itch.io

I've been listening to Shoujo Rei by MikotoP recently (Youtube embs aren't working on itch.io), and the lyrics remind me of this VN. Definitely would recommend listening to it if you enjoyed the VN.

Should be coming in the coming few months. I just got some business I need to take care of first.

I mean that depends on if Steam doesn't allow certain content, but for now the Steam version will be the same as the itch.io version. Collective Shout/Payment Processers/Steam were targeting non-con and incest, and this game doesn't feature either. I did get warnings that Steam doesn't like minors appearing in adult games, even if they're not sexualized, but there were minor characters that appeared in the game and there doesn't seem to be any problem. There's one scene that's planned in the game that might be different in the Steam version due to how contentious it is, but we'll just have to wait and see. Hope that satisfies your answer.

Thanks!

Nope, just By Your Hands

No

First of all, 

"Yup, that's me. You're probably wondering how I got into this situation."

Second of all, not to be that guy, but doesn't the protagonist look like a furry tiger version of Andy from The Coffin of Andy and LeyLey?

Anyway, this looks great already. Looking forward to chapter 1.

Ah, that's incredibly interesting! Looking forward to seeing the larger scale version!

Fantastic work, lad. I do have a question. Was it always the plan to remake the game into a more serial format after the jam was over, or was that something you thought of sometime after development started?

Probably my favorite entry out of the entire jam. Most of the comments have already said this, but the GUI is great. Different sections have their own UI, which helps immerse you in each of them. There are a lot of little details put into this. I especially like the loading screens that provide additional lore to the game. The game in general goes through like 10 different genres in just this build, and it works? There's been a lot of romance in this jam, but the relationship between Luc and Darius stands out due to how Darius has PTSD while Luc is willing to help and support him no matter what. Their first date was very charming and cute. They feel like a couple that truly loves each other and has spent years together. On the flip side, the prison segments are appropriately moody and don't pull any punches when it comes to the brutality of war. Darius (and to a lesser extent, Volkov) show the effects war and government corruption can have on a person. The aesthetic is just chef's kiss. I adore it and the visuals. Overall, the writing plays well into the genres of the story. There's a lot of interesting lore going on. The game can be surprisingly funny at times. Like shortly after the sting of one of the most tragic reveals in the game wears off, Volkov gets introduced and calls you the f-slur in his second line. And then you have the option to say that he has a nice ass and it'd be great to hear him scream while he's getting pounded. Like, I'm still thinking about this moment weeks after I read it, it's amazing. There's also the action-flick corny dialogue that somehow fits and doesn't ruin the mood. The only issue with the game I found so far is that the exposition dump near the end almost kills the pacing of the game. But then it quickly picks right back up. I just fuck with this game, and I can't exactly explain why other than snarky tiger veteran husband. I would love it if Darius, Theo, and Volkov manage to cut themselves off from the conspiracy organization and take matters into their own hands. I think it would become literally my favorite gay furry game of all time. But even if that doesn't happen, I'm certainly looking forward to more updates of this game. Absolutely a must-read.

One of my favorite entries of the jam. I'm not going to use the word beautiful because every other comment has already described the VN as such, but it's incredibly thought-provoking and makes you feel things that you usually don't feel. The sweet and mellow moments add to the tension in the story as you watch this train crash in slow motion. There's a sense of hope with the characters making the most out of a doomed scenario. Even as the clock ticks down, they still try to enjoy life the best they can. Makes you think what would happen when you're in the final days of life. The protagonist and Birch are very endearing characters. The protagonist is very much a cynic, but comes to show real emotions by the end. Birch, meanwhile, seems like a happy-go-lucky meathead at first, but then shows cracks as the gravity of their situation seeps in. They complement each other very well, and that's what makes their romance so captivating. The ending, in particular, is done extraordinarily well; it really wraps up the VN perfectly and punches the gut of the reader hard. The art style is great. The purple monochrome sketchy paper aesthetic works well with the vibes the story is going for. The music works really well, especially with the radio segments. Definitely would recommend reading this one for a emotionally powerful experience.

