I'm looking forward to the full game, but the constant loading issues in the demo were kind of annoying to deal with, I don't know if it was just my computer, but it was common for the game to fail to load certain parts and get a white screen
Finished my first playthrough, and wow..... just wow. I absolutely love mystery/horror stories, so to see it in the tags got me excited, and I was not disappointed! That ending.... and how some of the characters acted or did... just, I can't say too much without spoiling it, but this was one hell of a sinister ride!
First off, let's go over technical aspects. Loved the artwork, everything is nice to look at and it's really neat how everyone has multiple poses which really helps make the characters feel more lively. The texting system looks really nice too. My biggest complaint, but this is a demo, is when I press Esc I find no way to return to the main menu, so there really wasn't a proper way to exit unless I'm missing something obvious. Also some of the red blinking in that one scene was irritating to the eyes, might recommend an option in the preference to be able to turn off things like that if desired.
Now onto characters...
I really like Lane as a main character. I feel bad for him, his situation is extremely vague but you just know he is suffering hardship... how bad exactly is still unclear, but I am really hoping he catches a break since he seems so stressed. I also like how he has a visible character sprite in the textbox, it's extremely rare to see in bishoujo titles.
So far, I think Holly, Nat, and Ms. Webb are my favorite characters. Holly is adorable and funny and over the top, Nat seems to be caring despite her demeanor and I dunno I just really like her, and Ms. Webb is very nice and has been so helpful to Lane. Don't know what to think about Ros yet, but there's potential for some fun banter there. I don't really like Alice, but I must admit I love a lot of her dialogue, but her as a person is just... ugh I did not feel sorry for her getting slapped lol. Evan, as Cain described, is loyal, a good friend to Lane overall even if he probably has a tendancy to overstep his bounds... like with the key lol. The Principal is.... *shudders*. And Cain, I initially did not like him at all, found him to be such a jerk and overly hostile toward Lane but that ending may be having me hate him a bit less.
The story itself seems there's a lot more to it. It has the feel of a normal story which decides to take a dip into sinister and unsettling, whether it will be in supernatural ways or not is unclear. But there's a lot of unanswered questions and I am curious to see how the story unfolds. There's so much we don't know about a lot of the characters, including the predicament our main character is in! Really looking forward to the full release. It'll be on Itch, right? I'll definitely be saving up ^^
Эта игра очень крутая и, конечно, очень интересная...но мне, наверное, стоит подождать, пока выйдет русская версия...возможно...А так игра неплохая...и рисунок очень хороший))
Lmao me too, I think it will be like by the end of the month? Worst case scenario it will be released on August, in any case at the very least it will be released this year so theres that.
Hey there— forgive the delayed response. Our current release date target is Summer 2023. We've made a ton of progress so far (which we share in our monthly updates on Kickstarter and Patreon), but there's still a long road for us to finish out. We want to ensure Student Union is the large and polished game our little team set out to create. And that takes a lot of time and resources. I really appreciate that you and others in these comments are actively waiting to get a taste of the final work. That genuinely means the world to me. We'll keep working hard in the meantime with the goal of rewarding your patience.
Unfortunately, the full game won't be free. After all, we need to pay our professional artists and team members for the work they pour in!
For the release date target, we can't guarantee it with certainty. But we are working hard towards it, and I definitely appreciate your interest. Thank you.
So; I just finished the Demo of this recently on Steam (I have done all the choices yet though, but I have finished my first playthrough. If you are wondering why I am posting here, well, there isn't a review option for the demo, though, I could do it in the community tab, and you just seem a bit more active here, so for now, I am posting here.
So first; I am going to talk about this:
"5 - 7 character routes divided among major branching plot routes
"Over 10 endings guided by player choice, and one hidden ending
"Optional 18+ content"
Excited that there will be 5-7 character routes; hoping it is 7, because the more the merrier for me, but 5 or 6 routes is also really awesome, and I am excited for it.
Excited for the branching paths and character routes.
I saw in the comments that there will be 10 endings, but here it says "Over 10 endings", so it is 10 endings or over 10 endings? If it is the latter, that would be awesome (I love getting all the endings), though 10 endings is already super awesome and cool too. Also, is the hidden ending included in the number count with the other endings, or not? Just curious. Also curious about the hidden ending, and to see it and what it is about when the full game comes out.
I am curious about the 18+ content, and what you mean by that. I would like to be able to get that, but I don't know how you are going to implicate that. I also wonder if that will be a thing on Steam, because that is where I plan to get it in the future. And if not, well, I don't know. Anyways, curious about the "optional 18+ content" you are talking about here.
Alright; I am going to talk about the Demo itself now, will probably do a longer review later; I just wanted to talk about some things for right now. There might some spoilers from now on; just warning you guys.
So, the VN, characters sprite, expressions and animations all look awesome themselves, and the music and sound effects (like for the title screen and that part where Decker poisoned me/Lane, and Cain was smashing her hand trying to get her to talk). I am liking the characters a lot so far, esp. Lane, who is an interesting protagonist/character to play as, and I look forward to playing as him as more, and finding out more about him and stuff (as well as finding more about other characters). Saying that; while I find the characters interesting, intriguing, and well-characterized so far. Some of the characters can be kind of un-likable at times.
