YOU LEFT ME is an artistic approach to point'n'click style adventure games with just enough of a surreal theme to keep things interesting throughout. The ability to pan the camera around the images has a nice feel to it, almost like the player is looking into a diorama of an emotional story unfolding. The music, while not necessarily to my taste, definitely worked well with the dreamworld surrealism going on. Overall, this was quite the experience, and I liked your way of conveying messages.
Good job on this. I've seen your art before, but never knew who it belonged to. You've a nice style.
Just like the previous 2 games that I have played of yours this one was also absolutely fantastic and touched upon even more heavier subject than the previous two.Artstyle and game mechanics were undoubtedly beautiful and really really good.I loved how things were portrayed in an artistic way to show how things were for the character when she is going through such a sad phase.Cat and the moon were good addition as it quite lightened the atmosphere though moon's jokes mostly went over my mind XD
I had a great and quite a serious time with this game and I hope to play many more games by you in the future =)
I haven't gotten all the endings yet, which I plant to do, but what I believe to be the true ending was really poignant for me. The art is gorgeous, and you captured exactly how it feels to lose someone who's especially close to you. Sometimes, it can feel like an abyss, but there's always a reason behind everything. I believe. Even the difficult stuff. Good job, developer.
this is such a well done game, especially considering this was done in 48 hours! thank you for making and sharing this with us, you are such a skilled artist and storyteller.
I really like the art style but I can't agree with the message the game is trying to portray.
The game clearly expresses that talking to those around you is useless, going to a professional/clinic will only have you be ridiculed and the GP said they don't know how to help them, at that point they would have given them a referral to a mental health professional. I know because I've been through this and so have my sisters; If a doctor doesn't know how to deal with a problem they send you to one that does know how to deal with it, so that protrayal of doctors was really inaccurate.
The game may have a good ending but it seems most routes end in suicide, which although may be a reality for a lot of people, for many others they end up at the end of the tunnel by talking to professionals and getting support from loved ones.
The way the game calls antidepressants "happy pills" is a really negative message considering antidepressants aren't supposed to be "happy pills", never have and never will be. They're to help people counteract depression and to help people dealing with depression get out of bed in the morning.
Overall, the game has a nice art style but the messages it communicates are either inaccurate or outdated. I know a decade or two back, perhaps this would have been the reality for those suffering from depression, but these days, it's really easy to find help since there's so many places you can go. The real problem is taking those steps and that's the message I expected from this game, but, it seems that the journey and the destination are worthless in this game.
Side Note: I know this game is in the perspective of someone who is depressed, so antidepressents may appear as happy pills to them, but when they went to see a professional that should have helped at least a little. Also, it seems they went to see a GP but a GP isn't authorised to prescribe antidepressants without a note from a mental health professional. They don't just hand out antidepressants to people they think may be depressed (remember, GP's are only very minimally trained in mental health but that's enough for them to know when they should refer someone to a mental health professional.)
I think you have a great argument and point to make. But I think you've interpreted the game as fact, as explicit, when the surreality implies to not take it at face value. I never said the happy pills were antidepressants, either, I just said they're to fight the pain - they could be benzos or opioids. The game's supposed to represent the despair, isolation, and emotions that a person might feel after losing someone. Help, yes, is crucial to healing. But sometimes you can't get help - maybe your parents refuse to believe your pain is real; maybe your friends tell you to get over it. Maybe you have nobody. I'll keep your point about medical professionals in mind - I personally have had terrible experiences with them, but I shouldn't let that blind me. Thanks for sharing your opinion. The fact that my game came across as such was not what I wanted, and I would revise it; however, this game has honestly been too emotionally taxing for me to make. I don't want to touch it again.
I'm sorry you had bad experiences with doctors. Whenever I or my sisters have gone to a GP for a mental health problem (we may not even know it's a mental health problem at first, it can be difficult to distinguish between the two sometimes) they usually give us two referrals: One to a counsellor and one to a doctor qualified to diagnose mental illness. This is of course after testing for deficiencies, but we always get to proper help in the end and we're a lot better because of it.
