itch.io

Checked out the page beccause the title screen art really appealed to me, and when I saw the snail I was immediately intrigued. I've only gotten the Self Sacrifice Ending so far, so I don't have the full picture of what's going on, but I feel like I have enough to understand the gist of certain plot points >.> 

You did such a good job at creating a believably messy friendship. Both of the boys broke my heart in different ways, and even with only one ending under my belt, seeing Austin go from trying so hard to be a better friend to Riley and to put his life back together and overall just be a healthier person, to what he becomes in the end os just.... heartbreaking, through and through. And of course, guiding Riley through such self sacrifice was painful too.

I think you also just did an incredibly job of showing how the world doesn't stop when you're in the middle of a crisis. Still having to go to work, still having to go get your mom's meds, having to juggle self care with trying to navigate a crisis, having every task be a step you have to guide Riley through that tires him out even more... it really added to the atmosphere, to the feeling of helplessness, having to slog through work the day after you've been mauled by a bear and aren't sure if your friend is even alive, because Capitalism Hell never takes a day off and your family can't afford you skipping more than a day... Just it's own little slice of the overall nightmare.

This is SO incredible for your first game! I'm so excited to play the other two endings, and to see your future endeavors!! ^^

Another great read... I really like how blunt Utsuko is? In talking about her experiences and her feelings? It's kind of like a splash of cold water to the face, starting the game and reading her harsh words about herself, shocking at first, but then sort of refreshing, to not feel like there's any tiptoeing around what she's going through, what she's been told, how she's living her life. 

The progression of the story does such a great job of easing us into the hell of Aiko's life. At first it's easy to just kind of take at face value that she's 'crazy', but as it goes on you can't look away from the fact that this poor girl has been indoctrinated from birth and never had a choice in what she believes, and once you realize the physical abuse that's going on too, you feel so cruel for ever having taken her situation lightly.

I really, really loved the message of the good ending. For a game that hinges so heavily on suicide and wanting to die, I was really touched by the message that yeah, the meaning of life is to just live. Life may not have a meaning, but that doesn't make it pointless, or not worthwhile. And I feel like that's always an important message, that just being alive, even if it hurts or is miserable a lot of the time, is worth holding onto, because there will always be beautiful moments that make you glad you stuck around.

I'm really excited to see your future projects!! I love your art style, and the way you approach darker/heavier themes in your stories, so I'm looking forward to whatever you work on next ^^

Thank YOU for making such a poignant game! I've already downloaded tmolitj so I'm really excited to play that as well ^^ 

This was so sweet... I downloaded it the other day not being quite sure what to expect, but I'm so glad I did! The conversation between Dodie and Vera reminded me a lot of late night convos I've had with my friends ;; It felt very real and grounded, despite the surreal nature of certain aspects. A really lovely read ;w;

Another absolute banger... Loved this! From the get go I was obsessed with the premise of a sex robot being roped into cage fighting, and as expected this did a brilliant job of exploring that concept! 

The art was awesome, I really adored Nikko's design especially, she's so cute. And I loved the exploration of her feelings, and how earnest and honest she was with them? Even in spite of having those feelings diminished or outright denied, she didn't let anyone truly tell her how she should feel, or accept the idea that her love wasn't real. The final scene was so good. Chef's kiss...

I'm also so intrigued by the concept of the Bride Co dolls, and just like, the ethical implications of them? It's such a cool piece of world building, and I think you did a great job of giving us just enough info to understand how things work without overloading us, or making it feel dissatisfying not to learn more. I'm curious purely because it was so well written.

Another wonderful VN, you both did an amazing job on this!

First off, I want to say, I love your art style so much! Claire's design especially is so cute and lovely, and all of the CGs in the game were so cute ;w; 

This was such an emotional read... knowing the content warnings really helped with building a sense of unease and dread, I think- seeing how even as things started to improve for Claire, knowing that the other shoe hadn't dropped yet, and having a good idea of what it is but just not knowing how or when we'll find out...

I really loved how Scarlet's trauma was portrayed in this, how difficult it is for her to let go of her mother in spite of everything she's done, how she can't help but demonize herself at every turn and try to blame herself for everything and make herself out to be as manipulative and vile as her own abuser. You did such a good job of portraying how running away with your true love doesn't automatically undo all that trauma, or magically fix everything. I loved how messy and complicated it was, how Scarlet is still haunted by everything she's been through and done, but still showing that there's hope for the future, that she still has the rest of her life to learn how to live without her mother, and that she has an incredibly supportive partner there to help her through it ;w;

A really good, heart wrenching read.

Sorry that people are being weird about the zine... I found it really thought provoking, so you absolutely accomplished what you set out to do with it, I feel. Personally I think it's weird that people find it weird? That they like it? 'even if' they're white? More people need to learn how to sit with their discomfort and guilt and process that and not make it other people's problems, especially irt making a Black person hold their white guilt. Ty for making such cool art, and for sharing your thoughts with us. Also I'm really looking forward to reading Love (Battle) Doll, I downloaded it the other day and I'm excited to play it this week!!!

