Well, I must say, more often than not, I could put the Storm and P story in northeast states. I'm not, by any means, saying that coronelismo happens only on northeast, (and not even under torture I would say any family names), but that's a thing. In southeast, Rio would be the most probable place to put, even knowing way too well where it happens. And I'm loving every single second of the history.

Any chance of the master getting a nickname at some point?  I mean other than the one from a little birdie.

Like little beacon?  Like a lighthouse that keeps ships from crashing ashore or lets them know where harbor is.  I think it fits with Asterion's little star.

You bastards made me cry, i hope you're happy with yourselves,  I mean you should, its a testament of how good the writing is. 

Also , on my first playthrough i chose wolf, but didnt get Themba nor  Khenbish, is that you can get  only one of them? 

if so i want to speak with the manager

You can't do this to me, Asterion. You're too precious for your own good. 

Nikos is such a little shit and I love him. I'm doing a second playthrough and his scene as Argos fighting you about recorded music is so damn funny knowing he's just trolling you as part of his role. 

Um. 

Khenbish in a tank is really hot.

That's all.

I pissed away an hour trying every combination in Hinterlands III to find that godforsaken anthill in my art save, only to finally be able to relieve myself in the speedrunner route. I have many thoughts, but mostly do NOT let Pedro near dead animals. Good to see that gamer spill leaked into Pedro with his "No homo" to Oscar at the lake.

As painful as some of the speedrun options were*, Nikos has the worst of it knowing he has to bounce off of you. He practiced his whole life for this and this is what greets him. Shameful. Telling him blood turns brown when it dries and that he didn't think things through is worse than anything else he's had to suffer. My art character may have been less intelligent, but at least he cared.

*I think immediately telling Asterion about Notre Dame burning down is one of the worst moments. I was cringing when Asterion mentioned that in my first playthrough knowing its fate, but this time my character just blurts it out. Like he just got some of his strength back, chill out. Pogchamp is up there, though. The fighting game inputs to confuse Asterion just make sense.

Hello,  I can't leave an in depth review because English isn't even my first lenguage but mostly because I'm kinda dumb with words. 

All I wanted to say is that I just finished playing this game and I have to say I love it, I think this kind of games are called visual novels right? I don't know much about them, only similar game I've played is Adastra but never even finished it. 

So I was curious, is this game gonna get updates? I got what I guess is the good ending, where Pedro and Oscar get to the hotel (reading a bit it seems there's other endings) and end up with Asterion. But is that the end of it? Will future updates expand the story from that point? 

Another thing is I tried the game expecting it to be way more nsfw, don't get me wrong I loved it, I just thought there would be more nsfw situations like the first (and I think only one?) with Luke, I really liked that scene, a lot! and after it I thought there would be more like it, even if more less, umm, intense. Honestly I was hoping to be able to maybe see something between Luke and Kota, or at the end when Pedro gets to the hotel, I imagined him finally resting his troubled mind and having some sexy time with Luke to celebrate, something like that, and many other situations, mainly involving, lol. 

So just that, I loved it, I hope in the future we get to see the story expanded a bit, I'm definitely making some fanart, thanks to the everyone involved in the development, I had a great time. 

Anyone know if there's a way to remove the charm from the restaurant guy in the hinterlands? The guy who fades between human / goat(?).

Also, is there a point to the bus stop?

I just had a conversation with the narrator in the good route, which I did not expect. She was talking to me directly, but I loved her complaining about how full of it Athena and her people were. The deliberate text pause showing her thinking about how much she wanted to say was really good, too. Little touches like that really go a long way.

So many lovely secrets. I finally got Pedro to say he loves Oscar, too, or "thinks he does", which is a lot from the birdbrain.

Does anyone know how to get the secret achievement between Best boy and My little bletchley  park? It's pmuch the only achievement left for me but I dont have the slightlest idea on how to unlock it

Has anyone found the transcripts for Poseidon, Athena, Aphrodite, or Hephaestus?  I've replayed the section after they're added to exploration so many times I'm starting to think they aren't in the game yet.

Yaaaa, I finish my first route! And unlocked nearly half of the achivement!

The 2 quests(?) in hinterland are easier than I thought, plan on treating Strom the best in the next route.

