Carnival of Shadows
What is Carnival of Shadows?
Carnival of Shadows is a visual novel about being trapped at a carnival that turns into an eternal night. The player uncovers secrets, faces dangers, and pursues romance while trying to reach sunrise.
Carnival of Shadows is a visual novel and interactive fiction story set at a carnival that warps into an eternal night. The story follows a gender-neutral, nameable main character who is trapped with others and must uncover the carnival's secrets, survive dangers, fall in love, and fight to see the sunrise. The cast includes three male love interests: Aurel, Lark, and Micah. The game contains 40k words, 3 CGs, 6 endings, and 1 bonus bad ending. Content warnings include emotional abuse, references to death or murder, mentions of homophobia or transphobia, mentions of blood, and vulgar language.
Carnival of Shadows controls
The developer does not list specific controls on the game page. Click the play frame above and try the keyboard, mouse, or touch; most jam games show their controls on the first screen.
Tips for Carnival of Shadows
- Read the content warnings before starting; the game mentions emotional abuse, death or murder, homophobia or transphobia, blood, and vulgar language.
- The game includes six endings plus one bonus bad ending.
- The main character is gender neutral and nameable.
Carnival of Shadows FAQ
What platforms is Carnival of Shadows available on?
It is available for HTML5, Windows, macOS, and Linux.
How many endings are there?
There are six endings plus one bonus bad ending.
Who are the love interests?
Aurel, Lark, and Micah, all listed with He/Him pronouns.
What content warnings should players know?
Emotional abuse, references to death or murder, mentions of homophobia or transphobia, mentions of blood, and vulgar language.
Is voice acting included?
Voice acting is planned for a future mini update.
About this game
Read the full developer description
If you listen closely enough, you can hear... the soft whines of the metal on the Ferris Wheel, the sad tune of the merry go round, and the games playing broken chipper loops.
A day at the carnival warps into an eternal night, and you're not alone. Something, or rather, someone is keeping you trapped with the others.
Friend or foe, can your heart tell the difference?
Uncover the carnival's deepest secrets, survive the dangers, fall in love, and fight to see the sunrise once again. Easy-peasy, right?
What do you do when the fun and games are over?
...Or just beginning?
Make sure to read the CONTENT WARNINGS.
CONTENT WARNINGS- Emotional Abuse
- References to death/murder
- Mentions of homophobia/transphobia
- Mentions of blood
- Vulgar language
Love Interests
Aurel
He/Him, The Ringleader
"Nonsense, there's always free cheese inside a rat trap afterall."
Lark
He/Him, Main Act
"I've fulfilled my nice quota for the year."
Micah
He/Him, Technician
"Wish those little guys could talk. Or are they girls? Bats are not my specialty."
Features
- 40k words
- 3 Male love interests
- Gender neutral nameable MC
- 3 CGs
- 6 endings
- + 1 bonus bad ending
- They're vampires at a circus, do I really need to say more?
Team
Directors
Max - Lead Director, narrative designer, Lead programmer, script editor
RottenTief - QA Director, programmer, script editor, expert broom smacker
Cath - Co-Director, script editor, worlds best moral support
Writing
Rachel H. Rameau - Lark's Writer, Quality assurance
Flowersforjoy (Joy) - Aurel's Writer
qb;studios (Cube) - Micah's Writer
Art
Siyokoy - UI and Game Page, absolute UI god
Minthe Draws - Sprite Artist
Autumn - CG Artist, Quality assurance
Elduator - BG Artist
Background Resource Credits: Spreadsheet
Audio
Eric Jeffrey Tan - Audio engineering, Sound Designer
Hozach - Composer
Twitter| Itch.io
Voice + QA
HelloYinny - VA Direction, Marketing, peachiest of peaches
Kristi "HusbandoGoddess" Jimenez - Quality Assurance, BONUS narrative design help!
Tocirah - Quality Assurance, excellent panini maker
Voice acting coming in a future mini update!
IvoBrandr - Aurel's Voice Actor
AlexiusMinerva - Lark's Voice Actor
Imp_VT - Micah's Voice Actor
wishfulFeline - Isadora's Voice Actor
Casting Call Club
MythicDeo - Andy's Voice Actor
Description from Carnival of Shadows on itch.io, by the developer.
Screenshots
Not listed by the developer: developer, published date, controls, how-to-play instructions, mobile support, system requirements, age rating. We left these out rather than guess.