itch.io

i shall steal abra's joke and say that i give this game 5 stars in art, 5 stars in story, 5 stars in music and 0 stars in humanity :D

(SPOILERS)

this is such an original and creative interpretation of the school of dark arts theme, and just an awesome concept in general! the idea of a secret school focused on torture is great on its own but it's super impressive how it's used to its fullest potential. torture methods being a balance between pain and art, the graduation project and the consequence of failing it, even small things like mathematics and biology being some of the subjects goes to show how much thought was put into this world. and on top of a great foundation, the plot is really interesting! i got really invested in knowing if the main characters would come up with a good enough idea for a torture device (please don't take that out of context) :>

before delving into the plot, i have to mention that the presentation is amazing! the pixelart is perfect, everything feels like it has the right amount of detail. the characters being so tall is a neat change from the common rpg maker character style, and the variety of poses and movements they can do is really great. i especially loved the gorey scenes; the messed up look of the tortured people, the big (but not excessive) amount of blood, their small movements as they breathe, the fact that they're usually faceless... from the artstyle i still can't tell if in the presentation projects they used real people or not, and tbh that's really unsettling haha. and the busts are great too! limin's rugged artstyle fits the game like a glove, and the amount of unique character designs is really impressive (at the start i assumed only harry would get portrait privileges so it was a fun surprise to find each new one!). i did notice harry's sprite and busts look somewhat different (maybe it's just the hair color), and at times it felt a bit jarring, but it didn't take me out of the game of anything. and of course, the best art in the entire game, brian's drawings. 11/10 no notes. overall this game looks absolutely fantastic! (almost forgot; the machinery-like dialogue box did not go unnoticed. such a cool detail!)

and the music!! in the first scene when that weird mechanical reversed sound played for the first time, i knew i was in for good shit haha. super atmospheric and well made. whenever a track played it fit the scene so perfectly that i almost forgot it was there (that's a compliment i swear-). super moody. and the sound effects were great as well; their scarcity definitely made each one pop out a lot. the presentation is just top notch!

one of the things that sticks out a lot in this story is how... realistic everything feels. i've already said there's a great attention to detail in the worldbuilding, but the general plot and the succession of events felt incredibly real. like, if there was actually a school of torture irl and this was the graduation project, i'd believe this game is exactly how it would play out haha. the main characters pitching in different ideas while overlooking their flaws, getting advice from different people who graduated, getting anxious as time goes on and they haven't progressed as much as the others... and the way each idea for a project gets picked apart and analyzed, bringing up real concerns of why it wouldn't work, really goes to show once again how much effort was put into the writing. it would've been easy to make everything super over the top but the more grounded feel makes the plot genuinely compelling; i really wanted these guys to make their own torture machine, damn it!

but obviously everything here isn't grounded in silly reality, and when the plot gets creative it's always extremely fun lol. the different graduates harry and his friends go to being actual real life people?? including fucking david szymanski?!?! (AND YOU GOT PERMISSION FROM HIM WTF THAT'S AMAZING?!?!???!?!?!?) it legit took me a while to process it when it happened haha. but it honestly fits the story? like, if the point of this world is that this school actually exists but it's secret to everyone else, using fictionalized versions and/or descendants of real people makes perfect sense. like, you can't prove they didn't attend a torture school, can you? (and on that note the pop culture references (which were really amusing as well, the jojo's one made me actually scream lmao) also work in establishing how everything takes place in the real world!) maybe i'm reading too much into it haha, but it's really clever! and of course, i can't talk about creativity without mentioning the torture methods, cuz... idk if they are original ideas or not, but HOLY HELL they're so clever!! each one is extremely creative and actually getting to see them in action was gnarly as hell. a couple of them made me physically flinch in concept alone lol. i got a little worried that the project harry would go with maybe wouldn't quite reach expectations, but nah man, the vitruvian is actually diabolical. this game is filled with so much creativity and polish!!

i will say there were some points in the story where i felt conversations were going on for a bit too long, or getting somewhat repetitive. the overall banter and jokes are fun and make the dialogue really amusing! but some scenes (like the ones in the cafeteria) could've been a bit shorter, and at the meeting scenes i feel like the group explaining their project ideas could've also been cut, since they've already talked about them before. and this is a nitpick but it got a bit hard to tell apart the members of harry's group that weren't harry, maybe their names could have differently colored text to make it easier to tell them apart visually? also, i found a bug (i played the 1.4 version) where in david's room, next to one of the posters, you can go through the wall. not a big deal ofc! but i thought i'd mention it.

but yeah, overall this game was fantastic!! super original and all the ideas were done great justice. i was honestly a bit skeptical of how this jam's theme could be used in creative ways (nothing against schools of dark arts, it's just not a concept that intrigues me a lot personally), but this game proved it can be used to its full potential. amazing job!! :D

(only 3 stars in pain though; the playing experience was mostly completely harmless. except the moment where we're reminded of the e.t. atari game of course, this should be reported just for that /j)

i think something about this universe that really makes both itself and each game stand out is how everything changes depending on the protagonist. even when the events, world and characters are the same, the way the narration and descriptions show how the main character(s) view it is always incredibly intriguing and it gives a new perspective on everything, and since no two protagonists feel exactly the same, it's really fun finding out what deranged shit will come out of their thoughts haha. each game that takes place in this city feels almost like you're hearing a testimony from each character; they only talk about the things they know, they sprinkle in their own thoughts and experiences, and while you can easily piece together the greater narrative... the way everything is presented makes it feel like you're hearing diverse self-contained stories, so it never feels boring! it's really impressive how well this universe is crafted and interwoven, and how each game still manages to feel unique :D

ok now in terms of this specific game, damn that was a trip!!

(SPOILERS)

a criminal power couple fits this world like a glove lol. adalyn and evan are extremely fun, from the first scene to the last. adalyn's (literal) taste for blood and morbid thoughts, evan's gentleman-like attitude with helping with murder, and both's complete lack of empathy towards anyone else other than themselves were incredibly amusing. but what makes them stand out a lot (aside from the game's gleefully graphic descriptions and visuals of their hijinks, which are also fun as hell) is that aside from everything crime related they're just... kind of a normal couple. when they have a conversation about their future (even if said future is changing their names because they're literal murderers), or helping each other with something, the way they talk makes it clear that they care for each other and their future child. obviously i'm not saying "tHeYrE kIlLeRs bUt tHeY lOvE eAcH oThEr sO tHaT mEaNs tHeYrE gOoD", but it does show the normal in their crazy; they genuinely believe their mentality and actions are fine, so there's no reason they wouldn't act like normal people outside of that. i think it's really interesting how this game shows the surprising depth of seemingly "jokey" characters.

speaking of jokes, wow this was a goddamn riot XD the last game i played from yours was bedrot so it's nice to get something more lighthearted haha. the asshole cashier, the extremely sudden burst into violence, adalyn's comments about how appetizing the blood seems, evan's lack of shock towards everything except adalyn being pregnant, how easily adalia convinces her mother to get poison for her... this is definitely one of the funniest games in the series, and the goofy tone is a nice contrast with how dire the other games can get :>

a liminace game has good art? in other news: water is wet (srsly tho, the art was amazing and everything looks great! love how the tilesets have small details like dust spots or slightly off-center objects, really goes to show how much detail was put into the presentation. and the character design and CGs are incredible! adalyn and evan look both conventionally and unsettingly good looking, if that makes sense. and it feels like with each game the character art is even more polished; the expressions, posing, and level of detail are top notch. and this isn't exclusive to this game but i love the use of colors to emphasize the characters' emotions! overall this game is a MARVEL to look at)

i feel like there could've been one more map and/or walking segment at the end, even if it didn't have any puzzles, so there's a small breathing room in between the dialogue and CGs (idk how much time you had to make this game tho. maybe setting the conversation between adalia and his husband with sprites and a map instead of CGs could've worked? or maybe that would've been even more time consuming idk lmao). and idk how valid this point is cuz i haven't played TCPC chapter 4 yet but... the goofiness of adalia's parents felt slightly at odds with how seriously her actions are treated in TCPC. i understand that it makes sense for a character who's evil in such an over the top way that the people who raised her are also evil in an over the top way, but it almost felt like having fun with adalyn and evan's horrible actions was an indication that the player didn't have to take adalia's too seriously (obviously adalia and TCPC aren't humorless, and again i haven't played chapter 4 yet, these are just my impressions of this game and the first three chapters). maybe if adalyn and evan ashlyn and everett weren't her parents, but her ancestors, explaining the behavior of the whole family tree while still keeping some distance between adalia and these two's goofiness? that would probably have taken a lot of rewriting though lol.

overall this was great!! a really fun ride that both successfully explains one of the character's past, and also makes you really fear for what's to come. now if you'll excuse me, i shall finish this review and take a break over some delicious castor bean tea 🍵

ohhh i see!! that's a lot of interesting stuff i had no clue about :O it's always so so cool to play games where the creator/s put a lot of effort into the background and lore.

i definitely get what you mean, explaining everything can end up being a drag and i understand that in a game like this, loredumping could just be detrimental to the experience. and ooh, i totally missed henry disappearing, that's on me whoops XD ahh he saw the true nature of the kids' spirits, ok ok gotcha (me missing stuff seems to be a common theme in a lot of my comments hahskds).

i'd love to talk more about the game on discord! :>

(SPOILERS)

rule of thumb: if the protagonist of an rpg maker game is a child, they probably have killed/will kill someone.

i think that, out of all your games, this is by far the scariest one. the combination of the atmosphere, the mystery of the story, the haunting music, the creepy artstyle that elevated every event... it was all incredibly eerie. at some points i physically recoiled in my seat cause i thought a jumpscare was about to happen haha. at the very beginning, when you can't move and suddenly two children slowly disappear, that set the tone up PERFECTLY. man this was so good.

the story was really intriguing!! the idea of a children "slipping off" out of the normal world, and being watched over this evil spirit that wants to play with them, is really really creepy. and the fact that this kid is willing to go to another country just to find his little brother, because him disappearing made his parents not even care about him... it's really tragic, but really compelling. even if this isn't a GANA game, i really got the GANA vibe of "something supernatural happening that only a few people can see"! i feel like the beginning is a bit confusing, since it's not immediately apparent if it's connected to charlie or not, and i kept thinking "wait am i playing as the brother of the two kids who disappeared?" but that didn't prevent me from getting hooked into the story so it's not a big deal. oh, and i loved the unexpected twists and turns the plot took! charlie killing the monk was SUCH a shock haha, but it didn't feel unearned, and i think part of that is because of just how much information is always kept from you. every step of the journey is filled with so much mystery, from the opening scene, to meeting the monk and not knowing if he's lying, not knowing who these spirits are or what do they want (the moment they appeared, i ran away like a coward until charlie said they weren't hurting him lol, such a cool moment :D), finding strange places like the wolf head altar, exactly what even is rirou... i think i would've preferred to have a bit more stuff explained, but it's undeniable how much intrigue and dread comes out of the mystery of the plot. really great stuff.

speaking of intrigue and dread, i REALLY love this "other world" where the rirou lives. everything about it is just... incredibly eerie. the all-consuming blue hue, the seemingly random traces of the real world (the trees, fences, streetlights...), and of course the "ghosts" and their strange games. and sequences like the music game and tony made me the most tense that i've been in a while haha. and like i said, not knowing anything about this spirit or this world really helps in building that atmosphere. you said in a comment that you based this game on a dream you had, and honestly it's easy to see it, it has such a dreamlike and ethereal feel to it.

