A downloadable game for Windows, macOS, and Linux

You're powerless.

Everyone you once knew can wield magic since way before they hit puberty. You can't. You're what they call a husk, hollow in every way that matters. The eternal winter is harsh and your society does not tolerate those who don't contribute. Ironic that you are the one person who can put a stop to the perpetual frost and return the seasons to their normal cycle. The question is: do you really want to?


Features.

  • Approximately 30,000 words
  • Three endings, two of which can be considered major

Credits.


Lastly, I should mention that this game might get updated around the new year. This will only include new/reworked art and bug fixes, though. The story is finished.

More information

Download

Download
TheSparkPoacher-1.0-win.zip 756 MB
Download
TheSparkPoacher-1.0-mac.zip 761 MB
Download
TheSparkPoacher-1.0-linux.tar.bz2 748 MB
Download
TheSparkPoacher-1.0-market.zip 801 MB

Development log

Comments

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Mimico 🃏20 days ago


I had a great time playing your game and wanted to share some feedback after experiencing endings 2 and 3!

  • I really liked the perspective you chose for telling the story. You can really feel the protagonist’s dilemmas and their way of seeing things. The concept and stakes were super interesting, and the character’s traumas were well illustrated through the dialogues, all while staying consistent.
  • As for the pacing, I felt like the beginning took a bit of time to get going, but once I reached scenes 4/5, I was hooked and eager to see what would happen next. Ending 2, “You’re Obsolete,” was my favorite. I found it both fitting for the character and surprising at the same time, a perfect combination.
  • One thing I really appreciated was the camera work. It gave the visual novel a good dynamic feel, and your game really highlighted how important good camera direction can be.
  • On a smaller note, I’m not a huge fan of the option to name the character. I maybe  get the idea of helping the player identify with them, but I feel like giving the character a set name could reinforce their identity in the universe, especially since there aren’t many customization options. Just my personal take, of course!
  • Finally, a big shoutout for how you handled the combat scenes. That’s no easy task in a visual novel, but you nailed it. The camera movements and the blackouts added good tension, it was well done.

Congrats, and good luck with what’s next! Keep up the good work! 🎉

Reply
MaxSpartan20 days ago(+1)

Thank you so much for taking the time to play it and all the kind words! 

I agree that it has a slow start and I also struggled with this while writing, but at the same time I'm not sure what I could have cut to make it go faster. I was also worried that I might rush to the first fight too fast if I didn't have those earlier chapters, but in hindsight that might have been due to me feeling a little insecure about it. For the future I will definitely see if I can pick things up faster.

You have a point about the naming feature. I wasn't sure if the main character's identity mattered that much beyond their history as a husk and could therefore work with any name or gender, so making this changeable and ambiguous made sense to me. I guess it's still a point of improvement, though, because it shows that I could have given more commitment to fleshing out their identity rather than leaving it open. I will definitely keep this in mind depending on what I do next!

And thanks for the compliment with regard to the combat scenes as well. I actually have to admit that the black scenes were there because I was on a major time crunch and could not finish all the art in time. I'm glad it still worked out for you!

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Xenoblade_Torna_XC229 days ago

Really enjoyed this extensive story, recommend it for others to try out.

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