The Deepwater Witch [DEMO]
A downloadable game for Windows and macOS
"What wish would you ask the witch to grant?"
In a world ruined by pollution, the oceans have swallowed the lands. Ramil is a scavenger, a lowlife who digs through the trash littering his once idyllic hometown. One day he finds a mysterious girl on the beach. She can't speak, and she says that she doesn't remember where she came from. When Ramil meets her, he is dragged into a surreal dreamscape...but are they dreams or delusions?
As the mysteries surrounding the girl's identity unravel, Ramil is forced to answer a question: What price is he willing to pay to be happy?
Features
The demo contains:
- A post-apocalyptic retelling of the Little Mermaid!
- 25k words (~2 hours playtime)
- 5 CGs, 22 backgrounds
- Live 2D-style animated illustrations
- One mysterious girl
- One prince with neither a heart nor a house of gold
- A sweet, slow-burn romance
- Copious fairytale references
- (Way too much talking about the environment for a romance game)
The full game will have 52k words, 15+ CGs, and 4 endings.
Characters
Warnings
The Deepwater Witch contains violence and other sensitive content (most notably adult language). There are no extremely graphic depictions of violence, but there are some minor graphical depictions of gore and numerous textual descriptions. For more details, see below. (Note that these are content warnings for the full game.)
Content Warnings (Mild spoilers, beware)
Graphical depictions of:
Blood
Textual descriptions of:
Adult language, violence and gore, necrosis, drowning, guns.
There is a scene that features suicide, but it is in a surreal dream and is not "real."
There are minor depictions of torture (a character is beaten/fingers are broken).
There are numerous references to animals suffering as a result of harm to the environment.
References to:
Ableism, suicidal ideation, cannibalism, human trafficking, ritual sacrifice, organ trafficking, removal of a finger as debt collection.
Tala cannot speak, and she communicates primarily using American Sign Language (ASL). Although the story is not intended to take place in the US, ASL is the version that I was best equipped to research so that I could depict it accurately.
BUILD NOTES
Currently there are some issues with being able to open the Mac build. I am currently applying for an Apple Developer ID so that I can sign and notarize the app. If you have issues, please try the next build (0.0.2).
Credits
Hello, I'm Chattercap! I'm a solo dev that does most of the things, including character/background art, animations, UI/logo design, audio engineering, coding, and script-writing.
Thank you to my beta readers, chimeriquement (Beyond the Fairy Tale) and Jaqui (Chiamour)! Also thank you to Butter_Blanc (The Day It Rained Roses) for script consultation!
I have some questions!
Thanks for your interest! I'm active on X/Twitter @chattercap, or you can email me at chattercap@gmail.com. You can also send me asks on Tumblr!
Website - Other Links
Status | In development |
Platforms | Windows, macOS |
Rating | Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars (19 total ratings) |
Author | Chattercap |
Genre | Visual Novel |
Made with | Audacity, Godot, Blender |
Tags | Amare, Anime, Dating Sim, Fairy Tale, josei, Post-apocalyptic, Romance, supernatural, Surreal |
Average session | About an hour |
Languages | English |
Accessibility | Subtitles |
Download
Click download now to get access to the following files:
Development log
- Steam store page is up!Jun 10, 2024
- Update 0.2.1Jun 06, 2024
- Update 0.2.0Jun 03, 2024
- Very Small Mac UpdateFeb 19, 2024
- February 2024 DevlogFeb 01, 2024
- The Deepwater Witch's demo is out!Jan 02, 2024
Comments
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Can you add it on Android?
Unfortunately not atm, I'm waiting on some updates to the game engine that I use. Once that happens I'll work on porting it, but right now it's impossible.
Well, I will be waiting for you and I appreciate your efforts
What an incredible entry! I am consistently blown away by your work Chatter! Even with 2 hours of playtime I played it in one sitting cause I couldn’t step away from the world, Ramil’s struggle, and his relationship with Tala- to name a few. I adore how much detail there is in your stories- it’s like you create a huge puzzle/sandbox for me to play in where I can piece things together and also just have fun!
Play this game seriously! I am not asking 😤
(Spoilers)
Ramil is hot af and he is an incredible character so far! I totally buy into everything about him like he has a reason for everything and where’s a cereal box toy around his neck, what more could you want?
I love his backstory, current struggles, motivations, and ESPECIALLY his interactions with Tala.
I also love Tala! She is a careful balance of “sexy born yesterday” trope without all the problematic shit! She’s mature, optimistic, and drop dead gorgeous!