You make a strong point about depression skewing reality, which I like but the elements of reality and what's distorted is confusing for those playing. Making the player experience what the protagonist is feeling is important, but when it gets in the way of the core values of the game or miscommunicates something it can leave multiple, possible unwanted interpretations. In my case, I tried to interpret it in three ways.
One where the game was entirely in someone's imagination, one where everything was reality and one where it was somewhere in between. Your game falls somewhere in between meaning, like I said before, what is real and what is distorted is unclear and since you're the creator it's probably glaringly obvious to you but to those who don't have insight into who the creator is and their motives (such as your bad experiences with doctors) assumptions have to be made in order to reach a conclusion.
I understand how you can come into a project with so many hopes and aspirations and for the reservoir to be drained by the end, so you don't need to worry about touching the game again, especially since the various interpretations were due to miscommunication and not from morose intentions. As a word of warning, I think if you don't make a statement regarding the multiple interpretations it will continue to be perceived that way.
From what I could see while playing, the mental health professionals aren't all that helpful, but going to the clinic will give you the option to go to the grave if you give the right answers. And I found the conversation with the coworker, which for me ended with them offering to visit the grave with me and saying we should talk more, was a good way to show the benefits of reaching out.
I have to agree that if the majority of endings are suicide, then it is implying that the action you take leads to you ultimately ending yourself, which is not a great way to present people in this situation. Every time I played it lead to a suicide, and considering that the game is so inherently beautiful, I couldn't help but feel that it is glorifying suicide. That being said, the path to solace is not easy, and so "good endings" should not outweigh the bad ones, so I appreciate that greatly. The character committed without me expecting them to do so. Obviously, this game was only made in 48 hours, so there's limitations, but in future work it'd be great if the player had a bit more controll; for example, choosing to take pills shouldn't end in suicide. It felt like quite a big jump to go from "I'll take what the doctor gave me" to "I will use what the doctor gave me to die" it'd be good to have an option that was clearer, again, I understand that the game is emulating the effect of confusion and uncertainty, but I feel that it's implying that people in this situation have no choice or agency in their own lives
From personal experience, I feel that a more true depiction would be to come close to suicide multiple times, but ultimately returning to a state of repetition.
After all of what I've said, the game seems to've resonated with a lot of people, and they seem to've found it helpful, so I guess that my view is my own. I see that you said you don't want to touch the game again and that's very understandableI hope that what I've said doesn't come across to negative or damning, and simply acts as something fo you to think about if you ever consider this type of game again. Keep up the hard workand thanks for creating beautiful games
Amazing job as usual c: Gorgeous art, smooth interactions, cute and funny parts mixed in with the heavy topics. The way everything moves with the mouse really adds to the dreaminess. I liked how the happy pills are little smiley faces. My favorite pictures were the boss and the train.
[Possible bug?]
I'm not sure if it's part of the game, but, there's a part where I can't move forward anymore. I think it's at 11:23pm, after I've stayed late at work. There aren't any buttons and time doesn't pass. I can still open the menu so I'm wondering if I just haven't found what to click?
Thanks unlimitedjelly ^_^ (nice name haha) I can't seem to reproduce this; I tried doing some things that could've fixed it but are really shots in the dark. Lmk if you still get the bug.
An excellent selection of music and original graphics that extends into the field of art, like as you were being tickled by Salvador Dali's mustache actually, makes this game incredible attractive and sets the mood for the thematic intended to be discuss.
In my opinion, this game did not make it well regarding the theme for this LDJAM 41, unless of course, life and death were the incompatible things intended in this game to be mixed.
This is beautiful. The artwork. The music. The message. It was so incredible of you to create this masterpiece. It has so much potential to help people remember that they are not alone when the world feels like it's crashing down on them. It helps people who haven't suffered a loss of this magnitude to understand what it feels like, or at least have a decent idea. I've never personally lost a close loved one, and I couldn't imagine what it'd feel like, but this really touched me. I'm terrible at comforting people or helping people through hard times, but now that I have a bit of a better understanding, I feel like I can help. Before, I felt useless, like nothing I could say or do could comfort someone in need. I know this point-of-view is probably rare to hear about your game, but it helps everyone. Even those who you wouldn't think. Thanks so much for making this, you're amazing at what you do! (Hopefully I didn't ramble on too much. Again, I'm bad at this sort of thing)
Hey, thanks for sharing your viewpoint. I enjoyed your rambling, keep at it haha. You sound quite eloquent & open; I'm sure you'll do just fine at supporting people <3
wow this is so atmospheric and very stylized- the art is gorgeous! i really love the effect of the images moving with the mouse, really adds that special touch to make the whole experience amazing!
