Shadows of Betrayal
A downloadable game for Windows
Overview
Dive into Shadows of Betrayal, a horror/thriller visual novel about recent high school graduates, who head to a remote cabin for a celebration of sorts. Navigate friendships, delve into (optional) romance, and brace for suspenseful twists. Can you survive the unexpected, and what will it cost you?
The game is set in current day but with 80's/90's horror flick vibes.
In my opinion, knowing nothing else about the game would be the best starting point. There could be love, there could be murder. Who knows?
How will it all unravel? Play and find out.
Shadows of Betrayal is not an adult (porn) game, but it is meant for adults, and may contain violence and an occasional (non-graphic) spicy scene.
Features
- Interesting story with unexpected plot twists
- Well written characters with engaging and witty dialogue
- Meaningful choices
- Relationship system gives you feedback what people think of your actions
- Background music and sound effects
- First person narrative
Shadows of Betrayal is my next game after Dreamwalker. Mechanics-wise the gameplay is very similar.
The story, however, is very different.
If you're looking for a more wholesome experience, I would suggest you try Dreamwalker.
This one is the edgy younger brother.
Content Warnings
- Violence, death, including violent images
- Partial nudity
- Sexual and suggestive themes
- Alcohol use
- Lots of swearing
The currently available version contains the first one and a half chapters of the upcoming full game. The final version will have improvements and there might also be some smaller changes and additions to the story.
This project was graciously supported by the cultural services of the city of Seinäjoki.
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Comments
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Hello Jay!
Like I said, I played through your demo and really enjoyed it, and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next.
My review has become longer than planned. I hope it doesn't clutter up the comments section. If it does - just delete it! 😁
One thing first: I can't seem to find your demo of Shadows of Betrayal here on itch. I've searched for it, but it hasn't come up. I only found the site when I searched for Dreamwalker or your username and went to your profile.
Now to the game ...
In the end, nobody hated me, but I had to sleep alone. Oh, well ...
I liked the summary at the end of day 1. Made me realise what I'd missed - and made me a bit nervous because everyone was healthy (for now?). Well, everyone with the exception of Alex. 😆
The writing is good. The story doesn't drag on, but moves at a nice pace. Important information is relayed in a natural way. Information like the lack of a phone signal (I'm sure that won't be a problem later) …
I also liked the dynamics of the group. The characters are unique, but not so different that you're constantly wondering how they became friends in the first place. (Again, with the exception of Alex. Nah, just kidding. I find him oddly fitting)
Still, I could have used more time with Brooke and Marcus, but I liked Jenna. Alex was a bit much, but I feel like he's the kind of character I find a bit annoying at first, only to grow fond of them later.
I also like that there are situations where the relationship status doesn't change until later (Sleeping on the porch? Not on my watch!), even if it makes ‘cheating’ a bit more difficult. 😝 It just feels more natural that way.
Oh, and the ‘surprise’ at the end was really well done. I liked how all these thoughts (some absurd or inappropriate) flashed through MC's head, showing his shock very well.
I wasn't sure about the art style at first, but the characters have grown on me. You wrote that the budget is tight, and I understand that, but I think that might be a weak point (especially with the use of AI-generated backgrounds).
I'm not sure how many backgrounds you will need. Maybe a solution would be to buy an inexpensive background pack that covers most of your needs, and only hire an artist if you can't find a specific background. ‘Minikle’ on gamedevmarket, for example, has a whole range of background packs. I don't think I've seen anything you could use right now, but maybe something will come up as you continue working on your project.
Using a blue tint to simulate night time could also serve as a compromise instead of creating an additional night version for each background. (This confused me a little when I left the cabin and it was supposed to be night, but it was still bright outside)
Just a little brainstorming here.
Another thing I think you could improve is the cover picture (I mean the image with Jason on the left and the logo on the right). It's the first thing people see of your game, and to me at least, it looks a bit stiff and isn't really eye-catching. I think it would work better if there were either more characters (instead of just Jason), if Jason was actively doing something, or if there was something going on in the background to add interest.
Again just some ideas.
Anyway, enough with my rambling. I enjoyed the demo and am waiting for more. So keep up the good work!
Do you have a release date planned yet? ;)
~ Mara
Hello again! Thanks a lot for the comprehensive review—I'm definitely not going to delete it! 🙂
I was surprised myself that I never uploaded the demo version here. It's probably because I've never had much traction on itch.io, so I didn't bother. The alpha version I have uploaded here is pretty much the same thing as the demo, I think.
The summary works as intended then—I added it precisely to inform the player that they might have missed something. Amusingly, almost all my game testers saw the "Jenna didn't come to sleep with you" notification and replayed the first day. 😄 That romance is meant to be kinda like Sonya's in Dreamwalker—you probably aren't going to unlock it unless you actively try to. Sonya's is still more difficult, though.
Your comments about Alex gave me an idea—perhaps I should write a flashback scene about how he came to know the group. Funnily enough, out of all of them, he's the character that's most based on reality. I used to be a full-on metalhead myself, and went to a lot of metal festivals and gigs... Alex is like a combination of all the people I came to know there.
I've used the delayed relationship change mechanic in multiple scenes now. I even went a step further with a choice that damages your relationship with someone initially, but later, when they've had time to think, they apologize, and you end up gaining more points than you lost. I hope this encourages players to pick what they actually want to say or do, rather than trying to min-max. Of course, that depends on whether they realize this is a thing.
Good point about the cover image, it might be a good idea to revise that before launch. I also forgot that I needed to make a night time version of that one scene background, whoops!
I don't have a set release date yet. I've changed my plan for where the story is going a couple of times now (in ways that still work with the foreshadowing I've done). I usually write knowing the major events that are going to happen, but between them the characters just live their lives, and sometimes surprise even myself. I've also had some really wild ideas recently, both plot-wise and in the way the game operates, but I'll have to decide if they are something I actually want to implement.
- JayzonBH