Hey Carrot! I played the demo and...
OH
MY
GOD
I was directly hooked, the introduction scene was legit INSANE???? The way you implemented everything was truly impressive! The composition of the shots, the "shading" style of this intro, how you perfectly matched it with a perfectly chosen music track, my eyes were wide open, it was AMAZING!!
Then, after this intro, the story starts and... ONCE AGAIN, REN'PY MAGIC????? You did tease this part and even wrote a tutorial about layers to explain how you implemented it, but seeing everything in action was still extremely impressive, and the effect was total: it was a HILARIOUS introduction, and a very great way to have a first glimpse at Ze and Marshall's dynamic with each other, but also with Gum!
The art was also extraordinary!! The variety of expressions, their intensity, the amount of CGs and their quality (the pillow fight one was so heartwarming, especially baby Gum oh my God, they were adorable in this), and the colours were overall so cozy?? And yet, for more dramatic moments, you managed to have them look insanely dramatic! Really, a sans-faute on my end, the art, the GUI and the music completely got me into the story!
Regarding the story, of which we only have an intro so far, I really enjoyed it! The dynamics between the characters were very clear and interesting to witness! Overall, a lot of HILARIOUS stuff, and I can't keep count of the number of times I laughed out loud while playing this game, but also quite interesting to see how the "conflicts" (which are so far rather wholesome) still stem from one difficult question: adulthood. All the characters are at different point in their lives, which I guess is bound to happen during the 20s, especially the late 20s: some of your friends are still at uni, others have been in the workforce since they were 18, others are married with children, well, long story short, everyone goes at different paces loool, and, being 26 as I'm writing these lines, it was interesting to see, since, indeed, "expectations" are quite present, especially since you're reaching the age where you are supposed to have things relatively figured out as an adult, and other adults expect you to have them all at least. Writing thing reminds me of a conversation I had with family members, which was interesting: basically, I tick a lot of cases (my sister and I are the first members from our family with master's degrees, I have a job etc.), but even then, I was told: "You are perfect save the driving license"; so, indeed, I feel like those expectations are quite present, all the time, and seeing the characters somehow impose them onto each other, spoke to me. Especially considering they do it in a variety of way, depending on their personality: my flesh and blood Cordy for example is very sweet, but still holds such expectations towards Gum; despite him not being entierely happy with his job, but he enjoys the stability. I feel like coming to this sort of compromise is very much a late 20s-early 30s thing, so it was very spot on!
I really enjoyed the writing of the characters: their dynamic, and overall, how they all feel like a big group of friends, with crazy shenanigans. A reflection I had months ago about VNs is that we don't always see friendship portrayed in all its depth (I have a few exceptions in mind, of course, like Tattoos and Tulips, Quaint, let alone Our Wonderland lol), and I really enjoyed the warmth you brought to the friend group! Considering what you teased about the plot and posted on your socials, which I won't spoil here, but that anyone reading this should follow *wink wink*, I know this is meant to fade, and, as you put it yourself, expect "an overwrought character drama that spends way too long on the psyches of and convoluted dynamics between its very flawed characters." The cracks will definitely be interesting to see in future releases!
Once again, Carrot, TERRIFIC job on this game!! An amazing demo, from the art direction, to the writing and the implementation! Thank you so much for making this!!