Even though I'm not trans, this VN really hit close to home for me. Staying up late at night to play online web games, cringy internet speak, the excessive amounts of optimism, exploring your identity through weeb shit, and chatting with other people around your age online, it's all there. It feels so nostalgic, like I'm viewing a time capsule. The protagonist and Nat are super adorable, and so is their romance. I also find the falling out to be realistic, considering they're teenagers. The ending captures the return to adulthood in a way that also hits close to home. The trans coming out narrative was done pretty naturally and with a ton of nuance, which I greatly appreciate. The visuals are pretty great, capturing early 2000s websites incredibly well. The sprites and CGs are also pleasant to look at. I like the soft rendering and the muted colors. I especially love the music in here. Compliments to Cadmium, you did an amazing job! I really want to hear your work in more VNs. The Animal Crossing music does fit the vibes of the VN. There are only two issues I have with the VN, but they're extremely minor: The first is that I do agree with other people in the comments that there should have been at least one more scene before the falling out, so that the shift becomes smoother, but it's not a big deal. The other thing is that I would have liked to see what the protagonist looks like as an adult. Overall, this was one of my favorites in the jam and I highly recommend you read it!

Ho boy, I have a lot to say about this one. I was looking forward to this VN as it had high praise from others, and the visuals looked great. However, my initial reaction reading this VN for the first time was... not great. However, I have warmed up to this VN, although my enjoyment of the VN is still rather limited. So I'm going to do something unusual. I'm going to split this review: a non-spoiler section and a spoiler section. I can't exactly get into my thoughts about the VN without spoilering the game, which is why I'm formatting my comment like this.

So first off, the presentation's pretty great. Backgrounds and sprites look great and fit the fantasy setting pretty well. Music is good and appropriate for any given scene in the story. The Godot engine does most of the things Ren'Py does, except for auto-play, which was a little annoying to deal with. It also had issues where going back turned off the music. It does kinda drag on in certain scenes where there's a bunch of fluff, which can make reading certain scenes a chore, but thankfully, that doesn't happen with the whole game. I also couldn't understand the game's world building that well, but I have trouble with that sort of thing in general, so that's probably a me thing. That's about it for the non-spoiler stuff, but I will say that you'll probably enjoy this VN a lot more if you assume North of Moon is all a figment of Ilmari's imagination and/or none of the characters are actually real. The VN is ambiguous on whether or not that's the case, but I find that interpretation to improve the experience for me. I'll go more into detail in the spoiler section. Which is now.

SPOILERS BELOW

Okay, so I don't get the whole point of the surgery scene with the metal object in Sampo's belly. I get that it's to show off Ilmari's medical skills, but it's never explained how the metal part got inside Sampo. Honestly, it would have been better to have a monster attack Sampo and infect his belly.

I had to discuss this privately with a friend to understand Ilmari's and Sampo's motivations and try to better grasp the story. It's not really explained why Ilmari liked to hide away as a kid. It couldn't be his sexuality since it's not like six-year-olds usually deal with that sort of thing. I had assumed that Ilmari had a pretty happy family life, all things considered, but the whole thing about hiding away in the wardrobe implies otherwise. It's frustrating that we only get to see what's troubling Ilmari in the wardrobe world and not the real world, because the wardrobe world is blurred by Ilmari's potential influence and possibly being a mirror for the real world. This all makes Ilmari hard to understand as a character, let alone sympathize with. Which brings me to the breaking point of the story: when Sampo kissed Ilmari. This was the main thing I talked about with my friend. I didn't understand the motivations of Ilmari and why he did what he did. It was only when I considered that he was following the doctrine that more of his character made sense, and I got the critique on religion. I still don't like Ilmari, but at least I understand what the VN was trying to do. Ilmari is a consequence of religious dogma, whose doctrine is strict about material things and homosexuality. He's wrapped around what he thinks is right, as taught by his religion's domination. Sampo is then representative of going against that dogma, believing that certain "sins" aren't actually sinful, reflecting Ilmari's desire to explore his sexuality, whether figuratively or literally. Ilmari only realizes the consequences of those actions when he realizes that the doctrine he followed caused the death of his best friend, and he's able to grow out of that ideology from that experience. Once I understood that, I came to appreciate the coming-of-age story it tells as well as the criticism towards religious dogma it has.

