This was the first game I downloaded out of the Palestine Relief bundle, and man, this was a delight! I was intrigued because Harry and Hawley gave me a Sherlock/Watson vibe, but I definitely fell in love with the characters as they are pretty quickly. I loved jumping in, in medias res, to their divorce era, but I will def check out the prequel at some point. I think Maggie was my outright favorite character. That's my demon wife <3. I read Harry/Maggie as being two sides of a genderfluid character, dunno if that's what you were going for. One of my fave touches was Maggie being green text whereas Hawley's imp/demon was red text...they're perfect complements for each other <3333 (And, happy to report that I got the mystery right on the first try, hehe.)
THE JAMES J. HILL HOUSE??? I THOUGHT I WAS IMAGINING THINGS WHEN I RECOGNIZED THE ORGAN, I'VE BEEN TO THAT PLACE MULTIPLE TIMES SINCE I WAS LIKE 7. THAT'S ACTUALLY KIND OF CREEPY. amazing game btw i binged the whole thing instead of sleeping and i do not regret it.
Hahahaha, Hill House jumpscare! It's cool that you got to have that experience; sometimes when I read a novel or watch a movie that takes place somewhere I know, it adds a lot!
Thanks, I needed new capsule art for the Steam release! I would’ve liked to have been able to paint it in watercolor, but I had only a limited amount of time, so digital was better than nothing. 😁
I really loved this story! I'm so looking forward to new investigations and more lore about the imps and of course Hawley and Harrold and their respective imps. Also want to see more of Maggie, as I'm seemingly a bit confused bc I thought Harrold is a trans man but somehow other comments seem to suggest he's not and Maggie is the manifestation of his trans identity being repressed. But why does everyone know about Harrold being trans?
Want to see Hawley's pirate moms and honestly I would die for would not at all mind a reappearance of Lupine and Goose, they're kinda cute together, I ship tbh. Plus their story also seems interesting to me, with the literal hole in gooses chest and the lore about their imp. Liked Dea as well with her imp and its reaction (was that her dad or smth. connected to him? or was it something else connected to Dea's being considering they asked whether she's okay when that imp cried and said "let me out"). Regardless, that was such a time well spent and a genuinely interesting story leaving hopes for more!!
Hey there! Thank you so much for reading, and I'm really glad you enjoyed it! ^u^ I'm very happy with this cast too, and would like for some of them to return in future chapters! They've got some important arcs that are just getting set up. :D
Harold is trans, and it's totally fine if you found what was going on with him a little confusing. He's feeling something that is pretty common to a lot of trans folks, but it's something that is a little more complex than a lot of mainstream media likes to depict. If we get to make more chapters, then we'll get deeper into the topic, but if you want a bit more of an explanation, Harold lets slip a little bit more in this prequel game:
Brilliant game, I really enjoyed the story, and I got the true ending on my first playthrough, the art style for this game is beautiful, and I really like all of the characters, the music is also excellent and fits the different scenes very well. Thankyou so much for an amazing mystery visual novel! This game is a masterpiece!!<3 My favourite character is Luipin. :3
Heeheehee, no worries if it took a couple tries, it just meant you got to see some more endings! And I'm super flattered that you were using a dictionary while playing. Some of my favorite text based games have me right-clicking the "define" option in my browser all the time so I can learn more words. XD
Such a compelling and exciting story! The jokes were amazing, the characters were deep and fun to explore, and the artwork was incredible !! The watercolors really pulled the setting together. I am at a loss for words for how amazing this game is!!
