EyeOS
A short, queer (and borderline nonsensical) mystery game where you are trying to find out what happened to your missing friend by rooting around in their computer. Play by clicking on things and searching terms in the EyeOS home screen! Note: try to keep search terms concise, and *don't press enter*---it'll search on its own, and hitting enter will disrupt results. Also I figured it would be played in one sitting, so it does not currently have save states (but I can add them if people want).
Submission to the Safe In our World Game Dev Champions game jam, solo over 25 category.
Find out why!
This game is concerned with anxiety, dysphoria, and isolation. It discusses these topics lightheartedly but with sincerity, since that reflects my own approach to my own struggles. Thought it might be a good fit for a game jam about mental health and, well, being safe in our world.Credits:
- Written and Designed by Trainspotter
- Built in Decker, a multimedia sketchpad made by Internet Janitor
- Wiggly Paint and Twine interpreter by Internet Janitor
- Moveable macWindow contraption by Faffotron; many, many others by Internet Janitor
- Lino print by pragmattics on Twitter
- Song by Maya
- Icons by Leo Red
Accidentally (but definitively) inspired by En Abime! Check it out, if you dare >:)
PS: I included editable versions in the downloads in case anybody likes the format of the game and would enjoy experimenting with making interactive fiction of their own using it as a template! Just please credit me if you do so :)
Documentation for using Decker can be found at http://beyondloom.com/decker/
Download
Click download now to get access to the following files:
Development log
- Indiepocalypse!30 days ago
- Bug Fixes, Plans, and GratitudeJun 11, 2024
Comments
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10/10 AMAZING I WANT TO KISS THAT COMPUTER
this was just... I'm speachless. I loved the weirdness and the unsettling nature of this.
i loved it. a narrative of nonbinary experience (though you can't really be non-binary in their situation lol)
I might have skipped to the end..... jumping through a lot of needed hoops to get there (i thinK)??
Great game though
i have got 3 long legs on my screen :/
is the friend's eyes in the end the nonbinary flag on purpose?? (please say yes) this game already hits incredibly hard and having my identity IN it would just makes it feel extra close to home. i feel so seen thank u for making this
I just finished the game and honestly, the trans experience is incredibly real. It permeates every single pixel, every word, and every feeling those pixels and words induce. I think, here, that the flag is definitely on purpose. Two eyes yellow, another purple, one black, and two white... the exact colors of the pride flag. It's hard to see it any other way.
This is such a cool concept, really enjoyed it
i made an account just to comment on this, but i wanted to say that this game is possibly the best thing i've interacted with in a while. the storytelling is played out so nicely!!!
its genuinely very impressive how you've managed to compress feelings into a game so smoothly, it feels very genuine. i love it
if you are planning to make any other work in the future, i will looking forward it,,, because i actually cannot get enough of this i've replayed it 7 times now LOL
What is that MELODY!!! How do I download it!!!
i know all the comments on this are deep and stuff but i just wanna say that its funny that my computer agreed to make out with me.
i feel like silliness is my favorite path towards seriousness
This hit harder then I ever could've imagined before playing. Definitely shed a few tears lol. The line about how shirts fell on him hit a chord i didn't know I had. Thank you for this brilliant game.
as a trans and queer person myself i really resonated with the way the main character felt, especially the parts about ones flesh. really great game!
holy shit this was amazing
I love this, it's experience expressed in the purest possible way
quick question, how is this inspired by En Abime exactly? anyways this shit is really fucking cool
They’re both kind of about queer kids disappearing into the internet, although they approach it from pretty different angles! But I had fallen deep down the En Abime rabbit hole right before making this, so I have to imagine that’s part of what lent me this idea.
Absolutely
spectacular.
10/10
i just logged into my 2 yo account (that i havent used for ages) to write this comment, because genuinely, this game is an absolute masterpiece. The story telling and the way you progress in the game is absolutely phenomenal. The story genuinely made me cry for two hours because it was so relatable. I hope this game gets even more recognition because damn, this is awsome. Good job! <3
I’m honored :)
I love this sm omg this game deserves more attention
AMAZING! 11/10
I played through the entire game, and it was AMAZING! It. It *is* amazing haha. I'm just glad that I can rest. And the best part is, I get to stay with you, for as long as you keep me.
Whaaaat this is so cool!
There have definitely been times in my life when I wanted to be done with my body and just... be a free detached soul. You might see where some of my inspiration comes from, even. Nowadays, fortunately, I'm happy enough with being corporeal for now.I was not expecting to find a text adventure game within this OS game. Worlds within worlds! I love this kind of thing and would like to make something like it someday. I’m guessing you’re also into Her Story and Hypnospace Outlaw? Maybe Emily is Away?
