Update: My logical, but feeling brain says to leave my story where its at, but thats like taking the blue pill... I must be a reptile and pursue what is unfavorable about people 🗿
This novel has me in a tough place deciding
I couldn't help but feel the notion is there though of her being worried about ME harming HER. That shit creates an unease that isn't even described. What made her think that way?
I am already liking how this one fucks with your perception, but I'm realizing now the ending i got is only an infinite loop of open to interpretation hang up of sorts until I change up, I'm about to see what happens. Especially with sleep being a big part of it.
This game was really fun, I relate to the main character a lot. And I really hope he starts to feel a little better and keeps writing his story! And I hope Nagiko comments again but even if they don't, that's okay too!
I made an account just to tell you how much I loved this game! The writing, the characters, I couldn't believe how relatable of a person Ayumu was and the desire for a nagi... everything here is an absolute 10/10! I hope you continue to make more phenomenal games!.
This one hit kind of hard. Like the other commenters, I feel this was meant explicitly for me. Living like Ayumu, there's times I want a Nagi. But at the same time, I think Nagiko is better for me. She keeps me hungry. I can cook for myself.
In terms of a review:
-Music perfectly fits the atmosphere. -UI is impressive, but there's some slight disconnect with the rasterization of certain elements. I can't decide if I care enough about it to mark it down as a negative. -Spritework is okay. Nagi's design is good enough, though it's hard to take her seriously with those pom pom earrings. -Backgrounds are okay. Once again, there's a certain disconnect between it, the UI, and the sprites. I think it's about the saturation. I understand Nagi is meant to be brighter and more colorful than the BGs, but the UI textbox is so blaring, some of the effect is lost. That's not to say the UI textbox isn't beautiful. -Writing is above average, but I still prefer other ebi-hime works more. I think it has to do with the setting. Not much you can do in a plot like this. -Unease as a mechanic works and fits the game.
This was crazy good. You know the game was special when you can recognise the links between aspects of the game and known experiences people have gone through in real life. Brilliant work.
Thank you very much! I had fun writing the different endings, since I don't usually make branching VNs like this. It was nice trying something a bit new!
Really well executed. Would recommend to anyone. While not very similar, it reminded me of the film 'Misery'. I'm not sure what else to say other than I look forward to checking out your other works.
out of curiosity, what is the actual reason Nagiko stopped commenting. I understand the whole life was busy part and everything, but it just seemed off for someone that was so dedicated to writing mini-reviews and reading would suddenly just stop without explanation. Secondly, who is the person calling on the main character to wake up? I'm pretty sure it was his parents but I'm just curious.
I didn't give a specific reason for it in-game because Ayumu himself doesn't know. I thought it worked a bit better to leave it ambiguous, and it's nice to give readers something to ponder! I'll let you think of your own theories.
As for the second question, that would indeed be Ayumu's parents!
What the f*ck? this whole game seems to be copied from me. I closed myself in, threw my life into a distant box, the apartment also became a grave, I also write and the view of life is exactly the same as that of the hero. is this some kind of joke? it was as if he had heard the opinion of an observer, and that made it even more painful. I would never have believed that some game could almost completely unsubscribe me. thank you, dear developers, for your hard work. this game made me think seriously about my life.
Aaah, I apologise if the story wound up being a bit too relatable; especially as it is rather grim haha ;;; I hope you will feel a bit better in the future. So long as you're still around, there's always a chance that things can get better!
I think I really changed after that girl's final speech. everything that I was ashamed to admit even to myself came out of the mouth of the game character XD
After passing the true ending, I was, without exaggeration, in a state of shock. it was really an unforgettable experience and I thank you for the fact that it was your game that helped me realize a lot and conduct an unscheduled reassessment of values. thank you again.
and yes, writing has now become not an attempt to squeeze out at least something, but also a really exciting action. And in general, I really began to enjoy being alone. in short, your game turned out to be almost an emotional shock) I am very glad that I passed it and hope for the release of other similar stories. I'm sorry if the text is written strangely, but I just want to express my delight and gratitude as much as possible, that's why the text seems so emotional.
