(This review contains spoilers!)
Had a ton of fun with this, as an ex-Christian who turned out to be a transgender of sorts, myself!!
I found myself relating a LOT to Angel, and I joked with my friends multiple times that it's because xir autistic like I am. So, of course, I lost my MIND with the reveal that xe actually is, lol. Not just that, but demiromantic, just like me!! We share the exact same thoughts on dating in general -- "how can you like me? we just met?? you people are so weird???" I've even pulled the "weaponizing my airheadedness to pretend I didn't understand what someone meant when they said they 'liked' me" move, lmao. These traits of mine, when shown in a character in a dating sim, are usually relegated to the non-datable NPC who's there for comic relief; the freakshow whose purpose is to be laughed at. To have them instead portrayed honestly, and as something that could even be desirable, made my heart grow three sizes this night~!
I also saw my younger self a LOT in Liam. Kudos to the writers -- you truly captured the Complete And Utter Behaviors only present in a repressed good-girl Christian turned alt trans queer. His final monologue in the honeymoon suite also very much got me In My Religious Trauma Feelings... Mourning that you used to be everything that your family and community wanted you to be, but you can't be that anymore if you want to be happy. So, seeking that validation in other places instead (ESPECIALLY online)... Woof
And, of course, Elias' plight of feeling like he has to prove he's still just as good at his job, and becoming a workaholic because of it, was ALSO a topic that hit home. Ough. I also really appreciated the representation for bigger boys!! Plus-size romance options are still shockingly rare in the dating sim space, so I do love to see it. Plus, the reveal in this route that Irene is, herself, potentially an egg had me HOLLERING. "Gender is confusing, and also I just wanna dress up in nice clothing, and men's fashion is so SAD" Girl. I fucking get it.
I generally appreciate Irene's internal monologues. The "religious girl who is Doing Her Best while in a crowd of queers" vibe are sooo palpable.
It feels like the topics covered in this game are things that are very close to the hearts of the team! From religion to queerness to the issue each character faces to even photography -- there were a few lines from Irene about her cameras that made me perk up, because it was something I'd never heard of before. Thank you for making this game! I had a blast.
This resonated with me so impossibly hard, as an autistic person. I have always thought that I could solve any problem, if I could just explain myself more, explain myself better, because I thought that other people just weren't understanding me. And if they understood me, then we could work out the problem.
It took me until I was an adult, and until years after my autism diagnosis, to realize that, no matter how much or how well I explained myself, nobody was ever going to understand me. No matter what way I whittled myself down.
This game feels like a take on the sort of despair and distress that comes with that sort of realization. Or, that's what it reminds me of.
I adore the concept! Unfortunately, it has a lot of glitches (or what I assume are glitches). For example, pressing "esc" to escape the minigame closes the game out entirely. I also selected to do the button press for the minigame, but, even after making sure it was set to that, the game continued to give me the mouse-based minigame. Additionally, going to the bike to interact does not end the night, as the game states it does, but it instead closes the game entirely. Turning off tutorials made it so I could not move upon entering the level. (If you want to fix these glitches post-jam, I'm on Windows.) It's a very fun game when I'm not being faced by these glitches, though!
This game features gorgeous UI, plenty of suitably meta moments (with visual novels being a huge theme through the game, and mentions of GameJams), and plenty, PLENTY of Feelings to go around, playing this was painful but so cathartic. That final sequence, fromJulie pitching the idea to Amy completing it, really was just brutal gutpunch after brutal gutpunch.
The irony and bitter reality in a game studio mostly filled with cishets making an LGBT+ game, then walking around laughing about how stupid their audience is, was also not lost on me, especially with Julie saying that the game was "made for people like Amy" when recommending it to her trans friend (likely while knowing all of this).
I also love the seeming Hatoful Boyfriend shoutout with the inclusion of what appears to be a parody VN dating sim about dating an animal, which is, in actuality, a greatly moving piece of art. (If anyone was put off by its parody-like nature, go check out Hatoful Boyfriend! It's a great VN with some surprising darkness to it.)
This game was an absolutely stunning experience, especially for this studio's (from what I can tell?) first fully completed game!! You lot have all definitely made a fan out of me, and I look forward to whatever you do next!
This is so sweet!!! Making sure that you knew they were characters outside of the slice that's able to be shown here was important to me, I'm so glad it came across <3! That sort of thing is why I added multiple lines that could be taken as throwaway, but establish that the two of them have known each other for a long time. Stuff like Kylian not having changed his favorite color since he was a little kid, and Asher remembering that.
Gay autism real!! (And that last line got me emotional about my own game, hehehe)
I saw this linked on your Neocities website, and the title and cover art immediately intrigued me. As promised in my email, as soon as I was done with webring applications for the day, I hopped over here! I ended up absolutely loving it!! The art is amazing, and I really loved the story of the game.
