|OT| Grindwheel Games Titles

[Grindwheel Games]

Its that time again!

Pumpkin spiced pumpkins are flying off the shelves. Everyone is going goth. Christmas decorations are being sold next to Easter eggs, because god help us all if we're not consuming something holiday related. And it is time for the reveals of the 6 general part pages for my latest book, which is coming out in a little over 2 weeks!

Please find the first of these below. Enjoy!

Lamps in the shape of marine life are a common sight on most ships. Sailors believe that by hanging these from the ropes at night the spirits of the drowned who rise up to the deck of the ship will believe they are still underwater. They will then fly on to pester another ship, or sink back beneath the waves. Clerical scholars are uncertain as to the legitimacy of this claim, and the money generated by the sale of votive candles and blessed oil to burn in the lamps keeps them from debating the issue too seriously.

 

[Grindwheel Games]

More art as we count down to release!

The box this bitter incense comes in claims it can keep spirits and minor Infernals at bay. Rumour has it that the stuff also dismisses Externals who are exposed to the smoke. The monastery which produces the cones make no such bold claim out loud. But at the same time they also hint that there has never been an External attack where the incense was proven to be burned.

Also, a quick shout out to Lovecraft Video Games - Home - Lovecraft Video Games They have a review copy of Tattered Sails, and identified an issue with the Punch Dagger caused by streamlining the combat system to fit the new Traits. I got a fix out last night thanks to them spotting that.

 

[Grindwheel Games]

Welcome to the weekend everyone!

We have an art page for you below, and also a review of Tattered Sails by Lovecraft Video Games - Delve Into a Sinister Curse in The Hunter's Journals - Tattered Sails - Lovecraft Video Games They seemed to enjoy the more laid back and slow burn investigation in this one, which is nice. Wight Chapel Dreams is shaping up to be a little closer to Blissful Ignorance in terms of difficulty as it too involves a lot of thinking and build-up, but I am going to be starting Return to Wight Chapel with a plan to make that a little beefier. Now so beefy that you need the item below, which would have been handy during Red Ripper, but still a little more of a challenge.

Anyway, have a great weekend, and I hope you are all looking forward to Monday's post!

Recent tales emerging from the Sunlight Alliance of rats the size of houses eating whole villages have led to an increase in sales of poisons like this. A coincidentally rising statistic is the number of Broadsheet Killers who use these substances to commit their vile crimes. Still, no giant rats have been sighted within the UIC's borders...yet.

 

[Grindwheel Games]

Morning all! I hope you all had a great weekend.

I managed to get Wight Chapel Dreams sorted and ready for production next year, so I will be back to one of the most fun parts of this job - writing the core text for Return to Wight Chapel. I have also had some feedback from our testers, and it is sort of mixed. They definitely enjoyed it, like Lovecraft Video Games, and from what I can tell they also found it fun, but felt there was more too it. And, on checking...there was! So it looks like the game, overall, has a situation where is it easy to get to 'the end', but you have to dig deeper to find the real mysteries in the investigation. Which is pretty good from my perspective.

Anyway, please enjoy the next art page and lore below, and have a good week!

The whispering stalks of the Grass Sea hold many secrets. Ghost towns and bandit camps, beast lairs and hidden temples. Even with modern supplies the area is hard to navigate, and it is said that barely a third of the region has been fully mapped. Who knows what wonders and horrors could be lurking behind the swaying plants?

 

[lashman]

Morning all! I hope you all had a great weekend.

likewise!

Anyway, please enjoy the next art page and lore below, and have a good week!

new Splinter Cell looking good

can't wait ... super-excited!

 

[Grindwheel Games]

can't wait ... super-excited!

Well you won't have to wait much longer! We're going live on Sunday as planned.
Just uploaded a bunch of changes spotted by our sharp-eyed tester too, so hopefully a nice, polished experience for people to enjoy.

 

[Grindwheel Games]

Well, the testers have given the game a clean bill of health, meaning it is 100% completable as far as we can all tell. It was previously, but I had to go in and add a load of little fixes to make that completion smoother. So Tattered Sails is ready to go. And speaking of things which are ready to go...here is today's art page!

