itch.io

Wow, I totally forgot about Karin! I'm so glad you decided to give her her own story after she was removed from the original Contact game. I see Daniel, too (my favorite)! I look forward to this. :)

By the way, will Karin have more romantic interests? Just guys, or girls, too?

Wonderful visual novel! This is easily the best I've read/played, so heartfelt and in-depth. I even bought all DLCs on both itch.io and Steam. 

Out of curiosity, have you ever thought about this game being on the Switch? If so, I imagine the price would be the total of all DLCs if joined as one release, since the base game is free. That would be awesome! But I totally understand if it's not feasible, and I respect that. I'll continue to play the game on my PC laptop and Android phone with no complaints at all. (But do know that it would be an instant buy from me if on the Switch, lol).

Thanks for the reply and for your understanding.  I'm glad you're committed to this project. :)

Regarding the characters, yeah, that sounds about right, and it's great to know how they're developed. A porn VN is so boring to me, so I appreciate the fact that yours isn't one, and that we get to really connect with these characters that are 3D both physically and emotionally, all while having the bonus of hot sex scenes. And that book recommendation sounds interesting. I'll have to check it out sometime. Thanks again!

Welp. I guess I can start over and pursue Riley now, lol. It was between him and Matt, but I share a similar sentiment to the poster you replied to. That said, it's also realistic, and it makes for a more interesting story where, like in real life, not everything is perfect. In fact, maybe some of the ones we typically assume are the unfaithful types might surprise us, much like the opposite with Matt.

Though, I hope we can at least have the option for an "almost perfect" romance later down the line, even if it's closer to the end. Sex is hot and all, and I'll try every single route available for completionism's sake, but at the end of the day, romance is more my thing, which I'm so glad this story offers. I look forward to how the rest of the story unfolds.

Anyway, keep up the fantastic work! Now that you're seemingly far from ever giving up on this project and willing to complete it, I just may subscribe to your Patreon. (I've been burned before, hence my initial reluctance.)

I hope this title is one of the ones that will eventually be released on the Switch someday. I love all your work. :)

About a year ago, you mentioned in the comment section that there will probably be a Switch version. Is that still the case? If so, I assume it'll be the SFW version, since it's Nintendo, but that's still wonderful news because I'd love to play it on the Switch.

Also, will there be any SFW versions of your other games on the Switch? Just asking for my own knowledge. Thanks in advance!

Ugh, I was already stuck between Riley (adorkable factor) and Matt (best friend factor), and now, you throw in two hot "daddy" professors into the mix to further complicate my decision.

But seriously, great job with the new chapter. I'm really enjoying this VN because it's sexy and smart with substance, and I appreciate that you can choose whether you're attracted to the men you meet. Many are so attractive that it's hard to choose from, not that I'm complaining. I can also now see why the game is only a couple of months story time because we're still on the first day, and that alone takes a bit. (Which is a good thing.)

Anyway, thank you for creating this VN, and I look forward for more.

I just discovered this game today via jtommrug's Collection here on itch, and as a fellow writer, it's right up my alley because I love reading and writing college stories. I've enjoyed visual novels like "Bound to College" and "Straight?" and really look forward to this one. The guys in yours are all very attractive, and as a romance fan, I'm so glad there are romance routes with the option to be a monogamous guy (or a big slut, lol). And it's even better that the MC is a writer attending an art school!

By the way, you mentioned there being one in-game semester. Will that be all for the story, or will you eventually complete both semesters of freshman year? And how about the rest of the four college years? It's not a deal breaker either way, just asking. 

I'll be following the development of your game. Good luck! :)

Edit: I played the little demo you have, and I loved it. I tried all the options I could, and I'm even more excited to continue. I'm stuck between Matt and Riley, because of the best friend and writer factors, respectively. Gah, can't wait for more!

As a writer, I'm very good with grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Unfortunately, I don't speak Italian to be able to translate properly. I hope you find a qualified translator. Good luck!

This game seems like an ambitious project with all that you have planned, but I absolutely have faith that you'll succeed because of the quality so far. It really does look promising. I certainly couldn't create a game like this myself, so I'm grateful that you're able to make it for us.

And more mermen?! Yes, please! (I wouldn't mind an under-the-sea triad route...hint hint, lol.) ;)

*gasps* Merman...

But seriously, I can't wait to play this! All the men are very attractive, and I love that the MC wears glasses. Great option for reversible roles too. I bought your other two games, so I'll definitely buy this one. :)

Oh, okay. Thanks for the clarification. :)

From the reward previews, I noticed that there was a dark-skinned character who is no longer seen, named Aiden. Is he being worked on, or was he cut out of the game like Karin was? It's not a big deal; I'm just asking because he was also attractive like the others are.

Keep up the great work! :)

Thank you so much for that added clarification! I apologize for the misunderstanding regarding your story. Truthfully, it's a relief to know because I'm here for the story, so it's definitely good that you cleared that up.

Late reply! You may already know this, but I wanted to clarify to others that in plenty of American states, the age of consent is 16, while in others, it's 17 and 18.

