What Girls Do in the Dark
This little game is based off one of the greatest fears I had as a teenage girl: showing up late to a stranger's slumber party.
The rest of it is just extra.
Content warning: body horror; occult references
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♡ Part of the HQ_Residential_House Game Jam ♡
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(When you open the game in fullscreen mode, I recommend zooming out to about 50% to be able to read everything at once.)
P.S. In cases where you do not see obtainable items in the graphic of a room despite it being described in text, please use your imagination to see them there and then pick them up. Thank you~
P.P.S. If you happen to find any spelling or grammar mistakes, please let me know!
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CREDITS
- Writen | Programmed | Illustrated by olivebranche
- Music used with permission for non-commercial use from the album Event Horizon by Lee Rosevere and Daniel Birch
- Font used is Nicety by [)amien Guard
- This game was made with Adventuron Classroom (created by Chris Ainsley)
Development log
- Updates and Mobile CompatibilityApr 03, 2021
Comments
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peak game 👍
I think talking about what girls do in the dark ought to be kept between them, and their mother
amazing game!! was tricky in parts but eventually got through, only got two endings, 'posessed' and 'to live another day'. I assume the third is about who's hair you use. Loved playing this and thank you for making this, it's the perfect amount of spooky!!
Helloo! i have tried playing it but my dumb head is stuck with the charm.... i try to look for anything that might come in mind but... i am truly stuck. may i ask for help on how to do after you make a charm bracelet? i am stuck there
You have to use someone's hair, whether it be your own or someone else's is up to you. Then you have to write the symbols around the sliding door and enter the portal. Hope that helps!
I just made the charm bracelet and now I don't know what to do
You have to write the symbols around the sliding door and then enter the portal. At least I think lol.
what are you supposed to do to get brandy out of the mound?
You have to burn the flesh just like you did in the sliding door. Then you should be able to pull her out.
oh dang thanks
No problem lol
guys i am STUCK!!!! i cant find anything and i am very confused. i cant find the password for the laptop, i dont know what im supposed to be doing. PLEASE HELP!!!!
password is something importent to brandy, check her room, the terrarium specifically
oh this GAME is an experience. i got the missing ending and the live another day ending and. the writing the details i loved it all so much? and the puzzles were really really fun and satisfying to figure out. and i'm so glad the gift from the start had a purpose. and the little details and
good thing we were late to the party, huh?
enjoyed it a lot! /gen
where is the broom?
So after you get the flashlight, which you find by following the light in the beginning of the game (when you first enter the house), you should go downstairs. There, without spoilers, something will happen and a closet will reveal itself. The broom is in the closet.
i found the closet but all it says is cozy omg i cannot figure out anything in this game but its so good!!
help I cant figure out how to get in the closet eithe
how can i leave the car
Take the gift in the glovebox. Don't forget to hug dad! (IDK what this actually does but I did do it because I felt bad for him lol)
Hmmmmm ... how do I start over?
You need to open the glovebox and take the gift.
I'm confused but love this game
Excellent game! I really loved the writing and atmosphere, and played all three endings in one sitting. Since you mentioned wanting to know about any spelling mistakes, here's a few I caught:
> In the Possessed ending, during the last few paragraphs, "grips your veins, your MUSLCES, your sinew"
> When reading the blog post on the laptop, "learning" instead of "leaning"
SPOILERS
Just finished it- what an amazing experience!! I got a bit stuck on some parts but that was mainly my fault lol. You did great job on this- as soon as I entered the portal I got really freaked out- the flesh everywhere and the groaning in my ear- chills.
Im stuck on the second part, when your inside the house and its dark, I'm confused on what to do to progress
ok nevermind I figured it out now I'm stuck on the necklace do we have anything to get it?
SPOILERS BELOW
If you've already figured this out by now, feel free to ignore this, but if you haven't, you'll have to get the necklace off of Heather's body, which is currently out of your reach. So, you're going to have to find something pretty long to reach her.
Lemme know if you want anymore help!
(Asking for help!)
How can I lock the door? I'm so dumbb
Never mind, I've been typing "rug" the whole time. That's why it didn't work.
Sorry for the late reply, but happy you managed to get it! Also, dude, I feel that. The amount of times I playtest my own games and misspell the walking directions is honestly embarrassing 🤦♀️
SPOILERS (asking for help)
i have a few questions- how do you open the closet, burn the flesh, open the diary, and read the stuff on the computer?
ok i figured out how to open the closet and open the diary, but im still confused on the rest
computer has been figured out 2
Aw man, so sorry I didn't see this in time ( . . . like three months ago . . . I always go MIA during the semester oof), but I'm glad you were able to figure it out!
