Hello! My team's submission for NaNoRenO 2025 has been released!
Download it here: https://orcamartiangames.itch.io/heaven-forbid
SYNOPSIS:
You're full of hope upon reaching paradise. But a series of trials soon follows. In the end, who will be the last one standing?
FEATURES:
Hello! My team's submission for NaNoRenO 2024 has been released!
Download it here: https://orcamartiangames.itch.io/ferris-feels
SYNOPSIS:
You're riding a ferris wheel with the woman of your dreams. Cassia, a new arrival at your seaside hometown, may be concealing secrets beneath her summer dress.
FEATURES:
I'm impressed with the level of detail in the backstories of all the characters and in the overarching narrative. The partial to full voice acting was a nice touch. Arabella's story felt the most fleshed-out to me. I enjoyed piecing together all the details of her past. However, my favorite characters were probably Marianne, whose personality and secrets and voice were the most intriguing to me, and Lysander, whose character design was just god-tier. He was one of the last characters I met, and I was picturing him as an abrasive old uncle, perhaps a bit similar to the enigmatic Rory. So I was taken aback by how handsome Lysander looked. I just love his hair, outfit, eye color, and even the visible veins on the side of his face.
I was taken off guard by the direction the story took after I met a certain doctor. From that point on, the tone of the overarching narrative seemed to skew a bit darker. Before that part of the plot, I naively thought I'd just be shambling about in my admittedly worn-out state and assisting the eccentric cast of ghosts without being in too much danger myself.
The backgrounds were all gorgeous. I loved the little animations, especially of the bottle that kept tipping itself. The animation in the entrance hall, which was incredibly subtle, perhaps should have tipped me off to the fact that certain charaters were not as they initially seemed.
My favorite musical tracks were probably the ones that played in the lounge and in the bedroom.
Overall, this was an engaging experience. Congrats to everyone in the team for putting out such a solid project!
(Note: Copy-pasting this comment from the Spooktober VN Jam 2023 page.)
I'm impressed with the level of detail in the backstories of all the characters and in the overarching narrative. The partial to full voice acting was a nice touch. Arabella's story felt the most fleshed-out to me. I enjoyed piecing together all the details of her past. However, my favorite characters were probably Marianne, whose personality and secrets and voice were the most intriguing to me, and Lysander, whose character design was just god-tier. He was one of the last characters I met, and I was picturing him as an abrasive old uncle, perhaps a bit similar to the enigmatic Rory. So I was taken aback by how handsome Lysander looked. I just love his hair, outfit, eye color, and even the visible veins on the side of his face.
I was taken off guard by the direction the story took after I met a certain doctor. From that point on, the tone of the overarching narrative seemed to skew a bit darker. Before that part of the plot, I naively thought I'd just be shambling about in my admittedly worn-out state and assisting the eccentric cast of ghosts without being in too much danger myself.
The backgrounds were all gorgeous. I loved the little animations, especially of the bottle that kept tipping itself. The animation in the entrance hall, which was incredibly subtle, perhaps should have tipped me off to the fact that certain charaters were not as they initially seemed.
My favorite musical tracks were probably the ones that played in the lounge and in the bedroom.
Overall, this was an engaging experience. Congrats to everyone in the team for putting out such a solid project!
This was super cute and endearing! The art was so pretty to look at. All the characters were so lively, colorful, vibrant, and likable! I had a fun time pursuing all the love interests and reading their date scenes. My favorite LIs were Mask and Ceros, though Priscella was probably the most well-developed character since the MC spent more time with her.
A hearty congratulations on completing such a polished and solid visual novel within a month!
(Note: Copy-pasting this comment from the Spooktober VN Jam 2023 page.)
This was super cute and endearing! The art was so pretty to look at. All the characters were so lively, colorful, vibrant, and likable! I had a fun time pursuing all the love interests and reading their date scenes. My favorite LIs were Mask and Ceros, though Priscella was probably the most well-developed character since the MC spent more time with her.
A hearty congratulations on completing such a polished and solid visual novel within a month!
This was such a fun game! The art was gorgeous. The character designs, especially of the creepy creatures, were amazing, and the scares and sound design were really effective. I especially enjoyed the Collector's design and the musical chairs game, which had me at the edge of my seat. Pun completely intended.
I got all the endings. The hardest one for me to reach was Bad Ending D. I had sort of given up on finding the last ending by that time so when it happened, I was taken aback in the best way possible.
Overall, I enjoyed this snapshot into the Baron and his minions. I was definitely left wanting more at the end. Congrats on making such a solid horror VN!
(Note: Copy-pasting this comment from the Spooktober VN Jam 2023 page.)
This was such a fun game! The art was gorgeous. The character designs, especially of the creepy creatures, were amazing, and the scares and sound design were really effective. I especially enjoyed the Collector's design and the musical chairs game, which had me at the edge of my seat. Pun completely intended.
