|| This game was made in 28 days for the BiG Byte Game Jam, 2025 ||

Content Warning:  Colonialism, War themes, Military Violence.
*Triggers from the Trigger Warning Database*

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In "The Bloom Between", you're a modern-day woman of Blasian heritage who, upon discovering she’s pregnant, sets out to connect the dots of her family's past, and understand the stories of the matriarchs who came before her - so she can pass them on to the next generation.

Through cozy gardening simulation and visual novel-style storytelling, you’ll uncover the lives of two ancestors, one from Ghana, one from Korea, who lived in different eras but are spiritually connected by the same flower: the hibiscus.

As you explore their worlds, tend their plants, and listen to their stories, you will follow a linear narrative that bridges generations and blooms the past into the present.

Featured Game Jam Ingredients:

• Garlic - Exploring the Past to Understand the Present 
  Travel through time to early 1900s Korea and late 1800s Gold Coast (Ghana), where you’ll meet your matriarchs during pivotal moments in anti-colonial resistance. Through their stories, separated by time and place, the game weaves historical realities into a personal narrative of resilience, diasporic identity and matrilineal connection.

• Tomato Paste - Cultivating Cross-Generational Conversations & Relationships
  At its core, this game is about lineage. Eunice forms deeply personal, emotional connections with her foremothers that span time, language, and struggle, offering warmth, wisdom, and perspective. Through these cross-temporal conversations, delivered in a cozy, linear visual novel narrative, she gains strength from their stories to face her own future. 

• Creole Seasoning -  Gardening Simulation as a Narrative Mechanic 
  The game’s primary interaction occurs through symbolic gardening sequences where you tend Hibiscus plants in each Matriarch’s world, creating a unique seed to story pipeline for game progression. Plant, water, and nurture these flowers and watch how each gardening action triggers new conversations and reflections with your ancestors. This system serves as both an interface and a ritual, tying emotional growth to physical care.

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Controls:

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Credits:

• Rebecca Adiyiah - Character Art, 2D Art
• DustyMagician - Character Art, 2D Art
• Malik Henderson - Environment Art
• Jared Lipscomb - Key Art
• Mack Reid - 2D Art
• Tan Onwimon - Music Composition, Sound Design
• Roshelle P. - Creative Direction, Narrative Design, Game Design, Production
• Aaron Green - Software Engineering
• Jaycie "Chimerror" Mitchell - Software Engineering
• Dorillion Payne - UX Design, UI Art
• Kayla Thompson - Graphic Design, UI Art, 2D Art