itch.io

once again barbatus's art and prose work seamlessly together to deliver the harrowing heart and soul of this comic. i've read a few first-hand accounts of front-line workers not dissimilar to this, but i don't think i've felt the lasting impact quite like this. barbatus's art carries so much frantic energy and his writing forgoes purple prose in favour of blunt, crystal-clear communication. there's no room for misunderstanding or watering down the emotional weight  behind each panel.

i don't get the vibe this comic cares if i've "learned anything" - that doesn't feel like the point. it's a personal account of the events intertwined with the terror that comes with remembering and the self-deprecation customary of a mind trying to rationalize trauma.

see, i live in canada and the covid-19 pandemic hit at a very convenient time for me. i was among the lucky few who came out the other side relatively untouched.  i barely remember those years simply because they were uneventful for me - the complete opposite to most people's experiences, especially barbatus's. i've never doubted the pandemic's effects being considered an international trauma, but it's only been a nebulous idea to me.

this work - this intensely personal and vulnerable conversation - reminds me it's not an abstract truth but a visceral one. That even when it's "over", there was and is real horror for everyone even remotely close to the front lines. That the effects are lasting, that the trauma is real. That I'd forgotten the swabbers and vaccine distributers weren't "saints in scrubs" but people who are doing everything they can to unglamorously piece together what's left into something resembling who they used to be.

it feels odd to rant and rave and recommend reading this account - like i'm commodifying what's a very vulnerable work like it's just entertainment. but i genuinely do recommend buying and reading and re-reading it. like all of the work on this itch.io page, i'd kill for a physical copy to revisit every few days the same way i return to SADSACK. i'm going to be thinking about it for a very long time. 

barbatus, i know it means little coming from a stranger, but i'm glad you're alive. i'm glad some part of you has made it through. i hope my comment's come across less as pity and more as appreciation, though it's not up to me to say if it has. i hope you get to feel alive again, too. thank you for taking the time to create this piece and share it. i'm wishing you all the best

i got this game on recommendation and holy smokes. long story short, this is easily my favorite visual novel i have played to date. it's funny, it's adorable, it's heart-wrenching, it's personal, it's vulnerable, and it's, well, it's just beautiful. the whole thing radiates love and understanding. 

i paid extra close attention to the presentation, the story, the prose and the characters and even took notes as part of a little Visual Novel study project i'm doing. my SUMMARIZED notes for this game are 6 pages and quickly go from gushing about the presentation to gushing about every little plot detail and character interaction! there is so much to learn from this game about how to do a VN right.

i usually struggle to come back to VNs even when i love them bc i like to multitask, but this game was so easy to return to and get immersed in. 

the characters are gorgeous and the body diversity was so freaking refreshing. seriously, i adore the presentation and musical choices! the sound design was so charming and non-intrusive, and always brought a smile to my face.

it's very rare to find a story like this that is so blunt with its messaging and its content without feeling hand-holdy. it doesn't leave much up to metaphor, and the metaphors that we see are obvious in a really great way AND creative as heck!

the content warnings are freaking GENIUS. i've been thinking of how to do this exact thing, worrying it would be an annoyance, but this game freaking NAILS its content warnings by giving everyone the choice to engage with them but not making it a mandatory thing. i'll be remembering that for my own projects...

i've found it's really hard to find erotic visual novels from a female perspective that actually feel like they were written for and by said perspective, and Love & Dehumanization is ABSOLUTELY gay as hell - FRICK YES. the erotic scenes didn't feel voyeuristic in an alienating way, and balanced its sexual and emotional content beautifully. there was something so matter-of-fact about them that i deeply loved.

all in all, Love & Dehumanization is absolutely worth your time whether or not you can personally relate to the game's core themes. i could gush for hours about how it presents its themes, how it shows that Melody isn't alone (in so many beautiful ways, literal or otherwise), but i'll leave it at: this game is all Heart. every second of it was a pleasure. if you're reading this comment and haven't played it for yourself, i genuinely recommend it if it even interests you a little.

this series is SO EXTREMELY outside of my comfort zone, so imagine my surprise when i found myself unable to stop reading! if you go in expecting it to be a one-dimensional gore fest, i think you might be robbing yourself of an interesting read. 

i found the characters deeply compelling and i could tell from the get-go that the premise was going to be explored beyond surface-level violent catharsis. it's a story that depicts incredible acts of depravity and violence, identifies with the emotions behind these acts, but does not condone them or ask you to deify them. the fantastic writing and art direction make this clear to me, and it feels smart enough to trust in its audience to get what's going on without being too vague or holding their hand. 

it's an intense read, as the extensive and in-depth content warnings may suggest, but it's not often a story invests me so deeply that im shouting "HOLY SH*T" at both the spectacle and the character beats. i'm constantly impressed by what these two can do, and i cannot wait to dive in to the rest of their library. watching the already IMPRESSIVELY expressive and evocative visuals evolve was a feast (ha) for the eyes, and the dialogue and plotting made for a shockingly digestible (HAAA) read. 

it's not an easy recommend due to its subject matter, but if you're even remotely interested in this series and think you can stomach it, it's well worth the read and then some. heed the content warnings and respect your boundaries, naturally. it's a pretty unflinching story when it comes to its subject matter, and i don't think that's to its detriment. if you think you can stomach it, consider giving the story a chance.

i'm probably going to be drawing these characters immediately. this story now lives in my brain rent free. i will be thinking about sad sack until i die. 

hats off to you, sus comics! keep up the stellar work!