A downloadable game for Windows and macOS

Christmas in danger?

Just another Christmas. Or so thought our protagonist of this story, Harold, loved and hated by all. His times of glory were behind him... It seems that now he lives as an ordinary NPC... But deep in his heart he still has the desire to farm and go on adventures. 

Throughout the story a small mishap happens, so the fate of Christmas will be in his hands, he will have to save the illusion of all the children... But what he doesn't know is that a very dangerous adventure awaits him...

Take on the role of Santa Claus and save Christmas!

Harold's XMAS is a CHRISTMAS GAME JAM 2023 project. If you want to know more or learn about other projects, do not hesitate to visit this link.

- CONTROLS -

Harold's XMAS is compatible with keyboard, mouse and Xbox Controller.

KEYBOARDMOUSEXBOX CONTROLLER
Direction keys = Moving the character
Click Left Button = Moving the character
D-Pad = Moving the character
Z = Confirm/Interact
Left button = Confirm
A = Confirm/Interact
X = Cancel
Right button = Cancel
B = Cancel
Esc/Enter= Pause
Press Left and Right both = Pause
Y = Pause

Harold's XMAS is available for Windows and Mac OS.

You can also play the Android version at AppGallery!


Download

Download
Harold's XMAS (Windows).zip 250 MB
Download
Harold's XMAS (Mac OS).zip 386 MB

Development log

Comments

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I also liked the opening maps and I really appreciated that you took the time to make a LOT of things clickable. I am one of those players who clicks on everything that I can. There were some spelling/grammar things, but not terrible. Unfortunately, I apparently suck at puzzles because I tried the first puzzle twice and couldn't do it in the time limit so the game was over. Since this is a Game Jam, it might have been better to give the player a way to continue playing to at least see the rest of the game. I did think the story was a tad dark, what with the player being killed, but that could be just me. I did like the mechanics of the first puzzle so I will watch the video by SlaughtyStudios to see what I missed. I am always looking for new mechanics to experiment with myself. For what I was able to play, I can see that you put a lot of work into this so congrats on your achievement!

Thank you very much for your comment, ZombieKidzRule! The game is a "visual novel" with puzzles so I think I had the need to be able to interact with anything. I'm sorry if there are any grammatical mistakes, I'm still trying hard to improve my English, really! :D

The puzzles are quite challenging, but you're right, I think because of that some people haven't completed the game and haven't seen the ending showing the Christmas spirit. It has been a great experience to participate in this Game Jam, I have learned a lot!

I agree the opening maps on this game are really good. Your writing is on point. The premise is wonderful and really nails the Christmas theme.  I also have to agree with the pretty much what everyone else has already said. The font can be a little difficult to read at times. The last puzzle is a doozy. I unfortunately stopped playing during what I think is the last puzzle as I was going into the 25 minute mark. I think they were well thought out and inventive and executed well. I'm not sure I've seen the slippery floor tile puzzle done in that way before. Very cool. Personally though, I think your pacing was a little off in the story because you really don't get into the gameplay until way into the time limit which is a bummer because I wanted more time to spend on the puzzles and actually playing the game, which I finished later off camera. Overall good job, great game design, wonderful writing and execution.

(+1)

Hi SlaughtyStudios! Thank you very much for commenting! I really appreciate the feedback received, I'm glad that at least some people have been able to enjoy the story and the gameplay... I focused quite a bit on the narrative, that's why this game can be a visual novel with puzzles. It was fun to participate in the Game Jam! Oh and I've seen your video on YouTube, it's weird to watch someone playing my game but it was a good experience how you suffered with the puzzles haha, thanks for sharing it!

I love how well you've captured the holiday spirit in these gorgeous intro maps! :D THe premise was super fun, with Harold being captured by a naughty kid and having him survive through a series of puzzles. The puzzles were very creative, and I had to do it well before the timer ended. I found some of them very challenging, but they were very fun to play. Overall, a g reat entry, amazing job! :D

(+1)

Thanks Starmage. I'm glad you had fun playing it! Yep, it's true that the puzzles can be a bit challenging, especially the last one. It's my first time publishing a game, so I have a lot to learn. Thank you very much for your feedback :D

(1 edit)

Oh the opening map was gorgeous and this game started out so strong, and then kind of just went in the wrong direction. The font looked awful on my computer, and made it hard to read, which is a pity because it discouraged me from reading some of the dialogue. I would highly suggest changing it.

The puzzles were very well thought out... however game-play wise they caused a lot of grrrr and frustration, especially the teleporting one.

I powered through the puzzles, finishing the game. The game left me wanting more out of it because there was a good deal of potential with this one, which sadly went the wrong way.

Thanks for your comments, windryder! I'm very sorry if the font caused you any difficulty in reading, I'll take it into account, thank you very much for letting me know. You may find the last puzzle a bit frustrating, so well, I'm sorry you couldn't finish the game, you came very close to beating it. I really appreciate your comment, I know I still have to learn a lot, it's the first time I make a game, so  thanks to your feedback I'll be able to improve for future projects! Thanks a lot! :)