It Paints Me

About It Paints Me

It Paints Me is a short visual novel by Endysis, made in one week for Scream Jam 2023 and since expanded into a complete edition. The maker calls it a short visual novel about art, love and pain, and wrote, drew, scored and programmed it alone, with partial voice acting.

You are Sam. Every night you awaken in your studio and try to paint your masterpiece, but your muse has gone, and lifting your brush fills your fingertips with agony. Through pale, scratchy charcoal art you remember Marie, a dark-haired woman in an old-fashioned gown, lifting a candle in the dark of the house, and a background painted and repainted countless times.

The horror is gothic and bodily. Love and loss twist together, and the drawings move from portraits to things a painter should not hold. The maker warns of violence, death, body horror, chronic illness, grief and dysfunctional relationships, and of squelching sound effects for anyone with misophonia.

It runs to about 3,900 words with three endings, and is free with an optional payment, in the browser or as a download for Windows, macOS and Linux. The maker says the web version may lag and recommends the download.

How to play It Paints Me

1. Open the itch.io page and press Run game, or download it for Windows, macOS or Linux.
2. Click to advance the text and listen to the voiced lines.
3. When choices appear, such as the photographs or the paintings, pick one.
4. Play again to reach the other two endings.

Tips

• Download the game if the browser version lags, as the maker suggests.
• Play with sound on: the music and effects carry much of the dread.
• Use History to reread lines you clicked past too fast.

Questions