There’s honestly so much I could say, and have said. I just can’t understate how FULL your projects feel. Even when it’s a demo there is so much to latch onto- so many questions, so many mysteries, and fears left lolol
You’ve tackled a Fairy Tale esque story with Actala and it’s definitely your strong suit! I love the breaks between the drab realness (which I adore it’s super down to Earth, pun intended!) and then as he dreams you get to go to this fantastical world! I love that they dream together and whether this is some magic shit (which it most certainly is lol) we are still left with the themes that come from Fairy tales and how Ramil keeps those stories close to his heart! Truly incredible! Cannot wait for more! However, this is super high quality in 3 months and you more than deserve to take it easy lolol but if you’re anything like me, you’ll be busy.
Great work man! Truly!
Thank you so much for the kind words, Joy!! fdgdfgd You saying that my works feel like a "puzzle/sandbox" brings me so much joy, you have no idea (no pun intended)! I really appreciate "full," well-rounded stories and worlds in fiction so I'm glad that's something that comes across in my work (even though it wasn't something that I planned in particular)!
(minor spoilers)
Haha, I think that you really caught onto the essence of each character! Ramil and Tala are opposites, but they're also two sides of the same coin - Ramil is the jaded guy with hard edges who's secretly a romantic at heart (with a cereal box toy around his neck), and Tala is a girl who looks and sounds like she lives in the clouds but has a much more grounded, mature perspective on the world than she lets on.
I'M GLAD THAT YOU LIKED THE DREAMS! Not going to lie, while it's not the main purpose behind them, I also wanted to add them in simply as an escape from the moldy apocalypse. Even though I love dystopian/apocalyptic fiction, it can get a little TOO dreary for me, sometimes!
Questions, mysteries and FEARS is a pretty accurate way of putting it! I'm really looking forward to answering those questions/mysteries...and, well, we'll see about the fears...
Thank you so much for playing!! I loved watching the playthrough! :)
SOB I'M ALREADY FLOORED JUST FROM THE DEMO. Especially because of where it ended, that whole final scene had my heart snatched in a vise, it was so well done and the music and the majestry and the building ominosity flakdsjfalskdjfad
Sorry I'll try to contain myself to actually write something intelligible 🤣💦
Everything about this was absolutely brilliant and gorgeous and wonderfully well done. I found myself instantly immersed in this hopeless despondent world and on my seat as to what would happen next. Not only the typical things like the art and music and story but just the overall VIBES absolutely dripping off of every single scene. It was all fantastically done in a way that grabs you by the hook the second you start playing. And it made my heart ache so many times by the beautiful cinematography and world and dark beauty you've created.
Right away, we're introduced to our lead, Ramil, who's shown to be pretty rough yet with a despondent, reflective side we see in little glimpses. He's stuck in this hopeless world where no matter what he tries, misfortune meets him again and again and again, which explains his cynicism and general dark outlook on life. And not only Ramil, but we as the players can feel this sort of overwhelming melancholy, from the grim, poignant style of the music to the dark, grungy BGs, to even the fantastic descriptive voice of the narration. THERE WERE ALREADY A FEW TIMES WHERE I WAS LITERALLY TERRIFIED??? The mermaid scene in particular had my heart thumping something terrible lakdjfasd It was so well done. The lead-up, the music and sounds. Just terrifying.
Also I don't know why but that scene with Alab(?) (I forgot his name fully I think that was it) gave me such a strange feeling in my gut but in a good way, like. I was super immersed in this world and it was giving me these, like, semi-steampunk vibes, not quite because this is not steampunk but I'm having a hard time describing it lakdjfa Just the combination of music and the greenish tint to the BG and how your sprites are always so expressive to begin with but somehow Alab felt especially expressive here I DON'T KNOW but I loved that scene (well I love all of them, but).
