itch.io

So... I just played through a bunch of the endings and...

SPOILER

Trying to restart after completing Ending 4 left me feeling horrible, LMAOOOOOO that was a huge mistake.  That bad ending was extremely well done though, some genuinely unsettling meta horror stuff (like, not allowing me to skip, or access the UI, or even to close the game window??? Omfg. That part gave me  CHILLS).

Aside from that, this game is so cool! I love that  the options menu plays a key part in progressing the story,  and that the game itself reacts to you doing standard VN things (e.g. skipping, loading older saves).

I also really like  that Liv (her design and name are so cute!) subverts the expectations  of being a docile love interest in a romance VN.  That you're encouraged to essentially set her free from the game (and that you're punished dearly for trying to replay it afterwards... How I wish I never reopened the game after Ending 4 T-T).

The MC is... so painfully awkward, yet so painfully relatable.  Sometimes you just can't click with someone no matter how you try!

I look forward to seeing your future updates! Especially if they involve a permanent happy ending for Liv... Dear God... 

Congrats on graduating university :D That is a massive achievement that needs time and dedication, so honestly don't even worry about disappearing! Real life comes first after all~

Also congrats on getting your license! And getting a full-time job! 

The burnout is real though. Adulting (cringe word but oh well) means less free time after all... But it's really good that you're still making bonus games and art in the meantime! 

Take care of yourself <3 looking forward to your future endeavours.

YESSSSSS I can't wait to play!!

Looking forward to the new project! :D

Yep! He does :) You can see them (though they might be a bit obscured by his hair) on his in-game sprite!

Thank you so much for reading! I'm glad you enjoyed everything <333 And I hope that being inspired will help you to write something you're proud of!

Hi, that's really strange! I looked it up, could you double-check that you have the correct file installed for your operating system? I.e. the ".win.zip" file for Windows and the ".mac.zip" for Mac?

Awww that sounds like it was a lot of fun 😭❤️ I’m so glad that you guys get that much enjoyment out of talking about my game. Thank you so much for the support!!

Thank you so much! ^.^ 

And heeheehee I'm glad female Liev got you to feel things. Sometimes I wish I had the time to draw sprites of her... 

And yes, baby Liev is so cute! Really makes you wonder what could have happened to make him so... you know.

Just played through all of the endings in one go, so you can see just how fast I got into this game... T-T 

I was so excited to see that you had uploaded a new game, and as with Sweetest Valentine, you did not disappoint! The artwork, the story, and the characters were all great, and I absolutely love the twist on the groundhog day loop premise! 

(MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!)

It actually shocked me to find out that the key to breaking out of the 'loop' was to let go of her, since stuff like Kagerou Daze (nice shout-out btw!) gave me the impression that the true ending would involve sacrificing your life to let Amerta live. But of course since we later find out that there has never been a time loop in the first place, going back to the other three bad endings just makes them harsher in hindsight...

And the true ending was so heartwarming that I nearly cried when I saw that the main menu had changed! It was such a sweet, satisfying conclusion to such a depressing premise, and I'm glad that ultimately, Rendra and Kai are able to come to terms with Amerta's death and move on with their lives.

I can definitely relate to the burnout you experienced all throughout making this VN. It can feel almost impossible to continue on at times, especially when you're uninspired/stressed out from life. But I also think that you've shown a lot of progress! I really liked the implementation of the CG gallery and the changing main menu screen. Aside from that, your art has definitely become a lot more polished!

Anyway, sorry for the blocks and blocks of text, but I love making long comments for games that I really enjoyed.

I hope that you're able to get lots of rest after all of your hard work. You've more than earned it!

This game really played with my feelings... On the one hand, Devyn is introduced as a sweet, but timid person who seriously needs help, so I can't help but want to help him and keep him safe... but at the same time, he displays some very subtle strange behaviour such as telling me that I have a wonderful name despite not knowing it yet. I have some suspicions about the real reason why he ended up bleeding on the grass, perfectly coinciding with the MC's late-night trip to buy milk...

But honestly, what I really like about this demo is that everything seems open to interpretation! Is Devyn's timid and overly sweet personality a ploy to lure the MC into a false sense of security, or is it because he's just smitten with them? Did he really end up bleeding out on the street because of a stalker, or was he just making that up so that you would be convinced to let him stay in your house? It doesn't help that he refuses to go to either the police or a hospital. Was he really stabbed, or were the wounds self-inflicted? Part of me thinks that the blood might not actually have been his, since we never actually get to see the stab wounds... But this is all just rambly speculation!

Other than that, I love the art for this game,  and the overall atmosphere created by the music! It really made me feel like a person walking alone late at night, just trying to make my way home. Like someone really was watching me. 

I can't wait to see how the night unfolds! It'll be very interesting indeed...

Lastly, I got red, orange, and green hearts!

Thank you so much, he looks very menacing here 0_0 

I especially love the way you drew his hair! It looks very fluffy.

