WEEP CHATTER, THIS WAS WONDERFUL AHHHHHHH 😭💕
(SOME VAGUE SPOILERS THO I TRY TO AVOID SAYING ANYTHING TOO DIRECTLY BUT JUST A WARNING)
This one hit so close to home... As someone who also struggles in conversations and is constantly worried about either saying too much or not saying enough or zoning out when talking to people or that I'm being a bother, etc., this was... extremely hard-hitting for me. And I found myself at first kinda agreeing instinctively with the things Geist was saying, but as the game progressed, I started to realize what was going on, and I began feeling more confident in pushing back and being able to tell the difference between his mangled false version of reality he kept whispering and what was actually happening. It made me feel both happy in that, like, I was pushing back against so many of my own inner thoughts I've struggled with for a long time, while also a bit sad, because even though I could get myself to do so in the game, I knew that I wouldn't always be so successful in my own version of Geist... 💦
I really really loved how seamlessly the story handled that slow revelation of who Geist really is without even actually saying it??? Like it was brilliantly done. You set everything up, with the build-up, and the structure, and then the lead-in to that final main confrontation with him, so well that like... before you even knew it, you realized what was going on. It was just so fantastic lkdjfads And honestly that made it even more powerful because, like, in reality, we can't always tell the difference between truth and our own minds trying to sabotage us, and there never will be a grand reveal showing us that our thoughts were never true. We always will still have that voice nagging at us, trying to pull us back down, and the only thing we can do is attempt to get better at fighting it off (and perhaps seeking out support in others, as well).
Overall this was such a brilliant game, Chatter ahhHHHHHHHH. Why do your games always do this to me LKDJFASDFA I love so much how playing your games feels even more like being immersed into a novel than any other games I've played. Perhaps because of how you set everything up, with the animations and how you handle your CGs and art, to especially the GUI and how naturally it makes the narration and dialogue flow across the screen in-sync with the images. I swear it always makes the game feel so much faster than it actually is because I end up just getting so immersed in it that it makes the time fly kjdfad In this game in particular I loved the switching between the different types of framing, from the sprites and sprite expression cut-aways, to the BG narration, to the CGs, to the NVL parts that usually were either a flashback or other detail-oriented part. Every choice on when to switch to a different type of screen composition felt so natural, always carrying me to the next line, to the next scene, keeping the story constantly moving forward in a way that felt like I was watching a movie at times.
The art and animations were fantastic as always. That's such a key element of a Chatter VN at this point, and it never disappoints. Kalei was absolutely adorable and I loved him immediately, and the little animations and expressions and like the excited and sweatdrops animations and all of those just made him even more irresistible he's just so sweet???? 😭💕And he was so caring ahhhHHHHHHH I want a friend like Kalei SOB. I loved how there wasn't a single interaction with him that felt awkward or uncomfortable -- AT LEAST FROM HIS SIDE. Because of course we have Geist in there telling us things are going wrong even though they aren't, and instead Kalei is just there being a big dorky sweetie the whole time. It really made my heart squish jfldkajfdsf
And ofc Geist himself. WHAT A LOOK FOR THE PERSONFICATION OF OUR INNER SELF-SABOTAGING VOICE LMAO. As smooth and persuasive as you might expect from someone who's able to so easily convince us of our own ineptitude. I loved just the sheer presence that he has. Always there. Just watching. Making snide comments about every little thing we do. The way he truly feels like a "geist" that's just constantly haunting us and our thoughts. However still somehow "charming" in the way that he can still twist our mind into seeing things his way no matter how we may want to resist. Just a stellar design choice there for not only his look and voice but also just how every scene frames him and how even when he's not mentioned you can still somehow feel his presence tingling on the back of your neck.
I found the MC's feeling of embarrassment over their interests to be incredibly relatable. Even though my interests have never been an animated detective dog (LOL) I've had my own fair share of interests that I've felt weird bringing up to people all throughout my life. And though I used to be a lot more open with them when I was younger, unable to stop talking about them or referencing them, over the years as people would find them weird or my obsessions annoying, I became more and more afraid to ever bring them up, which only ever made me feel more embarrassed when talking to people. I still can barely bring up my game dev stuff to anyone in RL because I feel like they would all think it's "silly" or "weird." But if someone were to show genuine interest like Kalei maybe I would actually be able to open up and ramble on about my hobbies like I actually want to deep inside without feeling like I'm being annoying and monopolizing the conversation. Sob. Once again proving that Kalei is too sweet and wonderful for this world LKDJALDFAD 😭💕
God there were just so many relatable parts to this entire thing and I feel like it's going to be sitting with me for a while now HHHHHH. CHATTER YOUR GAMES TRULY NEVER DISAPPOINT. And yet they're all so vastly different! Despite the consistent look and feel in the way you do your art and UI, each game has such a different vibe and tackles such different themes and subjects that I still never know what I'm getting myself into whenever I start up another one. Yet I always know that by the end I'm just gonna be sitting there in my chair like AHHHHHHHHHHHH because of its brilliance. AND THE FACT THAT YOU MADE THIS IN ONLY ONE MONTH?? LITERALLY RIGHT AFTER PUTTING OUT KANAU??? WHICH WAS ALSO RIGHT AFTER PUTTING OUT THE DEEPWATCH WITCH DEMO???? CHATTER ARE YOU OK???? ARE YOU RESTING???? HOW DO YOU KEEP CHURNING OUT ALL THESE ABSOLUTE BANGERS??????
OK I'll stop now LKDFJAFSD but seriously. Every single one of your games is so absolutely polished and written SO WELL and just transports me instantly into another world where its characters and stories grab me by the collar and refuse to let me go. SO THANK YOU FOR DOING IT AGAIN AND MAKING ME FALL IN LOVE WITH ANOTHER OF YOUR GAMES 💕
Just all in all wonderful and insightful and beautifully done and cutting STRAIGHT TO THE CORE OF ME AND MY OWN THOUGHTS. I shall attempt to utilize the practice I had with Geist in pushing back against my own intrusive thoughts....... maybe......... we'll see 🤣💦