But there's still one problem. Ilmari basically gets a slap on the wrist for what he's done. All the consequences of his actions hit everyone in the wardrobe world besides him. Meanwhile, he's able to become a best-selling author in the real world. Like why? Sure, he does get imprisoned in the dungeon, but that only happens for a short time. And he does have to experience the trauma of losing his best friend, but he seems to recover from that pretty quickly. I don't want to read about a person who caused an innocent person to die as well as an entire village to go to shit to become successful just because he learned to better himself, I want him to actually atone for what he did or suffer for what he's done. I personally think it would have been better for Ilmari to initiate the kiss, thinking it's a friendly kiss, and instead have Sampo be the one to betray him while Ilmari refuses to confess because he thinks he didn't do anything wrong. Then Sampo realizes his mistake and sacrifices his life to save his human from being exiled. That would have gotten Ilmari to realize the same lessons while being a more sympathetic character. Now there's an easy solution to the whole "not facing the consequences of his actions" issue, and it's one I mentioned in the non-spoiler section. That is, to assume the entire wardrobe world is imaginary, which would mean that any harm he caused there isn't actually real. Therefore, Ilmari doesn't actually deserve punishment for what he did when it didn't affect anyone in real life. The issue with this interpretation is that there are hints that the wardrobe world is real and exists alongside the real world, so I hesitate to believe that this is the case.

Overall, this visual novel took me a while to understand, and while I can't say for sure if I'd recommend it, it does do some pretty great things all in all.

Despite its shortcomings, this is a great VN that focuses intensely on the horror. While the opening scene was pretty good, the introduction is a little slow. I get the story needs to set up normalcy first before shit hits the fan, but I do think it went on a tad too long. The second sex scene in particular is a bit unnecessary, even if it provides a nice dash of whiplash at the end. Also, there's the blatant author tract that happens at least twice in the story. I could write an entire essay about why random political rants aren't usually effective in a story, but the gist is that it would be like if a friend was talking about their time during summer camp and suddenly stopped to yell out, "INFLATION!" 20 times before continuing with his story. This could have been forgiven if the rants were connected to the story, but not really? The main conflict is about internalized homophobia, how it's caused by small religious towns, and the unhealthy ways to cope with it. The political rants are more about general conservatism and extremist groups, which I consider to be a separate thing, even if there is some overlap. Other than that, I think the VN did a good job of building up the tension and anxiety before the final day. The writing, the visuals, and the effects do a great job of throwing a gut punch to the reader and it paid off very well. The different endings were nice, with each of them serving their own purpose in the story. Definitely recommend this VN if you're a fan of horror.

The story starts off with a tech bro guy getting laid off and being forced to a blue collar job, struggling with the transistion. He's cynical at first, but then slowly becomes more appreciative of his new job. It's a very down to Earth story that does slice of life very well. It's relatable and it's calming. Zane is very cute, his dorky traits being incredibly endearing and a nice contrast to the protagonist. The other side characters are also endearing in their own way as well. It's just a easy going story all around.

Then the second half of the story happens. The first turn of the plot was done well even if it did rely on the protagonist being emotionally immature and frankly stupid. It does explore a lot of interesting ideas with the topic. And then the second twist happens from basically out of nowhere and yeah that was a doozie. The transition from the first half to that is a bit sudden for me. I think there could have been more hints to the reveal for a smoother transition. There's a scene where the protagonist assumes Zane did something only for him to say he didn't do it. That should have happened in the first half as a way to make the transition smoother. That said, the VN's still interesting and engaging even after the big reveal. By the end, all the parts of the story somehow work together, which I'm kinda impressed with. Definitely a good read that I'd recommend, but I'd be lying if I didn't prefer the first half over the second.