Is the achivement "The tale of Argos and Io" and "Cthonic Regalia" have requirement? It seems they just accomplish within the main story.

What is the star on Asterion head means? His divine part?

And It is quite wired when you should put down your name in Jean's phone, but the speical answer is to put down his name. 

I really hope the lead ring generated by the binding contract supress the typical lead trouble: Plumbosis

Ok, just finished.

I think my main complaint is it's a little anxiety inducing to not have enough TIME to do all the things you should do. Asterion's project, the side character routs, recruiting Robert. In a game where the premise of the fantasy is "time enough, at last, with the people you care about" it bothered me a little that it felt like I was being forced to leave so much untouched. I hope the plot isn't, like, FINISHED? That future builds give the player some to actually see Asterion and the PC happy with eachother? As is, it felt a little like we got to see them finally find echother, and then that was it, the end.

I love the worldbuilding, the careful syncretism that's gone into the world. This is one reason I felt resentful of not having more leisure time to explore it. So often works that try to combine pantheons and mythologies feel like they treating them as irrelevancies: they're all true because none of them particularly matter. Here you did the opposite.

What I loved most is the idea of the Recursion, that Pedro explains, how people become trapped reliving different versions of the stories they were born into. And I really appreciate the earthy, practical, go with what works, the-symbol-is-the-thing style of his ritual magic. It gave a lot of context for what was wrong with Hermes, at the end.

It takes a lot to get me to buy a happily ever narrative. You did it though. I'm invested, and I really really hope that future builds are going to let us see some of it, not just leave us here.

This might be a very dumb question that could be answered by carefully re-reading dialogue early on in the game, but just to be 100% sure and solidly clarify, given I can't remember if this was cleared up or not, but do guests still have to pay money to stay the night like a normal hotel or are guests allowed to stay for free, given as Asterion did make it clear it was a sanctuary for the lost.

Did anyone else noticed the Hotel quietly popping up in a certain part of Hinterlands III when Storm and P are talking in the car? I just remembered it and had to post this

Before I go into the theories that have been bouncing around in my head I must say hats of to the team behind this magnificent story just (Chefs kiss).

1. Oscar/Storm is or at lest is a piece of Asterion's divinity that the god's took from him and was born when one the god's ( I'm thinking Hermes) got Oscar's/Storm's mother pregnant in order to Give Asterion his divinity back ( I'm only guessing about the why this seems the most logical). I am making this guess mainly on what the narrator said in Ch. 18 when Oscar/Storm and Asterion meet in front of the hotel "From the slit in the star-spangled horizon, he comes. The drop of blood" this i felt was a way to signal us as the reader that they are more closely related than it would seem a first glance. We also know that having divinity means the person has ichor flowing through them and we also know from conversations with Robert that Asterion no longer has his divinity.

2. Luke's Brother died on the January 28, 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. I base my theory on the the conversation you have with Luke when you give him time off he mentions a really difficult test that he and his brother needed for their dream job. I believe it is reasonable to assume that Luke and his brother were trying to become Astronauts based on Luke's love for the stars and the fact in Luke1 we see him in Cape Canaveral waiting to see the shuttle launch.

3. The Protagonists of the story is subconsciously bringing in gay Mythical creatures in to the Hotel. I don't have much to say other than how unlikely it is for Mythical creatures that also happen to be gay to come to the Hotel and become a part of the Hotel's Staff.

4. The Protagonist was influenced/ Possessed by Hades when Hermes was about to kill Argos/Nikos in Ch.18. I base my theory on the nearly rotten flower smell the Protagonist smells now this by itself could mean anything but Hermes mutters a name to himself which means someone he knows interfered and it stands to reason that Hades interfered to prevent Hermes from killing Argos/Nikos.

I would love to hear other peoples theories. I'm also open to hear if you disagree on my theories and why

Eating the flesh of God's child to gain eternal life. Where have I heard that before? 🙃 I have questions about the number 12 but I don't feel qualified to ask the right ones yet.

God, the tapir's design is horrifying in context. Like the bits of missing muscle. Nope. Which means I can't wait for him to be a romance option for one of the guests or for him to find the hotel and immediately chased by Wolf. Good boy.

Oh my god.

Oh my god.

Those aren't even Luke's memes, they're fucking Nikos goddamn it

Give the snake some goddamn jujubes. I can't with him. He's the sweetest fucking troll. Arrrghhhh(os, etc. etc.)

