This is not a Vacation

Short horror game for web or GameBoy, about a trip out to a cabin. 

• Controls:
  • Mobile: 
    • Just press on the "full screen" icon, and use the onscreen touch buttons.
  • Keyboard:
    • z: confirm/proceed text (has to be lower case--check for caps lock)
    • arrows: make selection

To play the GameBoy ROM, you'll need an emulator, like "SameBoy", which you can find per Google:

Or, you'll need an emulator device like the Anbernic RG351V:

(The protagonist is not on vacation.)

(The worm is not a worm.)

(Rock bottom is wherever you stop digging.)

(To all those struggling with addiction, best of luck.)

Spoilers/Symbolism/Metaphor

The "Vacation" is a bout of unemployment. During this lonely struggle, our protagonist finds alcohol, and has an internal dialogue with the part of himself that asks of him to give up fighting to get back on his feet, and give into addiction. The worm symbolizes the addiction, but is also a cosmic horror that feeds on human emotion. It uses the "cabin" to lure in the lonely and struggling. The protagonist happens to pick it up, by chance. (Susceptibility to addiction is largely change, per the genetic lottery.)

Generative AI statement: Generative AI was used in creating the basis from which the art assets were created. Each generated piece was heavily edited post generation. This post-editing was performed not only to mold the assets to a particular vision, but also so as to fit  the capabilities of the GameBoy set forth in GBstudio. No AI generated text was used in the creation of the game.