I do, however, like imperfect characters, Lane himself isn't perfect, and he lashed at Evan in way that wasn't the best at all. I think it was understandable considering everything Lane had called through, and some of his implied situation at home, and all his stress. Saying that, I do think him lashing out at Evan was uncalled for; he just wanted to help, though I also get that it seems like Lane likes to do stuff himself and/or doesn't like pity. Evan probably also maybe shouldn't have gone into Lane's house like that, and can be pretty paranoid. Though, not saying he shouldn't be in some cases. Basically, I like how you are handling Lane and Evan so far a lot, and I look forward to more of that.
Currently though, Alice isn't the most likeable, even after finding out it was Holly that suggested that bloody cut off arm in Lane's prank; mainly due to how she is acting about being the president and not really helping the members of the club. I do see good attributes in Alice, but right now, I am also seeing a ton of bad ones. However, the demo is just a small part of the game, I am sure when the full VN comes out, she will get better, if Cain is anything to go by esp.
I mention Cain, because he can also be pretty unlikable at times, even bringing up my poor status out of nowhere, and beating Lane up/physically assaulting Lane a couple of times. He is more redeemed than Alice in my eyes though, because I realize the time time he pushed me (if I say me, I, or us in this review I mean Lane) in the gym, and the time he beat up Lane after he slapped Alice, we just misunderstandings and/or done out of mostly good intentions.
Saying that, he needs to use his words more (in more of a nice way), instead of just jumping to beating Lane up without giving him the chance to talk. He also redeemed himself more too to me, when he blocked Decker from getting into the bathroom after Lane ran there after drinking wine (which Lane didn't know at the time had been poisoned/spiked), and after he basically protected us in a way (made Decker stay away from us, and didn't want us to stay there, when Decker had been trying to get Lane to stay even though Lane wanted to go to the hospital), and got Decker to talk and admit that she poisoned Lane. Though, he may have taken things a bit far there, though, she then proceeded to taser Cain repeatedly (which could have killed him, if Lane hadn't stopped her by hitting her over the head), so I can't say he took things too, too far, esp. since Lane also took things far, and Decker even farer, because she started it (though, I am pretty sure Underwood is involved in some way too, because him and Decker seemed up to something, and I don't think it was an affair like Decker said. Pretty sure the affair thing was a lie/excuse to cover up something else, and if it wasn't, it wasn't the whole truth). Basically, both those things and some other smaller events has redeemed Cain some in ways; probably currently more than Alice, though Lane and him still have a ways to go relationship wise.
I do really like Holly, though her suggesting that prank was not cool (While Lane took things a bit far, I can understand why Lane slapped Alice; who, at the time Lane also misunderstood, probably at least partially due to his bias for Holly and against Alice that she set up this prank, because like I said, that wasn't a cool prank at all. Lane was legit worried that Holly was hurt and in danger); she apologized for it, so that is good though. She also seems to be slacking off some when working out her punishment; which isn't the best, but I still like her a lot, and it has been stated she is mourning someone, so I have trouble being super mad at her. I do look forward to finding more about that, and that we can help Holly (and maybe even she can help us too. Both Lane and Holly seem to be kind of a mess. To be honest though; the whole main cast seems to kind of a mess. Sam is probably the most put-together person; at least, from what the demo has shown.).
Nat is awesome and I love her, and probably one of the more likable for me so far. I also find her BG and her in general (being from Russia, wanting to go back home, wanting to see her boyfriend, being kind of lonely like Lane, being very sporty, her general calm and collected demeanor, having taken medicine for I don't know what that she shared with Lane, thinking rules are important, but giving Lane multiple chances, etc.) pretty interesting so far, and I like her personality.
Ros, well, Lane and her currently aren't on the best of foots, at least for me, because I tried to get her to join the club, and Lane was a bit forceful with that. I can't blame Ros at all for being upset with us, and Cain coming to her defense. Like, I get Lane is desperate, but I agree with Lane somewhat, that he has been acting kind of neurotic and obsessed lately. I also find Ros one of the more likable characters (even if Lane and her aren't currently on the best foot; which is something that might change in the future). Like, her getting help with school and having a difficult home life (Cain also seems to not have the best home either; his dad esp. seems to probably not be the best), and like her design a lot (Lane, Sam's, Nat's, Holly's, Underwood's, Evan's, and Underwood's are also great too; though everyone's are quite good).
Underwood is cool and interesting and I like him; he is incredibly sus though.
Decker is (or, well, was) pretty cute and funny at times, but even before I found out about the "affair", she was kind of weird, and she just became more weird and sus as the demo progressed, than the whole end happen with me, her, and Cain, and then she well you know got [redacted], so well yeah. She is interesting I guess, I do feel bad about what happened to her, and I am curious about what she was up to, and why she poisoned Lane, but yeah, she is quite weird and sus.