The song at the end is lovely, too. Thanks for sharing this with the world.
wow!
i never thought i could find a game that describes my emotions and feelings about myself perfectly
"Fuck friendship, LETS MAKE OUT"
-Taylor (i think >:D)
SAME XD
what the hell. i love this game so much i can barely put it into words.
genuinely, haha. i dont really know what to say except that im extremely moved. such a unique experience it was to play this game and i already recommended it to half of my friends.
i feel a deep connection to the main character. i will be thinking about this game for a really, really long time. thank you
I wanted to respond to your comment because it was the first (but not the last!) to make me tear up when I read it. I didn’t feel confident that I even knew how to talk about some of the feelings I was trying to capture in this game, so it means a lot that it moved you (and apparently a few others >_<) to the point of wanting to make your thoughts about it known! It means even more that it will linger in your thoughts. I hope I can keep making things that lead people to feel the way you felt about this.
i got bored in school and decided to try this out. definitely getting all my friends to play this its so cool :]
i played this with my friend and we love it! You are so talented
is the song at the end on any streaming platforms? its really good
REA
I spoke to my friend about this and she said she does not actually intend on sharing the song publicly, but was happy for it to be in my game. So for the moment, this might be the only place to find it! I’m glad y’all enjoy the song though, and I’ll be sure to tell her how appreciated her music is.
not pressing enter to search is dumb
is it normal that i can get all the results by entering only one letter
Idk
welcome to whtiespace ass front
This was so much fun!! ToT
Nice :) I’m glad you enjoyed
Thought this game was very cool! Made a little video on it, didnt go super in depth so as people interested in the game can discover things themselves!
This is outstanding! Not only is this an extremely creative use of Decker, but the story was fantastic. The way it's teased out in small portions just compelled me to search for more, trying out different keywords... and it felt so satisfying to find them! There was one moment where my search on a page for clickable objects was rewarded with something that made me gasp...
To be seen is so terrifying at times, isn't it?
Thanks for your kind words ;-; I'm so glad you enjoyed it so much
Also I think the thing that occurred to me while making this is that the thing that really scares me is to see myself through someone else, if that makes sense
It does! I know what you mean, and it really comes across so strongly in this.
Yaaay
Very clever game! This is part of my playthrough.
This is my first time making an actual game and certainly my first time seeing someone play through a game I’ve made—all of which is to say, thanks! It provided useful insight to see you interact with it
You're welcome! Thank you for making it :).
I thought don't press enter had a separate horror ending but nope, nothing like that XD
I quite liked it tbh. It was sweet, of course creepy and was slightly humorous too. How many endings are there at the moment?
Either ways, it was short and admittedly sweet. Loved how it started all the way to the ending - listening to the sweet music. I'd love to listen to the song linked though, maybe as a separate video. Keep up the great work! Looking forward to more.
I’m glad you liked it! Creepy, sweet, and silly was pretty much the vibe I was going for hehe
I will also be sure to tell my friend you liked her song and when she shares it somewhere I will link to it here :)
As for endings,
spoilers
i’m sorry to disappoint but for the moment there’s only one (with a few moderate variations in dialogue at the end)! I had a few ideas for alternate endings, but I made the game in a couple weeks and I wanted to focus on making the whole thing playable before getting into the weeds. It’s possible I’ll come back and add more but I have not yet decided!
Thank you! I'd love to be updated with her song. I'd love to know how you spoiler it that way, it'd really help.
Nf sbe raqvatf, V qvq xabj gur ynfg 3 qvnybthr pubvprf naq gung'f nobhg vg [znqr jvgu ebg13]. Thought there might be secret endings.
Also, this story somehow gave me exactly what I needed (but didn't even know). It had the perfect mix, honestly felt nice to just see it. This being your first game does surprise me, because it seemed pretty cool for a first game.
This is where I found out how to do spoiler text: https://itch.io/t/2151831/adding-spoiler-text-to-your-game-description
This is great! You've got so much Decker stuff jammed in here, it owns. And you've cracked the trick of "get a whole song to play by stringing clips together" which I had always figured must be possible! I love how you flesh out the "it's a computer" metaphor by having like the whole wigglypaint embedded inside, that is really cool!
Hehe I appreciate it—I definitely spent the majority of my time working on this tweaking UI and verisimilitude stuff, so it makes me happy that it paid off :)
Also for the music I actually just used the method I saw in this game: https://sharkinfishnets.itch.io/thefamilyrecord
On an unrelated note it’s been a real treat getting comments from people I recognize from the Decker community! Like when I saw your name in my comments I was just like “:0 That’s the person who made all the cool music stuff!”
There's only so many of us in the Decker community so we gotta support each other! :3
oh okay, that was super scary! thank you it was cool
I'm glad I could provide some scares! Was a little worried that my goofiness would cancel out the spookiness hehe
No no it was so so good!!! Love it!!
This is so cool! I love how the OS and the contraptions worked so well with the story.
Thanks! This game started out as a handful of ideas for how to use different contraptions from the Decker community
Also I really enjoyed playing around in Desker, by the way! It helped me realize how flexible Decker could be
Yessss I'm so happy that Desker could be helpful! And you really made something great here
I found an error in which Taylor's chatlogs change their name to Felix's. Cropped to avoid spoilers.
Thanks for catching that! I know I made this in a fugue state, but I still can't believe I made that error so many times haha. It should be fixed now