I got all the endings. The hardest one for me to reach was Bad Ending D. I had sort of given up on finding the last ending by that time so when it happened, I was taken aback in the best way possible.
Overall, I enjoyed this snapshot into the Baron and his minions. I was definitely left wanting more at the end. Congrats on making such a solid horror VN!
Took a break from Spooktober games for a pick-me-up by playing this VN. I loved protoViolence so much so I was guessing I would enjoy the sequel too. It was entertaining, just as I knew it would be!
I started out hopeful as I was able to do the first couple of puzzles, but oh boy. At some point I had to cling for dear life to the guide to get past the rest of the puzzles, which were all really well-constructed and challenging! I did so badly that I collected all the ways to die/fail embarrassingly easily. My favorite puzzles were probably the Tetris-like puzzle (since I'm obsessed with Tetris) and the breakfast food one.
The entire visual novel looks incredible, from the colorful and lovingly-accessorized character designs to the backgrounds to the puzzles to the interface. The voice acting was super solid as well.
I loved clicking all the details and seeing how they fit in with the lore I knew from playing the prequel. I was so happy to get Ending C. Cautionne is so precious, and I would do anything for him, truly!
I'd be so down to check out another game in the Violence series, but even if there will be only two, I want to thank you for creating such a wonderfully engaging experience! I love this world and its characters with all my heart! <3
I enjoyed the exploration and the mystery-solving aspects of this visual novel. The game mechanics, including the dice roll, kept things fresh. My favorite part was a certain section of the game when I went to Susanna's room and something in there took me off-guard. I must've missed the explanation for what was happening there. Nonetheless, I was creeped out.
I solved the mystery through two slightly different endings, but I'm not sure I fully understood what was going on in the end. Perhaps I should've been taking notes.
Reading the list of canceled features was interesting. I'm wondering how different the experience would have been if the team pushed through with a few of these features.
Thanks to the team for releasing this game. I had a nice time checking it out!
(Note: Copy-pasting this comment from the Spooktober VN Jam 2023 page.)
I enjoyed the exploration and the mystery-solving aspects of this visual novel. The game mechanics, including the dice roll, kept things fresh. My favorite part was a certain section of the game when I went to Susanna's room and something in there took me off-guard. I must've missed the explanation for what was happening there. Nonetheless, I was creeped out.
I solved the mystery through two slightly different endings, but I'm not sure I fully understood what was going on in the end. Perhaps I should've been taking notes.
Reading the list of canceled features was interesting. I'm wondering how different the experience would have been if the team pushed through with a few of these features.
I encountered a bug (not game-breaking) at the beginning when I was trying to save during the stat distribution portion. Also, I would sometimes notice that doing a random action (I can't remember which) would refill my points to five before the day ended. I agree with what what another commenter said about the text occasionally being difficult to read. Sometimes, the text would be too long for the text box (specifically some of the choices).
Thanks to the team for releasing this game. I had a nice time checking it out!
Wow. What a story this was. I'm not sure I enjoyed my experience, honestly. It felt too real, too uncomfortable, too self-cringe-inducing, too depressingly relatable. While I can't say I had fun reading this, I can confidently say I felt this story on a deeply personal level.
it must take an incredibly skilled writer to get a reader to self-reflect to this extent. I couldn't help wondering as I was reading whether I, like Mari, have ever been stuck in the same sort of negative, nihilistic, and ultimately self-destructive patterns of thought and behavior. I'm pretty sure that, at certain points in my life, I would be dwelling on ideas and engaging in harmful habits like hers.
At the same time, I also felt good about myself when reading some parts of the story. Mari doesn't have a very effective filter, for better or for worse, so her bitterness slipped out in front of others so many times. I would then tell myself: well, at least I'm not that terrible to those around me! One example was when Mari thinks about commenting on someone's social media. That might be one of my favorite scenes because it felt so authentic. It was interesting being stuck in what possibly is similar to the mindset of many internet trolls. I'm sure a lot of them are deeply unhappy individuals who want to lash out in the only platform where they can do so invisibly and without consequence so that they can feel better about themselves, however briefly.
Goldie served as a flawless foil to Mari's character. Amidst Mari's spiral deeper and deeper into pessimism and hopelessness, Goldie acted as the perfect counterpoint for the reader's benefit -- she showed that a better path does exist, if only one dared to reach out and grab it. While nothing in life is easy, one will never get anywhere if they gave up and stopped trying to change for the better.
Overall, this is a story I won't soon forget! I am very grateful to the team for developing and releasing this thought-provoking and emotionally resonant visual novel. You're all amazing!
(Note: Copy-pasting this comment from the Spooktober VN Jam 2023 page.)