Fuck.

I cried for 2 hours after playing the love-route again. That music when they're both deep into the hotel, it's just sad. I know the scene's supposed to be happy but all the weight of Asterion's "curse" is still there even though MC's love is there.

That game is so great, I'd kill to forget everything and play it again...

Thanks for making me cry, absolute masterpiece.

Also I was wondering... In the latest patch notes it said they added four endings for the ruthless route and up to chapter 18 for the friendly route. Does that mean we'll get a continuation of the love story with Asterion?! I mean I was pretty happy with how things turned out but to realize there's still more ? That'd be even lovely !

I had a question (if anyone doesnt mind me asking), but the part where a ring of fire was burning around Asterions throat where you go deep to see the flame with him, was that like a metaphor or was that real? I just got confused there.

Mas eu juro, que eu achei que no final desse capitulo 16, eu ia conseguir dar um beijinho no Astreon, ia ser tão fofo, ja criei algumas fanfics, ah, ainda nao terminei o jogo, to ainda animado para o que vai acontecer depois do capitulo 16

Asterion is very lucky this isn't a dating sim. Even if I'd probably gravitate toward him, I just need to reiterate that Khenbish. Is. Hot. 

(Khenbish is also one of the more quietly funny characters. Not as much as Robert whose indiscernible sarcasm I deeply resonate with, but in a more politely veiled way than Luke despite their similarities. And they are much more similar than either would ever admit. His concept art on the wiki is... downloaded, for lack of a better descriptor.)

Gente postei a arte final desse Kota que eu fiz no Twitter ( Eu acho que postei, haha nao sei mexer direito no Twitte, mas acho que foi) ai eu espero que vocês gostem ❤❤

What an amazing VN. Going into this I never expected just how engaging this would be. It's a testament to the writers talent how attached I am to these characters. What a great story. I know a few others have mentioned this but the music from the scene when they are deep underground and the star appears on Asterion's head is stuck in my mind. I'm amazed at the depth of atmosphere and emotion in that scene. Thank you so much for such a great story.

There are two little and strange things on my wishlist so I thought I'd mention them here.

1. Now that the hotel has Wi-Fi and things like tablets and phones are readily available to all the characters, I thought it would be really cute if the MC could start texting Asterion silly puns and dad-jokes whenever they are not together. And maybe start hinting at sexier things as well.... it would be cute as hell to see Asterion slowly comming more and more out of his shell as he responds.

2. For the project to build a gym, I really wish it would have included a sauna in the locker room. Anybody who's ever had a membership to a gym that is popular with gay men knows there's always one guy who goes to the gym all the time but doesn't work out... he just hangs out naked in the sauna. And we all know that would be Luke. I keep picturing a funny scene with Kota (who would obviously go for the "spa" experience ) being very irritated by a very chatty and very naked Luke talking his head off.....

wow this was a trip

I loved every bit of this game. The writing was great, it was romantic and so well placed. Which it stood out the most was the characters. My god each character had this hidden depth to them. I felt connected to them and their plights. Two who really stood out was Aster(of course right?) and P. I loved the breakdowns and the their high moments. To the writers, I thank you for your hard work.

I only played the 0.5 but I'm glad i did. I would of died of anticipation, but where it left off was perfect. Want me having more but not to a point a point that I'm loosing my shit.

The art is amazing and i laughed my butt off from what the reason was for the sprites. Besides that, I been a fan of nanoff for awhile so it was a givin that i would enjoy. Backgrounds was amazing and the variety of characters was pleasant.

The plot kept me at the edge of my seat, but was sorta like a roller-coaster. The fire never grew too hot so I was able to rlax and take it all in at times. Which just further my love for the Game itself.

