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How do I even rate this vn? Do you give stars to something based off your own personal enjoyment, or based on the achievement of a certain goal? This really is just an HSS film in fvn form. The dialogue is stilted, the cinematography is nonsensical, the choices are ultimately meaningless, and the timeline is all sorts of fucked up. For me, HSS movies tend to be kind of hit or miss. I come away feeling like I learned something, or got a secret peek at an intimate part of someone else's human experience, or I feel very "well that's 70 minutes of my life i'm never gonna get back." The Poet's Visual Novel doesn't really push me in either direction, probably because it's pretty short. I guess I appreciate the cleverness involved (like the mention of renpy, and even the imitation of its default UI), but as someone who was quite a fan of the lead dev's previous work, I do wish this game had less HSS and more Purkka. But I don't think it's fair to critique something based off "the artist made something different than what I wanted from them." 

My one source of critique (because I don't know that I'm qualified to speak on the rest of the game) lies in the engine itself. When scrolling on my mouse to go back, the speed is incredibly high and instead of taking me back a line or two it sends me back approx. twenty. Also the music volume slider is just fully nonfunctional. I turned it all the way to nothing just to make sure the short passage that functions as the game's soundtrack wasn't just getting louder each time because I wouldn't put that kind of insanity past HSS. But no, it just is regular broken. 

yeah, i'm sorry graphic design is so far out of my wheel house 😭 I'll try and get something else soon!

I don't have any feedback as of yet, but I do want to say thanks for the update, and hang in there! Love the game so far, and considering how good spirits and glamour ended up, I've got nothing but faith in you!

Exciting! Can't wait to see it!

"whatever go my 'you got this pookie'" 

seriously though it's always really enticing to get context into the process of the creation, and the minds  of the creators! True Makers, as Kerche would say if he were still with us. Loudo get a real fursona. I don't know what that emoji is supposed to be but it just does not show up lmao. I restrained myself from fangirling too much in the call when we read this, and in the bookclub, but i promise you when the final version comes out you are going to receive the full blast of my adoration. I can't wait to see the final version!

OOGH!!! LET'S GO!!! I'm excited to read it!

I know there's a puzzle here, I'm not smart enough to solve it, but I am absolutely thrilled to play whatever comes out from you next!!!!

thank you for feeding the bisexuals (me) and looking forward to listening to the new music, and patiently waiting for the next update!

I couldn't finish before the time limit is out so I'm dropping some ratings based on what I've read because I think it's really sweet and genuine. Partially because the mc feels very... trusting lmao. I do think perhaps Rover's dedication to escape could be treated a little bit more seriously? but I saw that you're hoping to release a bigger fuller game post jam, so I'm excited to (finish this jam version and) see that, and assume when you have more time and more words things like that will get some help and be ironed out. It's a good one, great entry 

Well, what a game for me to end off on, since I don't think I'll be able to finish any of the others I have left before rating closes. Still woof! Love all the sprites you have of Birch. I appreciate that he has a... plant name as well. heheh. I don't know if I have much to say that hasn't already been said, I know this is one of the most rated games of the jam, coming out a full week before the deadline, but still I thought it was good. The jazz, the weird quirks we try and hold onto after we lose everything else. Shrek and Shrek 2. Admittedly I think shrek two is a better film, but I appreciate the uh... cinematic parallels about transforming into a monster and still loving someone through that anyway? heheh that might be a bit of a reach but I'm always glad to see those films get mentioned as silly as it is. The ending is... graphic, but I like that you didn't shy away from it either. I understand the desire to cut away from the end, and let it be poetic, but I think there's also beauty to be found in the gruesomeness as well. 

anyway that said if I was trapped with a musclebound himbo for weeks it would not take me nearly as long to shoot my shot but at least they got to kiss and doze off together. 

ooooh what a good twist, and what good use of the assets as well! I think we did skip perhaps some of the parts that could've built a bit more suspense, the panic, a bit more time between murders... but honestly it was really a banger. I think when you have such a small cast and such a short time frame for a murder, you need more than just the reveal of who it is, and you did that really well. The most delicious part of any mystery is always the why, and it delivered. Also props for having the mc (at the end at least) react a lot more realistically. Not giving the choice to accept Xeth, and sticking to his guns. A really strong entry, and great use of the music. Short sweet and to the point. Great work!

