LUNACY [FREE][Lunar Game Jam][Fantasy/Sci-fi][Surreal]

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Aracade
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LUNACY [FREE][Lunar Game Jam][Fantasy/Sci-fi][Surreal]

#1 Post by Aracade »

bg_main_menu.png
"Greetings Selene."
"This is the Demiurge."
"I am the maker of worlds and I made you."
"In this eternity I will guide you on what you need to do."
"Follow my voice, and you will find this universe in harmony."

The minute Selene was created, she knew what she was meant to do. Catch the stars that run away, calm the waters and craft constellations. She was the unquestioned ruler of the Moon and ally to the Demiurge, ruler of the universe.

Every phase of the Moon, she would undertake tasks that were assigned to her. However, several cycles later, she receives a blank message. Unsure of what to do and where the Demiurge is, Selene embarks on a journey across time and space.


This visual novel was made for the Lunar New Year Jam of 2020.

It includes:

• 16 different endings! (although some endings are more important than others)

• An original soundtrack (OST) of 12 different pieces!

• Roughly 20k words (approximately 1.5 hours of playtime)

• 5 CGS

• A bonus "behind the scenes" mode called "Calendar"

• References to Pre-Socratic philosophers




CREDITS


Aracade: Programming, Art, Music and Story
Isobel Thompson: Music
PurplePlanet: Music
Ren'py engine



DOWNLOAD ON ITCH.IO (if interested)
https://aracade.itch.io/lunacy


The OST/soundtrack to LUNACY is available on a playlist on Youtube! Feel free to click below and have a listen :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQ_L45g ... I3dlkCMi7l


Here is a link to the channel (in case it only shows the title theme)
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNrdU3 ... giQ/videos


cg_dancing.png
cg_swimming.png

This game was made from Jan 2nd to Jan 20th. The theme was "moons" or "Year of the Rat". I was motivated to finish this game within the
time that was given. It is "finished" but I wish I could've added more features/take some more time to clean it up. I would really appreciate it if you had a look and would love to hear any sort of feedback! :)



Exciting UPDATE! This game was one of the selected winners for the Lunar New Year Jam!!!
I am over the moon about this (pun intended) and am so thankful to everyone who has checked out the game so far.

What this means is that I will have a booth at the IGDA party/convention that's being held in Texas. The Society of Play there will be running the booth as, unfortunately, I do not live in the US. Because of this, I won't be able to attend. But I highly, highly recommend that you go see the game there along with all of the other games that were submitted for the Lunar New Year Jam.

You can read more about it in the development log on the itch.io page:
https://aracade.itch.io/lunacy/devlog/1 ... w-year-jam

And you can find more information on the Lunar New Year Jam site:
https://itch.io/jam/lunar-new-year-jam/ ... p-up-event
Last edited by Aracade on Sat Jan 25, 2020 4:14 am, edited 2 times in total.

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4nh
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Re: LUNACY [FREE][Lunar Game Jam][Fantasy/Sci-fi][Surreal]

#2 Post by 4nh »

Wow! This looks like a fun game, Aracade. ^.^ You got me at "References to Pre-Socratic philosophers" hi hi. I'm going to download now and let you know when I finish. ^.^

I totally get you at wanting to polish your game more, as an artist, I get into that rabbit hole a lot! I can keep tweaking and working on the same (albeit, small) painting for days ha ha. ^O^''

Much love,
Anh

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Aracade
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Completed: A Monster's Insight, LUNACY, Gulam
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Re: LUNACY [FREE][Lunar Game Jam][Fantasy/Sci-fi][Surreal]

#3 Post by Aracade »

4nh wrote: Tue Jan 21, 2020 12:11 am Wow! This looks like a fun game, Aracade. ^.^ You got me at "References to Pre-Socratic philosophers" hi hi. I'm going to download now and let you know when I finish. ^.^

I totally get you at wanting to polish your game more, as an artist, I get into that rabbit hole a lot! I can keep tweaking and working on the same (albeit, small) painting for days ha ha. ^O^''

Much love,
Anh
Oh wow! Thank you so much Anh, I'm really looking forward to hearing your feedback about LUNACY!!
I'm glad that the Presocratics caught your eye, they have some...interesting theories about the universe (which I incorporated).
And I really wanted to include more CGs! But I had to meet a deadline and had other commitments.
On a separate note...