Like I said, already Sam is probably one of there put-together of all the characters, and is really cool, and has been there for Lane a lot; who really needs some support honestly. Lane is just having a horrible time. He is stressed about making money, he seems to be alone at home besides his cat, he gets more and more crazy about getting more members for the club, Cain hurts him twice, the 2nd one ranking up a big hospital bill, he got a head injury, which, I don't think we know how yet earlier in the demo, at least currently, at least with the choices I made, Alice became the president and not him, he got poisoned, etc. He is just having a super rough time, man. With that said, Sam being probably one of the better people and really being there for Lane, kind of makes me suspicious too. That is just probably me being paranoid though.
I like all the mysteries so far (some of which, I have mentioned already) and excited to see more mysteries and found out more stuff. Some of the other mysteries I am curious about, that I either didn't mention, or didn't talk about completely yet are:
Curious about the beginning of the game where Lane seems to be running from someone/something. Curious about how Lane injured his head (also wonder why he was at his desk so late into the night, though that might just be because his head injury conked him out), also curious about when Lane was wondering through the school at night. When he was locked in, and trying to find to someone, if that something "warm and wet, like the inside of a mouth." that was near that stairwell was. I am guessing it might have been blood, and if that is true; I wonder whose blood it was.
Also wondering what the slamming doors (like the night we were locked in the school), shaking doorknobs like someone is there, but when you go in the room; no one is there, the weird sounds in general, etc. really are.
I think I might have found out more about this if I decided to check out the room where this happened: "shaking doorknobs like someone is there, but when you go in the room; no one is there," instead of helping Holly like I did. Will probably check that out later. Anyways yeah, look forward to finding out more about this.
Wondering why the school seems to getting worse and worse money wise, why this club is really even being made in the first place, why, it seems like there might be less students this year, though I could be wrong about that, why Cain was asked to give Lane his schedule, why Lane was offered the job for club president (idk, with everything else going on; I am even sus about that) in the first place, why Decker poisoned Lane, & what is really going on with Decker, Underwood, and the school in the first place. So yeah; curious about a lot of things; I am happy that this is going to be a long game.
So if I don't this is just due to the choices I made or just a temporary thing or what, but Alice ended up becoming president and not me, and I do wonder if that is a permeant thing, or just in the route I am no or what, because while I am still really liking the story, I was looking forward to being the club president (I thought it would be interesting), and I don't want to be Alice's lackey, lol. So I do wonder if the Alice was president is permanent or just on the route I am on or something. Not saying Alice as president isn't cool, won't be interesting, or won't be enjoyable anyway, I think it probably will be; like I said, I was just looking forward to being the president. If you can't anything about this, or other stuff on this, because of spoilers or just other reasons, that is totally fine ofc.
What happened at the end of the demo (at least for me, don't know if there are other endings to the demo or not than the one I got) is such a cliffhanger, man. Like, Decker got [redacted], like holy heck man. I wonder what is going to happen next with that, esp. with Lane and Cain.
Off the story and on to other some stuff instead. Like the title screen (like, the layout of it, art, and music like I said already). Like the CQ gallery, and how the characters have their own ones (I am guessing some of the Demo CQ ones not showing up in the gallery was because it was a Demo) and there is notes about the characters, I wonder if there is going to be ones for other characters not there already; would be cool if they had their own too and there own notes about them too. Like Lane, Cain, Evan, Underwood and Decker. Or maybe they will share with the others? Or be in the Misc. file. Cool either way. I like the layout have some of the menus. Lile the the CQ Gallery looking like a desk with some on it (like pens, mugs with coffee, and the galleries themselves looking like files). The preferences/setting looking like a desk, computer, and notepad. The Save and Load looking a locker with books and sticky note(s) are really cool. The menu in-game you can press, and UI in general looks nice too.
Now on to some more criticisms-like stuff (I know I did that with the characters too, but I also said what I liked there, I actually do like how all the characters seem quite flawed for instance, and this more on the mechanics instead of like, the story or/& characters). Ummm, so when you mess around with stuff in the menu automatically in-game, the mouse will automatically move at times, and while I like that now, it was kind of confusing at first, I thought something was wrong with my mouse. It also makes moving around in the menus both quicker and slower at times. I think it is fine overall (there is a bit of a learning curve though, kinda), but maybe it could do with some tweaks?
So in the preferences and/or settings section, there are options to change the Music and Sound which I like. If I had to say one thing, I wish it was possible to turn off button clicks you get moving around the menus without muting all the sound (though, not the music), besides that, that is all good.
I say that, but the mouse clicks and the sounds moving around the menus is fine overall; esp. if the sound is a bit lower, and I like how going to or leaving some menus sounds like the opening and closing of doors and/or lockers. All very creative and on theme.
Hmmmm, besides the logo for your Visual Novel Village that you get while opening the game (which is cool); I wonder if there will be any other openings and/or endings (which I think are cool)? If not, this VN still seems really cool anyway.
Already; okay, done now. I said I would do a longer review later, but I think this review is already long and in-depth already (tbh, this review got SUPER long actually hahaha), so I might not say anymore (until the full game is released that is probably) after all; we will see.
