itch.io

thank you so much for playing!! and yes---

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the heartbeat system was very much based off of aa's different lie detection systems, mainly apollo's bracelet tell reading minigame from aj. if i had to expand it into a bigger mechanic it would probably include reading heartbeats while the text is progressing and selecting the word that makes the heartbeat fluctuate but...that would require some more thinking on my part on how to code 😵‍💫 but there are a ton of concepts in this small lil game that we hope to expand into other games eventually!! 

dumb gay cop was like. an amalga of every self-possessed blonde idiot archetype character we could think of. so while still funny we wanted him to be a loser LOL

thanks for the compliments on the art!! renpy's animation system was a little funky to work with so at the most I could only do eye blinks, but in any future games i'd want to go crazy with the ace attorney esque animations and breakdowns...

thank you for playing!! :D so glad to hear you enjoyed the AA inspiration, we wanted it to have the same vibes and atmosphere and i'm so happy to hear it came across!

glad to see jet's ickiness was also conveyed well... nico (writer)'s original pitch to me was a lalo salamanca type character which is what we ran with.

there's plans for potential related games in the future since this is only our first game, so tysm! 

mfw when my sliding block puzzle national security system is inexplicably compromised...good god the hackers have done it once again.../j

INCREDIBLE GAME! I loveee the character designs and backgrounds, the painterly vibe to the bgs in particular reallly stands out against the sprites. just the overall feel and aesthetics really nails the combination of triad drama and human stories... gorg cgs too >:) 

writing is superb, found it fascinating how cora sees herself as like a justified savior to simone while also being insensitive to her inner feelings and like...agency as a person and lack of social net if she leaves. "Why would I need your permission to tell them crimes are being committed against you?" Fox being the stark physical converse is also just a great dichotomy that really makes you feel unsure of any choice you make. amazing work from the whole team! 

thank you for playing and the kind review!!! we definitely felt the rushed aspect as we were getting closer to the deadline, hopefully in the future with a jam/independent spinoff or inspired project we can dedicate a little more time to pacing. 

i'm currently playing I Am Not a Bad Person, so expect a review soon too hoho...

The storybook presentation is really well done and every chapter is brilliantly written, really felt the line "It was a physical betrayal of my mind and soul..." 

Aldith's dialogue before that part is also hauntingly perfect and solidified her character to me. The conversation between a person who knows too much and a creature who knows only what she knows. 

I guess I have to go watch the last unicorn now! amazing work!

I have to give you like a million props for including an in depth screening test with detailed illustrations. you are actually potentially saving lives out here w your vn and i applaud you.
AMAZING ARTWORK and the entire feel of the vn from artwork to UI is so melancholic and beautiful. poignant story, collage work is incredibly done and the writing really helps put me into the mindset of the mc and understand the pain. I wasn't aware of the pain that EDS can inflict until reading through this vn, but you did an outstanding job of writing how it feels.

beautiful short story with great usage of the photography for the backgrounds and other visuals. excellent work 

THANK YOU FOR PLAYING! passed on your comment to the writer and her answers to your questions are:

SPOILER
vvv

"My original idea was that Sarita's role in the triads was to take the fall for the murder Jet committed, so when Courtney started actually being able to prove her innocence it made her nervous that she was actually gonna win the trial and then she'd be free and at the mercy of the triads. 
But i think i came up with the evidence for that later on down the line so it wasn't exactly consistent w the first set of evidence i presented."

And for the gunshot thing she just walked it off like a champ 

There's only two! We wanted to include more but due to time contraints only the final choice influences which of the endings you get. 

INCREDIBLE worldbuilding and the art complements the writing wonderfully. honestly feels like you could do so much more with this universe if you ever choose to make follow ups! 

I hope you go back and finish up Act 2 and 3, I really want to read the ending since the story really started picking up by the end of this demo!

This game is beauttiifullll and the art is amazing. Really love the character sprites and backgrounds and the UI is godly

I did notice a few issues with textboxes and buttons: the menus for selecting choices in particular seem to only change color for the hovers when you hover somewhat below the actual box you're supposed to click (sorry if that doesn't make sense >.<) but that could just be my system. I think also clicking on the text box itself to progress dialogue instead of outside the textbox would work nicely. I think you could also benefit from a proofread, since there's quite a few confusing grammatical errors and misspells. If you need a playtester and proofreader please hmu, I really really enjoyed what you submitted and the full game pdf + the setting paragraph in the description seem REALLY INTERESTING!!

genuinely stunning work! the writing in this vn is so beautiful and raw and I am blown away by how powerful the story is and the connection the reader develops with marisol. amazing job!!

sorry for the late reply! my discord is @suo__jin (that's two underscores) 

Hi! I'm a visual development artist and illustrator trying to add more game character design + environmental and prop design work to my portfolio. I've worked for indie game studios in the past and I'd love to team up! :D

does this plugin also recognize colors? for example, if the player drew something using red but the drawing needs to be black, is there a way for the plugin to recognize this and have a response?