Really loved playing this game, all the characters were enjoyable (even the guy who is the worst XD)
I like the symbolism of each of the imps and how they relate to all the characters. Also the fact they have been commodified gives some big capitallism will sell your soul if given the chance XD
The whole image of missing a part of yourself being reprehsented by a massive hole in your chest, kinda metal ngl, also cool party trick XD. And Bell having a creature that almost forces her to do work and how it's obviously unhealthy but also it's actively rewarded by her publishing is really unfortunate. Having cool eyes that force people to do what you say as long as your indimedated sure gives off dictator vibes, what a dick. Exit just being her classic chaotic self is always a plus and love how she's just waiting for the chance to off her husband XD. And I still dont know what the little ballerina paper really means but it's cool too (maybe it's a delacate performer who needs to appear graceful but could give you a paper cut if your not careful?) :)
It seems like Hawley has some sort of ability to overanalyse the world which leads him to critise and question his own value as a person :( I'm guessing that his insecurities have gotten alot worse since the letter game, probably since that incident with the demon and not being able to help Harry.
Harry seems to have repressed the side of himself that wants to be a girl so much that he's made a sentiant being (I'm interpreting this as bigender panic mayhaps?). Seriously impressive how much bagage she has to unpack there. He really needs to accept the demon instead of finding more convoluted ways of hiding them. The way she appears gives me the vibe that Harry sees himself as both too clingy and highly toxic to Hawley + love obsessed and dangerous to everyone around him is very sad :(
Overall Hawley and Harry are having some old sad gay issues but also they love eachother very much and I'm glad they at least get a relatively nice ending.
I thought the mystery was well thought out even though I kinda got the right answer by vibes alone, it was nice to walk through all the stuff I missed XD
Hope I get to see more of these characters in other games :)
Thank you very much, and especially for sharing your thoughts on the imps! I quite like getting to hear what people have picked up on while playing; metaphor is much better for communicating these sorts of emotional things than just plopping them down in a wiki or something XD
Got this in the bundle. The imps are fantastic, the way they're used to show the main characters' problems are fantastic. Don't know if Gareth traditionally being a male game means anything, but Maggie's appearance was both terrifying and also... kind of charming. Kind of want to hug Harry. Would love to see more. While the mystery might be simpler, the characterisation is subtle - DeLus's eyesight issues being slowly hinted at; Marek's awfulness, Goose being, well, goose... Clarisse's jumping into acting to scare Marek off... it's just fantastic.
Thank you very much! And you're correct, Gareth's name (and nickname, Gary), were chosen because they're usually male names.
And I very much appreciate that you liked the characterization! One of the things I enjoy the most about mysteries is getting to peel back the layers of characters and see what they're hiding.
Goose is delightful, even as only two-thirds of themself! Harold is perfect! I said perfect, goddammit, and I mean perfect. I wish to feed him bonbons and listen to him bitch. DeLus is, in fact, the light of the party, and every scene I waited to see what tactless horrors she'd unleash upon us next.
And the end! I flipped through the notes again, going 'this can't be right...' but there was only one conclusion that made sense! Wonderfully horrifying!
I shall now go loot your creator page for more treasures!
Thank you so much! these characters are very near and dear to my heart, and Harry would be very consoled to know that someone liked and accepted him just the way he is. ^u^
Absolutely amazing on so many levels. I'm struggling to articulate it but I feel really seen as a disabled person and trans and nonbinary person both in body and mind. Also would do anything to make sure Goose lives their best life
My saga of reviewing begins [ehehe, I have no idea if this will spam your inbox, Royce]
I loved this game! I think the concept alone hooked me from the start, and the point-and-click aspects made it a lot more fun. Not to mention just how great the art is, I think you could make a game about listing the entire dictionary and I would still play it just to see your artwork. Especially with all the details in this game, they make it environmentally astounding, as well as a joy to look at, even in some of thesadder aspects of the game. Overall a very fun play!
Awww, thank you for playing it, and for such high praise! Though I gotta admit, the dictionary's got a lot of cool words in it, there's fodder for something interesting in there... 🤔
This game was AMAZING!! It was super entertaining, and I loved the story elements and world building. The are is gorgeous, the characters are fun and unique, and the storytelling was marvelous. Hawley and Harry had a great dynamic together and were some of my fav characters, including Goose and Clarisse!
