T.W.I.R.L.
A downloadable game
IF EVER ASKED TO LOOK AT YOURSELF... DON'T.
It's 3am in your childhood home.
Everyone's asleep... but you.
Sneak out of your room.
Go down the hall.
T.W.I.R.L.
...whatever that means.
A psychological horror inspired by "P.T." about identity, self-hatred, and a dark secret you've kept since 9-years-old.
BEST EXPERIENCED WITH A CONTROLLER
~1 HOUR PLAYTIME
CONTROLS:
Standard first-person walking simulator controls, with a P.T.-inspired "LOOK" function. (R3 on PlayStation, RS on Xbox, Right-Click on Keyboard Mouse) Use it wisely.
Haptic feedback enabled for XBOX and PLAYSTATION 5 (wired) controllers.
through every step you make. The house is dark except for moonlight, your alarm clock, and the red glow of your PS3 that's turned off. You step out of bed, and sneak out of your room.
about any and all thoughts, hopes, and nightmares. This is all just an innocent little thing you did as a kid... right?
the person sleeping. They won't hear you... will they?
another day, or, another year. Maybe they won't remember what happened.
don't do this.
Made in participation of the "David Lynch: Catch Ideas Like Fish" Game Jam by the Haunted PS1 Community.
CREDITS
Writer/Director - Ben Escobar
Lead Developer - Jasmine Gallaron
Environment & Prop Artist - RenderByDavid (RBD Interactive)
3D Characters and Props Artist - Halil 'nonentity' Avan
Props Artist - Edwin Ponce
Additional props - Ariana Lobrutto
Technical Artist - Lynn Gonzalez
Sound Designer - Bryson Stakely
Music Producer - Pablo Alegria
Character design and concept art - Killer Suzie
Key Game Art Designer - Pia Æziz
VOICE ACTORS
Alexander Roff as "The Boy"
Alex Clark as "The Sister"
Jerry Schultz as "The Priest"
Ben Escobar as "The Father" and "Rose / The Monster"
Shannon Mindlin as "The Girlfriend"
Colleen Arnold as "The Mother"
Business - ben@genieboygames.com
⚠️ Content & Epilepsy Warning
T.W.I.R.L. contains flashing lights, sudden changes in brightness, intense visual sequences, and jump scares. If you are sensitive to these effects or have a history of epilepsy or seizures, please consult a physician before playing. This game is not suitable for children or those who are easily disturbed.
Download
Click download now to get access to the following files:
Development log
- RELEASE WINDOW + IGN Feature + 1000 Downloads!21 days ago
- Friday the 13th Update + Future plans!42 days ago
- T.W.I.R.L. at GDC!48 days ago
- Bug Fixes & Optimizations!49 days ago
- Autosave + Achievements + Bug Fixes50 days ago
- What Does T.W.I.R.L. Even Mean???51 days ago
Comments
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Hi, I'm one of Professor Oceans students, we got to play it in class. Super cool game! I really liked the coloring. I thought the repetition of the game and slowly figuring out what happening was very unique and made it a really cool experience. :)
I'm from Professor Ocean's class and I played the full game ! Before I played I read the tags and I got an idea about what the game was going to be about, I was very interested from the trailer and everything ! I'm glad I read the tags because I could better prepare myself for the game. This game cut deep with me personally as I could relate to a lot of the aspects of it, and I really enjoyed the way it was portrayed, especially near the end. I think this game was very beautiful storytelling wise and I was invested in the story a lot, where it would go, why it was called what it's called, the parents and sisters' relationship to the MC. Overall I liked the game a lot and I think games like these are super important. I will be purchasing on steam !
😱
Thanks for playing and sharing! Feel free to leave a rating if you enjoyed (:
I really love the environmental storytelling in this game! Keep up the fantastic work!
Your expectations of what the game will be and where it takes you is awesome. It was definitely anxiety inducing and extremely personal feeling. The art style and overall tone of the game is so nice. Very powerful I loved it and can't wait for the next one.
Thanks for playing! I watched this in full and it was very funny. Feel free to leave a rating if you'd like!
Very cool game love the style and how it made me think of 3 different solution's with 1 of them being the correct or almost correct answer love that the 1hour i spent felt only like 20 min. and it hits a topic that some to many still experience to this day.
8/10
Thanks so much for playing and sharing!
I was so confused at first, but when I got it, oh. my. god. I'm genuinely speechless, I myself struggled with exactly what this game touches on so that really hit and felt extremely special, I wish I had more words to express how much I love this and how beautiful this is to me
From a gaming point of view the visuals, graphics and voice acting was really good (in my taste at least), not what I was expecting at all but loved it regardless
I cherish this game. Deeply.
I'm so, so, so happy to see this. Thank you for sharing how it resonated with you. Not a lot of people have picked up on it in this way, but I'm so happy that it touched you in the way that you described. That's exactly why we made this.
Much love!
looks spooky might give it a (t)wirl
T.W.I.R.L isn’t your typical Itch.io horror game ... it’s way more personal than I expected. What starts off feeling like a strange, surreal experience slowly turns into something a lot deeper, touching on identity, discomfort, and the kind of shame that sticks with you. It’s not always easy to play, but that’s kind of the point.
The visuals are unsettling, the atmosphere feels intentional, and the themes hit harder the more you think about them. It’s definitely not for everyone, but if you’re into indie games that try to say something meaningful, this one stands out.
I went in blind and didn’t expect it to get this real- if you’re curious how it plays out, I recorded my full experience.
Wow, thanks for writing such a thoughtful review! I appreciate that you were able to find the meaning in this, as well as the intentions behind the gameplay experience. It's a tough balance, but the goal was to create an experience that was entirely true to the character we play as, in an effort to have their story and experience be a mirror and means of "looking" at ourselves, and understanding everything a little better by walking their walk, at their pace, in their vision.
