Canvas Keepsakes

I liked it! The writing was engaging and the story compelling. As the story developed, i had to know what happens. The hallmark of a good plot.

The game is presented well, in Twine, without unnecessary gimmicks. I played on a mobile where it worked well, the text was clear and the layout fine. Some of the choices felt like glorified continue buttons, but you always get that. There were several good choice points and a few really good choices that made me pause (good design).

I liked the ending but wondered if there were multiple endings. There were many places where i thought the wrong choice could be fatal (which is good design). But i wonder if they were. Sorry it didn't play again to try. In any case, the outcome could be quite macabre and leave a bad taste. So perhaps it's best not to have them. At least not the bad ones. :)

I felt the pace of the story struggled a bit later;
(Spoiler - click to show)
During the scenes inside the monster, arguing with the two characters. Perhaps these bits could be more streamlined. "streamlined" what does that mean? People have said that to me. I sat scratching my head. So, instead perhaps "condensed". a bit. maybe.

This is a really minor point, and only the pacing, not the writing itself. Perhaps just my feeling comparing the initial pace to the later pace.

I enjoyed the atmospheric sound effects which added depth.

Pixel the cat;
(Spoiler - click to show)
Did feel like a witch's familiar. And the idea of going into paintings, like spells, does resonate with witchcraft. This angle was mentioned but not developed in the story. Perhaps a sequel?


To wrap up, a strong compelling story, well presented and engaging with many good choice points.

Thank you C.T. O'Mahony.

With solid writing and an interesting story which keeps the tension going, Canvas Keepsakes provided a pretty entertaining experience. As an artist, struggling to pay the rent, you have the strange power to travel in your own paintings and retrieve things from them. Of course, things quickly go awry as you meet a buyer who seems secretly out to mess you up, and your paintings come out to mess with you.

I liked the cat companion in particular. Pixel is pretty adorable, plays a strong role in the story and also provides some entertaining commentary.

One thing I didn't like was that the game didn't really introduce the story elements very well. For that, I recommend reading the blurb before you start, as the game does not explain quite a number of story elements otherwise.

As for one thing I really liked, the use of visuals and sound to convey scenes. Shaking and glowing letters, background color changes and sounds all work in tandem to add oomph to the different scenes. Special effects are one thing this game does very well.

It was a good bit of entertainment.

Interesting premise, decent writing. By and large, the story is pretty linear, differing only in the artist's choice of demon and their decision on what to do with it. Our protagonist's familiar, Pixel, was a cute, snarky sidekick and behaved exactly like a cat— surprisingly loyal, but don't make too much of a fuss about it. For better or worse, the antagonists were annoying; a cartoonish, uninspired evil, though maybe that's also because I've had the misfortune of dealing with that type of personality in real life.

All in all, it's a fun game to play during your lunch break, and not bad at all for the author's first foray into Twine.