I love the characters, the world, the lore, the art, and the gameplay<3.
PLEASE TELL ME YOU WILL MAKE MORE GAMES WITH THIS WORLDBUIDING AND THESE CHARACTERS
PLEEEASE, I NEED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THEM
P.D.: I noticed your nod to your other game Lupine x Disuke, I love how you recycled the characters to make them your own and how they would be if they existed in that world XD
Thank you so much! I absolutely want to make more stories with Harry, Hawley, and the rest of this world! If you want to see more, please tell your friends about the game! Spreading the word helps more than you can imagine. ^u^
I loved this!! This was an absolute delight; I enjoyed the writing and the characters so much, and particularly partial to Harry and Faraday. I'm also a painter, so it was so lovely to see a game rendered in watercolors like this.
Watercolors and gouache, mostly! I loved finding ways to completely ignore the rules of using gouache and build them up like thick oil paint or just use them as hyperpigmented watercolor. It's been years since I've had the time and space to paint, so I miss it a lot sometimes. Seeing paint on paper again (and in such an unexpected place as a game) was deeply satisfying.
"Сказанные с досадой слова молотом ударил по голове. Казалось, что она расколется на двое."
q "Я болен."
"Руки судорожно прижали накрывавшую подушку."
f "Ты не болен. У тебя похмелье."
q "Сжалься, Хоули. Я этого не выдержу. Не сегодня."
f "Ты не выдержал бы ни вчера, ни сегодня, ни завтра.{w} Твои шансы как у лобстера в кипящей воде."
"Не оказав сочувствие Холули Фарадей пошёл к наружной двери.{w} Стук в дверь продолжился, стоны тоже."
"Открыть дверь было далеко не простым заданием."
"Он мысленно прокрутил в голове кучу заковыристых заклинаний,{w} разломил над дверной ручкой кусочек мела{w} и отодвинул десяток мелких задвижек."
"Все эти обновки, сила которых в ритуальной магии, надоели ещё несколько месяцев назад."
"Печать разрушилась - дверь распахнулась. Свежий воздух, ворвавшися в дом, принес с собой запахи осени. От яркого света Хоули часто заморгал."
"На пороге стоял курьер с письмом. Своим высокомерно-невозмутимым видом он демонстрировал важность своей миссии - кто бы ни был отправитель, он заплатил за доставку прямо в руки."
deli "Срочное письмо мистеру Ле... Дух... Кайл?"
"Правая бровь Хоули поползла вверх. Значит, за доставку курьером заплатили,{w} но разборчиво написать не удосужились? Любопытно."
f "\"Лу-ди-ка-ил.\” {w} Лудикаил."
"На мгновение понимание озарило лицо курьера и тут же сменилось невозмутимой маской."
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This was the first game I downloaded out of the Palestine Relief bundle, and man, this was a delight! I was intrigued because Harry and Hawley gave me a Sherlock/Watson vibe, but I definitely fell in love with the characters as they are pretty quickly. I loved jumping in, in medias res, to their divorce era, but I will def check out the prequel at some point. I think Maggie was my outright favorite character. That's my demon wife <3. I read Harry/Maggie as being two sides of a genderfluid character, dunno if that's what you were going for. One of my fave touches was Maggie being green text whereas Hawley's imp/demon was red text...they're perfect complements for each other <3333 (And, happy to report that I got the mystery right on the first try, hehe.)
привет! а здесь в этой игре есть персонаж-мужчина из игры "off the cuff"? очень любопытен этот товарищ
Да! Рыжеволосая женщина тоже одинакова в обеих играх! 😁
ну, тогда придется 5 звезд игре ставить и хвалить разработчика)
THE JAMES J. HILL HOUSE??? I THOUGHT I WAS IMAGINING THINGS WHEN I RECOGNIZED THE ORGAN, I'VE BEEN TO THAT PLACE MULTIPLE TIMES SINCE I WAS LIKE 7. THAT'S ACTUALLY KIND OF CREEPY. amazing game btw i binged the whole thing instead of sleeping and i do not regret it.