in terms of presentation, wow! this game's visuals are so unique, and great with conveying the feel of everything. the ghosts are super creepy and i love how blurry and ethereal they look, it's hard to make a distinct ghost design but they were extremely memorable! i love the narration text at the beggining and the end, the opening sliding doors at the start of each part, and in general the use of japanese architecture and symbology. really dig how handdrawn the original art feels, damn this is such a beautiful game. and the MUSIC!!! oh my god, the music was amazing. every single one of the tracks was absolutely incredible, and captured the feeling of each sequence perfectly. it feels like it creeps into your head and doesn't let go, forcing you to experience this twisted story and feel as disturbed as possible. it elevated the unease i felt sooo much. the presentation was just fantastic all around.

like i said, i feel like some more things could've been explained, like what is the altar, what do these games the creatures are playing mean... it's not too bad (and in some aspects it does support the "dream-like" feel of the game), but part of me wanted to get slightly more answers. and there's this one point right at the end, before charlie and henry see the monk, where charlie says "i see it all now" and some images of the ghosts appear... honestly i didn't really understand what happened, and i don't know to which extent that's my own fault lol.

overall this was great!! a twisted, bittersweet nightmare that gripped me and didn't let go for a second. if i played this as a kid i would've probably fully believed "slipping off" was a real thing and subsequently would've been scared shitless XD

HELPPPP THIS WAS SO CUTE AND WHOLESOME AAAAA-

(SPOILERS)

the darker elements of a lot of your stories and worlds are always super intriguing, so a much lighter game like this feels really refreshing and unique! i kept waiting for a super dark twist to happen but nope haha, it's just a simple story about family members reconnecting and trying to protect their world, and i was all there for it. the plot isn't too complicated but it's really intriguing, and the pace at which you receive information is really well done. i also appreciated how (relative to your other games) long the game was, it really helps build the mystery and attachment you have for these characters (not saying that short games are bad ofc; just that the bigger length fits this story really well :>).

the visual design is really cool!! like a lot of other worlds in the laxyverse (patent pending), the backgrounds are simple but memorable, and the color palette brims with so much personality. i love how vibrant the mentha forest looks! the greens are so pleasant and nice to look at, i could almost taste the mint haha. it also makes for a nice contrast with how "dark" the characters look. and just when you feel like the over-encompasing green might start to get repetitive, there's always some small but really cool shakeup to the visuals (the antlers with yellow eyes at kareta's home, the river, the amber wall, the dead part of the forest, the flashes of yellow when someone uses a spell...) that keeps everything engaging. and the character design is great as well; i said this in my slumber comment but it feels like your designs evolve with each game, and here the way the elks look is really unique and memorable. love how everyone follows the same design "template" but have small differences, like their antlers or decorations on their heads, that makes them easy to tell apart. this game is just super pleasant to look at.

though i said the story was wholesome, and it is, i think here there's a really smart way that, at every point until the ending, there's always some sort of intrigue that keeps building up. just from learning at the start that there's a monster lurking in this forest, it makes the beginning part super tense. every time the screen went black and sai counted to ten i kept saying out loud "his sister is dead, his sister is dead, his sister is so dead-" lmao. and when she does go missing and you meet the curse of the forest, everything points to him being guilty... but he isn't, and chichi is fine (really clever subversion of expectations btw). and every day i met up with kareta, there was always a lingering sense of "something bad is gonna happen" right until the end. the combination of dialogue and the scenes that were shown managed to keep this sense of mystery alive, and that's really impressive! it would've been really easy to just deflate all tension the moment this monster is revealed to just be a normal person, but this game doesn't do that and i found that to be really clever. neat stuff!

and the plot itself? really simple but really effective. i'm a sucker for stories where the main character learns how to do magic from a wise old mentor haha. and this story wouldn't have worked if the characters weren't interesting, but these characters definitely are! sai is super charming; his love and worry for his family, his curiosity, his playfulness... i love the small moments he has that give him a lot of personality (him talking to himself at night, thinking about his family and his moss ball when trying to do his first spell...). when he didn't tell his sister why he always wins at hide and seek was really funny lol. chichi and the elk mom are really neat as well! chichi's eagerness and the things she says and does (the fact that sometimes she says things twice was adorable) were really endearing; love how much she wants to play with sai even if she always loses haha. and i like how the elk mom is super nice and sweet, but has an edge she only shows sometimes, like when she complains about having to go get water or in the final discussion. but the highlight is definitely kareta; the concept of a father abandoning his family out of fear of them getting harmed, trying to practice spells in secrecy so he can save this world, even if everyone seems him as a monster... well, it's really tragic. the way he speaks clearly lets on a lot of hidden pain and guilt, especially when he shows sai the dead part of the forest. and all of that makes the final scene and reconciliation all the sweeter (also i didn't guess at ALL that he was sai's father, you caught me 100% off guard with that haha. it's a nice bow at the end of the story that ties everything together!). overall the plot and characters were super compelling, and i couldn't take my eyes off the screen until it ended :>

if i had to nitpick anything, i think some parts where you have to walk all the way from/to the hidden part of the forest could've been shortened, since after a while it feels a bit repetitive to manually go through those paths over and over again; maybe it wouldn't be so bad if the game teleported you to your destination? and while the main music track is really pleasant, it also felt a bit repetitive past a certain point and i wished there was more variety in the music. and lastly, my biggest complaint... kareta says that 'pith' is a spell that teleports you next to a tree, but sometimes he teleports to places where there are no trees next to him!!! 0/10 how could you make a mistake like that (jk jk lmao). but srsly tho, that's about it, i can't think of any other big stuff i didn't like.

this was a super neat and well made experience!! i love super dark and tragic stories as much as the next guy haha, but it's nice to play games that, while definitely have their share of tragedy and thematic depth under the surface, feel simply pleasant and fun. great job! :D

Google翻訳がこれを台無しにしないことを心から願っています。このゲームは本当に楽しくてクリエイティブで、続きが気になって仕方ありませんでした！ :D

(SPOILERS)

i love how this game either takes shonen tropes and flips them on its head, or does something completely unique that you haven't seen before. it feels like both a love letter and an evolution of "magical girl shonen" tropes, if that makes sense? (i mean the fact that the main character is a guy is already a tell that this isn't a typical magical girl shonen lol) but subversion isn't the plot's only strength, and there's so many unique and compelling elements that when the credits rolled i didn't want the demo to end.

the plot is super interesting, at both surface and deeper levels. there's definitely stuff you've seen before in similar stories but they're presented in a way that made me really intrigued in finding answers! where does this gem come from, why has it only been passed on to girls, what's the origin of this "poison" that makes items turn into monsters... and there's also stuff i haven't seen in any other magical girl show! like the concept of getting miracles with each monster you defeat, that's just really creative (it's also a really bold choice to make the main character have a somewhat "selfish" reason to want to keep defeating them, so something good happens to him every time he does). and both the opening and final pieces of dialogue were PERFECTLY foreboding and mysterious, really reminded me that you also made burn the red eta haha. overall the plot and magical elements are really unique and intriguing, and it really helps with making this game stand out :>

shiro is a really great protagonist! his narration was always interesting and fun (not only is it really well written, but i love how profane it can get haha), and what he says never felt forced or like it was going on for too long. his resolve to save as many people as possible and to help his grandma were really compelling and made him instantly endearing, and his reactions to everything (both quiet acceptance at the everyday shit he can't do anything about, and utter bewilderment at the supernatural shit that happens out of nowhere) were always entertaining. he's really memorable in general, and it's easy to tell he's a character you've put a lot of thought and care into. and inu... well i can see why he's a fan favorite haha. everything from his expressions to the way he speaks to the extreme emotional responses he has to everything were amazing lol. i honestly can't wait to see more of him XD (tbh i didn't love his more risqué jokes, but tbf i just don't like that kind of humor in general).

this is a visual novel, so of course i have to talk about the incredible presentation! the character design on its own is really great, and it captures a really good balance between looking manga-esque and having its own style. and this game has some of the most expressive emotion changes i've seen in a while (any conversation with inu is fun as shit partly because of all his wonderful expressions lmao). and the tainted one's design was really cool as well! definitely felt unique compared to a lot of typical monster designs. i kind of feel like the abscence of pictures for characters that are present in scenes (like kero's "henchmen" or ma) make those sequences feel a bit empty, but i'm guessing that's due to time constraints and this being a demo so it's not really a problem. oh, and there's so many cool visual details!! the characters moving when their expression changes, the screen showing geometric forms when the gem starts glowing, the brief red flash of a character at the very end... and of course, the best visual sequence in any game ever... THE GAME OVER SCREEN. laughed out loud when i saw it haha. and the music was used extremely well used too!! felt very seamless with how it moves from one track to another, and it always fit the scene perfectly. the presentation was top notch, and it's absolutely one of the highlights of the game!

though the plot uses tropes in clever ways, until inu shows up the story does feel a bit by the numbers, and while kero and mei are fun, during their interactions i was kind of waiting for the fun supernatural stuff to begin. i don't think these scenes should've been cut but i think if they were shorter they wouldn't have felt as monotonous. though again, it's excusable due to this game being both a demo and pretty short, so it's not a big deal.

this was a really creative and fun time!! no pressure in making this into a full game ofc, but if you do i'll definitely check it out cuz this has a TON of potential!! :D

失礼ですが、おばあちゃんがまた歩けるように紙コップを殺さなければなりません, wan.

you did all of it in one map?? :O howww that's legit witchcraft haha. there's so many cool moments coding wise, no idea how you fit it all in one map lol. and you were inspired by my widdle ol game? 🥺 aaaaa whenever someone says that to me i do a backflip- /pos

ooooooh a big romance game that definitely exists? consider me intrigued! :> (no pressure ofc) i definitely get the struggle of writing romantic stories, the pacing of how relationships evolve is suuuuper tricky haha, but i think the way you write romance is really great!

and yeah you're right, you always gotta have hope <3

chevie i am sending you my therapy bill. seriously HOW can you make me almost cry with characters that i've only known for 10 minutes??

