DEMIAN
A downloadable game for Windows, macOS, and Linux
The bird fights its way out of the egg.
The egg is the world.
Who would be born must first destroy a world.
The bird flies to God.
That God's name is Abraxas.
Sinclair is torn between a monochromatic understanding of the world of childhood and the ambiguity of adulthood. As Emil dives deeper, he’s caught in a swirling journey where dreams and desire are indistinguishable from reality.
This game is a reinterpretation of the novel "Demian" written by Hermann Hesse and published in 1919.
Emil Sinclair’s path is lined with bizarre encounters. Maybe a strange boy with a mouth full of biblical riddles can help him find his way.
Features
🐣 Original art and music
🐣 Narrative unfolds like an interactive graphic novel
🐣 Point&click mechanics
Check out the soundtrack here!
Also available in the 62rd Indiepocalypse Zine: https://pizzapranks.itch.io/indiepocalypse-62
This game is in development! Eight chapters are planned. If you like playing this game consider leaving a rating or recommend it to others, it would mean a lot!
Download
Click download now to get access to the following files:
Development log
- new chapters release32 days ago
- Chapter 2 and Chapter 395 days ago
- april logMay 02, 2025
- Chapter One revisedApr 12, 2025
- february progressMar 05, 2025
- progressFeb 01, 2025
- DevologJan 16, 2025
- happy holidaysJan 02, 2025
Comments
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I really enjoyed the art style of this game and am looking forward to playing more as they release! I made a quick playthrough video on it, feel free to use the footage however you please and best of luck in the future :)
Thank you!! It feels weird (in a good way) to see a playthrough of it haha
Hello there, the art is out of this world. Was it from existing materials or did you create it yourself?
hi! thank you, art (as well as music) is mine c: for this project i was inspired by german expressionism and other avantgarde art
thank you so so much for this !!!! T_T im such a big fan of the original book and you did this game so much justice! i really adore the art because it encapsulates sinclairs artstyle / dreams so well , like the colours and its abstract ideas. the vibes after kromer torments him conveys sinclairs turmoil so well too . i love this game and will continue to support it!! ^^
Thank you so much!! I hope you'll like how it will continue too
Features: Heresy.
Well, count me in :P
heresy leads to weird nightmares
btw thank you so much! i never replied, hope i'll keep you interested!
hehe yeah I started playing but got stuck in sinclair's bedroom I don't know if it was a glitch or if I was just being dumb lol. but I'll try it again sometime, your artwork really is amazing and it's my favorite book so <3
Did you check all the spots, there should be 3 ? If you tell me where exactly you get stuck i can see if theres something wrong
Thank you c: can't wait to share the part where the actual Demian shows up hahgdgs
just played chapter 1 and this game is so, so good. i absolutely adore the original dialogue interspersed with lines from the book, the exploration of christian religious guilt, and how easily it can manifest itself even in childhood. the fear and shame sinclair feels was always so visceral and palpable in the book, and you've captured it perfectly here. the static noise, the off key soundtrack, the unsettling hide and seek game at the end of chapter one, where the house grows to be a distorted version of itself, and where sinclair first meets his own corrupted reflection.
as you can probably tell, i've been a long time fan of the book as well, so seeing this game on the discover page was like finding a literal gem lol. if you are at all open to it, i would love to help with some aspect of the game (art, script editing, etc.), because i know how hard it can be to make a game on your own, and i did notice some very minor typos as i was playing. let me know what you think, and i'm excited to see what you come up with next! :)
Thank you for noticing all the care in it!! I'm really happy that fans of the book are finding this haha
For the typos, thank you, i'll fix it. If you'd like in the future, a hand in editing/proofreading would really help me, since english is not my first language. Thank you anyway for your offer!
hello and thank you so much for your reply ! i would be happy to give a hand in editing & proofreading. i'm actually currently studying english in university, so i could definitely help with that, especially since i will be on break soon. let me know if/when you need any help, and you can email me at mcrunchychris@gmail.com.
i was also wondering how you're planning to handle (at least in my opinion) the very queer coded relationship between sinclair and demian, but feel free to not answer if you're uncomfortable. thanks again for the response, have a great day :)
yeag thank you!
for the question, sinclair develops meaninful relatioships mainly with with other mens (demian, pistorius, knauer, even kromer in a sense), which makes me wonder if his struggles with sexuality are because he desires (only?) women. the other thing is that emil cannot shut up about how much he yearns for demian . on demian's side oh boy too long too complicated but. the queer is definetely there. and there will be on the game
have a nice day you too!
super pretty art style and super intriguing so far, good luck with the other chapters :)
Thank you so much!!!! I'll work hard and not disappoint, stay tuned!