However, when it comes to sexually explicit content in fiction stories, the universal minimum age is 18, as long as the content is written to titillate the reader, versus adult fiction where explicit sex may be included as part of the plot and not for titillation. All fiction texts are protected speech in America and therefore not illegal, but credit card companies still avoid that kind of content. As a result, virtually all sites that offer a payment system won't touch erotic content involving underage characters because payment systems are generally tied to credit card companies in some form or another.

Now, when it comes to illustrations, it's definitely illegal in America if the characters are under 18. So, the illustrations (not the text) were most likely the reason for the old version of the story being banned on Steam and not even available on itch. That is, assuming the old version included sexually explicit illustrations of underage characters.

I hope this helps!

Thank you, Mr.Ryu. I appreciate that very much, and I also apologize for any misunderstanding on my part. :)

Sadly, the 18+ DLC won't be available to anyone who didn't already back the game during the Kickstarter campaigns. The last chance to own a copy of the 18+ DLC was in November, and that's considered the full version of the game. Whoever wants to buy the game but didn't back it during the campaigns, they'll now be stuck with the 12+ public version. :(

I hope this helps!

Unfortunately, the 18+ DLC won't cost additional money because it simply isn't available to anyone who didn't back the game during the Kickstarter campaigns. The November campaign was the last chance to own a copy of the 18+ DLC, which is considered the full version of the game. As a result, everyone else is stuck with the 12+ public version if they want to buy this game. The 18+ DLC will never be available again, according to what I read on Kickstarter. :(

I hope this helps!

Wow...I feel taken aback by your reply. So, not only had I apologized more than once, but I even made myself clear about what I said, or I attempted to, at least. I even tried to be polite about it while offering constructive advice in hopes that you could understand the situation from a different perspective. If my replies ever came across as snarky or sarcastic, then I sincerely apologize because the tone was never meant to be taken that way. I especially never meant to trigger an argument out of it, much less be offensive in any way. I don't understand why you have to be so rude and unfriendly.

Honestly, given your response to me and to some others, I'm appalled. If you knew how to run a business like you claimed, then you'd also know the kind of attitude that a developer is expected to have toward their customers, because at the end of the day, you're still a business. Without supporters and customers, your product would either not exist or exist only as a hobby project.

Maybe we're just not getting through to each other, whether it's a language barrier on both our parts or something else, but that still doesn't excuse your rude and unfriendly reply. For what it's worth, I'm one of the lucky ones who actually bought the full version (18+ DLC) in November during the last campaign, but that doesn't mean I can't agree with the complaints here. (By the way, I'm a native English speaker; I know exactly what the word "last" means, thank you very much.)

Now, I really wish I had known that you had the capability to treat your customers like this so that I wouldn't have supported your game in the first place. It's really a shame that you have to act like this when I was never even unkind. Somehow, you feel attacked and have to resort to defensive remarks that don't even make you look professional at all. Why? What do you even get out of replying in that manner?

Anyway, this isn't getting us anywhere, so I will leave the argument now because it's not worth my time anymore. I'm not here to start any drama or arguments. Good luck with your game.

I'm not sure if you're replying to me or to the person I replied to above. However, I never outright claimed that you lied, nor have I made anything up to try to hurt your reputation as a business.  I was merely echoing the common complaints here, expressing confusion as to why you made the business decision not to make the 18+ DLC available outside of the campaign, expressing hope that maybe you could reconsider your decision one day, and speculating said decision. After all, this is a discussion thread that welcomed this particular topic. I apologize if you mistook my words.

That said, you're a developer offering a business product. If you want your business to remain professional, then I suggest you calm down with the accusations and defensive attitude because I can assure you that is not professional at all. Truthfully, I don't want to see your reputation affected over this backlash because you offer a promising product. All businesses are criticized in some way or another, be it negative or otherwise. That's just the nature of doing business that companies (or developers in this case) must prepare for. Again, I apologize for any of my words that might have made you feel attacked in some way, but I can assure you that it was never my intention to attack your business.

So, instead of getting worked up like you did here and even in your comment to the other person, maybe you can learn from this experience and realize why so many customers are rightfully unhappy about your decision to no longer offer the 18+ DLC. Perhaps you didn't expect this backlash over your decision, but is it really surprising? Personally, I think you should've offered another kind of reward for your original backers instead of something as common and essential (to many people) as 18+ DLC that's known as the full version.

And yes, you're right that this game is in early access. I do understand the difference. However, that still doesn't change the fact that the 18+ DLC is known (by your words, no less) as the full version, prompting customers to feel like they don't have a more complete product, so to speak, because in order to get the most complete product, they must own the 18+ DLC that is no longer accessible to them in any way, shape, or form. I mean, you really can't be surprised by the negative reaction to your decision, you know?

