Bittersweet Harvest by moonlightbomber

[raw]
made by moonlightbomber for Ludum Dare 52 (JAM)

A two-act kinetic visual novel originally made for Ludum Dare 52 and the 2023 Global Game Jam.

Story

Harvesters.

These otherworldly beings, having the bodies of humans, are tasked with reaping bad memories of these humans and purging them from their hearts and minds.

And in an era where mental health awareness is at an all-time high, these harvesters work hard to ensure the stability of the souls of mortals.

One such harvester will meet a young single mother, and he must dive deep into the mystery of why she became one before he could do his job of purging her bad memories.

But his task could be more complicated than what he initially imagined.

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Ratings

Overall 774th 2.711⭐ 40🧑‍⚖️
Fun 765th 2.487⭐ 40🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 801th 2.237⭐ 40🧑‍⚖️
Theme 782th 2.618⭐ 40🧑‍⚖️
Humor 561th 2.487⭐ 40🧑‍⚖️
Mood 683th 2.932⭐ 39🧑‍⚖️
Given 216🗳️ 60🗨️

Feedback

LDJam user 277835
10. Jan 2023 · 02:43 UTC
I appreciate the time and effort put into this, but the only gameplay here is clicking through text. Are there supposed to be dialog options or something?
🎤 moonlightbomber
10. Jan 2023 · 03:09 UTC
@travh98, as indicated in the description, it's a kinetic (a.k.a. linear) visual novel for now. The completed Global Game Jam version might have a choice at the end.
robobarbie
10. Jan 2023 · 03:34 UTC
let's gooooo, another renpy game! I like the UI design and the sprites are very well done. unique story too! good luck with finishing it for the global game jam!
CodeForJoyCaro
10. Jan 2023 · 12:55 UTC
Nicely written story. I liked your dedication to details.
LDJam user 251967
10. Jan 2023 · 16:14 UTC
Great game!
Fluburbio
10. Jan 2023 · 16:46 UTC
It's a bit far from the theme, but it has very nice polish and I could see myself playing the full version for longer. However, if you intend to continue on this game at another jam, you may have trouble implementing another theme, and the beginning of your game probably won't follow that theme much. Anyway, great job!
VaizAragorn
10. Jan 2023 · 19:29 UTC
I was never that fan over visual novels but the story was interesting and kept me reading. Great story and visuals!
Glaupe Cabral
11. Jan 2023 · 18:25 UTC
Congrats on the game. I thought it was really cool, cool graphics, good gameplay, I imagine the art wasn't yours, because of the co-opt, but I still thought it was cool, congratulations! Ah, if you have a little time, join my game and see what you think of it. But the ideal is to download it, because the ludum window is giving an error in the screen proportion! It cost!!!
Maytch
12. Jan 2023 · 00:12 UTC
I've not played a visual novel in a gamejam before! I think to tailor specifically for a jam where games are short I'd aim to have some early story paths in there, even though I know a lot of visual novels have a lot of setup to begin with. Anyway, a jam is a good opportunity to start working on something so good job!
Blue Pin Studio
13. Jan 2023 · 06:22 UTC
This was my first time playing a visual novel during ludum dare! I expected there to be choices but i was told by a friend that kinetic means "no choices"! How interesting! Cool submission!
TooSalty0000
13. Jan 2023 · 08:20 UTC
I was surprised you could think this story up within a weekend! The UI and images are quite well-made, and I would like to play it when this game fully develops, if you are planning to. Nice job.
stephenwhoskins
14. Jan 2023 · 03:18 UTC
Wow. You went to task at writing! This definitely had a very Doki Doki Literature Club to it. I like it! Have you considered doing a weekly comic of sorts using this format? I wonder if a new genre can be started that's almost as popular as manga... :thinking:
🎤 moonlightbomber
14. Jan 2023 · 03:31 UTC
@stephenwhoskins: Unfortunately, I am not an artist. I am more of a narrative designer.
n.feofentov
14. Jan 2023 · 12:11 UTC
Was intrigued by description which reminded me of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Too sad it interrupts at the most interesting part. Anyways, good writing!
WitchGF
23. Jan 2023 · 16:11 UTC
Damn, now I'm stuck on cliffhanger
cat chef
24. Jan 2023 · 03:07 UTC
Really like this idea, super unique take on harvest! While I appreciated the attention to detail with the menu, options, and the excellent feeling of the user interface -- not to mention the ambience of the backgrounds and music, and the expressive artwork--I just wish I could've traded some of that to have played further into the story!!!!

My greed for more story aside, this is a very thought provoking hook! I think my favorite dialogue line was probably the player character's kinship with the coffeemaker "doing its job," very human writing. I hope you are able to find a resolution to this story in the next game jam! Cheers
kikiriki367
24. Jan 2023 · 18:16 UTC
A good start to a story, but i really feel like more choices should be added. Even if they are unimportant to the plot like choosing between coffee and tea for exampl. They give the player agency and maybe some replayability. Good luck in the global jam! :))
LDJam user 246128
24. Jan 2023 · 20:11 UTC
Great to see more visual novels!

Interesting submission! And now I'm intrigued how the story will develop. A bit sad that it's only prologue but it's perfectly understandable that you can't really write big and wrapped up story in 72 hours. Nice work!

Great choice in music too.