While You Were Away
a little critter lives on your taskbar and plays an idle game on its handheld while you work. step away and it keeps playing, then hands you a report card when you're back. over two weeks the reports start getting... a bit strange
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Overview
Summary
a little critter lives on your taskbar and plays an idle game on its handheld while you work. step away and it keeps playing, then hands you a report card when you're back. over two weeks the reports start getting... a bit strange
Description
About This Game
hey i'm rior, a solo dev
nib lives in the corner of your screen with a handheld called the pocket. it plays a digging game called down below. you set nib's plan, tap to dig if you feel like it and go do your thing. when you come back nib holds up a report: dirt dug, stuff found, naps taken, a grade and a crayon drawing of you
for the first hour or so the reports are just cute. then they start to drift. a save file nib reset hours ago is somehow still digging
my inspirations for making this game were desktop pets and taskbar games like rusty's retirement
nib lives in the corner of your screen with a handheld called the pocket. it plays a digging game called down below. you set nib's plan, tap to dig if you feel like it and go do your thing. when you come back nib holds up a report: dirt dug, stuff found, naps taken, a grade and a crayon drawing of you
for the first hour or so the reports are just cute. then they start to drift. a save file nib reset hours ago is somehow still digging
a real idle game
down below has 10 layers down to 1,000m, tool upgrades, four helpers (a mole, a worm crew, a lantern bug and an old robot) and new files that earn stars for upgrades that stick around. beat a layer's par time and it scores doublereports from your actual day
every report is built from what really happened while you were gone. a sticky note for a short break, a full report card for 30 minutes or more. they all go in a binder you can reread, and the curios nib digs up go on a museum shelfa slow, unsettling story
the story only happens through the reports. 4 acts, about two weeks of desktop time, 4 endings. no jump scares and no loud sounds, it's more of a "huh, that's weird" kind of creepy. you can set the strangeness to gentle if you wantwhat it never does
it never touches your files, settings or wallpaper, never opens your browser, never uses the internet, webcam or mic, and never fakes a crash or a windows error. it only reads the time of your last input to know you stepped away, never which keysgood for streams
a one-sitting mode tells the whole story in about 3 hours, there's a streamer mode that hides your name, and a green background for capturemy inspirations for making this game were desktop pets and taskbar games like rusty's retirement