This was a really thought provoking read. It was really nice to hear more of your perspective on these things, particularly in relation to things like Hazbin Hotel, which is definitely something I've seen a lot of discourse around. I really love your art and writing, so I'm glad I got the chance to read your thoughts and feelings about representation! Thank you for sharing your words, and I hope you're able to continue making the sorts of stories you want to see in the world <3

I really enjoyed this visual novel. The moment in class where the professor shares a story about a 'fox' dying horribly, and then flippantly talks about schizophrenia, and poor Fox just being left in a shock and not knowing how to react and just feeling like getting out of there... It really hit hard, you did a great job of expressing that kind of moment, and just all the little ways in which Fox feels alienated and othered so casually by others... I was really scared during the part where Fox comes out to Lilly, and so relieved by Lilly's casual acceptance. The ending was so sweet too ;w; And I think your art and character designs really made everything stand out- I love Fox's design especially, and the choice to use a fox as a symbol of being somewhere in the middle, in a world of cats and dogs.I'm glad that I found this and had the chance to read it <3

I'm so excited to play this!! The art and the concept are both really awesome. Thank you so much for submitting to the jam ^^

The June Bug Jam is officially over, so I just wanted to thank everyone who joined and took part! It always makes me happy to see bugs get more love, so thank you all for taking the time to make bug themed projects for this jam ^^

I feel like I didn't really promote this jam as much as I could have, but I would really love for this and the Love Bug Jam to be annual things, so I want to take what I've learned from the past two jams to make an even better and more fun jam for next time.

If anyone has any suggestions or ideas on how to make the jam more fun or accessible, please feel free to share your ideas here! Next time I will likely be making a discord specifically for the jams, so that people can more easily contact me or create teams, but if anyone else has ideas, please let me know! And thank you again for joining the jam <3

Thank you! I have a lot more planned for them so hopefully it'll be worth the wait ^^

Leaving one here as well- this was so cute omg!!!! First off, thank you so much for taking part in the June Bug Jam! I love the art and design for this so much! Wasps are my favorite bug, so seeing a wasp girl protagonist made me especially happy ^^ Vespi's design is so cute and fun, and I love the animations for her attacks and flying around! Even if it's only one level so far it's really fun, and I was able to get the hang of it pretty easily (I'm not the best at platformers xD).

Thank you again for taking part in the jam! I'm really excited to see this project continue! 

This was so cute omg!!!! First off, thank you so much for taking part in the June Bug Jam! I love the art and design for this so much! Wasps are my favorite bug, so seeing a wasp girl protagonist made me especially happy ^^ Vespi's design is so cute and fun, and I love the animations for her attacks and flying around! Even if it's only one level so far it's really fun, and I was able to get the hang of it pretty easily (I'm not the best at platformers xD).

Thank you again for taking part in the jam! I'm really excited to see this project continue! 

Great concept! A huge part of what fascinates me about bugs from a creative standpoint is thinking about how short their lifespans are, especially ones like cicadas that spend such a vast majority of their life sleeping, only to be conscious and 'living' for such a short amount of time. Making a journaling rpg based around that is really cool. And I really love the graphics, this is gorgeous ^^ Thank you so much for taking part in the June Bug Jam!!

Oh yeah, of course! Sorry, I forgot that's how jam comments work, it is a bit weird that they don't also show up on the game page itself.  And of course! I'm hoping to turn both the Love Bug Jam and the June Bug Jam into annual things, so if you're ever wanting to make more bug themed projects, keep an eye out ^^/

Great concept! A huge part of what fascinates me about bugs from a creative standpoint is thinking about how short their lifespans are, especially ones like cicadas that spend such a vast majority of their life sleeping, only to be conscious and 'living' for such a short amount of time. Making a journaling rpg based around that is really cool. And I really love the graphics, this is gorgeous ^^ Thank you so much for taking part in the June Bug Jam!!

Super cool!! I'll definitely check it out, thanks for letting me know! ^^/

This is so cool! The visual presentation is great, the prose and writing is great, and the concept is just really cool! I love seeing the different types of solo rpgs that are out there and how people craft them. Thank you so much for taking part in the June Bug Jam! <3

That's fine by me! The point of this jam is largely just to encourage people to make bug themed projects, so supplemental material for other stuff as long as it's focused on bugs is still good in my book ^^ Thank you for checking though!

Oh tysm, I didn't know about this! 

Oh that's great to know!! I must have missed that! I'm excited to read it!

I realized I never left a comment on this after playing it- I really enjoyed this! I'm fascinated by the introduction to the world here, how so much is left unexplained, but enough is provided to really grab you and make you want to understand more. I love how quiet everything feels? The world feels so empty and lonely, the characters so isolated, and it really highlights the feelings the protagonist is going through. Also, as always, your character designs are great. I'm really intrigued to see where else this story goes if/when you decide to continue it! But I also really liked it as a standalone piece, just a glimpse at a world we don't fully understand the context of... Very good story!