Wow. What a story this was. I'm not sure I enjoyed my experience, honestly. It felt too real, too uncomfortable, too self-cringe-inducing, too depressingly relatable. While I can't say I had fun reading this, I can confidently say I felt this story on a deeply personal level.
it must take an incredibly skilled writer to get a reader to self-reflect to this extent. I couldn't help wondering as I was reading whether I, like Mari, have ever been stuck in the same sort of negative, nihilistic, and ultimately self-destructive patterns of thought and behavior. I'm pretty sure that, at certain points in my life, I would be dwelling on ideas and engaging in harmful habits like hers.
At the same time, I also felt good about myself when reading some parts of the story. Mari doesn't have a very effective filter, for better or for worse, so her bitterness slipped out in front of others so many times. I would then tell myself: well, at least I'm not that terrible to those around me! One example was when Mari thinks about commenting on someone's social media. That might be one of my favorite scenes because it felt so authentic. It was interesting being stuck in what possibly is similar to the mindset of many internet trolls. I'm sure a lot of them are deeply unhappy individuals who want to lash out in the only platform where they can do so invisibly and without consequence so that they can feel better about themselves, however briefly.
Goldie served as a flawless foil to Mari's character. Amidst Mari's spiral deeper and deeper into pessimism and hopelessness, Goldie acted as the perfect counterpoint for the reader's benefit -- she showed that a better path does exist, if only one dared to reach out and grab it. While nothing in life is easy, one will never get anywhere if they gave up and stopped trying to change for the better.
Overall, this is a story I won't soon forget! I am very grateful to the team for developing and releasing this thought-provoking and emotionally resonant visual novel. You're all amazing!
Despite thoughtlessly clicking on one spoilery image on Discord, I still had no idea what sort of horror this game would contain. I was pleasantly surprised when the scary moments started popping up!
I love, love, love the exploration, point-and-click, and inventory features. These aspects truly made me feel like I was playing a fleshed-out game. All the visual effects, like the wobbly text and action lines (???), gave the experience that extra oomph. The sound effects were great as well.
All the art was very clean and polished to look at. The sprites were super expressive and adorable, even during the darker moments of the story. The backgrounds turned creepy yet cool when the horror started settling in.
I was able to get 12 of the endings and around half of the achievements by myself, then I checked the guide and got all the endings and achievements I was still missing. That's how invested I was. My favorite ending was probably S or M.
Congrats to the team for creating such a thrilling and entertaining game! I had loads of fun!
(Note: Copy-pasting this comment from the Spooktober VN Jam 2023 page.)
Despite thoughtlessly clicking on one spoilery image on Discord, I still had no idea what sort of horror this game would contain. I was pleasantly surprised when the scary moments started popping up!
I love, love, love the exploration, point-and-click, and inventory features. These aspects truly made me feel like I was playing a fleshed-out game. All the visual effects, like the wobbly text and action lines (???), gave the experience that extra oomph. The sound effects were great as well.
All the art was very clean and polished to look at. The sprites were super expressive and adorable, even during the darker moments of the story. The backgrounds turned creepy yet cool when the horror started settling in.
I was able to get 12 of the endings and around half of the achievements by myself, then I checked the guide and got all the endings and achievements I was still missing. That's how invested I was. My favorite ending was probably S or M.
Congrats to the team for creating such a thrilling and entertaining game! I had loads of fun!
The writing in this visual novel was simply outstanding -- ornate and apt for the subject matter without being totally inscrutable. The game masterfully captured the feeling of being trapped in fairy tales, with each decision feeling loaded and with each character filling me with doubt as to their potential ulterior motives. Speaking of the characters, I loved them all. Shout-outs to the fairy, the woodsman, and the merrow-man. I didn't know whether I wanted to hug them or to run for my life whenever they appeared, to be honest.
The puzzles and riddles were tremendously fun and just the right amount of challenging. The ring was also a really nice feature upon which to fall back whenever I was stuck, even though every time I used it, the toll that I would end up having to pay would always make me curl up in shame.
I adore the NVL/script-like format of the text. The logo and interface tie together so nicely. And the look of the entire project is just exquisite, including the sprites, the backgrounds, and the foggy effects. The sound design, especially at the beginning, was super eerie and immersive. The music was incredible -- I stopped at various points just to admire the tracks playing in the background.
I achieved four endings and managed to avoid dying even once! Overall, this was an extraordinary experience that I would heartily recommend to anybody who loves fairy tales or who enjoys well-written fantasy narratives in general!
(Note: Copy-pasting this comment from the Spooktober VN Jam 2023 page.)
The writing in this visual novel was simply outstanding -- ornate and apt for the subject matter without being totally inscrutable. The game masterfully captured the feeling of being trapped in fairy tales, with each decision feeling loaded and with each character filling me with doubt as to their potential ulterior motives. Speaking of the characters, I loved them all. Shout-outs to the fairy, the woodsman, and the merrow-man. I didn't know whether I wanted to hug them or to run for my life whenever they appeared, to be honest.