To burn the flesh you need to take the curling iron and type 'Burn Flesh' I think. Sorry for the late reply but I figured someone else might need it lol
SPOILERS
Cannot sacrifice brandy. 0/10
JK, very cool. Got all 3 endings. (Or 3 I think since you said 3.)
If there's a 4th where you can sacrifice your friend, that'd be cool but it's hard to do. Starting the game may be better if you give a hint on talking, but not as obvious.
Also, is there a way to break into the master bedroom in the real world?
SPOILERS BELOW
LOLOLOL sadly Theresa's not into sacrificing innocent people to demons smh like come on 🙄 Thanks for your feedback!
As for the master bedroom door, nah, there's no way to open it so dw about missing anything there (*•̀ᴗ•́*)و ̑̑
Wow, this game rocks! It was much more gory and intense than I thought it would be. I only got the "missing" ending so far, but maybe I'll try for others later. Great job!
Edit: update. Got the other two endings =)
Thank you so much!! I've actually been meaning to play your games for a while now so now I have to perfect excuse to set aside time this weekend to enjoy them! :D
Also, just wanted to say that I'm also in the Adventuron discord server, and I was looking through it today to see if anyone had a similar problem to something I was working on today (figuring out how to perfect the sound design — you know how it goes haha) and you were the one that did! So, thanks for getting me the answer so I didn't have to agonize over it for an entire day ;)
SPOILERS (asking for help)
im gone through the entire house twice and done every command i can think of, so now im stumped on what to do from here, ive found heather, and looked at everything, so now im stuck
SPOILERS BELOW
Hey there — Thanks for playing my game! I'd love to help you out! Would you mind letting me know what's in your inventory and the last puzzle you solved so I can know what hint to give? :D
i never checked my notifications here until now- ill go check what all is there
sorry about the *extremely* late reply, but i dont think i solved any puzzles yet, and im in the entry way. in my inv i have the jewelery making kit, a flashlight, childrens scissors, garden shears, portable curling iron, kitchen rag, and stephanies glasses
SPOILERS (Asking For Help)
I seem to be stuck at the door of the second floor of the flesh house and its not letting me do anything even with the key so idk what to do ^^"
oh shit nevermind im just dumb! i legit sat here for an hour typing commands and going up and down the stairs XD i just had to use 'UNLOCK DOOR'
Haha, happens to the best of us, dude 🤣 Thanks so much for playing!
When you update the game in future, can you please update the version in game_information{}?
Thanks for the reminder~
im stuck in the first part what do i do??
SPOILERS BELOW
Hi hi! I’m assuming you mean the opening scene in the car? Try inputting TALK DAD to start a conversation with him. As a general rule, when people and items are written in capital letters, it’s a hint that you can interact with those objects—just remember that the game takes VERB-NOUN commands only (there's more about that if you type in 'help').
If that’s not what you were talking about, feel free to reply again :D
that was what i was talking about thank you i was just getting very confused :)
I typed hug dad and don't know what to do now..any advice?
what do girls do in the dark ? I wanna know... OH FUC
One day I woke up and really thought, “slumber party but make it occult.” OOF. Thanks for playing though~
this game was super fun and interesting! the color scheme and writing was really great. any game that gets me invested in lore gets bonus points. i love that in one of the scenes when i put "CRY" it actually responded i kind of freaked out with how u thought of that :)) <3 i was wondering how many endings there are? i've played thru and gotten three but i was just interested....
also, i only saw one typo which is super impressive and i think it was on the blog which can totally be excused as the blogger misspelling it. it was a (lean/learn typo i think)?
i want a "LOVE DAD" option where the internal dialogue just goes "wow i love my dad" idk why i think it would be a wholesome easter egg. "the power of dad compels u" lol
anyway SUPER DOPE 10/10!!!!
Awww, dude, thanks for such a kind comment! So, so, so glad you tested things out with different commands! I’m the type of person who tries to kiss everyone I meet in games because why not, so I’m glad to see that other people are the same way haha (well, with crying at least).
And thanks for letting me know about the spelling error~
SPOILERS BELOW
There are three endings — Congratulations on getting them all!
As for the LOVE DAD prompt, there is an option to HUG DAD while Theresa’s in the car. If you’re inside the house and type TALK DAD, there are three different responses where Theresa imagines herself talking to her father. BUT, in this new game I’m making I’ll be sure to add in a LOVE [CHARACTER] option, because that’s absolutely brilliant.
