The Beard in the Mirror - out now on Steam and itch.io!

Started by Paul Franzen, Wed 26/10/2016 17:54:52

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Paul Franzen




Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-J3ov5TUfxY
Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/385840/
itch.io: https://oharock.itch.io/the-beard-in-the-mirror

Description

"Don't you remember me? After all we've been through..."

What do you want to be when you grow up? Paul thought his life would be set after college, but at 22 he's toiling away in a job he doesn't like and coming home to an empty apartment every night. He doesn't know who he is, where he's going, or how he fits into his world.

But then on one dark and stormy night, a mysterious woman appears to him, and everything changes...

The Beard in the Mirror is a throwback to when adventure games came in giant cardboard boxes and if you didn't have the hintbook, that was it; you were stuck on that puzzle for the rest of your life. It's a labor of love from a husband-and-wife team from two different worlds (she's a Sierra fangirl, and he's a LucasArts diehard) who have been working on it together since before they even started dating.

KEY FEATURES
- A classic point-and-click adventure for the modern age!
- Sincere yet lighthearted story with magic, danger, romance, and adventure
- Death lurking around every corner! (Although you'll never lose any progress.)
- Retro points system to help you track your progress, and see if you've missed any secrets...
- Just like the games you used to play on your dad's weird friend's computer




Thanks again to all the patient AGSers who've answered our questions and provided support over the decade-plus we've been working on this one!
The Beard in the Mirror (formerly testgame) - Out now on Steam! http://store.steampowered.com/app/385840
Other games I've worked on: http://paulmfranzen.com/games/

CaptainD

Grats on the release to both of you!  Have only had a chance to play the opening few screens but definitely intriguing so far. (nod)
 


dactylopus

Congratulations on the release!  I just downloaded the game.  My girlfriend and I will be playing through it together this weekend.

Paul Franzen

:-D Thanks everyone!! It's equal parts exciting, relieving, and horrifying that the game's finished and other people (besides us and our testers) are getting to play it now. Onto the next project!!
The Beard in the Mirror (formerly testgame) - Out now on Steam! http://store.steampowered.com/app/385840
Other games I've worked on: http://paulmfranzen.com/games/

gameboy

Can't wait for your next game in 2026!

Going to try this one out this weekend, congrats on the release.

Fitz

Quote from: dactylopus on Wed 26/10/2016 23:54:03My girlfriend and I will be playing through it together this weekend.

What a perfect way to MIRROR the creative process involving a hubby & wife duo :) I'll try to get my Feyonce to play it with me, too! (though not really counting on it, she's yet to finish any of my own games ;))

Congrats, Paul!

dactylopus

We just finished playing through this wonderful game.  What a journey!  Thank you so much for sharing this with everyone!

There are so many things I love.  I will hide them so as not to spoil the fun for anyone else...

Spoiler
I love the small references to things like Katamari and the Ghostbusters.  I also love that skateboarding punk music early in the game, that was fun.

Beyond that, I love the way each character has its own feel.  I ended up voicing all of the characters as we played, which was fun in itself, and some of the characters speech patterns were a lot of fun.  I was particularly entertained by the conversation with one... Baroneese!  Then there are other great characters, like Herkimer and Artie, that have storylines that run a little deeper.  And there are so many great relationships happening throughout.  I loved the little vine, what a fantastic character.  I could go on and on about the characters...

The ending felt really intense.  Paul's pacifist ways really made this game feel so much different from other similar games, and it really gave warm fuzzy feelings to the heart.  And the post-credits scene is a perfect send-off.
[close]

There is definitely a lot of heart in this game.  I know I'll be coming back to this one many times (but not for the points, I got them all!).

This game is so unique, I've never really played anything quite like it.  The story kept me engaged throughout, and had so many interesting angles.  The art style has a real storybook feel, which is perfect for this game, and the music is evocative.

This is one of the best games I've played in a long time, and one of the best AGS games I've ever played.  I was rarely stuck, and when I was it didn't last long.  I love a game that is challenging, but still intuitive enough that you don't have to pull out your hair or resort to hints, and this game fit that just right.

I'd love to see a sequel.  There are so many places this story could go.

Thanks again!

Paul Franzen

@dactylopus This was a wonderful thing to wake up to this morning; thank you so much!! (*Quickly Googles "can you get a videogame review framed?*) Lizo was beaming as she left for work this morning :)
The Beard in the Mirror (formerly testgame) - Out now on Steam! http://store.steampowered.com/app/385840
Other games I've worked on: http://paulmfranzen.com/games/

CaptainD

Finished it yesterday - quite an adventure!  Enjoyed it a lot, will write a full review soon(ish).
 


SarahLiz

I love this game.  Beautiful artwork and captivating story!  I've completed probably 3/4 of the game and am completely stuck for the first time.  Usually I can figure out how to advance if I'm patient and try everything, as most of the puzzles are completely logical, but I'm wondering if there is or will be a hint thread or walkthrough?  I'd hate to spend this much time and get this far, only to have to abandon playing it.

Anyway, fantastic game!  Very much reminds me of King's Quest and other fantasy-esque Sierra games.

Cassiebsg

Quote from: SarahLiz on Mon 21/11/2016 20:49:35
but I'm wondering if there is or will be a hint thread or walkthrough?  I'd hate to spend this much time and get this far, only to have to abandon playing it.

you do realize you can start the thread in the hints section yourself, right?
Just create it, and ask your question there... and remember to hide any spoilers. ;)
There are those who believe that life here began out there...

Paul Franzen

There aren't any walkthroughs yet!! We set up a hint line on Twitter (if you happen to use Twitter) as sort of a riff on the old 800-numbers you could call if you were stuck in a Sierra or LucasArts game. I'm also happy to answer right here, as long as any spoilers are kept hidden (and as Cassiebsg suggested, posting in the Hints forum would work, too; I'd be just as happy to help you out there).

Also thanks for checking it out and I'm glad you like it :D
The Beard in the Mirror (formerly testgame) - Out now on Steam! http://store.steampowered.com/app/385840
Other games I've worked on: http://paulmfranzen.com/games/

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