BANGER, BANGER, BANGER!!! I LOVE FAT BOY FALL!!! I LOVE FAIL GIRL FRIDAY!!!! Genuinely I'm so excited for the next chapter, can't wait. Adam really is a cutie, ready for the hurt comfort and the shitty abusive ex/stalker/etc. Great opener, I'm glad you got attached to these characters because I sure did too

I wish it were longer! but it's really cute. Immaculate vibes, love the changing and the gender and the witchery. Also the paws? the tail wags? oh we're winning.

Oh really good. The light in the dark was a bit weak? and the long gaps of silence made me wish for a little more music here and there, but honestly overall great work. I love the art and the character design, the expressions are great, and the dialogue flows so well. Personally I think there needs to be more stories about deradicalization, and forgiveness, and the things you can come back from... like being in a hate group. I was definitely caught off guard a little by the like... Slop Monster Reveal? admittedly? It's the sort of thing I think would work better in a longer format, just to have more time to build it up rather than the few mentions here and there of Weird Stuff Happening. Especially since it happens so shortly after the big reveal about Zane. Still that's all nitpicking, when really I think it's an amazing piece about what you expect for yourself and the reality around you, and having to occasionally face unpleasant truths about the people around you, and about yourself as well. If it went on another 5000 words I'm willing to be it'd even follow up about what types of forgiveness you can find as well. Good work, definitely excited for what the team does next!

Not a lot here to serve up honestly, but I appreciate the humor. I feel like you could really do something with its irreverence if you committed to a more... substantial game? I mean the green shirt to hide the red flags, the "honk honk" bits, those kinda remind me of parody films like Airplane or Top Secret. Padding out the word count with sonic fanfic is a... bold creative decision, certainly. At least the stock music was nice. I do think any creative effort is at least worth recognizing 

I don't have a lot to say yet. I want you to go even further with the retrogame aesthetic... but that might be more expensive/more work. The battles, I want more animations for them. That said I enjoy the character personalities a lot! I think they're a little... subdued? It's a demo, so like. In the Jam format, it leaves me a little wanting, but in the sense of my overall enjoyment, I think it's really unique and creative, and i'll be playing its future releases! Occasionally the presentation does hamper it a little, just because this isn't really the type of format you're "meant" to read visual novels in, but that's kinda nitpicky. I'd like some accessibility features, but I can't complain too much. There's a lot of hard work in this badboy, and it shows! 

Calling yourself parody and that you subvert fvn tropes is... a pretty high statement to make for something you started in the last few days. I understand the appeal of doing that, but from what there is so far... I don't think there's much to that at all. Things need to be maybe just a bit more Extra to really hit that level of Parody instead of just being kinda.... mocking? at best? I'm missing the humor in this game and it doesn't really ever breathe to have any tropes to subvert. 

I don't want to say a lot because I'm just getting the translation of it, but I really enjoyed this one. I'll write a more in depth opinion of it when I finally get to read it in a slightly more presentable form. I do think, if nothing else, the set up and the premise are amazing. Two immortals from opposite sides (a scientist who is half insane and wants to understand everything, and someone who holds all knowledge but only knows it in a way that drives the surrounding people mad) traveling together in an ethereal story book setting. The parts I don't need words to understand, like the art and the music, are very very well done. I cannot wait to come back when its a bit easier to read! 

EASIEST SIX OUT OF FIVE STARS OF MY LIFE
If I had a dollar every time dracuclaw showed up to a game jam and went straight for the jugular, I'd have two dollars. I love the nuance, and the layers, and the very real trans (and overprotective? overpossessive? lol parents) experiences. Amazing art, I love your style so much, it lends itself so well to the moods of the characters but also the tone of the work overall. Nat is insanely charming, and Oliver is someone I can't help but root for myself as well. I think, from what I've seen, you do an insanely good job at setting up emotional stakes that feel real, and conflict that has lasting consequences, while still finding ways to deliver your characters back to... if not a "happy" ending, then at least one with closure. 

and as for Cadmium, please pass on my regards as well, the music is astounding, and it really adds that extra OOMPH to the scenes, the curation and creation of it really help take the emotional moments over the edge. Great work, as a trans reader myself, I cannot stress enough how thrilled I am with this entry! 

