Tender
Tend to your missing parents' terrarium in an intergalactic research station. Discover symbioses between terrestrial and extraterrestrial plants. Watch meteor showers.
This prototype features...
- intuitive, point-and-click mouse controls ✅
- eight plant types and four unlockable decorations 🌱
- four pattern-recognition puzzles 🧩
- stylized, original 2D art with an analog feel 🎨
- a short, four-part narrative about grief, growing up, and embracing transitions 📖
Controls
- Mouse: Left-click to interact
Credits
- Art & Animation — Jaylus (@roman_hyacinths)
- Narrative Design, Sound Design & Music — Katie (@fakehiking)
- Programming & Puzzle Design — Dan
Made in 14 days, from scratch, for Buddy Up Jam: Winter 2024 with the theme "Renewal."
Read a lovely blog post review of Tender here, written by @eyegnats!
Development log
Comments
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What a lovely little game. :)
Great vibes. Nice concept. Love the flavorful little touches in the field guide. <3
I ran into a couple glitches, I think? The first time I ran it, the pipette never appeared for me so I couldn't even play the minigame. Also, after completing the second to last chapter, all of the remaining journal entries were filled in even for plants I hadn't planted yet. Not sure if that was intended.
I think we're leaving this jam game in prototype state for now, but we'll definitely look into the glitches you mentioned if we do another update.
Thanks so much for your kind and thoughtful feedback! :)
This game is a gem! 🌌🩵
Everything is extremely well polished, the use of the theme is very clever and the atmosphere is incredible.
The little notes that are added as you go along in the notebook really bring the game to life and feel very natural.
And it was very thoughtful of you to have allowed accessibility by skipping the mini-games (otherwise I wouldn't have been able to finish your game and I would have been so disappointed! ðŸ˜)
thank you for playing & for your thoughtful review!
The atmospere (especially the music) and writing made me tear up. Nice little game :')
Thanks so much, Aesil! :)
aaaa that is so nice, thank you for playing :)
This was a really fun and cute game! Julia, Katie, and Dan, you did a great job! :)
Thanks so much; super appreciate you playing and leaving feedback! :)
I really enjoyed all the small details in this game, especially seeing how the notes developed with Aster and seeing them grow as a person (just like the plants), very polished nice little game :D
Thanks so much for the kind words :)
This is an unprecedented level of embarrassment for me but I’m starting up a games writing blog and your game happened to be the first I’ve played for it!
https://iconoclast.cafe/2024/03/21/794/
not embarrassing at all; this is so incredibly thoughtful and flattering! your interpretation of the text is illuminating and beautifully written, and I am so relieved my intentions behind the narrative came across. thank you for taking the time to write this, and for soaking in the story in such a profound way :) immediately bookmarked your blog so I can consume more of your words!
This made my morning; thank you so much for sharing!! 💗
Really pleasant game to play through! All of the small details in the notebook add a lot of depth to the world and helps it feel actually lived in by its characters without needing to show them. The music and art have immaculate vibes too . Great job to everyone on the team!
Thanks so much, ACarr; super appreciate the kind and thoughtful comment! :)
Was anyone successful in winning the first mini game? It is WAY to hard :-(
I found it hard as well; thank you for the feedback! If we do another update we'll definitely make it more balanced :)
Thanks! Looking forward to the update. The art looks great - like in all your other games. Would like to see more of it, will wait until the update is out.
The game (and the challenging mini game) got updated! :) Feel free to take another spin. And thank you for the kind words about my art!
You found a good balance now. Still challenging, but definitely possible to succeed.
Your update allowed me to enjoy the full beauty of your game. This was such a delightful experience ♥
Your art, Katies music, story and SFX and Dans solid programming skills - all your traits are blending together seamlessly in this relaxing and uplifting masterpiece.
Really well done!
Thanks so much for the kind words! 💗
Such a sweet game! I loved the art, music and general aesthetic. The world/story sound intriguing and now I wanna know more!
Thank youuuu Manon! Glad to hear you liked it <3
This game is a well thought out plant game, that goes more into the scientific aspect of learning about plants. As a science nerd, I loved playing this game. The storyline is enriching and the design is absolutely stunning! Great job on this game.
Thanks so much; I super appreciate the kind words! :)