The Deepwater Witch [DEMO]

Can you add it on Android?

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! 

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!! 💕

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!

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!

YES I HAVE BEEN WAITING!!!

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!