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Really good! 

The writing balanced the main character's own skewed world view with letting the reader onto how it actually functions through the way others interact with him well. I also appreciated the more grounded themes present, like how children of parents with addictions (and people with addictions in general) are treated like lost causes that are better done away with. 

The two different art styles complement each other well too. I also think that going for the cutesy vibes for most of the runtime, without peeks into the other, was a good choice. Not only does it make the shift more impactful, but lets the player fill in the unknowns, perhaps even in worse ways (I really thought the dad was gonna be a straight up corpse which the MC treated like alive to cope). I don't have super much to say about sound, except that the music was good and fitting. The sound design was simple, but used effectively!

There's nothing that makes me feel more stupid than playing an FdRstar jam game (Matchmaker's Loop does make me feel a bit stupid, but more so because I'm in writing moment haven't finished it yet...) That's not to say I don't appreciate innovative ways to gameify VNs! It's clear the creator cares as much about game design as narrative design, and the minigame for this one will be enjoyable for anyone who wouldn't fail an IQ test (and you may ask "can one fail those?" To which I refuse to answer <3)

The art is really good - the sprites both look amazing and are super expressive. The robot deer especially, as the artist utilises the fact that he's a robot to enhance expressions with things like the horns popping out when he's surprised. There's also some animations used well for comedic moments, where sound effects also play their part. 

I also found the world building to be interesting and strong - humans in FVNs can be a bit hit or miss, but this game makes a good case for their inclusion as they're part of a three-way dynamic for how the world functions. The writing also has that comedic flair I've come to expect and love from FdRstar, who plays around with the fourth wall without it ever feeling like it's intrusive.

My only real issue is that the story spends practically its entire runtime on world building and setup of character dynamics, and then it ends very abruptly. So abruptly I for a moment thought something went wrong, as it felt like the narrative was just about to go into a second half. (And worse, I'll never know if Clanko's new body is as hot as his original one was </3 )

Not where I thought things would go, but it was a good (and really well-written) direction! I don't think I've seen that particular allegory explored in the way it was, and I like how faith continues to be a complex cornerstone of Hartley's life and of the story.

(As a less serious comment: The design of Hartley in the mirror CG was very cute 😋)

It is linear, no choices :)

I'm sure you will, but please finish this or I might just knock down your door 🙏 

Can't believe the in-game lexicon I put into my game for translation of Arabic and Persian was more needed for the average player of ididntknowhowmightythewindsweretonight(FirstWinds) when they started crying and throwing up over having to google hawk tuah 😭 

It's a short linear one, with no choices :')

Really liked the update! The animations for big moments are spectacular, but I also appreciate the more subtle animation in most of the scenes too. The sound design is strong as well, especially with how the music fits together with the ambient sounds.

Only mildly critical thing I thought about when playing is that the (over)use of the f-slur might be undercutting the purpose of it's inclusion.

Nonetheless, excited to see where the story goes from here 🐭

Hello Galsult, creator of Ever Our Hearts Aglow... but also the writer, artiste, composer, programmer, and maker of Ever Our Hearts Aglow... . Thank you for this update of the game and continuation of the story. Even if Camry and Kari have only been homeless for a few days for them, to me they have been homeless for a long time (since the last update) and I have thought about how they slept in a trash bin sometimes when I look at the roof over my head when I'm not outside, which I am sometimes but I don't have to sleep there, and thinking about that makes me sad for them but also happy for me because I'm not homeless. But now that I have played this continuation I'm hopeful for them to stop being homeless. I guess you could say my heart is aglow... with hope :)

The real monster was the number puzzles we met along the way (I've got dyscalculia 🫩)

Thank you for the kind words, it means a lot to me 🩷 

I'm aiming to make all my games accessible, and  try to make those features not feel like an afterthought :')

Thank you for providing this absolutely miserable experience <3 I hope you continue, it's one of the most impactful things I've played in this year.

(Time to not think about what it means relating a bit too much to this MC :| )

I'm sad to see the game is seemingly unavailable as it looks incredibly interesting.

(But I hope you're okay, knowing what the mental disorder I think it depicts is like to live with.)

