The Lion's Song by LeafThief

[raw]
made by LeafThief for LD30 (JAM)
The Lion's Song is a point & click Adventure Game.

The game is set in the early 20th century. You play as Wilma, a young composer who has been sent into the wild nature of the Austrian Alps to complete her greatest composition so far...

CONTROLS: Mouse

!Important Note!
Linux: It should be possible to run the game via wine, however I have not verified this.
Resolution: Some people reported that they weren't able to see anything and the whole game looked "Zoomed-in". I suspect it could've something to do with color-depth and thus made a 32-bit build. It is essentially the same game but maybe it helps!

Art, Code, Writing, Music and Sfx by @leafthief
Get in touch if you liked the game, I'd love to hear your feedback and where I could improve!

Ratings

Coolness 92% 2
Overall(Jam) 4.36 4
Audio(Jam) 4.07 26
Fun(Jam) 3.55 122
Graphics(Jam) 4.87 1
Humor(Jam) 3.07 158
Innovation(Jam) 3.46 168
Mood(Jam) 4.71 1
Theme(Jam) 4.24 13

Feedback

kyyrma
25. Aug 2014 · 19:05 UTC
This was an absolutely gorgeus entry on every level. The writing was really strong, and the graphics and music made my day. Beautiful stuff!
Clavus
25. Aug 2014 · 19:42 UTC
The most beautiful game I've seen in this LD up till now. Great take on the theme! Lovely art and music.
Pinqu
25. Aug 2014 · 19:43 UTC
Lots of stars for this one, very good :)
Eigen
25. Aug 2014 · 19:47 UTC
Some of the dialog really had me smiling. Thanks for that. I enjoyed it very much. Awesome work for 48 hours.
Pierrec
26. Aug 2014 · 06:14 UTC
Firt LD30 game I play! It sets very high standards for the others ^^ I really dis your art. I wish there was a bit more interaction
Random Abductions
26. Aug 2014 · 06:50 UTC
Hey thanks for pointing out Webplayer problem, it would be awesome if you could check back :D.

P.S. Loved your game :D
waynaul
26. Aug 2014 · 07:02 UTC
Brilliant game. The phone as a connection between worlds is simple yet elegant. Great ending too.
🎤 LeafThief
26. Aug 2014 · 07:12 UTC
@PierreC I agree more interaction would've been nice. But time got in the way (as usual) :/. Thanks for playing though :)
simplesmiler
26. Aug 2014 · 09:08 UTC
You did a good job, sir. I love every bit of it.
Jvdo
26. Aug 2014 · 11:53 UTC
Very well done. Amazing art, a compelling story and awesome music as well. Yes please!
darklightteam
26. Aug 2014 · 13:32 UTC
Awesome art! Really nice :D
Yoni
26. Aug 2014 · 13:38 UTC
Wow. Short but beautiful on many levels.
Hoopsnake Games
26. Aug 2014 · 13:39 UTC
Wow that was amazing. You really get into a mood playing this. Top stuff.
Follett
26. Aug 2014 · 13:40 UTC
Incredible. The art, music, text and game in general was perfect!
kibertoad
26. Aug 2014 · 13:43 UTC
I'd offer my flesh and sacrifice newborn babies to the Devil himself to write and draw like you.
dunin
26. Aug 2014 · 13:44 UTC
really good looking even at the title screen and the menu (rare in ld)...
Hyoga-3D
26. Aug 2014 · 13:52 UTC
Pretty nice take on the theme, graphics are very diferent and
ryguydavis
26. Aug 2014 · 14:02 UTC
This was very, very good. The graphics were excellent but to be honest I was mostly taken in by the rich story. It could easily have veered into trite but you managed to completely avoid ham-handing the dialogue. I was truly touched. Thanks for sharing it.
rnlf
26. Aug 2014 · 15:00 UTC
Wow.

Such a great game. Also it contains one of my favourite poems. So strong. I just wonder what made Wilma leave the hut. (Or are there other endings?)