This was a pretty wholesome and heartwarming read, albeit with a sad (for now) ending. I really like the art style. It's hard to explain why, but it's stylized without being too exaggerated. Needless to say, the CGs look very good, and there's a bunch of them. The food also looks very appetizing. It's also refreshing to just read a VN with a girl-failure protagonist. It's a different perspective from most FVN protagonists and provides a different set of issues. There are times when the protagonist is hard to like, but the game quickly reminds me why I care for this corgi. Adam's very likable. He's the kind of chill guy that you can just be around without having to worry about pretty much anything. I just really like the vibes of the VN. There's a homeliness to it, and it does both darkness and lightness well. A lot of cute moments as well as some gloomy ones. Definitely recommend reading even if you aren't very interested in the str8s. 

I have never enjoyed a work of fiction that I had no idea what the fuck was happening so much since I watched FLCL. This whole VN gives off a very surreal and ethereal vibe that few others have managed to achieve. Anpu is very entertaining. He's haughty and overly confident while also having the skills and powers to back up that personality. He's got some badass moments. Aeron is a stoic character who nonetheless has a tender side. As you keep reading, you slowly begin to realize he's more relatable than he initially seems. The two's chemistry is pretty entertaining, with both of them constantly challenging each other's natures. The art's also very beautiful. The purple-tinted backgrounds, as well as the character art really hone in on the game's mystical aspects. I actually really like the character designs of this VN, they fit the aesthetic the game's going for. The lore's also interesting from what I can understand. But yeah, I have no idea what happened. I understand bits and pieces, but I feel like a lot of the world-building is too cryptic for me to understand. The prose is also a little rough, which makes sense considering it's a quick English translation of a story written in Polish. It goes from flowery to simplistic at several points, and it hurts the overall quality of the prose. The purple prose also doesn't make sense all the time. Also, this has nothing to do with the VN itself, but the thumbnail for the game's itch.io page sucks. You have all this art in the game, and yet the thumbnail is very simplistic and bland. It doesn't even have the title of the VN. I'd recommend replacing it with more striking imagery. Overall, this was a good read and I'd recommend people read it, especially if they have better media literacy skills than me.

This VN could roughly be split into three parts: let's refer to them as Act 1, Act 2, and the ending. Act 1 is blatantly a kink-fest. I'll admit, those kinks were pretty extreme, even for me. It's definitely near the level of Gengoroh Tagame's erotic work. I'm probably more boring than I pretend to be, but I just don't like it seeing good(ish) men being abused so ruthlessly. I enjoyed Act 2 a lot more, with the protagonist and the wolf being cute together and complementing each other well. Overall, the chemistry between the two characters works pretty well. And then the ending happens. That's such a whiplash that I'm not sure what to make of it. Props to having a controversial ending, but I don't think it makes sense considering Brutus's motivations and personality before the game. At the very least,  what Brutus did should be depicted as an unambiguously bad thing, though those are my morals talking.

While I'm not a huge fan of the art style, I really appreciate all the effort that was put into the visuals. The animations were nice, and there was a lot of art in general. I think the social and political commentary was kinda ham-fisted into the story. It's a story where a naked dude puts his balls into ramen in public and expects you to eat it. We're a bit past telling a serious story. I'm just not sure what kind of message it's supposed to be telling, considering the mixed messaging. The xenophobia from the protagonist doesn't really bother me because I enjoy a decent flawed protagonist, but it is shoehorned at times. Some of the dialogue and prose is a bit forced and unnatural in general. I did laugh at some of the lines, but I wasn't bursting out laughing through the whole thing. Overall, this was an experience. If you are into this sort of kinky content, then you'll probably enjoy it a lot more than me. But I can safely say that this VN's not for me.