I enjoyed playing Lynne, and I also enjoyed this one, both has a similar atmosphere. The remarks in the notes of the "present" folder are very interesting. These aren't the first of your games I've played, but these two are my favorites, especially Lynne. I just download "It gets so lonely here", and it hypes me up a lot! As much for its themes as for its art. Thanks for the visual novels you make! (Sorry for my approximate English, I am French)
I started out deeply engrossed in the masterfully crafted psychological horror atmosphere, and finished it crying because it hit me somewhere really, really personal that I wasn't expecting at all. Thank you for writing this and making this incredible piece of work.
Also must say, I feel called out. I'm in a similar situation which scared the crap out of me. I felt like I was having my soul read. (Not a bad thing tho)
At the beginning it starts a bit slow, but as it progresses it gets much better and the plot hooks you in, the ending is really good. I liked it a lot xd
Hey I just want to say that this game is great. The endings are genuinely emotionally compelling. I randomly just played this game at 2 am and was like completely captivated. Just wanted to say that what you made here is amazing.
I am not gonna lie I've been playing android VN and i couldn't find one that have a great story only cringe romance but this game is perfect i naver played a VN and be like this it was a legendary experience but the i was a little sad in the ending because i was waiting for him to wake up and find the girl is real and she came or something but it's good end and i loved the game so thx for the experience
If only Hijiri knew she had another fan... Just kidding. This VN is very different from All The Words She Wrote (obviously!). In fact, Ayumu's tale felt like a total opposite of the (mostly) sweet and funny story of Mayo. It's much darker and the atmosphere and the feeling of uneasiness reminds me of Lynne. The visual designs are very interesting. I liked the old school aesthetics a lot.
great experience honestly its a nice touch having the whole wake up button as the end really drives the point home, it is a little annoying since I'm a bit of a completionist and also tend to go for the worst ending first so i got that ending rather quickly and i cant really see the rest but besides that its a really cool game
There is a way to reset your data so you can experience all the endings, but you need to delete some of your game files to get it to work. I think I've told a few people how to go about it in the comments section already, if you're curious and you want to give it a try.
In any case, thank you for your kind comments; I'm glad you enjoyed the VN!
Great game I loved the ending I got. Is there any way you could make it easier to restart from an earlier save because I can't find where or how to change it {I use winrar}. Great game tho but a shame I cant figure out how to revert the game to an earlier save
no clue if i've ended the game or something of the sort but everytime i click "wake up" the game just abruptly quits. am i just dumb? but over all i did enjoy playing this game so much and i was so proud of ayumu when he decided that he was going to go back and fight! it definitely gave me enough courage to take on my problems <3
That's how the game is meant to be, yes! I wanted the true ending to feel very 'final', so you don't have the option to go back to sleep again (unless you tamper with the game's external files, that is). It might be a bit of a nuisance for people who want to replay the VN and read all of the endings though, haha ;;
This simulation is good to scratch the "I want a girlfriend" itch. :3
Also, I can relate to the protag. Life is ridiculously hard.
I liked the story, although I came in expecting something else to happen. I was surprised by one of the endings.
(Sorry if my review is pathetic. I'm tired and depressed. Retail work at the moment is draining and stressful. I feel like I'm being forced into things I don't want to do).
I don't think your review is pathetic at al! Thank you very much for taking the time to leave a comment; it really is appreciated!
I hope your situation improves and you feel less tired and depressed in the future! Maybe reading some happier VNs would help, GF Sim is kind of grim haha ;;;
This was such an oppressive read and so effective… It was really really disquieting and aesthetically so perfect (Sleepy Agents’ work was so perfect for this!). The liminal space chase sequence towards the end was honestly perfect and the final confrontation was really good.
And despite the very grim subject matter, I enjoyed how much heart and compassion there was in this; thank you for making this entry!!
I loved this game. The plot and the characters are very well written and the endings are all unique and thought provoking. It portrays the harms of excessive escapism very terrifyingly. The atmosphere from the start of the dream gave me a sense of anxiety/ feeling something is not quite right here. I will definitely be playing your other VNs. Thanks for reading this.
