This. Was. ADORABLE AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH *screams, wants to destroy the universe because it really is too cute for me to bear*
First, GOD???? THE AMOUNT OF ART?????? THE QUALITY OF IT????? THE BACKGROUNDS?? THE CGS???? THE ASSETS???? THE GUI?????? THE IMPLEMENTATION OF EVERYTHING??????? THIS IS A LESSON IN CODING I AM NOT KIDDING I WAS FLABBERGASTED BY HOW WONDERFULLY YOU CRAFTED AND ASSEMBLED EVERYTHING I HOPE YOU'RE PROUD OF YOU BECAUSE THIS REALLY WAS WELL-DONE AND YES I'M WRITING IN CAPS BECAUSE I'M SO IMPRESSED
*coughs coughs*
Okay, to put it in a less chaotic manner, I really appreciated the comic-book approach combined with the texting one. It was a really interesting way to narrate the story of this game: while the texting helped keeping things joyful and light-hearted, the comic-style scenes, by contrast, managed to be more emotional and dramatic. The numerous illustrations, always of high calibre and quality, made this game feel like a really rich and even premium experience!
I also appreciated a lot the character-writing around Iggy. It's quite difficult to detail as I would need to spoil, but I appreciated the authenticity of the portrayal of Iggy's social anxiety, and even its impact on gameplay. The randomised "event", to avoid any specific description, and the endings, of course, reminded me of my own past (and sometimes present) struggles with social anxiety, and... it really rang true and authentic.
But of course, you didn't only make an emotional game but also a hilarious one! The reference to a certain game of the Zelda series made me scream out of laughter., and of course, I can't ignore the texts, the many CGs here and there, the wonderful amount of discussions (that I haven't completely explored yet, of course), which participated in making the game light-hearted, despite the looming shadow of Iggy's anxiety. Also, just... BUCKS. BUCKS. I'M NOT GOING TO SPOIL HER JOKES AS THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE DISCOVERED BUT OH MY GOD IT WAS UNHINGED AND I LOVED IT
The endings all felt earned and emotional: obviously, having played the main series, I'm quite attached to all these characters, and am happy to see them in a happy cosy setting. But I do think that, even for new players, these endings will feel emotional, as they are well-written, and the result, game-design wise, of a connection we spent the whole game establishing: this was an interesting choice in narrative design, and really contributed to the story.
Finally, I enjoyed the stats management part of the game! I'm quite fond of the genre to be honest, but I appreciated shaping Iggy's life and trying to figure out how to combine everything to have him ready. You managed to keep it beginner-friendly while still punishing mistakes (for example, buying the Kirby plushie thinking I could use it everytime.................................): so you found a good balance between accessibility and not making it unchallenging (the "random events" contribute to making it harder too).
Overall, Carrot, I'm genuinely impressed you managed to put all this together in a few months! The music tracks were perfectly chosen, the GUI AMAZING, the writing was touching and yet funny, the art was gorgeous and in great quantity... This was an amazing game!!!!!! Hope you have great holidays!!!