So, lots of stars for this game!
Hairein
26. Aug 2014 · 15:40 UTC
What an interesting piece and with such fitting and beautiful graphics. There is a certain interest in finding out where the conversation go and the game mechanics are easy to grasp which helps interacting with the dialogue choices. The mood is really good.
ceosol
26. Aug 2014 · 19:40 UTC
This is a very nice interpretation of the theme. I especially enjoyed how your choices produce some subtle changes in future options.
christopf
26. Aug 2014 · 19:47 UTC
first i didn't manage to get it on any bigger resolution and was bored really fast. but as i tried it again i found out how to resize and got more captured by it.
the illustration are very nice and your sound design is gorgeous. made the most of its mood for me. also you captured the mood in generally very good (what made the kind of bored feeling in the first place). with every phonecall life came into game. i'm glad i play it to the end, thank you!
primaerfunktion
26. Aug 2014 · 19:58 UTC
You made something really great here. Good work!
RawboSaurX
26. Aug 2014 · 21:38 UTC
Fantastic entry, Leafthief. Artwork is beautiful and the story even more so. Very intriguing writing and character portraits. Thanks for creating this work of art and making me feel all them good feels :) 5 gold stars for you. You've earned them.
Autonomous
26. Aug 2014 · 21:57 UTC
very beautiful game!
Schrodinger Games
26. Aug 2014 · 23:09 UTC
Gorgeous artworks, unfortunately don't have windows machine. A web build would be nice, thnx!
🎤 LeafThief
27. Aug 2014 · 08:11 UTC
@Schrodinger Games: Unfortunately Adventure Game Studio has no such thing as a Web Export.
However, as I've heard it is possible to start Adventure Game Studio Builds using 'Wine' (for Linus).

Hope this helps.
kei
27. Aug 2014 · 15:28 UTC
Wow, amazing pixelart.
pLaw
27. Aug 2014 · 15:40 UTC
Gorgeous game. Very contemplative and nice mood. Good work!
panurge
27. Aug 2014 · 15:57 UTC
This is the first full set of stars I've given this LD. I thought it was just an utterly beautiful game. Gorgeous artwork, elegant sound design, just enough interaction to really draw you into the conversation between the two characters. Above all, it was beautifully written. I especially liked the little period touches like Leos' sudden embarrassment at forgetting to ask her name.

A wonderful piece of work with a mood which will linger with me. Thank you!
vctr_seleucos
27. Aug 2014 · 16:08 UTC
The pixel art on this entry and the mood is magnificent! Loved it! Really nice narrative experience and GORGEOUS interpretation of theme, well executed.
cacciatc
27. Aug 2014 · 18:55 UTC
So many awesome touches!
KevinZuhn
27. Aug 2014 · 20:11 UTC
This is a fantastic mood piece, I really felt drawn in by the story and the audio set a good atmosphere. I liked the small touches in Wilma's dialog choices. No complaints here.
Romko Pidstryhach
27. Aug 2014 · 21:42 UTC
Amazing mood! This is just awesome. I was looking for a long time for this kind of game. Good work!
IAmSpencer
28. Aug 2014 · 04:44 UTC
This was freaking amazing and you just got yourself a fan :) excellent writitng, amazingly beautiful graphics, best mood so far, and great sound. Job well done!
Victory Garden
28. Aug 2014 · 05:46 UTC
The game is interesting with excellent graphics. Please forgive me: You've received a lot of praise, so this post is going to be mostly critique. I felt that it was overwritten in places. The art is gorgeous as always, but when you describe facial expressions we can interpret for ourselves with text, it really weakens the strength of our perceptions. With the simplicity of the image: a young woman, a closed room, the mountains, I wish that we had been more able to access it for ourselves.

Next, the game needed more of a narrative arc, I suppose. I didn't get a sense that anything was changing, or becoming. Often I'd pick a dialogue option and then the character would say that line, and then the other... so why did I choose? Yes, Wilma becomes closer to Leos, but who are these people? Wilma describes herself as delicate, but that's, well, a very common way to describe women that doesn't tell you much about her in particular. A poetic intellect to be sure, possibly consumptive or hysterical if she *whimpers* on discussion of her writer's block. A young woman sent off into the mountains entirely alone, in *that* era? It's highly unlikely... there should be something about that in there. Talking alone, unintroduced, unchaperoned, to an unknown man on the telephone would be the site of high scandal--in England, at least; it may well have been different in Austria, but from my understanding, not so entirely different.

