itch.io

Hi everyone!

In many games, character progression is a central pillar of the experience. Leveling up, increasing stats, unlocking abilities, or becoming visibly stronger often gives players a clear sense of reward and forward momentum.

That said, not every game relies on numerical progression. Some experiences focus more on atmosphere, storytelling, exploration, or puzzle-solving, where progress is less about stats and more about discovery, understanding, or changes in the world itself. In these cases, the player may not “grow stronger” in a traditional sense, but still feels progress through new information, access to areas, or shifts in tone and context.

This raises an interesting question:
Is character progression through stats and upgrades truly essential for player engagement, or is it more about expectation and habit?

For players:

• Do you feel more motivated when your character clearly improves over time?

• Can a game feel satisfying without levels, stats, or upgrades?

• What kind of progression matters most to you: mechanical, narrative, or emotional?

I’m curious to hear different perspectives, especially from players who enjoy slower, more atmospheric or unconventional experiences.

Thanks in advance for your comments!

Hey, congrats on the project, it’s looking really promising already!

The atmosphere and first-person perspective give strong classic survival horror vibes, and it honestly looks great for an indie game.

As for puzzle ideas, a few concepts that usually work really well in this kind of game:

• Clock-based puzzles: setting the correct time on wall clocks or watches using clues scattered in notes, photos, or environmental details. They’re simple but very effective for tension.

• Combination locks where each digit is found in a different location (documents, room numbers, symbols on walls, etc.), encouraging exploration.

• Computer passwords: terminals that require passwords derived from dates, names, or fragmented information found throughout the environment.

• Logic or game-based puzzles inspired by things like chess (piece positions, colors, checkmate patterns) or poker/cards (hand rankings, suits, sequences). These tend to feel intuitive and satisfying for players.

All of these fit really well with exploration-driven horror and reward attentive players without breaking immersion.

Best of luck with development — I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on this project!

Hello everyone! 

I share a short gameplay clip from my RPG Maker project. 

It highlights some of the latest events I’ve added to the library, including lighting effects, overall aesthetics, a couple of lock puzzles, and a retro MS-DOS-style terminal.

I’m really happy with how these events are turning out, but I’d love honest feedback from players and fellow developers. How does it feel to experience? Is the interface clear and immersive? Any thoughts would be much appreciated!

Thanks a lot and have a nice day!

Thanks friend!!! 😁

I can relate to the “scattered interest” part, even without ads or formal campaigns.

For me, most inbound interest comes from posts on socials or directly from Itch, and the signal-to-noise ratio is very different. Views and likes are easy to miss or forget, but longer comments, DMs, or people asking very specific questions are what I treat as real intent.

I don’t have a routing system beyond manually keeping track of those conversations, but I’ve learned that during updates or small launches, slowing down and answering those messages properly is more valuable than watching overall traffic numbers. That’s usually where playtesters and meaningful feedback come from.

That’s a really good way to frame it. I’ve noticed something similar on a much smaller scale.

Views, likes, or quick comments are nice, but the moments that really feel meaningful are when someone takes the time to write a longer message, point out a specific detail, or ask how something works. That’s usually when I know the project actually connected with them.

I don’t run a formal funnel or analytics heavy setup, but mentally I do separate “surface interest” from “real engagement.” 

Direct feedback has been far more useful for improving the game than raw traffic numbers so far.

Very interesting topic!

 I’m working solo in RPG Maker MZ rather than Unity/Unreal, but I hit very similar issues once a project grows.

1) Engine / scale:

RPG Maker MZ. Single large hub map representing a rural town, with many buildings fully enterable + lots of interior maps.

2) Default organization pattern:

I split logic by map rather than systems. One “main town” map, many small interior maps, and I rely heavily on consistent tile rules and visual language instead of complex hierarchies. For events, I reuse common events aggressively to avoid copy-paste chaos.

3) Flow killer:

Maintaining consistency as the world grows, especially when revisiting older maps. Small changes (lighting, mood, tileset tweaks) tend to ripple everywhere, and without strong tooling, cleanup becomes manual and time consuming.

I don’t have advanced internal tools like prefab systems, so discipline and naming conventions do most of the heavy lifting. Curious to see how your tooling ideas translate outside Unity-heavy pipelines.

Hi community! 

I've just finished implementing a padlock event in my game (much more difficult than I imagined... 😒) and I’d love to get your feedback. 

The event includes:

• A visual padlock with 4 spinning wheels (numbers displayed as sprites).
• A subtle “tic” sound when changing numbers.
• Instructions displayed clearly above the padlock.

