Small Town Emo (demo)
Ken is an emo teen with an awkward gay crush on his best friend, Fergus.
Things are (not) okay, but...
Maybe there's a chance they could be?
PLAY DEMO ON ITCH.IO OR STEAM!
xXx_St0ry_xXx
Set the weekend before Halloween in 2007, Small Town Emo follows the story of Ken, a seventeen year old emo with a crush on his goofy best friend; Fergus.
In the lead up to a costume party, Ken spends the day trying to find the courage to confess his feelings.
Can Ken figure things out, or is he doomed to have depressing song lyrics as his Messenger status ‘til the end of time?
xXx_FeaTuReZ_xXx
- 1.275 hours of "gameplay"!
- Play in 4 mind-boggling colours!
- 8 mouthwateringly hilarious collectible memes!
- 97% pure walking & talking - no pesky action!
- Priceless minigames, including "bullet hell" and "pimple popper"!
- Engaging cutscenes - poorly AND quickly drawn!
- Immersive simulated MSN Messenger sequences!
- Hand-picked, faithfully recreated fanfiction tropes!
- Complete linearity, only the vaguest illusion of choice!
xXx_cOnTRols_xXx
| MOVE | [ARROW KEYS] or [WASD] |
| INTERACT | [Z] or [SPACE] |
| CANCEL | [X] |
| MENU | [ENTER] or [SHIFT] |
xXx_eXtraZ_xXx
Full Credits (click to expand)
DESIGN, ART, WRITINGThomas Barrer COVER ART
Hessel Bouma AUDIO BY
Victor Valdez
Beat Scribe
Rulz ASSETS & HELP
Sam Baker
Nate Tamblyn
MonkeyImage CONSULTATION
Lukas Mayo
Jen Dee
Nate Tamblyn
Sarah Lund PLAYTESTING
Tori Head
Kay O'Neill
Alex Cara
Sean Lewis
Sorcha Millican-Nagle MADE IN GB STUDIO
Thanks to Chris Maltby & Co
Light Content Warning (click to expand)
CW: Occasional cursing/swearing, few depictions of mild homophobia, references to drinking underage, vague disrespect of a cemetery.
Download
Click download now to get access to the following files:
Development log
- sneaks peeks + what weve been busy witth80 days ago
- delays (sorry lol) + cool news!?Apr 30, 2024
- Steam Next Fest: 5-12 FebFeb 05, 2024
- 2024 ((roadmap 2 release)) + MQGF 2023 + thxJan 15, 2024
- Catch Small Town Emo @ SXSW SydneyOct 16, 2023
- Small Town Emo is a part of Gayming LIVE 2023Oct 04, 2023
- Small Town Emo nomin8d for four (4) NZ Game AwardsAug 15, 2023
- Queer Games Bundle 2023 + Bugfix BonanzaJun 02, 2023
Comments
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Omgg, this is actually AWESOME!!! I need the full game now lolz!! XD
also, i was wondering if theres any date the game might be released. I really want to play the full game!
Hey Fnife Games, you said the game will be released on April this year, what's up? I NEED THIS GAME TO COME OUT. And also, when the full version does release, if purchased, will it come with a Gameboy\GameboyColour ROM to play on an emulator or an actual Gameboy? Oh, And what date will it come out on?
hi hennersbbq thanks for the kind words && for holding us accountable lol!!! you can read more about why we're taking ages (grovelling for forgiveness) in our blog but essentially development has been slow due 2 us working on other projects!!!! sorryy
to answer your questions the GBC ROM will definitely come with the itch.io purchase, and most likely be packaged along with the .exe for the Steam purchase too.
in terms of release date, we dont want to jinx anything but will definitely post abt it when its close! hopefully SOON™ <3<3
Thank You! I'll be sitting on the edge of my seat until the game comes out. I love the demo of the game. Thank you for your time, and for making this game. For a thanks, I'll pay an extra AUD$10 when I buy the game. Thank you and farewell... For now, at least
I played this demo almost a whole year ago now or i'd guess it to be something like that, and i've genuinley been so excited since!!!!! i can't wait for the full game to come out lol. this is srsly the best lgbt game ive ever played. thanks for making such an amazing game!!
i reallyyyyy love, i'm waiting for the full game now
i love this sm
i love this!
my character started flowing down the screen and i couldnt move at some point. Regardless a very nice demo and game concept!
ayo, thanks for this bug report! Im 95% sure I know how to fix it, so will clean that up in the next build <3 <3 thanks for playing!!!