Excited for the full game; it is not too far off now. Great job with this, and good luck finishing it.
I am replying to my own comment, because I wanted to add some stuff to my original review after some more playthroughs of the demo. I am doing a reply instead of just making an edit to my original comment, because my first OP comment is already long enough.
Anyways... let's get to talking about more new stuff from my other new(er) playthroughs of your demo.
So after playing the VN a few more times and picking some other choices I was able to get more different scenes and different it appears & character routes/endings (not the ending of the demo itself though).
So I now realized the first ending I got was probably one of the "worst" ( say worst, but it was still interesting, and Cain calling out obsessive and etc. Lane was acting was probably good for him. What I mean by worst, is that it is one of routes/endings where you end up not becoming the prez. since you fail to recruit anyone, which causes Alice to become the prez. instead.) ones.
I am guessing this one might be more of the Holly and Alice route. Though Alice got a fair amount of focus too in the route where I got Ros to join the club. So who knows. It is so early in the VN it is hard to tell exactly how routes and stuff will play out.
After some more playthroughs, I was able to recruit Nat, and I think it was the one where me and Alice become class prezs. together, which is cool. Not becoming the prez., but one of the better (at least in terms of it being better for Lane; he seems to be a bit more of a healthy place than in the route where Alice becomes Prez or the Ros route imo. I don't mean the route is better story or character wise if that makes sense) routes it seems that you can get. Btw, this route made me love Nat even more, and got to see some more of Lane's crazy determination (in a bit more healthy way than in the first route ending I got).
After that (I think) I got Ros' route/ending and got her to join the club. Lane really shows how far he is willing to go get money in this route, coming up with a money-making (maybe illegal scheme) with Ros, and Ros also shows how far she can be willing to go, but going along with it, and joining the club too. Really shows Lane in a different light; it is interesting Honestly, while we actually became the president full-on in this route (I think), and not be co-prez with Alice; I see this route being more worse for Lane mentally (though, story and character wise it is very interesting), Ros too. Them taking initiative is cool, but the way they are doing, and just how far they are thinking about going..is just something that might now turn out well for them. The route will look like it will be interesting though. Liked getting to know Ros more in this route, she is a bit too much of a rule-breaker at times, but she is starting to grow on me and I liked learning more about her.
Alice in this route was also appearing that she might be better in this route, going to the library with me and stuff, but she ended up locking me in there, because she just is SO wants that prez position. Which is admirable in a way; she is similar to Lane in that regard, though she takes it further in a lot of ways. Saying that, her doing this didn't warm her to me. I am guessing and hoping she is just a slow burn character, because she is currently the character where I have seen the least good qualities in/not seen much of her good sides yet. Yes, both Cain and Ros are bit rough around the edges and Holly could think things through more, but I have seen good traits with all them; Alice however, while I can respect how much she strives to get the prez position, and some other stuff about her, so far, her bad qualities hugely outweigh her good ones, so hope the full game will allow us to see more of her good traits/qualities.
I couldn't get any more routes/endings, so I am guessing there probably isn't anymore to get in the demo. Probably at least. I am also guessing that the other character routes/routes will become more available and/or obviously available in the content after the demo (i.e., the full game).
After getting more routes/endings; I am even more excited for the full game. It is going to be hard to wait, but I will wait of course. Good luck on the rest of the game.
Oh cool. I didn't know you could get Rosalyn to join the club. I recruited Natalie Natasha lolmy first playthrough. Then I thought that picking Ros simply results in a failure/Alice becoming president no matter what. I guess I kind of spoilered myself on what the possibilities are, but oh well, I'm glad I can try that out now.
It'll be the same time as it releases for Windows, Mac, and Linux. We're expecting mid 2022. It's a large project, and we've gotten a lot done so far, so please be patient!
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I'm looking forward to the full game, but the constant loading issues in the demo were kind of annoying to deal with, I don't know if it was just my computer, but it was common for the game to fail to load certain parts and get a white screen
just completed my first playthrough and Im really exited for the full game
Sad android is only demo
NGL you got me with that last part now I'm intrigue what comes next :D
This was good! can't wait to see the full version of it!
The spoilery joke i could make here is
Brair: "ayo the pizza's here!"
*trips*
Lmfao good one man
is there a place where i could find a dev log
Hmm i like it
Finished my first playthrough, and wow..... just wow. I absolutely love mystery/horror stories, so to see it in the tags got me excited, and I was not disappointed! That ending.... and how some of the characters acted or did... just, I can't say too much without spoiling it, but this was one hell of a sinister ride!
First off, let's go over technical aspects. Loved the artwork, everything is nice to look at and it's really neat how everyone has multiple poses which really helps make the characters feel more lively. The texting system looks really nice too. My biggest complaint, but this is a demo, is when I press Esc I find no way to return to the main menu, so there really wasn't a proper way to exit unless I'm missing something obvious. Also some of the red blinking in that one scene was irritating to the eyes, might recommend an option in the preference to be able to turn off things like that if desired.
Now onto characters...
