Shadowbrook
A downloadable game
Welcome to Shadowbrook!
A quiet little town tucked between the trees.
Charming homes. Friendly faces. And a vast forest filled with so many little critters.
Shadowbrook is the perfect place to settle down, disappear, and forget
Whether you're just passing through or planning to stay forever, we think you’ll find exactly what you’re looking for here.
Come home to Shadowbrook.
We’ve been waiting.
Notes:
-This is a character-driven psychological horror visual novel.
-This game is currently in development. With the current build being the completed prologue.
-The current build includes approximately 180 minutes (3 hours) of playable content (depending on your reading speed + choices).
-If you're into slow-burning dread, flawed characters, and a story that unravels as you play, this might be your thing.
-To avoid potential spoilers on the front page, here's the link to the content/trigger warnings (Link). Potential Flashing images warning.
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Development log
- Minor major update!14 days ago
- Major update!29 days ago
- Minor build update!43 days ago
Comments
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Interesting. I like graphics and story.
I already knew I'd like it from looking at the page, but damn, I did not expect it to be this good! You already know something’s wrong (or at the very least going to be) from the start, but really seeing these characters in action was an amazing experience. Personally I just love stories with deeply flawed characters and this one absolutely did not disappoint. I especially like Dylan, because I have somewhat of a soft spot for brutally honest characters like him.
The writing style is great too. It’s hard not to get invested when everything is so clearly described, and especially for a story like this it’s very important that it’s done right. So good job on that!
There are really only three possible downsides I can think of.
First, this story really isn’t for everyone. That’s not just because of the themes and triggers, but also the length. Three hours for a prologue is very long, and that can turn some people off. I don’t mind that personally, though.
Second, it’s kind of quiet most of the time. The sound effects are fine, although the volume does differ quite a bit (unless it’s intentional that the loud ones almost jumpscare you), but the lack of background music might be something you want to look into. It can add a lot to a game, and it would be a shame if you didn’t use it. Then again, the silence can also be used to punctuate the sound effects more, as you’re kind of doing already.
Third, although you shouldn’t change that now, I think the hallucinatory moments might have been here a little too early. There’s enough drama and tension already given Aaliyah’s poor treatment of her friends and adding the psychological factor didn’t add much for me. Depending on where you go with it, you might be adding an additional dimension that’s not entirely necessary and distracts from the main plot. I assume it probably has something to do with recovering from the trauma surrounding that person’s death, but again, I haven’t seen the link that clearly yet and it doesn’t seem necessary so far. But like I said, you can still do a lot with it and it doesn’t have to hold you back necessarily.
Lastly, have you played Echo and Doki Doki Literature Club by any chance? Because I can really recommend them if you haven’t. This story feels like a unique blend between the two and I couldn’t help but notice some of the similarities here. I think you’d enjoy those games if you like this sort of thing. (Also to anyone else reading this comment: check those out if you haven’t yet; they’re really good).
Wow I don't know why I didn't get a notification for this comment.
first off thank you for commenting it means so much and I will hang a framed picture of this on my wall.
And thank you for giving such good feedback!
I know it's very long, but I believe a story like this needs that time to set up and have all the impact later on. I really try to keep all the scenes in the game - have some sort of meaning or purpose being there. There were MANY pages that got cut because I deemed it filler.
Even so it's still so long.
The music will always be an issue for me. I've drawn my whole life and written here and there but I never really got into music. (this isn't and excuse) And I feel bad music (like poorly made ost) would only ruin any mood i'd try to set up. And music has a much deeper learning curve than learning to code.
Most of the sound effect i tried to make myself, or I got from royalty free sites.
If you do keep playing - I am trying to find more catered (royalty free) music, since the silence also bothers me alot.
thought, there would still be meaningful silence anyway.
i do apologize about the volume however, renpy does have a setting for the player to change it. And i tried to have each volume be specific but im still learning the rights and wrongs.
I think you're referring to the first "scary scene" in Aaliyah's bedroom. And i totally agree with your points. I think i approached that scene more from a video game perspective instead of a story one.
it felt like a scene that "had to be there" so it doesn't feel like later on it comes out of nowhere or isn't under stable, and many players would potentially stop reading after Monday as well, which also influenced my decision.
which is totally my fault and is 100% susceptible to change or just flat-out removal.
lastly: Yes i have played Doki Doki! Since my visual novel is semi horror based, I figured i'd take from one of the best horror visual novels I could think of.
As for the other (I'm assuming visual novel) no i haven't played that one. But maybe I could give it a try if I ever find down time.
Anyway, thank you for playing!!! I hope you enjoy the next build.
Wasn't expecting to get so invested, but the writing really pulled me in. The characters actually feel real, which is rare for a lot of VNs. It is more of a 4 hour playthrough though.