Hide and Seek by DDRKirbyISQ
Cocoa Moss presents Hide and Seek, a horror game.
Eliz and Sam are playing a game of "Hide and Seek" when something curious begins to happen...
Please see game page for content warnings.
Post-Jam version (v2.04): https://cocoamoss.com/hide-and-seek/hide-and-seek.html
Jam version (v1.06): https://ddrkirby.com/games/hide-and-seek/compo-version/hide-and-seek-compo.html
The post-jam version contains some important accessibility improvements for those who are hearing-impaired or tone-deaf, who may not be able to complete the Jam version properly.
Controls:
- Arrow Keys: Move
- Space: Interact
- Hold shift: Close eyes/Listen
This game makes prominent use of sound and audio cues. Headphones are recommended for a proper experience.
Audio sources from Freesound were used in conjunction with virtual instruments and several processing effects to create the sounds for this game. All source samples are (un)licensed under CC0 (public domain)
For those having trouble with the music-based puzzle in this game, please paste the following text into the box at https://rot13.com/
``` Gur zhfvp-onfrq chmmyr va guvf tnzr sbeprf lbh gb yvfgra gb n sbhe-abgr zrybql naq ercrng vg ba gur cvnab. Vg znl or n ovg qvssvphyg gb zrzbevmr naq/be genafpevor guvf zrybql ol rne.
Uvag: Gur 4 abgrf gung ner hfrq ner Q, S, T, naq N, va fbzr beqre. P naq O ner abg hfrq.
Frr orybj sbe shyy fbyhgvba.
...
...
Fbyhgvba:
Gur abgrf va gur zrybql, va beqre, ner: Q, T, N, S ```
Changelog:
``` v2.04 (Post-Jam Version) - Fixed Sam/Mel names being switched in one dialogue text box (fridge)
v2.03 - Fixed dialogue colors/sounds being mismatched in the intro - Tweaked/fixed character dialogue colors
v2.02 - Fixed a bug that caused incorrect lighting on the last loop
v2.01 - Fixed a camera bug that caused the camera to become permanently offset - Fixed some panning transitions as a result - Fixed a minor typo in one of the dialogues
v2.00 - Updated character graphics - Changed characters names from Eliz and Sam to Sam and Mel - Added and tweaked a substantial amount of dialogue, especially when Sam and Mel are together - Tweaked how the scene transitions work - Modified collision sizing slightly - Added additional tutorial prompts - Increase audio buffer size to prevent crackling issues on lower-end machines - Reworked audio handling for dialogue boxes to account for increased audio buffer - Fixed a minor sprite layering issue near the end of the game
v1.09 - Tweaked sfx volumes slightly
v1.08 - Tweaked visual cues for piano puzzle to be more subtle - Respawning while closing your eyes now forces eyes open - As a corollary, holding shift no longer buffers eye closing
v1.07 - Reworked the piano interface so the dialog box does not close after every note - Added visual cues for the piano puzzle for better accessibility
v1.06 (Jam Version) - Attempt (again) to address framerate-dependent bug that caused interactions to retrigger
v1.05 - Pressing and holding space now quickens dialogue speed where applicable - Bedroom door actually opens now - Massively reduced build size using ogg compression for all audio - Trimmed out many unused graphical assets - Fixed many minor collision annoyances - Fixed some z-ordering issues - Fixed some miscellaneous graphical and audio hitches - Fixed bedroom being a bit darker than intended the second time around - Fixed many sounds being slightly softer until first respawn - Tweaked dialog box timing to be a bit more consistent
v1.04 - Addressed a framerate-dependent bug that caused interactions to retrigger upon closing a dialog
v1.03 - Added a small version indicator to the starting screen - Minor tweak to the intro sequence (switched two sprites) - Deleted unused assets to make the build size a bit smaller
v1.02 - Fixed a rare crash that soft-locked the game when an unhide is interrupted - Tweaked the piano event slightly
v1.01 - Added one additional tutorial prompt
v1.00 - First release! ```
Ratings
| Overall | 42th | 4.25⭐ | 52🧑⚖️ |
| Fun | 539th | 3.567⭐ | 54🧑⚖️ |
| Innovation | 357th | 3.731⭐ | 54🧑⚖️ |
| Theme | 269th | 4.078⭐ | 53🧑⚖️ |
| Graphics | 60th | 4.509⭐ | 55🧑⚖️ |
| Audio | 5th | 4.66⭐ | 55🧑⚖️ |
| Mood | 1th | 4.764⭐ | 55🧑⚖️ |
| Given | 60🗳️ | 55🗨️ |
I'm afraid this spooks me too much. I guess that's kind of a good thing? It's really good, I'm not just not one for horror.