I really like Lane as a main character. I feel bad for him, his situation is extremely vague but you just know he is suffering hardship... how bad exactly is still unclear, but I am really hoping he catches a break since he seems so stressed. I also like how he has a visible character sprite in the textbox, it's extremely rare to see in bishoujo titles.
So far, I think Holly, Nat, and Ms. Webb are my favorite characters. Holly is adorable and funny and over the top, Nat seems to be caring despite her demeanor and I dunno I just really like her, and Ms. Webb is very nice and has been so helpful to Lane. Don't know what to think about Ros yet, but there's potential for some fun banter there. I don't really like Alice, but I must admit I love a lot of her dialogue, but her as a person is just... ugh I did not feel sorry for her getting slapped lol. Evan, as Cain described, is loyal, a good friend to Lane overall even if he probably has a tendancy to overstep his bounds... like with the key lol. The Principal is.... *shudders*. And Cain, I initially did not like him at all, found him to be such a jerk and overly hostile toward Lane but that ending may be having me hate him a bit less.
The story itself seems there's a lot more to it. It has the feel of a normal story which decides to take a dip into sinister and unsettling, whether it will be in supernatural ways or not is unclear. But there's a lot of unanswered questions and I am curious to see how the story unfolds. There's so much we don't know about a lot of the characters, including the predicament our main character is in! Really looking forward to the full release. It'll be on Itch, right? I'll definitely be saving up ^^
When android versions after demo?
5/5 awesome game! Just wish there was more choices
I BEG YOU TO UPDAT THIS GAME BECAUSE I REALLY LOVE IT! PLEASEEE
This game is such a.....a....
SUPER GOOD AND SOO COOL AND SO SO HEART MELTINGGGGG!!!!
THis game reminds me like Lane..
I like this game!!! SOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!
New readers,PLEASE READ IT!!! SOO COOL I CHALLENGE YOU!!! IT'S COOL!!!!
I gave it 1000000/10000000 points!!!!
I will be waiting in the next update!! KEEP IT UP!!!!
Эта игра очень крутая и, конечно, очень интересная...но мне, наверное, стоит подождать, пока выйдет русская версия...возможно...А так игра неплохая...и рисунок очень хороший))
bro when will the full game be released ive been waiting a whileee
Lmao me too, I think it will be like by the end of the month? Worst case scenario it will be released on August, in any case at the very least it will be released this year so theres that.
If you look at the steam page, it says planned release date is september of next year.
gtfo
Hey there— forgive the delayed response. Our current release date target is Summer 2023. We've made a ton of progress so far (which we share in our monthly updates on Kickstarter and Patreon), but there's still a long road for us to finish out. We want to ensure Student Union is the large and polished game our little team set out to create. And that takes a lot of time and resources. I really appreciate that you and others in these comments are actively waiting to get a taste of the final work. That genuinely means the world to me. We'll keep working hard in the meantime with the goal of rewarding your patience.
Todd
Ok thanks for the update Todd, I'll be waiting....
I want ro ask a few questions
Is this gonna be free? I really wanna continue the story and it's totally sure that it will be realised in 2023 ?
Unfortunately, the full game won't be free. After all, we need to pay our professional artists and team members for the work they pour in!
For the release date target, we can't guarantee it with certainty. But we are working hard towards it, and I definitely appreciate your interest. Thank you.
Todd
always looking for good games no problem man
Can i ask will this be free at full release cause this is enjoyable if it has a price i'm truly sorry i can't buy it i am broke
Any estimate on how much space the finished game will take up on all platforms?
Noo yaoi rute???....
is the 18+ stuff in the demo? and will the offical game cost money
So; I just finished the Demo of this recently on Steam (I have done all the choices yet though, but I have finished my first playthrough. If you are wondering why I am posting here, well, there isn't a review option for the demo, though, I could do it in the community tab, and you just seem a bit more active here, so for now, I am posting here.
So first; I am going to talk about this:
Excited that there will be 5-7 character routes; hoping it is 7, because the more the merrier for me, but 5 or 6 routes is also really awesome, and I am excited for it.
Excited for the branching paths and character routes.
I saw in the comments that there will be 10 endings, but here it says "Over 10 endings", so it is 10 endings or over 10 endings? If it is the latter, that would be awesome (I love getting all the endings), though 10 endings is already super awesome and cool too. Also, is the hidden ending included in the number count with the other endings, or not? Just curious. Also curious about the hidden ending, and to see it and what it is about when the full game comes out.
I am curious about the 18+ content, and what you mean by that. I would like to be able to get that, but I don't know how you are going to implicate that. I also wonder if that will be a thing on Steam, because that is where I plan to get it in the future. And if not, well, I don't know. Anyways, curious about the "optional 18+ content" you are talking about here.
Alright; I am going to talk about the Demo itself now, will probably do a longer review later; I just wanted to talk about some things for right now. There might some spoilers from now on; just warning you guys.
