Wow, thank you so much! That's such a relief to hear, because I'm constantly picking it apart in my brain.
The protag was written as a recovering people pleaser, amongst other things, and unfortunately, Benji knows that. But hey, he knows best, and it's "for your own good," right?
Thanks again for playing and for the kind words :)
Thank you, Raine! It means a lot when people take chances on lesser known games as there’s already tons of amazing ones out there! I’m so happy you like Benji!
I’m also grateful you found the mental health issues honest and relatable. This is so important to me, especially when writing about experiences that are often invalidated in real life.
Anyway, thanks again for playing and sharing your thoughts! Hope you continue to enjoy the game :)
Oh, I see Ellis is growing on you, eh? Shitty Benji vs Sweet Ellis is kinda funny!
Discord makes me nervous as I don't know much about it, and I wouldn't wanna do a bad job. I've heard about devs/artists getting destroyed due to stuff that occurred in their discords and honestly, that kinda scares me. But I'll look into it for sure.
Hi Sandwich (great name btw)! Thank you so much for the kind words about the writing! Expression through the written word brings me so much joy :)
I feel like we don't always get to choose our comfort characters. They kind of just...speak to us? So I'm honored that Ellis speaks to you in that way, and I think he'd be very happy to be compared to a cup of tea on a winter's night. Two of his favorite things!
He's good at inference, but he still might ask you to confirm what "down bad" meant, lol!
Hey, Scarscarow, good to see you again!!! I’m still walking on clouds from your beautiful fanart, and stare at it when I need a pick-me-up!
Knowing how much you liked Benji, it means SO much you still approve! Writing him is tough since he’s been protag’s friend for so long, he’d have to get really desperate to go full mask off. For example, doing mostly pushing back/pulling away will lead to more aggressive interactions towards end of Act 2. I’ve been slow-burning it for now, but Act 3 will have more mask-off moments if the player goes that route. It’s possible to have a fluffy playthrough where protag never realizes...the TRUE horror, in my opinion!
So glad you enjoy the player! Their development is central to the story. Endings will be determined by Benji, Ellis, AND protag's trajectory, which includes staying the same, too.
THANK YOU for pointing out that error! It helps so much to have other eyes! Feel free to let me know if you find others. I’ll compile a list and fix them all at once in the near future, that way I can put out a revised update instead of flooding you all with multiple ones.
Thank you again for coming back to play, and you always have such fantastic feedback! I’m always down for a chat, so if you ever have any more thoughts/questions, you know where to find me :D
Thank you so much! I also love the friends to lovers trope, it's such a classic. I spent so much time on the art, and kept thinking, "is anyone even gonna care?" so your feedback means a lot, thank you again! Hope you continue to enjoy the game :)
Haha, YES! Thank you for noticing! I tried my best to give them distinct feels: warm vs cold, but comforting in their own ways. Thank you so, so much for playing and for the kind words. It's always scary to put your art out into the world, and I'm so incredibly grateful for the encouragement <3
This was such a moving, beautifully-subtle story that made me want to cry and warmed my heart at the same time. It was short and sweet while evoking such powerful emotions. Truly a work of art!
Hi! I will most definitely continue, and I'm working on it as we speak! Thank you so much for this feedback and for supporting small indie devs/games <3
I'm so happy you enjoyed the story and characters! Thank you for taking the time to play. I will pass on the message to Benji, he will be thrilled to have a fan, haha. Thank you again, and I hope you continue to enjoy the next acts!
I'm so glad you think so! Thank you so much for playing and commenting, it means so much! Hehe, and I'm glad you liked some of the small details in the story, too ;)
I truly appreciate this in-depth and thoughtful feedback, thank you so much! The writing is such an important aspect for immersive gaming for me, so I wanted to give it my all. I also wanted to give the player as much autonomy as possible in shaping the story and characters, so I’m so happy you enjoyed that.
Haha, I’m sure Benji would be thrilled to hear people think he is sweet. I was a little worried people might be annoyed or turned off by his clingy nature, so I'm glad you enjoyed his character! I really wanted to explore a deeper, complicated dynamic with him and the player. He’s your best friend, but there’s a lot of layers to that, and it is by no means a perfect relationship even on a wholesome run. As for the stranger, depending on your choices, you may or may not get his route. I wasn’t sure if it would be too difficult, so let me know if it is. If you do unlock him, there’s a chance for a little more interaction and backstory!
It seems a lot of people are wanting updates in parts, so that will be the route I’ll likely go in! I feel so energized and motivated by all of your lovely feedback, so thank you again! I’m currently working on Act 2, which will start exploring more darker aspects of the story if the player chooses to go that route. Very excited to share that with you all as soon as it’s completed :)
No worries! And thanks for the tip; maybe I'll try uploading in parts and see how that goes! In terms of supporting the game, you've already done so much, and I'm super grateful. Playing, rating, and leaving feedback helps so much! But yes, if you have the time and willingness, spreading word about the game would also help with visibility (and hopefully getting indexed on this site, heh).
Thank you so much again, and I hope you enjoy the next installment!
Thank you so much for playing, you have no idea how much that means to me! I’m so happy you liked the characters, but also, if you hated them, that'd be valid, too! I didn’t want them to be just romantic interests, but characters that made you reflect on/question relational dynamics. Also, I saw your feedback on a line, and I’m always open to improvements, if you’re open to sharing!
As for timeline, I honestly had no idea if people were going to like this game. If I upload in increments, the updates will be sooner, but uploading the finished game is an option, too. I’m hoping to get more feedback on this, so if you have thoughts, feel free.
Current plans are: 5 acts per route with 10 possible endings total. Even though each route focuses on a certain character, both will be featured. I’m currently deciding if player can switch routes at some point depending on choices they make. If you have any other questions or are curious about something specific, let me know!