I’d really appreciate it if you could give your opinion on the following:

• Does the padlock event feel coherent with the style and atmosphere of the game?
• Is the interaction smooth and intuitive?
• Does the sound fit well with the event?

Any criticism or suggestions are HIGHLY APPRECIATED.

Thank you so much in advance for your time! 

Hi everyone!

I’m working on a 2D horror/adventure game and I’ve just finished the first fully completed house in the village. 

I’d really appreciate some feedback on a few specific points:

1. Visual consistency:
Do the different rooms feel coherent with each other? Does the overall graphic style look unified, or are there elements that stand out in a bad way?

2. Lighting and atmosphere:
I’m trying to keep a dark, eerie tone throughout the game. Do the lighting effects look consistent with the style, or do they clash with the visuals in any room?

3. General impression:
Based on the screenshots, would this be a game you’d feel interested in playing?
Anything you would change or improve at first glance?

Thank you very much in advance for any feedback! It really helps me polish the game before moving on to the next areas!

To be honest, I hadn't thought of either of the solutions you suggest, but I think they would negatively affect the gameplay in my game. 

Imagine that the player clicks on a piece of furniture to open it. With the first click, they position themselves but don't open it, so they would have to click again... and so on with the hundreds of drawers, books, and other objects in the game...

I'm going to try leaving the left mouse click for moving, but leaving the action button on the keyboard or changing it to the right click.

Thanks for the advice anyway, best regards!

"I remember games where you could dig up treasures and things like that, but that was clearly different from movement/action. You could still do it by brute force, but it was basically impossible due to the size of the map and the time it took to try to dig." --> That's exactly what I'm looking for. 

The problem is when the move button is the same as the one you would use to dig, which is what happens to me with the native mouse behavior. I could also disable events until clues are found, but it seems more organic to me if the player decides to activate “action” on one of the 100,000 squares on the forest floor and JUST happens to be on top of the “treasure” and finds it. Such luck would deserve a prize. Imagine the look on their face. I'm sure they would start digging all over the map :D 

I'm working on a plugin that keeps the left mouse button to move, but doesn't activate the action button, which will be triggered by the right mouse button or the keyboard.

(Sorry for my english...)

Well, in the cases I mentioned, finding a map that marks an exact spot, or a clue that says “dig (for example) just to the right of the well, or next to the burnt tree...”  

The rest of the interactions are obvious: pick up an object, open a cupboard, open a door...

The specific case is, imagine something buried in a part of the ground that is exactly the same as the rest, there is no difference. Or a passageway under a carpet.

The player uses the left mouse button to move around and also to activate events by clicking on them. In the cases I mentioned, you may click accidentally, as both are part of the terrain you can walk on. 

However, with the keyboard, you have to position yourself exactly where you want to ‘interact’ on the terrain and press the ‘action’ button, which is different from the movement button.

Therefore, to leave mouse input enabled, what I am going to do is try to modify the behaviour of the left click. It should be used to move, but it should be separate from the action button.

I hope I have explained myself clearly...

Finally, I think I'll try to design a plugin so that the left mouse click doesn't act as an action key and will only be used for movement. 

Although I still think that moving around using the keyboard is more reliable, some colleagues have suggested that I keep the mouse mainly for accessibility reasons, as perhaps not everyone can use just the keyboard...

Thank you also for your funny comment about the mega bomb, I found it very amusing. 

In fact, to avoid accidental activation, the safest thing would be to deactivate both the keyboard and the mouse as well. 😁

Hey!

I totally understand your frustration,  getting visibility on Itch can be really tough. I just wanted to share something that might help: if you only create games for Android, you're limiting your potential audience quite a lot. 

I might be wrong, but in general most Itch users tend to look for PC games, especially indie experiments, jam entries, prototypes, or narrative projects made for Windows, Linux, or even browser.

In fact, creating a small browser-playable game could really help you gain visibility, since Web games get played instantly and don’t require downloads.

Keep it up! 😊

Hi everyone!

As gamedev, I have a serious doubt with the gameplay of the game I'm developing... I’m considering disabling mouse controls ...

 With the mouse enabled, players can accidentally trigger events just by clicking somewhere on the map, and I feel the gameplay is more consistent when limited to “arrow keys + action button (e.g., spacebar).”

My concern is that removing mouse support might drive away a number of players who prefer or rely on it. What do you think — would this be a big drawback for you? What would you do in my place?

Thanks in advance to the community!

I think the core idea behind Game Settings is really interesting, especially the way the story seems to unfold through the menu itself...

I’d like to know a bit more about how the gameplay works, are the puzzles mainly based on experimenting with the settings, or is there a narrative layer guiding the solutions? 

