Hi there!

This post might come as a surprise to you but I'm fulfilling my obligation of writing a review for every entry I played in the RPG Maker Game Jam 2025 and haven't had the time and motivation combo until now. Apologies for the wait.

I'm one of the 6 judges for this RPG Maker Game Jam 2025. I was one of the 2 judges assigned to your game, and we have been assigned to rate your games according to each metric highlighted on the game's main jam page, and submit these ratings to the organisers, who will then appropriate what happens with that. Please contact them in the Q&A if you have any further questions about the judging process. The judges will work on different time schedules, so even if I may have finished playing your game, the entire process might not be finished as of yet. Many of these reviews I am posting while still judging.

All that aside, I'd like to share my VOD of me playing your game, which contains up to an hour of gameplay, and some final thoughts at the end! Depending on whether I stopped the VOD early or not, it will also contain many of the thoughts that I say to you below, which may cause repetition. So just be aware of that.

I will also attach a review below this VOD. I will not disclose my ratings for each category as of yet, but those will be revealed in due time. Not all judges are required to post a review or VOD to each game, but many will do so even if it's optional, including myself.

Here's the VOD:

Theme
The fact that a relationship can blossom in the midst of a monsoon could be perceived as being Beyond Expectations. The rain is beyond expectations. But perhaps a more in-built and obvious assumption of the theme could earn more points in this area.

Gameplay
Battles required strategy and solutions to continue, even if the strategies themselves were either fairly trivial, or selecting specific turns to guard even if I didn't understand the pattern apart from trial and error. Exploration was fairly great but then there were random parts like the carriage crossing the road and then you had to wait for the green light that just felt quite arbitrary, and that puzzle frustrated me particularly. The houses puzzle I enjoyed a lot more, and had some clues, even while it relied on you being in specific places, and whenever you interacted with a spirit, it gave a game over without much reason that I could ascertain and I ended up feeling an engagement break when that happened. The Sokoban puzzles had a mechanic that I found difficult to parse, where if you push it against a wall or an object, then move anywhere, it will follow you.This didn't feel that much like a "pull" mechanic as much as a "make this thing follow you" mechanic, and I was a little confused by it, but it ended up making sense after I thought about it. So all in all, well-polished, even if the particular systems bumped up against me here and there.

Engagement
The gorgeous visuals (judged in another category) and general momentum of the story scenes and attention to detail paid to every little thing caused me to just kind of blend into the game and let it take me where it would take me. That's why it felt engaging. It's like being carried by a story where you know the storyteller knows what they're doing. Maybe the story itself could use some punching up, particularly with the ending that felt abrupt, unnecessary and betraying of the previous scenes if that is where it ends because it ends without resolution in my opinion. And not in a way that feels like it completes the themes of the entire thing. BUT I did feel like it was a ride worth taking and even in spite of that, it was still quite a surreal experience, all things considered. I enjoyed it overall, indeed.

Presentation
Very disciplined usage of aspect ratio, monochromatic palette, minimal menus and so on. Sound effects were a tad too loud, but the whole visual and audial palette is quite superb, actually. I think it's the strong point of the game.

Polish
No bugs, as far as I know.

Overall
I thought this was a very strong game with great atmosphere and a surreal tone. Truly unique in feel.

Keep making games. Every game's a gift <3

Oh! At first glance, I already loved the art style. The protagonists remind me a bit of James Sunderland and his wife (definitely Silent Hill 2 vibes). I don't want to sound rude, but the battles with the codes didn't feel necessary to me — I would have preferred more puzzle-focused gameplay for this type of game. It's not bad, but it slows the pacing a bit, in my opinion. Anyway, I really hope you continue the game after the jam. You did a great job, GG! ❤

I can definitely appreciate a metaphysical mystery. The atmosphere and the artwork are quite nicely done, and the battles with the coding errors were interesting. What I'm both intrigued, and a little confused, about is how each time the protagonist goes home, he seems to end up in a strange dream-like sequence, in a world that doesn't make any logical sense. Is the entire sequence of events the protagonist reliving past memories? Does the entire game take place in the in-between? Many questions. Perhaps the ambiguity of the situations is your intention, and perhaps it would make more sense if I had knowledge of the folklore this story draws from. 

In any case, it kept me playing through to the end without a moment's hesitation, so good job!

Good Game !

That was really cool! It felt really polished and really tight as such a short story. The gameplay moments were intuitive and fun, and never felt like it was trying too hard to be a puzzle game.

My only gripe with the game is that the ending felt just a tiny bit cliche. Yeah I was kinda expecting that she would die somehow, but having the half-face edgy anime boy kinda threw me off of how dramatic it was meant to be.

But I seriously loved the dynamic between the two leads, and the movie theatre scene made me emotional. Great stuff!

I love the art, it's very charming. I will say I'm not sure why at the beginning he needs to get 2 pieces of a ladder and climb it. I see that you've made this yourself. Great job! I can see that you put a lot of time into this.  I wish there were more music, even for the short areas. The piano is interesting.... I think it sounds a little dry, maybe in a future version, have some reverb to help it fit the rain? 

I also think that having more apartment doors might have helped. That might have helped the world building, and it would have made it seem less forced when Klara moved in. 

Also, the combat could be a bit more refined; a tutorial of some sort would be helpful. On day two, I died to the monster multiple times, and I'm unsure what to do next.  I ended up guarding, and I figured out the pattern. 

After that 2nd day, the game froze on a loading screen. Either way, Cute little game! I see the love you put into it! I would love to get your feedback on our game! It's called "Monarch;Vertigo"! We would love some feedback. Thank you!

Loved the art and storytelling! This game is simple but effective and well done :)