Chalk Cove is also known as 'the city of steps'. Even the interiors of the houses are laid out over multiple levels due to the steep incline the port is built into. It is also frequently plague by mists. Some say these are caused by the spirits of drowned sailors, who come back to the city for one last look at their old lives before moving on.

 

[lashman]

Well, the testers have given the game a clean bill of health, meaning it is 100% completable as far as we can all tell.

 

[Grindwheel Games]

And, as always, we come to the last page...the death page. As seen in the trailer, this one has quite the nautical theme to go with a lot of the rest of the book. I hope people see this one a little less than Red Rippers death page, for sure!

Have a great weekend, and don't forget to wishlist the game if you haven't already!

Death by drowning is considered to be one of the worst fates a soul can endure. As only a few religions claim their gods dwell underwater, the spirit of the lost must trudge through the underwater abyss to reach whatever heaven they are due to go to. Those who are barred from heaven must reside on the sea floor amongst the darkness, cold, and pressure for all time.

 

[Grindwheel Games]

And the Steam Halloween Sale is live!

Steam Search

store.steampowered.com

Get 50% off on all the Hunter's Journals titles to date. Catch up on the story thus far as we all hold our breaths for Tattered Sales to hit the store on Sunday!

 

[Grindwheel Games]

IT COMES...

The TATTERED SAILS have been sighted on the horizon. Something unearthly moves through the fog like a ponderous colossi. The stars wheel overhead. Portents are bleak.

Can YOU stand against it?

Halloween is here, and so is Tattered sails!


Grab your copy now, and enjoy a more subtle, slow-burn adventure which sees you exposing a terrible horror from the past. I hope you all enjoy this latest title, and also the spooky Halloween story below. With 5 books out now, it seems a little crazy to write one for each, so I have decided to focus purely on the previous year's launch for a promotional boost in this manner. As such, here is today's story for Red Ripper...

Behold, the silos of the slain.

Dust gathers in these blessed skulls, each grain is a hope, a thought, a dream. See it stream from their eyes like tears, gathering upon the floor in drifts. Wade through their memories until your clothes are stiff with regret, and your flesh stained with woe.

Behold, the armies of the anointed.

They sit, in ranks, containing the fervour of the lost and the damned. See the words carved into their faces with pins of sanctified gold. Run your fingers over them and feel the bone crumble beneath your touch, releasing the words into the air like incense.

Behold, the end of eras.

Each holy vessel waits for the wheel to grind around once more. See the kingdoms they cherished turn to graveyards as they anticipate the new cycle of life. Put your ear to their fleshless lips and hear them whisper 'join our quite vigil'.

 

[Grindwheel Games]

Good evening! This time I was not caught out by the sales starting, so all eligible Grindwheel Games games are on sale!

Tattered Sails is still less than a month old, so it cannot be included, but all the rest are 50% off if you want to grab them.

Steam Search

store.steampowered.com

 

[Grindwheel Games]

Good morning all.

So I had a word with Shark Robot to see if recent exposure through streaming had managed to push the posters up to a point where they could remain on the store front. The answer, sadly, was no.

They will remain available until the end of the year, at which point I will start looking to see if I can find them a home elsewhere. So if you want some of this amazing artwork on your wall, now is the time to grab it, as I cannot promise I will be able to find a new home for them elsewhere.

Grindwheel Games Store

Grindwheel Games Store - Our great t-shirts are guaranteed to make you awesome and tough! (Can't actually guarantee that)

sharkrobot.com

 

[Grindwheel Games]

Ah, it seems like only yesterday that we announced that all The Hunter's Journals titles were part of the latest Steam promotion.

If you want to relive those heady days, why not take a stroll down memory lane by popping over to Steam right now? The winter sale is on, and all Grindwheel Games releases are available for 50% off!

Steam Search

store.steampowered.com

 

[EdwardTivrusky]

Grindwheel Games Happy Holidays and best wishes for the New Year to you and the team! Have a good one!

 

[Grindwheel Games]

Grindwheel Games Happy Holidays and best wishes for the New Year to you and the team! Have a good one!

Thank you very much!

And not only Happy Holidays to you, but to all the people who have been helping to support us through the plague years. I hope you all have a happy new year!

 

[Panda Pedinte]

Just bought Red Ripper and Tattered Sails and now I have all games so far

 

[Grindwheel Games]

Hi all!

