Cycle of Torment

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Cycle of Torment |

The Core Loop:

  • Manage The Horror Of Monotony

    Step into the shoes of a depressed, anxious, and timing-obsessed hypochondriac in the aftermath of the pandemic. Now living as a 24/7 shut-in figuring out whether her will to live is based on hope or mere routine, either way it takes a massive amount of effort just to practice the basics of staying alive. While you’re following a strict, borderline OCD level routine for when to shower, eat, and sleep, be aware - time is always moving forward whether you want it to or not, so follow the right order of things…or else.

  • Keep Your Friends Close...

    Some say it’s wise to try and befriend your anxiety rather than fight it. This game takes the term literally. As you are attempting to stick to your routine, an ever-growing mass of Anxiety stalks you constantly. The longer you ignore it, the larger it gets, until it grows so overwhelming that it consumes you, leading to losing a precious hour to a panic attack. However, while panic attacks can’t always be avoided completely, sometimes they can be put off until a better time. After all, if you expect it, it just becomes part of the routine, right?

  • The Next Best Thing To Going Outside

    One of the most reliable ways to postpone anxiety is through distraction, and what better time to seek sickness-free parasocial sustenance than while everyone else is trapped inside? Between mandatory self-care, you can explore the wonders of the internet - from YouRoll videos to keep your brain occupied to daily Disclose messages and News Updates, there’s plenty to keep you occupied. Though, as important as it is to keep up with the news, at one point does the seemingly constant negative press bring you further and further into despair?

Art and Animation

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Art and Animation |

Cycle of Torment was my first attempt at 2D animation that wasn’t pixel animation. I learned on the fly (and probably worked in the least efficient way possible) by hand drawing each individual frame in Photoshop and splicing the scenes together one at a time. This is the case for every sprite in the game, not just cutscenes! The opening cutscene alone took nearly 3 months, and now I know it’s better to use an actual animation software/plug-in rather than eyeball it. But hey, we live and we learn!

Cycle of Torment’s Itch.io trailer

The opening cutscene of Cycle of Torment

Where Does the Game End and Real Life Begin?

Cycle of Torment’s themes are based on personal experience

This picture was taken moments before disaster.

During the Covid years, my depression had hit its breaking point. I had to move in with my dad and his other family just before starting my second year at university, knowing that the challenges I dealt with due to autism were going to cause tension. It got to the point that, halfway through my first semester, I felt so othered that I had to move into dorms.

That had started off great, though the pandemic had made me extremely anxious around cleanliness, especially with food. As months went by, my autism-related sensitivity had begun to spike, to when I’d have sensory overload after every meal - I could feel the entire uncomfortable digestion process in my stomach. All while dealing with flat mates who did not respect my wishes to not touch my food or help me keep the kitchen clean, and who ended up giving me Covid twice. At my worst, I’d gotten to the point where I was willingly starving myself as long as possible due to the fear of contamination combined with sensory overload. I was (rather literally) surviving, barely managing one-to-two slices of bread a day, with no energy to get from my bed to my desk two feet away, let alone leave my dorm room. It may sound a bit dark and dramatic, but if it weren’t for my mum and sister putting in the effort to sit on zoom while I ate every night, or my friends noticing my absence from classes and bringing me homecooked meals as often as they could, I honestly think I would have eventually died in that room. Instead, I started to eat properly again, stuck to a routine, left the house after nearly a month of wasting away and rejoining the world that I thought was moving on without me. I also managed to use that dark time to try and articulate into my final game project, Cycle of Torment. While it’s nowhere near perfect or fully realised, it’s one of the most important projects I’ve ever made.

FANCY PLAYING?

FANCY PLAYING?

Drop me a message and I’ll be able to show a live demo!