What a beautiful story. So impressed at how much feeling and emotion you packed not ~30 minutes of gameplay.
I absolutely loved the VA work but do not see any credits... Is it something you're able to share? Rion's VA did sound kind of familiar, but would love to see if they've voiced anything else!
A very enjoyable start! I wouldn't have known it was your first attempt at making a visual novel if you hadn't said so - everything came together so well, from the characters, their interactions, the setting and setup of the plot. I like the horror vibes and am really looking forward to Rina and Nishida's relationship development! (I already love Nishida so much, as a big fan of the megakuu, aka megane/kuudere overlap haha)
Started off my playlist of 2025 otome jam games, with this as my first! I was surprised the routes were fully written! I'm so used to jam games being demos only, so that was lovely.
My favorite part was actually Gwynette and Vincent's friendships. I loved that by playing both, you can see what happened from each of their sides. I started befriending Gwynette and really loved her optimism, but it also felt a little unsatisfying when she and Vincent got back together... until I played his side and understood. (It would be a cute option to be able to do both as well.)
Lucas was my initial favorite - I'm a sucker for the asymmetrical hairstyle, it seems haha. I liked the moments of shared grief he and Alexis have. The romance did kind of take me by surprise, since I hadn't personally felt anything building up until that final scene. But it was cute to see how well he meshed with their family.
A take-it-or-leave-it suggestion is maybe locking the love interests' clubs behind whether you play as a male or female for those of us who don't read the itch page first (guilty...), but I did also enjoy femAlexis's friendship with Elio.
I am still curious to know what happened with Phillip at the end...
Played just the prologue to mark off my 2024 otome jam list (eek, I'm behind) and had to comment because I absolutely loved it! MC Faye is so cute; I love her freckles and her passion for storytelling. The options in the first scene with Koen to keep going on about the intricacies of the scene made me laugh so hard, and I let Faye speak her piece!
I also love all the little touches, like the CG variations playing out like an actual sequence, rather than the usual expression changes we normally see.
And it's unique to do a reverse isekai spin, with a heroine from a more fantasy-coded land arriving in the modern world! Looking forward to playing the rest of the available episodes~
I absolutely loved the extended demo!
I am definitely biased towards sweet Ankur, but I am also interested in Reuben, as I very much love betrayal themes in love stories.
Loved the writing and setup. The comedic beats hit well, the banter was smooth for both guys, MC felt relatable and easy to vibe with. Adding this on my watch-list and going back to stare at a clip of Ankur's blushy face for a few more minutes.....
Loved the demo! The intro alone made me really intrigued, it was beautifully written. The art is vibrant and fun, I loved the use of polka dots in the backgrounds. And thank you for being a luscious-lips enjoyer as well XD
I'm most excited for Kace, Noel, and Kyle! (Also echoing everyone else to please consider alternate font options ^^;;)
Super fun demo and an amazing concept! I really liked the gameplay in being able to choose which clients to take on, who to set them up with, and seeing how a relationship could possibly develop with the MC. The characters were all interesting; the VA were excellent. Looking forward to the full game!
Very enjoyable demo! I really love the premise of MC having to figure out who the imposter is, with other plots and machinations spinning around in the background. I feel like I already know who the real prince is, but there could be a twist... so I'm looking forward to the release!
Since you asked for bugs: There was a misspelling of "fus"; there was also a (system feedback?) comment at the very top of the screen during Ron's second scene that said an image file was not found. (Looks like his sprite.) He also did not have a sprite for his first appearance.
I loved the demo so much! Super polished, cute, and a very enjoyable work slice-of-life. The VA did an amazing job, I especially liked Cole's VA, with his soft, natural flow.
Cole and Felix are neck-and-neck. Cole reminds me of exactly the type of guy I would crush for in a work setting, someone who is very supportive in the work place, super friendly, and kind (and then you find out he's already taken RIP, definitely not a real life experience, no...), and Felix is just a cutiepie. Dom... has his charms LOL but is definitely not my type unless my MC can put him in his place. *takes out whip* I still think his route will be fun though.
A lot of love put into this demo! Looking forward to the full release~
The demo was amazing!! I loved the edited backgrounds, the gorgeous character sprites, the lively BGM, and the scenes I saw so far were really well done and made me hungry for more. I particularly loved Vin's office scene (hehh) and the dynamic between Maxi/Cora/Nika.
I can really tell how much care and love you have put into this project. The little details, like the gorgeous animated rain, the branded underwear, how you utilize sprite positioning... it's all working so well for me.
Y'all are doing a fabulous job! So much so that I cannot decide who I'm stanning at this stage - so I'mma just be a box pusher ^^;; I will say that I have to restrain the urge to bark every time I see Milo wink/smirk though~
Such a fun jam game! I had a blast and loved the slice-of-life, modern day rom-com vibe of Under Maintenance. Very impressed with how polished it is. Loved the art, the comedic vibe, the sassiness of the protagonist, and the three love interests were great as well.
Which character was your favorite? Why?
LUCA. I love a charming flirty boy in fiction, and Luca did not disappoint at all. He was self confident in a non-offputting way and I love how respectful he is - such a sweetie. He's also super sexy. >.>
Did you manage to make all the guys on the main screen regain their color?
Yessss. We play all routes unless a dude is horribly offputting, which none of these three lovelies were.
What's your favorite moment in the game?
*cough* I did like both scenes in Luca's route during their first "date."
Do you want a Mark route?
I don't want it - he's gross in a horribly irl way - but I would play it if it existed. :) I'm sure he has some repressed pain and trauma to "explain away" the azzhole.
Would you replay the game if it were fully voiced?
Heck yeah! Probably just Luca's route though. I loved his VA. <3
So excited to see an update today!!