DEMOO???
epic game, i lowkey spent more time on the phone game than the actual lore 😅
hellll yeah we love a phone game gamer!!! such a timesink if only bc i made it really hard and janky by accident and then decided i liked that
this was so awesome -ill be waiting for full game bc this is great :D
why the fuck is it gay boy
idk my BFF jill?
How much you need to complete this game?
I need the full game right noooowwwww
a few more months (and 1 million trillions dollarz), hehe
will the full game be playable in browser? I hope so this looks fun
thanks 4 asking! atm im unsure, it might make the release complicated. will try to make it as accessible as possible tho!!
I've just gotten here and I looove this demo, can't wait for the full game!!!
IM SO EXCITED FOR THE FULL GAME TO FINALLY COME OUT!!!
AAAAAAH THE DEMO IS SOOOOOO GOOD, I'LL BE WAITING 4 THE WHOLE GAME!! LOVE IT
This reminds me so much of my days as a 13 year-old fanfiction reader. I didn't know fanfiction was something I still needed in my life omg. And the game ended at exactly the right time, just when I started getting bored, all like "JUST DO IT. CONFESS. EVEN MY SORRYY COWARDLY ASS WAS ABLE TO DO IT IT'S NOT THAT HARD YOU &%@#!" It's also amazing how much one can do with just 4 colors, it's actually impressive.
really appreciate ur comment <3 so glad it brought you back to the ancient fanfic times!!!!
I really enjoyed the demo! I will be watching progress on this one closely.
Ik the demo hasn't been out for long but do you have any idea when the full game will come out? :3 I've checked steam and online but have only seen it's coming this year.
Hiya, thx for asking -- ive been meaning to post an updaaaate so i'll probably make a wee blog post or smn going over how progress on the full versn is going ((and what ppl can expect!!)) still very keen to get it wrapped this year, and v. much appreciate every1s patience while its bein worked on. (tl;dr its basically just 1.5 ppl working on it ""part time"" so its slow cookin)
thx , I can't wait for the whole game cuz the demo is already amazing :D
OMG so excited for the full version!! The demo was so good it was like a slap in the face when i saw the "end of demo" thing lmao take the time you need tho :))
LOVE THIS!!!!!
oh em gee can't wait to see the finished product I audibly screamed no when the credits started rolling from how invested I was XD
I LOVEEEDDDDD this demo, so awesome, loved everything about it!!!
i see the word emo i click oh my god this is fire keep the work up! shoutout 2 tha whole team fr X3
edit: i just beat the game and wow holy shit thats a lotta content 4 a demo :O
THIS IS SO UNDERRATED!!!!
HELP I LOVE THIS SO MUCH KAJSLHWUEJGA FINSHED IN ONE SITTING AND AAAA I LOVE EVERYTHING ABT IT 100000/10 <333
SAME
WAIT ITS NOT DONE???? NOOOO
really really hope u get this donee someday!
probably the closest thing ive seen that could be considered an Oceania yaoi experience and i love that
the dialogue is fantastic i do hope the full game gives more moments of the two of them before they fell in love tho
I absolutely LOVE this game to pieces (despite not playing much of it, as I got a little confused about where to go), seeing the fact that it's based in New Zealand when I looked at it on Steam to add it onto my wishlist made me so happy, as I'm from New Zealand myself, and from a small town down south. I adore the style of this game, and all of the scenes and dialogue, I can't wait until the full version is released. Keep up the great work :DDD
ayo!! small kiwi town solidarity!! thanks sm for the lovely comment, sorry to hear u got confused lol!!! theres some quality of life stuff we'll put in the full version thatll hopefully help w/ that (in the meantime u can check out a no commentary playthru on YouToob 4 guidance if needed) 🙏🐸
hihi ! playing thru it for the first time n ts is extremely cute forreal !! something that my playthru is hitting is the part at the ' private key ' . ferg doesn't say his line that prompts me to get the lighter from the groundskeeper so I'm stuck w ken just saying they r dead bushes !! but overall enjoying the whole story rn :)
yooo, thanks sm for playing!!!
thanks for the feedback on the graveyard scene!! i'll be making this part clearer in the final release 4 sure, haha.
if it is bugged -- i think you could try going into the crypt in the bottom right of the map again (check 58:25 in the vid) and just check if you can reset the trigger for the gorse bushes / lighter quest that comes after.
hope that helps!! thx again <3I know this is late but private key is the 4rth key which is should be somewhere on the bottom right of the graveyard, surrounded by a fence. There you will find the 5th key, the last (forgot what its called) and only THEN, you will be able to get to the last building-thingy.
