A very well executed concept and game! I think the writing was endearing and easy for a first time player to understand the context of the characters (seems like there's a whole series that I haven't played yet). I really enjoyed the combat scenes and trying to paint the strokes in a way to hit everything in one swipe, even if it didn't actually change too much in the long term. It did make the whole beginning scene before you could start the gift searching part a bit tedious, although having some sections you have to skip a couple of times isn't too unfamiliar for visual novels. The good ending was very cute, and felt like it was worth the effort.
Viewing post in A Birthday Surprise jam comments
Thanks so much for playing! Glad you were able to jump into the story... this is something that I'm always worried about considering this is an ever-building series.
I've gotten a lot of feedback about the combat. This is an area I'd like to revisit and improve in a future game. I had more planned for it, but unfortunately I was on a pretty tight schedule during this jam, so something had to get paired back.
I happy you were able to reach and enjoy the true ending! Thanks again for playing. :)