Such a good continuation from what we got in the jam! The direction you're taking it in strikes a great balance between being haunted by a harsh and ugly reality, but with the hope coming from the kindness of others. Just one part of chapter two into this story, and I've already teared up on multiple occasions 🫡

Really excited for more, and not just to see your gorgeous art of Adam. (It is, admittedly, a big reason. He's huge 🤤)

:(

I'm happy to hear you love it 🩷 Misha's next update is well underway, and it's gonna be a big one 👀

(I try writing the actual dance parts to be interesting in other ways too, so hopefully your eyes don't completely glaze over while wondering where the bear co*k went  :P )

😇

BlancoKix has a full playthrough of this game on YouTube! So if you want it read to you, or see someone else experience it:

Thank you 🩷 I'd keep making games even if I had to release them with the help of pigeons 🐭

I want to thank you too actually, both for your comments and what you wrote in the rating. I let myself be vulnerable with the parts of me put into these stories, to show something real with them. So seeing that they really matter - and can even be of help - to people is very meaningful for me as both writer and as a person 🩷 

(Also just wanna mention that what you wrote in the rating made me realize it'd be a good idea to implement the option to turn on warnings before scenes like the one in the route choice, for anyone not wanting to be blindsided by things like that. Will also make the most distressing scenes skippable with brief summaries just to convey any information critical to the story that would otherwise be missed. So, such options will be included with the next update!)

No need to apologise, jams like this are a great way to see what works and what doesn't. It'll be very interesting to see how the game will change, and just having the drive to go back and work on it more makes me hopeful for the improvements :')

(Long as the most memorable line of the entire jam stays, or people will riot🙏)

I really like the central idea of the main character trying to go on with life, having become so desperate for contact that it's affecting some of his senses to such a degree - while others are not affected, primarily smell. There's a particular moment in the start where the smell of rot breaks through the fantasy which was very effective at showing that something was wrong. I think it could have been utilized for longer though; cute date interspersed with moments of such hints to wear down the MC's fantasy. But the way the story is presented as is, in quite a short runtime, isn't wrong either.

My favourite part of the presentation is how Ned's sprite during the imaginary parts is constantly changing between expressions, moving around, and such. Making him look alive to the player through being so active creates a stark contrast to when he's just... well, not. The use of music is simple but also does its job (even though the one for the imaginary parts sounds like it's from an airplane commercial). The main thing that would improve the presentation is to use two audio channels for the music, and just switch the volumes between them when changing reality. With the frequent cuts, the songs play for like 15 seconds each time, so we pretty much just get the intro of which the airplane commercial song's will loop in my brain for a week.

All around though, I liked it!

😭😭😭

now my thirsty star rating has no context and I look even more insane 🩷😇

Presentation-wise, I think the photographic backgrounds in the game match the mundane and literally gritty reality the MC is living.  I also appreciated all the little animations of the sprites, as well as the hand-crafted light effects on them. What sound design present is done quite well too, but the complete silence for most of the runtime did become a bit a boring . (I'd have muted the game and turned on some tunes if I wasn't rating this, so it wouldn't be an issue for a normal playthrough).

Even though I'm not huge on slice of life stories, this one actually resonated with me. It reflects many people's reality of crushed dreams, where one can end up feeling stuck in a life that seems beneath all the effort put in to 'become' something. Menial jobs like the one portrayed here is basically used as a threat by authority figures growing up; study hard or you'll become one of those. 

With this in mind, I'm not sure how to feel about the late-game revelation. The story was doing such a good job with showing that meaning can be in smaller things; community and empathy change lives. The sudden shift to "actually, these people are finding meaning in fighting monsters and shit" undercut a lot of what had been built up. Persona but they're adults is perhaps a more exciting thing to read for many, and the game is still in development, but for what's in the jam version I'm left a bit disappointed with that late part.

I think the premise could be interesting, but this was honestly tough to read. To the point of making me a bit confused what was going on a lot of the time - aside from the mess of grammar issues and leftover comments, the writing seems a bit confused over who's perspective it's telling the story from (unless I missed the reporter having the power to read thoughts?) The game's current lack of backgrounds and sound did not help with the disorientation.