Having the eye shutting and hiding actions do the same thing confused me quite a bit. Especially the first time I hid under a table I thought the game bugged out.
The visuals in this game are very beautiful. The audio cues create a really, really dense mood. Unfortunately I wasn't able to decipher the piano sequence. It seemed like one up, two up, two down, but I think I tried every combination, to no avail... Maybe you could link the solution somewhere for people who want to finish the game but can't figure this one out. Due to this circumstance the hiding mechanic actually got a bit annoying, I feel like "it" could take a bit longer to visit again...
The looping mechanic however is very well implemented, the first loop came as a real surprise!
Really enjoyed this overall and I'd totally play it again if you could help me out with that piano.
Using ROT13 cipher, the solution is:
```
Q T N S
va bgure jbeqf, gjb svir fvk sbhe
```
As always, polished graphics and sounds, really moody atmosphere, and a point'n click with some tricks, I enjoyed to play it, well done!
There was a small but annoying bug where the text starts again immediately after the last text panel (e.g. when reading the book in the book shelf about the ducklings). I guess it fits to the theme of stuck in a loop, but after the 10th time reading the same book it got a bit boring ;). It's probably because pressing space to close the last panel also triggers opening the first text panel.
Thank you for this experience !
```
Avpr cvnab chmmyr! V erzrzorerq n irel fvzvyne rcvfbqr sebz Haqregnyr.
V qba'g frrz gb nqq serfu naq havdhr cbfvgvir pbzzragf.
Ubjrire, V unir GJB fznyy jvfurf:
1. Vg jbhyq or terng gb fbzrubj trg n abgvsvpngvba nobhg gur eryrnfr bs gur frdhry (vs nal).
2. Shyy-fperra zbqr jbhyq or irel nccebcevngr sbe zber vzzrefvba va gur tnzr.
3. V jbhyq yvxr gb or cneg bs lbhe grnz, vs cbffvoyr. Znlor :)
Gunax lbh naq xng sbe guvf jbaqreshy tnzr!
```
During the count down sequence at the beginning, I thought I needed to hold the shift button the whole time and then released once it reached 10. I sat there for a while thinking that the dialog would advance automatically before realizing I needed to press space. I was confused about the controls at first, and had to look back at the ludum page to see that I could use "space" to interaction. Perhaps with the first thing you go near that you can interact with or in order to leave the first room you could prompt a "space" to interact instruction.
The only issue I had with your game was the controls, mainly the interaction with spacebar. Often, the last press of space to clear the dialog box would instantaneously spawn the dialog again. Which was especially frustrating when interacting with the book shelf, since there was a lot of text. I had to sit through the whole text three times until I was able to get away. There seems so be some sensitivity issue with the button inputs. I don't know if I was the only one with this problem.
All in all, VERY well made game. Great sound design and mood. By far the best in this category in this LD. You managed to really build upon the mood with each passing loop and of course, did implement the theme in a way I really appreciate. I've already sent your game around for others to play :)
Congrats!
---
Spoiler Related Feedback (ROT13):
V jnf gbb fpnerq gb fbyir gur cvnab chmmyr fb V purngrq naq ybbxrq hc gur nafjre :(.
V guvax gung ehaavat onpx naq sbegu orgjrra gur cvnab naq gur onguebbz gb pbcl n zrybql vf n ovg grqvbhf ol vgfrys. (creuncf vs V unq n xrlobneq arkg gb zr vg jbhyq'ir orra rnfvre). Ohg xabjvat gung fbzr funqbj-l oveq zbafgre pbhyq nggnpx znqr zr ernyyl nirefr gb qbvat gur gnfx.
Vg jnf ernyyl uneq sbe zr gb sbphf ba gur zrybql orpnhfr bs gur ybbzvat zbafgre, ohg V pbhyq frr gung orvat gur vagragvba. Znlor ubeebe tnzrf nera'g sbe zr?
---
Once again, fantastic work! I really enjoyed it!
Can't wait for the To Be Continued!
Super atmospheric and spooky too of course - the first time the monster got me it scared the hell out of me. (It was a little frustrating, I know that there was a prompt to listen for danger before that but for some reason I didn't think to keep doing that continually - maybe a subtle audio cue you could hear with your eyes open may have been nice there.) The main gameplay of listening for the monster and hiding was cool and made sense, though once I figured it out it was kind of a chore to keep doing and stopped being as scary. Maybe the monster shouldn't come around as often - it was fairly predictable, so maybe making it unpredictable would be scarier.