This is such an amazing story! I especially loved all the detail, like how the water spilled out of the pot and the in depth description of how everything looked and sounded. It was really immersive and wonderful!
Beautiful visual novel! Loved all the subtle elements that really made the game its own. I felt genuinely immersed inside of the characters and the unnerving feeling of Nagi herself, like she's a rag doll that's a little too realistic. The art was also very pleasing to the eye and felt fitting to the whole theme.
I also really loved the ending. I sat there in shock for a minute because of... How shall I describe it? Because of how amazing it was, but amazing is an understatement. Really quite chilling, honestly.
All in all, I really enjoyed playing. Cool game :)
Very suspenseful! This visual novel really nailed an unnerving atmosphere. Here's part 1 of my full playthrough, if anyone's interested:
What I liked was the ambiguity of your relationship with your so-called girlfriend, so it kept you invested in finding out what was truly going on. The visual and audio design also made everything feel slightly off and was a great complement to the story.
The only element that I felt was not to my taste was the few times where a scene was overly described as if it was a book. Like when Nagi's every physical feature was explained in the beginning, even though her clearly drawn sprite is right in front of you! Sometimes it added to the tone of the game if done with purpose, but other times it felt unnecessary to me. But that's just my own subjective preference, I know others would disagree with me.
Anyhow, it's a great horror visual novel! I can see the inspiration from Charon's games, but it definitely has its own twist to it.
Thank you very much for taking the time to leave such a detailed comment, and for making a YT video! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
And yeah, I have a bit of a tendency to over-describe things. The rough draft for this story was about 35k, I trimmed it down to like 23k or thereabouts during editing, since there was a lot of description and internal monologuing which slowed down the pacing. I suppose I could've trimmed things even more, but I'm pretty partial to using Lots And Lots Of Words haha ;;
Thank you for your feedback, in any case; it's appreciated!
i love that you use a lot of words! this brought me back into reading when i was in my reading slump ;-; your habit really helps me tysm <<33 btw did u draw nagi yourself?
Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed it, despite my wordiness haha ;; And no, I didn't draw Nagi myself! The artist is listed under the credits section of the itch.io page!
I LOVED the atmosphere of this, the writing is so so good (not a surprise there, of course!) and the visuals, sound and interface really add another layer of unsettling-ness to the whole experience.
I had a lot of theories about what might be going on, and I was entirely wrong about all of them, but I had a lot of fun guessing!
(Also, I happened to play this while I was a bit unwell which gave a whole extra layer to ‘being’ this character, if you play it with a headache/feeling sick this is an extra trippy experience 😅)
A very ominous / emotional / worrisome / hopeful / fascinating game.
← Return to game
Comments
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
I don't need this simulator. I actually have a girlfriend friend and they can be quite needy.
OMG Same! xD
Update: My logical, but feeling brain says to leave my story where its at, but thats like taking the blue pill... I must be a reptile and pursue what is unfavorable about people 🗿
This novel has me in a tough place deciding
I couldn't help but feel the notion is there though of her being worried about ME harming HER. That shit creates an unease that isn't even described. What made her think that way?
I am already liking how this one fucks with your perception, but I'm realizing now the ending i got is only an infinite loop of open to interpretation hang up of sorts until I change up, I'm about to see what happens. Especially with sleep being a big part of it.
10/10 game, i love the style and just everything about this game, especially the connection to the start and the end of the game :)
This game was really fun, I relate to the main character a lot. And I really hope he starts to feel a little better and keeps writing his story! And I hope Nagiko comments again but even if they don't, that's okay too!
I made an account just to tell you how much I loved this game! The writing, the characters, I couldn't believe how relatable of a person Ayumu was and the desire for a nagi... everything here is an absolute 10/10! I hope you continue to make more phenomenal games!.
This one hit kind of hard. Like the other commenters, I feel this was meant explicitly for me.
Living like Ayumu, there's times I want a Nagi.
But at the same time, I think Nagiko is better for me. She keeps me hungry. I can cook for myself.
