I thought this was a pretty great game. I feel like it would be a no brainer to update it for full screen/ higher resolution support, throwing it on Steam, and making some money off of it. I like that it's not some one hour experience and that it takes it's time getting to the horror. I like the characters and felt like the puzzles were the right level of difficulty. The story was also engaging enough to make me want to keep playing.
My only "complaints" are pretty small, but I'll list them just in case the dev ever wants to come back to it one day.
-I wish I could name the MC. It would make you feel like you're the one the antagonist has a problem with, but I get that certain pictures and assets include the MC's name.
-Kyle and Maggie's portraits look too much alike. Between the same hair color and almost the same length, it made me not want to ask her to prom lol
-The antagonist's backstory is a little too tacked onto the end. I wish there were some clues for more of an "Ah-Ha!" moment or feel like a puzzle was coming together.
- The antagonist and their relative have a different hair color for their sprites and portraits and it was pretty noticeable.
-Let me skip on the game over screen. Some parts got a little annoying having to wait for that.
-I really, really wish there was a chance to save between the last "chase" sequence and the end. It made seeing the different endings tedious.
I think if certain things were added, this would go from great to amazing/masterpiece.
-A loop 0. A version of the loop that plays out events told later in the story from Kyle's perspective. Might take tweaking the story a little, but it would set up the ending better and give an opportunity to show the MC at their most self-absorbed and make you feel like the asshole by the end of the game.
-Change Maggie's role. What she did seemed a little weak and unimportant. I feel like she could do something that makes more sense for her character.
-Expanding prom night. Let me dance with my date. It would add more weight to the end.
-Connect the tragedy at the school to the to the events of the game a little more. It makes sense thematically, but maybe we can see the story have some kind of impact on the antagonist leading up to their fall.
-Elevator key. Add a side quest on the first day that lets me get access to the elevator in the earlier loops to make navigating the school less tedious for thorough players. Maybe the quest changes with each loop, or I keep the key until the last loop.
-More character portraits. You kind of prepare yourself for anyone with one to play a larger part in the game. It made a certain someone too noticeable, but not through story telling.
-Make prom night a little more humiliating for the antagonist. I felt like the part inside the gym could have been more dramatic. Maybe they see the prom king and queen being announced.
Thanks for the great game and thank you if you read this far down.