Aw, Ida is so cute and relatable :") I was so hyped when I see her werewolf form, like YEAAAHHHHH GIRL SLAYYYYY!! And the rock music goes HARD btw. It's clever to use the unclickable choices too, it fits Ida's character so well! Plus I've never seen that implemented in other games, so it's cool! Overall awesome work!!
Play game
Homecoming: My monster-hunter girlfriend's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Log Line | #71 | 4.100 | 4.100 |
| Accessibility | #85 | 3.900 | 3.900 |
| Game Page Design | #106 | 3.500 | 3.500 |
| Halloween Themed | #107 | 3.500 | 3.500 |
| Character Designs | #109 | 3.900 | 3.900 |
| Story | #119 | 3.500 | 3.500 |
| Overall | #120 | 3.500 | 3.500 |
| Voice Acting | #126 | 1.800 | 1.800 |
| Game Graphic & Logo Design | #128 | 3.400 | 3.400 |
| Sound Effects | #129 | 2.700 | 2.700 |
| Music | #131 | 3.100 | 3.100 |
| User Interface Design | #140 | 2.800 | 2.800 |
Ranked from 10 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Comments
Ah, man, it's actually almost scary how I share some pretty strong similarities with Ida x3 The likes that you wrote on her character card could just as easily be me, haha. then there's unemployed, yup, check on that one too! T_T Political activist? Not quite, but I'd certainly get more involved in activism if my social anxiety wasn't so crippling >.< What's even more of a freak coincidence though is that I also wear glasses and have a similar hairstyle (right down to the colour xD - though, I did swap my green for red/yellow/orange recently!)
Anyways, the character designs are gorgeous in general :3 And I love that you did small details like matching the speaker's name colour to the character cos little things like that just set off little happy fireworks in my brain, haha.
I was very curious to know what you meant on the game page by use of non-choices, and having played through it, I have to say that it's a feature that works really well :3 I don't think I've ever come across it before, but it goes hand in hand perfectly with the narrative ^-^ I don't want to accidentally spoil it for others, so I guess it's probably best if I put this under spoilers further down!
I'm extremely lucky in the sense that I have an incredible dad who has my back and is extremely supportive of me :3 On the flipside though, I've got a mum that I hardly see because my parents had a messy divorce and my brother and I are firmly on my dad's side.
My mum is soooo different from my dad, and she's one of those sorts of people who doesn't really believe that mental health is a thing just because there was no diagnosis of anxiety and depression in folks back in her day, nor the option of therapy >.< She said something to me years ago re: my depression, and I remember it so clearly because it's one of those things that really stung when she said it because it was my first realisation that she just didn't even remotely understand me.
She said that if I "just sucked it up and got a job, you'd start feeling much better" >.> I did eventually manage to get a job... I did not feel better, I felt significantly worse x3 And even though she knows now that I have a diagnosis of ASD, she still thinks it's not really a thing :(
Also, this line in particular really got me x3
I spent most of my life thinking about myself that way, so it's one that hit me pretty hard, haha. I wanted to reach into the game and just give Ida a massive hug!
Sorry for the personal ramble anyhow x3 I was just using it as an example of how I relate to your story even if my own situation isn't exactly the same as Ida's :3 So it was a very heartfelt and touching journey with Ida! <3 I just wanna take a moment to thank you for writing a protagonist like Ida because I feel like you just don't get characters like that in most big commercial releases, and I'm so glad you can find them now and then in the wonderful world of indie!
Some spoilers below!!
Not being able to say the things I'd really like to made me feel even more attached to Ida as an MC because that's pretty much how my life goes x3 Even among friends, when asked what I want, I will 99.9% of the time answer with a "don't know" or a "you can choose" or "I don't mind!" x3 And when it comes to other stuff, I rarely feel able to say what's on my mind cos I'm always more concerned with pleasing others than saying how I feel, even if it's detrimental to me >.< So yeah, I really feel for poor Ida cos it's tough.
I'm glad it was possible to see her stand up for herself in the end though :3 Maybe one day, I will be able to defend myself against my mum x3
201 days ago(+1)
Oh, gosh, thank you so much for your comment! It means so much to me!
I still have trouble coping with people being nice to me, so I had a difficult time gathering the strength to even respond. Just know, you really brightened my day with your review and made me grin like an idiot. <3
I am so glad you could relate to Ida. Honestly, one of my biggest worries was how to make her relatable to other people but I guess the right people will just understand. It is probably not very big secret that I am very socially anxious myself so writing her came very naturally.
By the way, as for character designs, I had such a fun time working with heartsoulstudios. Normally I have trouble conveying to artists what I want but this time it was me just giving a general description and they immediately came up with a sketch and I just exclaimed "This is my Ida!". They have drawn both amazing sprites including different expressions in like a few hours. Absolutely insane.
As for the unemployment, well you are a Spooktober goddess or well before it gets into your head and you go full Rhime, lets just say Visual Novel Developer. You probably brightened the day of a lot of devs with your many and very kind reviews. There is this horrible notion under capitalism that only earning money "counts", when that couldn't be further form the truth! That is why I tried to show how much of a difference Ida makes in other people's life without her even realizing it.
I am glad to hear you get along with your father. Thank you for sharing this with me. Yeah, just having one positive attachment figure can make a huge difference in a person's life and dramatically increase resilience.
And I am just happy to hear how people relate to my little story, no need to apologize for any ramble. It is me who has to thank you.
I am sure the day when you stand up against you mum will come! You are such a strong, intelligent and kind person, I am sure you will be alright! <3
Yeeeah, I’m the same when it comes to people saying nice things about anything I’ve worked on x3 My evil brain just tries to bat away any compliments and tell me that it can’t possibly be real because I suck xD I’ve been trying my best not to listen to that voice though! And any time someone says something nice, it does the same to me, brightens my day, makes me smile, and often almost makes me want to cry happy tears, haha.
It’s not often I relate to protagonists in games, especially mainstream gaming! So it always feels like an extra treat when I do come across relatable MCs, and Ida was absolute that :3 That’s so cool that you worked so well with heartsoulstudios! I know the feeling because that’s what it’s like for me when I work with LazyPolarBear! It’s like she can somehow read my mind and knows exactly what I mean even when my descriptions aren’t great x3
And you’re absolutely right about the capitalist notion that only earning money “counts” :( I’m extremely lucky that my dad values creativity over income and supports me making these games! My mum certainly doesn’t see things that way. She thinks what I’m doing is a waste of time because it doesn’t produce income, therefore it’s pointless >.< Had my dad been of the same attitude, I likely would’ve been forced to give up before even finishing 1 game!
Anyways, thank you for your kind words, and for making such a heartfelt story :3 You’re always like a shining light in the darkness <3
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