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I'm truly, hopelessly in love with Na Daoine Maithe and have been for some time now, but with this first major update, I really cannot emphasize enough how absolutely phenomenal of a game it already is in every single aspect.

To start, the writing is extremely compelling, with so much care and detail put into its intricate worldbuilding, vast amount of choices and scene variations that carry over decisions made in previous volumes, and remarkably well-paced storytelling with a true wealth of content (I mean look at the word count we're being treated to!!) that is incredible on so many levels.

Then there's the fact that NDM's characters have me in a permanent chokehold. Sooo many scenes with them live rent-free in my mind, and I can't remember the last time I was so utterly captivated by a cast. Both in their endlessly entertaining dynamics with each other, as well as how individually they all hold such uniquely powerful appeals and intrigue that's just had me dying to get to know everyone better ever since the demo first released.

And now that this update's out, allowing us to finally experience what it's like to really connect with Shae and Maeve on a deeper level? Yeah it MORE than delivered, those two certainly own my heart now and forever, and there's no doubt that with quality routes like this, in the future the other four will be sure to follow <3

I could ramble on forever given enough time, but other highlights that instantly come to mind: love love love the game's MC (who leaves plenty of room for players to roleplay but is still enough of a character to allow for consistent/interesting/imo relatable narration), the voice acting's to die for, I frequently tear up at how amazing the aro/ace spectrum representation is (Shae, Keagan, Robin, Daonna, optionally MC, all of whom are treated with such love and respect for these aspects of themselves...as an arospec ace myself I'll truly never be over it in the best way), and then of course there's the divinely gorgeous art present in all of the glorious backgrounds, CGs, and sprites.

It's no exaggeration to say that I recommend this game with all of my heart and every fiber of my being. It also helps that at this point in time, the price is a complete steal considering what's to come, so do yourself a favor and go for it now! Experience the magic of what makes this game so incredibly special, you won't regret it <3

This is such a lovely game through and through! Charming art and soundtrack, the story and overall vibe a perfect mix of intriguing and cozy, it truly is the game equivalent to enjoying a warm cup of hot chocolate while watching the dance of flames in a fire pit on a cold winter day. For its length, the game is remarkably well-paced, and the writing did an excellent job of so easily immersing me into the experience from the first scene onward.

I really appreciated the clear thought put into the life and people MC is forced to leave behind, as well as MC's lingering feelings toward them as the story progresses, since these are elements I often sadly find brushed aside in other games in favor of focusing on current events and the backgrounds of characters besides MC. I equally appreciated the ability to influence how MC feels about it all, taking the forgiving option myself and being pleasantly surprised when the game respected it by later establishing this forgiveness as part of the narrative and having MC act with their best interest in mind accordingly. As for worldbuilding in general, I loved how naturally it comes into play and found it extremely solid! Without ever getting too dark, the game doesn't shy away from digging into some pretty bitter realities at times, and the way it takes care to address the nature of specific consequences in this world does wonders in grounding it with the kind of realism that makes fantasy settings infinitely more compelling to me. I'll always crave more lore when it comes to worlds like this that I'm invested in (those stories of the other living gods have me particularly intrigued), but the game still manages to cover an impressive amount of ground with details about the fantasy rules, culture, and history without ever dragging down the pace.

Now, for the man behind the legend, Heimos! A seemingly imposing, stern force of nature on the surface, yet an absolutely endearing sweetheart who is both surprisingly approachable and stubbornly self-sacrificing as you get to know him. I really adore who he turned out to be. While I did already expect him to be much kinder than the stories made him out to be, especially with his early guidance, I also expected him to remain wary and be kind while keeping MC at a distance. How much more refreshing it was for him to turn out to be open and receptive to them, and their connection felt all the more genuine because of it. I love how things developed between the two in both his good routes, but I went with the romantic route first and certainly enjoyed it the most (among the many cute moments, I really got quite the kick out of his version of “vengeance,” haha). Still I have to say, major shoutout for not only having a platonic route, but letting people be explicitly either not attracted to men or not interested in relationships at all! Most of the time in visual novels, you're just on the route and how you react decides if it's platonic or not, leaving your MC's sexuality up to interpretation, which is fine but I much prefer how you've allowed people to explicitly state that part of who they are and even have Heimos react to it! On a personal level, it meant so much when I later chose the full aro option and *minor character spoilers for those concerned* Heimos explained his experiences with desire as being very rarely interested, something I share with him irl. Being ace and on the aro-spectrum, I know just how uncommon and important this kind of representation still is, and on top of everything else, for this I can't thank you enough.

