Four of a Kind: A Short Horror Anthology
First story demo now available in browser! Experience the first story all the way through for free! Please note: audio clips included in the web demo will be distorted. This is not an issue when playing the full game on hardware or an accurate emulator.
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If you want to support this work and my other projects, consider subscribing to my Patreon or donating to my Ko-fi. It really helps me keep working more consistently!
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enter the door. look into the flame. listen to the voices tell their stories until the candle's light goes out...
content warning:
supernatural horror, psychological horror, mental illness, animal death, existential anxiety, discussions of death, images of food (including meat), extreme closeups
Four of a Kind: A Short Horror Anthology is a horror fiction kinetic novel made especially for the Game Boy (and Super Game Boy)! Go through a linear, zero-choice visual novel made up of 4 short horror vignettes, each inspired by very personal fears and anxieties, and using real photos that I adapted for the Game Boy- many taken with my actual Game Boy Camera! Just a small series of nightmares, all over in about 15 minutes or so. I promise~
To get The Best Experience out of this little project, please, PLEASE use either original Game Boy/Super Game Boy hardware or an emulator with accurate Game Boy sound reproduction. This will avoid any whining/buzzing from all the WAV audio clips! If you need an emulator, I suggest either BGB or SameBoy, as both are free, easy to setup and use, and do well with these types of sounds. Also, if you use an original Super Game Boy cartridge or emulator with SGB compatibility, you get access to all the custom color palettes and special window frame!
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Purchase
In order to download this horror anthology you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $1 USD. You will get access to the following files:
Benevolence Copies
Support this horror anthology at or above a special price point to receive something exclusive.
For those who want to help...
A gift for those who want to help, but don't have the means! If you want to read through Four of a Kind, but don't have the funds to support it financially right now, please help yourself to a free copy. All that's asked is that after you've enjoyed it, please leave a positive comment, a 5-star review, and please share the game's page with those others you think will enjoy it!
The pool is seeded with a small start, but for every copy of the game that is purchased here on itch.io, a new Benevolence Copy will be added to the pool~
Comments
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This anthology is such a phenomenal addition to the Game Boy library in that it, pushing the boundaries of what the platform can do and what kinds of software it can be for. I’m obsessed with the Game Boy Camera, so seeing it used here for kinetic storytelling on the Game Boy itself is incredible. It feels like this game is fulfilling a twenty-year old promise for what the hardware can do. I deeply admire all the work that went into capturing those photos and making them fit within the Game Boy’s technical constraints. You really made the hardware shine.
The stories themselves are chilling, made all the more horrifying by how relatable they are. I don’t want to spoil them for anyone reading this comment, but the fact that the third one is arguably the most terrifying despite not having the “obvious” trappings of the horror genre attests to your skill as a storyteller.
I played through the anthology with my girlfriend, since she’s a big fan of horror, and she really enjoyed them as well. Her initial response was, “These feel just like my nightmares,” which I think means you did an excellent job! She also added that she found it fascinating to see a game like this on the Game Boy where the horror is psychological and narrative-based rather than relying on high-fidelity gory imagery. All in all, this is an incredible anthology!