The OST/soundtrack to LUNACY is available on a playlist on Youtube! Feel free to click below and have a listen :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQ_L45g ... dex=2&t=0s

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Re: LUNACY [FREE][Lunar Game Jam][Fantasy/Sci-fi][Surreal]

#4 Post by FerventWriter »

Wow! What a great game! It's super impressive that you made it in such a short period of time. I really enjoyed playing it, and especially liked the soundtrack. I'll be sure to put in on when I'm studying it seems great for that. The art is really gorgeous and reminds me a lot of watercolors, and I thought it fit the game very well. I also think it was a great touch to include trivia about the constellations. That doesn't have much to do with the overall mechanics, but I still thought it was a nice touch. Having so many different endings was also really cool, as I wasn't expecting the amount of freedom I got in-game. Great job!

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Aracade
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Re: LUNACY [FREE][Lunar Game Jam][Fantasy/Sci-fi][Surreal]

#5 Post by Aracade »

FerventWriter wrote: Tue Jan 21, 2020 5:11 pm Wow! What a great game! It's super impressive that you made it in such a short period of time. I really enjoyed playing it, and especially liked the soundtrack. I'll be sure to put in on when I'm studying it seems great for that. The art is really gorgeous and reminds me a lot of watercolors, and I thought it fit the game very well. I also think it was a great touch to include trivia about the constellations. That doesn't have much to do with the overall mechanics, but I still thought it was a nice touch. Having so many different endings was also really cool, as I wasn't expecting the amount of freedom I got in-game. Great job!
Thank you very much FerventWriter for playing LUNACY!! I'm flattered and very glad that you enjoyed a lot aspects of the game (trivia, music, art). A CG of the game was actually made with watercolours so you're not too far off! I am also very proud of the music Izzy (Isobel) and I did, she did a phenomenal job and I could not have asked for any better!!

I like to include lots of different endings in my games and having freedom of choice allows for this. I may put a walkthrough soon, because most of the choices in-game don't necessarily determine a set outcome. Endings are determined by the "stats" you collect throughout the game. The variation of endings come from some specific choices though.
When you choose where to go ("To the edge","Other planets", "Keep Walking") it sets you on a fixed route. So that choice is very important. Also choosing to STAY on the moon is itself, another route. And in the final chapter where you meet the Demiurge, your choices there determine your ending.
You can find more information in the Endings Guide under the "Calendar" section :)

It's clear that you have played a lot of it and I am very glad for that. Also I would like to hear what people thought of different endings? But that would have to be in a spoiler tag :P

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Re: LUNACY [FREE][Lunar Game Jam][Fantasy/Sci-fi][Surreal]

#6 Post by 4nh »

Aracade wrote: Tue Jan 21, 2020 11:39 am Oh wow! Thank you so much Anh, I'm really looking forward to hearing your feedback about LUNACY!!
I'm glad that the Presocratics caught your eye, they have some...interesting theories about the universe (which I incorporated).
And I really wanted to include more CGs! But I had to meet a deadline and had other commitments.
Hi Aracade, I just finished your game. It has such an interesting concept. ^.^ I didn't know much about Presocratics or philosophy or constellation, through your game I have a feeling that you know a lot about those things, and I learn something new today. ^O^/

I'll make the next part a spoiler, so we can chat more about LUNACY in detail hi hi. :lol:
At first, when I read your intro to the game and look at the graphics, I didn't know what to expect, exactly. And I certainly not expect the aspect of horror in it. :P Looking back though, on that Demiurge quote about things like "In this eternity I will guide you on what you need to do.", it all makes sense. :lol:

The pace of the game makes me feel more and more lonely as I play, and things seem to make less and less sense. *w*'' Though, I think you did that on purpose hi hi. ^.^'' It certainly evokes some existential questions (which I like). I love the seemingly random things that happen to Selene; like dancing and choosing the track to dance to, or the part where you can type what you want to say (and scream), the friend was a nice touch as well.