I liked that Agneau liked the people, more than the cult itself. That's a huge reason why a lot of people stay in cults and abusive religious situations; the community, less so than the beliefs. They love the people there, but they feel that the people don't love them back. That they love their title.
At first, I thought the mention of The Starful Hound "eating their gender" was going to be a silly throwaway jokey line, but it came back in the end, confirming it as a serious plotpoint. I love this idea for a nonbinary character, and that it seems to be quite literal, so to speak. This was before Agneau even knew of the cult. They just knew that one day, they encountered something grand, and woke up, no gender to be felt at all, where there once was. It was mentioned that they joined the cult because they were "kicked out of home". Was their sudden lack of gender why, I wonder? Trying to express this new feeling to others in their family making them face a transphobic disowning? Or perhaps I'm just thinking too hard about it, haha. But it feels like this is the order of events. The Starful Hound loved them and them alone, so she took their gender away. Transgenderism as a sign of being loved by the gods... What a wonderful thought.
Agneau wasn't sure that they were loved by their current family. It's not known if the cult was malicious towards its people in any way, or just ignorant, but the cult sure wasn't directing Agneau with instructions on how to survive the ordeal safely. But even if the churchgoers don't love them, the Starful Hound loves them. Their species doesn't matter to her; she loves them. This idea of unconditional love from a God, even (and especially) when they rebel against the church's ideas of what the "proper" way to worship is, also feels very LGBT. But I dedicate a way-too-large amount of my brainspace to media analysis for LGBT+ themes, so, again, I'm probably biased!
Anywhosies! These were my thoughts when I was playing this game. Needless to say, I found the game extremely fascinating, and quite resonant with my own experiences.
I have just one question, if I may ask. We know that "Agneau" is a title, given to many before it was bestowed onto the main character. Does the main character have a "real" name? I'm curious!
Thank you for putting this game together!
Artist and writer here! This view has me feeling very WAHHHH!! Thank you so much ;v;
I'm so glad that everything I wanted to put into the game's writing came across! You're spot-on about 'em both being written as queer (down to Kylian having a hunch, but not accepting it) and neurodivergent. As well as the themes of love and acceptance (both very intentional).
Thank you again for such your thought-out and kind review!
I'm an artist who would be down! You can find examples of my art here: https://artsy-azure.tumblr.com/
You can also check out a game I've previously done the artwork for, "ORGANS", on my itch profile!
A lot of this really, really resonated with me. I only played Yume Nikki recently, but about the process of coming out, and realizing, and pushing aside your desires... And the way everyone talked about Madotsuki... Especially about her wanting to prove that she could change... Then the description of your dream..... Whew. Got me in my feelings at 3am on a Monday morning.
(Also, the text for selecting the health drink made me laugh out loud.)
I want to make it very clear before I say what I'm going to say: I MEAN THIS IN THE MOST POSITIVE WAY IMAGINABLE!!!
This feels like something I would have made when I was a kid.
Maybe not a KID-kid, but like, mid-teens. I'm not that far off from that age (I'm just in my 20s!), but it reminds me of all of the best parts of my projects from that age. A story that's more small in scope, but very character-focused, and emotionally resonant, for that reason. (You even had an emotionally stunted blonde! That's, like, my favorite type of character, ha!) It feels like something that was made... how to say... unabashedly? I'm worried that this is coming off wrong, but I mean this all so, so positively!
I think what I'm trying to say is, it feels like something I would've made as a kid in that it knows exactly what it is and what it means to do, and it does it well. I think a lot of other stories like this pad it all out with a bunch of unnecessary filler, because that's what people think makes a story "good", is when a story is very... thorough, I suppose. (Which is a pattern of thinking I've often applied to my stories, which doesn't always help.)
But we didn't need to know the exact details of the magic system, and the exact details of Cain and Sammy's backstories. We got glimpses of what we needed for the story to be effective and resonant, and our imaginations fill out the rest. That's often the best way to write a story like this. The character writing is very strong, and I just generally had a darned good time with it!
I really loved this story! The art is gorgeous, the music is lovely, and I did notably like the sound effects for the buttons, hehe.
I didn't expect to come into this relating to Hijiri so much, but, as a writer myself, perhaps that was shortsided, haha. I can relate to both characters, actually -- Mayo's fan behavior and her tendency to not worry about the future (though I mostly tell myself to not worry about the future as a coping mechanism for anxiety, ha) and Hijiri's woes with creative burnout.
I was a little worried at multiple points about the direction the story was taken. I was worried that, with how Mayo was berating herself, she would end up bearing the narrative burden for the final conflict, with Hijiri's side of never being addressed. In fact, I was worried about Hijiri's nasty traits never truly being addressed. Thankfully, both of those things got proven wrong though!