So, sorry for the lack of updates. I had to switch jobs, and have been gearing up with my new contract after a few weeks of hammering away at Return to Wight Chapel. As per usual, the new game has gone off to the editors, where it is being polished and prodded while I work on the next title. Aside from that, I happened to be checking the Steam store and noticed there was yet another sale! Thankfully 2021 Me had signed me up for it and 2022 Me had just forgotten.

So, if you have not yet had a chance to check out the range, there are five tales of Lovecraftian terror for you to indulge in!

Steam Search

store.steampowered.com

Also...merch news this weekend. I hope you like masks on your masks.

 

[Grindwheel Games]

Meeeeeeerch!

So, I have been experimenting with TeePublic this week, and have uploaded new designs this weekend. I did not get everything moved over to the required format this weekend, but I did get the stuff for Pale Harbour and Vile Philosophy down. I am posting this now as it means some of this stuff will still be in the launch period sale, and that makes more sense than waiting until all 5 games are in before letting people know it is good to go.

You can get shirts, hoodies, masks, wall art, pillows and even magnets with the following designs for both games:

1. The full logo and word art.
2. Just the clean logo
3. The front cover
4. The general images
5. The 'game over' image

So if you want a mask with a Filter Mask or a button of the Deadly Dancing Doll, we now have you covered!

T-Shirts by Grindwheel Games Store | TeePublic UK

Shop t-shirts, phone cases, hoodies, art prints, notebooks and mugs created by independent artists from around the globe.

www.teepublic.com

 

[Grindwheel Games]

Whoop whoop! It's the sound of the police! Also the store expanding to include artwork apparel for Blissful Ignorance.

T-Shirts by Grindwheel Games Store | TeePublic UK

Shop t-shirts, phone cases, hoodies, art prints, notebooks and mugs created by independent artists from around the globe.

www.teepublic.com

So if you have ever wanted this shouty girl on a t-shirt, poster, button or mask, now your wish is granted!

 

[Grindwheel Games]

Well, I managed to dodge the storms lashing the coast, so that's good!

I have also had to pause the shop expansion for a short while as I have got the Wight Chapel Dreams script back from the editors. That is now plugged in, and I have experimented with randomising the pages in the PC build before making a tablet version, to see if that saves time. It did, so I will be updating my pipeline for the future.

Anyway, with that all taken care of - and some further tweaks to my page-splitting code - the game is just about ready to go to art and VO. I have already been speaking with Cryo Chamber about music, so that is in production as we speak. I expect those documents to be finished by the end of the week, and then I will get back on with the final paths in Return to Wight Chapel...and uploading the last of the art to the store.

Hope you all have a good weekend!

 

[Grindwheel Games]

Good afternoon all!

I have just finished adding the last of the art to our new merch store. This was slightly delayed because I was working on making sure book 7 was squared away and ready for plugin/testing. And, as of yesterday afternoon it is!

Return to Wight Chapel weighs in at ~650 pages so far. Part of the next pass will determine is anything is missing and let me plug those gaps while I make sure all the pages are in and connected correctly.

I will keep people up to date as I push on with this, but it looks like we are in a good position to have it ready for the end of the year, allowing me to start on...The Hunter's Journal - The Box.

 

[lashman]

Return to Wight Chapel weighs in at ~650 pages so far. Part of the next pass will determine is anything is missing and let me plug those gaps while I make sure all the pages are in and connected correctly.

I will keep people up to date as I push on with this, but it looks like we are in a good position to have it ready for the end of the year, allowing me to start on...The Hunter's Journal - The Box.

exciting news, as always can't wait to play the next one (end of the year gonna be great!) thanks for the update, and good luck!

 

[Grindwheel Games]

Hey all!

Sorry for the lack of updates, but my new job has meant a shift in schedule which has kept me from having a lot of additional time to post. But, as of a couple of minutes ago, Return to Wight Chapel has passed the first editing, plugin and testing phase! It came to 664 entries in the end, and will go into QA next week.

Wight Chapel Dreams has also had the art document sent off, and the script is with the voice artists. Yes. Plural. I will reveal more on that as things progress. The core narration is running a little behind schedule as my father's house lost most of the roof in one of the big storms to hit the UK not too long ago, and the builders are taking him for a bit of a ride. He should be able to start soon, and then I will get that all squared away.

