What Happened to Pinewell? by Pixelstain

[raw]
made by Pixelstain for Ludum Dare 57 (JAM)

Explore deep into a secret government filesystem to uncover the truth of what happened to the small town of Pinewell, Michigan. Headphones recommended.

All art and code was written during the Jam by Pixelstain. All music was written during the Jam by Vile.

Some audio samples were not created during the Jam.

Ratings

Overall 96th 4.053⭐ 21🧑‍⚖️
Fun 110th 3.921⭐ 21🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 124th 3.868⭐ 21🧑‍⚖️
Theme 525th 3.526⭐ 21🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 253th 4.026⭐ 21🧑‍⚖️
Humor 359th 3⭐ 19🧑‍⚖️
Mood 42th 4.316⭐ 21🧑‍⚖️
Given 11🗳️ 21🗨️

Feedback

gamesplusjames
08. Apr 2025 · 00:24 UTC
This seems like a cool idea, but my brain might be tired from jamming, I couldn't work out the bestfriend password and couldn't seem to click anything else. Looks cool though!
Thomas Higgins
08. Apr 2025 · 00:40 UTC
That was a fun game!I quite like how it's never the same name, ID numbers or password in a new playthrough. The audio used in the storytelling was a very nice touch too - especially near the end. Well done!
boboneoone
08. Apr 2025 · 22:42 UTC
Maybe I'm dumb, but like the other guy said, I couldn't figure out the password in the opening scene. I tried dog, bff, password, pinewell, couldn't click on anything and couldn't find any hints in the description. Shame, graphics look good and it looks fun.
TopperVideoGames
08. Apr 2025 · 23:04 UTC
Very creative use of the theme! I like games where you have to explore a computer space, and this was well done! I managed to upload the files and get the message received, but could not do anything about the timer running out. I had a lot of fun with this, it could only be better with more to find. Excellent work!
floppynub
09. Apr 2025 · 03:12 UTC
Cool game, impressive operating system recreation and puzzling! I regularly went through the cycle of "where the hell do I find this information" to "oh wait could this be related?" all the way to "AHHH that's definitely it". Great work!
Team 9tailed
09. Apr 2025 · 03:16 UTC
Very clever little puzzle game. I noticed that the information needed to proceed changes with each playthrough, which is a nice detail.
swordguy47
09. Apr 2025 · 20:29 UTC
Wow, that was awesome. A really tight and enjoyable experience; great job on replicating the old Windows look! Had a lot of fun clicking around and interacting with the emails, lol. My favorite part was how the music ramped up during the "uploading" part, it really added a lot to the tension and atmosphere. The ending was also a really nice touch, bravo :)

For anyone who is confused about how to get past the first password - Look at the files visible on the desktop, and the password 'hint'.
Game-mon
09. Apr 2025 · 21:14 UTC
I really like how the interface feels very reminiscent of windows xp! the puzzles are nice, too. For the original password i had to look into the comments here for help though x) overall cool game!
Boban005
09. Apr 2025 · 21:19 UTC
This was really good, only wish there was more!
Owinmowe
09. Apr 2025 · 21:21 UTC
Hey! We made a similar game! The first time i heard the knock sound i had headphones on and it startled me very much. Nice game!
Gabexiii
09. Apr 2025 · 21:22 UTC
Awesome game, it was super fun trying to figure out how to get access to the information. The countdown music and the sound effects near the end made me jump and got me on edge. Great work!
braktheman
09. Apr 2025 · 21:39 UTC
Cool vibes, especially loved the aesthetic and the audio at the climax!

Great job!
dhim
10. Apr 2025 · 07:53 UTC
I love the procedurally generated clues! That's an amazing details. I have to get back to work I'll continue the case later on!

Really Exciting game. The music as a very nice melody but is a bit repetitive though, it could use longer breaks between loops or lines as something more ambient.
dhim
10. Apr 2025 · 14:07 UTC
So tense, I have played several times, is there alternate endings? I managed to upload just in time, I think, but then... Is there something after that?
PretendCoding
10. Apr 2025 · 17:47 UTC
This was a pretty cool puzzle game, loved the interface!
LDJam user 321333
11. Apr 2025 · 01:27 UTC
Very cool game, I like the ending and your music and sfx for it--really well done.
nrankin13
11. Apr 2025 · 12:49 UTC
That was solid. Took me a minute to actually get into the headspace, but once I did, the puzzles were fun. Great job, and excellent vibes!
jacobingalls
13. Apr 2025 · 01:20 UTC
I like how the first password was the hardest! :smile_cat: Really cool game... hopefully next me will do better.
dxk2294
13. Apr 2025 · 02:51 UTC
What an ending :dizzy_face:

What an incredible atmospheric experience, great job!
🎤 Pixelstain
13. Apr 2025 · 17:11 UTC
@dhim Thank you for your feedback! While there is a goal, the game ends the same way whether or not you achieve it. The only difference is whether or not you recieve the confirmation message from "Unknown Sender."