I wish I had gotten a better sense of the burden of the passage of time, perhaps through some sort of rain SFX or the like. Making a silent game about musical composition is a very interesting choice.

Thank you for all of the food for thought, and for the game. Best of luck in the competition!
🎤 LeafThief
28. Aug 2014 · 06:35 UTC
@Vicotry Garden: It sounds to me that you think I wrote the Kill Screen Mag Article when in fact I didn't. I just thought the game page was a good place to put a link to that article.
I have now removed the link to avoid confusions.
Thanks for your opinion and feedback.
Split82
28. Aug 2014 · 08:42 UTC
Graphics, Audio, Mood, Theme - everything top notch! Definitely one of the best entries I played.
SteveSalmond
28. Aug 2014 · 09:07 UTC
Well, I very much enjoyed that. Thank you for making it!
Rehacked
28. Aug 2014 · 10:12 UTC
liked it .Good job
Stending
28. Aug 2014 · 10:29 UTC
One of the best entry in the 60 games I tried!
Incredible!
OxyOxspring
28. Aug 2014 · 12:10 UTC
That was glorious...
TautNerve
28. Aug 2014 · 12:27 UTC
Amazing art and writing, I enjoyed every moment of it.
Some of the choices felt a little redundant as a few were
the same choice phrased in a slightly different matter, but
that is the only critique I have for this game.
Great job, a very strong entry and one of the best I've
played this Ludum Dare.
dickpoelen
28. Aug 2014 · 14:00 UTC
Amazing! 10/5 mood
Malapropos
28. Aug 2014 · 16:23 UTC
Loved the mood you've set for the game as well as the story and graphics. Really enjoyed it!
commodoreKid
28. Aug 2014 · 16:36 UTC
This game's music, story and graphics create a really nice atmosphere. The only problem is the length of it and that's all.
MerlijnVH
28. Aug 2014 · 20:00 UTC
Beautiful game, I loved the story and the pixel art with colour palette were absolutely amazing.
tvc15
28. Aug 2014 · 20:53 UTC
Pleeease make an OSX version! I want to play this on my mac so bad
🎤 LeafThief
28. Aug 2014 · 22:30 UTC
@tv15 I am very sorry but the middleware (Adventure Game Stuio) I made this in doesn't support Mac builds. However: there is a way to play AGS games on MAC using the runtime/Engine that can be found here: http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=45708.0
This COULD work but I can't guarantee it, sorry.
ElectricSeagull
28. Aug 2014 · 22:33 UTC
The game's put me into a very quiet mood. It's great how you're drawn in to the story / situation / environment by such a simple combination of images, text, sound and interaction. Very good.
spotco
29. Aug 2014 · 10:22 UTC
Really great stuff, by far the best story+art combination I've played so far. Didn't get the ending though...
Carduus
29. Aug 2014 · 11:45 UTC
i hear the music but the game do not display any image on my screen ><
🎤 LeafThief
29. Aug 2014 · 12:30 UTC
@Carduus: You could try and run winsetup.exe to run the game windowed. I hope this hels!
CptDustmite
29. Aug 2014 · 12:40 UTC
Oh my god!!! Are there alternate endings??!?!?!?!!?!? I really wanted them to meet!! Such a gorgeous game, thank you so much for the experience. I loved it, and I want more :)
jukimv1986
29. Aug 2014 · 14:36 UTC
Great atmosphere and very well written. It feels like reading a short novel. Well done!
Lars Faust
29. Aug 2014 · 18:07 UTC
Most atmospheric game i have encountered.
I found myself reading the text out loud.
steve
29. Aug 2014 · 19:41 UTC
Lovely game.
hundredhundred
30. Aug 2014 · 03:32 UTC
I want more! Good job!
egor-idiot
30. Aug 2014 · 08:56 UTC
Wow. Masterpiece! One of the best games I have played on Ludum. So good story.
Art and mood are amazing and sounds support this feeling. Very well done!
Simon
30. Aug 2014 · 17:42 UTC
Great visual, great music. Well done it's really inspiring :)
YopSolo
30. Aug 2014 · 19:02 UTC
amazing gfx and great idea :)
runvs
31. Aug 2014 · 08:32 UTC
Wow, this is intense! One of the best entries this LD! Though I personally do not like point & clic adventures, this one pulled me inside a whole world and i will definitely play it again.
Awesome graphics, really great sound (minimalistic though powerful -- the tunder really creeped me out), perfect timing & Storyline and interesting characters, which really come to life. Please keep doing such work!