Until then, I will keep on with Return to Wight Chapel, and will start showing of the new art as I get the sketches through, as usual.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

 

[lashman]

Hey all!

Sorry for the lack of updates, but my new job has meant a shift in schedule which has kept me from having a lot of additional time to post. But, as of a couple of minutes ago, Return to Wight Chapel has passed the first editing, plugin and testing phase! It came to 664 entries in the end, and will go into QA next week.

Wight Chapel Dreams has also had the art document sent off, and the script is with the voice artists. Yes. Plural. I will reveal more on that as things progress. The core narration is running a little behind schedule as my father's house lost most of the roof in one of the big storms to hit the UK not too long ago, and the builders are taking him for a bit of a ride. He should be able to start soon, and then I will get that all squared away.

Until then, I will keep on with Return to Wight Chapel, and will start showing of the new art as I get the sketches through, as usual.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

no need to apologize - we're not going anywhere, haha

thanks for the update!

and sorry to hear about your dad, hope they can finish rebuilding it soon!

 

[Grindwheel Games]

So...you know Wight Chapel? The place mentioned in the opening paragraph of every book so far? A core pillar of your hunter's backstory? The setting of our next two adventures?

Who wants to get a peek at it?

This is my way of letting you know art has properly entered production. I will be sharing this image with you all as it gets worked on, and you will be able to get your first views of the ash-choked streets of the Capital's premier district for cremations and burials.

Voice lines should hopefully start arriving this month too. I have those moves coming up in August, followed by whenever I can get my house sold, but hopefully I will still have plenty of time to get things nailed down for Halloween as planned.

Hope everyone has a great week! If you are in the UK and enjoying the long bank holiday then enjoy the long weekend too.

 

[lashman]

So...you know Wight Chapel? The place mentioned in the opening paragraph of every book so far? A core pillar of your hunter's backstory? The setting of our next two adventures?

Who wants to get a peek at it?

This is my way of letting you know art has properly entered production. I will be sharing this image with you all as it gets worked on, and you will be able to get your first views of the ash-choked streets of the Capital's premier district for cremations and burials.

Voice lines should hopefully start arriving this month too. I have those moves coming up in August, followed by whenever I can get my house sold, but hopefully I will still have plenty of time to get things nailed down for Halloween as planned.

Hope everyone has a great week! If you are in the UK and enjoying the long bank holiday then enjoy the long weekend too.

hyyyyype!!!

 

[Grindwheel Games]

So, I am running around looking for flats this week, but I do have a little update:

Work is continuing on the art, with Muthur Brine focused on the general images and front cover, which will let me get the Steam page up asap. So brace yourselves for the new cover pretty soon!

 

[lashman]

Work is continuing on the art, with Muthur Brine focused on the general images and front cover, which will let me get the Steam page up asap. So brace yourselves for the new cover pretty soon!

looks amazing, as always!

 

[Grindwheel Games]

Things are moving faster than anticipated.
Here is the colour WIP...

 

[lashman]

Things are moving faster than anticipated.
Here is the colour WIP...

wow! looks great!

 

[Grindwheel Games]

wow! looks great!

Yes! All nice and cosy as people walk through the early afternoon, the ash from the many, many, many crematoria falling in a gentle blizzard over them.

 

[lashman]

Yes! All nice and cosy as people walk through the early afternoon, the ash from the many, many, many crematoria falling in a gentle blizzard over them.

heartwarming, haha

 

[Grindwheel Games]

Hey all. I got the first batch of art through for Wight Chapel Dreams yesterday. As such, here is the final version of the page I have been teasing you with.

'Hold on a minute,' I hear you say. 'Didn't you tell us that the front cover was being worked on alongside this page? Wouldn't that mean that you have it ready to show us, right here, right now?'

Yes. Yes I do.

Here is the cover art for Wight Chapel Dreams: a dead man with a ghostly head lying in a mortuary warded against this exact kind of reanimation. Plus a mortician who is more angry than shocked at this situation. So who is the man? Why do they have a ghostly head like a basketball filled with teeth? Why is the mortician's reaction 'not this again...'?

All this will be revealed in The Hunter's Journals - Wight Chapel Dreams. Available Halloween 2022.