Hahahaha, Hill House jumpscare! It's cool that you got to have that experience; sometimes when I read a novel or watch a movie that takes place somewhere I know, it adds a lot!
New banner I see! I like it. 😍
Thanks, I needed new capsule art for the Steam release! I would’ve liked to have been able to paint it in watercolor, but I had only a limited amount of time, so digital was better than nothing. 😁
I really loved this story! I'm so looking forward to new investigations and more lore about the imps and of course Hawley and Harrold and their respective imps. Also want to see more of Maggie, as I'm seemingly a bit confused bc I thought Harrold is a trans man but somehow other comments seem to suggest he's not and Maggie is the manifestation of his trans identity being repressed. But why does everyone know about Harrold being trans?
Want to see Hawley's pirate moms and honestly I
would die forwould not at all mind a reappearance of Lupine and Goose, they're kinda cute together, I ship tbh. Plus their story also seems interesting to me, with the literal hole in gooses chest and the lore about their imp. Liked Dea as well with her imp and its reaction (was that her dad or smth. connected to him? or was it something else connected to Dea's being considering they asked whether she's okay when that imp cried and said "let me out"). Regardless, that was such a time well spent and a genuinely interesting story leaving hopes for more!!Hey there! Thank you so much for reading, and I'm really glad you enjoyed it! ^u^ I'm very happy with this cast too, and would like for some of them to return in future chapters! They've got some important arcs that are just getting set up. :D
Harold is trans, and it's totally fine if you found what was going on with him a little confusing. He's feeling something that is pretty common to a lot of trans folks, but it's something that is a little more complex than a lot of mainstream media likes to depict. If we get to make more chapters, then we'll get deeper into the topic, but if you want a bit more of an explanation, Harold lets slip a little bit more in this prequel game:
Brilliant game, I really enjoyed the story, and I got the true ending on my first playthrough, the art style for this game is beautiful, and I really like all of the characters, the music is also excellent and fits the different scenes very well. Thankyou so much for an amazing mystery visual novel! This game is a masterpiece!!<3 My favourite character is Luipin. :3
Thank you so very much! I'm glad that you liked Lupine; when I was updating the game, I had to sneak a new CG of him in there:
woooo more of the gays hawley and harry!!!! really enjoyed the story and worldbuilding and music and humor and everything
perfect vn for almost spooky month!
except im such an incompetent detective lmao it look me like three or four tries to get it right
P.S. the first half of the game really got me searching up the definitions of words every other second, thanks for expanding my vocabulary
Heeheehee, no worries if it took a couple tries, it just meant you got to see some more endings! And I'm super flattered that you were using a dictionary while playing. Some of my favorite text based games have me right-clicking the "define" option in my browser all the time so I can learn more words. XD
Such a compelling and exciting story! The jokes were amazing, the characters were deep and fun to explore, and the artwork was incredible !! The watercolors really pulled the setting together. I am at a loss for words for how amazing this game is!!
Thank you, that's incredibly kind of you to say! We very much loved making this game, and I never pass up a chance to break out the paints.
Really loved playing this game, all the characters were enjoyable (even the guy who is the worst XD)
I like the symbolism of each of the imps and how they relate to all the characters. Also the fact they have been commodified gives some big capitallism will sell your soul if given the chance XD
The whole image of missing a part of yourself being reprehsented by a massive hole in your chest, kinda metal ngl, also cool party trick XD. And Bell having a creature that almost forces her to do work and how it's obviously unhealthy but also it's actively rewarded by her publishing is really unfortunate. Having cool eyes that force people to do what you say as long as your indimedated sure gives off dictator vibes, what a dick. Exit just being her classic chaotic self is always a plus and love how she's just waiting for the chance to off her husband XD. And I still dont know what the little ballerina paper really means but it's cool too (maybe it's a delacate performer who needs to appear graceful but could give you a paper cut if your not careful?) :)
It seems like Hawley has some sort of ability to overanalyse the world which leads him to critise and question his own value as a person :( I'm guessing that his insecurities have gotten alot worse since the letter game, probably since that incident with the demon and not being able to help Harry.
