novena is a game about the burden of strength and the fruits of perseverance. it was made for the 14th monthly bitsy jam.

  • music: arête by brambles
  • instructions: use your arrow keys to walk around and interact
  • playtime: ~5 to 10 mins

 🌊⛈️🐦


bitsy hacks and tools used

[originally made in bitsy v4.8, remade in bitsy v7.5]

StatusReleased
PlatformsHTML5
Rating
Rated 4.8 out of 5 stars
(1,116 total ratings)
Authorcecile richard
Made withbitsy
TagsBitsy, bitsyjam, poem, Walking simulator
Average sessionA few minutes

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novena.zip 5 MB

Development log

Comments

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Viewing most recent comments 2 to 41 of 322 · Next page · Last page

wow. i didn't realize i was crying until it was over. thank you

Simply beautiful!! Thanks!!!

thank you for this poem. 

a fantastic experience. a short, sweet, soft bite of story. thank you for making this. thank you for sharing it.

wow - that was really beautiful, thank you

well that was an experience

I fucking cried

(+3)

this is the most beautiful game I have ever played. i have never seen anything like it. i wish i could create something as beautiful as this. i sound sooo emotional omfg but i loved it thats all :) amazing work, i hope you're incredibly proud of yourself!

Absolutely love. What a beautiful little game <3

This is a touching and relevant story for me recently. Thank you for sharing it.

i loveeeeeee it sooooooooooo cute i really wish to make it as as beautiful as this for university project.

Easily one of the loveliest things I have ever read. I recommend this poem to friends often. Thank you so much for such a captivating and heartfelt experience.

this is so wonderful. Simple, but sharp and well made. I love the art especially. The line "I weep because we are the same, and I do not know how to help us." will stick with me for a long time I think.

(+1)

Loved this experience. Beautiful concept, writing, and music. Thanks for making this.

(+2)

wow. i'm so glad someone shared this on another game... my new fave genre of poetry/storytelling

cool

(+1)

Good morning. First of all, well done and thank you for this magnificent experience that you have offered us. I loved going through your game. However, as a new user to the engine you are using also in this game, I wonder how you managed to integrate the beautiful music because I don't see how to import a file, I can only use the chiptune music editor...

hello! novena was made in a much older version of bitsy, so i think these tricks should still work but let me know if they don’t:

the bitsymuse tool is a little trickier (but very cool, i used it for HOPE and i am still here) and i haven’t tested its compatibility with the newest version of bitsy. i think the first hack of just adding a single audio file should work without any issues though.

the engine has changed a lot since i made this game… good luck!

(1 edit)

I tried them and was disappointed to find that they didn't work. Another question: how did you create these superb sets?. Thank you for responding so quickly and congratulations again for your work 💪💪💪

(1 edit)

huh! i tested the first option just now and it seems to work fine for me… i’m curious on how you tried it!

the first option is kind of a ‘will always work’ trick because it’s really just adding an audio file to a HTML file and that never really gets outdated (more info about that on w3schools’ website). if you don’t mind telling me how you tested it, i’d be happy to help you with it, either in this comment chain or email me (my email address is on my website).

i don’t really know what you mean by “sets”… is it the art/tiles? for most of it i’ve imported images i drew on aseprite through pixsy. i usually made a 128x128 pixel image and drew in it, then exported them as a png and used pixsy to convert them into bitsy rooms.

this is just gorgeous. amazing work!

thank you, it's beautiful.

(+1)

lovely simple storytelling. i like the soundtrack.

I like how the ocean changed it's mind as you continued to visit, I thought it was impactful in such a short story.

(+1)

Wow, it blew my mind.

So pretty, I love how the ocean changed every visit and how simple and emotional the dialogues.


Best game experience i had here in Itch.io

This is stunning, love the art and music.

beautiful atmosphere

This is a beautiful experience.

abstract and simple but beautiful

The change from "you decide to try again tomorrow" to "you promise to come back tomorrow" always gets me. great game

(+2)

This is beautiful, simple, game. I imagine this must speak to many of those struggling from depression.

this is so sweet, i love it

(+1)

Very sweet game, really really good.

(+1)

short and very sweet and poetic!

(+1)

this was so heart touching, beautiful.

(+1)

Beautiful.

(+2)

Honestly, this is just amazing. The art and the music are both mesmerizing... It's lovely!

I didnt think itd be that deep bro. Btw what engine did you use to make this?

it's bitsy!

Ooh thats definitely a cool engine bro, i like the simplicity. Thanks!

(+1)

Beautiful, in message and art. 
I have a question, how this art style is called? it seems like a pixel art but it isn't exactly the clasic

(+1)

it's pixel art! maybe more specifically: 1-bit pixel art?

Yes it is. Thanks!

(+1)

played for the second time! and just like before, this game is beautiful and so poetic. a very nice and lovely experience, so emotional. 

(-4)

meh

(2 edits)

i still thinks it is beautifull, yes it is not really long or really a game to play like others. It is a great text based game which is more poetic with beautifull music and art. Maybe you are simply not into these stuffs

played this again and cried again. thank u.

You can actually play bisty games in mobile! You just swipe to move and tap to talk!

wouldnt recommend it tbh... i just tested it and everything is cropped on my phone and i have no idea if it even plays sounds/music for a lot of these.

Viewing most recent comments 2 to 41 of 322 · Next page · Last page