Thanks for making a video on it and sharing it!
This game was different that what I normally play but I enjoyed every minute of it. I love the storyline and the graphics were great
Thank you for playing it! Glad to hear you enjoyed the experience despite it being different from you usual stuff. Thanks for sharing!
I really enjoyed playing through this! It’s very well done from a narrative standpoint, and the gameplay and graphics feel very polished. Great work!
Though it’s a slightly different genre, I felt like this was a very similar experience in some ways to Gone Home, and it made me think back fondly to when I first played that game.
Thank you so much. That's one of the nicest compliments and comparisons we could receive. Gone Home has been a huge inspiration for me since I first played it the summer I graduated high school - 11 years ago now. I have such a deep love for that story and experience, more than any pieces of entertainment ever.
I guess looking at this game, it's maybe an obvious mesh between two profound loves of mine - P.T. and Gone Home. Horror/tension influences from both, but a tremendous "don't judge a book by its cover" inspiration from Gone Home.
Getting compared to that game is truly humbling. I'll remember this!
I had a great time playing this, even though there weren't any traditional jump scares or chases I was still creeped out every time I had to walk down the dark hallway. Also, the crawling looked really unsettling as well. Great job on this game! Here's my playthrough if you're interested!
Hey thanks so much! This was funny and fun to watch, and I appreciate that you enjoyed the crawling chapter! That's probably my favorite part of the game, since it's one of the first ideas I had for the game, and I was hoping that it would be moving. Thanks for checking out both endings too!
Feel free to leave a rating on itch if you'd like!
This was surprisingly delightful. Very creepy, enough things happen that it's not overly repetitive and definitely jump scared me a few times! Great game! My gameplay:
Thanks for playing and sharing!! You actually unlocked one of the easter eggs by ignoring the command at the beginning and "looking" at yourself - which triggered random encounters for the monster for the rest of the game lol
Feel free to leave a rating on itch if you'd like!
This was a very moving game that reflects real life issues perfectly. Growing up in the Southern US with heavy religion around every corner, I felt deep sympathy for the player character as soon as I realized their plight. Very well done. You nearly made me cry.
WOW! Thank you so very much. Firstly, I really appreciate the sympathy you shared for the protagonist and the overall experience. Secondly, this is probably my favorite playthrough I've seen thus far - your commentary throughout this was great, and it was such a joy to see you progressively understand the story more and more. And I greatly appreciated the comment you made at the end about how a lot of games just copy P.T. and do like a haunted house thing, but that this takes on its own identity while expanding on the P.T. formula.
Putting this game out to the world, that was my biggest fear, that it would maybe be perceived as a mere copycat of something great, and while it absolutely does walk in the same shoes of P.T, I always hoped that through the story, players would be able to see how this evolves.
There's more to discover about the game that people haven't found yet, but this was really such a joy to watch how well you understood the world and experience on the first impression.
Thank you for sharing!!
It's very much an honor to be your favorite so far! This is a very special game, and it's obvious how much love and soul was put into it. Everyone involved did a fantastic job making this a unique and impactful experience.
I hope this game moves many more people at GDC, It sounds like it will be a lot of fun!
thank you for playing! Your video is fun too, specifically how you were able to dodge Rose, the monster so well!! Appreciate you sharing.
Very unsettling and gripping from start to finish. Had me thinking what the boys 'sin' was, until we entered the closet, lol. Dark and creepy vibe with great voice acting. hope to see more from this dev. See my playthrough here:
Thanks for playing and sharing your video! I really appreciate the compliments - you described your experience exactly as we would hope for!
This was deeply moving, I feel like I was transported into the real experience and how it must have felt to go through something like this in a way I have never seen before. Bravo folks!
Wow thank you so much! That’s one of the best compliments we could receive. Thanks for playing, and congrats on your game for the David Lynch jam as well!
I honestly wasn't expecting much, just another spooky game with good graphics, but this surprised me quite nicely. SpankTank said everything I wanted to say. I wrote a review with some feedback by the way, good luck with your Steam release! ;p
Thanks so much!! Excited to watch your playthrough. Where can we read your review?
I posted here on Itchio, I don't post longer reviews anymore heh. It's under the reviews of this game, you might have already seen it. ;]
You think you know what you're walking into then it just keeps getting you every time. The atmosphere is unreal, PT vibes but it feels so much more personal.
Wow thank you so much! A more "personal" version of P.T. but with an identity of its own was exactly the intention. Glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for playing!
Forgive me for my ignorance, but is this a demo or a full game that will be available on Steam soon, with achievement support, etc?
this is a full game that’ll be on Steam soon with achievement support, MacOS, and SteamDeck. Will also put in extras etc.
GREAT JOBS
Thanks for playing!!
A really nice psychological horror game made from yall. It's fun to speculate and guess what it is about.
Wish there were more loud noises-ish on the jumpscares tho. Well done!
Thanks so much!
Fantastic game! I was so lost and confused lol Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much!! I just watched your playthrough and really enjoyed your experience and thoughts on the whole thing. This was great!! So glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for posting it here.
- Ben
I really liked the art style in this game. I am looking forward to playing your next game.
Our first streamer!! Thanks for playing it - I watched all the way through and it was so funny seeing your real time experience.
You also unlocked the secret cat lover ending, where if you pet the cat in all chapters, she comes to join you in the menu screen!
- Ben
OMG!!! really you gotta pet the cat everytime xD, and the cat was different in the menu screen :3
Hi Genie Boy Games! I'm a beginner translator interested in voluntarily localizing your game into Brazilian Portuguese (PT-BR). If you're interested, I would love to help :)