(SPOILERS)

i think the slow reveal and overall vagueness of the plot is REALLY effective. no exposition dumps, no overly complicated backstory for the world's state; just the minimum amount of information you need for your brain to connect the dots. and the bits and pieces are really cleverly laid out: how the beginning centers around a compound that "makes them unable to detect you", the writing on the subway (i hope they find abra geroni) that get proggresively harder to distinguish from the cables... it's hard to make a post-acalyptic setting feel unique but i think this game nailed it, and despite not knowing how it even started, i completely understood the hopelessness of the situation, and the feeling of "this extremely risky plan is all we can do". the plot and atmosphere are outstanding and i couldn't keep my eyes off of the screen for a second.

the art was also amazing!! the contrast of the muted colors of the characters and backgrounds, and the striking red as you get closer to the core was incredible. i loved the amount of detail in the backgrounds and character designs, really made everything feel more realistic. and the emphasis on characters' movements worked extremely well; things like people changing their posture when they talk or their movements (or their shadows') as they walk, made them feel really alive yk? and when the art gets less realistic and more emotion based (looove the sketchy pencil-like look), it's absolutely gorgeous. i think it was an really clever choice to make the visuals more realistic and human, if that makes sense; it fits really well with the plot. and the music was phenomenal as well!! perfectly suited the mood of every scene, and goddamn it made the emotional moments hit REALLY hard. love how "tech-like" it can get, like sometimes it sounded like the main theme the machine antagonists would have, if that makes sense. i know firsthand how hard it is to make dramatic music, and this game made it seem so effortless (at some points it was a bit too loud but it wasn't a big deal, and it was mostly at the beginning). absolute kudos to stacy.o. overall the presentation did not disappoint in the slightest :D (also i'm really late for this but the button sfx that sound like a chorus? aaaa so cool)

honestly i think this is some of your best character work yet. i said it already but it's unbelievable how much this game made me care about these characters that i've known for less than an hour. the peeps at the bunker (i'm not sure if it's a bunker but it's what i'm calling it-) are incredibly memorable, i love how you only get tiny bits of information about them and yet you feel like you really do know them. i was a little scared that the goodbyes scene at the start would tug at the heartstrings a bit too early, but it was handled perfectly; not too depressing and not too optimistic (like the entire game, haha... *cries*). they feel so unique and memorable with just a few lines. and on the other end, elle and rose are incredible protagonists. their relationship, their banter, the things they talk about, the things they feel... i think they're really gonna stand out in my mind as time passes. how they care for each other, but also acknowledge how bleak the situation they're in is, but how they don't let that make them lose hope, how they try to make things easier for one another, how they reminisce about how everything was before... honestly i'm a little shocked you haven't made more games based on romance, cuz this and invasive species have amazing romantic storylines (not saying that you have to make more romance stories, or that there should be romance plots in your games more often. obviously it all depends on what the story requires and i think these two games understand that really well). but even with how tragic the story might get... what really stands out is the focus on hope. the small good things that happen, like little guy mouthing a word, or the "i'm here"s under the missing persons, or simply elle and rose thinking about the happy memories they have and how they hope the world can be the same again... the bittersweetness of everything is amazingly done, and i was practically fighting not to cry by the end. outstanding stuff.

i feel like at some points the dialogue got a bit drawn out. the dialogue is absolutely a highlight of the game and the emotions' backbone, and i definitely appreciated the abundance of pauses to save, but the subway and stairs sequences felt slightly long towards the middle. maybe some parts could've been cut, or some exchanges could've revealed a bit more of the story or the characters' past, like the memories scene at the end? (like i said i do like the vagueness of everyone's backstories but i think some more reveals could've kept the interest higher) that's just my opinion tho. also, rose's lines being at the far right (really cool detail btw) making the text appear slower got a bit frustrating. though apparently rpg maker doesn't allow simply aligning text anywhere but left? wtf is up with this engine-

overall this was an amazing game!! one of the best interpretations of a post-apocalyptic setting i've seen in a while, and a hell of an emotional gut punch and combination of worldbuilding, story and characters to boot. great job! :D

alr there's gotta be something about these jams that makes developers want to rip everyone's heart out and stomp them to pieces with their games-

seriously tho this was SOOO incredibly written and devastating!!

(SPOILERS)

the writing is genuinely A+ stuff; i love games where the narration is full of introspective monologues, and here every time var reflected or rambled about his state of mind, his habits or just all the stuff that's happened to him, it felt extremely well done. i think you captured perfectly the feeling of "there's a ton of complicated and contradictory emotions behind what i'm doing". var wondering about things like if him hiding himself away but also wanting people to reach him is selfish, or if he's actually as bitter and cold as his father said he was... it all hit really hard, and it's not really the usual themes you'd usually find in a story like this. i really appreciate how unique the emotions and story feel, and how despite the (seemingly) fantastical nature of the story, nothing feels exaggerated or unnatural. every action or line of dialogue is both believable and creative, and i think that's really impressive :> i feel maybe some dialogue could've been cut down, but it's not really a problem and i never got close to being bored.

the main focus of the game is the story, but i want to take a moment to appreciate the visuals because they're so so good! LOVE the gameboy-green aesthetic of var's house, the way trees look really natural and not like a couple of tiles being repeated, the pheasant's design, the lighting when it gets dark, the static-y effect of the screen when var is going through something intense, and ofc the character busts! their designs are great and super expressive (i feel like i repeat myself when i compliment your art haha but it really is great and expressive!! i'm just unoriginal lmao). really like how barren the snow areas feel; coupled with the white feathers it made the ending sequence really tense. and the use of color in general is superb, especially in the text! i feel like some colors were a bit hard to read, but it wasn't too bad and it never got to a point where it was unreadable. overall the presentation is REALLY great, and it really elevates the whole experience!

i think it was a really bold choice to leave the supernatural elements of the story unresolved, and it paid off extremely well. some people have said it already but the plot feels like a fairy tale; a story of someone who shuts himself off from the world, but receives the one thing they actually want, only for it to be taken out of their hands because of their own fault (i mean technically var couldn't have known but you get the point-)... it's really tragic, unexpected and... well, bitter. and while var's monologue at the end is practically devoid of closure, i'd like to think he got at least some sense of peace with his life, especially after his confrontation with his father. that calling out his abuse in front of him (even if it was all in his head), and that var will choose how to live his own life, gave him some amount of rest, even after bora's vanishing. and no matter what happened in the end, it's undoubtedly beautiful to see var find comfort in someone else; someone to talk to about their deepest thoughts, someone he likes being around with and who doesn't judge him, someone who truly wants to understand him... and possibly the first person to make his heart truly feel warmth (considering his father knows about him liking men, i assume var already had crushes before the game's events, but my theory is that none were as strong as this one). but despite everything... it all ends with his one sliver of happiness escaping his grasp, and him finally accepting the role his cold heart was giving away; a snowman, freezing to death in some mountain.

(ok i hope you do make a game where these two have a happy ending becAUSE MY HEART AAAAA- (srsly tho no pressure, do it only if you want to ofc))

this was such a bittersweet experience, and it proves once again how talented you are at storytelling! your games, and especially your characters, always manage to accurately represent the feeling of being trapped and unable to change your situation, as everything and everyone around them crumble... until they see they can see the light at the end of the tunnel. this game absolutely deserved to be so high in the jam's story ranking :D amazing stuff!

(p.s. feel free to correct me if i got anything wrong with the plot or themes, i admit i'm not the best at analyzing things like that haha)

i am physically incapable of giving this any less than 5 stars, this was goddamn hilarious XD

i love seeing characters from completely different universes interact, and this was not only a fun as hell combination of peeps but it honestly fits really well? like, if these characters all lived in the same world i'd 100% buy that they're all friends and go on camping trips together lol (westwood being a detective in cardinal park fits WAY too well haha). their interactions feel really natural, and it's neat how the humor does come primarily from them bickering with each other, but it's not the only kind of humor there is here. i feel like it would've been really easy to stick to one joke but the variety really helps elevate the comedy.

(SPOILERS)

with that said, the running jokes are fucking hysterical. oliver's mary poppins pockets, everyone bringing the wrong thing coupled with a vine boom (wait how could billy replace the guns if he has noodle arms? 0/10 my immersion is ruined), dead bodies obviously lying around with nobody noticing... and of course, the chase sequence, which is undoubtedly the magnum opus of all of your careers and should be held in a museum (srsly tho! i loved how it cycled between maps and tilesets from all your games and also completely random memes lmao, the best part of the game for sure). 11/10 no notes.

(i do have one question; when voorhees catches you, there's a slashing sound and then a scream... does that mean oliver's mom killed all three? i mean i'm not surprised, she is the devil incarnate. just checking lol)

overall this was fun and endearing as hell, i unabashedly love shitpost games like these and you guys did a bang-up job :D [insert pepeemojiwithsunglasses.png]

you know, sometimes a game is so good that, as i'm playing, i genuinely feel intimitaded by it. like "huh? how can something THIS good exist?? i didn't even know you could do that???". my brain genuinely can't wrap itself around it.

and i'm glad to report that GOTH has earned that spot on my list of "intimidatingly good" games because ABRA WTF THIS WAS UNBELIEVABLY AMAZING!!!

(SPOILERS)

i am genuinely BLOWN AWAY by every single aspect of this game. the incredible art and use of color and lighting, the super unique plot world and characters and how creatively they all interact with each other, the moments of levity contrasted with moments of confusion and dread, the amazing variety of puzzles and mechanics, the writing and dialogue, the humor, the music, the sheer creativity of it all... UGHHH this was so so good, i'm kind of mad at myself that i didn't try this sooner lol. i don't think i can go through everything i want to talk about, but i'll try!

this might sound kind of abstract but i really loved the feel of the game, if that makes sense? the idea of this person being in a room, where every day he has to go through a random puzzle with a random solution, find items to feed his refrigerator, then go to sleep and have strange dreams before waking up and doing it all over again... and then, as the game progresses, things get gradually stranger, rules get broken, sentient characters appear... the sheer weirdness (with a certain set of logics) of everything really captures a specific vibe yk? this feels like a story that knows exactly what it wants to tell and how to tell it, and every step of the way is extremely compelling and intriguing. i was REALLY looking forward to whatever happened next, and what new strange world or character would show up. i'm someone whos pretty easy to make invested in a story, but it's hard to make me this glued to the screen haha.

and speaking of worlds and characters, they are easily the best part of this game!! it doesn't feel like you brought your A game, it feels like you brought a giant truck full of nothing but A+++ game and i was FEASTING. the levels are extremely creative; the tree where you have to give the right items to the leaves and find the light of its heart, the snowy plains with the snow angels, the broken randomness of the haxel encounter... it's all just SOOO creative and memorable, and they all perfectly capture the theme of "random places but with a reasonable level of logic when it comes to the puzzles". so so clever. and the characters!!! omg i think these are some of my favorite characters in... anything?? senza is a great protagonist who reacts to everything weird in a really appropiate (and sometimes really fun) way, but he's also a great way to introduce the player to how this world works, and let us know when things are more weird than usual. and i also really wanted to see him figure out everything; why was he here, what is the purpose of his room, why does everything happen the way it does... the tree was also fantastic! their calm way of speaking was really intriguing, and hearing about what they think happened to them was really compelling, as well as fitting with how strange everything is. lumen jumala was fantastic too! looooove elder gods that are both super wise and kind of playful haha. the way they answered senza's questions in their own unique way was really intriguing. and omg, haxel!! haxel is... tbh one of my favorite characters in any rpg maker game ever. a super old being that acts seemingly randomly, but is actually super knowledgeable and powerful, while still being kind and kinda going with the flow... can you tell that's also one of my favorite types of character ever haha. the way her portrait changes colors, the things she says (the "you've never tried" moment was a total highlight, loved that lmao). she's super fun and honestly i hope she appears in later chapters, she really left a big impression on me :D and there's so many other great characters!! the fish will-o-the-wisp is fun and their puzzle is super clever, the snow angels were honestly TERRIFYING haha, the way the tree's heart's personality changes as the light goes out was super creepy, and 00111111 was absolutely 01100010 01100001 01110011 01100101 01100100. the roster of characters is genuinely one of your best, and i couldn't get enough of everyone here. genuinely outstanding stuff.

and of course, i couldn't talk about this game without mentioning the presentation, because OH MY GOD this game is SO pretty and SO creative and the use of color is SO cool AAAAAA- seriously i think this is one of your best looking games ever!! the way monochromatic and simplistic maps are contrasted with the splashes of color of others, the levels with abstract and weird backgrounds, the use of lighting and weather in so many parts, the way the colors change and shift like the screen is glitching!! god this game looks out of this WORLD, how did you do it? everything just pops in its own unique way, genuinely insane that this was your first published rpg maker project. and the character design is great as well! enza and haxel look great (i love how you have to "unlock" emotions for senza haha), the snow angels look goddamn terrifying, 00111111 doing a dab is a work of art... even small touches like the snowman's face becoming bloody when you leave, or the pulsating light around lumen jumala, are amazing and lets you know just how much effort and care was put into the visuals. and the music was great too!! definitely more of an understated quality of the presentation, but it fit the mood superbly well. and sounds like the one when all the snow angels are praying are suuuper pretty and quietly unnerving (i did notice that one time when i loaded a save file, two tracks were playing at the same time. but when i crossed the room's door it went back to normal, so it's not a big deal :>) aaaaa the way this game looks and sounds is so amazing! i wish i could gush about all the details i noticed but this review would be way too long, even for me lol.

