A Winter Away
Note: Press "F" to enter fullscreen mode!
A Winter Away is a short, hand-drawn visual novel about a daughter duck who recently moved far away from her aging mama. Write letters back and forth! Chat with the mailbirb!
Loosely inspired by Winnie the Pooh, bitsy games, and the playwright Velina Hasu Houston, A Winter Away is the first game in a series of bite-sized visual novels set in the same cozy world.
This visual novel features...
- a short, heartwarming story π±
- stylized, original 2D art with an analog feel π¨
- intuitive, point-and-click mouse controls β
Controls
- Mouse: Left-click to interact and advance text
- F: Enter or leave fullscreen mode
- ESC: Bring up the preferences menu
- Scroll wheel / page up and page down keys: Roll back to prior dialogue
Credits
All art, programming, and writing done solo by Jaylus (@roman_hyacinths) in five days for Dialogue Jam 2024. Music & SFX are primarily from Epidemic Sound. The font used for UI is Sligoil Micro, created by Ariel MartΓn PΓ©rez and distributed by velvetyne.fr.
Dedicated to my mom and my ν λ¨Έλ, Hami.
Comments
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
I loved every element of this, made me super emotional - as someone who's also away from home and receive occasional unfavorable news from back home. Beautiful artwork too, thanks for creating this!
Thank you for the kind words! π
Hi from the Cohost AA! This was a delightful, quick playthrough - my partner and I were both tearing up. All the art and sound has so much charm, and I appreciated the robust controls. The back button was a thoughtful inclusion and it helped me out on more than one occasion where I accidentally clicked too quickly.
Thank you so much for the kind words! It's really meaningful to hear that this was moving for you and your partner π
beautifully made, although i didn't quite understand the 'you are more than a mom to me' comment. left a mark on me still! :>
Thank you! It's hard to clarify that line without leaving even more "spoilers" here in the comment section — I think perhaps the line could have been clearer if it were "you are more than just a mom to me," though. Maybe that helps?
This is such a beautifully drawn short game--the music, the dialogue, the designs, I love all of it. Thank you for making this game!
Thanks so much for the kind words! :)
games very very rarely make me cry but this one did. i love birds and i miss my mom. thank you for making this sweet little game <3
Such a sweet comment — thank you so much for sharing! It's really meaningful and motivating to hear that this was moving for you π
This was so sweet. The art and the story were amazing! I especially liked how Daisy and MailBird slowly became friends, even though he didn't really understand her and her family at first. Especially with how he reacted to her dating a goose, he put that behind him and just saw her as a friend.
Thanks so much for the kind words! π
So cool! I love the textures in your games <3 they're gorgeous
Thanks so much!! π
This is beautiful and sweet. I love the dedication to the aesthetic.
Thanks so much for playing and leaving this kind comment! I'm glad you enjoyed :)
5 days???? This looks like a full game. As always your art is beautiful and everything feels so real and I love it.
Tyyy for taking the time to play and leaving such a sweet comment! π
Very cool art, such wonderful textures you use as backgrounds, etc., too. Not sure how you did that envelope, but it's also excellent! Really nice story that hits home!
I always really appreciate your kind and thoughtful comments on my projects; thanks so much for taking the time to play! :)
(And the envelope is actually based off scans of a real vintage envelope and real vintage stamps! I just did some photo manipulation, color editing, and texture additions to get it to fit the feel of the game π)
Enjoyed this nice little story and your beautiful art. The music + sound fx are great as well. Super high qualtity all around.
I super appreciate the kind words; thanks so much for playing and leaving a comment!!
This game is so sweet and cute! I love the art style and the writing. Thanks for making this!
Aw, thank you for taking the time to leave this kind comment! π·
super cute and im gonna go tell my mom that i love her :P im going off to college soon and this little game almost definitely just ensured i keep in contact more with my parents than i probably would've, so thank you
Aww, thanks for the kind words, Maddy!! π
blobobobob! blgbrgblrgblrgbr! rlgbrlgrlgbl!
why are you EVERYWHERE sldjfhlsdjhf
I can't be escaped
Very pleasant 'lil game :]
Your art style, and especially how you draw the letters(/book in Tender) always looks very authentic and.. just neat :p
Thanks so much, Aesil! π