Since you directly asked for things to improve: the scenery could be a little bit more active, e.g. the lamp flickering or some fireflies on the first day. But this is criticism on a very very high level which will not be in the score.
reidrac
31. Aug 2014 · 09:17 UTC
Th 32-bit version plays just fine in Linux, although to me is better to start the game in a window... jumping straight to fullscreen may not work ;)

Window mode and filter graphics x3 is perfect!

Other than that, excellent graphics and interesting story. Well done!
Ditto
31. Aug 2014 · 10:11 UTC
DAMN! I saw your game a couple days ago and for some reason I didn't play it. That was a bad fucking move! Holy shit, I am awestruck! This was so beautiful, the graphics, the story, the rain against the window, everything is so damn beautiful! Thank you dearly for making this! <3
Sunflower
31. Aug 2014 · 18:10 UTC
Oh my, I think I might have found yet another very interesting entry. I'd like to write more, but it seems everything has already been told, and after playing dozens of games I'm getting somewhat tired... ^^"

(but yes, graphics and writing are strong in this entry)
Ramiel
31. Aug 2014 · 19:23 UTC
Very poetic.
It would be very cool if the song in the ending would change based on the decisions made.
Also RAWR! ;)
Esenti
31. Aug 2014 · 22:04 UTC
The graphics style is great! BTW the game runs fine on Linux (using wine 1.7) ;)
moi93101
01. Sep 2014 · 15:34 UTC
Very very very good ! I love graphics, audio, ALL !
RookMage
01. Sep 2014 · 16:09 UTC
Woah, AGS. I haven't seen that in a while.
Traumendes_Madchen
01. Sep 2014 · 19:44 UTC
I really love the atmosphere and the simplicity of this entry, it's beautiful... Am I the only one who didn't understand what happened to Wilma in the end ? (and how Leos managed to find her house 0o)
Ted Brown
01. Sep 2014 · 21:46 UTC
....

You made me reach for the telephone in the third act. One of many masterful touches. Applause, applause!
Victory Garden
02. Sep 2014 · 16:27 UTC
Hey Leafthief... I actually didn't think you had written a review of your own game, it's just that I'm trying to run about giving constructive criticism on writing since I see very few people giving substantive advice one could actually do anything with in that category. I apologize--it seems that you took it the wrong way. This is obviously a top-notch entry, and I was offering that level of critique out of respect. Take care...
Hypnohustla
03. Sep 2014 · 07:42 UTC
Beautiful game with a very nice story! Would love to see even more :)
Snoother
03. Sep 2014 · 15:34 UTC
A 5/5 entry, without a doubt. Evocative themes, stylised graphics, well-suited audio. Top-notch on most fronts. I like the spontaneity of the telephone call, that pleasantly unexpected spark of human interactivity we've all doubtless experienced online with some friendly so-and-so. But setting it in the early 20th, using phones instead, gives it a peculiar familiarity. Then how social curiosity leads into a poignant romance, set against the backdrop of Romantic composition. Safe to say I liked it.

However, I do have some criticisms (sorry!). Sometimes it lacks subtlety -- for example with the way you describe emotions and expression, defying that old maxim of 'show, don't tell'. And the prose can at times be a bit too melodramatic for me -- "...form a synergy before his inner eye...", "...warm rain in a flowing autumn's breeze..." etc. When I replayed it also, I found that the choices were sometimes without any effect -- occasionally, if I remember rightly, the character would choose the same thing regardless of the player's choice. I'm guessing that was down to time constraints, but it would be good to maybe flavour the choices a bit more post-LD.
GrooveMan
03. Sep 2014 · 20:49 UTC
Ah, that was really cute, and beautiful to look at. If there were actual musical refrains for the bits of inspiration you find, that would be absolutely magical.
mcapraro
04. Sep 2014 · 14:21 UTC
the game looks just amazing. love the style, love the color palette. really lovely.
jjhaggar
04. Sep 2014 · 21:50 UTC
Very beautiful game
GFM
05. Sep 2014 · 03:11 UTC
Amazing game!! The graphics are superb! I also really liked the story, even though there's only few meaningful interactions (so far I noticed two points, when Leos talks about his relative and on the dragon hunting choice). Still, I thought you were able to nicely convey both characters feelings and stories.

