itch.io

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.

It's on hiatus

I just found out that my VN, Farewell, Wanderlust, has been read by a YouTuber! His name is Caolan. Go and check it out if you enjoy listening to VN readings!

It's hard to discuss how I feel about this VN without feeling mean because there's nothing really bad about it, and there were a lot of sweet moments within it, but unfortunately, I wasn't able to feel a lot of strong feelings toward it. I think my main thing was that I felt like it didn't do much with its premise. It's basically what you'd expect the VN to be like from just reading the description alone. Because of this, a lot of the moments that are supposed to have a big impact on me just don't. The prose is servicable, but there are a bunch of issues that have already been brought up by Peppekz, although I did like the line about nostalgia. The dialogue is good, but nothing really memorable. There are some good ideas in this VN. I think the romance between the protagonist and Sergio is really sweet and I like when they brought up their high school. That brought up some nice characterization between the two. I also like the bittersweet sentiments the protagonist brings up, that was nice. But overall, I get the sense that there's something missing. Considering this is your first visual novel though, this is a decent start, but I urge you to take the feedback of me and others to heart with any potential future projects you have. I already see you're looking to improve yourself, which is good! Good luck out there!

This VN is cute. The premise isn't the most original, and it is very much a slice of life, which means not much goes on, but it does what it sets out to do competently. The characters are very entertaining and likeable, the pacing is well done, and the overall dialogue and prose are good. There's not much to say, but I did enjoy reading the VN. Check it out if it sounds interesting to you.

This is a really sweet story. The contrast between the bittersweet past and the warm present was an interesting approach that doesn't usually get used often. You nailed the tones for both the past and present. I think I have a good understanding of what's going on, which is pretty hard to do with a non-linear storytelling approach, so good job on that. The characters are pretty likable and relatable. Was the light in the darkness the stars? Or was it the coin in the water fountain? That wasn't clear to me. Looking forward to seeing more of this!

This was a cute story! I find the relationship between the protagonist and the love interest to be interesting and has some neat reflections on class differences. The protagonist also has an endearing personality. Overall, it was a nice experience.

The writing style I was going for was something more artistic, particularly with the prose. The VN could have just been describing the events directly, but not much happens in the story, so that would have been boring. The prose is supposed to focus more on how the protagonist is feeling at any given time and give a more intimate experience. It's definitely not for everyone and I had people tell me they didn't like this style.

I don't think it's unrealistic for him to feel about that way for the gay people he met in bars. He lived in a big cosmopolitan city, so that sort of behavior was more common among inhabitants. Different areas have different cultures after all. They also weren't just talking about guys they met in clubs and bars. 

For the switch between serious and horny, that's kind of the point? The protagonist isn't emotionally mature enough to deal with these issues directly so he has to distract himself with sex and horniness to avoid them.

The mention of God is supposed to be symbolic of the VN's main themes. I'll just leave it at that. I'll admit, I can see why it's a bit sudden since there's barely any mention of it beforehand. 

Glad you like how some of the art looks at least.

I was struggling to find a singer for that song who had the right vocals I wanted. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite what I wanted. I initially was going to put a radio filter on the song, but I didn't want to waste the efforts of both the singer and the composer by filtering their work so I left it as is. I'll do something about the song in a later update maybe.

I'm just explaining myself, I'm not trying to convince you to like it. I'm glad you put in the time to read it anyways, even if you didn't like it. Thanks for the feedback and have a good day.

This was a great homage to SNES/GBA JRPGs of the past! You got the typical JRPG party with the young hero, the mentor, the quirky guy, and the support. I really like the characters, with each one of them having a moment where they're cool, and the chemistry between them is also enjoyable. I also think the relationship between Matteo and Vito is adorable and melancholy, it was relatable on some level. This definitely got the classic feeling perfectly. I do have a few issues, though. The demo certainly gives off "Prologue" vibes. The story is essentially just set up and introduction to the characters, which would be forgiven if there was more to the VN currently. But there's not any big hook or cliffhanger, it just sorta ends. That does come from there not being enough time to work on it, but it still causes the demo to feel like it can't stand on its own and relies on future updates to carry it through. 

The next criticism is more of a personal preference, but I feel like it's a bit out of place for a medieval setting to have modern day language such as "punkass" or "bullshit". Just takes me out of the experience, and I'd much prefer if there were more of an effort to keep the dialogue sounding more period-appropriate.

The last thing I'll mention is the ending. Without spoiling anything, it's hard to tell if that's supposed to be foreshadowing for future story events or if it's just a cute little gag. I REALLY hope it's not the former as I'm personally not a fan of that sorta trope and this really isn't the project for that sort of thing.

Overall, a fun little experience that I'll be looking forward to seeing more of!

This was really good! It makes great use of the visuals and visual effects. The vibes and emotions were spot on, and the dialogue really helps with that! It expresses trauma and mental illness in a very evocative way. You can especially feel what Remi is going through in this VN. And it's very tight doesn't have any filler. The overall vibe I get is similar to one of my favorite vaporware albums: I'll Try Living Like This by Death's Dynamic Shroud. This VN is definitely worth a read if you can stomach dark psychological stories!

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!

Glad you enjoyed it! And who knows where these two wolves are headed?

This was a cute little story. The retro interface was totally on the spot. Even the art style has that late 2000s feel. The scenes themselves were also enjoyable and nostalgic. It feels like watching old videos and feeling bittersweet about the past. My only issue is that there's not really anything tying the videos together so it feels like there's no story there. Something is missing, like there should be another video that wraps everything up. Oh well, not everything has to be a complete story.

I can't DM you on itch.io. I'll have to DM you somewhere else. Do you have a Discord or something else I can message you?

Hmmm, we can always use more music, but I'm looking for a specific genre of music. Do you have a discord I can talk to you on?

Oh, I found both a writer and an editor! I'm not looking for assistance anymore. Thanks for the offer though!

Hey! For those who don't know me, I'm the creator and artist of By Your Hands and Every Date Has Its Progs And Cons. I have also done other projects which you can check out on my profile. I have a specific idea for a visual novel that revolves around a wolf meeting another wolf on the road. I'm pretty capable of doing art and programming but my prose could use a little work. If you're interested, please let me know in the replies. I'll also accept editors!

I already released it

Awesome job! I like the edutainment approach! And the chemistry between the son and Dad is pretty great! I'm very much looking forward to the full release!

As I said, a lot has happened, but now I'm fine. I'm able to move forward on anything.

And you're welcome! I'm very glad you like this VN.

Yup

I might add an epilogue to the game when I get around to providing an update to it. We'll just have to wait and see.

Yes. The Patreon version includes Day 3 of Vlad's route while the public build doesn't. Usually the Patreon build includes the newest day that has been added to the game while the public build is an update behind the Patreon build.

Hey. There was supposed to be a small update that finishes some of the art and improves some of the dialogue, but I had to shelf that update because I got caught up with my other projects. That being said, the story of the VN is complete, there is no more of the story to be told. 

Thanks for the kind words! :D and sorry, but there's not going to be a Reggie route 😅 We got enough work ahead of us already.

I'm flattered. ^3^

Thanks for the kind words!

It was released for patrons in late December. I want to space out updates for the public version so that I ease up on development.

Don't worry, more updates to the itch.io version will be coming in February, I've just been avoiding updating the public version because of a lack of changes to the game to warrant an update so far.

Don't mention it!