Thank you so much, and hopefully this all does justice to the wonderful, enchanting experience I had playing this game! I wish the best for not only its success, but also any other future projects you may have going forward <3

I absolutely adore this game! I had a feeling I would with all of the representation and with how much I enjoyed the demo, but I was still blown away. Art-wise, writing-wise, characters and dynamics, all of it! Noel's route was everything I hoped it would be and more. As an nb ace who's physically affectionate with a bleeding heart, major sweet tooth, many nerdy interests (including card games though not to Noel's extent), soft spot for people who are a bit tsun and/or emo (plus a love of Paramore), aaaaand a bonus goofy/teasing sense of humor similar to a certain lovable DJ whose screen-time I loved every second of...it's an understatement to say I was catered to extremely well, haha. I panicked a few times when I thought I made a wrong choice or that the journey was ending too soon, but it turns out I made almost all the right choices somehow? Thanks to back when I played the demo, I knew going in that I would miss the extra point with Noel for not keeping the keys and getting that scene with him, yet I knew there was no world I wouldn't give the keys up to help Mitts. But even without the keys scene I still managed to make enough other right choices to get his romantic end first try while playing blind, and the journey didn't end too soon at all, it wrapped up the story and Noel's character beautifully. I loved every moment of getting to know him better, seeing not only the romance develop but also the natural, genuine, banter-filled friendship between the dream trio of MC, Noel, and DJ, and of course digging into the details and complexity of Limbo, both as it stands and as it comes to be shaped by the three of them. It's the kind of route that I already see myself revisiting lots of times, and what I felt experiencing the voice acting and art in the final two CGs especially will stick with me forever <3

I'm sure I could say a lot more, but I'll save that for when I've had more time to digest the rest of the game and finish the remaining routes I intend to do, but for now with how much I was affected, I really wanted to gush about Noel's route for a bit. I know that I'm certainly not alone in loving him, but for obvious reasons he's become such a special character to me. I will say that if I had to give feedback for something, I would've loved the chance to tell him I'm ace too when he tells us that, and then have a line or two in the other scene where MC doesn't just explain the other side to him but relates to his side as well. It's not needed, because the MC's lines do read neutral enough that they could either be ace too or not, but being able to freely and explicitly be ace in a game is something that is so rare to do, even less so with a character that shares your sexuality and you're romancing. But I know you have your plate full, and again I've already been more than well catered to, this is just more wishful thinking than anything! Still super grateful for all the representation you've so thoughtfully and wonderfully incorporated!

I really had a wonderful time with this game! For some reason I'm unable to help leave a rating as I intended to do upon finishing the game, which I'm not sure if that's a setting for this game or an error, but I'll at least spread the good word in the comments <3 Basically I'm in love with games like this that aren't merely played and left static but react to the player and are changed as a result of your choices. It may be kind of at odds with my other desire to see ALL the dialogue possible, since it can be easy to miss out if you progress too fast, but on the other hand, it gives me an excuse to finish the game, revisit and reset progress at a later time, and try to see if I can catch what I missed the first time. I already was happy that upon completing a certain route (but not the intended final route), replaying an earlier route did in fact change a few things to reference it, and who knows what other little things you've put in for us to find that I'll have to go back for. I already loved the nod to having it acknowledged once you complete the final route successfully as well when you play it again, even if the line is calling the player out for not letting things be (though not as direct, it reminded me in a good way of post-Pacifist Undertale, which addresses your power as a player to disturb the peace just because you want to replay it). Truly a well-designed game with a fun balance between the slice-of-life and the supernatural!

The writing was so endearing, and you have no idea how quickly the characters grew on me. The intended final route having them all team up, seeing their different dynamics together, the various humor and obvious angst, and of course the satisfying conclusion was all so fun and cathartic! I also loved being free to switch it up between platonic and romantic routes (especially as someone who's ace and on the aro spectrum) depending on the characters' vibes. Admittedly I did get a little unlucky with my first romantic route attempt (not a bad end but a neutral end), because I'm 100% the type to tell people to go home if they're not well and did not want to ask James to stay in class for my sake, then was confused when I never got a choice between romantic and platonic like I did with Toby in my first route. But other than that, my blind playthroughs went very well. I am a little curious if there might be any other method to getting James's romantic route option, since I only got it by consulting the unofficial guide, but I could see how the scenes with Allie being different might be the only way.

Lastly, I want to give a quick shout-out to the awesome nonbinary rep! Not only getting to customize the MC that way (who was a good, relatable character too), but a whole route with Toby as a complex nb lead with fleshed out history with others and a sweet family, and especially the scene at their house with the flag that you can then compliment on?? Super heartwarming, I loved it!

Overall, I highly recommend this game, and I want to thank you for writing such a charming adventure!