So, the VN, characters sprite, expressions and animations all look awesome themselves, and the music and sound effects (like for the title screen and that part where Decker poisoned me/Lane, and Cain was smashing her hand trying to get her to talk). I am liking the characters a lot so far, esp. Lane, who is an interesting protagonist/character to play as, and I look forward to playing as him as more, and finding out more about him and stuff (as well as finding more about other characters). Saying that; while I find the characters interesting, intriguing, and well-characterized so far. Some of the characters can be kind of un-likable at times.
I do, however, like imperfect characters, Lane himself isn't perfect, and he lashed at Evan in way that wasn't the best at all. I think it was understandable considering everything Lane had called through, and some of his implied situation at home, and all his stress. Saying that, I do think him lashing out at Evan was uncalled for; he just wanted to help, though I also get that it seems like Lane likes to do stuff himself and/or doesn't like pity. Evan probably also maybe shouldn't have gone into Lane's house like that, and can be pretty paranoid. Though, not saying he shouldn't be in some cases. Basically, I like how you are handling Lane and Evan so far a lot, and I look forward to more of that.
Currently though, Alice isn't the most likeable, even after finding out it was Holly that suggested that bloody cut off arm in Lane's prank; mainly due to how she is acting about being the president and not really helping the members of the club. I do see good attributes in Alice, but right now, I am also seeing a ton of bad ones. However, the demo is just a small part of the game, I am sure when the full VN comes out, she will get better, if Cain is anything to go by esp.
I mention Cain, because he can also be pretty unlikable at times, even bringing up my poor status out of nowhere, and beating Lane up/physically assaulting Lane a couple of times. He is more redeemed than Alice in my eyes though, because I realize the time time he pushed me (if I say me, I, or us in this review I mean Lane) in the gym, and the time he beat up Lane after he slapped Alice, we just misunderstandings and/or done out of mostly good intentions.
Saying that, he needs to use his words more (in more of a nice way), instead of just jumping to beating Lane up without giving him the chance to talk. He also redeemed himself more too to me, when he blocked Decker from getting into the bathroom after Lane ran there after drinking wine (which Lane didn't know at the time had been poisoned/spiked), and after he basically protected us in a way (made Decker stay away from us, and didn't want us to stay there, when Decker had been trying to get Lane to stay even though Lane wanted to go to the hospital), and got Decker to talk and admit that she poisoned Lane. Though, he may have taken things a bit far there, though, she then proceeded to taser Cain repeatedly (which could have killed him, if Lane hadn't stopped her by hitting her over the head), so I can't say he took things too, too far, esp. since Lane also took things far, and Decker even farer, because she started it (though, I am pretty sure Underwood is involved in some way too, because him and Decker seemed up to something, and I don't think it was an affair like Decker said. Pretty sure the affair thing was a lie/excuse to cover up something else, and if it wasn't, it wasn't the whole truth). Basically, both those things and some other smaller events has redeemed Cain some in ways; probably currently more than Alice, though Lane and him still have a ways to go relationship wise.
I do really like Holly, though her suggesting that prank was not cool (While Lane took things a bit far, I can understand why Lane slapped Alice; who, at the time Lane also misunderstood, probably at least partially due to his bias for Holly and against Alice that she set up this prank, because like I said, that wasn't a cool prank at all. Lane was legit worried that Holly was hurt and in danger); she apologized for it, so that is good though. She also seems to be slacking off some when working out her punishment; which isn't the best, but I still like her a lot, and it has been stated she is mourning someone, so I have trouble being super mad at her. I do look forward to finding more about that, and that we can help Holly (and maybe even she can help us too. Both Lane and Holly seem to be kind of a mess. To be honest though; the whole main cast seems to kind of a mess. Sam is probably the most put-together person; at least, from what the demo has shown.).
Nat is awesome and I love her, and probably one of the more likable for me so far. I also find her BG and her in general (being from Russia, wanting to go back home, wanting to see her boyfriend, being kind of lonely like Lane, being very sporty, her general calm and collected demeanor, having taken medicine for I don't know what that she shared with Lane, thinking rules are important, but giving Lane multiple chances, etc.) pretty interesting so far, and I like her personality.
Ros, well, Lane and her currently aren't on the best of foots, at least for me, because I tried to get her to join the club, and Lane was a bit forceful with that. I can't blame Ros at all for being upset with us, and Cain coming to her defense. Like, I get Lane is desperate, but I agree with Lane somewhat, that he has been acting kind of neurotic and obsessed lately. I also find Ros one of the more likable characters (even if Lane and her aren't currently on the best foot; which is something that might change in the future). Like, her getting help with school and having a difficult home life (Cain also seems to not have the best home either; his dad esp. seems to probably not be the best), and like her design a lot (Lane, Sam's, Nat's, Holly's, Underwood's, Evan's, and Underwood's are also great too; though everyone's are quite good).
Underwood is cool and interesting and I like him; he is incredibly sus though.
Decker is (or, well, was) pretty cute and funny at times, but even before I found out about the "affair", she was kind of weird, and she just became more weird and sus as the demo progressed, than the whole end happen with me, her, and Cain, and then she well you know got [redacted], so well yeah. She is interesting I guess, I do feel bad about what happened to her, and I am curious about what she was up to, and why she poisoned Lane, but yeah, she is quite weird and sus.