I'm not good in english but i want to thank you for this game! A week ago my grandfather left me and I felt realy useless and empty. Even now it's hard for me to think clearly. Yours game helped me to better understand what I feeling now, thank you very much! Also, sorry for bad english. For me easier to read, then write xx
This is so impressive. I'm not a visual novel expert, but this is definitely the most stylish one I've played. And you made this in a weekend, that's amazing!
Excuse my language, but this is so goddamn beautiful. I'm literally crying right now. The art is absolutely fantastic, your art is just one of a kind, so beautiful and soft and heartfelt. The story, I can't even put it to words. I've been a fan for some time, but this is really ... this is AMAZING. You are such an inspiration, I can't even. You deserve so, so much, this is much more than a game. It touched me in ways that I didn't know I needed. Thank you so much for making this game and sharing it with us. It helps. It truly does, help a lot. It feels like someone out there understands. Thank you. I truly wish you the best, because you deserve just as much.
thanks so much <3 I'm happy you felt understood, it's a bit of what I set out to do. I'll be rereading your precious words; you sound like a really nice person so I wish you the best too <3
← Return to game
Comments
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
YOU LEFT ME is an artistic approach to point'n'click style adventure games with just enough of a surreal theme to keep things interesting throughout. The ability to pan the camera around the images has a nice feel to it, almost like the player is looking into a diorama of an emotional story unfolding. The music, while not necessarily to my taste, definitely worked well with the dreamworld surrealism going on. Overall, this was quite the experience, and I liked your way of conveying messages.
Good job on this. I've seen your art before, but never knew who it belonged to. You've a nice style.Just like the previous 2 games that I have played of yours this one was also absolutely fantastic and touched upon even more heavier subject than the previous two.Artstyle and game mechanics were undoubtedly beautiful and really really good.I loved how things were portrayed in an artistic way to show how things were for the character when she is going through such a sad phase.Cat and the moon were good addition as it quite lightened the atmosphere though moon's jokes mostly went over my mind XD
I had a great and quite a serious time with this game and I hope to play many more games by you in the future =)
I haven't gotten all the endings yet, which I plant to do, but what I believe to be the true ending was really poignant for me. The art is gorgeous, and you captured exactly how it feels to lose someone who's especially close to you. Sometimes, it can feel like an abyss, but there's always a reason behind everything. I believe. Even the difficult stuff. Good job, developer.
this is such a well done game, especially considering this was done in 48 hours! thank you for making and sharing this with us, you are such a skilled artist and storyteller.
I really like the art style but I can't agree with the message the game is trying to portray.
The game clearly expresses that talking to those around you is useless, going to a professional/clinic will only have you be ridiculed and the GP said they don't know how to help them, at that point they would have given them a referral to a mental health professional. I know because I've been through this and so have my sisters; If a doctor doesn't know how to deal with a problem they send you to one that does know how to deal with it, so that protrayal of doctors was really inaccurate.
The game may have a good ending but it seems most routes end in suicide, which although may be a reality for a lot of people, for many others they end up at the end of the tunnel by talking to professionals and getting support from loved ones.
The way the game calls antidepressants "happy pills" is a really negative message considering antidepressants aren't supposed to be "happy pills", never have and never will be. They're to help people counteract depression and to help people dealing with depression get out of bed in the morning.
Overall, the game has a nice art style but the messages it communicates are either inaccurate or outdated. I know a decade or two back, perhaps this would have been the reality for those suffering from depression, but these days, it's really easy to find help since there's so many places you can go. The real problem is taking those steps and that's the message I expected from this game, but, it seems that the journey and the destination are worthless in this game.
Side Note: I know this game is in the perspective of someone who is depressed, so antidepressents may appear as happy pills to them, but when they went to see a professional that should have helped at least a little. Also, it seems they went to see a GP but a GP isn't authorised to prescribe antidepressants without a note from a mental health professional. They don't just hand out antidepressants to people they think may be depressed (remember, GP's are only very minimally trained in mental health but that's enough for them to know when they should refer someone to a mental health professional.)