Really beautiful game. Resonates with me strongly. Looking forward to the full thing!
Hi there, love the concept and nostalgia of the game, great art!!
I saw that your game is part of the Queer Games bundle 2024, and my team and I are currently working on a volunteer project about queer games for Pride Month. In short, we want to translate a queer game for free to give visibility to LGBT gaming! Would you be interested?
Please message me on Twitter @Liar_is_fire, or by email at caroline.tsakanias@gmail.com so I can give you more info!
omg! thanks so much for reaching out, the Queer Them All initiative sounds fantastic and translation is defs something i'd be interested in for this project. will get in touch with you to learn more!!!
okay so i love this game this IS one of a kind and id pay my left kodney for the full version the work yall put in this is visible thank you so much for putting this game out there this is a one of a kind game this is all ive ever been looking for in a game and im looking forward to more ❤️
I will edit this when I finish but my mom's boyfriend just asked "What 1980s game are you playing?"
Heh, little does he know....I'll shut up. I think this game's dialogue has changed the way I talk ^^'
8 MINS LATER
I cried when I got that cliffhanger, Tysm for this fun gameplay. My emo boi needs to it to him straight (unlike him) Also the graveyard soundtrack was my favorite, I was dancing. Keep it up
NOT ME WAITING FOR THE KISS😭😭😭 THIS IS SUCH A LOVELY GAME, i hope you get enough rest to be able to finish this! I just love it too much-
THIS IS SUCH A CUTE GAME WHAT... BUT YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE US ON A CLIFFHANGER >:00
ken and ferg are just too lovable... they have to get together!! can't wait for the full game / any updates!
thank uu sm!!! working hard on getting it all wrapped up so we can beat the cliffhanger allegations ❤️❤️❤️
This game is cringe
yea ❤️
Personally if you find it cringe its just not for you funny to me youd click on a game called "small town emo" with the cover litteraly saying Gayy Boy and think "oh yeah thats a normal 2022 pixel game with gore and murder" this is one of a kind and the work put in it is amazing especially love those little actual drawings where you can see what they actually look like
I love this, but I'm stuck. How do I get past the dead gorse bushes?
hiiiii! sorry to hear u got stuck -- with the gorse bushes u need 2 get a lighter from the NPC who is smoking ((near the graveyard carpark.))
if ya peep this video at around 59:45 you can see the steps to do this (and u can check back if u've missed a step):
hope that helps!! thanks for reaching out <3
OMG THE MCR REFERENCES IN THIS GAME!!!!! I love this demo I could tattoo this on my forhead
(srry engleish bad)
The demo version is so simple and cozy. yes, not without hints of problems and a deeper plot, and yet... with my rather poor knowledge of English and the desire to explore everything, I played for about three hours. I'm not sure I found all the memes, but...
There's so much detail here even though it's just a demo. Maybe it's just my imagination, but I think it's cute that Ken literally always looks back at Ferg when they walk together. I like that the only (I guess I'm never sure enough..) moment when the sound disappears in the game is the moment Ferg visits his grandmother's grave and a short dialogue about the consequences of death.
this is a good game. Looking at the developer's responses, I thought it would be important to dump this bunch of thoughts and praise here.
I don't know if I'll be able to see/buy/play the release version, but... I'm already fascinated by this project. Thank you.
yo. thanks for taking the time to play, & leaving this lovely comment 😭 the details u pointed out are some of my favourites. the silence at grandma's grave, hints of deeper problems + exploring and finding memes... all silly (maybe) but important bits i really wanted folks to enjoy.
reading ur thoughts on the project is a bit like looking at it with fresh eyes. its very motivating and cathartic. so thank u for sharing. hopefully u are able to check out the full release when its ready. much love ty ❤️🐸