Like I said, already Sam is probably one of there put-together of all the characters, and is really cool, and has been there for Lane a lot; who really needs some support honestly. Lane is just having a horrible time. He is stressed about making money, he seems to be alone at home besides his cat, he gets more and more crazy about getting more members for the club, Cain hurts him twice, the 2nd one ranking up a big hospital bill, he got a head injury, which, I don't think we know how yet earlier in the demo, at least currently, at least with the choices I made, Alice became the president and not him, he got poisoned, etc. He is just having a super rough time, man. With that said, Sam being probably one of the better people and really being there for Lane, kind of makes me suspicious too. That is just probably me being paranoid though.
I like all the mysteries so far (some of which, I have mentioned already) and excited to see more mysteries and found out more stuff. Some of the other mysteries I am curious about, that I either didn't mention, or didn't talk about completely yet are:
Curious about the beginning of the game where Lane seems to be running from someone/something. Curious about how Lane injured his head (also wonder why he was at his desk so late into the night, though that might just be because his head injury conked him out), also curious about when Lane was wondering through the school at night. When he was locked in, and trying to find to someone, if that something "warm and wet, like the inside of a mouth." that was near that stairwell was. I am guessing it might have been blood, and if that is true; I wonder whose blood it was.
Also wondering what the slamming doors (like the night we were locked in the school), shaking doorknobs like someone is there, but when you go in the room; no one is there, the weird sounds in general, etc. really are.
I think I might have found out more about this if I decided to check out the room where this happened: "shaking doorknobs like someone is there, but when you go in the room; no one is there," instead of helping Holly like I did. Will probably check that out later. Anyways yeah, look forward to finding out more about this.
Wondering why the school seems to getting worse and worse money wise, why this club is really even being made in the first place, why, it seems like there might be less students this year, though I could be wrong about that, why Cain was asked to give Lane his schedule, why Lane was offered the job for club president (idk, with everything else going on; I am even sus about that) in the first place, why Decker poisoned Lane, & what is really going on with Decker, Underwood, and the school in the first place. So yeah; curious about a lot of things; I am happy that this is going to be a long game.
So if I don't this is just due to the choices I made or just a temporary thing or what, but Alice ended up becoming president and not me, and I do wonder if that is a permeant thing, or just in the route I am no or what, because while I am still really liking the story, I was looking forward to being the club president (I thought it would be interesting), and I don't want to be Alice's lackey, lol. So I do wonder if the Alice was president is permanent or just on the route I am on or something. Not saying Alice as president isn't cool, won't be interesting, or won't be enjoyable anyway, I think it probably will be; like I said, I was just looking forward to being the president. If you can't anything about this, or other stuff on this, because of spoilers or just other reasons, that is totally fine ofc.
What happened at the end of the demo (at least for me, don't know if there are other endings to the demo or not than the one I got) is such a cliffhanger, man. Like, Decker got [redacted], like holy heck man. I wonder what is going to happen next with that, esp. with Lane and Cain.
Off the story and on to other some stuff instead. Like the title screen (like, the layout of it, art, and music like I said already). Like the CQ gallery, and how the characters have their own ones (I am guessing some of the Demo CQ ones not showing up in the gallery was because it was a Demo) and there is notes about the characters, I wonder if there is going to be ones for other characters not there already; would be cool if they had their own too and there own notes about them too. Like Lane, Cain, Evan, Underwood and Decker. Or maybe they will share with the others? Or be in the Misc. file. Cool either way. I like the layout have some of the menus. Lile the the CQ Gallery looking like a desk with some on it (like pens, mugs with coffee, and the galleries themselves looking like files). The preferences/setting looking like a desk, computer, and notepad. The Save and Load looking a locker with books and sticky note(s) are really cool. The menu in-game you can press, and UI in general looks nice too.
Now on to some more criticisms-like stuff (I know I did that with the characters too, but I also said what I liked there, I actually do like how all the characters seem quite flawed for instance, and this more on the mechanics instead of like, the story or/& characters). Ummm, so when you mess around with stuff in the menu automatically in-game, the mouse will automatically move at times, and while I like that now, it was kind of confusing at first, I thought something was wrong with my mouse. It also makes moving around in the menus both quicker and slower at times. I think it is fine overall (there is a bit of a learning curve though, kinda), but maybe it could do with some tweaks?
So in the preferences and/or settings section, there are options to change the Music and Sound which I like. If I had to say one thing, I wish it was possible to turn off button clicks you get moving around the menus without muting all the sound (though, not the music), besides that, that is all good.
I say that, but the mouse clicks and the sounds moving around the menus is fine overall; esp. if the sound is a bit lower, and I like how going to or leaving some menus sounds like the opening and closing of doors and/or lockers. All very creative and on theme.
Hmmmm, besides the logo for your Visual Novel Village that you get while opening the game (which is cool); I wonder if there will be any other openings and/or endings (which I think are cool)? If not, this VN still seems really cool anyway.
Already; okay, done now. I said I would do a longer review later, but I think this review is already long and in-depth already (tbh, this review got SUPER long actually hahaha), so I might not say anymore (until the full game is released that is probably) after all; we will see.
