Deep Breaths
A downloadable game for Windows and macOS
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Absence makes the heart grow fonder... but so do the perils of the depths.
[ THIS GAME WAS CREATED FOR NANORENO2024 ]
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Death, it turns out, is more of a change than a finality.
In the dark depths of the ocean sits Calliste-17, a submersible managed by a small team to further the research and agenda of corporate greed. What should have been a routine mission erupts in chaos when you, Krybdis, waken to a ravaged ship and a familiar voice over the radio.
The ocean is an unforgiving place and you're running out of time.
Piece together the past, unlock the logs that hold the truth, and develop a relationship that just might be the key to your survival. If the two of you could stop bickering long enough to work together.
Embrace what's to come, or the ocean will embrace you.
[ CONTENT WARNINGS ]
Deep Breaths contains mature themes, and as such, player discretion is advised. The game contains the following:
- Minor character death
- Explicit Language
- Body Horror / Body Transformation
- Descriptions of intense moments
- Descriptions of memory loss
- Growing paranoia and madness
- Claustrophobia
- Deadly situations featuring: drowning, suffocation, implosion
[ CHARACTERS ]
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Bracket
He/Him, Researcher 43029 on the Calliste-17
"Hope it was worth it."
A young upstart Researcher on Calliste-17 who looks up to both Krybdis and Cylla. Has dreams of completing his research time with Leviathan and moving on to something a little more secure... like a desk job.
[ FEATURES ]
- ~7000 words
- 1 love interest [Cylla] who will reprimand you if you screw up
- An MC who is having a no good, terrible, very BAD day
- Beautifully illustrated CGs by Saffeine
- 3 endings
- 40 minutes to an hour of playtime
- Gorgeous OST composed by Gisula (free download here)
[ TEAM ]
(A-Z)
Bukubukuchagama - Programming, QA [Creates more bugs than he fixes] | Twitch |
Dani Dee - Narrative Designer, Writer [A mess in distress but they're still the best dressed] | Website |
FelixWiscan - Voice of Cylla [Wonderful human being] | Website |
Gisula - Composer, Sound Design, Mixing, Audio Implementation [floating in the abyss] | Website |
Helloyinny - Producer, VA Director, Marketing [Doesn't understand what a scope is] | Twitch Itch |
Saffeine - Artist, Programming Dabbler [should've been put down] | Twitter Itch |
Siyokoy - UI artist, web designer [GUI God, can do no wrong] | Twitter Itch |
Son M. - Writer [dead] | Website |
And special thanks to our QA folks!
AlexiusMinerva, Chibino1, Sinarynn and Sneakyturtle978
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[ SIGNAL LOST ]
Status | Released |
Platforms | Windows, macOS |
Rating | Rated 4.8 out of 5 stars (28 total ratings) |
Authors | HelloYinny, Bukubukuchagama, saffeine, epistellar, Siyokoy, bogboogie, gisula |
Genre | Visual Novel |
Tags | nanoreno2024 |
Download
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Comments
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Gorgeous vn with a detailed narrative that kept me in suspense from beginning to end! Dark, yet there's a beauty to the mystery of the depths. And the romance was well executed with an emotionally impactful ending. Loved it ~ ^_^
Thank you so much for playing and for an incredibly kind, constructive and lovely review too! The whole team is super into angst in spicy horror ish settings so our writers really outdid themselves to try and nail that feel. Glad to hear it made an impact! :') <3
Beautiful artwork and UI, an engaging story that hooks you right away, a fun puzzle to solve, heart-pounding terror, a fast-paced and engaging mystery, and love -- unexpectedly and pleasantly so. A fellow writer and narrative designer, I enjoyed thinking about the choices posed to me, and went back to experience alternate endings. Slick look and a poignant story - kudos to your amazing team!!
Thank you so much for the kind words! The team is super happy that you enjoyed our game. And huge thank you for going back to experience the other endings too! (My personal favourite is the bad one >:) )
hello I am gay and nearly cried
thx
Wonderful <33333
OOOOOOOOOOUUUUUU! what an experience!!
i feel so lucky i was able to play this. i would love to see any and all art for the good (in my opinion, very emotionally fulfilling) ending
vv * - MAYBE SORTA SPOILERS - * vv
vv * - MAYBE SORTA SPOILERS - * vv
the sound design was stunning - the concept of "there's a knock at the door - unfortunately, you're in space/3.17 leagues underwater/etc" is one of my favourites and always will be.
literally my only wish - and a minor, monsterfucker indulgence at that - is that the horny dial was cranked up a lil higher, and optionally more monstrous.
overall, 10/10.
