the Bonsai Diary
A downloadable journaling game
It's 2024, and you plant a small tree seedling, imagining its future.
Bonsai trees can live hundreds of years. Who will inherit this living being? What will that person think of you in 2178? Will they think of you at all?
The game prompts introspection, and if my experience is anything to go by, it will leave you pondering long after you’ve put down your pen. In an age of fast-paced digital distractions, this tactile, thoughtful experience is a sanctuary of sorts.
-- review, Emil's Game Room
This is a beautifully contemplative game, in which you embody various generations that are all responsible for caring for a bonsai tree (and possibly more).
-- Mint, There's a TTRPG for That!
Use simple brush or pen strokes to shape your bonsai. On each page, you'll trace your previous bonsai and add one more stroke. Watch your bonsai grow bigger, page after page. Draw as impulsively or as meditatively as you want.
As you play, the game asks you: Who are you? What do you hope for the future?
Watch it played
Xoe Allred of Knife Bunny Games plays through the entirety of The Bonsai Diary:
Download
Click download now to get access to the following files:
Development log
- the Bonsai Diary: physical copies available!90 days ago
- the Bonsai Diary: big updateSep 19, 2024
- the Bonsai Diary: minor update (Sep)Sep 10, 2023
- the Bonsai Diary: minor updateJun 22, 2023
- The Bonsai Diary: meditative brushstrokesFeb 04, 2023
Comments
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Great game! I'm glad I got a chance to play it!
https://emilsgameroom.com/the-bonsai-diary-a-solo-journaling-game/
I truly love this drawing-journaling-meditation concept
Thanks for sharing, I love journaling games focused on drawing or doodling!
Thank you so, so much, Angela! Your comment means so much to me. If you get a chance to play it, I'd love any feedback. I know the instructions still need work.