Also, while I was going through and settling things for the next couple of games, I realised that there are some similar themes and mechanics between Return to Wight Chapel and The Box. I can't go into greater detail at this stage, but there was enough overlap that it would be notable. As such, I have picked one of the other ideas from my backlog, and will instead being going with Wrymwood - a tale of human greed and ancient evil.

Hope everyone has a great weekend! I should have news on the Steam page and trailer pretty soon at this rate.

 

[Grindwheel Games]

And now summer is officially here with the Steam Summer Sale! All of the books are 50% off for the duration, so grab any you have not already picked up.

Steam Search

store.steampowered.com

 

[Grindwheel Games]

I also just noticed that TeePublic is having a sale too! Handy that they notified me of it... >_>

In any case, there is still time to pick up shirts, posters, wall hangings, phone cases, etc:

T-Shirts by Grindwheel Games Store | TeePublic UK

Shop t-shirts, phone cases, hoodies, art prints, notebooks and mugs created by independent artists from around the globe.

www.teepublic.com

 

[Grindwheel Games]

I hope everyone survived the heatwave and made it through to the other side intact. I was churning through voice clips, and so had to have the windows shut to keep the noise levels down, which was fun. We are about 420 out of 650 in at the moment, so well on the path to the Halloween launch.

Speaking of which, why not go and wishlist the game over on our shiny new Steam page?


The page is up now, while I wait on some voice lines for the trailer and the last few art pages. Those should be here in a week or so, meaning I can put up a full build - minus VO - for the Steam guys to test. But with plenty of time before the planned launch it looks like we're good to go.

Anyway, hope you all have a great weekend, and I will keep you updated when I have more news.

 

[Grindwheel Games]

Got a double announcement for the day!

Firstly, the trailer is done and available to watch below. See if you can spot my sweet, improved zoom and pan skills. And, of course, the new addition to the voice cast.

Secondly, I sent a promo kit including an unreleased art page over to Lovecraft Gaming, and they have put up a story about this years upcoming release:

Wight Chapel Dreams Continues the Hunter’s Journals Series This Halloween - Lovecraft Video Games

This Halloween, the Hunter's Journals interactive fiction series will return once more with its sixth entry, Wight Chapel Dreams. While the previous entry drew upon heavy Lovecraftian inspirations, the developer has said Wight Chapel Dreams will have more of a steampunk and Gothic horror feel...

www.lovecraftvideogames.com

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

 

[Grindwheel Games]

Hey all!

Been a bit of a grind, but Wight Chapel Dreams has gone through testing, and has all but 20 voice lines form the new voice actress plugged in. I have also finished the QA pass for Return to Wight Chapel, which weighs in at a hefty 670+ entries due to the time of day mechanic which can change the outcome of certain events depending on where you go and when.

I am now going to kick off the critical path for Wyrmwood while doing the final poking and prodding to get ready for the Halloween launch. Stay tuned for the page art reveals starting next week!

 

[Grindwheel Games]

The countdown begins with the release of our first art page for Wight Chapel Dreams. Keep an eye out for news about our expanding line of products on the store too!

Cartomancy is one of the few legal 'low magics' which can be learned in the UIC. It has little true power outside the hands of an already skilled oracle, and so is not considered to be forbidden lore. Many cheap decks focus almost exclusively on the Major Arcana as they have been made popular due to horror novels and plays, much to the annoyance of true Cartomancers.

 

[Grindwheel Games]

Thanks to the TeePublic store, I can release the artwork alongside the page images as they go live. I have also cleaned out all of the logo images, as I was running a little low on space, and they were not selling fantastically.

Each image will now be accompanied by a release in the store, so check out the Cartomancy Deck items! The front cover will go live with the game as well on Halloween.

https://www.teepublic.com/t-shirt/35746667-cartomancy-deck

 

[Grindwheel Games]

A tasteful display of funeral urns, but will you end up in one?

As dead bodies are known to get up and walk around, it is common for people to be cremated as quickly as possible. The remains are then placed inside urns which have been specially constructed to be sturdy, as well as warded against evil influences. This window display contains a wide selection, including a Lovers Urn in the bottom left, which is large enough to fit the ashes of a married couple.

 

[Grindwheel Games]

A potent weapon for combatting the walking dead known to plague Wight Chapel.