I'm a they, but thank you for the mention! 💙

So back in 2017, a movie called Atomic Blonde came out, and I remember a bunch of incels getting pissy and calling it "Just a james bond movie with Charlize Theron" like watching Charlize Theron beat the hell out of a bunch of goons set to the greatest hits of the 80s and have sex with a woman who dies one scene later wasn't something I'd want to do. In the same sense, I feel like this is "John Wick but for Gay Furries." Maybe a Liam Neeson film. Y'know, one of those action movies where they have a real actor, someone who can actually display the full range of human emotion beyond "quippy one liner" so they want to give him a tragic backstory to balance and justify all  the hyperviolence he wants to commit. I mean come on the only thing Luc is missing, and I fully expect to see it in a full release, is a dead wife in the white sheets scene. We've got a similar set up with the main character, he's an ex navy seal, so there's justification for why he can snap necks or fire every gun known to man or whatever other action hero shenanigans he gets up to, and he's a war criminal so you know that even though he's REALLY COOL war is bad! Once again, I think all of this is hype. It's just what if you made [ALREADY FUN MOVIE NIGHT] have gay furries. Cool. I'm extremely down.

I don't want to honestly dig too deep into the guts of critique here, because it's not really something I want to rate since I know it's going to be more finished, and I'll have more to say then. Great teaser, wish there was more, etc. I love the creativity and how much you've twisted renpy but... I wish there was more accessibility. I would rather just not read the vn than listen to the god awful self voicing, but some of the fonts were a bit hard for me to read, and self voicing can't handle the things on the papers we're given. Is the puppy we're shown at the end supposed to be Theo, then? Admittedly I think you're gonna have to work a little harder to invest me in the cast. Personally I've got a fairly negative view of the military so having Luc and Darius both be like "wow thank you for your service" is like... hrm. Luc nothing but respect for nurses. Darius... I mean you kinda reaped what you sowed man. The names are different but I assume we're in Fake America and our enemy nation is Fake Russia, but Darius' deployment seems to be a mishmash of Iraq and Vietnam. idk if I were him I would not be touting my service if I got a whole town blown up including a kid that kept giving me bread. Despite my enjoyment of the overall... premise? setting? these guys do not thrill me, but I am a burnt out american so it might appeal to people who do not have to sit through countless recruitment attempts from the industrial war machine. Or maybe when we get a bit more time with them they'll offer me more than just "what if the punisher was a buff gay tiger?" It's hard to suspend my disbelief with Fictional Military when it very purposefully resembles Real Military, is what I'm saying, and that distances me from caring about them from an empathetic standpoint. Only a clown would die for his country etc etc. Either way you made me think this much about it, the use of the medium is extremely impressive, I'm always thrilled when people make renpy cry and scream and twist into something other than a visual novel engine. Love the art direction, and i'm looking forward to future updates!

It's quaint, I appreciate it for what it is. The sexy villain saxophone made me chuckle, and I have to admire that even though there's more or less 2 body types (being generous with Rawain) all the art is still custom, including the backgrounds, so it's a pretty cohesive experience. I don't... know if this is an insult, or downside, and I don't want it to come off as one, but it feels like I'm reading porn acting. There's not really a lot of internal conflict, the writing is straightforward, the personal conflicts are all immediately resolved within the same scene they're presented, and there's even a convenient cum ritual. Like... it's set up and flashy effects to explain why this religious goodboy absolutely must get these platonic ideal of mostly wolf twinks to cum... for magic. I appreciate the variation of Jerkin' It, so while it's not like,  blowing me away or blowing my loads, I think it also understands what it is, and what it wants to be. As a side note I like that Talrem decided he had to fully commit to the bit, not just by transforming into a fell cleric but also like. Dressing up like a slut for no apparent reason? "I'm evil now, so I can wear a fit that perfectly defines my bulge and accents my cum gutters, it's in the handbook."