All and All without spoiling anything for the game hopefully. This is sorta just my Ramblings to ease my beating heart from this wonderful game. I apologies for having no worthwhile criticism but just praise for a wonder experience 

edit- I realized i was in the spoiler friendly forum lol

I am no achievement hunter so i cant say i would do ruthless run. I would not handle seeing my favorite bull in that state again. Let alone hurt him, but reading it was quite interesting. Going more into P's character. He felt so human to me. The way he fights his inner evil just felt so raw to me. made his and oscars story a great add on. It was hard to hate argo when he spilled the truth and did all those nice things to make up for his crimes. Though i understood P's rage so i would love to see what happens with that. 

lastly the main character is a great fit. I suppose a little prudish towards luke at first. I thought it would be funny to keep at his antics.  but i found myself picking choices true to me through him. Plus the deep fried memes just sent my sides to orbit. there is a clear Love for greek mythology along with a proper mix of modernism 

Question, who is the Overseer? I can't figure it out ;-;

I seem to be having trouble with a few achievements. I did a second run to pick off what I left off. I got most of the other story quests done. But I was puzzled that I didn't have enough time to finish asterian's project. Or themba's thing. I picked mathematics instead of Arts. Did that make a pretty big impact. And I made less on the love chart at the end! It ain't the end of the world but I'd love to unlock all its mysteries.

Edit- I finally gotten most of the achievements, along with tons of different dialogs and play styles. I found a route that i am completely happy to run. BUT. How have you guys gotten all the stone tablets??????? Is it rng? 

Just a question: In the ruthless route, why did Nikandros call upon and make a sacrifice to the Asterion-made shrine? He summoned a divine being and offered vitality of his own to get the bulk of the 'potion' he'd trick the master with-- but is this even necessary? 

In that route, he'd used the black color (reminiscent of divine ichor, maybe even real ichor) to hide the poisonous sap.  Why not just give the master a dose of the poison sap?  He'd be none the wiser. Did he want to trick but not lie to the Master? This makes sense if the ichor-colored fluid did have the effect he promised, just that he purposefully omitted the smidgen of poison that's included in the vial (haha). If so, why go the trouble? Wasn't he already resolute in offing the Master anyway? 

Did anyone figure out who was the narrator that spoke the us directly? My guess is maybe Hestia. 

does asterion lactate, asking for a friend

I've only recently gotten back into the game, with the release of 0.5 and I have to say I'm completely blown away. I've never had a visual novel play so hard with my feelings before, and honestly I'm completely hooked. Every character is so charming and fun to read, the art is amazing as well. The little romantic moments with Asterion warm my soul.

It's going to be hard to compromise with the idea that I wont be able to do everything in one run because of how amazing each character is and the fact that I just want everyone to be happy

Not going to lie, I tried the speedruner background but that ended as soon as Asterion called my taste in clothes cringe, can't believe the bull would just murder me in cold blood like that.

I have absolutely fallen in love with this world and the characters in it, I am excited to see where you take the story next.

That being said I'm also pretty excited for the possible Middle Eastern or New Zealander character (myself being a NZ born Arab) both demographics you don't usually see much in media, let alone furry media.

im sorry but... 

how to make asterion wear a jockstrap >-<?

So I noticed something a little weird after playing the Ruthless Route and then replaying the Hinterlands, and I don't know if it deserves its own thread so I'm just putting it here. In all of the endings that involve P and Storm arriving to the hotel, there's a small scene where Storm gets scared when looking back at P, and that's what makes P realize that the hotel nullifies the effects of charms. That struck me as odd after thinking it over because up until that point I assumed that P and Storm could always see each other in their mythical forms, so if they walked into the hotel they wouldn't notice. I went back to check and there are indeed multiple points in the story where P comments on Storm's animal anatomy in public (him swaying his tail while he's in the tailor, for example), when Storm is very much wearing the charm. I thought that since their Oath of Kinship involved P physically giving part of himself, that whole thing was kind of a side effect. There's also a moment the first time they meet the Tapir god where P can't tell whether Storm's charm is working or not, so he asks him to check if it's active. 

If P can't tell the difference between when Storm is using the charm or not, then why is Storm able to? Is that something only the rite master gets? But that wouldn't make sense either, because Storm alludes to P's animal anatomy many times too, specially the feeling of his feathers.  He also doesn't make any comment on P changing his appearance after getting within the confines of the hotel in ch. 18. Then how did he realize that P's charm wasn't working? Is there some kind of indicative, and if so why does P not realize until he checks his passport himself?  I know this is most likely a very minor thing, but I'm going insane thinking about it. Is there something I'm missing????