Still, knowing you're new to this, it's an achievement to get as much done with this project as you did - especially during the time you had to work on it! If you do more jams, I hope you get the time to fully realize your ideas <3

Thank you for playing and everything you wrote <3

I'll write out the thought process over what you were wondering about:

The differing audio levels for the static is indeed (mosly) intentional. The Light's more subtle volume is as such due to being a part of Remi - barely noticeable as being 'off' to them. His is extremely loud, Remi's fear drowning out everything else. (Bel's is a little bit too loud though, unintentionally). 

And the absence of static for the part where they can't tell if the friends are real is because the friends are actually speaking, static being a representation for what it feels like to me when I 'hear' fake speech like this. Remi can't tell, but the absence is meant to hint to the player that it's different than before even before it's confirmed.

A very enjoyable read! The character writing in the main part of the story - ie, everything leading up to a surprise introduction of a certain character - perfectly fit the tone of this sci-fi murder mystery where we get light comedy woven in with the tense atmosphere. However, the part after the aforementioned surprise introduction definitely felt weaker to me. That stellar character writing more or less goes away, as does the premise of the murder mystery by throwing in (spoiler) to pretty much replace it. It's not bad, but weakens the primary stretch of the game for me.

Small thing about the writing - nothing about story: I played it with audio description on as I like to see how accessibility options are implemented, if they are present. I was sort of expecting audio captions, mostly as that's how I do it, and was confused where they were until I realized you had implemented it so unobtrusively into the prose I just assumed it would be written like that either way. So I'd say you did well with this accessibility option! 

Presentation-wise, I loved all of it though. You really used the jam sprites well, constantly changing expressions and distances to fit what was happening within the narrative - the animations and scene framing like putting characters behind tables made the game feel more dynamic and visually interesting.

What really stood out was the music you've made. One, it was just really good. Two, it pushed the emotions and atmosphere in the way you wrote the story, so the great music was utilized effectively too. The different variations of the tracks are subtle, and such subtly pushes the player to a variation of emotions. And the layering of music and ocean in a late scene? Chills. What I'm saying is, I'd certainly vote for Your Eyes to win Best Sound Design! 

Been listening to 'Aurora' on loop while writing this :)

Practically everything in this story is pulled from my own experiences, so it's been 'nice' with lack of a better word that there's been quite a few people who recognise themselves in details like this. Makes me feel less alone in it, and it was my hope while making the game it'd do the same for others by showing struggles I know can be very hard to talk about <3 

First, I must applaud the writing. The fun premise of a heist is greatly supported by the tone which feels very much in line with practically all heist stories I've watched/read/played/written myself- snappy and funny dialogue interspersed with tense moments. I'll keep the comparison to your novembear brief as this should be about this game, but I much preferred inhabiting this dumbass manfail's (appreciative, very appreciative) perspective to someone with stressfully low self-esteem; in my opinion, it's a type of character you're also better at writing! The dynamic between all major characters is well-balanced, of which I particularly enjoyed Matthew and Felicity's. 

I have not, as of yet, had the time to play the game this one has connections to. But, City's Light works well with giving only the relevant information from what I'm sure would give a more 'complete' experience; being perfectly functional on its own while piquing interest to check out what that's all about ( subtle cross-project advertisement at its finest).

The background art is relatively simple but exceedingly charming. The sprites are expressive and quite dynamic, with extra points for the character designs immediately letting us know who that character is on the archetypal level. The sprites also just look really good :D

Now, the part you're fighting back tears for: Music. 

The composition for most of the tracks is quite good, and you do interesting things with variations in some cases which I loved to hear. I think the most noticeable issue is a screechy quality to much of it, a very common problem when working with digitally produced music (my early work in the music department is plagued by it as well). I would absolutely not say that your efforts here are bad, and I can already hear the style you're developing. So just continue to focus on composition; maybe delve a bit deeper into music theory if you think having 'rules' would help; look into the tools which can make digitally produced music sound more natural as well as the limitations the medium has - you have the potential to make music into one of your greatest strengths of game development and you're well on your way there <3

The presentation here is really good! Even what aren't CGs (and there's a whole bunch of those!) feel very dynamic due to how the sprites are made. There's so much effort put into them, with different poses and even ear flicks to give everything extra detail. In terms of sound, I noticed that there's small feedback noises when clicking some buttons which was really neat. I do think the game could have used more than one song playing throughout though. The song is great, but it doesn't fit all of the scenes, so we end up with some dissonance there.

