BLANK
A downloadable game for Windows and macOS
You wake up somewhere white, empty, malleable.
The nothingness takes shape according to your thoughts; for better or worse.
BLANK is a horror/romance visual novel with an unconventional structure, made for the Spooktober VN jam.
Make your wish, and change the world to fit your desires. But should the world unravel, and should it return to its blank state, all will be lost, and you will begin anew.
Will you repeat this loop forever? Will you ever understand what this place is, and why you're here?
... do you want to?
The game features:
one male love interest with 5 different personalities/appearances, determined by your choices
over 10k words
5 CGs
6 "endings"; 5 will bring you back to the beginning, and only one will reveal the secrets of the blank world
credits:
art, story and programming by maneki-mushi
backgrounds made using artbreeder and stock pictures
sound from zapsplat
warnings:
the game contains unavoidable deaths, imprisonment and other distressing events.
Download
Click download now to get access to the following files:
Development log
- 1.1 fixAug 27, 2022
- Release and walkthroughSep 29, 2021
Comments
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I really liked the story and the idea, but the final ending was not satisfactory enough imo.
my absolutely favorite short VN
the melancholy and the pain speak to my soul, thank u for making this!
Can you please make a browser or android version?
This was a simple, yet beautifully painful story. I cried playing through it, it was really impactful. Applause to you, this was amazing.
I'm really glad :') thank you for your comment!
Beauitful story
This is not what I expected at all and Im crying as I type this comment, this game is actually wonderful and it genuinely touched my heart
Aw I'm so glad to hear that T_T
Also I <3 your art style so much! They eyes are so pretty <333
Sadly I got a lot of technical issues when playing on mac :( but I got far enough to a point where i think ive almost finished a route? I couldnt get past the GC... Im not to sure, but with what I saw I think this game is pretty good! I love the BGM and the character desgines and how the game starts with you in a blank space, and how we would continue on!
Have you tried enabling "Read & Write" permissions on the game? This is usually the issue on Mac if you can't get past CGs (also if you can't save or change anything in the settings). You can check the permissions of the game by right-clicking and selecting "Get Info".
I have tried to edit the permission and it didnt do anything
I have returned and after a lot of fiddling with permissions, I finally was able to get past my problem! And I was right to love the game! it's really amazing even if it seemed simple I really did love it. This was the first game I've actually put my name into since I'd usually put churros as my name, but it felt more meaningful to not do that this time. Overall a very wonderful visual novel that I will definitely think about often!
Oh I'm glad it worked out in the end! I'm glad you enjoyed it and that it'll stick with you :)
wonderful thank you :):):)
I was blown away by this game atmosphere as a big fan of a horror in romance vn. I will definitely check out your other games !! Keep doing your magic <3
Thank you so much :)
Why can't I see the cgs noooðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜
I checked the gallery after finishing the game but there was nothing 😞😞😞
Could you describe what happens exactly; all the CG slots still show the little lock icon? or does the gallery not show up at all?
Also are you playing on Windows or Mac?
I'm playing on windows, there was no little lock icon in fact nothing shows up at all, but then i exited and re entered the app and only 4 cgs showed up
I'm not sure what makes the gallery not show up at all sometimes, but as for only 4 CGs showing up I will upload a fix for it soon!
I already said this in my review, but this is an absolutely beautiful and thoughtful game! The end was bittersweet, exactly how I like my games!
thank you :)
help I'm crying hhhh i hope they both end up happy ever after now without those insufferable loops :(( i can't really express my opinion about this game too deeply, but i guess I'm just glad and thankful I'm still feeling the life i have right now
I'm glad you liked it and that your take away from it is positive :)
Not all that much horror or dark to me, more creepy than outright terrifying. The four figures are each terrible in their own ways, some lighter than others, but it was neat to show that any of the player's wishes could be taken too far in the wrong hands. Blank is a solid little game that leans on the nature of VN loops for an interesting reveal. The ending was rather bittersweet even if it did end on a hopeful note. Thanks, it was a nice little game.
I intended for it to be more unsettling/thought-provoking than scary, yeah! Glad you liked it :)
HOLY SHITT the end made me bawl!! at first I thought it was some sort of allegory for toxic relationships (mainly because yellow + red reminded me of my ex ngl) but the turn it took was beautifully heartbreaking. I love the detail that each companion has the exact same eyes, except for in the ending, because he's truly himself. it made me feel very hopeful and i'm going to go ponder life now. Thank you for this incredible game!
Thank you so much! And that's exactly what I was trying to convey with the eyes, I'm glad you noticed :) I did mean for each colour version of the Shade to be toxic in some way, but it's less of a commentary on toxic relationships and more about different ways to avoid/deny the reality revealed in the end.
I would love to be able to play, but the game seems to really not want to function on my computer (a Mac). What I've managed to access has been really intriguing and the art is beautiful, but the technical issues make it impossible to access most of the game.
The UI randomly stops responding to my mouse (every time I try to change settings, save/load the game, or otherwise use the menu) and sometimes the normal story text just won't progress. Notably, I can't get past the part when you're in the lake during the Yellow segment; it just freezes. I know lots of people can't test games on MacOS, so I totally understand if that's the case -- just wanted to make a comment so you're aware there may be some weirdness going on!
If there's ever an update or anything, I would be excited to give BLANK another shot; I love the art and the bits of horror I was able to read before the technical difficulties kicked in.
I think this is due to the engine/plugin I use :/ I have the same issue with my main project (using the same engine/plugin versions) where some Mac users have a lot of issues.
One thing that has helped some Mac users with my other game is allowing the game to both read/write files on your computer, so you could try that! It sounds like you might have the same issue they have, where you can't change the settings, make saves or see/unlock CGs because the game isn't allowed to write files, which those actions need to do. You just need to right-click the game's exe, check its properties, go into permissions and see if it's allowed to Write. If it isn't, giving that permission might fix your issues!
Really interesting, well executed premise! I very much enjoyed playing this game. :)
Thank you, I'm glad you liked it!
Oh my GOD this was absolutely horrifying but beautiful VN! I swear I was so, so scared and depressed in the end when the heroine learnt the truth about herself. Thank you so much for ending it with hope, nonetheless! It made me feel much better.
Thanks a lot for this amazing story <3
I'm glad you enjoyed it and felt emotional about the ending! It was pretty important to me to nuance it with some hope, I think both the protagonist and the Shade deserve that much, haha
A very interesting and beautiful game! A very creative and immersive way to ponder questions about life and what makes it matter, at first I thought it would stop there but after the last ending, I got to like the game even more. To know the truth adds much more depth, and makes you understand more about the universe, I like how is still open too.
The character art is so beautiful and distinct <3 It really made me wish for a bunch more routes XD. Congrats on the game!
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the story!
haha I would have loved to make more variants of the Shade and a route for each one, drawing them was so fun. Maybe I'll make an extended version with more routes one day!
Show post...
AMAZING VN DEV
This looks so interesting! The premise is intriguing, for sure. Congrats on the release, and I look forward to checking this out!
Thank you! Your entry's on my to-play list too, it has such a lovely aesthetic!
Your art is absolutely gorgeous! Each of the routes really were unnerving in different ways. The looming threat of the white and the story being so close, yet so far. It was a really tasty game, so thank you for working hard on it.
Thank you, I'm so glad you enjoyed the game!
I love the kind of horror that this game brings - One that doesn't depend on sudden scares or gore. Just the doubt of being stuck in a loop, and yearning for something real.
The ending was sad in a very gentle way, and as a whole this was one of the few stories that make me feel grateful for my own mortality. Thank you for creating it! <3
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment! I'm really happy you enjoyed the story :)