Shadowtail
About Shadowtail:
Shadowtail is a puzzle and maze game where the goal is to mix ingredients into potions that have special effects on the player. The goal of the game is to rescue a fellow mouse that is trapped in a cage through exploration and potion crafting. Shadowtail was developed as part of the 2024 PirateSoftware Game Jam under the theme Shadows and Alchemy.
Controls:
- WASD - Move
- Space - Jump or Climb
- E - Pick Up or Drop Item
- F - Use or Read Item
- P - Pause Menu
- R - Show known recipes
- F11/Escape - Toggle Fullscreen Mode
Game Design Document:
The game design document can be found here as well as in the downloads below. The Google Drive document contains additional information about the planning and development of Shadowtail.
Download
Download
Game Design Document
External
Development log
- After the Jam: Game UpdateAug 22, 2024
Comments
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Such a great game! I loved it!
The maze was indeed a bit hard to go around, and I would like having a few more lamps to mark different spots. That mechanic is great as it gives the player the sense of making the maze a place for yourselve, and some environment customizing.
The idea of crafting potions to unlock new abilities and get into higher places was well implemented too. The player has to really pay a lot of attention and remember where things where so they can get them when needed, or as I did, use the tunnels to gather everything and use that space with the lamps to have this kind of little space where the mice sorted its items.
What I didn't understand was some items like the yellow key, those red orbs and a kind of teacup that I found that I couldn't figure out what where they used for. I liked the idea of having more stuff to do and discover besides rescuing the white mouse, but I guess it was not implemented yet.
Amazing work!
Thank you for playing and for the feedback!
The yellow key is meant as a way to lure the player to the left shelf and on the bookshelf where the recipe is hidden. The other items you mentioned have no use at all. We added them just in case and haven't used them in the end...
This game is fantastic! The style is adorable and the puzzle-ish gameplay is compelling to some extent
Thank you for playing our game :)
omg they're so cute I love them. Got my friend back too :)
I found a second key so maybe I missed a secret?? I also saw a little hole in a hallway but I couldn't find that one in my tunnels lol.
Very cute game.
Haha thanks, I'm glad you were able to rescue Whitefoot! :P I tried to make the mice and cat as cute as I could. Unfortunately, there weren't any secrets (this time around).
Very adorable game.
The story in the game is very nice, I really liked that there was a cutscene where the player is immersed in what is happening in the game. As for me, the corridors are a bit confusing, but I don't think that is a big problem.
I also like the process of exploring the world, by the progress of which you learn that you can make a potions! You have a big potential for this.
Great job!
Thank you! I'm glad you liked the cutscene and exploration parts. :3
I got so lost in the tunnels xD. Really awesome entry though! Congrats on putting it together! The art is really nice! The only comment I would make is that the top down perspective angle on things like the cabinets seems different from other things in the scenes. I like your cauldron. Great job!
Thank you for the feedback! I did struggle with the perspective and scale while making the art so I'll be studying quite a bit for the next game. <3
A really charming game!
Thank you! :3
Okay so the game looks and sounds fantastic. The characters are very cute and the world looks great. I love the silly "popping" music that sounds like real people just making a noise, was that you guys doing that?
I need to say though this game is super tedious. Having to constantly run back and forth and only picking up 1 ingredient at a time is really not my bag. Getting lost in the dark tunnels constantly while looking for the right exit was such a chore. I really wish there was a map or an indicator or just more vision inside those tunnels cos they really put me off finishing the game despite all the awesome charm and design on offer.
I would have loved some more visible indicators for things you could interact with instead of only appearing when you were right on-top of them.
I wish it wasn't so tedious because there's a fun little story and world packed into this game and I would have liked to have kept playing but it just frustrated me too much.
Thank you for the feedback! I appreciate the detailed explanation of the parts that need more work and polish. If Shadowtail gets an update or a full release, these are definitely things that we will keep in mind to make the game more enjoyable! <3
Edit: Also the music is from Abstraction's Game Loop pack! There's a TON of good loops in the downloads besides what is shown on the Itch page. https://tallbeard.itch.io/music-loop-bundle
Very cute game.
Thank you!
Pretty cool, I couldn't figure out how to get on the table but the graphics and everything looks cool and it controls well. One note: the pinhole light in the beginning is too small, I can barely see what's going on.
Thanks for the feedback! The game definitely needs more polish and some updates based on the the comments in regards to the lighting and interactive elements. <3