itch.io

Okay so

I sat down to play this not entirely knowing what to expect.

I know you, Ghelber, as an artist, and have always loved both your work and your artstyle. 

But when I launched this for the first time, I expected it to not really draw me in. I'm a writer, and I have difficulty enjoying visual novels the moment i feel plotholes or inconsistencies or rushed scenes gnawing at me.

I have to then say that my expectations were blown away.

The art and the love and the fun that you put into this is present in every scene. Its clear how hard you worked and it translates into really beautiful imagery and sequences

I know that you arent a native English speaker, and I think the main things that slowed me down were moments where I felt like translations were a little off or dialogue felt too "stilted" or "basic" at times. Missing things like "ums" and  "ehah"s and other interjections and filler words that we normally use in conversation. Without them, some moments can feel a little more "scripted", and I suspect part of this may be translation.

.. but that doesnt stop any of it. Thats like.. 5% of the dialogue? That doesnt make the experience less enjoyable,
it doesnt make Ruby less adorable
it doesnt make Fran less endearing
it doesnt make the art any less beautiful
and it sure as hell didnt stop me from grinding through it in one session, where I normally stop visual novels even just a few scenes in.

I think where a lot of visual novels fall short is that, a lot of the time, there is a lack of love put into visuals. AWMT 12.2 was bursting with little cartoony, adorable moments that made it fun to read. The "Do you want to die?" scene caught me genuinely off guard and made me laugh - both the scene visuals and the simplicity of the dialogue made it super fun and a good character defining moment for our brief look at Sophia.

This is becoming a wall of text lol but I want you to know that I have some experience working with creative projects, and I know criticism, even if it means well, can be really difficult after pouring hours and hours into your art and feeling like you arent feeling the relief or positivity you deserve for it.

This message isnt going to solve that, but I want you to hear me as best you can.

What you have done here is incredible, and you deserve to know how awesome it is.

I created an Itch.io account to tell you that.

Ghelber, you are an incredible artist, and I am so, so excited to see where you go with this. 

If there is one thing I can pass on to you that doesnt make this easier but makes it more manageable, most people who enjoy a product dont say a word.

I am telling you now, as a first time user who has not been following the development of AWMT until now, this is a really fun experience with really great art / visuals and a lot of fun energy. Great fucking work~ 

P.s. - Open some higher tiers on patreon.  They dont need to have benefits, but its criminal that $10 is the highest one can sub to a project with this much love put into it.