Congrats! :)
vividhelix
06. Sep 2014 · 19:55 UTC
Beautiful, the pixel art was just amazing! Story was good too...
someone
07. Sep 2014 · 17:57 UTC
Really enjoyed that experience. Excellent sense of atmosphere.
TheExGenesis
07. Sep 2014 · 20:30 UTC
wow, just... wow. I liked it a lot, the game was gorgeous and the dialog, although menial, felt very meaningful. Congratulations!
Random Abductions
08. Sep 2014 · 18:12 UTC
It is a nice looking and sounding game, that's for sure. However I am not really digging the sound effects. The story is well written and the characters are believable. I liked the suggestion in the story for you to fill in the gaps, you could have pressed this much further I feel. As of the gameplay part, it is not very much there. It's more book then game I'm afraid.
Jod
08. Sep 2014 · 19:50 UTC
Wow. That was a beautiful story. The characters seem very real, the conversation is smooth and flows naturally and the sound effects are subtle and understated. And the art. Gah.

It is really, really well told. I was pulled along with it like a leaf in a stream. Just, wow.
Zerkruemler
08. Sep 2014 · 19:55 UTC
Nice story. I enjoyed to experience the story.
Good Work
Joror
08. Sep 2014 · 20:03 UTC
Awesome graphics, beautiful sensitive story! :)
tbam
08. Sep 2014 · 22:37 UTC
Hah, amazingly well done. Very cute story. Had me smiling throughout.
ButtonMasherBros
09. Sep 2014 · 16:57 UTC
Psssst.... You are in today's episode of Ludum Dare to Believe! Check it out at - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XshA79i3By8
AncientAvocado
09. Sep 2014 · 19:05 UTC
I couldn't help but give you 5 stars in every category. Simply beautiful! Love the color palette, and having struggeled with same problems as she, I found the story really close to my heart.
Dohan
09. Sep 2014 · 20:58 UTC
Beautiful game, with great atmosphere. Both graphics and sounds bring up some nostalgia from DOS games.
NicePenguins
10. Sep 2014 · 21:47 UTC
Really great story and storytelling. The use of the theme is very cool, really love this idea of the research of inspiration while being isolated and the connexion with someone else who give a view to another world ! Very good writing !
whalebot
10. Sep 2014 · 23:26 UTC
Amazing pixel art. Overall great story telling. Really well done with this.
Moosefly
11. Sep 2014 · 20:50 UTC
Enjoyable read and a nice experience overall.

The rain-imitating background track didn't loop too nicely though, so it got somewhat irritating after a while. Also took me a while to realise I could click on the books during the second day for some reason. Would've also liked for the game to not show any text, if clicking the object didn't do anything. For example when hovering over Wilma it displayed the "myself" text even though clicking her didn't do anything.

Anssi@MooseflyGames
Sheepolution
13. Sep 2014 · 08:57 UTC
Lovely game, it warms my heart!
apiotrw
13. Sep 2014 · 15:55 UTC
Great experience :)
cardboard
13. Sep 2014 · 19:56 UTC
Your game has a beautiful atmosphere, music, and story. The splitscreen effect worked out well. I initially thought background music during the whole game would be be an improvement, but I think after hearing the song at the end, after so much silence, it sounded even better. You developed both characters very well, through both text and the visuals. Very nicely done.
Franklins Ghost
14. Sep 2014 · 13:23 UTC
Beautiful visuals and liked the way you used the theme. Did seem at times that the dialogue I was choosing didn't have that much of an impact but can imagine this is because of the time constraints. Great entry though which felt really polished.
Artamus
15. Sep 2014 · 19:20 UTC
Amazing. Beautiful art and atmosphere. Very well written.