The only issue I have with this VN is a rather minor complaint, and that's the subject of Hijiri's grandparents. I am about as white as white bread, so take my opinion with a grain of salt (especially given that I don't know the race of the author!), but I found it discomforting how it was established that Hijiri's grandparents were xenophobic / racist, and that they were then, in Hijiri's words, "Proven right". There are a number of ways this could've been addressed; they could have disapproved of Hijiri's father for a reason other than him being a foreigner, being the one that immediately jumps to mind. If you wanted to keep that plot point, you could've had Mayo respond when Hijiri said 'they were right' about her father, with something like, "But they were judging him based off of where he came from. They weren't 'right' for that." And then Hijiri could respond, "That is true." I dunno, something like that would've been a little less discomforting.
Other than that, though, I really enjoyed this VN and would recommend it in the future!
When I saw this, I was slightly worried that the game would force you to be mean to Hana, because I know she's often the narrative joke in Repurpose. It made me happy that you could be nice to the poor girl, because I always felt for her, even in Repurpose! I usually feel really bad picking the mean options, but Hana being desperate, and thus not really caring how I acted, made it a lot better on my soul, haha. I loved the music, and Hana's dialogue made me giggle a few times irl. I've definitely been in Hana's place a few times. In her words, "She just like me for real, for real".
I will say, I noticed a few light coding errors. For example, when I had Hana call me by my username, the text in-game showed a 'u' before every instance. I assume this must've meant 'username' in the code? It's nothing drastic though.
Just finished the Second Session update, after meaning to get to it for a while! Got all the endings, too. Just like the OG release, I love the continued chill vibes. And, of course, the new character design is lovely, as per usual!
What I didn't expect going into this was all the FEELINGS! Without giving spoilers, I really related to Blue a lot. Not just in The Obvious Way, but also how he talks about his favorite fictional character.
I've always loved the concept of using succubus and incubus society in order to explore the ways that society puts pressure on people to be intimate. Including (and sometimes, especially) when you're someone who isn't interested in it! My face lit up with excitement when I found out that's more or less what this new route was exploring. It's very well-done, too! The issue is exasperated due to incubi/succubi (in theory...) being literally All About Sex, which is what makes it such great commentary on our real world.
I'm so happy that this game received this update! No pressure, obviously, but if you ever wanted to update and add even more stories, I would play every single one with great joy and fervour! <3
I was brought here from YouTuber Amelie Doree mentioning this game in one of her videos, and right off the bat, I'd like to thank you for not only the content warnings, but also the option to view a detailed version of those content warnings. Whether or some things may be potentially upsetting can be incredibly situational (I know it is for me), so it's a very thoughtful option to put into a game, and especially one like this.
I love the setup / "world" of this game, the interesting and unique ways this leads to how sexuality is viewed, and the pixel art (really added to the RPG feel)! That said, though, this game's most striking quality is its writing. You've taken very difficult-to-understand concepts (even and especially for the people who know them most intimately), and boiled them down to such easy, impactful language. It's a truly amazing feat, and everyone involved should be very proud.
I related to Melody a lot (he said, in a manner much like someone who had grown up Catholic and was taught that sexual desire was sin to punish), but even I have struggled to categorize these feelings. I still struggle with a deep sense of shame and self-hatred for these things, so playing this game was (and I mean this in an EXTREMELY positive way) like getting smacked across the face HARD every two seconds with a revelation about myself, all of which were often equal parts relieving and painful. Needless to say, I'm going to be laying on my back and staring at the ceiling for a LOOONG while after posting this review, lol!! It's a huge weight off of my shoulders to finally be able to understand this side of myself. I couldn't have reached that understanding without this game, and for that, I thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful piece of art. I will be recommending it to anyone who will listen, whenever topics of fantasies of this nature come up.
I decided to check this game out after watching a streamer play it, and have gotten all of the endings! I agree with everyone saying this is the type of quality I would expect to pay for. This is such effective horror, not in small part due to how based in real life it is.
I have one criticism and one criticism only: I would have liked to know that the selfie I chose at the start of the game would affect how I would be gendered. Maybe I could have assumed, but it seems to be getting popular to have ungendered appearance options, and have the player character referred to neutrally. Like the latest Splatoon, for example! It would've been nice to have had some sort of indicator that it will change how the character is referred to.
Other than that small nitpick, this game is REALLY excellent. I can totally see it taking off, if the stars align right. Phenomenal work!
Edit: I forgot, I wanted to talk about a glitch I found. Sometimes, when I quick save and then quick load on a screen with a choice, when I load it, it just shows the previous dialogue, and the choice doesn't come up. You aren't able to progress any further when this happens, to my knowledge.