Banger??? Banger????? I love the art, the premise, I appreciate the wolves matching the colors of their horses. That's a cute touch. anyway Vik yeah he really uhhhh. well actually Nike is also whore shaped too. Really good, I just want more. Love the gimmick, and the setting, and the art direction is amazing. I appreciate the Humor of the sfx too, even if it might be a bit much sometimes. 

I haven't read all the jams yet, so I can't say for sure, and god forbid I commit to an opinion but... This might be my favorite game of the jam. I think other people have done a wonderful job summarizing it. This is a visual novel, but really it's a visual poem. I could cite a lot of the moments that are really good, the repetition, the simplicity of the art, the symbolism, the sort of melancholy feel of the ending, the use of the music, the quiet intimacy of the piece. I think there's a lot of things that are left to speculation, but it feels cheating to call it that since I feel like there's often accompanying context clues that tell us the answers even if its not explicitly stated. The lack of any sprites and instead only backgrounds and CGs really adds to the story book feel. It also reads out loud wonderfully, if that was something you were wondering about. Absolute banger of a game, short and sweet and with absolutely nothing wasted. 

I'm gonna rate this like I'm right and everyone else is insane, even though I might be insane and everyone else is probably right but...

The stuff that happens with Lugh, that isn't real right? I mean I've played enough videogames to know that Lugh is the name of a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann, and I think he represents light and craftmanship? Idk though my knowledge of that kind of stuff is shaky at best, I just know that he's Cu Chulainn's dad. Anyway! Between the title being "It Could Be," the tropey (as even pointed out by Lugh) meeting of Dusty and Lugh, Dusty's love for romance novels, and his frequenting of the park wishing fountain, along with that being the final scene, and perhaps most importantly that the choices you make influence how things go with lugh... but don't really change how things go with Randall at all. The fantasy with Lugh is lit in this pink ethereal dreamlike light, and everything with Randall is grounded in real color. If that's the intent? Peak cinema. That's the read I got, but I see other people's comments everyone thinks it's just a standard love story told out of chronological order, in which case neat, but I feel like you could've done a little bit more with that then. Compare and Contrast Lugh and Randall even more. Tell us how Dusty got out of the south. etc. I get it, it's a Jam, limited words, limited time. I really liked the whole presentation, the light in a dark was a little weak, but on the other hand "Cock in the butthole, Lugh!" is a really charming scene so you still get 5s across the board. 

Seriously though please let me know if I'm right or not I feel like I'm going insane.

Love the set up but... I wanted more on either end! Either let me see Seb slowly go crazy, or LET US FUCK THE WOLF!!!! 

I'll be honest I'm not sure why this game is in Unity, it just makes it slightly more difficult to play, since trying to do visual novel format in unity makes things get janky, and break, especially if you try scrolling the text back. There's not a lot to critique here, short and sweet, which is the main problem. I do love the set up, I know people tend to complain about lore dumps, but I didn't have a problem.

Also Kerche/City of Sneps stole my "Your hole or the black hole" joke so I won't make it here, but that was me!!!! I was the author of that line!!!!!!!!

This one was a bit of a doozy for me. The thumbnail is... I think unintentionally hilarious. The giant flaming meteor, the weird placement of the text, the giant black empty space, the wolf sequestered down to the side.

I feel like there definitely could've been some political commentary at play with an insane US president causing the apocalypse but... he's right? Like it turns out he actually was a prophet from god? Huh???? Bold creative decision. Really it just felt very stilted to me. The two main characters are really the only people rushing anywhere in the apocalypse? They also spent a lot of time talking about how much they love each other without really giving any examples or showing us. It's a really cheesy ending to a really cheesy story, and that's not inherently bad, but I think a little bit better thought into the characters relationship and their struggles. Everything just kinda happens and then it's over. 

Still, I'm glad you got your VN out and turned in before the deadline, you should be proud of yourself!