if i had to mention any problems i had... i think the snow angel sequence, while cool in concept, felt a bit frustrating. despite what the diary tells you, the snowing doesn't stop once it's started, and i feel like that kind of approach (parts where you're safe flowing into parts where you're not) would've made the level really interesting. and since the overview of the map goes by only at the start and there's no indication that you can leave without collecting all the refrigerants, it felt a bit tedious to feel the need to collect all of them. aside from that, and the music thing i mentioned earlier, i think the heart chase starts way too fast and since everything is so dark it's kind of hard to see what's happening (in the middle of the actual chase that's REALLY intense, but at the very start it's kind of hard to tell what's happening). but that's about it in terms of issues, everything else was butter smooth :>

so, even though the story isn't finished yet, i kinda wanna give my (probably wrong) interpretation of what's happening: from the text at the beginning, i believe that senza is part of a cell, which is part of an organism. maybe this organism is a supernatural or godlike being, and that's why these super weird things happen in their cells; or maybe the organism is a human, and everything we're seeing is kind of a "heightened" version of what these microbeings are going through. senza, as part of a cell, must provide energy so it doesn't die, like how he has to find refrigerants for his refrigerator. to find them, he must go to seemingly random places and solve seemingly random puzzles; maybe reflecting how the organism needs/does different things throughout the days, and that's why the cells must do different tasks every day (this sounds kind of weird but it's the best i could come up with haha). whatever the case, i think this organism is in the middle of dying (hence the title of the game and its meaning), and all the different parts of its body are melding together as a result of the decomposing process. that's why worlds and beings start to cross over through each other's realms; they're different parts of different systems (blood cells, antibodies, neurons...) i think haxel and lumen jumala are the organism's neurons, due to them having such strong powers (maybe haxel isn't, since she herself says that her powers aren't that strong). and as this body is falling apart, they try to help senza survive any way he can, as its host and sole purpose of living slowly dies.

(ngl i feel like i probably misinterpreted or missed a buncha stuff but oh well! that's kind of par for the course when it comes to theories haha. i hope it was at least interesting! :D)

aaaaa if you couldn't tell by my constant gushing, i really REALLY loved this. such a creative and incredibly well told story, with some of the best presentation i've seen in a good while. this felt so personal, and it's the kind of game that reminds me why i love indie games and game developing so much.

if you do make the second chapter (no pressure of course!), save me a seat at the front row :D

dangg that's a lot of time working on one game,  that's so cool tbh!

and ahh i see! thank you for the correction :>

this was so great!! one of the most unique horror games in style and writing that i've played in a while :D

(SPOILERS)

i really love how intriguing the plot is, i genuinely had no idea where it was going at any point haha. made it super interesting to slowly put the pieces together. and even the way it's presented is really creative; love how the perspective changes from this one guy, to some reporters, to mysterious words appearing onscreen, to different devices' screens... it not only elevated the presentation, but also made the story really memorable. it was overall just really compelling and interesting to follow. and it tackles its themes in creative ways too! love how this pathogen views humans as being in a constant state of misery (which is proven to be not entirely untrue), and that's how it lures them into being infected; and how it's contrasted with how gloria sees her children's "birth" as something amazing and beautiful. it's definitely an exaggerated (that word sounds kind of reductive... "elevated", maybe?) way of portraying these themes, but it works really well considering... well, that the strory isn't trying to be super subtle haha (not saying that it's a bad thing ofc!). the plot and how it's presented is really creative and intriguing overall :>

and the gameplay! mannn whenever i see a quasi-3D sequence made in rpg maker my brain explodes haha. so so so cool. i really appreciated how the only times you could turn left or right was when the game told you so, i usually struggle with 3D movement in games like this so that was nice lol. i think sometimes it was a bit unclear what i had to do, partly cuz of elements like the police car not being visible from afar (tbf drawing that would probably be a nightmare lol), but it wasn't really an issue to figure everything out. the feeling of walking across this street is excellently done, and having to walk everywhere manually makes everything feel more real, if that makes sense? definitely felt the inspiration from the REC movies in that way :D

and OMG the art is so cool!! i love this color palette of extremely saturated red and pink, it's such a striking visual presentation that works really well with the overall vibe of the game. also love how detailed everything is, from the character design to cutscenes to miscellaneus objects and locations; it makes everything, again, feel a lot more real. speaking of which, the character design is really great! really dig how everyone looks, and the little movements they have then they talk or do basic actions are really well done. but what REALLY sells me on the presentation is the huge amount of small touches: the intro sequence with the fake browser (SO awesome haha), the "REC" layouts that appear, the way the screen glitches and changes color and the screwed up text that shows up after, the way the dialogue boxes change depending on who is talking, and of course... the gore :D!! :D (srsly tho that was also really well done and creative, and it was really clever how it used colors different than red so it'd stand out!) the presentation just POPS with such an incredibly creative visual style, great stuff.

if i had to mention any problems i had, sometimes the dialogue would go on for a bit too long, and it was especially frustrating cuz it doesn't let you skip until the character stops moving their mouth. not a big problem since the dialogue is overall very compelling to read, but i feel like some lines could've been cut for conciseness. also i got stuck at one part of the map and couldn't move or turn around; i don't remember the exact sequence of events but it was on the far end of the street. sorry that i can't offer much detail as to what happened haha, but i thought i'd mention it. other than that, i had a pretty seamless experience.

overall this game was so unique and well made!! i think it would've done really well at the jam, but i really respect working on it longer so it could be the best version of itself :> really good job all around!

TLDR: "we hope that the condemnation of this reality was worth fucking our mother" is the hardest line of all time.

damn this was REALLY effective and unnerving!

rotting away is just a neverending source of dread and self-reflection in concept alone, and this game makes excellent use of it. just the writing style and the way the environment & descriptions changed subtly which each day was not only tense but... honestly really depressing at the same time. i think the way the narration works is really clever; splitting it into the main character and a "narrator" makes everything seem even more unstable, like yeah at this point i'd also start talking to myself like i was two people haha. and how the dialogue and descriptions balanced dark humor with genuine moments of the main character thinking was really neat. it felt uncomfortable... but in a good way? like, that's definitely the feeling the game is trying to convey, and it does so extremely well.

(SPOILERS)

i think it was a really clever decision to not reveal a big "event" that sparked why the main character feels this way, instead just letting you get lost in these feelings, knowing as little as they do as to why everything is like this. and everything going further wrong (emma dying, food and trash filling the room, the power being cut) just further emphasizes how what they're doing isn't helping, and they know this, but can't bring themselves to change it for reasons even they don't know. it... well, it hit surprisingly hard haha. it's not difficult for me to get invested in a character getting lost in their own mind (idk if i should be worried about that but oh well), but the way it's done here feels like it takes a really unique angle :D

a liminace game having good art? wow what an original compliment- no but srsly tho, i really loved how the presentation aided the storytelling here. not only is the main character's design great (their baggy eyes and constant resting bitch face are a highlight), but the room itself becomes a character with a say in everything. every time i woke up and found something new, i couldn't tell if it was there the whole time, if it had changed, if it was normal or if it was supernatural... not helped by how moldy and disgusting everything looks lol. idk if that feeling of not knowing what changed and what didn't was intentional but it was a really immersive touch that made me connect even more with the character.

this is probably the most subjective complaint ever but... i don't love the visual novel UI? (the save, load, log, etc.) it probably needed to be there considering how much of the game is pure dialogue, but it broke my immersion a bit whenever i was really getting really invested. or maybe i'm just really used to your games not having those buttons lmao (also i think the log mechanic kind of breaks with messages that are too long? idk if that's a plugin and you can't really fix it but i thought i'd mention it). on the other hand, point and click!! i'm sure it's a lot easier to implement than it looks like but it genuinely breaks my brain whenever i see it in rpg maker games haha.

overall this was a fantastic game!! and a really disturbing thinking exercise to boot. genuinely impressive that this was made in 4 days, fantastic stuff.

ahhh they weren't bugs! i agree it does make the experience feel more weird, but i think there should've been a way to go back if you encounter one of them, just so you didn't have to reload. that's just my opinion though :>

in terms of rirou and goth, man i REALLY want to play them aaaa i'll try to find the time! :D

ohh this was REALLY gosh darn creative and creepy.

(SPOILERS)

i absolutely love the atmosphere here; the incredibly dark levels, the monochromatic color palette, the twisted and super creative designs that lie around... much like the main character says, this game feels like a twisted dream. but at the same time, it's not overwhelmingly dark; the sense of confidence and tranquility the protagonist gives off and the seemingly friendly conversations you have with the NPCs do a great job in balancing the disturbingly strange with a sense of security. like yeah, this is all super weird and creepy, but the characters being so chill and the game being divided into straightforward puzzles does give you a certain sense of safety... like when you're having a nightmare, but you realize it's a dream so nothing can happen to you :> until... well, the end of the game, where suddenly everything comes crashing down (that was sooo creepy). i'll fully admit that i'm not a diehard fan of games based on dreams/the subconscious, but the way everything was executed here was really effective :D

in terms of art, this is probably your best game yet!! (i still have to play GOTH though, its artstyle really peaks my interest :>) i loooved the use of black & white and lighting, and the designs of the creatures were really strange and dreamlike. and even aside from those, there are so many images here that are just beautiful (that title screen is goddamn gorgeous). and the music!! extremely effective and expertly captures the feeling of how a dream's "music" should sound like haha (this jam seems to be full of amazing soundtracks :D). the presentation is just really great, definitely felt like you brought your A-game here.

(also! didn't know where to put this but i loved the moth motif, and how it plays a part in the ending)

the puzzles were also really creative! the abilities and what they do? sooo cool. the first time i used the reverser my jaw actually DROPPED haha. i love how they're really simple, but at the same time fit really well with dream logic if that makes sense? and the way you have to combine them at the end was super cool. i did find a few bugs with them though; in the second stage i tried to use the reverser, but the mc said something like "i shouldn't use this here", and i was stuck in a messed up reversed version of the map without being able to reverse it back. and in the moon level, if i used the jumper too close to the low part of the screen, i'd get stuck outside the map. not huge deals since i could just load a previous save, but i thought i should mention it.

and that ending!! man i try my best when i interpret themes and storylines but sometimes i don't think i'm smart enough haha. so the main character was actually a dream from the moth king? instead of the other way around? that'd be really cool if true, and the scene itself was super disturbing haha. overall this was a great experience!! and i've never wanted to lucid dream less in my entire life :D

this was really cool!! games where you walk from one place to another with cool visuals and effects are my jam haha.