The puzzles and riddles were tremendously fun and just the right amount of challenging. The ring was also a really nice feature upon which to fall back whenever I was stuck, even though every time I used it, the toll that I would end up having to pay would always make me curl up in shame.
I adore the NVL/script-like format of the text. The logo and interface tie together so nicely. And the look of the entire project is just exquisite, including the sprites, the backgrounds, and the foggy effects. The sound design, especially at the beginning, was super eerie and immersive. The music was incredible -- I stopped at various points just to admire the tracks playing in the background.
I achieved four endings and managed to avoid dying even once! Overall, this was an extraordinary experience that I would heartily recommend to anybody who loves fairy tales or who enjoys well-written fantasy narratives in general!
This was the scariest Spooktober game I've played so far this year! The story and characters felt fully fleshed out. All the twists and turns gripped me effortlessly throughout. The flashlight portion of the game was very cool and effective.
I got two endings, but many of the choices felt significant. I still have to go back and try to uncover what other secrets the story might have.
The designs of the characters, creatures, and backgrounds were dense with detail and always interesting to examine. The soundtrack and sound design kept me on my toes.
This was definitely a roller coaster ride of an experience that I do not regret! Congrats to the team for the excellent work and for nailing this really entertaining and heart-pounding horror visual novel!
(Note: Copy-pasting this comment from the Spooktober VN Jam 2023 page.)
This was the scariest Spooktober game I've played so far this year! The story and characters felt fully fleshed out. All the twists and turns gripped me effortlessly throughout. The flashlight portion of the game was very cool and effective.
I got two endings, but many of the choices felt significant. I still have to go back and try to uncover what other secrets the story might have.
The designs of the characters, creatures, and backgrounds were dense with detail and always interesting to examine. The soundtrack and sound design kept me on my toes.
While I did notice typos and while parts of the gallery did not seem to work as intended, these did not detract from the overall experience. And it was definitely a roller coaster ride of an experience that I do not regret! Congrats to the team for the excellent work and for nailing this really entertaining and heart-pounding horror visual novel!
This is one of my favorite VNs/KNs I've played recently! It's so polished and well-constructed that I would consider buying it or games like it.
There are so many aspects of this project that I loved, including:
- Sprites: The appealing character designs and all the expressions and animations.
- Backgrounds: There are just SO MANY of them. I liked examining all the little details. There was always something new and interesting to stare at. I enjoyed looking at the rainy portions and even the bloody and gory parts!
- GUI: The shaky text effects and the positioning of the options.
- Music: My favorite tracks were the ones that played during the investigative and reveal portions. The song title being displayed is such a cool feature too.
- Sound design: All the sound effects plus the blips for the text and for instances when something important is mentioned.
- Title: It's unique and extremely apt. I love the logo too.
- Ending: I browsed the comments and saw that a few had gripes about the conclusion. Personally, I liked it. The tone went a bit grimmer than I was expecting, but the darkness made sense to me, given the outcome and the characters involved.
Of course, I was enthralled by the writing (I didn't spot a single typo!) and the murder mystery itself. I appreciated the clue system and the reminders to try and solve the mystery for ourselves. Regarding the reveal, I figured out the broader mystery but not the specifics. The culprit was, in fact, the one I LEAST suspected. I think I focused too much on my inventory of clues and neglected to consider that subtler tells were being planted right from the beginning.
The reaper lore was super interesting. Grea's personality was consistently engaging. It was a clever choice to portray her POV for this kind of story. Due to the nature of her work, it made sense that she wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty and wasn't prone to attachment. Overall, this world you've created has so much potential, and I'd love to see more!
(Note: Copy-pasting this comment from the Spooktober VN Jam 2023 page.)
This is one of my favorite VNs/KNs I've played recently! It's so polished and well-constructed that I would consider buying it or games like it.
There are so many aspects of this project that I loved, including:
- Sprites: The appealing character designs and all the expressions and animations.
- Backgrounds: There are just SO MANY of them. I liked examining all the little details. There was always something new and interesting to stare at. I enjoyed looking at the rainy portions and even the bloody and gory parts!
- GUI: The shaky text effects and the positioning of the options.
- Music: My favorite tracks were the ones that played during the investigative and reveal portions. The song title being displayed is such a cool feature too.
- Sound design: All the sound effects plus the blips for the text and for instances when something important is mentioned.
- Title: It's unique and extremely apt. I love the logo too.
- Ending: I browsed the comments and saw that a few had gripes about the conclusion. Personally, I liked it. The tone went a bit grimmer than I was expecting, but the darkness made sense to me, given the outcome and the characters involved.