Took me a few tries to do the audio puzzle, even with fairly good relative pitch (though not perfect pitch) I found it to be be a bit difficult. I think the distance between where you can hear the melody and the piano, plus the harmony alongside the melody, plus the fact that the melody didn't start on C like the inputs did (making it difficult to identify the key center as you try notes) made it more difficult than it needed to be. Still a really cool mechanic. Around that point it became less scary/atmospheric (maybe since I knew what to expect) and more about just exploring the space/story, but I still enjoyed playing it through. And what a cliffhanger! Would love to see more. Great work! :D
- The interface for playing notes on the piano is much less clumsy. You can now play multiple notes without having to reopen the dialog box every single time, which was slow and awkward.
- There is now a corresponding visual cue of soft glowing lights that appear when closing your eyes, that correspond to the notes. I think this retains the spirit of the puzzle while also making it more accessible to those who are hearing-impaired or tone-deaf.
The idea was to create an opportunity for you to listen to something, not to test your ear training. I hope that the new implementation does a better job of that.
The monster needs a bit more mulling over before we decide exactly what to tweak and/or change with it.
ok, spooky as hell...
...
...
...
AAAAH DEMON BIRD!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.
(Seriously tho, amazing. and you seriously did this in 3 days? i am in awe.)
the only downside I would say are the steps may be too strong
ps: I would like to put sounds like this in my games with this precision
I got stuck a few loops later but I can definitely appreciate the game for what it is. I thought the eye close mechanic was very cool and I really like the "locked room mystery" setting, like the Hateful Eight. Being stuck in a loop here actually accentuated the horror theme a lot, because it makes you feel a sense of dread that there's really no escape.
The art is really great and cohesive. Hell it even looks like you took a decent amount of time making that title screen look good.
I love how you're always evolving your style and experimenting with new ideas and genres. Happy to have played this game despite my cowardice!
I can appreciate a horror game, but not play them much myself, since I'm a coward to the bone. I lasted 2 minutes in Amnesia before turning the game off and never playing it again.
But since this one made it into my feed, I decided to give it a try. And yeah, I'm super impressed at the game, and had my fair share of scares. I kept playing with my sound settings on the fly, expecting horrors at every corner (and the horrors coming to me more often than not).
It's the most atmpospheric game of the jam I've played to date. I did get stuck at some point, so I'll have to read around about how to make it through. But otherwise, it was very thrilling! The art and audio work so well together! Way to go! :whale:
Hoooooooo boooooiiiii did this game get to me. This is some top-notch horror right here. Super creepy atmosphere, and a complete lack of (obnoxious) jumpscares, absolutely my cuppa tea. I sincerely hope that "To Be Continued..." was genuine, I would love to see more of this.
I've played both jam and post jam versions.
My biggest issue with the jam one was the music puzzle. Fact is, I've understood pretty well what I had to do and also somewhat how the not were related to each other, but it was too hard to perform without any hint. I think another issue is that the sounds you here from the door are not a piano one (or at least sounds different from the piano notes), that makes it even harder to choose the proper sounds. You fixed it in the post jam and now is clearly easier but yea, this is the kind of fix the removes the listen part because visually is so much easier. Maybe, to help def people, the best solution would be to have a setting for them? Like enable visual clues.
Also, adding fullscreen would have been so nice (maybe with itch.io you could have obtained it for free? you know, the settings in edit game), it would have improved the mood since fullscreen makes it easier to focus and immerse into the game.
Maybe another little things that could be improved is the purpose (?) of your actions, I'll try to better explain what I want to say. Basically, after the first part, you have to unlock the door with the music, and it was a nice puzzle, but I was not sure how it fit with the game apart being a gamey thing to increase length. After that you have the teapot thing, again it seemed there just to add a bit of length to the game, but to me was a bit pointless so it detracted from the game itself. I know that the teapot appears in the room to make you think that the crow was in fact the little girl (even though it appears also when you are with her), but it seemed a bit "rushed" just to give some "easy" meaning. This is not a huge issue it's just something I think could be improved to make the game better, but being a jam game I think you already did a lot.
What I really loved is how you gave the hint on this page. Instead of putting the hint directly into the description, to avoid spoilers or accidentally read the solution, you put a text here that must be decrypted using the page you link, and also you made it so you give just a little hint and then the full solution. I've appreciated it since I just needed to know the notes and with them I've managed to complete the puzzle (jam version of course). I mean, you could have just added a spoiler block (I'm not sure if it is available on this page tho) but this solution is more cool to be honest, nice to know about it, I may reuse it in the future!
I would have liked the "close your eyes" mechanics to be used more. Reading the description I thought it was more important to the game, while it's more of a gimmick to know when the crow is coming (and for the music puzzle).
Those are just my thought and suggestions, at the end I've really enjoyed the game and it's atmosphere! Great work!