(SPOILERS)

i LOVE how this game looks. the tileset and sprites are amazing and all tiny movements (the walking animations, the bubbles bursting...) feel super polished. and the colors! the overwhelming blue tint, the darkness in the screwed up sections, the neon lines and squiggles on the ground... and the cgs!! i absolutely love how expressive they are, even when it's only a closeup of two eyes; it's really impressive. and the filters!!! the wobbling of the screen, the black outline that only lets you see a circle... everything about the presentation is top notch, and on every sequence i really wanted to see what new visual tricks i'd get caught off guard by. the music is amazing too!! so calm and mysterious at the same time. i restarted the game to listen to the main theme and i kinda wanna put it in the background while i do stuff, which is one of the biggest compliments i can give to a song haha. and the sound when you get transported is so startling! i remember i was thinking "this is nice but i wonder if the entire game is just this?" and then the first teleport happened! such a cool way of subverting expectations :D the way this game looks and sounds is overall amazing!!

i really like how vague the storytelling is! everything being centered around loops and similar things happening in each level was really intriguing. following undine, seeing how her expression becomes more and more scared, hearing parts of stories and legends around her, watching different characters trapped that we can't reach (was that motherfucking HYDROS???)... it was all really engaging, i love stories that are open to interpretation and give small clues as to what is actually going on! things like the main character becoming faceless or, in the last level, there being more bubbles than usual (i don't even know why but that was really uncanny) work wonders to amp up the tension and mystery.

i feel like the level layout is a bit repetitive, and even with the amazing visuals sometimes i got a bit frustrated with how slow the character was moving and how nothing seemed to really happen for big chunks of my playthrough. maybe if you could run, or if the layout was more engaging, it wouldn't be as much of a problem? getting transported to the dark levels did make it more interesting though, so it's not that bad.

overall this was a great short horror experience! my theory with the story is that undine some kind of water creature that was made to lure people into the hands of its creator (maybe hydros?), for whatever reason (and this game is a nightmare she has about the victims she's managed to trap, which she didn't want to but was forced to). i know it's not the most complicated theory ever haha, but it's what i picked up :> great stuff!

well that was one way to destroy my heart and stomp all over the bits.

(SPOILERS)

damn, this was a REALLY effective interpretation of the subject matter. tying everything to the main character's nightmares really made me feel lost and disoriented, which worked perfectly with the narrative. i loved how in each "level" technically has a path to take and a way to beat it, but instead of feeling like you're progressing, it just seems like you're sinking deeper and deeper into trying to find an answer, a way to turn things back, anything that will tell you that everything will be okay (and this is especially poignant with the narration)... it was incredibly powerful, and the contrast it had with how quiet and quaint the real world scenes are just drove the point home further.

all of this would've been great on its own, but when you pair it with the art? WOW this game looks incredible. the tileset is moody and richly textured, with amazing uses of color. the sprites are great too, their movement is really well done and i love the variety they have (normal humans, abstract squiggles, gray human shapes...). the icon expressions!! they were incredibly creative and fluid, and honestly made the main character really memorable (i LOVE that it's the only way we see her communicate until the end; it was a great way to show how strong her emotions are, but how hard it is for her to express them), the game wouldn't have felt the same without them. the character busts were amazing too, i love their style so much and how expressive they are, they really left a big impact (the picture at the end?? GOD i'm gonna cry-). and there's so many small details; the gray circle that surrounds the screen in the nightmares, the way the font perfectly captures its child-made charm, the screen being less saturated at some points, the abstract backgrounds, the flower cursor!!! such a neat little touch haha. the presentation is amazing on all fronts, and it made everything in the nightmare sequences FEEL wrong and disturbing. gave me yume nikki/omori vibes at some points :D

and the MUSIC oh man, so so great. it feels chaotic and disturbing, like the tracks themselves don't know what's going on. it gave the presentation even more of a punch, and perfectly emphasized how twisted the nightmares are, and how much poppy is struggling to process anything at all. at some points it did feel a little too chaotic and annoying, and i think i would've liked it more if it was a little softer (even if i understand it's a tight rope to walk on haha), but it does the job really well (and the calmer tracks are amazing too!).

the gameplay was super creative as well!! maybe i got the game completely wrong but it's interesting to see a story focused on loss that doesn't explicitly use the five stages of grief as blueprints for its levels (not saying that it's wrong to do so, or that this story doesn't use the stages of grief at all; just thought it was neat to see how these levels took a more subtle and original approach with it). the part where you try to make everyone quiet down and every tile you step on gets destroyed was really cool. the tag game with the squiggles was great too and the way it makes you feel tiny with the zoom and every room being extremely big? sooo awesome. the first and second levels were a bit frustrating cuz of how you had to repeat areas and walk in circles (maybe there was a better way to do it and i didn't notice lol), but! the sprite turning around and then moving opposite so your inputs! so so so cool. the levels are really original and they tie into the story extremely well (nothing in the house feeling "right", trying to find a way to make everything okay if you walk down the hallway, wanting everything and everyone to be quiet, playing childhood games to try to cope with everything...), amazing stuff.

in terms of stuff i didn't love... i'm not sure if was a technical issue with me or not, but the opening sequence was... kind of weird? the combination of the music, the car crash audio and the extremely quiet voiceover was a bit too much to process, and poppy moving on her own all over the house with animations that i hadn't registered were the emotion icons yet (that's my only real issue with them tbh; it's not clear at the start that they're supposed to be emotion animations) felt kind of disorienting. maybe it's just a me thing but the opening scene being confusing made it a bit hard to get gripped by the story (tbf on a replay that sequence is much easier to follow, it might be just a first impression thing). and i found two random glitches; the first time you can walk in the backyard the fences can be walked through, and in the tag level if you pause the zoom goes back to default (honestly that's an issue with the engine itself lmao, but i thought i'd mention it).

man... i'm still thinking about that ending haha. what a gripping and emotionally resonant experience. it's easy to tell that you gave it your all to make this as respectful and effective as it could be, and i really admire that. fantastic stuff!!

(when i started writing this i thought "okay this game is about a pretty heavy topic that i'm not super knowledgeable about so i won't write much" and welp... never doubt the random swings of inspiration the writing muse will give you XD)

oh this was REALLY creative and fun, i love the concept and the characters so much!!

(SPOILERS)

a world that's all about dreams is an idea that's begging to be explored in creative ways, and the way dreams work here is really unique! i like how they're kind of the natural state of haetaes, and when they aren't doing tasks or going on with their day, they're in this dreamworld where only good things can happen; that's a really interesting concept. and when you die you turn into a statue that sleeps forever? that's... honestly a bit scary, but like in a good way? i honestly can't decide whether i'd prefer to just disappear or dream happy things for all eternity haha. oh, i also love how the designs and colors all revolve around dreams! the ground being made of clouds, the temple's architecture, the pastel color palette... it all evokes a sense of comfort and safety, which works amazingly well with how the dreams in this world are supposed to be... well, comfortable and safe. and it provides a GREAT contrast with how intense everything gets when things go wrong. and i think the sprites have improved! (they were always great but this really feels like an evolution of that style) i love the haetaes' designs and statues they turn into? sooo pretty. and the music!! usually music isn't something i focus on, but WOW the tracks here are really good, perfectly soothing or creepy when they need to be (and there's a very clever use of silence when the plot demands it). the aesthetic in your games is always top notch and makes everything feel truly otherwordly, and this was no exception! :D (also the world being called snooza? 11/10 no notes)

the characters are great too! i really liked wispers and stew; it's easy to tell they're friends but the little moments that set their personalities apart are really well done. wispers is a great protagonist, their curiosity and kindness were really endearing and i really wanted them to figure out what was happening and solve everything! elder yume is great too, i love old mentor characters they're so cool haha. and akumu!! god i loved him so much; his mischievousness, the way he talks, how he distorts everything in fun ways, the way he toys with people by trapping or mocking them... he was a blast, and i loved every single conversation with him haha. he's such a fun character, but he's intimidating when he needs to be! love how everything (even the screen margins in the dream sequence) gets red and messed up when he's around, love the mad laughter painted on the edges of the screen, love how he can seemingly do and manipulate anything in reality... and the way he's defeated? i love poetic justice haha. honestly i think he's probably my favorite character in all your games! the characters and writing overall are great :>

if i had to mention any problems i had... AKUMU DID NOTHING WRONG! he just didn't like dreams as much as everyone else and he got ostracized and ignored for it, and the only reason he hurt other elders was because the power of the immortal peach was too overwhelming, and after years and years of being trapped alone with his thoughts of course he'd go insane!! and instead of finally achieving relief with death, he's forced to dream forever, something he's made very clear he dislikes! #AkumuDeservedBetter

(ok seriously though this whole point is kind of a joke, cuz yea akumu did do bad stuff- XD on a more serious note, it kind of feels like the game is blaming akumu's evil simply on the fact that he doesn't like dreams as much as everyone else? but on the other hand, the reason he doesn't like dreams is because he wants to have unlimited power and get everything he wants, so honestly it evens out haha. but i think he could've been a bit more malicious, or done more evil things, so his role as an antagonist feels more deserved. that's just my opinion tho)

overall this was an amazing game!! one of my favorites from you for sure. i love playing through the stories of these otherwordly places and universes, and i can't wait to see what comes next! :D

ahhh this was so great!! i love mind-twisty mystery games like these, and this was super intriguing and creative! :D

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love the setting and overall vibes; it really made me feel like i was in the middle of nowhere, investigating something and getting no results every day. and an arctic wasteland is a perfect choice to cultivate isolation and dread of the unknown. i got really frustrated every in-game day (but like, in a good way haha) with how few answers i was getting, and more questions kept pilling up. left me wanting to know what was going on sooo much.

i think the repetitive nature of the gameplay has its pros and cons, but it's ultimately a really clever choice; it's a bit frustrating to do the exact same things every day and only having minor shakeups, and sometimes while i was playing i kinda wished you had different assignments every day to keep things fresh; but on the other hand, it makes the small events that do happen all the more intense. things like the energy system not working seem just as important as a colleague getting injured when you're going through your tasks, trying to find any clues as to what's really going on. it's really effective in that regard :>

i really liked the characters as well! and THANK YOU for not doing the obvious "main character is suspicious but all their friends just think they're being paranoid" (that trope is so annoying-), cuz everyone being on board, discussing their viewpoints and trying to piece together what's happening is a LOT more interesting. i loved their discussions and how they found out more odd things with their combined knowledge (the scene where they realize they have pretty much the same memories was really eerie, and the dialogue felt really realistic). and their plans and deductions always felt reasonable. and speaking of characters! i really love how things that seem like odd character quirks (like the professor not leaving the room or the one guy who's always sleeping) end up also being things that indicate something is very wrong. that was really clever!

(also i didn't know where to put this but the busts change depending on your outfit?? such a neat detail)

if i had to nitpick stuff, i feel like while the repetitive aspect of the gameplay is really effective, some parts of it took a bit too long, like using the drill or changing clothes. and on the way to the laboratory, the map you go to in the middle of the map is flipped in terms of the direction you're facing. and this is probably really unfair cuz art is really difficult, but i kinda wished there were character busts for the other friends too. but like i said, these are just nitpicks!

overall this was a super intriguing and creative ride! and OHHH a mimicry of life!! cuz the scientists are trying to mimic life!!! aaahh that's so clever. i love that sm haha. great stuff.

ahh yeah! i think i read the word "quiz" in the game page and assumed it was a literal quiz, not a game. my bad haha.

