This was very well-written! For such a heavy and uncomfortable topic, I think it's impressive you pulled it off so well. Both Chloe and Matthieu felt very 'real', and I liked how Matthieu wasn't presented as some cackling villain sterotype with no moral scruples. It felt much more realistic that he was a bit hesitant about everything (or was he? It does feel like he was leading Chloe on, but then lost his nerve when things got 'too real' and he started to think about the irl consequences), and he was grappling with his own self-doubt (but, then again, he grapples with his doubts in such an overblown and dramatic way it guilts Chloe into wanting to console him, when isn't fair when she's so much younger than he is...)
Aah, this was very good. The characters are so nuanced, and there are multiple ways to read their behaviour. I also imagine some of Matthieu's disgust towards Lolita comes from relating a little too much to the protagonist, so it hits too close to home? It does make his hatred feel rather ironic haha
And I felt so many feelings for Chloe. She's in way over head head but doesn't realise it until it's too late. Her desperate desire to prove she's 'mature enough' feels very relatable in an uncomfortable way. I also think being able to make choices for her in the narrative works really well, since it highlights just how divided and confused she is. The choices feel very natural as a result and make her indecision/uncertainty feel more well-realised than if this had been a linear story.
Also, major props for the UI. I love the wax crayon-ish vibe the UI has, and the sort of 'cutesy' art style. It might not seem appropriate for such a dark story at a glance, but I think it works unsettlingly well when you consider Chloe is constantly insisting she's an adult in the story; she's mature; she knows what she wants. She says it over and over again, but the story is told from her POV, and the cute/more 'childish' UI elements and the art style really serve to undercut all of these things she keeps trying to tell herself.
Also got to love all of Chloe's talks about classic lit. It comes across that she is, indeed, a very well read teen, which is probably why she thinks she's mature enough to handle a relationship like this (and I think Matthieu also encourages her to think she's oh-so-mature b/c of her literary tastes too, so he weaponises it against her). It's a nice detail to add to her character.
Anyway, this was a painfully honest VN which feels very heartfelt. Thank you for creating it!
Viewing post in High School Lolita - my crushing love story comments
Wow, thanks for your detailed feedback, I am very happy you appreciated the game! If I've improved in a lot of departments since I released it (and thinking that HSL was only released a year ago makes me dizzy), this game can't help but me my favourite of mine because of its story!
Thanks for appreciating the character-writing, and you're right: Matthieu was written, more than after Humbert Humbert from Lolita, after Phaedra (which I'm allowing myself to mention here because you played The Daughters of the Sun), the Queen's remorseful passion for her step-son being here turned into the teacher's inappropriate affection for his student. And you're raising interesting points regarding his characters, and there are indeed several ways to read them: for Matthieu, I detailed a bit the way I see him in a devlog, but long story short, a mixture of self-depreciation and narcissism. He doesn't think highly of himself, so when he finds a kindred soul in Chloé, he loves her mostly as a way to love himself. However, he does realise this relationship is problematic (considering Chloé is 16, and his student), which only makes his own self-hatred grow. Ultimately, his many meltdowns are indeed a way for him to get reassured by Chloé, so that he can be comforted in his attitude (that's why he ends up telling the whole school about their relationship when she finally rejects him and tells him it is not okay for him to use a minor, and even his victim, as emotional support). And you're therefore right when it comes to Matthieu's projection into the novel: he fails to see it as anything other than the apology of a groomer because that's what he is reading in it.
Thank you for the compliments on the GUI! The "crayon"/"doodle" vibe is indeed to anchor the game into Chloé's very naïve and innocent views, and to highlight that, despite what she pretends or is trying to, Chloé, in the end, remains a child.
And finally, I had a lot of fun referencing a lot of classical works! It isn't always appropriate to do so in every story alas, but here, I was happy I could get quite heavy (and I even get heavier in the genderbend sequel I'm developing right now haha, I guess the groomers being literature teachers help).
Once again, thanks a lot for sharing your thoughts and your appreciation for the game, it comes a lot coming from you!