I think you have a great argument and point to make. But I think you've interpreted the game as fact, as explicit, when the surreality implies to not take it at face value. I never said the happy pills were antidepressants, either, I just said they're to fight the pain - they could be benzos or opioids. The game's supposed to represent the despair, isolation, and emotions that a person might feel after losing someone. Help, yes, is crucial to healing. But sometimes you can't get help - maybe your parents refuse to believe your pain is real; maybe your friends tell you to get over it. Maybe you have nobody. I'll keep your point about medical professionals in mind - I personally have had terrible experiences with them, but I shouldn't let that blind me. Thanks for sharing your opinion. The fact that my game came across as such was not what I wanted, and I would revise it; however, this game has honestly been too emotionally taxing for me to make. I don't want to touch it again.
I'm sorry you had bad experiences with doctors. Whenever I or my sisters have gone to a GP for a mental health problem (we may not even know it's a mental health problem at first, it can be difficult to distinguish between the two sometimes) they usually give us two referrals: One to a counsellor and one to a doctor qualified to diagnose mental illness. This is of course after testing for deficiencies, but we always get to proper help in the end and we're a lot better because of it.
You make a strong point about depression skewing reality, which I like but the elements of reality and what's distorted is confusing for those playing. Making the player experience what the protagonist is feeling is important, but when it gets in the way of the core values of the game or miscommunicates something it can leave multiple, possible unwanted interpretations. In my case, I tried to interpret it in three ways.
One where the game was entirely in someone's imagination, one where everything was reality and one where it was somewhere in between. Your game falls somewhere in between meaning, like I said before, what is real and what is distorted is unclear and since you're the creator it's probably glaringly obvious to you but to those who don't have insight into who the creator is and their motives (such as your bad experiences with doctors) assumptions have to be made in order to reach a conclusion.
I understand how you can come into a project with so many hopes and aspirations and for the reservoir to be drained by the end, so you don't need to worry about touching the game again, especially since the various interpretations were due to miscommunication and not from morose intentions. As a word of warning, I think if you don't make a statement regarding the multiple interpretations it will continue to be perceived that way.
From what I could see while playing, the mental health professionals aren't all that helpful, but going to the clinic will give you the option to go to the grave if you give the right answers. And I found the conversation with the coworker, which for me ended with them offering to visit the grave with me and saying we should talk more, was a good way to show the benefits of reaching out.
I have to agree that if the majority of endings are suicide, then it is implying that the action you take leads to you ultimately ending yourself, which is not a great way to present people in this situation.
Every time I played it lead to a suicide, and considering that the game is so inherently beautiful, I couldn't help but feel that it is glorifying suicide.
That being said, the path to solace is not easy, and so "good endings" should not outweigh the bad ones, so I appreciate that greatly.
The character committed without me expecting them to do so. Obviously, this game was only made in 48 hours, so there's limitations, but in future work it'd be great if the player had a bit more controll; for example, choosing to take pills shouldn't end in suicide. It felt like quite a big jump to go from "I'll take what the doctor gave me" to "I will use what the doctor gave me to die" it'd be good to have an option that was clearer, again, I understand that the game is emulating the effect of confusion and uncertainty, but I feel that it's implying that people in this situation have no choice or agency in their own lives
From personal experience, I feel that a more true depiction would be to come close to suicide multiple times, but ultimately returning to a state of repetition.
After all of what I've said, the game seems to've resonated with a lot of people, and they seem to've found it helpful, so I guess that my view is my own. I see that you said you don't want to touch the game again and that's very understandableI hope that what I've said doesn't come across to negative or damning, and simply acts as something fo you to think about if you ever consider this type of game again.
Keep up the hard workand thanks for creating beautiful games
Amazing job as usual c: Gorgeous art, smooth interactions, cute and funny parts mixed in with the heavy topics. The way everything moves with the mouse really adds to the dreaminess. I liked how the happy pills are little smiley faces. My favorite pictures were the boss and the train.
[Possible bug?]