Produced by militant sects such as the Temple of Silent Martyrs, these bullets have been etched with hair-fine lettering and baptised. They are technically considered members of the clergy under church law, and reckless use of the bullets can lead to charges of manslaughter if they are found to have been wasted. As a result of all this devotion there are few things more potent when it comes to destroying the undead.

 

[Grindwheel Games]

One week to go until the release of Wight Chapel Dreams! Take a look at our latest artwork as the countdown continues.

Wight Chapel can be a pleasant place to visit. How will your trip to the district go?

A typical street scene in Wight Chapel. Note the woman's parasol, which is coated in special wax to make it easier to wipe off the char. Today the ever-present clouds of ash have mingled with an unusually dense fog, creating conditions so gloomy that the Lamplighters Guild have left some of the street lights burning to aid navigation.

 

[lashman]

One week to go until the release of Wight Chapel Dreams!

can't wait!!!

 

[Grindwheel Games]

The penultimate art page is here! Stay tuned Friday for the death page.

Night is the only time there are clear skies in Wight Chapel, as all the crematoria have finished their grim work for the day. Not that many people use this time to go out. There is no official curfew, but anyone with a grain of sense will stay indoors once night falls. The darkness belongs to the dead, and the living are content to let them have it.

 

[Grindwheel Games]

And finally we have the 'Game Over' page for Wight Chapel Dreams. Hopefully it will make a little more sense in context, although equally hopefully you won't see it unless you end up in a tricky situation!

A quick death is sometimes the most merciful ending anyone can ask for. Here it has struck so suddenly all that can be done is gape in awe. Another story has ended, and those who remain must pick up the pieces.

 

[Grindwheel Games]

Aaaaand because I never check the Steam frontpage, I forgot to mention that all my games are currently 50% off.

Steam Search

store.steampowered.com

Grab them now! I promise I will be looking into making bundles as soon as I have a moment to spare.

 

[Grindwheel Games]

Wight Chapel Dreams, the sixth instalment of The Hunter's Journals, is now available. As usual I have launched on Steam and Android, and the Android version may take a few moments to show up. In the meantime, you can test your might against The Crawling Horror on PC.


As with last year, I will be focusing the Halloween story on our last release – Tattered Sails. Please find the short story below.

Extracts from the duty log of Chief Constable Jakob Lyneman. Recovered during the reconstruction effort after the departure of THE WHITE SHIP. These entries were written in the days leading up to the External's arrival.

Incidents of civil unrest are increasing. We have had two desertions amongst the men. Crowds of people are trying to leave the town through any means other than the sea. Mobs have formed, displaying a morbid fascination with the OCEAN.

Later - Had to break up a crowd standing on the wharfs, weeping and looking out over the BLACK WATERS.

The mayor arrived at the stockade in a panic, demanding a full deployment of constables – imposition of martial law, a curfew, and summary executions. I asked her why and she could not form a coherent reason. Just kept telling me that IT COMES, and we had to be prepared. Eighteen murders this afternoon. All drownings.

Later – Suicides, not murders. It took three more cases to work that out. One of the prisoners drowned himself in the latrine, which tipped us off. Constant HOWLING on the wind. Can't sleep. Won't sleep.

Chaos in the streets. People fighting to get to the train station or running into the moors. Mayor relocated her self to the station to oversee evacuation, and I sent some of my remaining officers to guard her. IT COMES, so it does not matter if I am there or not. I hear the call of THE BLACK OCEAN in my blood. It burns.

Later - Most of the men dead or insane. Mind hanging by a thread. Blacked out. Woke with blood in my mouth. Dreamed I was on THE WHITE SHIP. Couldn't stop screaming.

I have to go. I must bear witness to THE WHITE SHIP's arrival. Put the prisoners and refugees out of their misery. I would ask the gods to help me, but there are no gods here now, only THE WHITE SHIP.

 

[Grindwheel Games]

Two updates in one day? How spooky!

First of all, I have been having some issues uploading the front cover of Wight Chapel Dreams to TeePublic, so I have not been update the store with the final design. If I am still unable to get that done by tomorrow I will contact them or try something else.

Secondly, Lovecraft Video Games have released a review of Wight Chapel Dreams! You can check it out at the link below.

Revisit a Legendary Case in The Hunter's Journals - Wight Chapel Dreams - Lovecraft Video Games