Then Tala comes into the pictures and SOB I LOVE HER. I loved the slow way that Ramil had to warm up to her. As indeed, not only is Ramil the least romantic person ever who's experienced nothing but betrayal and tragedy all his life, but he's also very cautious for those same reasons, so it makes sense that it would take him so long to gradually start to trust her. That make it all the more rewarding when we did get those sweet scenes of them starting to connect. They are simply too sweet to me, I'll sob 😭💕
AND THE DREAMS!!!! They were so ethereal alkdfas I loved how silly some of them seemed at different parts. But then how they'd turn serious or sweet or sincere. The BGs in the dreams were especially beautiful sob. I loved the clouds and the surreal plains and the flowers. The style of them is wonderfully dream-like, which really added to the whole otherworldly quality of what was happening. And I already mentioned this but THE FINAL DREAM. I DON'T KNOW WHY BUT IT CLENCHED MY HEART SO MUCH. LIKE A DEEP PIT IN MY HEART. I love kind of ominous, surreal ballroom scenes to begin with and it didn't disappoint. The final bits made my gut roil loopdy-loops the same way some of my favorite media of all time have. Just this intense foreboding awe. The music here was especially GHHHHHHHHHHHFDKJFLAKSDFA
SOB AND THE SCENE ON THE BALCONY I FORGOT THAT ALSO MADE ME SO WEEPY Tala... my heart... 😭💕
OK I need to stop rambling about the story points and try to make more sense here. THE ART? GORGEOUS???? Your animation is always on point but it just felt especially beautifully done here. It really makes all the characters feel so so alive, and I loved the use of the little close-up pop-ins to key us in to important feelings and changes of expression. The BGs were all divine! It's clear you put so much work into them, and they really set such an amazing foundation in setting up the vibe and overall gloom (or surrealness, as in the case of the dreams). Writing is an absolute delight to read. I really enjoyed the use of the different ways the writing was presented? Like the slightly different style between dialogue and narration. And then the long narration bits that were more the NVL style for descriptive bits. Somehow it made it feel very storybook-esque, going back and forth between the different styles depending on the needs of the story. The dialogue always felt naturally presented and easy to follow along, and then it allowed for a lot of beautiful descriptions that were easy to read because of the NVL. Just really nicely done.
The music!! Love love loved the music. The ballroom music is still echoing in my head as I'm writing this up. But every single piece was perfect and really helped to set the tone and scene (or pull on heartstrings).
Overall, just absolutely fantastic and now I'm heartbroken that I got to the end and will have to wait 🤣💦 Sob I haven't been pulled this deeply into a story for a while, I'm absolutely hooked. And I love the dark yet hopeful feeling that's gnawed its way into my heart while reading. It's a beautiful balance between dark despair and beautiful hope and I'm really intrigued how it's going to end (and if it's going to end up wrecking me or not lakdjfa)
An amazing game and I'll be champing at the bit waiting for the full version to come out!! 💕
CARROT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR KIND WORDS, I'M WEEPING
YOU WROTE SO MUCH FGDHGFHFGH I'm so glad that the "apocalyptic" vibe came through (I was worried that it wouldn't feel quite depressing enough?), I really tried to build that sort of atmosphere, with the mixture of despondency and little rays of hope. (AND PLEASE DON'T COMPLIMENT THE CINEMATOGRAPHY IT'S SIMPLY EMBARRASSING COMPARED TO THE GAMES YOU MAKE)
Alab is my LEAST FAVORITE but gosh is he fun (and easy) to write! His office is also one of my favorite (and grungiest) backgrounds, I colored every empty beer bottle and dirty crumb with love and care... (I also did use the largest range of his expressions sdfsdfs I coded in a lot of expressions for both Ramil and Tala, but they're less expressive overall, so I don't get to use all of them *sob*)
I'M SO GLAD THAT YOU LIKED THE DREAMS, I was worried about them because I had such a clear and blurry image of them at the same time. So I'm glad that the dreamlike, surreal feeling came across well!
Your comments about the art and writing are too kind, you're sending me to an early grave 😭 Thank you so much *sob* I'm especially glad that you liked the NOVL, it's something that I didn't bother coding into my previous games but I was inspired by other NOVL-style games that I've seen in the community, and thought "gosh that's so cool and good for narration..."
Overall I'm so happy to receive this feedback from you 😭 because I was very inspired by your work while I was making this, especially your excellent use of narration and audio? I think that narration is something that I felt really apprehensive about using because it can be boring for readers, and so I felt really pressured to either communicate things purely through visuals or dialogue. But after reading OW and seeing how visceral and gut-wrenching and absolutely wonderful your narration is, I really wanted to give a try at making it a significant part. I think mine is overall a lot more dry sdfsdfs and boring, but I'd like to think that I improved! The audio too, I really admired how you used so many different audio tracks for every scene. Before I felt a bit hamstrung, trying to pick a number of tracks by "mood" and including a specific number of tracks and just matching the scene to the tracks as best as I could, but this time I sought out different music for every scene and...well idk if it was better, but it was definitely much more satisfying!! (Gosh there are so many things from OW that I think are wonderful that I want to draw inspiration from but I'm really not there yet.)
(GOSH WHAT I WOULD HAVE GIVEN TO IMPLEMENT A COOL BALLROOM SEQUENCE LIKE YOU DID FOR STLD BUT ALAS MY ANIMATION SKILLS ARE NOT THERE and I was afraid that it would break the entire game)
Thank you again for your endlessly kind and thorough feedback!! I'm really excited to release the full version of this project, and I hope you'll try the rest!
