WASTE EATER
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After a global revolution dealt a final death blow to the world's crumbling industries, researchers and activists were left to pick up the pieces of their planet's ruined ecosystems. Their solution was simple: they turned themselves into pollution-eating mutants.
Now, over half a century later, the rivers are blue again and the birds have learned new songs. A beautiful world is stepping out of the husk of the old.
And the last waste-eater is waiting to die.
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WASTE EATER is a 10-15 minute introspective about losing your humanity, and finding hope instead. Inspired by games like Far From Noise and Breathe.
This game contains references to topics such as death and suicide. Oh, and cannibalism.
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Credits:
Developed on the stolen lands of the Kulin Nation.
Silkscreen font by Jason Aleksandr Kottke
Homespun font by Brian Kent
Wind sound altered from Damien Devaux
Rain sound altered from Abinadi Meza
Thanks PoorDunce and Elissa Black for playtesting!
If you liked WASTE EATER, you can keep up with what I'm working on next by following me on Itch, Mastodon, Cohost, or better yet give me your email so I can beam devlogs directly into your inbox. thnx.
Download
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Development log
- Source Code Published!Jan 14, 2023
- Fewer Words, More Narrative - Visual Storytelling in WASTE EATERJan 12, 2023
- WASTE EATER is out!Jan 08, 2023
Comments
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Really goood!!! I wasn't expeting anything and gave me a big surprise.
https://durandal.blog/blog/waste-eaters wrote a review a few months back—great game :)
such a lovely read, thank you! <3
the monologue was so real i felt it really
the acid rain at the end made it even more sad and hilarious at the same time. i expected him to die and i wanted to imagine he met dogface and mars. but this was a better way to end it i guess.
love this
This game was a big oof to play (comipliment!), I enjoyed the sad atmosphere that underpins the hope in it all.
casi me hizo llorar, pero el final me saco una risa. esta muy bien escrito y empatizas con como se siente el personaje
I have a question. As a blind person, who can't see the artwork, do you still think I will enjoy this game?
The art is a pretty core part of the game, sorry! The text might be picked up on a screen reader, but there's some visual elements that are important to understanding the narrative.
brilliant idea, and such a powerful message. well done
BRAVO 👏👏👏
<3 <3
Thoughtful monologue. I loved the write-up you posted!
Really cool pixel art. Orange/green is an unusual color palette but it works well here. Also, cat.
This is so cool and awesome dude
Well... Damn.
thank you so much for this game. its fucking gorgeous
For some reason the game soft locks for me? Two messages after choosing "I should be happy" the game just never gives me another one. After "I should be angry" I can play for a bit longer but it too eventually locks up and I can never get to the ending. Tried both local windows and web player versions.
Other than that I only got why the acid rain was important after eating his friend after a second playthrough. Man, ain't that just life.
Really enjoy the aesthetic here
Damn
I forgot to comment on this one when I played it, but it was such a good time. It's a bit oddly specific, but I always thought that the nuclear waste spike setting was underutilized. I also really loved the main character here, the way they spoke about the other people felt very humanized? The descriptions of the world and what happened to it versus what was coming after this glimpse of it were beautiful as well; the soundtrack felt very elevating to that experience. Overall a very melancholy but satisfying story
such a lovely comment, thank you so much! <3
this is such a lovely game!! i was already sold by the premise but was even more excited seeing that someone also named cain developed it.<3 the writing and the message.
hell yeah!!!! thank you so much <3 <3 (and lol cool to find another cain!)
AHH NO WAY I HAVENT COMMENTED ON THIS I LOVE THIS GAME SO MUCH, your writing astonishes me everytime, i love how human all of them are, and i hope you continue to create more :3
aaaaa such a lovely comment, thank you so much!!!! <3 <3 <3
Reminds me of the Nausicaa manga, when the protagonist learns the truth about the ecosystem she loves.
A noble sacrifice, when duty calls, we pay the price. For a better future I'll give my life
DUTY. COURAGE. HONOR!
Lovely game. Really made me think about the current world, and how important it is that we fight for a better future--even if it's bitterly unfair to us that we may not get to enjoy it.
awesome game. i've been sitting at my computer for like 10 minutes now going "yeah..."
you have a brilliant way of writing, evoking real introspection in a relatively short monologue, and with a slick as hell setting.
good luck on proximate! seeing your parallels talk and this means i'm very excited for what might come in the future. one day i hope i can write something that makes people feel emotions like you have here
oh gosh such a lovely comment, thank you so much! <3
Loved the idea of waste eaters and that we can witness them becoming obsolete. I wish I could learn more about these characters and the world they inhabit. Are you planning more games in this setting?
yes, i'd love to make more in this setting! i'm currently working on a larger project, PROXIMATE, but when that's done i think i'll return to this setting :)
Oh, nice, I'm looking forward to both games!Thanks!
This game speaks to some of the feelings those of us working on climate change grapple with, so thanks for some catharsis! The idea that we might struggle our whole lives to save the world, and never see the benefits, is something I grapple with a lot and is something I'd love to write more about. Thanks again, and looking forward to future projects!
Hi! I absolutely love the art direction and the aesthetic of this game! I'm a sound designer/composer from London and would love to have a chance to work with you! Have you got some contact details you can give me so i can message you privately? Thanks!
This is cool as hell, looking forward to your future projects!
Wow.
I have nothing else to say.
Your storytelling is the best I've had the pleasure of enjoying in months. The ability to evoke such strong emotions with so little text is a rare gift. Don't stop creating man.
what a lovely comment!!!! thank you so much <3 <3 <3
Honestly the world building for this was great, Im really hoping that I see anything more about this character, but who knows
captivating and gorgeous!
that was beautiful
this made me cry. your storytelling is incredible
thank you so much!!! <3 <3 <3
beautiful subtle writing with excellent world building. The way you described this world through this character made my mind imagine so many things. Loved it
i really loved this! it was short but so poignant, and at every step my brain was turning over possible stories/the concept of the world - you managed to make it so evocative with so little. i loved the ending. great work, and very melancholy/bitter but hopeful.
Thought-provoking. I seriously love games like this one. It made me stop for a while and the line at the end of the credit scene made me cry a little bit. Cheers to the game creator! This is truly well-done.
Delightful doesn't start to cut it. I can't put a finger on how much it made me feel, but it sure did. There's something about losing humanity and gaining it anyway (or maybe never losing it in the first), there's something about hope ebbing away and back, there's something about fighting on. It's a beautiful game, and I just know I won't be able to stop thinking about it for a long, long while. Superb work.
what a stunning game, echoing the comments all left before to say that this sticks with me - to press on, to keep surviving even when our bodies want to give out on us. the fight rages on, and we have to keep fighting. I love that the character talking has no name, because they can be any one of us. we all have the potential to create a world that others can thrive in. thank you for making this game, and thank you for all the hard work that went into it!
Thank you SO much for the lovely comment! I appreciate all your kind words <3
Thank you for the accessibility suggestion too - I'll update the game soon with that!
Thanks for making this game.
Your message at the end made me almost cry - I was not expecting it. Fight like hell. ✊