There's nothing particularly negative to say about the writing, but it is quite on the simple side - it tells the story, but with little technical complexity or nuance. Certainly not bad at all, but there is room for using the writing in more interesting ways.

10/10 tail wag(s)!

An outstanding expression of creativity. The artistic skill on display here is obvious, but the game certainly does not try to sail on that merit alone. Everything we see is used to support the complex thematic and philosophical explorations in ways where merely writing could not take them - nor would merely the visuals. Knowing how to combine these aspects, for a work of art this abstract, is very impressive and you did it so well. Not only that, the jam's theme is present in so many ways that any attempt at the folly of pinning down the implementation would make one combust into flames.

The few less good things:

-The default Ren'py menu gave me whiplash.

--The textbox is functional enough, but it does feel so basic it's almost out of place in this game. (To me at least. Maybe there's an intent behind it I just didn't think of.)

---I was not planning on providing my actual numerical ratings for any entry, but I'll make an exception for this game's Presentation. While the visual presentation is well worth a 5 on its own in this category, I take audio into consideration for all submissions. So, [unintentional] lack of audio cruelly makes it a 4 :(  But, I have full faith you'll deliver something exquisite on that front too, and understand its current absence :)

The best thing: One doesn't even need media literacy for this actually, because the bat is really hot <3

This was a pleasant read!

The visual assets are used well, with some added flair like pacing to make things a little bit less static.

I did not find the audio to be obtrusive - it wasn't used to enhance particularly much in my opinion, which is okay. Audio being there as light support for other aspects of the game is a good baseline for most VNs. (But can negatively impact the experience drastically if used badly, just as something to keep in mind when you start experimenting more with sound design. )

I mostly enjoyed the story and writing, with the most notable 'issue' being that the game is too unfocused. Too short for all it's trying to do, and too long as a consequence for the core of it. In large part I chalk this up to the bloated cast. It pains me greatly to say it as I love to see polycules, but in this story it's quite clear that it's there because you wanted to have it - not because it's an important part of the story being told. Perfectly fine for a longer piece, but now it's taking up likely a third of the runtime. 

For further trimmings, the leopard mom's purpose as the welcoming family member is already covered by the much more important to the plot character Grams; I can barely remember what the hunter was there for, so that could be another potential victim of the chopping block.

(It's still a good game despite these critiques and 'suggestions' though! Been trying to get around to playing your Love jam game after the title caught my eye, so hopefully my slow ass does play it in future 🩷)

Limitations like that often end up making good art 🤭 Wanted to see what I could make with, mostly, just a dynamic CG - and it supports Remi's perception of isolation and being trapped with their own mind more than if the game didn't have that limitation :')

And a major intent of this game is precisely to make others understand disabilities like this a bit more, and I've been happy to see it's something people are taking to heart 🩷

Translating these complex, abstract and often confusing when they're happening experiences in a way that gives others a glimpse into what it's really like living with it was a challenge. But from all the comments and such, it seems like the raw authenticity I put into it had a strong impact - and even more importantly, there's people who feel a little bit less alone because of it :')

(And you nailed what I wanted to say with the ending. Pushing through the fear to help someone else when they can't even help themselves, because they know it's a shared fear and it's right, is what makes Remi a truly strong person.)

The UI and the game's aesthetics are clear highlights!

The story, and the way it's presented, are what really caught me though. The use of these vignettes, showing key moments but not necessarily the most important moments, captures a very mundane melancholy of childhood for me. There's no big moment all of it was for - we're simply left with a few puzzle pieces to imagine what the picture might look like. 

Could be a nothing-happens arthouse film out of 5 🙏

Kacper's likeness to a beaver due to his teeth is an important part of the character, and is pretty much a plot point 🤫

( And I think it's cute, but that's less important )

No need to feel bad - I make art so people feel less alone in their experiences 🩷 

That is indeed coded to only show up once, so you're not doing anything incorrectly! 

(I can add something like an archive for any such 'deleted scenes' in the VHS room in a future update - if it is something players would like, just for ease of access to look back on them.)