I wish I could rate this higher, because the parts I liked about it, I really did like! But boy the prose is hard to read through. Like, actually hard, I read it out loud to some friends and it was hard to keep up with what was supposed to be happening sometimes. I didn't have a problem following the story, but I don't blame people who did. I would have liked to know why the cult captured Nigel, why he left, how he got in the basement, why Apollo didn't call the police, why they left him his phone... etc etc.. There's a line where Apollo mentions one off that he borrowed a car from his uncle in case Nigel was hurt. That's irrelevant! That really means nothing to the over all story, it's a cute detail but I wish those details had been used more for what was directly related to the characters.

That said, I love the banter. I love that Apollo is terminally addicted to quipping, and I have to admit it really does just come off like he does that as a coping mechanism, it's charming. The characters are both really good, I just want more cohesive writing, and a little more fleshing out of the things that really matter. 

absolutely! I want to be clear, I certainly don't have a problem  with the story beats, just the execution. You really did still knock it out of the park. I think it may sound a little pretentious to say, but part of the reason I wrote so much is because I believe you have the power! It was a great read, well worth the time invested. 

I'm giving you 5's across the board... I don't know that I would necessarily if there were a bigger number to rate out of? But 4 definitely feels too low. Presentation is very impressive, what a commitment for such a short project. There's 3 different artists that draw Ian... and I love the look of him in all 3, each one cooks hard. He looks SO gay in the sleeping scene. The music is also amazing and does a great job setting the tone. I'm always a sucker for any sort of breaking of the fourth wall (done tastefully), so using the medium to change the name and create the error to get the final ending? really good. I love that not only is the twist that Tor is Ian's light, but also his darkness. and pretty much just darkness for poor tor lmao. Sorry buddy. 

The only critique I have is with the story. The writing is light, and floaty, and I don't think that's bad. It works fine for the presentation, and the cycles are short enough that it doesn't feel like it overstays its welcome. Maybe it'd be a bit too purple prose with a more extended story but it works fine here. That said... I kinda want like. More? an answer, so to speak? I mean I can put together most of the stuff. How they died, why their specific branch of limbo/purgatory plays out the way it does, etc. But I want a thesis statement. I want a rebuttal to my "For what?" Ian has pulled Tor's spirit through countless cycles to the point of exploding him into a million tiny pieces, and then he just gets to go "hey death I'm satisfied actually can we stop" and death hits him with the shrug emoji. Idk it just is missing that final spike to land it home. The vn does such a good job building... something up, I want the final answer to shatter me. I want to lay awake in the middle of the night thinking about this vn for a week, and I feel like you're really close to that. there's more style than substance in this ending, but the style is soooo good that i can forgive it. There's this sort of... pensiveness and ominous undercurrent throughout the whole game. it's hard for me to pin down in words myself! and I can't really go back and reference specific parts because. well. There is nothing left here. I would say "maybe it's more about the time spent on the journey" but in this case the end is still very important, and the lack thereof. I choose to interpret the ending in an optimistic light, but I still would have preferred a bit more than the simple straight forward answer, including death showing up itself to dunk on Ian and then peace us out of the whole vn.

THAT SAID I still really enjoyed the experience quite a lot! Just because the payoff wasn't as striking as I think you can, could, and should have made it, doesn't mean I don't respect how well you managed the game, and how good the pieces pull together. I also can't help but love Ian's design, the crying tear markings are on the nose but they still have me very much feeling for him. I look forward to what else you do in the future, great first attempt!

Kill twink with rock

really I think I said most of it in call. Extremely tragic, love someone who gets everything they wanted in the end, and becomes hollowed out by it. 

GOOD. Love to see amab non binary representation! God Remi is so hot. i'm so sorry for focusing on that alongside their mental breakdown, but like. HOOGH. Like come over and we can get you some antipsychotics and some t4t sex. Fix you right up. Tummy.... see through shirt... tight pants...

seriously though, really good, short, succinct... sweet? Sweet enough? I work in psych so it's a good representation of an episode. I love the art, and the use of both noise and music. Great interpretation of the theme. I'm looking disrespectfully and with solidarity and fondness. 