(side note: sorry for taking so long to try your games! i wish i could be quicker but real life responsabilities get in the way lol T_T)

this was a super fun romp that made me never want to step in a cabin again!!! :D

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srsly tho, i had such a great time lol. mel and millie butting heads the entire time over the smallest of things never got old XD i like how the game itself doesn't *force* you to side with one or the other, instead showing you how each one justifies the way they feel about her sister. it's both great for the narrative, since it further defines each of their personalities; and great for the comedy, cuz the things they say to explain why they do something can be fcking hilarious haha.

i think mel and millie are two of the best characters in this universe! (the librettoverse if you will) mel's intensely logical approaches to everything makes her really easy to sympathize with, and it's a great source of fun moments when things don't go her way (which is almost always- i mean the entire plot is going to a vacation spot she didn't wanna go to lmao). and watching her mind be utterly destroyed with her sister's reasonings, the bad stuff that happens out of nowhere or out of their petty fights, and the things they're both willing to do to survive was always intriguing & fun to see. on the other side, i think millie could've been easily annoying or cliché, but she ended up being one of the best parts of the game! :D her "rich kid" attitude and way of talking showing up at ALL times, even when she's in mortal danger, was super funny lol. and her remarks over things not being up to her standards? (like her bed or *gasp*, having to work!) fun as shit XD and it's all such a great contrast with how she's completely okay with eating a dead body, like that's such a memorable and completely insane character trait lmao. oh and her creepy infatuation with oliver being what saves the day is peak comedy lol. but in the end, how their bond remains just as strong (if not stronger) during all the things that happened shows how they actually care for one another, and that's what mattered the most in the end.

once again the art & music are amazing!! really loved the use of color and how the screen distorted when something bad was happening/about to happen. and mel and millie's designs are really clever! just changing how their hair is done makes them look both really similar and really easy to tell them apart, which works great with two characters who're twins but couldn't be further apart personality wise lol. also, there were more CGs than in your other games right? it's probably really easy to measure but i'm really bad at keeping count, i'm just going off from what i felt haha. it's cool if they were more this time around, they give these games a lot of style and identity :>

at some points the banter between mel and millie got a bit repetitive, since their relationship or understanding of each other don't really visibly progress a lot. and i feel like there could've been more done with the antagonist, or at least a bit more explaining as to why he does what he does, or how he can seemingly break into the cabin or appear at random... but honestly it's already impressive how a jam game can be up to 40 minutes long with this much art made for it, so it's not really a super big complaint.

overall this was really fun!! and kind of a nice change of pace considering how... dark some other games in this universe can get haha (the darkness in the other games is really well done, but something more shitpost-y feels good from time to time XD). can't wait to see more from this world!!

ayyy thank you so much for giving my game a try!! :D

i laughed out loud at multiple parts of your video, your commentary is really funny haha (that comment about whale noises killed me XD). i'm glad you thought the game subverted your expectations! that's definitely one of the things i was aiming for, with the intro sequence and whatnot :> i wanted to make something i hadn't really seen before!

sorry that the text at the end was too fast haha, that's something that happened in a lot of the playthroughs i've seen, and honestly i should've made it so you have to press enter to trigger the next dialogue haha. i'm also happy to know you thought the game was creepy! i'm honestly pretty new to making horror games so  i've still got a long way to go in terms of knowing how to create an uneasy atmosphere and effective scares (there's some jumpscares here that i admit might be a little gratuitous lol), but i'm really glad people seem to really like this one.

thank you for playing!! <3

if this is the last game in the GANA series, these games definitely ended with a great entry!!

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i love how the plot kind of goes back to the origins of the series (things lost) with how mind-screwy it is; from the first time enfys talks about how certain events were a dream, i knew the story was gonna be confusing in the best way haha. i love stories where time and memories seemingly go insane and you can't tell what's real and what's not, and the plot did a fantastic job of making everything feel eerie with how nothing seems to make sense. characters not remembering conversations, entire months passing that were actually dreams, going back to the same locations again and again... it was all so intriguing and i was dying to know what was happening!

but the uneasiness could've easily become overwhelming if it wasn't for the characters, who are all super charming and endearing! as per usual in this series, it's super cool to see characters from other games make appearances in new ones, and getting to learn more about their personality and history. enfys' neverending stoicism and sarcasm about everything is super entertaining (and her hatred of anything not emo related is fcking hilarious), aurinko's endless optimism and curiosity is just as charming as in her game, and sowa is such an adorable dork i love him haha. i feel like their banter (aside from being really funny in general) had a good juxtaposition with the overall mystery of the story and the events. also, i think by making this game you destroyed the minds of at least 95% of horror directors, because the characters in here actually make coherent deductions and reasonable choices XD

(also, VOICE ACTING?? WHAAAT omg that was so cool)

while i was playing, i kept wondering what could everything be leading up to, and man it did not disappoint; the bad end town was SUCH an amazing sequence! not only is the idea of a place with the worst possible versions of every story EXTREMELY cool, but it's also helped by the fact that we've seen all these bad endings in the other GANA games; it really made it feel rewarding to have seen all those endings! and the atmosphere there is super chilling: the extremely dark lighting, the creepy locations, the fact that you teleport to different places seemingly at random... it gave this place such a dangerous and surreal vibe, and i loved every second of it. and the fact that each bad end version can only be defeated by their good end counterpart was really unique, and a really clever explanation of why the characters were manipulated into not bringing millena. and last but not least, hank was there, which automatically elevates any game into certified banger™.

while the story is super intriguing, i did think that some dialogue segments went on for a bit too long without pauses or gameplay, but maybe that's my brain worrying about the miniscule chance of the game crashing and having to play sections again XD oh! but i loved all the references to other GANA games!! it didn't feel gratuitous or fanservice-y, it all worked to make the game feel really conclusive and connect everything that happened in the series so far :D

if this truly is the last GANA game, i'm sad to see this series go but i'm glad it went out with a bang. these games are so incredibly creative, so impressive with their worlds and characters. just the fact that the saga's title is the name of this country already shows how much effort and passion were put into the worlbuilding. and the stories that have been told in this universe have been so intriguing; stories about loss, mystery, religion, the supernatural, how is it to feel like there's more out there than you know, the thoughts and mindsets that appear when you're not sure what to believe in (or when you're too sure)... playing these games and following these stories has been nothing but a treat, and this series will go down in my mind as one of the most creative and passion filled i've ever played since i joined itch.

thank you for making these games, and i can't wait to see what you do next!! <3

this was an amazing expansion of gorgonia's plot and world!! :D

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i love sequels where the main character isn't the same as the previous game, but their story does continue the plot from the previous game. it makes the world feel bigger, and it's a really cool way to expand on the lore and worldbuilding. learning about more things about this world, and seeing how it connects to other games from the same universe, was really awesome to see!

but the plot doesn't just do a good job on expanding the worldbuilding, it's also really intriguing on its own two feet. neil and marina are really endearing characters; i love how kind marina is and how determined she is on her quest to help her sisters, and neil... honestly he was just super relatable lol. the characters being so easy to endear yourself to made me really want them to succeed (making a compelling motivation for the player is surprisingly hard haha, so i really admire how much i wanted everything to go well! :>). speaking of the characters; i love how pretty much all of them aren't just "all good" or "all evil", they're just people in harsh circumstances (except hydros and flameryn, those two can go die-). the sirens tried to prevent the fate that was assigned to them, cynthia didn't want to give up and gave in to the curse, marina wants to help the other sirens even though she abandoned them for so long, even the goddess who made the curse in the first place regretted her actions... the fact that the characters make risky choices makes the story feel a lot more real and alive. (btw i didn't know where to put this but the notes on every room were REALLY cool and did an incredible job in giving context to the situation and showing each siren's personality)

the focus was clearly on the story and not the gameplay, but there were a lot of little segments i really loved! the chases were really frantic, and i love how the characters sometimes jump ahead, legit startled me when it happened for the first time haha (i feel like the last chase with cynthia didn't give me enough time to process that it's her, since when it started i thought it was medyuu and thought that i had to get captured to progress the story... probably a me thing lol). they felt really fair too, which is pretty complicated to do for chase scenes. like if i got captured, i knew it was my fault and not the game's and i got a little better with each try. also, the desktop at the beginning??? soooo cool haha, completely took me by surprise.

i really liked the visuals! not uncommon for a daybloom project game but yeah, everything was really pretty and the designs were really good. love me some pixelart with big pixels. the UI? absolutely gorgeous. the bubbles and light effects when you're underwater? gosh darn beautiful. the character designs, especially the goddesses'? super creative (learning about their concepts and development in the bonus room was really interesting!). even small things like the characters moving slighty left and right when they move (great attention to continuity from gorgonia) help make the visual presentation pop absurdly well.

overall this is was an amazing and really compelling continuation of gorgonia!! i'm someone who tends to get lost with lore and big universes lol, but this world is super engaging and i can't wait to see what comes next in it!! :D (i hope neil's memories can be restored T_T)

(p.s. I'M IN THE SPECIAL THANKS IN THE CREDITS WHAAAAAAAAAAT :O thank YOU for making such amazing games!!! <3)

heyyy, thank you so much for giving my game a try! :D i definitely get the feeling of a game giving you an existential crisis haha, i'm... sorry? proud? XD

you made playthroughs of two of my other games right? it means a lot to me, thank you for playing them and making videos about em, it's honestly kind of surreal to see full playthroughs of my games on youtube lol (in a good way ofc!)

thank you for playing!! <3

this was a very silly and fun time! :D (yes i'm extremely late to the party shhh-)

the murder mystery was a really creative setting for these completely unrelated characters to interact in, and i love the balance between the story being taken completely seriously and also not seriously at all. all of them doing their own thing and jokingly talking about the tropes/storytelling of their own games was super fun. even though it's all very jokey, it still felt like genuine reflections on these topics? (at least it's the vibe i got from the dialogue of raffle and the forest lesbians™, it makes the game feel interesting and reflective) speaking of the different characters, i love how their different ways to narrate and the different text boxes they have are kept completely the same and the jokes that come from it XD and the characters pairing up in odd ways was really neat! felt strangely fitting too, like yeah, i don't know why but that kid would argue about storytelling lol. overall the jokes and humor got multiple chuckles out of me, and comedy's pretty difficult to get right, especially if it's all conveyed through reading text in the player's head, so good job! :>

honestly i feel like this concept could've been expanded on? like, i know it's just a one off experience and it's probably better left alone without stretching it too long but... idk, the idea of different characters from different games trying to solve a murder mystery while reflecting on their own games and storytelling and comedy as a whole is REALLY cool. (this isn't a jab at the game for being too short, especially considering how little time there was for making it haha, it's just some food for thought :>)

wow, what a fun and lighthearted game! i sure hope letting my guard down isn't a bad idea and chevie's next game won't leave me emotionally scarred! :D (sorry- XD)

(p.s.: this is the canon end of tiny floof, he was found and cared for and lived a happy life with gladiolus i won't accept any discussion)

THAT WAS SO SAD WHYYYYYYY T_T this was sooo tragic and sooo well made, what an amazing game.