Speaking of sex with Asterion:

Early on in the new lounge, each route gets a personalized conversation related to their background. However, it's the math route that has the one with Asterion asking if there are guides to sex on the internet. This is not long after Asterion talks about a mathematician friend he was especially close with. Very good, very fun, very slip of the tongue wikihow to slip in the tongue clipart.png.

I wonder if there is a correlation between the scene where the master jokes about Asterion doing indecent things with his laundry (and Asterion is embarrassed) , your flip flop being missing before watching the movie with Kota, and the drinking game where Asterion is conveniently absent during Roberts question.

I'm arriving here after my first playthrough, and I'm blown away by the depth  of the story you're weaving. You've got me completely hooked.

One thing I forgot to mention in my survey is that I love the use you make of the ritual phrases. Every time I've got to "hug the man, hug the bull, hug the friend back together" I melted. I'm not ashamed to admit I cried in several moments.

Thank you so much. 

If you had to label each character in the game with a D&D class, what would you make them?   Pick 7 for the ideal party size. 

My personal favorite is:

Asterion: Bard

Luke: Barbarian

Kota: Cleric

Cobalts: Rogues (Three in one)

Robert: Paladin

P: Warlock

Storm: Fighter

And all of them share a single brain cell. Which Robert has most of the time. 

Love this game! Just played it about a zillion times because I've got all the achievements but the stone tablets one. Thank goodness someone here mentioned the RNG and that I can just keep redoing the article 6 kiln thing until I get them all, because I was getting a little tired haha. Speedrunner was fricking hilarious ("I guess I am your little pogchamp, Sanic"), and the deep fried memes are hysterical. Nikos shot up to being my favorite character and Best Boy after all the Ruthless endings. But Storm x P is absolutely my ship. Every time I did Hinterlands 3 I always stopped skipping and rewatched the hot springs scene >.> Kudos on all of Hinterlands actually, especially P's depressed-ass inner thoughts that made him super relatable to me. Oscar for second best boy. Not that Asterion and the romance isn't great or anything, all of it is good. But my favorite scene in the game is the drinking game with Arts and everybody present. Luke is the best/worst and I appreciate him so much.

I feel like there was one particular moment that's under appreciated, and that moment was when my MC (I usually play these types of games as an OC of mine) got to punch a god in the face. Like, I get Hermes is generally one of the more decent ones and all, but my MC had been itching to do it since he learned about Asterion's situation and honestly it was just as satisfying as I hoped it would be

There was a point in my playthrough where Asterion was turning to stone(?), which I assumed would be the next big plot conflict to deal with, but that problem seemed to disappear. I'm assuming one of the MCs actions fixes this issue, and that I just missed it. Could someone fill me in on what that was?

They are the only 3 achievements that I have not yet obtained, How do you get this? I don't know where to take storm.

First dead than taking those achievements, I understand the fantastic writing and that we will discover more about asterion and many secrets but I am one of those who feels bad for accidentally attacking a skyrim villager and they will imagine how it would be to damage asterion

I've seen that some speak other languages in the thread, isn't it against the rules or something? I hate google translator because it changes a lot of what I want to say

I just finished my first playthrough and I feel like there is/should be more to come. Am I right? There feels like a lot of loose story threads, and also the whole building up the hotel thing, and progressing the side characters routes and unraveling some more mysteries. Is the end of the game the real end of the story, or will there be more in a future build? I kind of thought I would be doing a Mass Effect 2 kind of thing and solving each of my crews problems.

I have to say, i've played through 0.5.1 a couple times...and the thing that sticks out most to me is Argos/Nikos full vent at Asterion after he's revealed himself to the MC and made it clear he wants to help.  Like there's such an intense emotional out pour there where you can feel his disgust with the part he's played, the remorse that the Argos is ending, how the MC's compassion affected him, this respect for Asterion in how he changed his prison into a haven, i'd almost say envy for how much the MC cares for him at that point, his anger at the farce of Asterion's punishment, and frustration that Asterion SOMEHOW sees himself as worthless.  I think the line that really hit me was "he makes himself low so he can lift you up, and you still think you're nothing but dirt and ash?" Just man, Argos, let it all out.  If anything, THAT moment was Argos'/Nikos' greatest moment.

There's one thing I've not understood, what exactly I the "birthmark"? I couldn't find much information on it In the game besides the MC mentioning it, far first I thought Asterion just got some dirt on his head because he was face down on the ground and his fur was white when it first showed up xD

Was it intentional that storm is in the same exact pose when P found him that asterion was in when the MC found him?