In terms of a review:
-Music perfectly fits the atmosphere.
-UI is impressive, but there's some slight disconnect with the rasterization of certain elements. I can't decide if I care enough about it to mark it down as a negative.
-Spritework is okay. Nagi's design is good enough, though it's hard to take her seriously with those pom pom earrings.
-Backgrounds are okay. Once again, there's a certain disconnect between it, the UI, and the sprites. I think it's about the saturation. I understand Nagi is meant to be brighter and more colorful than the BGs, but the UI textbox is so blaring, some of the effect is lost. That's not to say the UI textbox isn't beautiful.
-Writing is above average, but I still prefer other ebi-hime works more. I think it has to do with the setting. Not much you can do in a plot like this.
-Unease as a mechanic works and fits the game.
Could I ask you the names of the songs used in the game? I really liked this novel and I would like to enjoy the music.
The OST was composed specifically for this VN. You can find it on Bandcamp here!
This was crazy good. You know the game was special when you can recognise the links between aspects of the game and known experiences people have gone through in real life. Brilliant work.
Thank you very much for your kind words! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
just finished this game, it's really good! i loved all of the endings they were so creepy and cool at the same time.
Thank you very much! I had fun writing the different endings, since I don't usually make branching VNs like this. It was nice trying something a bit new!
Really well executed. Would recommend to anyone. While not very similar, it reminded me of the film 'Misery'. I'm not sure what else to say other than I look forward to checking out your other works.
Misery wasn't a direct inspiration, but I can definitely see the Misery vibes in the story haha ;;
I think Nagi is a lot cuter than Annie, though!
And thank you!
Holy crap this story is good
The way the main character is written is so realistic. I know that people do think like that and that's so depressing wow
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it, even if the main theme of the story is Grimdark Depression hahaha ;;;
It's appreciated!
yea I'm checking out your other games after playing this you're good at writing stories hope you don't stop!
out of curiosity, what is the actual reason Nagiko stopped commenting. I understand the whole life was busy part and everything, but it just seemed off for someone that was so dedicated to writing mini-reviews and reading would suddenly just stop without explanation. Secondly, who is the person calling on the main character to wake up? I'm pretty sure it was his parents but I'm just curious.
I didn't give a specific reason for it in-game because Ayumu himself doesn't know. I thought it worked a bit better to leave it ambiguous, and it's nice to give readers something to ponder! I'll let you think of your own theories.
As for the second question, that would indeed be Ayumu's parents!
What the f*ck? this whole game seems to be copied from me. I closed myself in, threw my life into a distant box, the apartment also became a grave, I also write and the view of life is exactly the same as that of the hero. is this some kind of joke? it was as if he had heard the opinion of an observer, and that made it even more painful. I would never have believed that some game could almost completely unsubscribe me. thank you, dear developers, for your hard work. this game made me think seriously about my life.
Aaah, I apologise if the story wound up being a bit too relatable; especially as it is rather grim haha ;;;
I hope you will feel a bit better in the future. So long as you're still around, there's always a chance that things can get better!
I think I really changed after that girl's final speech. everything that I was ashamed to admit even to myself came out of the mouth of the game character XD
After passing the true ending, I was, without exaggeration, in a state of shock. it was really an unforgettable experience and I thank you for the fact that it was your game that helped me realize a lot and conduct an unscheduled reassessment of values. thank you again.
and yes, writing has now become not an attempt to squeeze out at least something, but also a really exciting action. And in general, I really began to enjoy being alone. in short, your game turned out to be almost an emotional shock) I am very glad that I passed it and hope for the release of other similar stories. I'm sorry if the text is written strangely, but I just want to express my delight and gratitude as much as possible, that's why the text seems so emotional.
Hope you get your life back in order
Thank you bro. I try my best.
really interesting, i might go check out the "All the Words She Wrote" story that was in the notes
I enjoyed playing Lynne, and I also enjoyed this one, both has a similar atmosphere. The remarks in the notes of the "present" folder are very interesting. These aren't the first of your games I've played, but these two are my favorites, especially Lynne. I just download "It gets so lonely here", and it hypes me up a lot! As much for its themes as for its art. Thanks for the visual novels you make! (Sorry for my approximate English, I am French)
I started out deeply engrossed in the masterfully crafted psychological horror atmosphere, and finished it crying because it hit me somewhere really, really personal that I wasn't expecting at all. Thank you for writing this and making this incredible piece of work.
