A downloadable game for Windows, macOS, and Android

How much of myself am I willing to give up in the name of love? was a question Enid found herself asking more and more as the confrontation between her and her ex grew nearer. A useless question to ask at this point, but one she couldn't seem to get out of her head regardless.


Don't Die Digging is a visual novel about the pains of personhood, about coming back from the dead wrong, and about how painful love can be when you give too much of yourself in its name before being ready for it.

Enid Carbide is an ornithologist, a mercenary and a necromancer, leading the corps known as the 'Kestrel Knights'.  For the past three years, she's been butting heads with a rival corps led by her ex-girlfriend, Tess, and the scrawny girl who is in love with her. They've met three times since their break-up, each one ending in an attempt at the other's life.


Now, with the biggest job she and her team have embarked on yet, Enid is presented a fourth and final opportunity to bury Tess -and the past- for good. This time she will make it count, or gladly die in the process.

Don't Die Digging may contain...


  • Adorable lesbians trying to court each other.
  • Not-so adorable lesbians trying to kill each other.
  • Detailed and kinetic fight scenes.
  • Quiet, somber moments.
  • Over 20 CGs drawn by me.
  • About 2 hours of playtime.
  • A post-credits scene.

 There's also a no-commentary playthrough of the game, if you'd prefer it. Here.


This game was made in under two months for Yuri Game Jam 2023, written, programmed and drawn by me, with music from Nihilore and Alice Walker. Let me know about any bugs or grammatical inconsistencies you find, since English is not my first language.

Content Warning: 

This game contains violence, graphic depictions of death and referenced sexual and emotional abuse.


If you want to reach out, feel free to do so at my tumblr: https://alparlaboratories.tumblr.com/

Download

Download
Dont_Die_Digging-1.0-pc.zip 259 MB
Download
com.org.androidset-release.apk 271 MB
Download
Dont_Die_Digging-1.0-mac.zip 253 MB

Install instructions

On PC and Mac: Download the .zip file and unzip it somewhere on your PC, then just play!

On Android: Download the APK and install it. If you see any bugs, please let me know!

Development log

Comments

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(+2)

Finally got around to write a review :')  I played your game in several sessions for more than a week now, probably (just too much irl stuff >_<) but I'll try to gather all my thoughts from the playthrough.

First of all, the song in the main menu is GORGEOUS. Fantastic choice. 

Then, another thing I liked a lot: it felt like the game consists of CGs, there were a lot of scene changes, they all looked really cool (loved BGs!) and made the visual element more dynamic. 

Then, I liked the sprites as well, especially Sofia's (I mean I just think she looks super cute and kinda my type and her personality is cool too soooo that's subjective but talking about style in general sprites look good and their designs are interesting, as well as designs of their weapons!) 

With the story, I felt like in the beginning it was too unclear why they are trying to kill each other. And I don't mean "explain it right away", I mean - just a little hint in the beginning, or change the phrase a bit. Because it just sounded like "I regret reviving her and so I want to kill her" which didn't make sense to me at all (like, if I revived someone, I would like them to stay alive to not make my choice meaningless). Only later, with all the flashbacks, I understood the motivations of the characters better and could get more into the story. Also after reading the part with Kyle and Sariffa, I just felt really bad for Enid; probably that flashback was also my favourite part of the game.

Lastly, I liked the worldbuilding. I think you've created a unique place with its own history, culture, realias, etc. And, the story was very sad. Some parts more gripping, some less (again - subjective opinion, it's hard for me to keep attention in action scenes in all media, but I enjoyed the CGs and sprites during the fights). It shows that you put a lot of feeling and emotion into the text of the novel, and I felt like there was a twist in the end that took me by surprise and that was a plus for sure. I like how the ending went with the song, too. While I wish there were good endings, I appreciate the original story and I think it was pretty cool!

(+2)

First off, thank you so much for taking the time to play the game, and for your super kind comment!!!

I was so lucky to get permission from Alice Walker to use her music, and I'm glad it had the intended effect both for the opening screen aand the ending haha. And yeah, even though we only had two months to work with I got pretty obsessive with the game's art, to the point I feel like there are too many CGs and not enough sprites, but what can you do.

I got that same feedback regarding the character's motivations at the start, so I'll make sure to try and tweak it so it's clearer. And yeah, I absolutely love writing action scenes and fighting, at least the rest got you through those parts haha. I'm very happy you liked the story and characters, that's where I poured all of my love into. At first I toyed with the idea of multiple endings, but after a while I realized there was only one way the game could end, because of how stubborn everyone was. It's a sad ending, yes, but it also represents a new beginning for both Enid and Sofía, something I'd like to explore more in the future.

Again, I can't thank you enough for leaving this comment, it means a lot!!!

(+1)

Oh my god, this game is a gem. It's a masterful story of becoming the monster, grief, and rejecting the image someone else tries to shape you into. I love Enid, my heart ached for her the entire time while she was forced into a villainous role for those who knew her in the past. The music was a superb choice, every track from Nihilore was perfectly placed to add the right tension, especially during the climatic fight. Alice Walker's vocals and lyrics added a rawness to the overall tone of the story, morphing the title screen into a killer breakup song. I loved everything from beginning to end!!!

I also love your choreography in the fight scene. The light effects reminded me of Umineko, but you even added your own spin by including dramatic poses and figures like Enid's birds. It was incredible. Also, Enid and Elliot's relationship is so special.

Finally, I just wanted to add that I loved this art style! It really extended itself for posing and expressions, and you were able to capture a lot of diverse bodies!! Thank you for this game, I hope to see more in the future!

Thank you so much for your kind words!!! I'm glad you got everything I wanted to come across from the game and the characters, it makes me very happy that you appreciated it and liked the game. And yes, I took plenty of inspiration for the battle effects from Umineko, good to know they still come across with a bit of their own flavor haha. 

I was super lucky to have the help of both Nihilore and Alice Walker, without whom this game wouldn't have been nearly as effective in my opinion. Their music really is great. 

Again, thank you for playing and supporting the game!!! I hope I can make something else that you'll enjoy in the future.

I wouldn't have guessed while reading this that English isn't your first language. You're writing is pretty good! I didn't pick up on grammatical issues and the writing is quite detailed. I saw a few minor typos but that's not a big deal. I do that myself sometimes

Thank you for your kind comment!!! Nice to know that you enjoyed the writing, and I hope you enjoyed the rest of the game too! I very much appreciate you playing it :D