Just playing my second play through and picked the wolf and I kid you not, I laughed my arse off thinking "the damn wolf frenched Asterion before the MC did" xD

I have 2 questions, though I suspect that probably others have said something about it…

• Does the fire collar mean anything in terms of his imprisonment?

I know it might be a symbolism of Asterion’s feelings towards the MC, still, I wonder if there is something else to it.

• Why does the playful wrestling with Asterion feel like a sad little adventure?

Now, getting it out before anyone answers because of the song, I will say that yes, that might be it. Probably I might be the only one that had this feeling. But, I wonder if the developers intended to have someone take this little union of friendship or even love into an overwhelming sadness.

Man! I was barely able to read, I had to take my mind out for some time. I had my heart hurting, and I did cry. Not only that, but I might be a wimp, but, wow! It did knock me out of the game for a while. Kudos to the song though, the feeling is really strong [Foolish Child]. (Perhaps I’m the fool here and a well-placed song.) Wished it was for the other sad endings (but what do I know? I just finished 2 sides leading always to the same ending)

That’s probably why I got the impression of sadness there… anyway, I’m curious for any answers or even questions that might have been brought to me, and perhaps it was my misunderstanding of the situation. (Even now that I’m analyzing the song, it sends chills down my whole body and a strong ache in my heart)

Quick Edit Note: This questions I had prepared for the Q&A when it gets out, but I might as well make it a conversation since it really is interesting. Also, that this is my first time posting but, hey, I want to know what other people think of this situation.

So I just finally finished my first playthrough (though I had to backtrack bc I accidentally saved over and loaded some files bc it got late and the buttons are right next to each other) and I got blown away by all the intricate story pieces and how they fit together! I apparently did pretty well since I got the gold wolf rating (just one little bit moooore? why?) and boy did I not expect some of these things.

For one thing, the tile I got from Argos' wine quest behind the kiln was the Ichor one that explains what these violet crystal obsidians in the bedrock are and HOLY COW is that disturbing! Paired with the description of Asterion's hands and the dried up tendons in his wrist and Robert's astute observation of "anemic" divinity and the fact that he was apparently a lot more dextrous in his youth..uh boy. Can I still fix him, please? Also that axe STILL dripping is ... is it draining him? it says something about Zeus' ichor, but somehow it doesn't seem to be it, when I got to read the trial transcripts. It also adds another explanation to Asterion's disturbing mental tangent about turning into stone. 

Second thing I took note of was the foundation thing with all the original terms. It said the Overseer is the only one allowed to enter the realm on his own, everyone else COULD be allowed through an invitation by the Master (aka us?) though. Now that could bring unwanted attention and we wouldn't want Athena or Apollo around and Demeter can go suck a coconut... but it opens some future possibility for Asterion to meet Hades and possibly maybe open the realm enough to meet his old friends down there again for a visit. 

Third thing worth mentioning is that Oscar's intuition is scarily good! His description of the hotel as a layer cake of bad with a frosting of good on top got him all new levels of respect! That he got called "the last drop of blood" just like it was worded in the founding statutes is peculiar and shows he's definitely meant to be there and can maybe help to figure out some major plot points!

The fourth thing is Moloch. Since Asterion mentioned him I looked the name up and the child sacrifice thing was horrifying. And then I got to the Hinterland quest and the conveniently there other bull and all the missing children?? (not Oscar the little sweet potato, I mean his mysterious dad) Also, the goat guy freaked me out a little.. were his eyes red? If anything he LOOKs like a devil, though he's old enough to know Ps grandpa, so ... maybe he got so big by eating the children, who knows. 

The fifth thing I'm keeping in mind is the beached mermaid, the rotten salt lands, the dried up rivers and land... the dried up Asterion.. who is a descendent of Poseidon of all things. Curious thing that. Also ichor was apparently used to create the realm, but it honestly seems to lack liquids (other than wine, thanks Dionysus, don't even need your transcript to figure that one out, you're a real pal!).