This is a cute yet somber VN about the falling out of two lovers. I'm going to start out with what I didn't like about it. The whole situation about the Earth ending because the sun is blocked out is a little confusing. How is it possible to end up in a situation where the Earth becomes uninhabitable, while the Moon is a perfect place for humans to live on? The VN's also inconsistent about whether the Earth is going to die out or if it's salvageable; it's just being abandoned by the government, because if it's the former, then Stoffle's motivations for staying behind are very weak and confusing. I would have much preferred it if it were more about the government moving to the moon for colonization reasons, think the Manifest Destiny mindset IN SPACE, rather than out of necessity. That way, the story would have been more about the conflict between Rover and Stoffel having conflicting goals in mind, rather than one wanting to escape the apparent apocalypse while the other wants to do something about it. Speaking of which, it's annoying to hear Stoffel talk about wanting to do something about the planet when all he does to help is work at a gas station, especially when his boyfriend is building a literal rocket that can fly to the moon, which is housing several people. Maybe if he did things like help set up a new government for the remaining people on the planet, house people who might be struggling, help supply renewable energy to the planet to keep the lights on, help people create sustainable oxygen systems that can go on without the sun, or even providing emotional support towards other people (I might be missing some other issues that'd come from a sunless and these are probably flawed solutions, but I'm just providing examples) then I'd believe him more. But he doesn't, so it ends up sounding empty. Also, if you could just build a rocket to the moon, why doesn't Rover help other people who couldn't go on the big rocket to make their own rocket? Maybe share vital information or help scavenge for materials. Eh, I'm overthinking this WAY too much. I also don't particularly like Stoffel's sprite. I don't know, it just doesn't look like a badger to me, and it's not that appealing to me. One last thing is that the flashbacks aren't properly distinguished from the present, which can cause moments of confusion.

Despite everything I just said, I actually really enjoyed this one. The characters are pretty likable, each of them having their own moments where they're pretty entertaining. I like the cartoony art style and the expressions the characters make. There's a certain charm to VN, with little things such as Sam's ladder moving alongside her and Ozzy's dramatic sprite adding to the experience. The visuals in the ending sequence also look pretty good. The thing I like the most about this story is the vibes. It's incredibly low-key and has a mix of optimism and dread that works quite well. I also like the different branches and how they change up the story, although I ended up preferring Sam's branch by a considerable amount. Overall, a good VN I'd recommend, despite all the issues I mentioned.

So, disclaimer, I haven't actually played the game, I've only watched a playthrough of this game through a Discord stream, so I'm going by what I've seen.

This is definitely a big coding feat, it must have been a lot of effort making an effort coding all this in Ren'Py so props to that. Now, when I first saw the first two levels being played through, I was like "Oh, this looks fun. I enjoy puzzles more than the average gamer. This looks right up my alley." And then I saw the third and fourth maze, and I was like "Oh my God, how the hell is any sane person supposed to figure this out by themselves?" I think the puzzles in this game are a bit too complicated for a game made for a non-puzzle-oriented jam. I especially think the method of getting the true ending normally is too cryptic for most people. I get it because it's hard to make a good puzzle game, and this one definitely made a good effort, but flew too close to the sun in some areas.

As for the story, it's alright. I like Gabriel; he's a pretty peppy guy in a strange situation. The memories were also neat vignettes, and the true ending was sweet. Unfortunately, the characters aren't that memorable or well-developed, which might be because the focus is on the puzzle sections. The CGs for the sliding puzzle look good, and the music selection is decent. Sorry if this is a bit disconnected, but it's hard to collect my thoughts for this game. Overall there were some good ideas in here, and while some of them fell flat, you certainly did a good job regardless.

This is a short entry that's amusing but lacking substance. The humor is very "omg so random!!!!! ^3^" which isn't usually my cup of tea. Some jokes land while others don't. The music was nice. But yeah, the story doesn't really make a lot of sense if you think about it seriously. It's fine for its length, but don't expect anything grand from this VN.