Of course, I was enthralled by the writing (I didn't spot a single typo!) and the murder mystery itself. I appreciated the clue system and the reminders to try and solve the mystery for ourselves. Regarding the reveal, I figured out the broader mystery but not the specifics. The culprit was, in fact, the one I LEAST suspected. I think I focused too much on my inventory of clues and neglected to consider that subtler tells were being planted right from the beginning.
The reaper lore was super interesting. Grea's personality was consistently engaging. It was a clever choice to portray her POV for this kind of story. Due to the nature of her work, it made sense that she wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty and wasn't prone to attachment. Overall, this world you've created has so much potential, and I'd love to see more!
The character designs and the art in general are so bright, colorful, and cute! A special mention must go out to the mustache that matches Elderflower's look, complete with ribbons, and Nivienne's slime hat.
Speaking of Nivienne, I love chaotic witches like her. I support her various causes and her mission to inconvenience the monarchy. I also agree that Eldie's mustache looked great. I think I actually prefer her design with that feature, haha!
Cierre is also likable and relatable. While they might not have fully honed their skills, they have good intentions and they're trying their best, and that's what matters! Their narration made me chuckle so many times.
The music, which was very catchy, made me bob my head at various points. The GUI is very clean and pretty as well. I enjoyed looking at the character art and notes in the Extras.
For the story, I adored the light-hearted tone and the witty humor, which led to many laugh-out-loud moments. I enjoyed clicking through all the choices and seeing how they affected the story in little and not-so-little ways. I liked all four endings. (A fifth ending with a fully-mustachioed kingdom, you say? Yes, please.)
Overall, this has been the cutest and funniest Spooktober entry I've seen so far! Congrats to the team for a job wonderfully done!
(Note: Copy-pasting this comment from the Spooktober VN Jam 2023 page.)
The character designs and the art in general are so bright, colorful, and cute! A special mention must go out to the mustache that matches Elderflower's look, complete with ribbons, and Nivienne's slime hat.
Speaking of Nivienne, I love chaotic witches like her. I support her various causes and her mission to inconvenience the monarchy. I also agree that Eldie's mustache looked great. I think I actually prefer her design with that feature, haha!
Cierre is also likable and relatable. While they might not have fully honed their skills, they have good intentions and they're trying their best, and that's what matters! Their narration made me chuckle so many times.
The music, which was very catchy, made me bob my head at various points. The GUI is very clean and pretty as well. I enjoyed looking at the character art and notes in the Extras.
For the story, I adored the light-hearted tone and the witty humor, which led to many laugh-out-loud moments. I enjoyed clicking through all the choices and seeing how they affected the story in little and not-so-little ways. I liked all four endings. (A fifth ending with a fully-mustachioed kingdom, you say? Yes, please.)
Overall, this has been the cutest and funniest Spooktober entry I've seen so far! Congrats to the team for a job wonderfully done!
I love the eerie atmosphere and the lo-fi, retro horror vibes of this game. You've struck a fine balance between normalcy/realism and fantasy/surrealism. The pixelated art and the many animated moments are all so eye-catching and beautifully done. The color palette helps keep the game's overall aesthetic cohesive. I also like the slightly jarring way the narrative transitions from scene to scene.
I very much enjoyed the tone of the writing, which could swing from playful and quirky to creepy and somber. I should mention that my favorite ending has to be the one centered on the mother. I got four endings (LP, SP, FS, YGB), and I'm so curious to know whether there are more!
Lastly, I have to give a special shout-out to the music and sound design, which take the entire project to the next level for me. Overall, this game looks and sounds amazing, and I congratulate the developer on this wonderful accomplishment! I can hardly believe something this incredible was made in a month!
(Note: Copy-pasting this comment from the Spooktober VN Jam 2023 page.)
I love the eerie atmosphere and the lo-fi, retro horror vibes of this game. You've struck a fine balance between normalcy/realism and fantasy/surrealism. The pixelated art and the many animated moments are all so eye-catching and beautifully done. The color palette helps keep the game's overall aesthetic cohesive. I also like the slightly jarring way the narrative transitions from scene to scene.
While I very much enjoyed the tone of the writing, which could swing from playful and quirky to creepy and somber, I noted a few typos in the text. I wondered whether they were meant to accurately capture the chaotic inner landscape of a child. But then there's a scene where the POV seems to shift from the child to the mother so now I'm not sure what to think. I should mention that my favorite ending has to be the one centered on the mother. I got four endings (LP, SP, FS, YGB), and I'm so curious to know whether there are more!
Lastly, I have to give a special shout-out to the music and sound design, which take the entire project to the next level for me. Overall, this game looks and sounds amazing, and I congratulate the developer on this wonderful accomplishment! I can hardly believe something this incredible was made in a month!