Excited for the full game; it is not too far off now. Great job with this, and good luck finishing it.
I am replying to my own comment, because I wanted to add some stuff to my original review after some more playthroughs of the demo. I am doing a reply instead of just making an edit to my original comment, because my first OP comment is already long enough.
Anyways... let's get to talking about more new stuff from my other new(er) playthroughs of your demo.
So after playing the VN a few more times and picking some other choices I was able to get more different scenes and different it appears & character routes/endings (not the ending of the demo itself though).
So I now realized the first ending I got was probably one of the "worst" ( say worst, but it was still interesting, and Cain calling out obsessive and etc. Lane was acting was probably good for him. What I mean by worst, is that it is one of routes/endings where you end up not becoming the prez. since you fail to recruit anyone, which causes Alice to become the prez. instead.) ones.
I am guessing this one might be more of the Holly and Alice route. Though Alice got a fair amount of focus too in the route where I got Ros to join the club. So who knows. It is so early in the VN it is hard to tell exactly how routes and stuff will play out.
After some more playthroughs, I was able to recruit Nat, and I think it was the one where me and Alice become class prezs. together, which is cool. Not becoming the prez., but one of the better (at least in terms of it being better for Lane; he seems to be a bit more of a healthy place than in the route where Alice becomes Prez or the Ros route imo. I don't mean the route is better story or character wise if that makes sense) routes it seems that you can get. Btw, this route made me love Nat even more, and got to see some more of Lane's crazy determination (in a bit more healthy way than in the first route ending I got).
After that (I think) I got Ros' route/ending and got her to join the club. Lane really shows how far he is willing to go get money in this route, coming up with a money-making (maybe illegal scheme) with Ros, and Ros also shows how far she can be willing to go, but going along with it, and joining the club too. Really shows Lane in a different light; it is interesting Honestly, while we actually became the president full-on in this route (I think), and not be co-prez with Alice; I see this route being more worse for Lane mentally (though, story and character wise it is very interesting), Ros too. Them taking initiative is cool, but the way they are doing, and just how far they are thinking about going..is just something that might now turn out well for them. The route will look like it will be interesting though. Liked getting to know Ros more in this route, she is a bit too much of a rule-breaker at times, but she is starting to grow on me and I liked learning more about her.
Alice in this route was also appearing that she might be better in this route, going to the library with me and stuff, but she ended up locking me in there, because she just is SO wants that prez position. Which is admirable in a way; she is similar to Lane in that regard, though she takes it further in a lot of ways. Saying that, her doing this didn't warm her to me. I am guessing and hoping she is just a slow burn character, because she is currently the character where I have seen the least good qualities in/not seen much of her good sides yet. Yes, both Cain and Ros are bit rough around the edges and Holly could think things through more, but I have seen good traits with all them; Alice however, while I can respect how much she strives to get the prez position, and some other stuff about her, so far, her bad qualities hugely outweigh her good ones, so hope the full game will allow us to see more of her good traits/qualities.
I couldn't get any more routes/endings, so I am guessing there probably isn't anymore to get in the demo. Probably at least. I am also guessing that the other character routes/routes will become more available and/or obviously available in the content after the demo (i.e., the full game).
After getting more routes/endings; I am even more excited for the full game. It is going to be hard to wait, but I will wait of course. Good luck on the rest of the game.
Oh cool. I didn't know you could get Rosalyn to join the club. I recruited
NatalieNatasha lolwill it be possible to set whether fsk 18 content is on or off?
I loved the demo. When can we expect the next update?
I've gotten the same ending a few times now, is this supposed to happen because the game is not fully out yet?
yeah, this is just the demo. according to the description, the full version will have 10 endings.
Got it thanks
Will the full version cost money? Cool game by the way
When will the full game be released for android.
It'll be the same time as it releases for Windows, Mac, and Linux. We're expecting mid 2022. It's a large project, and we've gotten a lot done so far, so please be patient!
how do I get the full game?
It's not out yet! The scope is pretty huge. Our team has been hard at work on it, though, and we've made tons of progress. Current ETA is mid 2022.
ok thanks!!
I just finished the demo recently and I'm super excited to play the full game. I am absolutely invested in the story and all these characters
Just wanted to ask, will there be h-scenes in?
Yep! The game will have an 18+ h-content patch.
How many demo ending
I'm planning on buying the full game! Super excited!
It is ok????
It's better than okay, its amazing
ok
ok
just wondering if this picture is part of the demo or the full game ?????
It's from the demo! There are optional scenes based on your choices.
OK THANKS
The full game comes out April 2022 for anyone wondering.
cant wait dudd!
how much will it be?
Not sure. I looked them up on Kickstarter to find out the release date but the pricing's not mentioned.
$25 USD is the plan. :)
I can translate your game into Spanish, if you wish.
I think message them on twitter since they dont reply here
apparently they are not interested
has this game been completed?
It is set to release on April 2022.
This will be one of the few games that I will translate, a Brazilian audience that doesn't know English needs to play this masterpiece