Finally got back into my itch.io account to leave a comment on this wonderfully amazing and emotionally provocative experience.
I streamed this game as SoftyBlanket and it's been one of the most interesting experiences on stream. I was doing voiceover for the entire game, and I found myself yanked along into the flowing, stream-of-consciousness prose beautifully. The narrative flow of mingling in both Gwen's thoughts alongside the mixed perspective with the other girls created this enthralling stream of fascination that made it near impossible to put down. Each time a bout began, it was incredibly gorgeous getting to feel the flood of poetic inserts mingling with the almost dream-like way fencing as an art form was described; made even doubly so with me having no experience with the sport before beginning the novel.
The mingling of Gwen's own personal detachment from reality alongside Charlotte's unintentionally dismissive attitude towards Gwen's struggles created this gorgeous back-and-forth in which the two felt as real-to-life as I've ever seen a visual novel depict characters. Tying their personal journey alongside the narrative framework of the two dueling on the piste was narratively genius. I constantly found myself dragged so deeply into their relationship that it made the small moments where their bond cracked and Gwen's true self emerged even more powerful.
I also must give MASSIVE props to the presentation. The artwork, particularly in the charcoal-like cutouts as well as the semi-realistic background work perfectly complimented this feeling of the town being in this limbo state between persistence and decay. The use of the score lights on the sides of the screen was so immersive as well. I constantly found myself impressed with the little details and touches like the way text auto-advanced to simulate the natural flow of conversation even more.
I don't want to spoil the ending to those who haven't played it. I will say it's left me with no shortage of elements to ponder. At first I found it almost unsatisfying, yet sitting on stream for nearly twenty minutes simply going back and forth with my chat to work out why I found myself so fascinated with it made it even more impactful. It's an ending that draws forward the little moments from the experience to craft where the 'toxic' in this game comes from. Personally, I see it not a toxicity in connection, but rather lack of introspection and failure to act. The toxicity of being young and having no strong anchor of identity came through so wonderfully in Gwen's character and thinking back on how she fails/succeeds in progressing throughout the story was truly wonderful to experience.
Please also note the music from In Love With a Ghost. I found this game through another Kawaii Future Bass hunt and discovered them and saw the soundtrack they had posted.
You've done amazing work here. Getting to read through this on stream is an experience I won't soon be forgetting!