Great game, I love the use of the Unease counter as a way to gauge which path to take. Also, like how concealing the Game Overs were.
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Also must say, I feel called out. I'm in a similar situation which scared the crap out of me. I felt like I was having my soul read. (Not a bad thing tho)
Ouuuuu man
At the beginning it starts a bit slow, but as it progresses it gets much better and the plot hooks you in, the ending is really good. I liked it a lot xd
Thank you! I'm glad you wound up enjoying the story, despite the slow start!
I played on android and after I choose the language it's just kick me out and I even try to open the game again but it still kick me out
Edit:Nvm I can play now idk what happened but I can play
Hey I just want to say that this game is great. The endings are genuinely emotionally compelling. I randomly just played this game at 2 am and was like completely captivated. Just wanted to say that what you made here is amazing.
Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
I am not gonna lie I've been playing android VN and i couldn't find one that have a great story only cringe romance but this game is perfect i naver played a VN and be like this it was a legendary experience but the i was a little sad in the ending because i was waiting for him to wake up and find the girl is real and she came or something but it's good end and i loved the game so thx for the experience
Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
And it's also nice to have the confirmation that it's working properly on Android! \o/
Great stuff 10/10
If only Hijiri knew she had another fan... Just kidding. This VN is very different from All The Words She Wrote (obviously!). In fact, Ayumu's tale felt like a total opposite of the (mostly) sweet and funny story of Mayo. It's much darker and the atmosphere and the feeling of uneasiness reminds me of Lynne. The visual designs are very interesting. I liked the old school aesthetics a lot.
great experience honestly its a nice touch having the whole wake up button as the end really drives the point home, it is a little annoying since I'm a bit of a completionist and also tend to go for the worst ending first so i got that ending rather quickly and i cant really see the rest but besides that its a really cool game
There is a way to reset your data so you can experience all the endings, but you need to delete some of your game files to get it to work. I think I've told a few people how to go about it in the comments section already, if you're curious and you want to give it a try.
In any case, thank you for your kind comments; I'm glad you enjoyed the VN!
thanks I thought i probably could but didn't want to screw up the files accidentally
"But, in the end, you got greedy, You wanted more than a made-up happiness." cuts so fuckin hard
It's a very grim story! I'm glad it left an emotional impact!
Great game I loved the ending I got. Is there any way you could make it easier to restart from an earlier save because I can't find where or how to change it {I use winrar}. Great game tho but a shame I cant figure out how to revert the game to an earlier save
no clue if i've ended the game or something of the sort but everytime i click "wake up" the game just abruptly quits. am i just dumb? but over all i did enjoy playing this game so much and i was so proud of ayumu when he decided that he was going to go back and fight! it definitely gave me enough courage to take on my problems <3
That's how the game is meant to be, yes! I wanted the true ending to feel very 'final', so you don't have the option to go back to sleep again (unless you tamper with the game's external files, that is).
It might be a bit of a nuisance for people who want to replay the VN and read all of the endings though, haha ;;
I'm glad you enjoyed the story nonetheless!
This simulation is good to scratch the "I want a girlfriend" itch. :3
Also, I can relate to the protag. Life is ridiculously hard.
I liked the story, although I came in expecting something else to happen. I was surprised by one of the endings.
(Sorry if my review is pathetic. I'm tired and depressed. Retail work at the moment is draining and stressful. I feel like I'm being forced into things I don't want to do).
I don't think your review is pathetic at al! Thank you very much for taking the time to leave a comment; it really is appreciated!
I hope your situation improves and you feel less tired and depressed in the future! Maybe reading some happier VNs would help, GF Sim is kind of grim haha ;;;
Can't get this to work on joiplay for some reason.