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i really loved the plot and how it progresses; starting with relative normalcy, going deeper into uneasiness and then end up full on horrifying was a great choice, and it made me both both super intrigued and super dreading of what would come next. the characters and dialogue were really strong and conveyed the characters' feelings really well. since this is based on the medusa myth, and myths don't tend to focus character's thoughts, it was really cool to get an understanding of these people and their motivations, if that makes sense? medyuu was a super endearing character, and i love the relationship between her and her sisters; even if they don't have too many scenes together, it's made very clear they care for each other and understand each other really well (love the moment where one tries to make medyuu promise something, and she doesn't even have to finish the sentence for medyuu to know what she means). the atmosphere in the village was great; definitely made me feel as uncomfortable as the main character. and the forest and hydros parts? incredibly dark and twisted, i can't get those sequences out of my head (if hydros was real i'd kick him in the groin so fucking)... medyuu's curse and the hunter showing her sisters' heads were both heart wrenching to see, and finally that last conversation with sirensia (i'm guessing she's sirensia lol) was a much needed spark of hope amongst all the dispair. overall, the plot and characters were incredibly memorable, and made me SUPER intrigued in knowing what happens next.

daybloom project try not making the best looking rpg maker games ever challenge (impossible). seriously, i'm always ASTONISHED at how insanely good your games look, and at how differently they all manage to look from one another, and this was no exception. the great sprites, the cute style for the busts and the detailed style for the cutscenes... the way medyuu's sprite moves side to side when she runs, the way circles appear for when lightning strikes in the chase sequence... the entire forest part with its repeating paths and its glitched screens and its dark & red twisted sprites (seriously that part was SOOO friggin' good)... the sketchy style and disturbing angles for the goddess... the way the hunter appears briefly at the start of the game when you go to buy groceries??? that was so cool omg. there was sooo much love and attention put into every part of this game's presentation, and i can't help but respect the hell out of it :D

if i had to critisize anything, the chase sequence at the end was somewhat frustrating, since i didn't know where to go and got caught a bunch of times. that wouldn't be too bad on its own but the fact that you can't save (or at least it didn't work when i tried) after the previous conversation with the hunter, meant that i had to repeat that cutscene every time i died, which was pretty frustrating. i think just having a save menu before the chase would've made it a lot more bearable. (again, i don't know if you can save in the actual chase, but it didn't work when i tried to so i assumed you can't)

this was an absolutely fantastic game!! and a really creative and intriguing interpretation of the medusa myth. i can't wait to see more of this super original world :>

not just a stupid tradition is not just another jam entry, as the intriguing story and fun characters made this really memorable! :D

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i really like the story and how it escalates in suspense. the setup of a couple of teens messing up a ritual and it having horrible consequences feels very much like a classic horror movie haha, and the way the story progresses is really intriguing throughout, learning about what's happening and how this custom works (i love learning about cultures through games :>). but the plot clearly relies on the characters being entertaining, and luckily they're all really charming. chloe and izzy feel 100% like teens who think they're too old for this, which makes the setup feel realistic and the eventual supernatural stuff be even more unexpected. i felt so bad for ethan and how he kept getting bullied and scared lmao. and i really loved how caroline started out as a stern figure, then made me feel a sense of security as she explained what was happening and what was needed to fix it, and finally made me super intrigued with the secret basement, and think if i could really trust her. it was a really neat progression! (the twist gave me grunkle stan from gravity falls vibes, which is a HUGE achievement haha).

the art is really good! i like how simple everything is, if that makes sense? the designs and tileset not being too detailed and the use of solid colors give the presentation a unique sense of identity, like we're watching a halloween children's book or tv show haha. so many scenes stood out; the possession at the sea, the basement's paintings, walking through the dark forest... the face pictures were also pretty good (love how they're inside coffins XD), tho like others have said i would've liked if there were more faces, since a lot of the game is watching dialogue and it would've made it feel more dynamic. but due to the jam's time constraints and how long the game already is, it's not really something i can hold against it lol.

the code puzzle was really clever!! i got stuck there for a while but when i figured it out i felt sooo smart haha. i did think it was a bit too hard to figure out, and since this is a visual novel i feel like having a hint system would've helped, so you don't get frustrated with a puzzle you can't beat when what really matters in the game is the story. that's just my opinion tho.

overall this was a really great and intriguing time!! i really hope you keep working on this, i'm super intrigued in knowing what happens next :D

thank you for the kind words!! :> the rtp-turning-into-not-rtp, having a game composed of different in-universe games, and even that gramophone song are all things i've really wanted to put into a game for quite some time haha. i'm really happy that i could finally do it, and that it's been received so positively! i tried my best to polish everything and make the game as original as it could be :D

thank you for playing!! <3

thank you so much! :D i love meta games too, and my goal was 100% making the player think "wow this doesn't look like rpg maker at all" haha. i'm really glad you liked it!

believe it or not, the ghost clues were originally even more quick and easy to miss lol. in the testing phase i tried to make them as obvious as possible but still, i'm sorry that you had to repeat the second game :(

i'm happy to know you liked the soundtrack feature, it was totally a last minute decision but i always like rewards focused on bts stuff haha (and since it softlocks the game, it means if anyone wants to play it again they have to give me another download >:D).

thank you for playing! <3

this was really good! i liked the story and characters a lot :D

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really love the concept and how it's presented; going from marcus' pov to avelina's was pretty effective in showing a situation that seems completely normal from the outside, but slowly becomes more unsettling. there isn't any real confirmation of something bad happening, but the way characters talk, the little details that feel off-putting, build the eeriness until the eventual plot unravels. it feels very subtle; enough to make you think that it might be just your imagination (did marcus actually call on avelina's room or could it have been just a dream...?) the storytelling and the way the mystery is told is really clever, and kept me really intrigued to know what was actually happening without giving away too many clues. felt like i was watching a thriller/mystery film at some points haha. and i loved how the supernatural elements were foreshadowed; bringing up religion throughout the game made the eventual reveal feel unexpected and totally fitting within this world.

the characters are really great!! marcus was really charming and his determination to help his "masters" and then avelina in any way he could, even by swordfighting, made him really likeable; avelina was really endearing and i really wanted her to find out what's really going on (the scene when she realizes she and marcus were married and the ending scene were really well done), and whenever she cried i felt so bad haha. i love how you're not told she doesn't remember a lot of things, but the way she acts and talks about things in her life made it clear; great use of show don't tell. love how seemingly kind and loving ricardo is to his "wife" before the reveal, and how his attitude towards marcus can just be seen as tipycal rudeness towards a servant. and belinda and carlos were really charming, honestly they totally convinced me they were genuine kind people lol. and finally, ophelia was a great helpful-character-who's-actually-divine-intervention, i love that trope so much haha (tbf any story is better with an elder who gives the mc matches and gasoline-).

obviously the focus is on the plot and not the gameplay, but i enjoyed a lot of small mechanics. the swordfights were fun and something you don't see in a lot rpg maker games, and the dark hallway part was really tense, such a cool use of gameplay, sound and lighting (i got hit a looot of times, maybe i'm bad at chase sequences lol). while i liked how the things you could interact with were highlighted, it did make the game feel a little too linear at times, and like it was holding my hand a bit too much. i understand they were necessary to highlight stuff that could blend in with the areas that are more open, maybe it could've been used only for big zones so you feel more free in the small ones? that's just my opinion tho.

overall, this was a super intriguing plot told with really great art!! (the character designs are really good and expressive :D) and using the 'fear the devil' theme from the jam to tie into a fictional fantasy religion was super creative. i really enjoyed this! :>

yeah it was clear that he knew what he was drilling! if i implied the opposite, it wasn't my intention haha.

(sorry if this comment was shorter/less interesting than my other ones, i want to get better at reviewing short games asjdjshd-)

abra got tired of all the westwood x oliver jokes so she made another yaoi couple we can obsess about! :D

seriously tho, this was REALLY great and creepy as hell!!

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despite the short length, the repetition of your tasks really sells the feeling of mundanity and hopelessness. each day you need to check some stuff, start the drill, and read the old logs that get printed. it's really simple, but it quickly sets in that these guys may have been doing it for who knows how long, and every timeskip drills (hehehe) that thought into your head further. it's not boring at all though; this game is a really effective example of building dread throughout the mundanity. the drill is your main task and keeps you warm, but when you learn what it does you can't help but feel nervous when using it... (i'm drilling two feet into what?). you have a partner to keep you company, but who knows what's he thinking about... (why would he want to sleep far from me?). reading the logs is really intriguing, but every time you do there's the underlying feeling you'll find something you don't want to know... (when will i reach the logs that were written after the incident, and what will they say?)

and eventually, when your friend can't handle it and it's only you in the facility, the dread goes from an underlying feeling to coming around full force. the mc talking with his conscience, the days going through without anything except using the drill, and eventually not even knowing what day it is, all worked wonders in unsettling me haha. and the twist was really great, really unexpected but with really clever foreshadowing. suddenly it makes sense why your partner did what he did, why you're going insane from guilt... and the concept of being trapped in an abandoned building with no way of keeping you alive except torturing an innocent creature (btw i loved how we don't get to see what it looks like, and that it's up to our imagination) is so cruel and tragic on its own. and the ending was really great; abstract and open to interpretation in the usual superb abra geroni way :>

overall a really absorbing and incredibly well crafted experience. looks like the polar expedition jam is off to a great start! :D

this was a super creative and incredibly well written interpretation of the jam theme!! :D

(SPOILERS)

the setup is horrifying; a child stuck in a room and slowly starving because her mother told her not to come out is SUPER scary and feels so hopeless, but when she does come out, the house feels terrifyingly empty, like your mother or whatever else could jump at you at any moment. you almost wish there was something so there could be a stealth section or something like that, so you at least knew what you had to be scared of. but nothing comes, and you just try to be sneaky and brace yourself for a scare that doesn't come. then, a sinister figure appears and you find your mother dead on the floor. then, you look through your somehow-changing house for clues to solve the morbid puzzle in your freezer. then, after you solve it, you find an even more wretched figure that chases you. the way the situation escalates is pitch perfect, making you feel more and more hopeless and confused, until the eventual calm when you find someone who can protect you and (at least somewhat) explain what's going on. it's a really great design for a story like this, and when i wasn't overwhelmed with tension i was really intrigued as to what was going on :>

camellia and hedrik were amazing characters, and their banter was adorable haha. i like how they butt heads and don't always understand each other (especially with hedrik trying to explain, pretty poorly, what is actually happening-). if the writing was more generic they'd act like best buddies immediately, but they feel realistic and i really liked that. hedrik being like a kind-of-fed-up older brother was really funny considering he's supposed to be a professional exorcist lol. i loved a lot of little moments, like him being too nauseous to walk among the rotten apples, or telling camellia to go away so she doesn't see how he burns the bush haha. and camellia was a really well written child character; she felt appropiately scared, confused, but also understanding, in a way that's pretty hard to write. it feels like she doesn't fully understand what's happening, but she can kind of get it, which feels realistic. really loved how her feelings for her mom change, from being heartbroken by her death, to confused by her motives, to angry at her (gotta highlight that moment were she screams at her mom for starving her), to eventually understanding. it was a really well written progression.

the plot was super interesting! learning about these "breaks" and how magic works in this world was really intriguing. the concept of helping these abstract creatures with their petitions was super original and appropiately supernatural; i loved how each one has a different personality and way of speaking, they felt like characters you'd find in omori or undertale. their quests and the puzzles in general were pretty well done, they were pretty fair and the only one i had some trouble with (the code one), i managed to beat it after a few minutes and i felt really clever when doing so haha (speaking of the puzzles, i'm sure there was religious symbolism with the things these peeps ask but i’m too dumb to get it lol). the flashback sequence at the end? absolutely heartbreaking. the mother’s story was incredibly compelling, and a really neat & subtle way to let the player know it's okay if camellia doesn't forgive her. what an effective way to demonize and immediately afterwards humanize a character we've come to assume is pure evil. like chevie i was a liiittle worried the message was “the mother was right”, but i think it was pretty well conveyed that camellia forgave her, while not following in her footsteps. like camellia says, i wished she did what she did because of hate, because it'd be easier. but she did it because of love. i'm amazed at how well this complicated topic was managed, well friggin' done (also, the writing & descriptions are super good!! the narration was so effective that i almost gagged at the part were camellia eats lmao-).

