itch.io

I suspect it's the dev just doing damage control at this point, just like removing the ability to downvote. A comment from 7 days ago, and from an account made only a day prior, just shoots to the top of the page. It even already had upvotes with it when it popped up. It's just more transparent manipulation on top of all the rest.

For what it's worth, I agree with your points. Damaging and stereotyped portrayals of mental illness are unfortunately too common in media - horror especially. Really hoped I'd never see it in Otome though...

Hope you're doing well.

??? Why does it say your comment was posted 6 days ago, yet it's near the top?

To the point, people can write whatever they want, however they want. To a not so insigificant number of people, however, this game's use and representation of suicide, alongside the other oddities (namely the review thing), was especially nauseating to experience. I could see if there had only been one or two people in the comments claiming it wasn't written well, but people both suicidal themselves and those who have lost friends/loved ones to suicide have all largely espoused the same concerns and criticisms. Whatever her intentions, the author DID hurt people by not putting more thought, care, and even warnings into the game.

Topics like suicide, especially when the majority of your fanbase is so very obviously young, should absolutely be treated with care and respect. Mental health struggles are stigmatized and misunderstood too much as is to let writers utilize it however their awful plots please. There's not an "incorrect way to be suicidal" but the wrong application in any writing can be both incredibly insulting and upsetting to those who have actually suffered through it as well as furthering people's warped view of what they are going through.

Comment sections are not just for blanket outpourings of love and support for whatever the dev creates. Creatives can't adequately grow and learn without criticism. Not sure where you're getting harrassment from, but I've not seen it on this page and have read every critical review posted so far (even the ones I've had to google translate).

Also, (ignoring that the content warnings were initially hidden so the author could have their gotcha moment) I sort of mentioned this in a previous comment, but suicide in games rarely bothers me (as someone who has attempted and almost didn't survive, since we're sharing). When written well, it can even be incredibly cathartic. For example,there's an interactive fiction game on steam in which you can choose to have your MC struggle with suicidal thoughts. The difference is that the author of that game either struggled with similar thoughts themselves or actually did research, as everything came across as very realistic and relatable to me. It wasn't pulled out as some ending plot twist, but was included as something the MC grappled with alongside their myriad other struggles. The absolute best part is that it's completely optional. All that to say, suicide in media isn't a problem for me when written about knowledgeably and respectfully.

And a content warning for suicide (when one can actually find it) doesn't excuse the writer from criticism if it is written poorly.

Edit: Deferring to and agree with Miru's critique of the plot.

Please don't promote that. People have already gotten banned for making alt accounts to review this game. And the fact that a better ending hinges on such an absurd amount of reviews is super scummy of the dev. (5k is more reviews than any other game in this category has. It's such a slap to the face for other devs that received theirs legitimately.)

I don't so much have a problem that there WAS suicide in the game but more in how awfully it was written (a cheap plot twist so she could guilt her fans into reverse-review bombing her game.) If she couldn't write about such a sensitive topic respectfully and with some actual tact, it should never have been included.

I mean, obviously she can write whatever she wants, but she shouldn't be shocked when people, particularly those who have been actually impacted by suicide in some way, criticize her for it.

Edit: Also, from what I understand, the content warnings were only added to the game AFTER people complained.