Satan is an Astronaut
A downloadable game for Windows, macOS, and Linux
Story
A woman who suffers from severe delusions wakes in the center of a forest aboard “The BUB,” a proto-generation ship from the mysterious Faust Corporation. Waking to a vision of a spirit she grew up with, she quickly learns that not everything is as it seems, and this waking cycle is anything but ordinary.
The Biology, Etymology, Ecology, and Limnology Zone - E-3U3 - or as it’s more popularly known, "The Bub,” is a marvel of innovation, and it stands as a testament to what one can achieve when the sky is no longer the limit.
Part forest, part proto-generation ship, the BUB is humanity’s latest and most significant attempt to bring Earthliness to the stars.
Hundreds of volunteers have joined the Faust Corporation in reaching skyward with new technology that pushes the boundary of what is possible with every mile it travels away from Earth’s loving embrace.
Of course, what would any ship be wi [I don’t think you understand. It’s not about money. It’s about what we hope to achieve here. These people don’t deserve this, and I’m not sure how long it can go on.] fully furnished, and with all the accommodations of home, the BUB is humanity’s best chance at a long-form journey into our galaxy.
At just 28 years old, Ca [She is the ring leader, I suspect - the real villain in this whole thing. Unstable, manipulative, dangerous, there are very few words in that realm that I would not apply to Ms. Cortega, but she is undeniably a survivor. No one can take that from her.] nd she’s ready to keep our forest growing strong! “I joined up with the BUB beca [She’s up next, of course, modest farm upbringing, a real odd religion, like, very odd. You don’t see this kind of stuff anymore. I worry about what HE will do with it.] a good time!”
Lt. Smithe joined Faust after several y[Some medical training and spent a few years behind bars, but nothing close to the BUB. I wonder what she’s even doing here? What are these credentials? Who’s going to buy this?] with a stellar military service record, we’re proud [They aren’t even giving us real military people anymore? Christ alive, it’s like they want this to fail.] UB is in good hands!
Of course, what would a trip through the stars be without a chef? Eddi [This kid got the rawest deal. I feel for him. Wrong place - wrong time. Still, at least he can actually cook.] world, he chooses to be here at Faust! Tell us, Eddie, why the BUB? “Oh man, where to start? The adventure, of co[Doesyou-know-whocare about them, you think? I’m not being funny - is this just another day at the office for it?], and everyone is just so fun to be around. [I try very hard not to think about how someone like Eddie ends up in a place like this, but I have to say I’m rooting for him.]
Finally, we’ve got our biologist, and [I don’t know how he can stay in that forest for so long. It never ceases to give me the creeps.] with years of education and an award-winning sm [I bet he’s the first to crack. Too close to HIM. Plus, there is no connection to Cortega. It’s easy pickings. Poor bastard.] “I’ve always loved Earth Sciences, and this is an opportunity to bring that knowledge to a field that needs it. I couldn’t possibly turn it do[Oh no - I think these blurbs are starting to corrupt - could you get marketing down here? I don’t even know why we still do these things - there’s always something.]reat!”
Faust Industries expressly disclaims liability for any accidental death, dismemberment, disembowelment, psychic scarring, or physical harm of any kind brought about by contact with otherworldly phenomena. This can include loss of income or consortium, mental anguish, post-traumatic stress, or injuries incurred during escape attempts from perceived moments of danger. We also disclaim liability for any harm brought about by eldritch monsters - whether they be summoned, released, stitched together, or otherwise encountered while using products or services provided by Faust Industries. All participants (“the Indemnifying Party”) agree to indemnify and hold harmless the company, its affiliates, officers, directors, viceroys, and employees against any and all claims, liabilities, damages, and expenses, including reasonable attorney’s fees - be they supernatural or otherwise. This clause shall be governed and enforced by the laws of the State in which the Company is incorporated. Any legal action arising from this agreement must be filed in a court within the jurisdiction of said State - be it physical or metaphysical in nature.
Features
- Over 10K words, about an hour of gameplay
- Four characters with unique art and theme songs
- Four CGs with plans to update later with more
- Six locations in game with rendered backgrounds
- All original art, music, sound, and writing
- Our and your favourite hairless cat
Credits
- Game written and designed by Ryan Moriarty
- Art, UI, and game programmed by Matt de Carvalho
- Sound and Music composed by Shane Stephenson
- Kinetic text code by Wattson
- Image glitch effect by Gouvernathor
- Thanks to our QA testers, Faye and Kay!
Download
Click download now to get access to the following files:
Development log
- Satan is an Astronaut Update!59 days ago
- Thank you for 100 downloads!Oct 09, 2023
Comments
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This game is the (sphinx) cat's meow!
The art direction is absolutely stunning! The sprites, the backgrounds, the CGs all look super stylish. Even aspects like the little repeating circles pattern over the artwork are really cool (I'm no artist, so I have no idea what this is called lol).
The attention to detail and polish is awesome. I love the parallax background on the title screen and how the two sprites are overlaid, the custom cursor accentuates the clean simple futuristic-looking UI, and the use of ATL as well as the 3D stage + camera bring the world (and spaceship) to life.
Even the "smaller" aspects were done with care and precision, including the diary entries being "written" on lined paper, the multiple parallel dialogue boxes later in the story during the "fade to black" moments with Cassie on screen, and — as mado mentioned — that portion of the game when control is wrested away from the player during what I assume to be the "pact formation" with Cassie, which was a fun twist!
