1365
April 2016 - May 2019
Project Status: COMPLETED
Release date: May 10th, 2019
Tools: Godot, mini2Dx, ASEprite, Tiled, GIMP, Krita, FL Studio
A short, autobiographical game about mental illness, public school, monsters, and hope.
In the dim, abandoned halls of the school, there are monsters - monsters with names like Guilt and Dysphoria, Insomnia and the Expectations that you can’t seem to clear. With no clear way to leave, no way to get rid of the monsters, and no one to help, things are looking pretty bleak. The Anxiety that accompanies you sure seems to think so.
But remember, even in the darkest of places, you can’t let your hope die. It’s okay to get hurt, and it’s okay to fall. And, most importantly: never give up.
In 2016, just before I graduated from high school, I was asked to make a presentation on my last 1365 days at the school. I realized that I couldn’t really remember, thanks to my many mental illnesses. So, instead, I made a game about what I could remember: a hostile world, bleak and full of inescapable monsters, but a world that I had just made it out of in one piece. 1365 is a reflection of my own struggles in overcoming Anxiety, Depression, and other such monsters of the mind, specifically in the context of public school.
While my understanding of myself and my world have changed drastically since I first started working on this game, I opted to keep the original concept intact. I’ve remade the original game entirely and added a few features that I didn’t have time for, but otherwise the game is a time capsule to three years ago, when I finished its first incarnation.
Nearly every part of 1365 was made by me, including graphics, sound, code, writing, and concept. The only parts that weren’t are the fonts (the main one is Little Monster by Jack Oatley), and the game engine itself, built by the Godot team. I couldn’t have done it without them.
So, three years after its initial creation (as of 2019), I’m proud to present: 1365. I hope you enjoy playing it as much as I enjoyed making it!