I hope my detailed reply clarified things for you. :)

EDIT: I want to add that people found out about the 18+ DLC version because it was never a secret to begin with. Well, at least according to the implication from your reply. (If I misunderstood that part of your reply, then I apologize.) I actually found out about it in November while the final campaign was still going on. Mind you, I wasn't trying to search for this game since I hadn't even known about its existence until then. But the information was and still is very public. In addition, you yourself mentioned about it in the following blog post that is equally public: https://itch.io/post/4716236

Unfortunately, November was the final campaign, which was the last chance to get the full version before it would no longer available in any method whatsoever. Now, all these comments from people who didn't even know about the last campaign, much less the game itself, are rightfully upset. I know the dev explained there are (legal?) issues with putting out 18+ content, and I fully understand having to separate said content from the main game. However, unless it was a full-blown porn game a la PWP (it's not), I don't see why the 18+ DLC can never be sold again as if forever sealed inside a locked vault. At the very least, it could've been sold exclusively on the dev's website, but nope.

I seriously can't fathom the point of this business decision when the dev could easily make great sales from the 18+ DLC, even if sold separately, given that so many people want access to it. I mean, there are tons of visual novels out there with optional 18+ content available to all adults, whether free or paid, on both itch and Steam. Some of these games even have censored versions on the App Store and Switch. Is it because the sexual content in the full version of Dead Dating is extremely graphic? Or is it related to any possible laws in the dev's country? (I believe they're in China, if I'm not mistaken?)

Anyway, I hope the wave of complaints will get the dev to think twice about their decision. It especially doesn't help that the 18+ version is called the full version, leaving many people to feel as if they don't have a complete or proper game, given the price.

This seems like a great game from the little bit I've played so far. I like Mike, and I like that you can choose between Daniel, Connor, and Chris as romantic routes. I look forward to more of the game, and I hope the development continues.

By the way, regardless of whether you already mentioned it in a blog post somewhere, I think this game page here should be updated now that Karin is no longer available to play as (nor does she even exist anymore). It's only fair in case some people buy it or donate to it for that reason, and not everyone reads the blog posts. Or at the very least, clarify that she's been temporarily removed, if just to avoid confusion. Just a suggestion!

Keep up the great work! :)

Ay, pues que bueno que puedo confiar en tu español! Gracias por la respuesta, y que lo pases muy bien esta navidad! :)

Even though my Spanish is fluent and this game serves as great practice for me, I'd still like to have an English translation as well. However, please take your time because it's best not to rush these things. :)

Como Latino de E.E.U.U., me gustaría practicar más el español, y jugar un "visual novel" en ese idioma sería un idea buenísimo. Talvez sea una pregunta tonta, pero quiero saber si tu español es nativo/natural? Perdón por qualquier error en mi comentario! :)

Oh, I didn't know that! Thanks! :)

That's how I've had to play the game as well, via the itch app. Personally, I don't like to be tied to it because all my other itch games are DRM-free.

Anyway, I hope there will be a solution to all these issues very soon because it's unacceptable for this to be happening. I get that there will be bugs and whatnot, but definitely not launch issues on day 1 of release. Like you, I feel bad for many others because they rightfully want to play the game they purchased and can't. :(

So, I bought the full version (NSFW) during the final campaign last month, and I didn't know it was going to require the itch desktop app to play it, much like games on Steam. Is there a DRM-free version of the game available for purchase, even if it's just the public version? All the visual novel games I bought on itch are DRM-free, which allows me to store the files on my flash drive and play them right there instead of installing them on my computer. In fact, I thought all games on itch were DRM-free, but I guess not. If there isn't a DRM-free version available, will there ever be someday?

Thank you so much for confirming this because he is easily the hottest choice in my eyes, and there's nothing worse than being teased and taunted without a guaranteed direction. :)

Thank you for the prompt reply. I had no idea it was an Itch support issue, so I appreciate the clarification. I'll definitely try that option.

I didn't get a Steam key after my first purchase of Red Embrace: Hollywood, which was the point of getting the game on Itch because of the current half-off sale with the ability to get both Itch and Steam versions. I emailed the devs about it, but it was only last night, so it might still be a while before they respond (assuming they do since not all devs do).

So, as a test, since I had money to burn and wanted to report the results to others who may have experienced not getting a Steam key with their purchases, I decided to buy it again (screenshot below). What do you know? I got the Steam key the second time, and on a different downloads page, no less. Now, I'm left with two copies in my purchase history. I don't recall it ever saying on the main game page that you had to do this to get the promised Steam key. I bought the original Red Embrace and Requiesence, and both gave me the Steam key right away, as well as games by other devs. The screenshot I provided is actually for the second purchase, but it looked just like that the first time, which tells you that a Steam key is included.

I'm honestly not trying to start trouble or anything, but this does come across as unfair. I mean, I have two separate copies of the same game, except only one has the Steam key still listed on the downloads page for that purchase, while my first purchase, which has a different downloads page, still doesn't. Is it even normal to have two different downloads pages for the same game? Unless I'm missing something? Maybe they're different release versions? It doesn't seem like it, though. Some clarification would've been appreciated.

By the way, I'm not blaming anyone but myself for the double purchase that I didn't have to make, but my complaint still stands because one shouldn't have to do this just to receive a Steam key that was promised, unlike with other games on Itch. I'm honestly taken aback by this experience, and it does make me hesitant to buy another Argent Games title on Itch, which is a shame because I was looking so forward to the next Red Embrace game. :(

EDIT: I added more screenshots to show that I own two copies and that only one has a Steam key.