Saw the vid and thought I’d check it out. Thematically, this is the type of content I love - characters ruminating on end of the world/end of everything type scenarios. Wanted to give brief thoughts on each route. (SPOILERS BELOW!)
I’d say the cast is pretty well defined, even if they become mouthpieces for the game’s philosophies, but I personally *like* that in my stories; it’s practically necessary for stuff this short.
I found Charlie’s route the least affecting; he felt superfluous and mostly comes across as a shallow asshole. Even if that shallowness is intentional, I can’t say his route was all that interesting to read. (Tho the fighting game foreshadowing was a nice touch) IMO asshole characters usually have a good reason for being the way they are (i.e. Flynn) but with the absence of a reason Charlie comes across as a borderline psychopath. I understand that every group needs an agitator for drama, but that role was better suited to…
Edgar! I hate this fucking bird. I get their reasoning, but I still hate this pretentious little bastard. Imagine breaking up your friendship group at the end of the world then begging the one friend who stuck by you to kill you. Imagine the incredible burden you’ve placed on said friend, whose final memory will be of killing someone they loved. Ugh, imagine being Edgar T.T;
They’re so self-absorbed in their anxious ‘woe-is-me, nothing matters’ existentialist philosophy I was really hoping the bookshelf would come down and crush them as some sort of cosmic punchline. (You could say they were… burdened by knowledge, eh? Okay, sorry) Point is, Edgar is the type of brainiac who’s so wrapped up in their own anxious, ruminating thoughts - so eager to take control of their own narrative - they never stopped to consider the emotional toll their intellectualism would have on others. As a pretentious philosophy graduate, this is a character I completely understand. And hate.
See, I’d take Val/Nomi’s side in the argument. At the end of the world I’d do everything I can to keep my friends together. I’d put on a movie and/or fuck that one friend I’ve been crushing on. Preferably both at once.
Personally, Nomi was my favourite character, since she felt the most personable. Her anecdotes of the group’s past are amusing and give the friends a much needed sense of history. Whenever a FVN addresses the question of ‘furries and animals’ it always gets a big laugh from me, and the zoo story was no exception. Her routes also the most unsettling of the bunch. Purposefully *not* talking about the apocalypse outside creates this sense of escalating dread. Despite appearances of ‘chill vibes’ I get the sense she’s just barely keeping it together, which we see glimmers of when she begs you to forget her. Ironically, trying to create emotional distance from such a dramatic subject is one of the most affecting ways of evoking it; her route was the closest I came to crying.
Finally, Val. He’s sweet, I suppose. And his sex scene feels pretty plausible too. Might as well fuck at the end of the world. I’m not big on himbos so I don’t have much to say about him. I will say his route feels perfectly designed to be played last. (In fact, if I have to give the routes an order I’d recommend Nomi > Charlie > Edgar > Val)
I don’t know much about art/music but Phwog and Red Means Recording did a really good job bringing this story to life. Especially with the ending, where the art, music and script all coalesce into that haunting final image. The way the dialogue cuts off. The singular crack across the planet. Those first few piano notes. Chills every time. It’s also why I’d save Val’s story for last so that special animatic plays. Kinda makes it feel as if, whilst having sex with him, everything is happening all at once just before it all stops. And sex - somehow - feels like a good metaphor for that… idk. I’m rambling and don’t wanna sound like Edgar.
Thanks for making this. Sorry for rambling on for so-