There Swings a Skull: Grim Tidings
Conor Walsh · 2022 · Story Rich, Atmospheric, Dark, Pixel Graphics, Multiple Endings
PC
Very Positive97% · 75
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About There Swings a Skull: Grim Tidings
THERE SWINGS A SKULL
The town of Pareildas stands in the center of a vast desert. Its citizens live their lives quietly. Or, at least, they once did.
In recent days the speaker-gallows sprang, weedlike, in the heart of the town - and since its inception the denizens of Pareildas have been sacrificed, one by one. The electric words that spew from the gallows claim this is to staunch the blistering hatred of the vengeful sun... but the heat has only grown more and more unbearable.
OUR PROTAGONISTS
Anatoli works for the town train station. He dreams of leaving Pareildas, so that he might peacefully live out the rest of his life with his husband. His dreams share much in common with the blackened husks of the town's denizens that line the streets.
Pyotr is an independent artist. He hopes, deeply, that he might do something to stop the hellfire slowly consuming Pareildas. But the price of stopping the natural order is immensely steep - and, of course, there's no guarantee this is a natural occurrence at all...
ABOUT THE GAME
There Swings a Skull: Grim Tidings is a narrative-horror game built in RPG Maker 2003 by Conor Walsh and Quinn K., with music by Leaf Let. Though the game initially released as a jam game it was so well-received - and sat so well with our team - that we decided to build it out into a full game.
Conor Walsh is a professional narrative designer who has written on such titles as The Outer Worlds, A Place, Forbidden, The DreadX Collection 2, and many others.
Quinn K. brought indie darling OFF to the English-speaking world and recently released the stylish and moody AN OUTCRY.
We hope you enjoy our work.
FEATURES
- A deep central narrative
- Gorgeous pixel and fullscreen graphics
- A unique, haunting soundtrack
- Two separate routes and a third that we dare not mention
- Multiple endings
- A hateful sun
- The endless ocean
- Death
What Steam players say
Recent verbatim reviews from Steam — separate from playze.io community reviews below.
Extraordinarily well-done game. Horrific, hopeful, suffocating, and delightful in equal measure. Punched me in the gut repeatedly in a way that had me saying, "Yeah, I know what that's like...unfortunately..." which is, in my opinion, the mark of excellent societal horror.1 found this helpful
Somehow seems more potent, playing this in 2025: the world's aflame, yet it seems like we can do very little things to change it, so we just continue to monotonously live each and every day of our lives, try to cherish our loved ones while suffocating in dread... Can't help but feel like "something is in the air" — hence too hot and dense to suck in, yet to escape into another world by oneself seems just as improbable... there is always more than just one eye watching, from above or below. I love the writing style, subtle yet effective: the changing inscriptions on tombstones, the building lights that are on and off, the ominous eye(s) staring out from the apartment building door... And our lovely couple. It's hard not to empathize with these characters. The music and graphics too enhance this melancholic feeling. Unsettling yet not terrifying, being used to tragedy yet still unbearable to stare them right into the eye — or eyes. Truly a wonderful game!1 found this helpful
Short little hidden gem of an existential horror game. Love in the time of climate crisis.
Played it after An Outcry. It's shorter, but more surreal if possible. It works well on Steam Deck. No issues whatsoever.
What a painfully beautiful story that feels consoling in current times. I did a few playthroughs for both perspectives and to try other choices and I enjoyed the dialogue so much. I highly recommend its short and sweet!
A heartbreaking game that everyone should play/experience at least once in their life.
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