This was soooo so good. I loved the world building, how quickly and efficiently you created this setting with minimal explanation, just dropping us in and bringing us along for the ride. The characters were both great, I loved their dynamic, how desperate Jules is for Gwen. The parallels between Jules and the kaiju- being used for their bodies, just being 'meat'. The concept of the two fucking in the stomach of a dead kaiju is just so. Chef's kiss. The interplay of sex and danger, so well balanced. This was a fantastic read.

This visual novel was so, so good. I really love how you write characters, how in depth and matter of fact you go into discussing their mental illnesses, and how they're never demonized even when they mess up or act in ways that upset/harm others. The humanity that your characters have and are treated with is so comforting to read. Seeing how much Emma loves Aiyana for who she is, mental illness and disorders and all, just made my heart swell... Even when things started to get toxic, everything Emma did still felt like it was coming from a place of genuine love, of just being someone without a lot of experience desperate to protect the one person they love the most...

Your art is gorgeous, and the character designs were so pretty. I loved seeing all the different hair styles and outfits. I also loved all of the little anime and yuri references, and Aiyana being a translator for yuri works, it was just a really great little bit of the story that added to the atmosphere of it in a way that's hard to explain.

I really loved this, though. I had it open in a tab and had been planning to read it, but I missed how long it was and started playing thinking it would be a short read- but I was so gripped that I just read through the whole thing in one go. I'm glad you were able to create this, and I look forward to more works from you!!

Hi!

1. I think what constitutes as a demo for a visual novel varies from person to person, but what you've described sounds perfectly suitable for a demo! 

2. Ultimately, it is your game, and I feel like it would be unfair of me to say what you can or can't do with it after the jam is finished. As long as what you're entering into the jam features bugs, then that's all that matters, and what you decide to do with it after the jam is completely valid!

3. Commercial use just means if you wanted to charge for your game, you can do that and still enter it into the jam! Free games and paid games are both allowed.

Hopefully this answers your questions! If you have any more, or need more clarification, don't hesitate to ask!

I will try that again then, and see if it makes a difference! Thank you for taking the time to respond!!

It looks like there's a lot of art assets that'll need to be done, so I completely understand only being able to manage roughs for now- but I think it still does a great job of giving an idea of what everything is going to look like! Battles seem really difficult to balance though, I've been hesitant to dip my toes into it properly because of that, so I don't envy you. But again, I think you've gotten a really good start, in terms of forcing the player to be smart and not just brute force their way through! So I'm sure that you'll be able to figure out balancing with trial and error ^^/ 

I believe in you!! And I look forward to seeing it progress!

Super excited!! I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for it! But that would be lovely! And if you need any playtesters further down the road I'd be happy to help out ^^

Great demo! I love your art, and the puzzles were really well done. Definitely created a good atmosphere, and curious to see where it goes if you expand it more!

For some reason the game would not start, no matter what buttons I pressed. I tried looking through the README to figure out if I was doing something wrong, but it didn't seem to have the solution ^^' 

I really love the vibe and atmosphere of this game so far! It's really cool, and I'm really excited to see where it goes and what happens with it.

Bugs I noticed: When you pick up the key you get from the book, no key is actually added to your inventory, meaning you can't unlock the door. There was thankfully already a save file in the downloaded game that allowed me to skip forward, but I feel like I missed some stuff.

I'm not sure if there just isn't anything after this part yet, but in the church I was unable to leave or do anything else after talking to Cent. Not sure if that's where it currently ends, or if the door event just didn't work.

This is really cool so far though, I'm really obsessed with the aesthetic and the atmosphere! I hope you get the chance to work on it more and continue the project!

Such an awesome proof of concept! I already love the setting and the character designs, and I can tell this is going to be absolutely gorgeous once it's finished! The puzzle you mentioned was a bit frustrating, but not as bad as I thought it would be, and didn't take too long to fiddle out. The final battle was tough stuff though! It took me 3 tries to get a good run, where Snow didn't get taken out immediately.  I think it did a good job of challenging the player to manage their party and not just rely on brute strength though, which is always more fun than just trying to charge your way through battles. I'm really excited to see how this game progresses and where it all goes!

The game keeps freezing and crashing on me... I wish there was a downloadable version ;w;

Not at the moment! If there's enough interest I wouldn't mind making one, but I don't have much experience moderating a discord server, so unless there's a big enough desire for one, I'd prefer to leave it to the community forum for the time being. Hopefully that's okay!

Aaaaaah, thank you so much, this means so much to hear... I'm really happy that my writing could have that sort of impact ;w; I always feel a little sad when I think about how short bugs lives often are, so I wanted to try and channel that into a story at least once. Thank you so much for reading, and taking the time to comment <3 <3

Thank you so much <3 I'm so happy you took the time to play it! I wanted to create a believable story with a protagonist who repeatedly makes bad choices, so I'm glad that Bean's decisions felt believable.

FIONN?!? MY BOY FIONN MAC CUMHAILL?? HELL YEAH

Aah thank you so much for playing!! I'm happy that you enjoyed it!! ^^ <3

Such a gorgeous zine! The art and writing are all so amazing, and the way everything was formatted is gorgeous too! Always wonderful to see things celebrating bugs <3