Again, thanks for playing, and I’m glad you enjoyed it! ♡
!!! i'll be sure to experiment more w commands knowing that! that's so dope that u programmed that in for sort of "invisible interactions". i'm definitely a fan and looking forward to future projects :^)
I've ben getting into the text based adventure games recently. This was one of the first ones that caught my eye. The visuals are amazing, but at the same time, don't veer off from the charm of the text. I also love the details in the way the text responds to certain things like the clothes and the mirror. Really shows what type of person Theresa is and I'm ALL for it. The music was also wonderful! It really played into the atmosphere and really gave me chills accompanied by the narrative.
Feedback with SPOILERS
I do have one issue though which is things like looking at Heather. The text box would be the only thing appearing plus there wasn't really an option to get out of looking towards that and making the visual screen prompt up. Same thing happens when encountering the mound on the last area. Only way I found to break out of it was by using the 'HELP' menu then going back to the game.
Apart from that, this game was so lovely. I look forward to more of your work!
Text based adventure games are a bit of a niche genre, so I'm so excited for you to play more of them—and that you played mine too! I'm always so happy to hear about people finding the small details that I put in the game. While coding it, I was thinking, "Will anyone even check for this?" so it's fun to feel validated. ♡
SPOILERS BELOW
Ahhh, yes, I know exactly what you're talking about. When I was playtesting it, I would always type LOOK to bring back the description in the room (and the directions), but you're totally right—I'll be sure to write in the move directions even with those cutscene-esque moments with the next update. Thanks for taking the time to write this feedback! It means a lot. ♡
Excuse me, is it possible in the game to check the player's inventory to see what I've collected throughout the house?
Yes! There's an option by simply typing INVENTORY or, if on PC, right click and click 'inventory'. There's also things like Load, Save and another thing there.
Thank you so much!
Ahh, sorry I wasn't able to respond to this in time, but I'm glad someone else was able to help you out! I'll be sure to mention that you can access your inventory through INV in the tutorial section when I update it!
Thank you for helping out, Smidgeon!
I really enjoyed this game, and I'm always surprised to see people who can draw, write and code at the same time. The descriptions were very vivid.
You asked for people to send you any mistake; I only saw one, when you see the paper at the beginning: "the ritual area and its limits are definied by this"
Thank you for your kind words! And for letting me know about the spelling error—being your own editor means you can miss a lot haha
Wow, what a game! I've never played a text adventure game, so I was a bit confused at first. When I got the hang of it, I was immersed. Solving the puzzles were satisfying, and the atmosphere was handled just right. I found it fascinating that there were multiple endings, and I was happy to figure out how to get each of them. Overall a very cool little game, I'm glad I found it! :)
I'm honored that my game is the first text adventure you've ever played! And even happier that you liked it! Thank you for your sweet compliments ♡
Hey. I had been surfing the Internet and found your game. I think it is an interesting project. So, I've decided to write to you just to ask if there is an opportunity that I can help with, like localization (Russian language)?
Hello, hello! Thanks so much for your interest!
I'll be completely honest: localizing my game isn't too high on my priority list for a few reasons: mainly because I am not an experienced developer/coder by any means and right now, I don't think I have the amount of time to dedicate myself to it since I'm a full-time student with a part-time job.
BUT, it's not something that I'm disregarding completely. Once I get a few more text adventure games made with Adventuron under my belt, I think I'll go back and start localizing them. If at that point you're still interested in localizing it in Russian, I would love the help! Do you have a social media I could contact you on?
Hello. Thank you for your answer.
Of course, I would love to help at any time, so don't worry about that. So, contact me when you will be ready.
I have a twitter @an1mehunter1 and a discord ANIMEHUNTER#1685
Incredible game :D! The atmosphere is amazing, it's a breath of fresh air to see a tense atmosphere coming to a climax without the use of some cheap and loud jumpscare!
SPOILERS
When I was doing the good ending I cut Heather's hair way too early and forgot the name, so when I was making the charm I used "lock" instead of "curl". The game used Theresa's hair even though I hadn't cut it, not really a game-breaking bug I thought I would mention it anyway.
Ahhh, thank you so much! I'm not the biggest fan of jump scares myself (I'm a scaredy cat when it comes to that), so it means so much to hear you say that the atmosphere still landed despite that! ♡ Thank you for playing my game!
SPOILERS BELOW
Oop—yeah that's a problem haha. Thanks for letting me know! I'll be sure to fix that in the next update!
olivebranche, thank you so much for this wonderful game. It was my first text adventure since I don’t know when (the 90s, most likely, I am very old) and I was kinda scared of not getting it but aside from a few headless-chicken-moments I got through fairly well. I loved the pacing, interactive parts and the story, oh my, it’s such a cool story and the atmosphere is on point. Fantastic work, those small illustrations were also lovely, it was a delight.
I unfortunately did not record the awesome soundtrack but I hope you still enjoy me fumbling through the puzzles :D As you can see, I had tons of fun with it.