I don't know what Joiplay is, so I can't help you there. I apolgise for the inconvenience!
This was such an oppressive read and so effective… It was really really disquieting and aesthetically so perfect (Sleepy Agents’ work was so perfect for this!). The liminal space chase sequence towards the end was honestly perfect and the final confrontation was really good.
And despite the very grim subject matter, I enjoyed how much heart and compassion there was in this; thank you for making this entry!!
It took a while to get the password xD I like the game <3
I'm glad you got the password in the end; I hope it wasn't too obscure haha
And thank you!
Nagi is definitely a very protective and lovable girlfriend. Not unnerving at all. Nope.
Anyway, this was a good read~
Nagi is a good girl and she loves you a lot! She just wants what's best for you!
And thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
I loved this game. The plot and the characters are very well written and the endings are all unique and thought provoking. It portrays the harms of excessive escapism very terrifyingly. The atmosphere from the start of the dream gave me a sense of anxiety/ feeling something is not quite right here. I will definitely be playing your other VNs. Thanks for reading this.
Aaa I'm sorry it took me so long to reply to you; I must have missed your comment!
Thank you very much; I'm glad you enjoyed it! I like writing creepy/unsettling stories, so I'm glad it hit the mark!
This is such an amazing story! I especially loved all the detail, like how the water spilled out of the pot and the in depth description of how everything looked and sounded. It was really immersive and wonderful!
Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed it, and that my fondness for describing things wasn't offputting!
Beautiful visual novel! Loved all the subtle elements that really made the game its own. I felt genuinely immersed inside of the characters and the unnerving feeling of Nagi herself, like she's a rag doll that's a little too realistic. The art was also very pleasing to the eye and felt fitting to the whole theme.
I also really loved the ending. I sat there in shock for a minute because of... How shall I describe it? Because of how amazing it was, but amazing is an understatement. Really quite chilling, honestly.
All in all, I really enjoyed playing. Cool game :)
Thank you very much! I'm glad that you enjoyed it! ♥
Very suspenseful! This visual novel really nailed an unnerving atmosphere. Here's part 1 of my full playthrough, if anyone's interested:
What I liked was the ambiguity of your relationship with your so-called girlfriend, so it kept you invested in finding out what was truly going on. The visual and audio design also made everything feel slightly off and was a great complement to the story.
The only element that I felt was not to my taste was the few times where a scene was overly described as if it was a book. Like when Nagi's every physical feature was explained in the beginning, even though her clearly drawn sprite is right in front of you! Sometimes it added to the tone of the game if done with purpose, but other times it felt unnecessary to me. But that's just my own subjective preference, I know others would disagree with me.
Anyhow, it's a great horror visual novel! I can see the inspiration from Charon's games, but it definitely has its own twist to it.
Thank you very much for taking the time to leave such a detailed comment, and for making a YT video! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
And yeah, I have a bit of a tendency to over-describe things. The rough draft for this story was about 35k, I trimmed it down to like 23k or thereabouts during editing, since there was a lot of description and internal monologuing which slowed down the pacing. I suppose I could've trimmed things even more, but I'm pretty partial to using Lots And Lots Of Words haha ;;
Thank you for your feedback, in any case; it's appreciated!
i love that you use a lot of words! this brought me back into reading when i was in my reading slump ;-; your habit really helps me tysm <<33 btw did u draw nagi yourself?
Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed it, despite my wordiness haha ;;
And no, I didn't draw Nagi myself! The artist is listed under the credits section of the itch.io page!
Is this made with RenPY?
Yup.
I LOVED the atmosphere of this, the writing is so so good (not a surprise there, of course!) and the visuals, sound and interface really add another layer of unsettling-ness to the whole experience.
I had a lot of theories about what might be going on, and I was entirely wrong about all of them, but I had a lot of fun guessing!
(Also, I happened to play this while I was a bit unwell which gave a whole extra layer to ‘being’ this character, if you play it with a headache/feeling sick this is an extra trippy experience 😅)
A very ominous / emotional / worrisome / hopeful / fascinating game.
Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Won't you let Nagi take care of you?! o'a'o