This is quite the charming tale, very evocative of ancient myth. The romance between Angus and Faolan is lovely, and the twist at the end is satisfying. The presentation is basic but works well with the assets provided. The only issue is a bunch of grammatical mistakes, but that can be fixed in an update.

This was a lovely story! I'm a sucker for stories where the cold stoic warms up to his love interest. The interactions between the two main characters were really sweet and I really like the ending. The storybook tale had pretty visuals. I think the biggest issue is that the prose is weak and there were a bunch of grammatic errors. I also do think it would have been better if the romance took place in a longer time span. As it stands, it's a bit unreasonable for someone to believe that a romance unfolded with only a few days. Other then that, I really liked this VN and I would definitely recommend reading.

There's not much to say about this one. It's a pretty obvious first draft. The presentation is very bare-bones, and the writing is a bit inconsistent. There are some good ideas here, but they aren't explored interestingly. It's also not really a subversion/parody aside from a few lines, so it failed to hit that mark. My advice would be to iron out your ideas and make them into something more concrete and tight. It's a start, and hopefully you learned a few things from writing this, but there are still a lot of things you need to work on.

I feel like I'm the only one who didn't get into this VN. Don't get me wrong, I think the transitions between delusions and reality were well done, it does depict the mental state of someone denying reality competently, the prose and dialogue are natural, and the ending was nice, but I just found myself not caring about the protagonist. I find that I like protagonists the most when I get to see their chemistry with other characters, but all the interactions he has with the wolf are made up, so it ends up just being about a guy talking to himself. Because of that, the scenes where he's pretending that the wolf is alive don't make me care much about the characters that much, and the story ends up being repetitive until the end. This is a "it's not me, it's you" case. The writing and presentation are good, but it's just not to my taste, I suppose.

This was a nice short experience that has a cute wolf and does the doomed sci-fi vibe pretty well. I like the interactions between the two characters, and the backstory is pretty cool. The main issue I have isn't that it's short; I like short VNs. It's that it feels short. I feel like we don't know much about the characters and world to really feel for the characters and their situation, and for it to hit hard for us. Still, I like it for what it is.

There were some nice moments in there, like the president's speech, but this one fell flat overall. There was no reason to care about the characters. We don't know anything about Alex and John other than they love each other. The second half could have had more of an impact if there had been more foreshadowing and stronger theme enforcement, but it's just kind of there as it stands. The words don't have much weight behind them as there wasn't anything in the story supporting those themes. The resolution feels flat because there's no conflict. It's great that you managed to complete a project, but there is some work that needs to be done.

I really like the prose on this VN. It's pretty detailed and flows well. I like how it dripfeeds information so that the reader slowly starts to get what's going on. The music and sounds added to the atmosphere, though there definitely could have been some work done there. I'm a bit conflicted on the visuals. It's pretty clever to have a practically blind protagonist see no sprites in the game, but that does come at the cost of looking at blank screens for much of the VN. It definitely would have been better if NVL format had been used instead of ADV. I personally would have used blurry silhouettes to convey the protagonist's blurred vision. The tone of the story is pretty eerie and discomforting, in a good way. It reminded me of the animated short, Umbra, in its tone (even though the plot is pretty different). Unfortunately, because it's unfinished, it's hard to judge and I can't in good conscious rate it too highly. Still, I'd definitely look out for any updates to this VN.