lastly, the art was really great too! the use of color was INCREDIBLE, with the blue hues of the house at the start, the red as you get closer to the break, the warm colors in the flashback sequence... the sprites were really good, i like the contrast between how camellia walks moving her arms around, while hedrik’s sprite barely changes. the face pics are super expressive; love the range both mcs have while never looking too off model. the monster chasing you has a super horrifying design, the mother in the flashback being completely white was a great touch that made her feel more ethereal,  the lamb eye image is disgusting and i love it, the cg in the sunset is absolutely beautiful... i'm just listing stuff at this point, it's hard talking about a game's art without sounding like i'm rambling haha. honestly the only thing that could be different is that i wish there were less default assets, just to make the visuals feel even more unique. but with how big the game already is and how limited the jam time is, i can't really call it much of a flaw haha.

overall, this was an amazing and deeply affecting game. speaking from experience, due to the time constraints it's hard to make a jam game that hooks you in with its story, but this one absolutely did and i really hope you guys keep working on stuff. just fantastic, and its win was super deserved!! :D

heyy congrats on winning the jam!! :D sadly i didn't have time to play this one but it looks super unique and from what i've heard the atmosphere and story are really good, so great job! :>

CONGRATS ON WINNING THE JAM!!! :D this game was absolutely fantastic, with a super unique identity and an extremely engaging concept and mechanics.

will make a full review soon, congratulations again!!

making a sequel based on the bad ending of its predecessor is such a creative concept, and it's done really great here! :D

(SPOILERS)

once again, you nailed the feel of the game. it hooks you on the first sequence alone; taking the role of dean, doing normal things in his home with seemingly nothing out of the ordinary, after the hell he made you go through was super effective. the disconnect between these events going as usual and the chilling ambience playing at all times was excellent; it's like the game itself knows there's something really wrong with letting this guy scot free, but it can't do anything about it. and when the actual plot starts, the chilling atmosphere doesn't stop. seeing hank explain so calmly the supernatural stuff he's been researching was really spooky, just watching this previously pretty normal guy fall into this rabbit hole was honestly kinda sad, and the anticipation from finding out exactly what he's gonna do to dean was super well done. searching for objects for the ritual felt just as dispassionate and detached as hank probably felt haha. and when the ritual is complete and... "billy" is brought back, the reveal of his form (i can't get the sound of the flashlight clicking again and again out of my head-) and the chase around the dark house was sooo scary, really great job.

the art is once again really good! with this game being shorter than purge: desperation, i'm glad there were even more cgs with sweet, sweet gore than last time! once again they're all really good and their references are really cleverly chosen (the thousand yard stare soldier meme being used caught me off guard tho- that's right i unlocked the bonus folder again because i'm still a true gamer™). and i did like how the gore is even MORE extreme than last time, with blood staining everything, guts flying around, skin being snatched from bodies (that was an unironically really good drawing, really disgusting haha), and of course retrieved billy's design. i'm not praising it just because "yay there's even gorier stuff now! :D" though that's cool too lmao, but it really feels like an appropiate and natural escalation from the last game. like, even considering all the messed up stuff dean made hank do, the things hank does to reverse it being arguably even more extreme felt pretty ironic and fitting for his character haha.

i really liked the contrast between hank sounding monotonous the entire time, aside from a few bursts of anger, and how he breaks down and the game focuses on his feelings in the two endings. whether he reunites with his son, or he finally lets go of him. really good stuff. and in the true ending, i loved the scene with his wife's picture. i totally believed he spent so long looking for a way to bring his son back, and in just one moment opening his eyes and realizing how deranged what he's doing is. felt very realistic, and really cathartic for his character, as is the actual true ending which is appropiately bittersweet.

if i had to complain about anything, i think the chase sequence with retrieved billy was a bit annoying since i kept trying to find a way out and didn't understand what i actually had to do haha. hank's bedroom was open unlike all the other doors so i assumed i had to do something there? don't know if that was intentional but i think making it locked too would've made the way to win even more clear (the "don't stop running" hint at the start is pretty good tho!)

lastly, i read the "thoughts" file and i'm really happy to know you stepped out of your comfort zone and found enjoyment in using rpg maker <3 i'm really excited for the games you plan to make, whether you continue with the lawson story or not, and i hope you keep improving the super great skills you've proven to have! :D

(edit: OMG i can't believe i forgot to mention the tv scene haha. such a funny and unexpected crossover XD)

what an effectively dark experience! (which is verbose for: this was f*cked up but in a really good way XD)

(SPOILERS)

the atmosphere and horror of this whole situation are conveyed really well. at first, the complete calm in hank's home (aside some mentions of safety precautions) made me lower my guard and believe, like the protagonists, that everything could be okay and the purge could just be avoided and treated like a normal day if you just stayed inside... but the moment billy's inhaler is empty and you need to go outside, reality hits. the combination of incessant screaming and thugs running all around made the outside feel super tense. the speed of everyone was a little jarring at first, but after a few seconds it dawns on you just how hard it's gonna be to avoid them, and you have no idea what these people will do to you if they catch you... it felt appropiately super dangerous, and everytime i had to go outside i felt a non insignificant amount of dread haha. and when dean and his lackeys broke into hank's house, forcing him to do all these horrible things... man, it's really hard to nail true desperation (heh) in a game, but you did it. seeing hank like this, wondering if it's even worth it for saving billy and watching how he does increasingly horrible things... it kinda made me sick to my stomach (in a good way ofc! haha). even so, the most visceral feeling you'll feel here is by far the sheer hate for dean lmao, that puntable bastard- the horror aspect was super well done, you really have a grasp on how to make a plot gripping and intense!:D

the art was really good!! hank and dean's faces were really expressive and sold me on their personalities a lot. i love how exaggerated hank's drawings are to show his anger, contrasted with how calm and on model dean looks. just some good old clever juxtaposition haha. loved also how hank's sprite and art would change and get bloodier as he killed more people, the sprite change is SUPER subtle but i the extra effort is really cool. i really liked how initially, gore is not seen anywhere, making me think subconsciously "oh ok, so there's no real graphic violence and the trigger warnings were probably just for the themes". then you see billy's ear, and suddenly "oh god oh shit there's actual gore-". then you start killing the thugs on the street (side note, really appreciated that you had to just touch them to kill them and it wasn't necessary to interact with them haha) and kinda become desensitized by the violence, thinking "oh okay, smashing people's heads with a wrench is probably about as hard with the gore and this will go, looks like i'm good!". and then you start finding billy's body pieces around your home (amazing sequence btw) and it's right back to "OH NO OH GOD OH MY GOD I HATE GAMES I'M NEVER PLAYING A GAME AGAIN-". just a really clever use of shock, and a rollercoaster of emotions haha. lastly, the cgs were great too! the way you used references was super cool (that's right i unlocked the bonus folder because i'm a true gamer™) and it didn't feel like you were plagiarizing those pics, it felt like you were taking inspiration of really smartly chosen pictures. and they're all really well drawn and have a good amount of detail; i'd say my favorite cg was the one in the bad ending, where hank hold's billy's head... man that look in his eyes is gonna stay with me haha.

(also i didn't know where to put this but the save slot thing was so clever! no idea if you could go around the house from the start or if it was exclusive from that save, but either way it was a really creative way to lead into the true ending :>)

if i had to criticize anything, i think hank and dean's designs felt a little too different from each other, like they weren't characters from the same universe. hank fits 100% with the game's tone and world, but dean kinda looks like a disney prince and it's a bit jarring (i KNEW you used a disney prince for reference! i'm always three steps ahead >:D haha). and obviously this isn't a dig at the game or your skills, but i feel like the rtp holds the flair back a bit. i would LOVE to see this game with an original tileset, or a dlc/fanmade one (like egg uses in their games). i think it would've made the presentation even more memorable, but as is the original art is still really great and the game overall is well designed and looks good!

this was a really great experience! and i think it's so cool that you decided to make a sequel based entirely on hank and billy living a happy life and nothing bad happening at all :D (*cries*)

(SPOILERS)

imagine not showing up at your boyfriend's exorcism and then being surprised when he's rude to you smh smh.

srsly tho, this was yet another really solid visual novel!! :D

really loved the story and characters. the concept of everyone in your family trying to "cure" you of something they won't even tell you about is such a terrifying one. everything in this event feels so wrong and manipulative, down to the exorcist referring to clarence simply asking what he's going to drink as "resisting". the game builds such a creepy atmosphere, and it's impressive how solidly it's built considering how short it is, and how all you really do before the exorcism is talk to relatives. i really liked clarence; not only is his design super memorable (characters with long blond hair my beloveds-) but his struggle is very well written. the way he talks about his encounters with asher really worked in emphasizing the idea that they couldn't get caught. that they had to keep their relationship a secret. and that in the end, he didn't even know how a long term relationship with him would've worked. his emotions were really well written and laid out... and speaking of which, i think your 'snarky narrator' technique worked incredibly well in this plot especially, contrasting clarence's intense feelings and thoughts throughout this whole ordeal, only for these descriptions of emotions to run dry at the ending, when he's been... fixed. it was very effective! (and yes said ending did destroy me, thank you for asking-) the other characters were great too, and it was neat to see peeps from tcpc make a return! mother charity was a definitive standout in the cast, something about a fanatic leader that believes you're evil incarnate, yet is still always grinning and saying things that should be comforting... it struck a chord with me in terms of uneasiness haha.

omg a liminace game has really great art, what an original opinion- XD really tho, i think this game's visuals stand out from your other ones in a subtle way, while still looking awesome as ever. i love the sketch-like quality of some drawings (especially in clarence's busts), it was a really cool little style choice that didn't really need to be there, but it shows how much attention to detail was put into the art :D i also loved the atmosphere in the church, with snow particles floating outside, blue hues and a general aura of mysticism. like you were in an actual place reserved for a divinity haha. and there's so many other small things; the way the screen turns darker and redder as you light the candles? love that. the way the colors turn sepia when you're strapped in that table? love that. the candle? that's a good candle. i don't know why but i want to highlight the drawing of the last candle specifically. that's a good ass candle drawing. oh! and the brain! that was also a good ass brain drawing.

...where was i? oh yeah, the visuals are great! :D

the music and sounds were also great! the sarcastic applause™ making a return is always nice to see lol. loved the switch up from the normal game sounds to the uncannily realistic buzz of the lights and the... squelching of flesh when the lobotomy happens. what an uncomfortable scene my god- (in a good way ofc haha) and the music wow!! so ethereal and extremely well made. still can't believe you compose the entire ost for all your games, seems like such an impossibly difficult task from afar lol. i'm always so impressed by people who make almost all the stuff in their games by themselves haha. so yeah music was great too! again, what an original opinion XD

i only really had two problems with the game; firstly i found some typos in a few places, which weren't too big of a deal and definitively understandable for such a dialogue-heavy game, but i thought i'd mention it. and the sequence from when you talk to samuel to when the exorcism begins ran for a tad too long for me, and i would've liked if it stopped somewhere in the middle, maybe when she-who-shall-not-be-named appears lmao. but yea that's about it.

will clarence appear again? will he and asher rekindle their love? will she finally be dumped into a frozen lake like she deserves? all of this and more in chapter 4 of the cardinal park chase, coming out in your nearest itch.io server!

(also woohooo, congrats on 500+ downloads and 2000+ browser plays!!! :D)