'The Wolf and the Holy Man' is what I think I would call a classic parable written in modern times but as if it were from the olden times. Especially as it is a story of a story from the point of view of a old Christian monk on the twilight of his life. It features several of the mainstays of religious parables, like the faith in the divine being, preaching forgiveness and understanding, the tragedy of life and death, and the basal nature of humans. It shows the friendship (and forbidden love) that the young monk has with a strange mythical creature, the anthropomorphic wolf, and how despite coming from two worlds, are able to come together and understand each other, only for them to part as it could never be.
The first thing that stands out about this story is the antiquated prose that it uses, with all the surprisingly archaic and religious jargon that I'm sure even some of the more seasoned visual novel readers would need to look up the definitions of. I don't fault it for that, because it fits the tone that this is going for, and it never hurts to learn some new words. That being said, the parable itself is quite simple, classic fear of the unknown and prejudice against those who are different, leading to tragedy, and that then festers into resentment and hostility. But there is also the aspect of the story that is of regret and longing. The monk is someone who has had a lifetime of good deeds and is considered a saint, and yet, even he has regrets over a love he denied for his own notions of sanctity, and it brings into question, whether or not such convictions would inevitably lead to this outcome, or if he were to have indulged in those forbidden feelings, would he be the same person. Part of me wonders if having the final scene with the wolf confirming the visions the monk had takes away from what could have been an ambiguous ending, where the monk is left with these regrets because he never truly knows what happens to the wolf, and if his visions were his cynical viewpoint manifesting. Then again, I also don't hate having the final line be a confirmation that while the larger population of the town hadn't changed, at least the wolf was changed by meeting the monk. Ah, to be spoiled by artistic choice.
The presentation itself is quite well done as well. I think this is probably the first time I've seen that filter on backgrounds actually work in the context of the story it's going for. The blur painterly style works great with this sort of religious parable genre, and having it also be told primarily through the NVL-mode makes it feel more story book quality than your traditional visual novel text box. The use of colored text to indicate who was talking was really good, though I wonder if making the silhouette of the guard red confused me for a bit when the monk's text is red and the guard is orange. Like is it the guard or does the monk just have a sword? Same with how the crowd text is yellow, but the silhouettes are in dark blue. Just some stylistic observations. I thought the minimal usage of ambient forest and waterfall sounds was very well placed and the music fit the vibe you were going for. Even the bit at the end with the dream like distorted backgrounds was also a really nice touch. The surprise voicing monologue was unexpected and put a nice cap on the story. I think in terms of creativity, what stood out to me the most was the minimalist use of silhouettes and the commitment to the archaic vocabulary you used.
In terms of implementation of the folklore theme, this is basically a folklore tale in visual novel form, with the entire story being told from start to finish, which checks the box. The drawing from real life folk lore is also a really nice bonus point on top of that. It's surprising how much I was moved by this, but I guess that's just the nature of the dynamic of a doomed yaoi couple. This visual novel will have it's fans, but I feel like they're going to be the type who enjoy challenging reads and reading for readings' sake, rather than the subject matter of the story, but it seems like that was expected when writing this. Academic is a way I would describe this visual novel, the kind that is assigned via homework and enjoyed by literary enthusiasts rather than picked up for recreation by the layman. That said, I appreciate it's existence and feel like it brings a sense of dignity to this game jam.