Awww, you're so sweet, Hula! Thank you so much! Text adventures are a bit of a niche genre so I'm glad you were able to both find and enjoy it! ♡ Going through the effort to record my game for your channel is such a compliment~
Finished the whole of this - I think this is the best game of the jam. The writing! The atmosphere" The art! The presentation! The puzzles!
This is excellent and a wild and surprisingly tense ride!
Got all 3 endings, had to look to the comments for some help as I got a bit confused at points, but it was satisfying solving the puzzles.
Also this is why I don't go on sleepovers.
Dude, ngl I about passed out when I saw you were one of the collaborators for Spirit Cleaning—I loved your entry!! And congrats on getting featured in John's video!! (I'll have to write an in-depth comment compliment session when I get to finish it after doing my course work for the day haha. )
Thank you so much for playing my game and for commenting! ♡
SPOILERS BELOW
And listen, as long as you don't have a sleepover with some rando girls you don't know, one of who happens to be super into the occult, I think you're safe (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧. (But, also, same.)
Ahh thank you!! I'm still quite new to writing in games and it was really nice to see another writing-heavy game and how well you created the atmosphere and Theresa's character! IMO yours has the best writing in the jam!
Oh, I totally feel that — I don't know if you felt this way making your game but having a writing-dependent game is so daunting because if your writing's bad, then . . . well, the game's bad LOL But thank you for liking my writing! ♡ It makes me excited to make more games haha
(SPOILERS + help needed)
I'm really enjoying your game so far! It's really immersive :D Lost on a few parts though, I can't find the laptop's password, and after entering the alternate dimension I can't seem to open the door.
Any help? :(
So happy you're enjoying the game so far! Let me help you out.
SPOILERS BELOW
The password to Brandy's laptop is something that is/was important to her. Try searching around in the upstairs hallway and Brandy's bedroom for hints about what it could be!
As for the alternate dimension, I'm assuming you're talking about the master bedroom door, right? You'll need a key and to specifically type UNLOCK DOOR before you can enter the bedroom.
Let me know if that helps! Feel free to reply again if it doesn't!
this gave me war flashbacks to going to a strangers sleepover or house for the very first time, and really tapped into my childhood anxiety of what's the worst that could happen? A demon being summoned? in this game, well, yeah. So glad I came upon the comment reccomending this in John Wolfe's video!
Just curious, how many endings are there? I got live another day and missing, and wanna know if there's more
That reaction is perfect because that's exactly the idea it's based on! So, I guess I did my job :D And yes, in this game, knowing the worst scenario of this slumber party would make me want to stay home FOR SURE haha.
SPOILERS BELOW
There are three endings total! You're missing the second ending (good job on finding the other two!). As for how to get it, the comment on Brandy's computer said you shouldn't put your own hair into the charm that's described in the blog post . . . but it never said you couldn't.
Hope that helps! Thank you for playing and commenting!!
SPOILERS
Can anyone give me a hint on how to find out the 'good' thing to finish the charm with? Love the game so far btw! The game feels so immersive and even though I know there's no jump scares (so far) it has me on the edge of my seat :))
Thanks!
cut heathers hair not your own
Thanks again for replying, Bruh! It makes me heart happy to see players helping each other out.
So glad to hear you're liking it! My goal was to create a tense atmosphere that didn't rely on jump scares since that always prevents me from playing horror games (I'm a big scaredy-cat when it comes to that haha) so I'm stoked to hear you say that!
SPOILERS BELOW
Bruh's reply is correct: you'll need to get Heather's hair by typing CUT HAIR when you're in the same room as her. If you type it when you're in any other room, you'll cut your own hair. (You can get both items though, so don't feel like once you have one in your inventory you can't get the other.)
Happy playing! Feel free to reply again if you're stuck!
(SPOILERS + help needed)
Found out about this game from the comment section of John Wolfe's video and it is absolutely amazing! The atmosphere and visuals are just a great blend of creepy, mysterious and lovely. I'm kind of lost on this one part though... I've burnt the flesh, found the password for the laptop and read the chats + blog but have no idea how to open the diary and what to do next... Would appreciate any help!
open the closet take broom go upstairs move heathers corpse with broom heather falls down go down and take necklac
100% right. Thank you Bruh! ♡
Such lovely compliments, thank you!! And thanks for seeking my game out! ♡
SPOILERS BELOW
Bruh's reply is spot-on. I'll also add one other thing because other people have commented they had a hard time with this puzzle: the diary entry (once you're able to read it) has to do with the portal code around the sliding door which is currently erased/unable to work. You'll have to replace those symbols in order to proceed.
Hope that helps!! Thanks again for playing!!
how do you read the diary properly?