Sharing this because it feels incredibly validating to have someone else believe your game is worth showing off. Solo dev life gets quiet sometimes. Not the peaceful kind, but the “is anyone out there?” kind. I love making games, but the critique, debugging, and endless refactors can wear you down.
Thanks for reading, and good luck with whatever you’re building.
If you’re curious, the feature is a short by NextLevel:
The Totemist’s public playtest is officially live, and anyone can jump in through the Steam page.
No keys, no sign‑ups. Just click the Playtest button and you’re in.
This round focuses on early‑game flow, tutorial clarity, and how the shop loop feels once you’re on your own. If you’ve been curious about the game or want to help shape its direction, this is the perfect time to take a peek behind the curtain.
It’s still a work in progress, but everything here represents the foundation the rest of the game will grow from. For those of you who don't know, The Totemist is a cozy-occult shop sim game that is narrative driven. The perspective is visual novel adjacent, 2d pixel art graphics.
You can join just by checking out the itch page: https://shutinstudio.itch.io/the-totemist-playtest-demo
If you are having issues with the web version, just check out the top of the description for a link to the steam page for the downloadable.
The Totemist’s public playtest is officially live, and anyone can jump in through the Steam page. No keys, no sign‑ups. Just click the Playtest button and you’re in.
This round focuses on early‑game flow, tutorial clarity, and how the shop loop feels once you’re on your own. If you’ve been curious about the game or want to help shape its direction, this is the perfect time to take a peek behind the curtain.
It’s still a work in progress, but everything here represents the foundation the rest of the game will grow from.
Comment or DM me and I will provide links to my discord, the survey, and the store page to my game.
Hey everyone!
Game Build v0.5.2 of The Totemist is stable and I'm gearing up for the final pre‑demo playtest of The Totemist (occult‑leaning, narrative shop sim), and this round is a big one. I’ve added several new systems, revamped older ones, and made a ton of clarity/pacing improvements based on earlier feedback.
Because so much has changed, both new and previous testers are welcome to participate this time.
What I’m looking for
- Feedback on clarity, pacing, and overall vibe
- Light QA testing, if you hit anything game‑breaking or game‑interrupting, I’d love to know.
- Players who can spend ~30+ minutes with the build.
What to expect
- A mostly stable build with some missing audio and minor bugs
- Several new or reworked systems that need fresh eyes
- A short Google survey at the end (sent to selected testers)
Incentive
- Selected testers receive a Steam playtest key.
- Completing the survey makes you eligible for a full release key (target: late 2026)
- Alternatively, if you are a dev who needs their build playtested, I'll gladly do feedback for feedback.
About the game
- Atmospheric, 2D Pixel Art, Gothic‑Cozy aesthetic with touches of whimsy (dark academia / dark cozy).
- No combat, no leveling, no action- this is a slow, narrative shop sim.
- This is a small game world and character cast that is being solo-developed.
- Please only volunteer if that sounds like your thing.
How to sign up
- Comment below or DM me.
- Please only volunteer if you have time to play and give feedback this weekend.
I’ll reply to selected testers with a survey link and a playtest key.
If you want a faster peak into the expected current gameplay experience, you can find the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8nkzxn-WXY
Thanks in advance, feedback is shaping this project in a huge way. -- Shutin