The switching between warm and cool colors to show the sickness getting worse was extremely effective, and the graphics are so gritty. The font choice reflects this as well. Makes for a great atmosphere. Loved the usage of the rats on the floor to show what exactly the MC was dying from, as well (even though rats technically weren't the cause of the plague, they are still associated imagery). Great job!
I can't remember if I left a review saying the same thing on the demo, but even if I did, I'm gonna say it again: it made my face light up when I saw bigender as an option for the player character. It feels like I never get an option to be myself in games, even ones with options like this, so it made me really happy!
As I said, I played the demo, and was very intrigued by the concept and was super excited to see it in full! Disclaimer that I've only played the Limbo routes so far (read: DJ and Noelle), but I LOOOVED both DJ and Noel's writing, as well as their banter with each other. DJ is one of the very few activist characters I've ever seen that actually reads as sincere, rather than a parody. And Noel is EXACTLY my type of character. Fallen angel genderfluid with anger issues? PEAK mecore. Thank you. I will GRACIOUSLY eat my meal.
-SPOILERS-
I try not to talk too much about representation in game reviews when part of the game's main appeal is the LGBT+ aspect (it seems redundant a lot of the time), but DJ also mentioning that they're intersex made my face light up. Also, I took a look at the Kickstarter to see who was 'romanceable' (Noel said he was ace, which isn't the same as aro, but even a lot of LGBT+ games act like it is, so), and I made an involuntary happy squeak when I saw that one of the romanceable characters is also bigender like me!! I can't wait to check out their route!!
This isn't helpful to the review but I had a Physical Reaction to DJ suggesting dressing Noel up as a mid-2000s emo kid. As someone super interested in scene culture, again, I will graciously eat my meal AND probably make fanart.
I liked that DJ's route ends with a throuple situation. It felt like I and the both of them were a trio of sorts throughout the game. It felt a little bit wrong to get with only Noel for his route. Plus, DJ and Noel definitely had chemistry of their own. A polyamorous situation is the perfect ending!
EDIT: Came back to specifically edit for Rosita's route and holy moly, dude. Only once in my life have I seen this sort of story attempted to be told; about the type of people who, even when they 'try their hardest', can't become any more than average. It's not a matter of lack of trying, it's them. It's them that the issue is with them... But that that's okay, too. Rosita's storyline resonated so deeply with me, as someone with a mental disability. Especially with the way that she handles what she percieves as a mental disability in Hordes. The team did an amazing job, and this story made me feel so seen!
Speaking of Hordes though… I have but one major complaint about the storytelling, and that is that, despite multiple people pointing out that Hordes is very clearly not mentally well, nothing is done in any of the routes about it... Or at least, not directly. The closest that I can think of is the ending where he's brought down into Hell by Faye, but even then, it's never explicitly stated that he's going to get mental help, even though it's established in Ramon's route that therapy does exist in Hell.
And I'm not asking for a Hordes redemption. I respect that the message of his character, and especially Rosita's route, is that he's not redeemable! I do! I just think it would be cool to have, like, a route or two where it's mentioned that he'll go to therapy, and maaaybe get on some meds? Even after playing Rosita's route, I still can't help but feel bad for him, because I know that he's not getting the mental help that he needs... Especially since it's not mentioned in Rosita's route alone that he's unwell! It's brought up in multiple routes, so it feels odd to just leave that idea hanging?
Maybe this will be addressed in part 2, but, I feel like it would make for a more satisfactory end for him to be able to get help, even if it doesn't make him a better person. I guess I just don't like other people's mental suffering, even that of capitalistic bastards.
-END OF SPOILERS-
My main criticism of the game was the way that Kalei's accent was written out with his dialogue. It's more difficult for me and many others to read dialogue when it's done like this, and breaks immersion, as well. I haven't gone on any Heaven routes yet, but I can't imagine I'll like having to endure that more. Although, the emphasis on his accent seemed to lessen as the game went on, so hopefully, that's consistent.
I've only played through the Limbo routes so far... But I'm so excited to get the rest of them, as well! It's so sublime, and I am incredibly grateful for all of the hard work everyone put in!
If the devs see this, I have a question: were any of the characters written to have any sort of disorder? And if not, can I see them that way anyway? I personally got HUGE BPD vibes from Noel (which for the record is a compliment, as I also have BPD) so I was wondering!
Such a lovely game. The sex-positivity present here is very refreshing, and the game is very comfortable to play through because of that. I love the character designs and art here; top notch, as expected from NomnomNami! I also appreciated that Chloe was a bit of a fandom nerd and that sexual fandom roleplay is talked about a bit. I can tell you did your research!
Also, I don't know if it was intentional, but our MC being uninterested in romance in a game released during aromantic awareness week? Gotta love it.
I'm still in the process of trying to get all the endings... Stuck trying the first one in the little list! But this game is a nonetheless a delight to play through!