I loved the new chapters in the extended demo. Kuuderes and imps are my absolute favorite and I feel SO FED, though it seems I may need to bring a lasso for Faine. :)
I was really surprised how what I thought the "correct" choice for Hen's first major choice interaction ended up seeming like the option that distanced us, whereas the "other" option resulted in more fun scenes. Hen is still dominating the scene for me, but I am also so invested in cracking Faine's shy/distant exterior.
April's reactions and ambitions are still so, so relatable, which was honestly my favorite part. There are some flavor options that let us express our own style, which was awesome. I also like that you give us the warning when a choice matters re: relationships.
The interactions with April's family were also really good, and I was glad to see that they both have sprites! I couldn't help but think of my own hardworking mom during the scenes you get if April chooses to help her mother. <3
Can't wait for your Kickstarter to drop!
Just finished Chapter 1, which did a great job of setting the stage and introducing the cast of characters. I enjoyed the school life portion and seeing Aiya navigate her high school, while dealing with her past trauma and her abilities. Aiya seems very relatable so far. The cast was very loveable, from the silly Manga Club members to Aiya's possible two new female besties. Kenji was so adorkable and my favorite so far.
The spooky bits were really well done! The bad ending made me :screamface: and gave me a glimpse into the overarching mystery. I think my only critique would be that it would have been more meaningful if a certain choice impacted that sequence of events more - otherwise it seems redundant.
I haven't played an episodic release before so am unsure how the save sequences work...? I'm assuming the little sounds we hear when making a choice relate to affection or some other plot thing, so they carry forward with future chapters?
All in all, really looking forward to experiencing the rest of the story!
Wow, MC looks so gorgeous!! I figured it was the case of multiple artists but thank you for responding!
I'm definitely looking forward to more MC backstory since it appears that she is struggling against the common conflict of that time for ladies who do not wish to be married, but her specific circumstances haven't been revealed. I'm curious how you wrote around the issue of her being a marriageable single lady who's out and about sans escort. (Or is that only something for women of a higher social standing?)
Feel free to geek out! I personally loved that scene and discussion, though I'm sure there will be others who might find it too lengthy or do not have the interest to follow along.
I am pretty sure I did not find the hidden scene with Helen, so I'll have to go back and hunt that down!
Such a cute and cozy game! I really liked the overall concept and would love to see y'all develop it into a longer game. The glimpses of the world of the spirits and how they interact with Ivy's world was really cool. Rye is my favorite for his flirty teasing and booknerding, though I loved all three boys. I am also looking forward to that imp, Briar. <3
Just finished one playthrough of the demo. I'm pretty excited about this game and will definitely follow its progress.
My favorite LI so far is probably Donovan, followed closely by Helen. I decided to just flirt hardcore with every love interest, out of pure curiosity, since every game is a bit different in how one lands on a route. (Btw, I like how pre-route affection appears as compatibility calculations during the device test run scene.) Donovan's brash exterior did melt pretty quickly once Emma pointed out his poor behavior, and we surprisingly find out a lot about him just in that first interaction, what with the Q&A. I'm honestly surprised he would reveal that much, but it has also succeeded in making me curious about how a romantic route with him would go. Teach me the ways of the world, Donovan.......
I also liked Helen and the dialogue she has with Emma about being the sword. I'm assuming there will be another scene in the full version before the test run where Emma gets to make her choice... but I was internally screaming at her, "SAY YES!"
Aiden is cute and Hiro seems enigmatic, what with his talk about his dark side, and Dalen has potential as the sweet childhood friend. All in all, I think the love interests are interesting, and I'm looking forward to see where you take the story romantically, especially with all those delicious flirty options.
As for overall feedback... The premise is super interesting, and I can't wait to pick back up where the demo leaves off. I love the discussion between Aiden, Dalen, and Emma about how the forces-that-be will prevent certain paradoxes from occurring, as that is something I haven't seen in media that uses this plot. (Trying to be vague to avoid spoilers...) What I loved the most was how there were not only options to flirt/be friendly/be professional/be rude, but also options within those categories! I haven't seen that before, so it was really cool to be able to choose to flirt coyly or be upfront, or to be rude/blunt.
I love the background art so much - it's absolutely gorgeous! The sprite designs and CG are beautiful too. One question, though - why are there two apparent sprite styles? Aiden, Helen, and Hiro share the same style, and Dalen, Emma, and Donovan share a different style. The CG style is also really different from both. Most players prefer consistent styles at least between the CG and sprites, and with the sprites as well.
Also, assuming the final version will be edited more... Otherwise, this was a really fun jam game! Adding it to my to-track list.
Really impressed with this demo and definitely following this project! The art is absolutely gorgeous. I love how the backgrounds really look suffused with rain, and the character designs are so crisp and lovely, and evocative of manwha style art. Both boys appeal to me, though I slightly prefer Mr. King of Gummies.
I also love the look of the UI, almost like a pathfinder, and how the weather and date display in the top. (Since the characters have different weather preferences, does that come into play...?)
Finally, the choices were really refreshing! I'm not usually one for choices purely for flavor, but I thought it was cool how much of an impact a choice could have. I played around with the different options for the first choice re: April zoning out on the recruiter, and found it hilarious how that choice continued to impact her other encounters. And I also played around with helping Hen first versus returning and thought it was interesting to see how much his behavior towards April changed, which totally makes sense.
Just finished playing Full Bloom Edition. Thanks for the early holiday surprise!! nightowl is still my favorite, though all of the boys were so superbly written and voiced. I think the additions were so smart and on point, really fleshing out the backstories and character motivations while providing more interaction with side characters. And all the activities! Though nightowl and I should never team up, we would share a brain cell... ^^;; Does Faefield have any plans to release a soundtrack? Otherwise I'll keep messing up my itch play hours to rock out to the theme song XD