I'm looking forward to it!

yes it's unfinished but what's there is SO promising. The prose flows so well, and the (little bit of) art lends itself well to understanding how the main character perceives the world. I think tf and being a furry is often times things people look at fondly, so exploring the miserable body horror aspect of it is a really cool and unique angle. Alone in the apocalypse, what reason is there to survive? Why keep going? what happens when the thing that protects you becomes a double edged sword as you too give in to the sickness? There's a lot of little pieces of lore and implications about what happened between this group of people that we can piece together or make safe assumptions about, that really makes each line flow from one to the next. While reading it, I kept wanting to see what happens next, and while the story made sense, it wasn't something I could just easily predict. Finish this PWEASE

I'm admittedly not much of a fan of the... style(?) of writing, it just kinda goes and goes and just tells us everything. The random dialogue in the shower about stuck up gay people is... frankly bizarre? it's 2007, if you're going to a gay bar the people there are probably more likely to be supportive and get along with you no matter your differences than be pretentious?? It just makes the main character come off like an incel to be honest. Not to mention the wild jump between deeply serious conversation and right back to being horny? Felt more like "ah we've gotta fill the sex quota." It's unfortunate, I think it could've been an interesting opportunity to explore what expecting a hook up and getting something else might look like. It might have also left more room to explore that... loss of wanderlust, and the whole bit about God, which feels very shoehorned in at the end. I do like the simplistic look of the early finished cgs. The low detail is a good look. Not to complain more... but the music is atrocious. Or at least, the song that he plays on his mp3 player? It's... it's bad bad. Like it's really bad. The fake screaming, the way that it makes it hard to read due to the talking in the background (especially if you're reading it out loud). It drove me insane, I had to mute it.

The main character is kind of a ridiculous dumbass, I love him. "Boss makes a dollar, I make a dime, that's why i top on company time." It's not perfect, the ending is a little "and everyone is happily ever after enough," but eh I'm not gonna complain too much. I love the setting, the little pieces of lore sprinkled here and there. Also I know that the "light in the dark" theme is pretty obvious with the light house... but I think the real ones know what the massively big brained way it was really implemented is. It's just a really charming experience all across the board. I want for more!

IT'S PEAK MILORD. Genuinely though I appreciate the tone and the mix between reality and fantasy. I don't think the lines blur really in a way that's confusing, but it does remind me a little of perfect blue. and of course beastars, but just that I care about the story in the play as much as the overarching story between the cast. The art mixes well with the narrative, and as a thespian (for the most part) I approve of what's been written. Loudo if you don't finish this one I swear to god I will hunt you for sport. Can't wait for the next part!

Reading it again I feel like it may be a bit inaccessible for people not familiar with the main game that this is a (standalone) prequel to. Certainly it gains a lot if you do have a reference to moonlight castle. I'm of course biased in favor of it, even if it's definitely a long haul that barely ekes in under the word count. Oliver is great... though I also think that Liam and Patrice have more chemistry than Oliver and Patrice, but sometimes that's just how it is on this bitch of an earth. Anyway Patreechey my beloved. 

Really cool! I absolutely adore the presentation, and these peaks into milton's life, where we're left to assume things about what happened and how they played out. What his relationships are like now, the speculations of how they've changed, who matters to him. Also Maia... hello I'm looking. I can be not just a step parent, but the parent who stepped up. In all seriousness, I hope you come back to finish this, because it's very good, and very promising.

The prose is very purple. It moves simultaneously a mile a minute and extremely slowly. Maybe if you wanted to play Frost up as being a bit melodramatic it would work, but it's okay to just let things happen and breathe a bit, without cramming a metaphor into every sentence. Focus a bit more on the relationship between Frost and Ridge, and a little less on his own internal dialogue. The twist with ridge is also very... inconsequential? His family comes up more or less one time before the reveal that he's also gay and in a loveless marriage. So it just feels like a net neutral. Not lost... nothing gained. Still! You should be proud of yourself, learn and grow and continue to follow your passion!