Wolf in the Woods

Made a video

I found myself getting excited when I figured out how the choice at the beginning was set up ahah- Like solving a puzzle, almost! It's a brilliant way of merging the inspirations in my opinion, loved that so much!

The blues and browns in the woods really mixed the storybook feel with the darkness of the forest really well, I think! Your art and the color choices made the presentation really immersive!

It is very much up in the air if we can trust our big wolf pal, but it also feels so very real the way that bad ending played out, and my gosh the ambiguity is real but both truths can exist, it feels like- Loved this!

OHHH this was very intriguing, and definitely incredibly ominous!

The artwork and design of the game is absolutely gorgeous. All of the color is kind of "splattered" on, in a style reminiscent of blood splatter, creating an ominous feel, while the lineart is rendered in charcoal-esque lines. The background is especially well-done, with its eerie twisting trees that perfectly set the scene of the game. I also really liked the backing track for the game, which was spine-tingling, to say the least. I also really loved the designs of both characters (especially Emma and her pig aesthetic!)

I do have to give a special shoutout to the start menu, with the twisting trees framing the words that surround the protagonists - it's a really beautifully composed shot. 

===SPOILERS===

The presentation of the choice is very interesting - at the start, you're in a black space, given the choice between three boxes, each containing a material that corresponds to one of the Three Little Pigs' building materials (brick, wood, or straw). If you pick the brick, you're safe; if you pick the wood, you're put back into the lottery for the next year. If you pick the straw, you're sacrificed. 

As you speak with the Wolf, he appears kinder than you expected, and you're not sure if it's genuine or a ruse. If Emma runs from him, she is shot by someone unknown, and if Emma agrees to go with the Wolf, they go to search for the other sacrifices, though the ending is left somewhat open. The endings definitely left me with more questions than answers, but I liked it - by not presenting the audience with a clear answer, it really tickled the imagination. (Personally I'd say that the person who shot Emma in the end might be The Hunter from the village, a person who makes sure that the sacrifices disappear to keep the tradition alive - and the sacrifice wears a "shroud" to make them easier to spot and shoot.) 

Overall, my interest was very tickled by this entry, and it was IMPECCABLY executed. Fantastic work! 

ROSE, THIS IS FANTASTIC! You always KILL it in the art/presentation department. Everything was super cohesive. The story was really nice, and shows how fear can often be our downfall. (Also that bad ending WAS SO WELL EXECUTED! Wasn't expecting it honestly!) Excellent job, Rose! <3

The vibes of this are EXQUISITE. I'm in love with the whole setup! From the block-print style artwork to the ominous ambience to the feeling of foreboding hanging over everything... it really pulls you in right away. Even right from the beginning with the choice of the box (I ended up not choosing the "right" box to advance the story until last LOL) and you don't know what any of it means but you just FEEL nervous about it.

Great lead-up to the wolf's appearance. Felt chills on the back of my neck from the BG and the ambience. Then even more as we start to question things and have to make the choice. I made the "right" choice first (or at least the one that did not have tragic consequences LOL). Made my mind start racing as to what else was out there. Would we find any of the others? Why did this whole thing get started in the first place? SO MANY QUESTIONS!! Then I went back to do the other choice and DANG. What a jolt. I admit I had a feeling by that point that things might head in that direction... but the execution and sheer gut drop, especially with the SFX was so well done.

Overall a really well-done little game that left me with so many questions and thoughts about the larger world and story!!