I'm sure everyone and their mother who avoided getting tricked by Argos (honestly, that was dumb luck but I'll take it) and figured out the whole Nikos thing already gushed about it (the fake Argos and Io and the "real ones" triggering Hermes? talk about spirals), so I'll take a pot shot at the three vultures (the two black ones circling MC and Nikos when he quits his job, and the white one Asterion sees in the parking lot) and venture a guess that they might be furies. (the whole punishment thing is kind of their domain). Then again vultures were associated with Hades, Ares and Apollo in turn and know as following cows and birds that don't kill (bc they only eat the ones already dead), so it's hard to say. Possibly even harpies under someone in the labyrinth.

I played the art background bc it said I could do renovations on the hotel and that sounded neat and I actually really liked the little bits and pieces where it was tangentially relevant/came into play. Though renaissance paintings, japanese directors, notre dam, the picasso sketches and zulu pottery, MC's knowledge is so eclectic. I also loved Asterion's shirt (I saw some screenshots with .. not so pretty designs and yeah, artists are the best.)
I lucked out a lot, bc with both Kenbish and Themba the hotel is actually fully staffed and functional for all areas and I loved Themba's connection to Asterion and the hotel, he DOES have some old friends still! I won't be able to pick Kenbish, knowing that, even though he probably needs the job more and the restaurant is understaffed as well...so yeah, Art MC for the win! (plus the reception looks friggin empty without some additions) Pedro can take care of his debts and go to uni and get some therapy, Niko can take shelter till we figure out what's up with the gods and go back home after they no longer want to kill him, and by then Pedro can come back and move in with a hopefully more independent Oscar. After a roundtour where he figures out what's up with the missing children, bc he left his feathers around the hut by the pond. I think. the dead butterflies and the salt were distracting.

A real compliment goes to whoever designed the hotel front, bc that IS a really great design! the bull imagery, the minoan architecture touch and the showcasing of Asterion's intelligence in figuring out natural temperature flows in infinite hallways.. it's great!

As for the staff, Luke is ... a bit crass, but growing on me. I like him more when I imagine him as a silverfox grandpa, rather than some young brash know-it-all, the age just helps me shrug my shoulders in resignation as I do at the dinner table on holidays.
Kota is very tightly wound up and I haven't done much in his personal quest, but he's looking for a red dragon and believes in soulmates, so I guess he's looking for them? If he's searching, why is he keeping all the information a secret though, he doesn't want to tip them off? They argued/betrayed each other? I'll unravel that mystery next playthrough (after sleeping. a lot.) But I liked that his romantic quest makes him into the aunt in law squishing our faces together and telling us to kiss. Robert is pretty cute, though I wonder for how long he can take a sabbatical from his job and his 0 for tech frustrates me when I want to put him in R&D rather then sending him exploring the desert in that outfit and can't. In general, so far his expertise with contracts is not really needed or comes to late for the game as it is now and it's a little sad that he mostly ends up being redundant/on tag along support)
Themba is by far my favourite though, and Khenbish on second place (yeah actually before Kota on third). Their backgroundstory and actually pretty solid emotional maturity are nice, though Khenbish's angry/shocked illustration is a bit extreme in some contexts (drinking game), because he looks like he's screaming loud enough to be heard throughout half of the floor.
The cobalts are cute and helpful, but I somehow hope their mysterious appearing out of nowhere will be part of a mystery solved later on, it would just be neat.

Now I really need to sleep and then manage a second playthrough where I actually don't just play in one setting.. I didn't realize it would be THIS long and just expected things to cut off for like 3h, 4h, 5h... But worth it! It's a really sweet and rewarding romance with a very solid build up of the relationship, even though it starts from the worst place imaginable. The only problem is...  I fell so hard for Asterion (and the fact that he's smarter than he lets on and struggles so hard and relatable) that I now miss him already.
It's a really lovely game and I didn't expect this level of story telling and emotional depth and believable characters all in one package in an essentially free download. Thank you for helping me survive the boredom of quarantine!

Khenbish's subroute was really good. I'd say it 100% confirms the "players care about the characters that have a lot of content explaining them" proposition.

...and that was the most insightful, most tender, and most evocative description of a blowjob I've ever read.

I am on the hinterlands 3 part of the game and have some questions as to how to actually do it right? I know there are three major things you can do but I am confused on how to do any besides the romance route. Would somebody be able to give some sort of path for me to follow? I do be confused moment.