Still Waters
A downloadable game
You are not the first to sail these waters...
And you won’t be the last to lose something to them.
A half-submerged island, untouched by time and map. A network of waterways riddled with the remnants of lost expeditions, drifting memories, and something whispering beneath the surface.
You’ve come here with a task:
Relight what has gone dark. Reach the heart of the river. Cast your darkest memory into the abyss. And above all—give. Even when nothing returns. For in this place, generosity guides the light.
Explore a Forgotten River
- Navigate your small vessel through branching paths, eerie ruins, and forgotten mysteries. Every fork hides a story.
Light the Way
- Engage in a simple-but-intriguing light rekindling minigame—each one different, yet familiar. Each beacon stands as a fragile foothold against the darkness.
Dredge meets Disco Elysium
- Encounter strange Points of Interest: skeletal fishermen, drifting historians, weeping docks. Converse with ghosts, memories, and madness through richly written branching dialogue inspired by Disco Elysium.
No Combat. Just Choices.
- Every POI offers a small quest. Click. Interact. Decide. No skill trees, no weapons. Just consequences and light.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Solve each light tower puzzle to power the next one. (Start with the first—you can’t skip it!)
Follow the swaying power lines to navigate deeper into the river and find the Heart.
Meet strange characters and choose how to treat them—with generosity or cruelty.
Collect Scrap and Expedition Logs to upgrade your ship at the Drydock.
Still Waters is a narrative exploration puzzle game where you captain a lone vessel through a river lost to time and memory. Light your path forward using your wits, a series of corrupted light towers, and a quiet sense of resolve.
But it’s not cleverness that reveals the truth of these waters—it’s generosity. Only by giving freely, even when the river gives nothing in return, will you uncover the deeper mysteries hidden in the fog.
At the journey’s end, one final choice waits.
One that will shape your story—and what remains of you—forever.
CONTROLS:
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Comments
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This game is fun and reminds me of my time playing Dredge. No there isn't any fishing, but the boat on the waters with a dark and ominous vibe is great. The narrative is amazing. I think it is unfortunate that this game will probably be lost on too many game jammers since narrative games do not go well for jam games.
I appreciate you taking, what could be a novel, and elevating it with choice and exploration. I found myself reading the side panel until it was quiet. Then I explored with my little boat.
I'm impressed that you got away with the dynamic lighting. Though I am guessing it is limited to run the game well. Great work for your team. I'm going to share this with some friends who also love Lovecraftian/Cosmic Horror like myself.
Thanks for the review! Just a team of one right now! It was pretty hellish smashing all of this together in only 10 days, but I'm pretty happy with how it came out. I'm glad you dug the vibes - that was exactly what I was going for.
The dynamic lighting was the main reason I couldn't make a WebGL version of the game. It was pretty limiting, but I made it work. However, I think that'll probably hurt me in terms of how many people actually play the game (since folks don't like downloading stuff - for good reason sometimes). But it is what it is!
Narrative games are definitely tricky for the jams. But I think, since nobody really does them, that maybe I can slide into that empty spot for some folks who are willing to give it a chance! That's the hope, at least.
I'm planning on pushing forward with this game and eventually landing it on Steam in a few months. Wish me luck and thanks for telling your friends!
Awesome! I look forward to seeing it up there. You got a good base going and there are a lot of different directions you could take. Like you could have a home town that you are helping repair. And your choices determine what is upgraded which gives you narrative options or the like. There are others too, just spouting out what just came to mind.
That's exactly what I'm implementing next! Great minds think alike
AHAHA! Nice!