I'm not sure if it's part of the game, but, there's a part where I can't move forward anymore. I think it's at 11:23pm, after I've stayed late at work. There aren't any buttons and time doesn't pass. I can still open the menu so I'm wondering if I just haven't found what to click?
Thanks unlimitedjelly ^_^ (nice name haha) I can't seem to reproduce this; I tried doing some things that could've fixed it but are really shots in the dark. Lmk if you still get the bug.
The artwork is stunning. Wrote a review to let our fans know about your work =].
https://peachscastle.com/games/adventure/you-left-me/
Very the beautiful visual part of, a pity that a short. As well 5/5
How do you save?
You are killing it with your games, I would love to work with you in the future, I 'm really interested in bringing surrealism to games.
I want to lay down and cry!
This game is BEAUTIFUL and PERFECT!
Congratulations to everyone involved on this project!
Thank you very much guys for the experience.
An excellent selection of music and original graphics that extends into the field of art, like as you were being tickled by Salvador Dali's mustache actually, makes this game incredible attractive and sets the mood for the thematic intended to be discuss.
In my opinion, this game did not make it well regarding the theme for this LDJAM 41, unless of course, life and death were the incompatible things intended in this game to be mixed.
it isnt working on windows for me
What isn't working?
The game wasnt working but i downloaded the Itch app and it's fine now. :) thank you for replying.
Awesome, great to hear.
The artwork is gorgeous, and I appreciate you making a unique experience for people going through things like this <3
Amazing art!
The music and art make it a very surreal game. Even though almost everything is alive, it still feels empty, in a good way.
sorry i didn't take it as seriously as it was.
This game was great, the artstyle was fantastic! I wasn't quite happy with my ending but i'm excited to find out other endings. Great job!
This is beautiful. The artwork. The music. The message. It was so incredible of you to create this masterpiece. It has so much potential to help people remember that they are not alone when the world feels like it's crashing down on them. It helps people who haven't suffered a loss of this magnitude to understand what it feels like, or at least have a decent idea. I've never personally lost a close loved one, and I couldn't imagine what it'd feel like, but this really touched me. I'm terrible at comforting people or helping people through hard times, but now that I have a bit of a better understanding, I feel like I can help. Before, I felt useless, like nothing I could say or do could comfort someone in need. I know this point-of-view is probably rare to hear about your game, but it helps everyone. Even those who you wouldn't think. Thanks so much for making this, you're amazing at what you do! (Hopefully I didn't ramble on too much. Again, I'm bad at this sort of thing)
Hey, thanks for sharing your viewpoint. I enjoyed your rambling, keep at it haha. You sound quite eloquent & open; I'm sure you'll do just fine at supporting people <3
Aw thank you! You're too nice! :D
wow this is so atmospheric and very stylized- the art is gorgeous! i really love the effect of the images moving with the mouse, really adds that special touch to make the whole experience amazing!
please. korean laguage update...If you translate it into a Google translator
I'm not good in english but i want to thank you for this game! A week ago my grandfather left me and I felt realy useless and empty. Even now it's hard for me to think clearly. Yours game helped me to better understand what I feeling now, thank you very much!
Also, sorry for bad english. For me easier to read, then write xx
Of course, I'm glad I could help! Your English is great. I know his death must be hard. I wish you luck in these dark times xo
Another excellent piece. I really enjoy your work!
This is so impressive. I'm not a visual novel expert, but this is definitely the most stylish one I've played. And you made this in a weekend, that's amazing!
Breathtaking, amazing work! I've died twice and I'm about to go back for a third time >.< Bravo!!
Excuse my language, but this is so goddamn beautiful. I'm literally crying right now. The art is absolutely fantastic, your art is just one of a kind, so beautiful and soft and heartfelt. The story, I can't even put it to words. I've been a fan for some time, but this is really ... this is AMAZING. You are such an inspiration, I can't even. You deserve so, so much, this is much more than a game. It touched me in ways that I didn't know I needed. Thank you so much for making this game and sharing it with us. It helps. It truly does, help a lot. It feels like someone out there understands. Thank you. I truly wish you the best, because you deserve just as much.
thanks so much <3 I'm happy you felt understood, it's a bit of what I set out to do. I'll be rereading your precious words; you sound like a really nice person so I wish you the best too <3
Interesting :)