perspective, I feel that the textbox is a bit of a reaching problem for more than a few people. It may be best to implement a looping dialogue choice tree where the player needs to click on a choice (and for given events, have certain choices simply not appear to those who haven't seen).

Much work seems to be around the problem of the textbox rather than solving the problem of the box itself. Just some hopeful advice.

(+1)

Thanks for the advice, I'm working on it :)

Glad to hear B)

(+1)

the game is absolutely amazing, but I have problems with the questions 😭 the "how & when" does nothing. (I tried everything & the hint page aswell) Could anyone help please?

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(+2)

You can find the solution : here

Hope that helps ! 🤗

P.S. : I'm sorry I've erased your comments, it's just that it contained some keywords, and as they are yet no special filter for spoilers, I don't want first time readers to stumble upon this.

oh I'm so sorry! I thought it was ok because below some wrote it as well. Sorry again & no problem.  And thank you sooo much for the link!!! I looked everywhere & I guess just missed it on Tumblr. It worked, thank you thank you thank you!!!!!!

(+2)

No, it's okay, I didn't registered the fact that it was written everywhere as well. It was only yesterday I was like "Oh, no!" 
But thanks to you I made it more accessible 🤗 And it gave me the opportunity to put the link more clearly. 

No problem ! Hope that helped you 🥳
And thank you for playing 🩵 😊

(+1)

how do you open the save menu? :(

(+1)

Click up, in the delimited space near the top of your screen. Then click on the leftmost corner. 

That will toggle the menu on the bottom. Then you have the "save" option on the first line. 

Once done, click anywhere on the screen to make the menu disappear.

Hope that helps~

I’ll try

it doesn’t work though, I tried yesterday so many times But the Button doesn’t work

The save button ?

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(+1)

Heyyy, thank you for letting me know! 

It's noted and will be corrected in the next update 😉

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(+1)

I will make an update with a dialog box for the hint/keywords part 😂

Because those two are adding frustration to frustration. 

Basically, no caps, no space and it should work for now. I'll try to think of something to make it comfortable ; but for now it's the only solution 😖

Hope you enjoyed!

(+1)

Hey! I really love this, I'm hooked!

But the hint doesn't work for me and i can't figure out why

Thank you ! 

Noooooo 😭 where are you stuck ?

Have you checked, if you're on phone, if there is an automatic space after you type a word ? Because this can prevent the code from being triggered correctly. 🍀

Let me know ! 

Yup yup it was my phone. Geeez, i rushed to comment cuz i was so excited to finish the demo😆. It works, thanks! 

Great work!

(+1)

Hey the hint, didn't do anything 😭 I really love the game, but grgrgr i cannot for the life of me do much without the hint😔

(+1)

Thank you for playing ! 

Have you tried to use the "hint" 4 or 5 times ? 
Because it will show you, in red, the four keywords you can use to advance. I'm testing all the hints branching right now and I'll make a quick update. 

If it's really not working, let me know, I will provide you with the keywords. Just tell me then what caught Elias attention during his POV so that I can give you the right ones. :)

(+2)

Dw, I found out the solution😆😭 i was the annon on tumblr. I am a okay now😆😆

(+1)

Really really liked the demo so far but i'm stuck when you ask the questions because i don't know what to do and the hint option isn't working for me

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(1 edit)

Oh, is the "hint" still not working for you ?

I'm going to make a quick update. You can keep your save as I won't touch any variables. Let me know if it's not working. 

The update has been done. I will check on my side as well, but now it should work. 

There is a page mentioning the end of the demo once you've reached what I've published so far.