This one's really a mixed bag. There are a lot of good ideas in here. I like the concept of the tyrannical king and a rotting kingdom, and there could be a lot of interesting things done with that. I also think the demon concept is really interesting and could interplay with the first idea. But they're kinda sidelined when we have alone time with the My Wolf, making those plot concepts feel like background details rather than serious plot ideas. Don't get me wrong, I think the interactions with the wolf are sweet and cute, but the first half really could have benefited from being its own standalone story. As it stands, the two halves of the VN don't connect very well with each other. I commend people for doing their art, coming from someone who does the art for every VN I make, as it's not very easy to do that while also writing the VN. Unfortunately, the sprites lack expressions, and every single one of them has the same standard pose. If you view the story as someone having a moment of joy in a doomed situation, then it's decent, but could have been better. However, I'd encourage the writer to make another VN in the same setting to explore some of the more interesting ideas that didn't have the chance to shine.

BECOME AS ☁️☀️✝️👼🧔🏽‍♂️👼✝️☀️☁️

This is probably up there as one of the most incomprehensible great works of fiction. The story has made me think about the themes and their meaning. It's possible that this could be one of the most profound written stories of our lifetime, and we wouldn't even know it. It strikes a delicate balance between abstract storytelling and a complicated plot that allows anyone to follow along; they just have to work towards understanding it. The main characters, while simple, are pretty compelling, and each has their own voice and arc. The prose is intricate and expressive while still being relatively straightforward. I can't exactly describe what feelings this VN gives me. If I were to try, it would be something like emptiness, but also comfort. Uneasiness, but also clarity. Dread, but also relief. I know those words just kinda mix together into one big puddle, but well, it's a lot, and I'll have to think more about it to get a good grasp on how I feel.

Other than that, this is definitely the most visually stunning entry of the whole jam. The artstyle looks crisp and expressive, the colors are vivid but perfectly showcase the VN's tone, and there's a lot of art overall which makes this VN almost a full experience. It's a shame there's no audio, but the visuals more than make up for that, and I'm looking forward to experiencing the VN with music and sfx. Definitely not a story you should miss out on.

This one's hard to judge because it's so short, but I'll leave a comment anyway. I like the character models and how they move. That and the unique text animations do make it stand out from most FVNs. I also like how the backgrounds look. Other than that, there's not much to talk about. The sex CGs were nice, albeit they were for short scenes. The interactions between the characters were neat, but neither was particularly memorable. This whole VN feels a lot more like a small part of a larger story than anything, which is kinda unfortunate. Check it out if you can, but don't expect it to blow your mind. Just a short but relaxing experience.

[Insert Love Island quote but make it gay]

The premise is pretty interesting, but this VN didn't grab me. I was expecting a lot more drama and intrigue from the premise, but it just came across as a simple romance VN, which created some dissonance between what I was expecting and what I was reading. It was weird how the characters were so quickly attracted to Jake when there wasn't anything that would indicate that they're especially attractive or something. The prose could use a lot of work; there are a lot of repeating lines, and some scenes walk at a snail's pace. The characters were generally likable, although Christian's behavior is a bit weird for the tone of the VN. There were some cute moments, but the VN overall didn't do much for me.

"Since I left you, I found the world so new"

This is probably the most beautiful VN in all of the jam. The prose is masterful, being delicate but not overly purple. The story's also ambiguous enough that there are several different ways to interpret it, while still being easy enough to follow through. It's hard to describe the symbolism and themes that the VN depicts as they're so abstract, but I will say that they are strong. The presentation is very strong, with a unique storybook-like GUI and a minimalist art style. I just really like everything about it. It's very tight and all in one small package. Highly recommend you read this for yourself.

They're coming to get you, Barbara...

Don't have much to say about this one. I watched a stream of this on the FVN server, and it looked pretty interesting. The writing's pretty simple, although it didn't catch my eye that much. The main draw of this VN is definitely the gameplay. It certainly looks like there was a lot of thought put into it, and there are a bunch of neat ideas put into it, but it's definitely unpolished. The ideas that are there are good, but it feels a little underbaked at the moment. Something to consider developing more.

What the dog doing?

This was really cute! The relationship between the two girls was really cute, and the visuals, including the sprites, animations, and CGs, were a lot of fun. It gives me amare vibes, where it's all warm and fuzzy. Definitely check it out if you want something short and sweet.

