itch.io

"Huh, it's in Japanese."

"Should I say something?"

...fuck.

Cheers, this worked! It still doesn't launch on Linux with the current build (Jun 19, 2021) unless you delete the included Python libraries.

I do wonder what's going on here, though. My guess is the included libraries are old or missing components, so when it's deleted, Ren'Py uses the Python libraries present on the user's computer, which are newer and more complete.

v1.05 works with DXVK. Wine's built-in OpenGL translation layer, WineD3D still doesn't work. Create a new Wineprefix and install DXVK with Winetricks.

I'm guessing the version of nwjs is bundled with RPG Maker MV, and that you need to update it by updating RPG Maker MV itself...but it hasn't received any new updates for a few years.

But doing some more research, I found this post: https://itch.io/blog/484532/how-to-update-nwjs-in-rpg-maker-mv-for-rpg-devs

> Fortunately, RPG Maker MV uses an unmodified copy of NW.js as its runtime for desktop deployment, which means it’s pretty easy to update it manually! The process isn’t really different between development OS, so I’ll go through it target by target.

The process is essentially the same thing I did on my end, with a few more steps. The post recommends deleting files, but all I did was copy some files over and replace older files with the same name and I had no issues playing the entire game.

Also, disclaimer that I have no idea what I'm doing :) I haven't touched RPG Maker since XP, and I never ended up making a game with it, lol.

I tried running the nw Linux binary on Arch Linux, but it gave me:

Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/fonts.conf", line 5: unknown element "description"
Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/10-hinting-slight.conf", line 4: unknown element "description"
...

[4266:4266:1210/172418.288268:FATAL:platform_font_linux.cc(83)] Check failed: InitDefaultFont(). Could not find the default font
#0 0x7f9c84f0143c <unknown>

And so, I got to play lilac & her light!

It was the first npckc game I played in English, though that's only because it didn't have a Japanese option, heh. It had a nice message and I enjoyed it. The soundtrack was pleasant too.

That damn cat, though...

Ren'Py works the same way for macOS, Windows and Linux.

Matching the Build Dates

The version of Highway Blossoms on itch.io is 2.5.4 at the time of writing, but you want the 1.1.1 version of the patch. The game itself doesn't tell you what build version it is, but the itch.io interface does.

Here's how you can tell: itch says the build is dated Sep 30, 2020. The patch folder contains a .karentools-build-info text file with the build date for the patch. Make sure this date is the same as the date listed on itch.io.

The date for the 1.1.1 patch is:

ビルド 2020年09月30日 (水) 00:00:00 +0900 (JST)

It's in the Year, Month, Day format. So, the dates match. That means this is the right version.

Applying the Patch:

Extract the archive. Copy the adult.rpa file into the game/ folder. Launch Highway Blossoms.

Activating R18+ Content:

Go to General settings and enable R18+ Content.

Thoroughly addicting. npckc has this impeccable way of writing characters you can easily relate with. It's extremely hard not to get attached to these characters. This is a very complete story with a lot of depth. Simple gameplay that doesn't drag on. I haven't played the endless mode because I'm not a fan of idle clickers. 

The soundtrack is pleasant and I was surprised to find it was mostly by npckc this time instead of shidzumi. I liked npckc's tracks in A YEAR OF SPRINGS (I have a new ringtone now...), but one of shidzumi's was my absolute favorite. There's this really nice track in A HERO AND A GARDEN by npckc, though. It's still crazy to me that one person can write, draw, and do music for a game by themselves.

It's the small touches I noticed and really appreciated. Like the way character's names change when the protagonist's view changes. The way the world and these character's stories are built up little by little, as we find out what exactly the real story is behind "the incident".

There were times when I flipped between the English and 日本語 version of the game, wondering how the heck it could have been written in a different language. The different language versions offer quite a different flavor to each other.

I have only one piece of advice to offer: don't play this game at midnight, or you'll never get any sleep.

I wasn't getting into the game at first, but I guess that's kind of the point, huh? Once I realized what was going on, I started enjoying it a lot more!

Also, I guess I lucked into getting the final ending on my first try, heh. It was a bloody cute game.

I didn't expect to play this game today, but I'm glad I did. I don't have anything to say that hasn't already been said, so I'll keep it simple:

Thanks for making this game! For many years, I've always remembered Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya whenever I hear Gymnopedies, but next time, I might think of this game.

It's a nice, short game with the option to play it in Japanese. I thought the Japanese version read well and should be approachable to most learners. It takes a little while to get going but then it turns into a ride that won't slow down. The ending is really nice!

I wouldn't say no to a sequel someday.

日本語のバージョンがありがたいです！

読んでいた中、このセリフに打つかりました：

  「……結構しょっぱいでですが、これは通常ですか？」

ベルがジャンと話している時です。二目の「で」がいらないでしょう？

私の日本語の能力はまだまだですから、勘違いしているかもしれませんけど。

それと、全然関係ありませんけど気になります。novelgame.jp知っていますか？ちょっと前に初めて知りました。全部のゲームがただで、日本語のノベルゲームをプレイ出来るサイトです。コインで応援する機能があります。正直私はそのサイトあまり利用していません。でも面白いサイトと思いました。

とにかく、npckcさんのゲームが楽しかった！作ってくれてありがとう！次のノベルゲームを期待している！

(apologies for subjecting you to my Japanese, haha)

Thanks for releasing this game for GNU/Linux!

I loved all the characters and stories, but エリカ really stole the show for me.

I thought this line eloquently summed up what made this game great:

嫌な思い出はおいておいて、

良い思い出は大事にする。

The soundtrack is great too!

(I realized the Review function on itch is actually only visible to the game creator, so I copied it here):

While the premise didn't grab me immediately, I gave it a shot on account of the Japanese language option and was pleasantly surprised. I loved this game!

The art is cute, the soundtrack is lovely, and the characters are easy to connect with. It broaches difficult topics in a way that feels refreshing and respectful without being overbearing. These stories are about finding where you belong in the world—and friendship. I think those are things that will resonate with anyone.

It feels very human and honest, especially when you get to those moments the narrative has been building up to for the whole chapter. 

The full game is only a few hours long and I read it in Japanese. The Japanese script is well-written while using simple language that should be approachable even to beginners. I think you should experience this story in Japanese if you know the language!