While I mostly enjoyed the added flourishes of the kinetic text effects, I found that particular darker red(?) text colour used for some of the kinetic text tags hard to read against the dark background of the textbox and choice buttons.
The image glitching effects and back-and-forth flashing/alternating images are quite cool and play well with the type of story being told, but as someone who can be a bit more sensitive to and bothered by effects like these, I wish there were settings to toggle each of these off, since at times I found it hard to look at and it interfered with my reading (mostly when The Grand's alternating forms were on screen).
The music is really well done (futuristic yet haunting), and combined with the sound effects and animations, really adds to the immersive atmosphere and ambience of the game.
Story-wise, I wasn't really sure what to expect going in, but I was pleasantly surprised. Quite the cosmic horror story (in more ways than one, heh), and I like the use of Cassie's history of delusions to paint her as an unreliable narrator, further blurring the lines between fiction and reality in an already mind-twisting scenario!
What's real? Who or what can I trust? I can't tell... which is great. >:3 Even Virgil might not be trustworthy, despite how he comes across. For all I know, the witch coven ritual Virgil is pushing for might herald the end of times, not just for the BUB, but all of humanity...
Shout out for creating a diverse cast of characters with a female protagonist. Virgil certainly steals the
halibutshow, but I found Cassie to be an intriguing and compelling MC, and Lucky, Katarine, and Eddie have more depth to them than first meets the eye.And while I'm not too familiar with devils and demons lore nor classic literature, even I noticed and appreciate the references/allusions to Beelzebub and Faust in this story about a satanic eldritch being. ;)
I'm very intrigued to see how this tale ends!
P.S. Great job on the itch.io store page for the game! It looks great, and I love the integration of Faust Industries background lore (along with the disclaimer*** at the bottom).
P.P.S. How did you get this much done within one month with such a small team?! Super impressive!
Thank you so much for such a kind and thought through review! I'm so happy you enjoyed the first two chapters.
I'll definitely look into those accessibility options for the next update and also add warnings to the page to make sure people know there's effects like that. Thank you for pointing out those issues, I definitely want everyone to be able to experience Satan is an Astronaut to the best of my abilities.
(Copied from my Spooktober rating page review to help this game within itch.io's algorithm!)
Really beautiful artwork, UI and visual effects in this title. The soundtrack was lovely to listen to as well, and I'm interested to see how this story concludes. Your team clearly put a lot of work into making the game an interesting visual experience.
I think my favorite part of the game was when Cassie's control over herself was wrenched away - and the UI reflected this by forcing the player to use auto-read to continue her dialogue. That was an incredibly effective use of ludonarrative harmony.
Thanks for making this work!
Thank you so much for the review! We're so excited to be finishing this off hopefully soon.
I felt like such a little imp coding the "user control disabled" section, and I'm so glad it came across as a cool experience.
the art is incredible
Thank you so much!
Oh wow, I didn't entirely know what I was getting myself into with that intro, but now having completed it, I'm so SO glad I did. The First thing that stood out to me was the art on the itch page -- of course lol. It's GORGEOUS!! Reminds me of a graphic novel. Then the UI, which got a genuine "wow" out of me, haha. The sound effects are awesome too, they really add life to the game (that purring, oh my lord I love that cat sm). Same with the animations of the character sprites. Just -- EVERYTHING about this game is sooo good.
Seriously, how in the hell did you guys manage this level of polish in a MONTH??
I guess my only complaint is that the story isn't complete. I wanna know what happens so bad!! :'o
I can't wait to see where it goes!!
Thank you so much for your kind words! I definitely love my graphic novels so it makes me happy to hear my inspirations shine through. Virgil deserves the spotlight of this game, he’s the true VIP.
Our team hopes to be rectifying that “mistake” very soon! We wanted to bring the most polished game as we could to Spooktober, so decided to bring the first two chapters out for the competition. I hope the conclusion to the story of the BUB and its crew will be just as jarringly good as the first two chapters.
An exploration in ethereal horror ripe for the picking: Satan is an Astronaut is a character study into the unknown--like glimpsing the eye of a blackhole and having it blink back. The visuals by Matt really show off their passion for character design, paired with some wonderfully polished backgrounds (like, are you kidding me?? This game is stunning!!); accompanied by Ryan's snappy, dynamic writing, and Shane's music perfectly accentuating dialogue and scene, I was fully invested in our main characters plight. (Seriously, what a team!!) Cassie might not know what's going on, or if she can trust what she's seeing, but I for one know with certainty that this game is going to stay with you--the visual of the red stag flashing behind your eyelids as you drift to sleep-- and I for one can't wait to see where it goes with future chapters!
I love the halftone effect for the shadows, the moody rim lighting, the effects on the journal writing, and all the cool glitches during the harrowing nightmares sequences! The contrasting visual themes of deep space and a flourishing forest is also a really cool concept to explore; alongside aspects of a Satanic cult...but IN SPACE. Heck yea.
Gets me thinking about what it means to take our humanity into the depths of space, loosing parts of it along the way, and wondering how much of it we brought with us in the first place. The best parts? The worst parts? I look forward to finding out! Also, VIRGIL. I love Virgil.
Really awesome work all around!
This is such a nice thought through review. Thank you so much. As is only right, Virgil seems to be everyone’s favourite. You pinned down the themes so correctly, I’m really happy it came through well.
I’m very excited for the next chapter in this game, we have some plans 👀
Everything was great, especially writing and music!
thank you so much! I’m really proud of our writer and composer, the work they did was amazing.