I was a bit sad for Selene. Isolation can be such a scary thing, it makes you wonder who you are, why you do what you do at all.

I also love the extra and get to learn about your creation process! I think the the time limit of this Jam has more or less shaped your game to what it is; having to choose what to prioritize, art, writing, music, coding etc. I love the CGs and I think they are rather enough for LUNACY, it's a game where it genuinely seems less is more.

Thank you for such a great and thought-provoking play. ^O^/ I also love the music as well, you and Isobel Thompson did a great job. :oops:
Take care and lots of love ^.^,
Anh

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Aracade
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Re: LUNACY [FREE][Lunar Game Jam][Fantasy/Sci-fi][Surreal]

#7 Post by Aracade »

4nh wrote: Wed Jan 22, 2020 3:22 am
Aracade wrote: Tue Jan 21, 2020 11:39 am Oh wow! Thank you so much Anh, I'm really looking forward to hearing your feedback about LUNACY!!
I'm glad that the Presocratics caught your eye, they have some...interesting theories about the universe (which I incorporated).
And I really wanted to include more CGs! But I had to meet a deadline and had other commitments.
Hi Aracade, I just finished your game. It has such an interesting concept. ^.^ I didn't know much about Presocratics or philosophy or constellation, through your game I have a feeling that you know a lot about those things, and I learn something new today. ^O^/

I'll make the next part a spoiler, so we can chat more about LUNACY in detail hi hi. :lol:
At first, when I read your intro to the game and look at the graphics, I didn't know what to expect, exactly. And I certainly not expect the aspect of horror in it. :P Looking back though, on that Demiurge quote about things like "In this eternity I will guide you on what you need to do.", it all makes sense. :lol:

The pace of the game makes me feel more and more lonely as I play, and things seem to make less and less sense. *w*'' Though, I think you did that on purpose hi hi. ^.^'' It certainly evokes some existential questions (which I like). I love the seemingly random things that happen to Selene; like dancing and choosing the track to dance to, or the part where you can type what you want to say (and scream), the friend was a nice touch as well.

I was a bit sad for Selene. Isolation can be such a scary thing, it makes you wonder who you are, why you do what you do at all.

I also love the extra and get to learn about your creation process! I think the the time limit of this Jam has more or less shaped your game to what it is; having to choose what to prioritize, art, writing, music, coding etc. I love the CGs and I think they are rather enough for LUNACY, it's a game where it genuinely seems less is more.

Thank you for such a great and thought-provoking play. ^O^/ I also love the music as well, you and Isobel Thompson did a great job. :oops:
Take care and lots of love ^.^,
Anh
Wow thank you for playing Anh!! I'm so glad that you enjoyed it and felt like you learnt something from it.
Yes! Only recently did I become interested in Cosmic Horror and that definitely influenced the horror in the game. I try for the surreal rather than something that is scary. I've always preferred psychological thrillers over the hackneyed "monster/ghost is trying to kill you" scenario.

The game is called LUNACY, and I wanted the "monster" to come internally. In this case, it manifests as isolation, existentialism and, of course, as lunacy. I didn't want it to be an external force or a "monster" that caused the insanity. Rather, I found it more compelling if it came from Selene herself. Yes, the Demiurge didn't leave a message, but it was Selene who ultimately let herself go, and it was Selene who put so much faith in the Demiurge in the first place.

I don't like to think of the Demiurge as a "villain". They're definitely the antagonist in some routes, but they put so much effort into keeping the universe as it was and obviously care about it enough to call themselves an "artist". Their goals are beyond Selene's understanding.

The game definitely intertwined Pre-Socratic philosophy (Demiurge, love + strife, the elements) and modern philosophy (existentialism, philosophy of beauty, ethics and moral responsibility). I'm very pleased that you picked up on a lot of these themes!

Thank you so much for your play Anh, it is clear that you have really played through this game! :)
The extras menu, typing out different things, the FRIEND. It is clear that you really enjoyed this game and for that, I couldn't be more grateful!
Take care Anh!

Izzy and I are very happy that you enjoyed the soundtrack :)

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