I enjoyed numerous aspects of this visual novel, including the following: the entire setup, which calls to mind Monsters University, a movie I adore; the wide cast of characters, each with a distinct design and an impressive array of expressions; the moments of exploration; the voice acting; the whole coffee debacle (I know how crucial access to quality coffee can be as someone highly dependent on caffeine); the vampire and his challenges with garlic; the references to bombs from the FF series; the small glimpses of meta; and -- how shall I say this? -- the vibrant surprise that occurs at the end of the story.
I should mention that I sometimes felt like I was playing catch-up and was not getting the inside jokes of this group of friends. However, that's to be expected since I haven't read the prequel. Also, I don't play many Unity games so I couldn't figure out how to access the menu for saving, loading, and other game options. That didn't detract from my experience, though!
Overall, this was super fun and light-hearted and wholesome! A hearty congrats to your team for releasing this cool game!
(Note: Copy-pasting this comment from the Spooktober VN Jam 2023 page.)
I enjoyed numerous aspects of this visual novel, including the following: the entire setup, which calls to mind Monsters University, a movie I adore; the wide cast of characters, each with a distinct design and an impressive array of expressions; the moments of exploration; the voice acting; the whole coffee debacle (I know how crucial access to quality coffee can be as someone highly dependent on caffeine); the vampire and his challenges with garlic; the references to bombs from the FF series; the small glimpses of meta; and -- how shall I say this? -- the vibrant surprise that occurs at the end of the story.
I should mention that I sometimes felt like I was playing catch-up and was not getting the inside jokes of this group of friends. However, that's to be expected since I haven't read the prequel. Also, I don't play many Unity games so I couldn't figure out how to access the menu for saving, loading, and other game options. That didn't detract from my experience, though!
Overall, this was super fun and light-hearted and wholesome! A hearty congrats to your team for releasing this cool game!
I admire so many aspects of this visual novel: the unconventional style of the sprites; the lovely CGs; the voice acting; the enigmatic story that reveals its secrets in careful increments; the poetic, lyrical writing style that evokes such strong imagery and engages all the senses; the UI, especially for the choices; and the creative ways that persistent data is used across successive playthroughs.
I played the three routes and a bit of the afterword (?), and my favorite romantic interest has to be Salxire. Her more reserved, sometimes distrustful personality makes the most sense to me. The card games in her route stood out and entertained me the most, as somebody who appreciates these sorts of minigames in visual novels.
Sometimes, the red text was barely readable against the backgrounds. I recognize that this may have been the developer's intention, though. And the swift speed of the text at times does suggest to me that portions of the writing may be deliberately inaccessible by design.
Overall, this was a thought-provoking, literary, and ambitious project that I very much enjoyed experiencing. Congrats to the team for a job well done!
(Note: Copy-pasting this comment from the Spooktober VN Jam 2023 page.)
I admire so many aspects of this visual novel: the unconventional style of the sprites; the lovely CGs; the voice acting; the enigmatic story that reveals its secrets in careful increments; the poetic, lyrical writing style that evokes such strong imagery and engages all the senses; the UI, especially for the choices; and the creative ways that persistent data is used across successive playthroughs.
I played the three routes and a bit of the afterword (?), and my favorite romantic interest has to be Salxire. Her more reserved, sometimes distrustful personality makes the most sense to me. The card games in her route stood out and entertained me the most, as somebody who appreciates these sorts of minigames in visual novels.
Sometimes, the red text was barely readable against the backgrounds. I recognize that this may have been the developer's intention, though. And the swift speed of the text at times does suggest to me that portions of the writing may be deliberately inaccessible by design.
Overall, this was a thought-provoking, literary, and ambitious project that I very much enjoyed experiencing. Congrats to the team for a job well done!
CatTrigger, you've done it again! Your games perfectly nail the retro technological vibes, both for computers and for TVs. The story and themes clearly have a lot of thought put into it, and the horror aspects never miss! I especially love Chel and her anticapitalist sentiments. I would totally be Chel's bestie in a situation like this.
I've unlocked all except three achievements. I very much enjoyed playing Melissa so I enjoyed the reference to her. Now I'm curious about Morris and Date Time. 👀
I rarely play visual novels on my phone so I was a little worried about how that would work, but the Android build works great, by the way! Congrats for releasing such a solid game!
(Note: Copy-pasting this comment from the Spooktober VN Jam 2023 page.)
CatTrigger, you've done it again! Your games perfectly nail the retro technological vibes, both for computers and for TVs. The story and themes clearly have a lot of thought put into it, and the horror aspects never miss! I especially love Chel and her anticapitalist sentiments. I would totally be Chel's bestie in a situation like this.