An unfiltered look into our world's future paired with a mysterious love story? Sign me up! This VN is unique and engaging, with fantastic dialogue and thought-provoking themes. World-building is on point, and the variety of settings is really interesting. The art is beautifully done as well. Ramil is a hottie! I recommend this highly!
Thank you so much for the kind words!! I'm glad that you enjoyed it! :)
I am blown away by the quality of The Deepwater Witch. Chattercap's creativity, writing, and artwork are superb. I loved all of the little details...the textures in the background art, the mood of the music, the little expressions in the animations. I am definitely looking forward to playing the full game when it comes out!
Thank you so much for the kind words!! I'm glad that you enjoyed it! :)
YES I HAVE BEEN WAITING!!!
THANK YOU FOR WAITING!! I hope it's interesting!
What a spectacular demo it was!
As a beta-reader, I already knew what to expect from the story and can't really comment on it without spoiling parts that aren't implemented in the demo. However, what is shown here perfectly depicts the nuances of Ramil's character. He is indeed rough, and as rough as the world he lives in; and yet, there is something in him, that the player may choose to channel more often or not. It is efficient narrative design to shape Ramil's views on the world (and Tala) and I enjoy the agency it gives the player over the flow of the story.
We also get to meet Tala, who is a very inspiring character: if she appears withdrawn at first, we actually get to see her kind and sweet personality, and how can one but not admire her ability to find beauty, even in a world as wretched and dirty as the one the characters evolve in? The mysteries surrounding her also help the players to perceive things from Ramil's perspective: she's a stranger, and there are things we don't know about her.
The dynamic between the two leads is so far very interesting: Ramil, despite being suspicious of Tala, still tries to help her, touched by her vulnerability. Their discussions are interesting, and help characterise both characters: so far, it especially shows that Ramil is actually cynical, and less positive about the state of the world than most people are (cf. people still taking time to cook tasty meals when he doesn't, only seeing nutrition as something "functional"). I also enjoyed how the romance slowly sinks in, depending on the player's choice.
Of course, the game is a OUAT submission: I really appreciated the fairy tales references, the subversions of the tales, and how even the "real-life" story mimics a fairy tale (the references to The Little Mermaid are obviously present, but the ironic characterisation as Ramil as a prince is, beyond amusing, actually very touching, as through Tala's kind eyes, he really is one: showing her being genuine about something most would see as ironic is, once again, an amazing way to charactersie her character.)
The game is drop-dead gorgeous: the sprites are beautifully drawn and rendered, the backgrounds are so magnificent they make me want to cry, and the CGs manage to bring various moods, even playing with textures sometimes. And the most impressive? It's all animated!! Once again, a veritable tour de force, and a treat for the eyes.
I also have to salute the switch to Godot, as the gameplay experience feels extremely similar to the dev's other games, Actala and Karamu. Switching engines isn't easy, and I appreciate how skillfully done it was.
Side note, but I also appreciated to see a mute character using sign language, magically able to talk in dreams. A character's disability being fixed in dream-like worlds without any justification beyond "it's magic" is something we see quite often, and as someone who was mute for five years, I appreciated the treatment of it.
Long story short, a spectacular demo, making players look forward to the full game, the full story and the full implementation! Thanks for sharing it with the world!
Thank you so much for your kind words 😭 (and for beta-ing when you could have been sleeping or drawing more CGs of Annelise...I'm very grateful...)
STOP MAKING YOUR REVIEW BETTER WRITTEN THAN THE GAME GOSH
Ohh I love that line, that Ramil is as rough as the world he lives in! It rather perfectly encapsulates his character - Ramil is a product of the world that he lives in, a person that can be both beautiful and ugly depending on how you look at him. I'm also glad that you liked how the choices were presented! Indeed while the choices that "make Tala happy" are the "good choices," it's less about making her happy and more about shaping Ramil's POV, how he views Tala and the world around him.
(Ohh I'm glad that you caught the prince characterization! On first glance, Tala appears to be naive and simple, casting Ramil in such a simplistic role, but I wanted to make it clear that she has her own reasons and justification for the way that she thinks. She has rose-colored glasses - by choice, not because of ignroance.)
(Thank you for applauding the engine switch *sob* it was hard, and I'm honestly surprised I pulled it off!)
(Oh, I'm glad that you appreciated the representation! At first I was planning to go the traditional fairy tale route or the Disney route, where Tala's disability is temporary. But ultimately I thought that it wasn't right for the story. In a cruel and apathetic world, Tala is difficult to understand - and one needs to put in effort to understand her, in many ways. "Fixing her" didn't seem right, and it wasn't something that she needed or wanted.)
Again, thank you for your kind words asfdsfsdf they really mean a lot. I'm looking forward to releasing the full game!