Harry seems to have repressed the side of himself that wants to be a girl so much that he's made a sentiant being (I'm interpreting this as bigender panic mayhaps?). Seriously impressive how much bagage she has to unpack there. He really needs to accept the demon instead of finding more convoluted ways of hiding them. The way she appears gives me the vibe that Harry sees himself as both too clingy and highly toxic to Hawley + love obsessed and dangerous to everyone around him is very sad :(
Overall Hawley and Harry are having some old sad gay issues but also they love eachother very much and I'm glad they at least get a relatively nice ending.
I thought the mystery was well thought out even though I kinda got the right answer by vibes alone, it was nice to walk through all the stuff I missed XD
Hope I get to see more of these characters in other games :)
Thank you very much, and especially for sharing your thoughts on the imps! I quite like getting to hear what people have picked up on while playing; metaphor is much better for communicating these sorts of emotional things than just plopping them down in a wiki or something XD
Got this in the bundle. The imps are fantastic, the way they're used to show the main characters' problems are fantastic. Don't know if Gareth traditionally being a male game means anything, but Maggie's appearance was both terrifying and also... kind of charming. Kind of want to hug Harry. Would love to see more. While the mystery might be simpler, the characterisation is subtle - DeLus's eyesight issues being slowly hinted at; Marek's awfulness, Goose being, well, goose... Clarisse's jumping into acting to scare Marek off... it's just fantastic.
Thank you very much! And you're correct, Gareth's name (and nickname, Gary), were chosen because they're usually male names.
And I very much appreciate that you liked the characterization! One of the things I enjoy the most about mysteries is getting to peel back the layers of characters and see what they're hiding.
Goose is delightful, even as only two-thirds of themself! Harold is perfect!
I said perfect, goddammit, and I mean perfect. I wish to feed him bonbons and listen to him bitch.DeLus is, in fact, the light of the party, and every scene I waited to see what tactless horrors she'd unleash upon us next.And the end! I flipped through the notes again, going 'this can't be right...' but there was only one conclusion that made sense! Wonderfully horrifying!
I shall now go loot your creator page for more treasures!
Thank you so much! these characters are very near and dear to my heart, and Harry would be very consoled to know that someone liked and accepted him just the way he is. ^u^
Absolutely amazing on so many levels. I'm struggling to articulate it but I feel really seen as a disabled person and trans and nonbinary person both in body and mind. Also would do anything to make sure Goose lives their best life
I'm so glad that the game spoke to you! It's a very personal game for us, too. ^u^ And the Goose love is profuse! XD
My saga of reviewing begins [ehehe, I have no idea if this will spam your inbox, Royce]
I loved this game! I think the concept alone hooked me from the start, and the point-and-click aspects made it a lot more fun. Not to mention just how great the art is, I think you could make a game about listing the entire dictionary and I would still play it just to see your artwork. Especially with all the details in this game, they make it environmentally astounding, as well as a joy to look at, even in some of thesadder aspects of the game. Overall a very fun play!
Awww, thank you for playing it, and for such high praise! Though I gotta admit, the dictionary's got a lot of cool words in it, there's fodder for something interesting in there... 🤔
Sadly i can't play i tried playing it on my laptop but it always says something failed to load "Check Javascript console for details"
Thanks for checking it out! If you’re having trouble with the browser version, you might want to try downloading it instead.
This game was AMAZING!! It was super entertaining, and I loved the story elements and world building. The are is gorgeous, the characters are fun and unique, and the storytelling was marvelous. Hawley and Harry had a great dynamic together and were some of my fav characters, including Goose and Clarisse!
