my apologies for taking a little while to get to this -- i was quite overcome and a little weepy when i first read it and wanted to make sure i devoted enough time to a response because i feel so touched 😭💕
first off thank you so much??? not only for playing and loving the game but for taking SO MUCH TIME?? TO WRITE SO MUCH??? AND ALL YOUR THOUGHTS???? i was smiling the whole time i was reading it!! i loved reading all your little reactions and thoughts and interpretations both about the latest arc as well as about the characters in general. honestly it's one of my favorite things in the world hearing from people how the game and chars made them feel and i feel so so spoiled when people leave long thought-felt comments filled with reactions 😭
i'm really happy you enjoyed the final arc so much (so far)! this arc in general has turned out so so much larger than i ever could have expected (hence, the need to release it in so many different parts lkdsajfad) and it's really pushed me to my limits in many places both story-wise and production-wise. so many of the climactic moments throughout arc 5 took me a long time to write and work on, and i really really wanted to make sure they felt "satisfying" in a way as a culmination of all the various arcs and storylines leading up to them, whether it's gidget's and orlam's arc finales to even just smaller stuff like the "final" collector scene or jerry's whole part. so i'm really touched to hear that many of the scenes resonated with you. and i was really happy to hear your different reactions to and analyses of the various scenes and their differences 🤭(THOUGH I'M SORRY FOR MAKING YOU CRY ASLKFDJALSDKFAJ) the whole genzou/orlam arc climax in particular has been something i've been working towards for years and it was really emotional for me to finally work on this scene that's been developing and living in my head rent-free throughout much of production
"Btw, I also love how you handle conflicts, it makes me want to learn more about writing them!" -> DLKFJADSFA THANK YOU????? HEARING THIS MAKES ME REALLY WEEPY????
your thoughts about all the individual characters are killing me... GUHHH. i'm really happy you can relate so much to iggy??? so much of iggy is also based on myself and my own experiences, so it always makes me extra weepy to hear if people can relate to and empathize with him. maybe it makes me feel a little less alone perhaps. if that makes me selfish i don't know ldskjfasd (perhaps only allowing for ace!romance options is a bit selfish but i don't care LMAO). showing that all the characters have major issues and have done things that Aren't Good was a big thing i wanted to make sure i got across, even with iggy as the MC. because no one is perfect in life and we all make mistakes (sometimes big ones). it would have felt so unrealistic otherwise perhaps...
ahhh thank you also for the lovely words about the music and scene direction!! music is such a big part of this game for me -- to the point where some of the songs themselves have helped inspired and form various scenes in my head. i always spend a lot of time searching for and listening to tracks to find the perfect tracks that will resonate with the vibes or scene i have in mind. i tend to think of scenes in terms of movie scenes in my head, kinda forming the vibe and how everything will play out. then i attempt to recreate it as best as i can when i'm putting the VN together with all the actions and music and sounds, etc. i think this is something i've gotten better at though as production has gone one, which is why later arcs have generally a lot more cinematic production value LOL if i ever go back and do the remaster i've been considering i'll probably try to polish up some of the earlier arcs a bit to address issues and bring them more up to the standard of the later arcs...
LOL your thoughts are orlam are cracking me up. and bucks and genzou too. i feel like not a lot of people talk about bucks much (which, yeah, she's definitely been in the least so far of all of them, so it's understandable alkdsjfa) so it's really nice hearing your reactions about some of her key themes and scenes
"Also there is a detail I'm very happy I noticed and this is that hearing anybody cry/scream makes her blood boil. " --> LKDJFADSK YES I'M GLAD YOU NOTICED THIS??? i am always unsure if people notice some of these various smaller details that i add in, so i'm quite happy to hear if they're noticed
" CAN't they all just be happy?" --> LMAOOOO REAL I ALSO FEEL THIS LDKJFASD 😭
LOL THANK YOU FOR THE KIND WORDS ABOUT THE ARC 5 CGS. yes i've definitely improved in my art in general, particularly the CGs as production has gone on ldkfjads also consistency and such. i've already redone a few early arc 1 CGs that were just so bad i could barely look at them, but there are still many that irk me HAHAH. i guess it happens naturally that my art improves considering i've drawn over 400 CGs since starting production lol. when i first started it was the first time i'd ever even drawn with a drawing tablet before... hahaha. i'm really glad that you enjoy them!!
"I wonder if arc5!Giget was designed to have enby flag colors" --> this might be surprising but i didn't plan that at all LOL but a few people have also pointed this out to me since...
"Sorry for such a long comment, I Hope it wasn't tiring to read!" --> it was not tiring at all, i loved it very much!! thank you again so much for taking all the time to write this up!! i'm very very touched and reading it made me smile!
thank you for all the love and support for the game and characters! it really gives me so much motivation hearing that others can connect and resonate with everything so much. tbh as a small solo hobby dev, my highest goal is simply that people will play the game and have an emotional connection. it's really all i want out of making this game and sharing my story and characters alkfdjas when people love my chars my heart simply squishes 🥺💕
SO THANK YOU AGAIN.
and i hope that you'll enjoy the finale once i'm finally able to get it finished!! 🤣