The Black Oak

You are an investigative journalist, down on your luck and at the end of your rope. You got let go from your news agency and haven’t gotten any meaningful work for several months, so the bills have piled up and you’re about to be thrown out of your already crumbling apartment. You know that if you don’t find a case to close soon, you’re not going to get another chance.

The Black Oak is a solo GMless journaling game in which you play a destitute journalist trying to solve a strange murder. You'll have to struggle against the weather, starvation, and the influence of the black oak itself if they want to have a chance of solving the case.

This game is based on The Wretched by Chris Bissette and was created for Wretched Jam. The Black Oak is directly but loosely inspired by Safe and Also No Fear by Slaughter Beach, Dog.

"I can't afford the game right now! What do I do?" In the exclusive rewards below there are community copies that are refilled anytime someone purchases or donates a copy of the game. Feel free to take one from there!

"I'm Jake Ewald, and I've stumbled upon this page and am at least a little interested in what this is!" DM me on twitter and I'll give you a copy of the game for free! Also, thank you for making your music — I like it a lot. 

Content Warning: This game contains themes of violence, suicide, decay, poisoning, financial distress, loneliness, implied or expressed body horror, and other adult content. Please enjoy safely, and let me know if anything comes up in your play that you feel should be added to the content warning list. Thank you!