CHATTER HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME???????
GODDDDDD.
This was breathtakingly beautiful and hauntingly horrific all at the same time. I mean, all of your games are brilliant and wonderful, but this might possibly be one of your most artistic ones yet, and it seriously is a work of art... 😭💕
You have such a wonderfully fantastic style to the way you design your VNs. They truly feel like immersive storybooks. Which, in the case of this game, just made the horrors cut even deeper. SERIOUS CHILLS????? AND SOME OF THOSE CGS MY GOD. The final one of Raku "eating" just... god. I had to pause for a second. It was 5,000 shades of horrific and the use of color and composition and the whole setup!!!! BUT I'M GETTING AHEAD OF MYSELF.
From start to finish, the buildup and structure of this was just phenomenal. The way we're introduced first to Carter, wondering who the heck he is??? To then the reveal. THEN THE FREAKING SCENE IN THE BASEMENT MY GOD. That CG was also absolutely brilliantly done -- the one with Raku's mother sitting on the steps. Somehow you've like, framed your CGs in such a way so as to avoid showing complete gore, while at the same time, between the colors and the music and the narration, we might as well be seeing it, because it shows up so vividly in mind, probably even more terrifying than it would be if you HAD shown everything to begin with. Now THAT is mastery in setting the scene. My god. Is it weird to say I got flashes of Hannibal from that scene, despite never actually having watched Hannibal and just knowing some of the most iconic "imagery" from it LKJDLKFASJDF
At any rate, my heart died so much for Raku. I could feel every inch of his despair and internal conflict during the first half. The helplessness of not being able to go up against his mother. (All of which would eventually make the final ending hit so much harder lkadjfsa). Which then, just like Raku, made me also latch on to Nelli once she appeared. Something about the way you've framed everything really helped to put us in Raku's shoes despite this not being technically from Raku's POV. So when he felt this longing connecting to Nelli at being shown kindess, my heart also developed this connection to her. It was a really fantastic way of making the characters empathetic and pulling us as the reader deeper in the story.
AND GUHHHH POOR NELLI????????? Like. Even from back in Karamu I had kinda guessed that Raku's past was going to be pretty messed up to lead him to... well... everything that happens there LOL But I couldn't have guessed that Nelli also had such a traumatic childhood, and my heart screamed so much for her, too. Some of those scenes were absolutely heartbreaking. And the CGs/cutaways!! Somehow that one of her in the bathroom playing her game sticks out in my mind so much. There was something so lonely and isolating about it. Also that cutaway of her writing her notes about Raku that was so cute lkasjdfasd SOBBBBBB. WHY MUST YOU MAKE ME FEEL SO PROTECTIVE OVER THESE POOR BABIES???? The connection they formed was adorable despite the horrific situation. And I loved seeing her little by little, Nelli would use Raku as a sort of comforting friend more and more, even putting the jar next to her pillow, telling him all of her pent-up thoughts.
I could start to guess a little bit where it was heading (but only because the story itself was built so wonderfully, meeting our expectations in certain ways perfectly while defying them in other ways also perfectly). Though no matter how much I could start to feel out how it was going to end, nothing prepared me for that final scene where Raku actually lashed out, and then ofc the CG I already mentioned. (WHICH, JUST LIKE THE ONE WITH THE MOM AND CARTER, WAS FRAMED SO PERFECTLY THAT IT WAS LIKE... SO SO SO HORRIFIC WITHOUT ACTUALLY SHOWING THE GORE??? Seriously your horror composition skills are literally superb I SHALL WEEP.)
AND THEN THE END WHEN RAKU GOES BACK. AND I'M JUST LIKE. RAKU. NO. Except. I also knew in my heart that it's what had to happen. Just a brilliant yet tragic and horrific ending to the first part of his life.
GUHHHH.
I literally could rant about this for hours, it was just so well done. THE COLORS??? HELLO?????? This has to be one of the most artistic VNs I've ever played. The use of the limited color palette with mostly black, white, and red, with then the occasional highlights of other key colors was beyond fantastic. It was like stepping into an old illustrated (and horrific) storybook, and really added to the creepy ambience the whole game already has. The music was perfect! Absolutely chilling pieces that built up the tension perfectly. And then the heartbreaking pieces that shattered my heart and made me want to care for these poor babies forever and ever. I mentioned the colors but not the art??? HELLO??? THE ART WAS RIDICULSOUGASKUGDALKDJAFLDKFJADFA see I don't even have a word for it it was so good LOL LITERALLY I'M SERIOUS. Masterful use of composition. Of the angles. Of the animation. The BGs were superb! I could go on and on.
Just.
Absolutely fantastic.
I keep saying that because I'm running out of words!!!!! I CAN'T COME UP WITH MORE WORDS????
Seriously though everyone who wants to learn how to write masterful horror with spine-tingling build-ups and CGs that hit HARD needs to play this as it should be like a tutorial of exactly everything you need to do LDKAJFSDFA
Also I love how you tied it back in to them in college at the end, it was a great way to finish it! WHICH NOW JUST MAKES ME EVEN MORE EXCITED FOR WHEN YOU'LL DO THE KARAMU SEQUEL LATER THIS YEAR BECAUSE I NEED TO NOW KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN AFTER KARAMU AND I'M ALREADY WONDERING WHERE YOU'RE GONNA GO NEXT WITH IT AHHHHHHHHHH.
OK I'll stop freaking out now. Thank you for sharing this work of art with the world!! 😭💕 I'm gonna go try to decompress now... LOLOLOLOL