Signal of the Dark Forest by Tygrak

[raw]
made by Tygrak for Ludum Dare 59 (COMPO)

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It's a game about listening to some signals. It would qualify as a visual novel I guess?

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Radio signals recorded within the two days, using broadcasts heard from WebSDR from the University of Twente.

Ratings

Overall 199th 3.25⭐ 22πŸ§‘β€βš–οΈ
Fun 252th 2.725⭐ 22πŸ§‘β€βš–οΈ
Innovation 278th 2.5⭐ 22πŸ§‘β€βš–οΈ
Theme 81th 4.053⭐ 21πŸ§‘β€βš–οΈ
Graphics 127th 3.575⭐ 22πŸ§‘β€βš–οΈ
Audio 72th 3.65⭐ 22πŸ§‘β€βš–οΈ
Humor 185th 2.094⭐ 18πŸ§‘β€βš–οΈ
Mood 104th 3.625⭐ 22πŸ§‘β€βš–οΈ
Given 11πŸ—³οΈ 22πŸ—¨οΈ

Feedback

LDJam user 425464
Apr 21st Β· 10:04 UTC
What a wonderful visual novel! Processed real life images go so well with the ambient music and radio broadcasts. Overall such a polished game I loved it.
LDJam user 279233
Apr 23rd Β· 04:28 UTC
Very evocative visual novel. You did a great job with the Audio in particular. Hope you are doing well. 73!
Cazik21
Apr 26th Β· 20:52 UTC
I couldn't play because there's no download for Mac.
zbrogdom
Apr 26th Β· 22:23 UTC
There's no linux build :disappointed:. I wanted to try because the pictures look intriguing
ruruie
Apr 27th Β· 06:57 UTC
This was really nice. Really enjoyed the assets and audio.
w2k
Apr 27th Β· 07:40 UTC
Good idea! The atmosphere is immersive, but I feel like the story ends right as it starts to get interesting. Besides, it would be much better if you add a log or history text review function for players to look back at previous dialogue.
skiddings
Apr 27th Β· 21:00 UTC
A cool little VN, the soundscape was great and the processed images really helped set the mood.
NickFleming_
Apr 28th Β· 20:17 UTC
Interesting. Not quite my usual kind of game, but an experience none the less.
YellowKamel
Apr 28th Β· 20:18 UTC
Deeply interesting and insightful. Kinda poetic even. I loved it again, Tygrak.
galareteg
May 02nd Β· 08:41 UTC
Very interesting experience. THe visuals were really nice and together with the audio gave the game a nice vibe. Cool!
dvan1337
May 02nd Β· 08:50 UTC
The visuals and audio are nice. Audio IS ESPECIALLY NICE. Directing is lacking, it ought to be the focus since it's a VN. Good job nonetheless!
Roman Novikov
May 02nd Β· 15:59 UTC
Great audio and graphic style! Not really my type of game, but this is excellent work!
rexpeppers
May 05th Β· 01:25 UTC
Ooh looks cool ican't play tho
LDJam user 261037
May 05th Β· 02:25 UTC
This was different. I really liked it. Story had interesting philosophy and I liked fiddling with the 'radio.' My screen was a bit shorter than the game, but fortunately this did not cut off any of the images or dialog.
Local Minimum
May 05th Β· 08:55 UTC
Very interesting visual/auditory novel. The graphical style was great and it felt very fitting with the audio recordings. I was a little confused by who the protagonist really was, and at times who was speaking. The space where the entity said things was the same as giving instructions on actions to the protagonist. And the place where the protagonist was speaking/thinking also was used as a place for info dump and other things.

Some clarity/visual indicator would have been nice.

I also think some of the mood/feeling/vibe that the game was building up very well was cut a bit short by how the transitions were handled one scene to the next.

Over all a very nice experience! Happy I played it.

More on that and other things in the play-through:
https://youtu.be/URQY-1tbf9Y
13pilgrims
May 08th Β· 13:31 UTC
This might be the most unique and deeply moving game I've played at LD59. It felt like watching an A24 film β€” being transmitted by a signal? That itself sounds so surreal. Maybe we all live on different frequencies. Honestly, the core theme reminds me of I Saw the TV Glow β€” we're slowly buried by the daily grind of reality until the signals in our heads just keep repeating. The ending feels rushed, but it feels like an ARG β€”β€” we step out of the signal and back into reality. I don't know how to put it… I really, really love the vibe of this visual novel. The music and visuals work together beautifully.