I was a bit intimidated by the word count on this one, but it was a smooth, engaging read. You have a cohesive aesthetic with the sprites, backgrounds, and CGs. I don’t forget that they’re in the apocalypse even when they characters are more upbeat, partially because it’s always lurking in the background. I liked the way you animated Birch’s sprite. It helps convey his cheeriness. Slight quibble: when he bounces around, I can tell that the bottom of his sprite is cut off when I look at the bottom edge of the screen. The music was a good part of the environment/mood, particularly with the jazz radio (which is important because the radio is important). There were a couple of times where the audio fading was absent, or tracks didn’t play how I thought they were supposed to, and there’s one track with a distracting woosh or something that goes between the left and right sides (I hope this is enough description for you tell what I mean).
I like that we get an understanding of why the two stayed behind. It wasn’t just that they were abandoned or unlucky, and they each had something to do with why they were behind. They had agency in how their lives had played out, and experience the consequences of their decisions. And the reasons are understandable/sympathetic, even if they’re a little “stupid”. Judah learns from and regrets his decision. They both have feelings about their decisions without it being didactic, and the scene where they’re talking about their reasons on the roof didn’t come across as clumsy backstory exposition. Their telling each other is an action that they’re doing, and it both moves the story/relationship along and fills in some questions about why it’s just these two here. Plus we get a sweet CG.
I think the ending is a cool mix of sweet and horrific. It isn’t a jump scare to see Birch waiting outside the apartment, though it is surprising and horrifying. It isn’t cheap, is what I guess I mean to say. And romantic. That even though he wanted to leave, his zombie instincts still say to stay with Judah.
I like their relationship. It’s not perfect (I’m thinking about a moment where Judah puts Birch on a bit of a pedestal even though Birch had implied/told him he was suicidal), and it didn’t feel like they got together because that’s what these kinds of characters do in this kind of situation. Their relationship having so much to do with food ties in nicely with the body horror too.
It’s not a unique concept, but you executed it really well.