Speak No Evil
You are the bouncer of a struggling nightclub in the 1920's, and its your job to let the paying patrons in and keep the hungry vampires out.
Speak No Evil is a short, Indie horror game made in under 72 hours for the 2025 Arcjam competition.
This game was made using the Arcweave software with a narrative based around the theme Resilience.
Speak No Evil was Shortlisted, placing 18th overall, and was nominated for Excellence in Narrative Design and Excellence in Game Writing.
Narrative Design by Cora Valderas
Art by Luciano Comassetto
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Inspiration & Objectives
Speak No Evil takes inspiration from gameplays like Papers Please and No, I am not a Human mixed with the style and tone of Sinners (2025). What took out to me when watching sinners was the idea that a vampire cannot enter a place unless invited, and I want to explore this rules based creature as a mechanical attribute in a video game.
To work within the theme of Resilience, I set the game within a struggling 1920’s nightclub that must make ends meet and dodge scheming vampires to survive the night. As the world around them morphs due to the increased vampire activity, the club tries to withstand the changes. The player acts as a bouncer to this crumbling castle who must resist the manipulation of vampires while also ensuring enough paying patrons enter the club to meet quota.
To work within the constraints of the competition, dialogue options are limited but impactful, introducing the large cast of character in an effective and streamlined way. Players are able to ask a question about the patrons, check their teeth for signs of vampirism, then ultimately decide whether to let them in or not.
To try and deduce who is a vampire and who isn’t, you are able to ask patrons to check their teeth. Checking teeth reveals subtle clues about the character themselves and their potential vampiric status. I enjoyed exploring characterization through a specific physical trait that allowed for creative recontextualing of the clues.
There are three possible endings, along with an instant death scenario.
Earnest once told you to trust your gut. Now that they’re spilled out all across the dance floor like chunky spaghetti and meatballs, you realize you never had much of them to begin with…
BAD END
The party rages on like an earthquake, shaking away the shadow that would dare disrupt your fun. You made it… this time.
GOOD END
The hooks of distrust are sunk in you deep. Now look where it got you. There’s no one left here to blame but yourself and the shadows keeping you company…
BROKE END
Death is such a funny thing. You can spend your life bracing for some drawn out demise, but when it comes for you, it happens in the blink of an eye. Or more specifically, in a fist through the door, shattering the wood, then your skull in single, splintering CRUNCH! If there is any mercy to this, it’s that you went out quick. The rest don’t get that kind of luxury…
Try Again?
Character Profiles
The Nepo Baby
The first thing that hits you is a hard smack of too much Chanel No. 5, the alcohol drenched floral scent rolling out the red carpet for your first patron before you even see her. The next thing you do see is the snapping of manicured fingers in your face.
“Hey, wise guy! I didn’t doll myself up just to stand outside the club like free advertising. Earnie’s got a seat with my name on it in there.”
She certainly looks like she just stepped out of an ad. Her attitude may be prickly, but her dress and makeup are flawless, save for the.. red smudge on her cheek. Huh.
“So, you going to let me in or what?”
Dialogue
"Im sorry.. Who are you?"
“You seriously don’t know who I am? Come on now, surly theres some brains behind all that muscle?"
You give her a slow, all knowing blink.
"Fine, if you insist on playing dumb. I am Daisy. Daisy Day Dixon? Delightful daughter of Duke Dennis Dixon of Dixon Diesel… Ring a bell?"
You don’t know whats worse. Her sheer audacity or the fact that you DO know about this family. Hell, everybody knows them. They could buy this club a million times over if they wanted to. You could really use that kind of trust-fund expenditure...
"You've got a little something on your..?"
"Hm? Oh, thats just lipstick. Ever heard of it? Might help fix whatever’s going on with your face right now.. eugh."
She swipes away the "lipstick" with a handkerchief, giving herself a once over with a pocket mirror before returning her judgmental stare to you.
Despite the stains, her teeth are a perfect string of white pearls, chiseled out of daddy's paycheck. She he has no problem flashing her teeth in a shit-eating grin.
The Cowboy
It's the metallic jingling of the spurs that gives him away. It’s like Tom Mix himself stepped out of the cinema and moseyed on up to your door. He smells of horses, hay, and distant adventure. Looks a hell of a lot more fun than what you’re doing.
The man dips his hat to you, a tooth-gap smile glinting in the blue, neon light.
“Evenin’ stranger! Im not from around these here parts, and I’m looking to get myself acquainted with the local customs. Got any room in there for this weary cowboy?”
Dialogue
"Where did you come from?"
"And where did I go? Oh, just here and there. A bit of everywhere. I go wherever the wind takes me.. or as far as the bus pass lets me. Not easy riding a horse into the big city, but I get around. I’ve been making a lot of new friends since I rolled into town. And here I was worrying about some silly rumors. Everyone has been nothing but kind to me!”
That’s not exactly an answer, but you’re not exactly interested enough to pry further. You wish you half half this guy’s positivity, even if it seems a bit forced…
"This is going to sound weird.. but can I check your teeth?"
“My teeth? Is this some kind of city folk initiation? Oh well…”
The man beams a friendly smile at you, but you liked it better from a distance. Looking closer you can see how blackened plaque fills in the gaps between nail-thin teeth like moldy caulk, giving them an oddly elongated shape. The missing tooth and vomit-yellow coloring aren’t helping his case.
“I bet city folk got teeth so shiny they could use em’ like a mirror. My teeth might be yellow as a corn cob, but I promise my money is just as green as yours.”
The Singer
She strolls in on a cloud of cigarette smoke. The woman before you with her hand to her hip seems vaguely familiar, like an old picture from your grandmother’s scrapbook of some good ol’ day. She reminds you of the club itself in a weird way…
“Hey there hot stuff,” She coos, or, as much as her ash laden throat allows. Her voice does not match her aesthetic, coming out more like hot gravel than a soft sing song.
“What’s a girl gotta do to get a drink around here?”
Dialogue
"Have I seen you somewhere before?"
"Maybe so, sugar! Though, you’re more likely to have heard me than seen me. I used to light up the stage of every joint in the city! You couldn’t get two steps without hearing my voice pouring out of a jukebox.”
“Here. Perhaps I’ll give you a little reminder.”
She straightens her back, clears her throat… then belts out a sound thats somewhere in between a train whistle and a cat hacking up a hairball. Your ears may or may not be bleeding.
“Ahem… The old pipes still got it!”
"I need to check your teeth ma’am.."
“Why, of course sugar! You know, people used to pay good money to see this smile.”
The wrinkles of her face pull back like a curtain as she beams a big smile. Her teeth are… a solid egg yolk yellow, so caked in plaque that her top and bottom teeth look more like a solid bar of tooth. At the very least, her teeth can’t be that sharp with so much decay.
“I say, my smile has never looked better! Those quack doctors don’t know a thing about cigarettes.”
Internal Design in Arcweave
Human Gameplay Example
Vampire Gameplay Example
Endings