I've unlocked all except three achievements. I very much enjoyed playing Melissa so I enjoyed the reference to her. Now I'm curious about Morris and Date Time. 👀
I rarely play visual novels on my phone so I was a little worried about how that would work, but the Android build works great, by the way! Congrats for releasing such a solid game!
I can't resist a good mystery with casualties racking up and stakes ramping up, and this VN certainly satiates my appetite for that! I enjoy the creepy moments and the impending sense of doom, which the in-game clocks serve to highlight.
The characters are adorable and full of personality. I enjoy the way the choices allow the player to explore and examine, then reflect and speculate based on all the information collected.
The pixelated art style of the sprites and the backgrounds, retro aesthetic and interface, CRT filter, and soundtrack and sound design all contribute to a moody, atmospheric, and nostalgic experience overall.
Thank you to the team for creating such an amazing game! I definitely want to replay it a few more times to unlock more endings.
(Note: Copy-pasting this comment from the Spooktober VN Jam 2023 page.)
I can't resist a good mystery with casualties racking up and stakes ramping up, and this VN certainly satiates my appetite for that! I enjoy the creepy moments and the impending sense of doom, which the in-game clocks serve to highlight.
The characters are adorable and full of personality. I enjoy the way the choices allow the player to explore and examine, then reflect and speculate based on all the information collected.
The pixelated art style of the sprites and the backgrounds, retro aesthetic and interface, CRT filter, and soundtrack and sound design all contribute to a moody, atmospheric, and nostalgic experience overall.
Thank you to the team for creating such an amazing game! I definitely want to replay it a few more times to unlock more endings.
Full disclosure: While I was reading the setup of the story, I had to stop for a few minutes. I was wondering whether maybe this wasn't the game for me. I wanted to make choices to affect the flow of the plot. I therefore went back to the game's page to double-check the description, only then to realize that there was only one ending. I've enjoyed kinetic novels before, but I have a huge preference for multiple choices and endings. I seriously considered moving on to another game at that point. However, as I was skimming through the comments, I saw highly positive feedback that encouraged me to continue. And I'm eternally grateful that I did!
The distinct and expressive character designs, especially of Pavel, first drew me to download this game. But the entire project just wows on every level imaginable: the fleshed-out worldbuilding; the overall sci-fi/technological aesthetic and graphics; the way the sprites and camera move; the variety in visuals and storytelling formats, including the epistolary portions and the art style that shifts as the situation steadily grows direr; and the great music, sound design, and voice acting. In short, everything in this game is so meticulously planned to snag the player's attention right off the bat and to ensure that they stay engaged the entire way through.
I didn't expect to get so attached to the characters! I teared up not once, not twice, but thrice! And I gasped and cursed to myself so many times. Because I haven't played malViolence yet, I was totally in the dark about the fates of these characters and was filled with more and more dread as the story rapidly barreled toward its high-stakes and action-packed conclusion. Then I was super satisfied by the ending and overjoyed upon reading the extras. I can't wait to check out the sequel now. I'm desperate to learn more about these characters, the challenges they face, and the seemingly dystopian world they inhabit.
This is one of my favorite VNs/KNs in recent memory. Congrats to everybody in the team for delivering such a standout project! You're all incredible!
(Note: Copy-pasting this comment from the Spooktober VN Jam 2023 page.)
Full disclosure: While I was reading the setup of the story, I had to stop for a few minutes. I was wondering whether maybe this wasn't the game for me. I wanted to make choices to affect the flow of the plot. I therefore went back to the game's page to double-check the description, only then to realize that there was only one ending. I've enjoyed kinetic novels before, but I have a huge preference for multiple choices and endings. I seriously considered moving on to another game at that point. However, as I was skimming through the comments, I saw highly positive feedback that encouraged me to continue. And I'm eternally grateful that I did!
The distinct and expressive character designs, especially of Pavel, first drew me to download this game. But the entire project just wows on every level imaginable: the fleshed-out worldbuilding; the overall sci-fi/technological aesthetic and graphics; the way the sprites and camera move; the variety in visuals and storytelling formats, including the epistolary portions and the art style that shifts as the situation steadily grows direr; and the great music, sound design, and voice acting. In short, everything in this game is so meticulously planned to snag the player's attention right off the bat and to ensure that they stay engaged the entire way through.
I didn't expect to get so attached to the characters! I teared up not once, not twice, but thrice! And I gasped and cursed to myself so many times. Because I haven't played malViolence yet, I was totally in the dark about the fates of these characters and was filled with more and more dread as the story rapidly barreled toward its high-stakes and action-packed conclusion. Then I was super satisfied by the ending and overjoyed upon reading the extras. I can't wait to check out the sequel now. I'm desperate to learn more about these characters, the challenges they face, and the seemingly dystopian world they inhabit.
This is one of my favorite VNs/KNs in recent memory. Congrats to everybody in the team for delivering such a standout project! You're all incredible!
