'The Album of Ransom Wilkes' is a full on emotional roller coaster of a drama novella and character about a young photographer dealing with the growing pains of figuring out his identity, dealing with the loss of loved ones, and finding the strength of will to continue to find happiness in spite of it. RhettoeRaven was a break out hit in the MayWolf Game Jam, and it's crazy that he's made another game in the following months, and then, creates a side-project of that new VN just for NovemBuck Game Jam. I know that Rhettoe's a fan of the horror genre, so this branching out into just a pure drama is newish territory for him, and the skill that he has is the ability mesh the introspective thoughts of his characters, while also keeping the plot moving and always with a twist and turn. There's always some kind of tension in the scenes, and when the tension finally breaks, there's always a new source of tension ready to rear it's head and keep the reader invested. I haven't read IMG_1697, so I don't have a reference point for this character or what would be in store for them in the original VN, but something that this VN does do is make me even more eager to dig into it (I was being patient for more art assets).
Rhettoe has also been improving on his art, especially stuff like the page banner and the sex scenes. The narrative/plot is a really fun ride, as you're getting chill vibes from holiday visits, to nervous first time gay kiss, to hot gay sex, then righteous indignation, then heartbreaking sorrow, to righteous indignation again, and back into a catharsis with a new found life-line. Characters are great and distinct, though part of me wishes that Elias had a bit more personality, but nothing wrong with having a solid rock of a deer boyfriend who's just a regular guy. In terms of 'plot stuff', I would say that the whole thing of Ransom tripping in front of Patrick to get him and Ryan together was a bit stretching it, maybe something a bit more direct to show Ransom's agency in finally choosing to act and do a good deed. Same with the confrontation with Ransom and his father, considering that Ransom has shown to throw hands and have a bit of a spine. Also, the sort of surrender that Ransom seems to have towards dropping out and breaking up with Elias, felt that was also a bit 'well i guess i'll die' kind of reaction. Just that Ransom feels like he's supposed to be a hardened self-reliant kind of guy, but he does seem to crumble a lot more in the narrative than I assume he normally would. But, these are just minor nitpicks and you've clearly got a character in your mind that you're staying true to, so I can respect it. Overall, a really great entry, highly recommend reading this one even if you've never read the source project