Tessera

~ JL McCallum ~

@cruddish.bsky.social

https://cruddish.itch.io/ game dev working on: ~ SKIRL, a creature-cataloguing folk horror project ~ Give up the Ghost (@playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social), a haunted point-and-click mystery ~ and whatever else i'm currently fixated on!

34 Posts196 Follower 218 Folgt

~ JL McCallum ~@cruddish.bsky.social · 3d ago

no idea how itch measures these things but being third-most popular in the jam is crazy

An itch.io webpage for the Haunted PS1 Summer Camp Jam, showing the most popular games, of which Starstory is number three.

~ JL McCallum ~@cruddish.bsky.social · last wk.

I made a little game for the #HauntedPS1 Summer Camp Jam! Can be completed in under ten minutes. STARSTORY is a short trip up to the stars above. Recall myths of ages past with a fellow hermit and etch their forms onto the sky. #IndieGame #GameDev #IndieDev #PSX #lowpoly

~ JL McCallum ~@cruddish.bsky.social · 2w ago

a freaky GUY i put together for a #HauntedPS1 Summer Camp Jam game #PSX #IndieGame #GameDev

A 3D model of a character rendered in the style of a PS1 game. He is covered in straw, twigs, and a bizarre mask. He wears a long banner with several glyphs upon it.

✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧@playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 4mo ago

New zone coming to the Early Access Demo 👀!!! Your journey takes you to HEARTHALL -- the refuge of the Wheatfields. Here, the people may rest. The fire is low and warm. #playgiveuptheghost #conceptart #gamedev #indiegame

✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧@playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 4mo ago

The city Forde awaits you. #playgiveuptheghost #conceptart #indiegame #indiedev #gamedev

A black and white illustration of a wheatfield with a path running through it, the silhouette of a towering city looming in the distance surrounded by smoke and framed by a magenta rectangle. Before it, small windmills and other wooden structures can be seen dwarfed by the city itself.

✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧@playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 5mo ago

The Timekeepers tend to the Shed of Seconds. #playgiveuptheghost #indiegame #gamedev #indiedev #ambience

✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧@playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 5mo ago

A Wastewoman of Armature. #playgiveuptheghost #conceptart #gamedev #indiegame

A black-and-white illustration of a woman completely covered bar her hands and eyes. She wields a tall broom.

✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧@playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Here's a quick run-through of the Shed of Seconds thus far! First here's an early draft of how the scene could be laid out. #playgiveuptheghost #conceptart #gamedev #indiegame

A black-and-white piece of concept art. Surrounded by darkness on all sides lies a small, cramped room, laden with shapes at odd ends and four figures. One is hooded: the Overseer, while the other three tend to various jobs around the room.

✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧@playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 5mo ago

We have succumbed and now have an Instagram account! If you happen to also have one, do give us a follow and kindly feed the algorithm for us <3 www.instagram.com/playgiveupth...

✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧@playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 6mo ago

The city Forde awaits you. #playgiveuptheghost #conceptart #gamedev #indiegame

A black-and-white illustration of a towering city hidden in the distance by smoke and mist. A thin magenta rectangle frames it. In the foreground, a path traces through wheatfields towards the city.

✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧@playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Early draft of a Fordite interior. #playgiveuptheghost #conceptart #gamedev

A black-and-white illustration of a small, cramped bedroom lit by a single lamp. The walls are covered with frames and the whole room is covered with books, parchments, and other miscellaneous objects.

✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧@playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Various people of the Wheatfields! #conceptart #gamedev #playgiveuptheghost

A black and white illustration of four figures.
One carries a bag full of wheat on their back.
Another stirs a large mortar.
The third stirs a heated pot.
The fourth is covered in braids, both hair and rope.

✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧@playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 7mo ago

This piece is also used as the cover art for one of the playlists assembled by our writer Elijah showcasing some of the music that has thus far inspired Give up the Ghost! open.spotify.com/playlist/13B... #indiegame #gamedev

give up

open.spotify.com

✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧@playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Dug through the pile to find anything relevant to post for #LunarNewYear and all I could come up with is one of the earliest examples of art made of Forde that ALSO happens to feature a moon. #conceptart #gamedev #playgiveuptheghost

A monochrome print of abstract towering buildings, smoke rising from their chimneys, against a pitch-black sky. A crescent moon shines above them.

✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧@playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Happy #ValentinesDay from our house to yours <3 as can be seen here, romance is very much alive in Midden #indiegame #gamedev #playgiveuptheghost

A screenshot of a role-playing game. Dialogue rests in a webbed box at the bottom, and the image is focused on the portrait of a young woman looking directly at you.

✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧@playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 7mo ago

The Sick Man’s room smells like death and decay. #indiegame #gamedev #playgiveuptheghost

A screenshot of a role-playing game. A hooded, one-eyed character stands in front of two men lit by candlelight. One sits up in a tiny bed, wrapped in bandages, while the other stands before him covered in an apron and surgical mask. Hanging herbs, rags, and other bunks can be seen around the room.

A screenshot of a role-playing game. Dialogue rests in a webbed box at the bottom, and the image is focused on portraits of two men wrapped in thorns. One wears a surgical mask and a witch-like hat while the other is wrapped in bandages.

✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧@playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 7mo ago

History weighs heavy on those that record it. #conceptart #indiegame #playgiveuptheghost

A black-and-white illustration of a man whose tired eyes are hidden behind a thin veil. Wrapped by various robes and garments, he carries a thin burning candlestick and a pair of keys.

✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧@playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 7mo ago

It’s the middle of the night -- and you’re being followed. #conceptart #gamedev #palygiveuptheghost

A black-and-white illustration of a cloaked figure being stalked by a mysterious creature down a lamp-lit street.

✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧@playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 7mo ago

If you like the art of GIVE UP THE GHOST, do go check out other work by our lovely artist @spookthirsty.bsky.social! They're responsible for having shaped the visual identity of the world of Midden, producing all art from concept to the final assets. The game would not exist without them.

A screenshot from a visual novel narrative game. A card is held above a candlelit table depicting a hooded figure surrounded by smoke and falling stars. Despite the rest of the illustration being black-and-white the figure's heart and a four-pointed star are accented in red.

An illustration of a crow leaking an oil-like substance from their beak into the agape mouth of a person below. Smoke surrounds them on a yellow-and-red background.

A black-and-white poster for the film Days of Heaven. A figure holding a lantern, their face hidden by shadow, stands in a field while a fire rages around them. In the foreground a locust can be seen.

A portrait of the actress Tilda Swinton in blue, her pupils red and her mouth missing. Beside her are two yellow silhouettes. Red spikes and yellow crosses surround her.

✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧@playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Symbolism board for the MOROITES, followers of the God of Nothing. #conceptart #gamedev #playgiveuptheghost

A black and white arranged board of several abstract images, including: several robed figures walking in a line; square images of a ripple effect, three figures in shadow, and a pair of feet in grass; an erupting black mass of tendrils; an organ system; a strange dark swirl; three faces arranged vertically with repeating circles increasingly erupting from their foreheads; two full-body cloaked figures, one covering the other's eyes while they covers the former's mouth; various shapes arranged to form a language not of this world.

✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧@playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Light streams through the Shifthouse attic. It’s morning-time. #gamedev #indiegame #playgiveuptheghost

A black and white image of an attic, light streaming into the other-wise dark room between immense curtains. A series of cluttered shelves sits in the foreground.

✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧@playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 7mo ago

An early design for the layout of a Village just outside the city bounds. #conceptart #gamedev #playgiveuptheghost

A black and white sketch of a village where the corrugated-iron roofs clash against each other at odd angles. Four buildings are labelled: the "Shed of Seconds", shaped like a cornucopia placed on its head; "Hearthall", a domed decorated building with protruding chimneys; the "Bakehouse", a two-storey building taller than all the rest; and the "Rising Room", a building seemingly just the same as all the other shacks in the village. Two arrows point away from the village: one labelled "To the First Door (blocked initially)" leads towards the background, where the great city Forde can be seen; the other points to the right of the village, labelled "To the Kilns".

~ JL McCallum ~@cruddish.bsky.social · 7mo ago

One of my favourite pieces of @spookthirsty.bsky.social's from pre-production <3

✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧@playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Wind rises, and flags catch the air. #conceptart #gamedev #playgiveuptheghost

A black and white image of a cityscape. The street is paved with cobblestones and the sky swirls with smoke. Pointed buildings are connected by streaming cords; flags and fabric catch the wind.

✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧@playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Light shines on a collection of dusty, silent instruments. #gamedev #indiegame #playgiveuptheghost

A black and white image of a small room filled with various string instruments, guitars, banjos, dulcimers, mandolins...

✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧@playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Our most recent draft of the Crooked Tree. The gentle Cordmaker awaits you here. #playgiveuptheghost #indiegame #gamedev

A screenshot of a role-playing game. Dialogue rests in a webbed box at the bottom, and the image is focused on two shadowed figures standing in front of a contorted tree.

~ JL McCallum ~@cruddish.bsky.social · 7mo ago

HAZZAH

✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧@playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 7mo ago

At long last: WE HAVE A STEAM PAGE!! Feel free to wishlist and share around <3 store.steampowered.com/app/4309880/... #playgiveuptheghost #indiegame #gamedev

✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧@playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 7mo ago

You find a woman near-death before the ruins of her home. #playgiveuptheghost #indiegame

A screenshot of a role-playing game. Dialogue rests in a webbed box at the bottom, and the image is focused on the portrait of a shell-shocked woman looking directly at you.

✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧@playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 8mo ago

The Seedkeeper waits for you in front of the fire. She’s calm and gentle -- a welcome break from the chaos of the Wheatfields. #playgiveuptheghost #indiegame

A black and white illustration of a furnace room. A long table sits lengthwise against the network of pipes and machinery. A young woman sits at the far right-hand side, her hands clasped gently together.

✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧@playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 8mo ago

The Drifter -- one of the most long-lasting characters of Give up the Ghost. #playgiveuptheghost #indiegame #conceptart

✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧@playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Two farmers, barely living life. #playgiveuptheghost #indiegame #conceptart

A black and white portrait of a main and a woman. Their eyes are wide and weeping.
To the left a stalk of wheat frames them.
To the right, the man raises his hand and a spiral trails from his fingers.