Haha, that was the goal! I'm glad you were enjoying yourself though, you know, before I ruined it... (sorrynotsorry) And it seems like I've managed to capture the feeling of what it's like being on a first date, which is good! I would probably be the exact same way in real life, to be honest.

Liev's pose in the main menu was definitely inspired by Monika's Act 3 CG, and I can see the similarities between that game and this! But apart from the pose and the sudden twist, this game is more inspired by yandere games/series, like Mirai Nikki, Sweetest Valentine, and Crimson Gray. 

Thank you so much for playing! And 8 affection points is a good amount! :)

Hehehehe, that was the goal! I wanted to write an intro so sickly sweet that people might forget the kind of game they were getting into... 😏 

Yay, I'm glad you noticed that! It's such a subtle detail, but I wanted to convey just how confused MC was feeling in that moment. And yes, I love evolving title screens! 

Thank you so much for playing! I'll do my very best to make the wait worth it!

(And you're not alone, haha. As you'll find out throughout the game, Liev has, to put it lightly... a lot of issues that contributed to making him as screwed up as he is. The conversation in the gardens is only the tip of the iceberg... 

In short, no, it wouldn't be a bad thing to want to help him. But whether your efforts will be successful or not all depends on the choices you make...)

Thank you so much <3

Thank you so much! :D That makes me very happy.

I actually just did... TT_TT and I'm so happy! 

Thank you so much for appreciating even his old sprite art! But yeah, it was definitely time for an update, and I'm glad to see that you find the new style appealing! I hope your next playthrough will be fun ;) I forgot to mention it in the post, but after the reveal there are some... surprises that have a chance of appearing the next time you open up the game. 

And thank you so much! Lizz sounds good!

Haha, I absolutely love cute-looking games with a disturbing twist. And I'm glad you liked the art! I actually just updated Liev's character sprites, so I hope that you like the new versions better!

Thank you so much for playing! I'll do my very best to make the wait worth it!

BTW, this fanart is amazing! :D

Hiya! I think I've already seen you tag my Twitter @Ct4623, but yeah that's where you can find me! @lucialilium is my Instagram handle, but I don't really post about my game there. And I guess if you'd like to create a hashtag for this game (which would be super cool!) you could just use the game's title/character names (e.g. #pulsatiocordis, #lievlatane) and let me know if you do!

Thank you so much for your interest in promoting my game, and thank you for playing! <3

Hehe, thank you so much for all the compliments! 

And about the rollback thing! That was intentional, and I'm happy you noticed it! It would have been cool if I were able to remove that section from the History so I could really mess with the player's head, unfortunately I have absolutely no idea how to alter the History text...

Thank you so much for playing! :D <3

Thank you so much for playing! I'm glad you enjoyed the experience!

Thank you so much for playing! :D

O.O THIS IS AMAZING!!! I love it so much <3 <3 <3 He looks absolutely adorable in your style!!! Also thanks for giving him shoes ;))) 

Thank you so so much for playing!

Hehehe, that was the ultimate goal! 

And yes, I love those games too! 

Thank you so much for playing :) <3

Thank you so much for playing! I'm so happy that you found the art cute c:

Hi sunspotty! I understand that some people do not like equating pronouns to gender, so thanks for bringing that to my attention. 

I'll put out an update soon that changes the wording of the question to refer exclusively to gender, since on the game's page it states that you can choose either a male/female MC. 

Thank you so much! :D

Thank you so much for playing! <3

Thank you so much for playing! And please don't be sorry about your English. It's perfect!

That's good then! I'm glad you were able to solve it, and I hope you enjoy :)

That's strange... I have Windows 10 as well so there shouldn't be any compatibility issues! Would you be able to post a screenshot of the error? 

AHHHHHH thank you so much for playing T - T And I'm super happy that you like the art! I'll do my very best to make the wait for the full game worth it!

Hi and thank you so much for playing! 

Unfortunately, I can't give a date for certain as I work on this game in my free time in between uni and my part-time job, though I'll say that I'd like to have it finished by the beginning of 2023! Until then, please look forward to it, and if anything changes I'll post about it here!

Hi, I'm sorry to hear that! I've just emailed you with the build :)

Thank you so much for playing my game! I'm very sorry that it scared you so much... If it's any consolation, my best friend and I were both caught very off-guard by the twist while we were testing out the game (and I drew those very expressions he was making!).

Yay, I'm glad you like the characters! And yeah, with their anxiety, MC had to learn how to read the atmosphere really well, especially during high-stress social situations. And you're right! The concept of having to 'lay low' and keep your yandere date happy was actually what inspired me to make this game!

Sorry for the late reply, uni and life have been in the way! Do you have an email I could send the build to, and if so, what operating system do you use?

Thank you so much for playing my game! <3

😂😂😂 Accurate

Yes, that's absolutely fine with me! Just be sure to credit me and it's all good :)