itch.io

Hi there! You published this last January but are you still working on it? I'd like to try to hack this into my main Ironsworn game. Hope you're doing well!

Howly, what you've written is masterful because it is personal. Arches is such a personal and grounded story about addiction, abuse, loss, recovery and, most of all, hope. I realized that this game started during the Covid-19 Pandemic and that says a lot about the nuances and charm this story has. It really is a time capsule of this pandemic and I'm glad it is.

What I personally thought before I started reading Arches was that Cameron and Devon were literally going to go through the town, finding ghosts and learning about themselves and whatnot. But once I found out that Duke and Brian were there, still alive in Echo, it dawned on me. THEY are the ghosts, the remnants of Echo's past horrors and trauma. It makes perfect sense that they would still be there. Cameron and Devon were their last nail in the coffin.

I keep thinking of that shadow that jumped Cameron in the forest, the perceived "fork" during the shotgun blast in the mines. Echo, the town, may be dead but its trauma was still able to seep through. However, that is...kind of necessary? We will NEVER be able to forget our past trauma. No matter how hard we try. Like Devon trying to make up past mistakes, Brian trying to forget his victims and continue his selfish tirade. It stays with you, like a scar. Scars heal but the mark is still there. The only thing we can do is learn and keep moving. Embrace our trauma and choose whether we want to keep living or just stop. You can never get what you had back. Your choices define your future.

Thanks again for making this short novel. It might not be as "popular" as the other vns but I don't think that is the point. The best creative works in the world are when creatives create for themselves and the world simply enjoys what they created. You wrote something for you and it clearly does resonate with many folks.

Thank you for your hard work. You are appreciated and loved. All of you peeps in the Echo crew. Thank you. ❤️

Ace and Gary, The Ambiguously Gay Duo from Saturday Night Live and Furry Force from CollegeHumor. Anyone remember those two cartoons? I know it sounds random as hell but while playing Glory Hounds, my mind immediately thought about those two cartoons. They're dumb fun at best, cringey trash at worst but thinking about it now, I wonder how bad of a picture they painted in the eyes of "normal people". Y'know, milquetoast, white-bread "Christian" types who stick their nose up at shit like this thinking "how horrid!" Blah blah.

Now, I never liked superheroes to begin with. I couldn't keep up with comics because there were too many multiverses or side-stories going off on different tangents. I grew up on superhero films but I could never connect with any of them. I don't like power fantasies (shocker, I know) and I couldn't relate due to how fantastic their backstories were while mine is rather bland and fucked up.

I didn't know what I was expecting from Glory Hounds. When I first heard about it, I gave it an 'ehh' due to my distaste in general. However, after reading Echo (and finally finishing it. Man, what a trip that was), I became obsessed with Visual Novels, excited by the prospect of reading again. So, I gave Glory Hounds another shot. The first thing that blew me away: the animation and the music just in the title sequence. My jaw literally dropped. This is coming from a Ren'py engine?? I couldn't believe it. I haven't read too many Ren'py Visual Novels but the Echo Project have impressed me in such a short span of time.

As for the first issue itself, I felt giddy after finishing it. This VN wasn't just gay, it was positively gay, it was upliftingly gay, it was BEAUTIFINGLY GAY! Nearly every character was handled delicately and had a great sense of charm. The futuristic world and atmosphere looked impressive and fun! The story itself was lighthearted but serious with an air of mystery surrounding it. This is not your typical superhero story and Alex is very relatable. I love Raoul and his overall goofiness. He is played off as a "Batman-type" figure but he shows how much fun he's having doing it, like nothing fazes him. I'm excited to see how the story unfolds and I'm glad you're doing this by " comic issues" giving us time to gush while giving yourself ample time to work on the next story beat.

Coming back to what I've first said, Glory Hounds is nothing at all like the two cringey cartoons I've mentioned. GH has heart, charm and a great sense of positivity embedded into its personal narrative. I can't wait to see what happens next

Maybe a little homo as a treat