The Proximity Principle is a game a book club I'm part of played a few months back. It got quite a turn out, and the reviews were generally pretty positive. Something that came up though is the curiosity about the age of the writer. A lot of them, though not necessarily me, thought that this game was too introspective and wizened for a teenager to write. I am curious about the writer too, since I can't find any socials for them anywhere! Still, either way, amazing work. The art goes a long way for this game, and that's saying a lot because the writing and the concept are really compelling. There's a lot of very silly details that I'm sure are personal one way or another that make the characters feel a lot more lived in. 

DESPITE THAT HIS NAME IS ONLY IN HIS SPRITES AND NOWHERE IN THE GAME, I LOVE YVAN! I love that even into college he keeps his little dangle stars on his headband to keep his hair pulled back. 

My one note of criticism is the Perfect Pals. I'm not sure if they're supposed to be a comment on AI and people who use things like ChatGPT, or a plot device to explain why the two main characters don't have friends, but either way they just kind of are there, without adding much. The story forgets about them pretty quickly, to the point that when they're brought up in a one off line later it's almost jarring. 

Still The Proximity Principle does an excellent job delivering a thoughtful story in a mature and empathetic fashion, with beautiful, expressive art, to compliment its cozy but still impactful atmosphere.