itch.io

Hi Seyun, I've written to you before about console deployment, but I wanted to follow up and let you know that I finally got a Windows PC and finished Love, Sam.

I must say I am really impressed by the narrative sleight of hand in the story, and how it was woven into the gameplay - Love, Sam shows how gaming medium can elevate the concept of an unreliable narrator in ways that books or movies simply can't.

The story itself is also subtle and profound. There have been many discussions around Sam and Kyle, but the character makes rethink the most is Brian. While some players might see Brian as indifferent and never took Sam for serious. I do think, or perhaps just want to believe, that his connection with Sam was geniune (sharing private space and common interests are not small things for Brian, even though he looks outgoing and popular). From his perspective, he may just have been overwhelmed by confusion or unsure of how to reconnect with Sam. All these tragedies combined with his own childhood trauma made him want to escape and leave everything behind. I might be wrong - but in any case I'd love to hear what was going through your mind when you were designing Brian as a character.

The game is really very well made, and some of the mechanics, e.g. camera, are genius and fits the horror atmosphere perfectly. If I were to offer one piece of constructive feedback, it would be regarding the reasoning/hints of the puzzles - the toilet one, for example. It could benefit from clearer enviromental guidance to help the player follow the logic of the hints to escape, rather than trying randomly in the darkness (there is chance that a player just escaped because of luck, or they get stuck for long) - but again, that's just my personal preference for puzzle games. 

I will play Letters of Bernard Thorne when I have time, and looking forward to more of your new works in the future!

Keqi