(Note: SPOILERS MAY FOLLOW so you may want to scroll past if you're thinking of playing this game!)
Being a fan of the Saw movie series and psychological thrillers in general, I enjoy horror stories that involve waking up in locked rooms with no memory of the manner of getting there and being forced to play death games. This is why I was especially excited to check this out. Once the meta aspects started creeping in, I started to suspect that the game was going to take an unexpected turn. But this suspicion could not have prepared me for the rollercoaster ride that followed!
I tend not to scrutinize content warnings before downloading games because I generally don't get triggered by the usual horror fare, but the moment I saw animal death among the warnings upon launching, I started to second-guess my choice to download this. However, I decided to soldier on. When I arrived at the relevant choice, I was like NOPE. ABSOLUTELY NOT. I'm ready to die and ready to kill any other humans, but I am NOT killing any animals. I was so grateful that the game didn't force me to go down that route though I wouldn't have complained either since it was my own fault for not reading the warnings too closely. I may have a problem because seeing the bloodied mouth of the animal in question made me go: "Aww, how adorable!"
I figured out midway that the names were anagrams so I was excited to see if my knowledge would aid me during a game of Hangman, but I didn't get to play that one, at least during my playthrough.
The Simon Says game was super fun and thrilling! I don't do to well with timed choices and time pressure in general, but a generous use of the save slots got me through it! When the game turned deadly at some point, I actually felt the terror twisting my stomach, but I could not look away. I was so riveted by all the occurrences.
Once I arrived at my ending, the game shut down on its own. Upon relaunching, the screen just stays black. I skimmed the walkthrough, but I'm still not sure what's going on. My computer is clunky and old so it could be an issue with my device. Regardless, I did thoroughly enjoy my playthrough so I don't feel dissatisfied with the experience as a whole.
Other assorted aspects of this project I enjoyed: the art; the inclusive customization options; the voice acting, especially the expressiveness of Rhime's masculine option (I'm not somebody who specifically looks for voice acting when choosing what to play but it's always a positive feature to have); the bright, almost psychedelic color palette; the enigmatic and intriguing look of the game page; and the soundtrack, which suited each scene wonderfully. I see that the writer also composed the soundtrack, which is such an impressive feat! You should be very proud of yourself!
Overall, this is a very well-made and entertaining VN. Congratulations to everybody in the team for doing such an amazing job!
(Note: Copy-pasting this comment from the Spooktober VN Jam 2023 page.)
(Note: SPOILERS MAY FOLLOW so you may want to scroll past if you're thinking of playing this game!)
Being a fan of the Saw movie series and psychological thrillers in general, I enjoy horror stories that involve waking up in locked rooms with no memory of the manner of getting there and being forced to play death games. This is why I was especially excited to check this out. Once the meta aspects started creeping in, I started to suspect that the game was going to take an unexpected turn. But this suspicion could not have prepared me for the rollercoaster ride that followed!
I tend not to scrutinize content warnings before downloading games because I generally don't get triggered by the usual horror fare, but the moment I saw animal death among the warnings upon launching, I started to second-guess my choice to download this. However, I decided to soldier on. When I arrived at the relevant choice, I was like NOPE. ABSOLUTELY NOT. I'm ready to die and ready to kill any other humans, but I am NOT killing any animals. I was so grateful that the game didn't force me to go down that route though I wouldn't have complained either since it was my own fault for not reading the warnings too closely. I may have a problem because seeing the bloodied mouth of the animal in question made me go: "Aww, how adorable!"
I figured out midway that the names were anagrams so I was excited to see if my knowledge would aid me during a game of Hangman, but I didn't get to play that one, at least during my playthrough.
The Simon Says game was super fun and thrilling! I don't do to well with timed choices and time pressure in general, but a generous use of the save slots got me through it! When the game turned deadly at some point, I actually felt the terror twisting my stomach, but I could not look away. I was so riveted by all the occurrences.
Once I arrived at my ending, the game shut down on its own. Upon relaunching, the screen just stays black. I skimmed the walkthrough, but I'm still not sure what's going on. My computer is clunky and old so it could be an issue with my device. Regardless, I did thoroughly enjoy my playthrough so I don't feel dissatisfied with the experience as a whole.
Other assorted aspects of this project I enjoyed: the art; the inclusive customization options; the voice acting, especially the expressiveness of Rhime's masculine option (I'm not somebody who specifically looks for voice acting when choosing what to play but it's always a positive feature to have); the bright, almost psychedelic color palette; the enigmatic and intriguing look of the game page; and the soundtrack, which suited each scene wonderfully. I see that the writer also composed the soundtrack, which is such an impressive feat! You should be very proud of yourself!
Overall, this is a very well-made and entertaining VN. Congratulations to everybody in the team for doing such an amazing job!