Also, do you have an approximate timeline for when a final version or a playable demo might be available? 

Looking forward to seeing how the project develops, good luck with your project!!!

Hey!

Looks really great — I like how clean, open and story-focused the system seems. 

Congratulations on the release, and best of luck with everything!

Hey!

I’ve been following the game for a while and just wanted to share some quick thoughts. The game looks really promising, the visual style, the magical effects and the general atmosphere are already pretty cool. The last trailer show even an improvement, so it’s great to see how the project is evolving.

Combat looks fun and dynamic, and I think with a bit more clearer hit effects, stronger impact, and more readable enemy attacks it could feel even better. 

Overall, I am impressed and excited with your game, and it’s impressive considering you’re developing it solo. I’m excited to see how it grows. 

Keep up the great work!

Thank you for your time and your comment!

The creation process is taking longer and is harder than I thought, but I hope to finish it someday...  thanks againd and have a nice day!!

Thanks for your feedback Dallas-91!!!

I had thought about the mouse, but I'm not sure I want to allow mouse use in the game... Most scenes and events are more consistent with keyboard mechanics --> arrow keys --> action buttons. 

With the mouse, the player can accidentally trigger events. I still have to think about this. I guess when the time comes, I'll consult the forum to get other opinions.

Thanks again and have a nice day.

Writing devlogs in a second language is totally normal here, many of us are not native English speakers, and it’s absolutely fine. 

You don’t need perfect English to make a good devlog. What matters is clarity and honesty.

A few simple tips that can help:

• Don’t try to sound “impressive.” Just be clear.
  • Explain what you’re working on and why you made certain choices.  Readers care more about your process than fancy words.

• Use visuals to communicate emotion.
  • Screenshots, GIFs, small clips… they speak louder than text and reduce language pressure.

• Talk less about “I” and more about the player experience.
  • Instead of “I added X,” try "this new mechanic will let players explore faster", or "this scene creates a darker atmosphere".

• Keep posts short.
  • A few paragraphs with images is enough. People prefer simple updates.

• Ask one small question at the end.
  • It invites feedback even if your English isn’t perfect.

Good devlogs don’t require perfect language — just clarity, passion, and a bit of personality. You’re already on the right path. Welcome to itch.io y buena suerte a ti también!

Hey TORIN!!

Recently I played The Painscreek Killings  (I’m not entirely sure how “indie” it’s considered, but it definitely felt like a hidden gem). What impressed me the most was its story: the game builds an incredibly rich background and a detailed lore that slowly unfolds as you investigate the abandoned town of Painscreek.

You step into the role of a journalist trying to uncover the truth behind a mysterious murder, and the way the narrative pieces fit together is genuinely satisfying. Graphically, it’s surprisingly strong for a smaller-scale project, with environments that feel atmospheric and lived-in. The soundtrack is also fantastic, amplifying the tension and loneliness of exploring empty streets and forgotten buildings.

Overall, it’s a deeply immersive mystery experience that stayed with me long after I finished it.

I recommend you give it a try!

This game looks genuinely impressive. The 3D world, as the cooperative aspect between players, as the whole medieval-fantasy setting of Lumeria... in my opinion, all give it a huge amount of potential. I can tell this is the kind of game that will require a long and challenging development process, but it really shows promise already.

I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on future updates. It’s a truly ambitious project, and I want to congratulate the creators for the work done so far. Keep up the great work, and please keep us informed as development progresses!

I totally get what you mean. I’m not a particularly prudish person either, and I don’t have any issue with adult content in games as another form of creative expression, but I was also surprised by how many games of that type there are on itch. The sheer volume really stands out, especially when you’re browsing through new or popular releases.

I also find myself wondering why they’re so successful on this platform. Maybe it’s because itch.io gives creators a lot of freedom, or because there’s a big audience looking for niche interactive experiences that aren’t allowed elsewhere. Whatever the reason, it’s definitely an interesting phenomenon.

Your website is a great idea to support creators, and I honestly think it looks really good. The layout is clean, the concept is useful, and it has the potential to become a valuable resource for many people working on creative projects.

I would encourage you to be patient and give the site some time to grow. If you keep sharing it on social media and engaging with communities that might benefit from it, I’m sure it will gain traction. Projects like this often start slowly, but with consistency they can become truly successful.

Wishing you the best with it — keep going, because you’re definitely on the right track!

I didn’t know that music-composer-focused jams even existed, but I think this is a brilliant and very original idea!!

I’m not a composer myself, but I pay a lot of attention to music in the games I develop, and I truly believe that a great soundtrack can shape the entire atmosphere of a project...