Thank you so much! I'm so glad to hear that you had a good time. ^u^
Wow! If you ever continue this series, please let me know bc this was AMAZING
Thank you so much! I was about to mention Hoping This Finds You Well, but then I noticed you'd already seen it! :D
I LOVED IT!!!
I love the characters, the world, the lore, the art, and the gameplay<3.
PLEASE TELL ME YOU WILL MAKE MORE GAMES WITH THIS WORLDBUIDING AND THESE CHARACTERS
PLEEEASE, I NEED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THEM
P.D.: I noticed your nod to your other game Lupine x Disuke, I love how you recycled the characters to make them your own and how they would be if they existed in that world XD
Thank you so much! I absolutely want to make more stories with Harry, Hawley, and the rest of this world! If you want to see more, please tell your friends about the game! Spreading the word helps more than you can imagine. ^u^
How fun and delightful! The writing is brilliant and the artwork is so unique. I should like to see these two boys at work in some other case perhaps.
Thank you very much! We would quite like to make another proper mystery game with them, but if you're interested, I do have a prequel game over here: https://alexisroyce.itch.io/hoping-this-finds-you-well
Thank you for the link, I will definitely check it out!
I loved this!! This was an absolute delight; I enjoyed the writing and the characters so much, and particularly partial to Harry and Faraday. I'm also a painter, so it was so lovely to see a game rendered in watercolors like this.
Thank you so much! Harry and Faraday are very special to me, and it still feels incredible to me that they exist outside of my head now!
Also what kinds of paint do you use? I always love to talk about paint :3
Watercolors and gouache, mostly! I loved finding ways to completely ignore the rules of using gouache and build them up like thick oil paint or just use them as hyperpigmented watercolor. It's been years since I've had the time and space to paint, so I miss it a lot sometimes. Seeing paint on paper again (and in such an unexpected place as a game) was deeply satisfying.
Я игрок, но переписал начало под свой вкус:
"Двери закрыты, на окнах решётки."
"Редкие лучи дневного света пробивались в полумрак и яркими пятнами выхватывали элементы обстановки."
"В наружную дверь постучали. Эхо резкого звука разошлось по залам особняка."
"Послышался слабый стон."
"Тишина."
f "Мне снова всё решать самому?"
"Сказанные с досадой слова молотом ударил по голове. Казалось, что она расколется на двое."
q "Я болен."
"Руки судорожно прижали накрывавшую подушку."
f "Ты не болен. У тебя похмелье."
q "Сжалься, Хоули. Я этого не выдержу. Не сегодня."
f "Ты не выдержал бы ни вчера, ни сегодня, ни завтра.{w} Твои шансы как у лобстера в кипящей воде."
"Не оказав сочувствие Холули Фарадей пошёл к наружной двери.{w} Стук в дверь продолжился, стоны тоже."
"Открыть дверь было далеко не простым заданием."
"Он мысленно прокрутил в голове кучу заковыристых заклинаний,{w} разломил над дверной ручкой кусочек мела{w} и отодвинул десяток мелких задвижек."
"Все эти обновки, сила которых в ритуальной магии, надоели ещё несколько месяцев назад."
"Печать разрушилась - дверь распахнулась. Свежий воздух, ворвавшися в дом, принес с собой запахи осени. От яркого света Хоули часто заморгал."
"На пороге стоял курьер с письмом. Своим высокомерно-невозмутимым видом он демонстрировал важность своей миссии - кто бы ни был отправитель, он заплатил за доставку прямо в руки."
deli "Срочное письмо мистеру Ле... Дух... Кайл?"
"Правая бровь Хоули поползла вверх. Значит, за доставку курьером заплатили,{w} но разборчиво написать не удосужились? Любопытно."
f "\"Лу-ди-ка-ил.\” {w} Лудикаил."
"На мгновение понимание озарило лицо курьера и тут же сменилось невозмутимой маской."
deli "Да, он."