11/10 if I got a monsterfucker tentacles & titties supreme indulgence royale. this is not a malus, it's a bonus objective from an adoring fan.
more mosnterfucker tentacles and titties hmm? Will keep this in mind :)
I know what I am. >:3
I'm really curious what we were really mining for on the sea bed, especially as something has clearly caused such intense mutations.
Looking forward to seeing what else you create!
I loved loved!
It had such a good atmosphere I was really anxious going through the documents and I got the good ending? I tried the other options but def liked the first ending I got more :D
I really want to play this game but I can't figure out the password for the third document. Can I get a hint? 🥺👉👈
Cylla says the answer (it'll be highlighted in green) during your convo with her! You can scroll with the mouse wheel to go backwards in the conversation to see it. Hope that helps you :)
WOW, this was an incredible experience! Absolutely impeccable, I was really immersed in this suffocating, horrific, mysterious underwater labryinth from beginning to end. Everything is incredibly cohesive, from the backgrounds to the GUI to the sound design, all contributing to this "underwater sci-fi" vibe, and I really liked the font that was used to mimic the "display" on the MC's helmet. I love how tightly and expertly written this was, with the mystery slowly unfolding over the course of the game. The use of the "logs" to gradually reveal the twists and turns (each unlocked with passwords gained from Krybdis and Cylla's relationship) was really well-done and reminded me a lot of the "notes" that you can find while exploring the environment in 3D adventure games. The VA did fantastic work, and overall the sound design was very immersive.
The game plops you right in the thick of it, in a sinking ship that is gradually running out of oxygen. Immediately you're on edge, caught up in this horrific situation, and I like how the MC and the player are both moving "at the same pace," as you unravel the truths of what you've done. The dialogue between Krybdis and Cylla was really natural and well-written, and I liked their dynamic - even from the short exchanges that they have (and with Krybdis having partial amnesia), you instantly get an impression of what their relationship is like. I REALLY loved Cylla as a character - you can tell that she has her rough edges but is ultimately a steady and reliable teammate.
=====SPOILERS BELOW=======
As the plot twists and turns, you really get ensnared in this story of this pair and attached to the leads. When Cylla's comm goes silent in the middle of the game, I was legitimately scared for her safety and a little panicked about being left all alone. The lingering affection that Cylla has for Krybdis is pretty clear in their exchanges, and as you gradually realize how doomed it is my heart really broke for the two of them.
When I got to the end, I was legitimately shocked. I was def expecting Cylla to be "transformed" but not to that extent! When I was looking at the names for the leads initially, I thought "Scylla and Charybdis, nice, it's a metaphor for the turbulent relationship that these two have, and how that relationship doomed the 'ship' that they're riding." Only to get to the end and be like "OH NO IT WAS MUCH MORE LITERAL." As for Calliste, I'm not 100% sure, but perhaps it might be a reference to "Callisto" - and the fallout between Callisto and Artemis as a result of Zeus' "transformation" (the same way that Cylla transforms into an alien monster)?
The ending CGs were GORGEOUS and I really liked Cylla's design. I especially liked the ending in which you "open the door" - the writing of the scene was very poetic, and the "dancing you to your death" sequence reminded me a lot of siren/mermaid mythology. I'm not sure whether Krybdis dies in that ending or is turned into an alien herself, but either way I was quite satisfied - as either a tragic or happy ending, it felt v conclusive.
Overall, I was expecting this to be great, and it turned out MUCH better than even I expected! Honestly flawless, the team did a really great job on it, and the mystery was a joy to unravel!
AHHHH CHATTER I ALWAYS APPRECIATE UR COMMENTS SO MUCH!! Thank you for playing!!!
Chatter this is such a sweet and kind comment!
Thank you for putting so much care into your review! Also we were so happy seeing you pick up on the little tidbits of lore that we used to inspire much of the writing!
Thank you for playing and for writing such kind words, you've made the team very happy and excited upon reading this! :') <3