I’ll definitely be following this jam closely, I’m really curious to see the creative approaches that come out of it, best of luck to all the participants, and thanks to the organizers for putting together such an inspiring initiative!

Have a nice day!

Hi everyone!

I’ve been working on a clock event for my RPG Maker game. At a certain point in the story, the player needs to set a clock to the correct time to progress. I’ve implemented moving clock hands and some basic animations to make it interactive.

I’d love to get your feedback on:

• The animation of the clock hands
• The mechanics of setting the time
• The art/style of the clock and interface

Any constructive criticism or suggestions are very welcome! I’m trying to make the experience as smooth and visually appealing as possible, so all thoughts are appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

In my opinion text adventures are ABSOLUTELY NOT outdated. Obviously, they are not the dominant genre, but there is still a relatively large and very loyal community that greatly enjoys this type of experience. In fact, there are players who are specifically looking for deep stories, meaningful decisions, and carefully crafted worlds, and that is where text games continue to shine.

The chances of someone buying one instead of playing something for free? It depends on what it offers. If the story is good, well written and promises a more polished experience than the free version, many players are willing to pay. In this type of work, the narrative is the product, and when it is solid, the value is noticeable.

I personally believe that one of the most important parts of any game is the narrative, and text-based games allow you to focus on that without distractions. They can be immersive, elegant, and emotionally powerful. For me, when a story is well written, the format not only doesn't matter... it can even enhance the experience!

Good luck with your game if you finally decide to go for it!

Really it looks very very cool!!!!

Keep us informed 😁

This project looks really good man, congrats! 

I wanted to ask a bit more about the gameplay: will we be able to control several party members simultaneously, or will the game focus on switching between them as needed? What kind of titles would you compare it to — something in the style of Dragon Age, perhaps? And what about the setting? Are you aiming for a medieval or more fantastical world?

I'm also curious about the development progress so far. At what stage is the game currently, and do you have an idea of when a demo might be available? Really looking forward to seeing how it evolves!

Hi mate!

I think your first game looks really great, it really brings back memories of the shooters I used to play when I was younger. :) 

I just wanted to ask: does the game have an ending you can reach, or is it all about surviving for as long as possible?  

Congratulations on your first release, and have a great weekend!

Hi Axgin96!

I see your plugin really useful, sing region tags to trigger BGS automatically—and having smooth fade-in and fade-out based on the player’s distance—is a really smart and flexible solution for creating atmosphere. It opens up a lot of possibilities for dynamic sound design, especially in games where ambience plays such an important role.

I’m definitely going to try your plugin in my project, and I’ll let you know how it works for me once I’ve tested it. Thanks a lot for sharing it with the community!

Regards!!!!

I just played it, really fun!

Congrats mate!

Hi everyone!!

Not finished, currently working on it...

A first-person 2D adventure with a dark and disturbing atmosphere, set in an abandoned rural environment trapped in eternal night. The protagonist is a troubled former teacher who returns to his childhood home in search of peace, only to discover a sinister legend involving demons, dark rituals, and a curse that has stopped time. Exploring the village, solving puzzles and gathering scattered fragments of an old diary, you must try to break the curse that has fallen upon the village. At the same time, you will have to deal with your own demons, such as madness, fear and depression...

Not finished, currently working on it...

A first-person 2D adventure with a dark and disturbing atmosphere, set in an abandoned rural environment trapped in eternal night. The protagonist is a troubled former teacher who returns to his childhood home in search of peace, only to discover a sinister legend involving demons, dark rituals, and a curse that has stopped time. Exploring the village, solving puzzles and gathering scattered fragments of an old diary, you must try to break the curse that has fallen upon the village. At the same time, you will have to deal with your own demons, such as madness, fear and depression...

Hey! I just wanted to say that what you’re feeling is completely normal. Hitting that “submit” button can be terrifying, no matter how many games we’ve made or how supportive the community is. Anxiety tends to creep in precisely because we care about our work — it means the project matters to us.

What truly counts is enjoying the process: experimenting, learning, creating something that didn’t exist before. Feedback (positive or negative) will always come, but it doesn’t define your worth as a developer. The fact that you keep building and sharing your projects already says a lot about your passion and dedication.

Thanks for opening up about your experience — it helps all of us feel a little less alone in this. Keep going, keep creating, and most importantly, try to enjoy the journey as much as the end result.

Looks really funny and original.

Graphics, animations and movements are very good looking. In my opinion the game has a big potential, congrats.

I love RPG games, so I hope we can see the final version soon!!!!

Good luck and keep us posted!

Looks very cool!!!

Congrats mate!!