Thanks for the kind words! I'm glad you enjoyed it as much as you did! I really liked your VN as well! It's kinda funny we both had a daddy trucker in our VNs. Guess great minds think alike. Or something. It's unfortunate that I wasn't able to finish the art but I did my best! There was a big vision for this project and it shows. The team and I had a lot of passion for this VN and I'm grateful for all the support it's gotten.

I'm never going to download any hookup apps again.

I think this entry isn't going to be counted in the final results so I'll keep it relatively quick. The main issue is that it's sooooo long. The whole VN just sort of drags on, including the sex scenes. Speaking of which, the sex scenes range from decent to horrific. Jun's Dad is fairly hot but it did give me anxiety. Shoichi's Dad feels like I started reading a thriller sex story so it was very hard to get into. Coach was hot and sweet but it was mostly a black screen. Other than that, the story is pretty half baked. There are some nice moments, the ending was cute, but they're few and far between. If you ever wanted to have sex with any of the three TA characters, then you'll probably enjoy at least one sex scene, but otherwise you'll be good to pass. I wanted to like this one, but this just wasn't it.

This jam isn't big enough for the two of us, Viper.

JUST KIDDING! lol

Anyways, this was much better than I expected it to be. Ridge is a very likable and good-hearted wolf, even if he is a little simplistic, while Frost is both relatable and believable. Their interactions are pretty adorable. The art's nice, even though the art style isn't really my cup of tea. I think my favorite part about this VN is that it portrays a very uncomfortable subject, how your parents can still love you while still not accepting a part of you, very well. I think it's good to have these kinds of moments in a story like this. I also like the scene of conflict that shows where Frost is finally having his footing, as well as the scene after it where Ridge reveals his backstory. The biggest thing that's stopping me from enjoying it more is that the whole "I'm running away from my parents because they won't accept me for being gay" plotline has been done for decades now. It was in "But I'm A Cheerleader," and it's been in what seems like hundreds of stories before. This VN does the plotline well, but it doesn't do anything particularly unique with it. I think someone less familiar with that plotline is going to enjoy it more. I also don't like how the message at the end lacks any nuance whatsoever. This is somewhat of a controversial take, so I'm not going to delve too much into it, but the VN implies that its message works for everyone when that's not the case. Ultimately, that's a small nitpick, and I don't think it hampers the quality of the VN that much. If you like kind truckers and gay angst, then this is definitely worth a read. Cassidy is the better trucker, though. JKJK

You're welcome!

This is the May Wolf of all time. This one's hard to review because it's so strange and crazy. Mostly in a good way, I had a lot of fun reading it, but also there are a few things that prevent it from being a perfect experience. Let's start with the positives. I really liked the presentation. It makes a lot of use of the sprites in creative ways and frames them more uniquely than most visual novels. The animations, as well as some of the visual tricks, help make the experience more engaging. I also think the music and sound effects were put to good use. The characters are at least pretty entertaining, with most of them being likable and unique. The twists and revelations hooked me, and I wanted to know what would happen next. But then we get to the problems of the story. The story doesn't have a lot of focus on what exactly it wants to be. It starts as a semi-romance, then becomes a murder mystery, before turning into a sci-fi thriller. Along the way, there are one-on-one conversations with various characters, which, while nice, don't flow well with the current pace of the story. It just feels like there should have been more cohesion with the plot points, and it would have benefited the story a lot if it were tighter. I also don't like how much swearing is in the dialogue. Just comes across as immature to me when it's used too much. Finally, the ending is kinda drawn out. It basically goes into an exposition dump before the antagonist goes on a spiel that I guess is supposed to make him seem sympathetic when he just did a bunch of awful things, and it's pointless anyway, due to how things carry out. All in all, your enjoyment of this VN depends on how seriously you take the individual parts of it. Taken at face value, it's greatly flawed, but looking past that there's a lot to like about this project. If you're not one to mull over small details, I'd recommend a read.