(Catching up on rating gamejam entries)

Visual/Production: I enjoyed the visual effects and transitions of the intro, especially having the drawing of the tower to help cement the setting. I do wish that we see this kind of quality spread a bit more throughout the VN, as we're mainly relying on the wolf sprite and photo backgrounds to visually set the scene for the inside of the tower.

There are times where Warren's sprite contrasts a bit with the CGs in terms of how big Warren is, and it kinda extends towards making his character a bit harder to get a feel of... Is he the large, slightly physically dominating wolf of the CG, or is he the softer person-sized wolf of the sprite? These personality traits can co-exist, but the asynchronicity of these elements hinder my view of this character.

Story/Writing:  The Wayward Tower is a cute romantic short story, but feels a bit like it's rushing itself to get to the end. We're told the MC and Warren have history, but we don't get to see much of them interacting or talking to a degree that we get to explore it (e.g. we get to a homemade breakfast scene, but right when they mention them sitting down, they end up rushing off to examine the curse).

 If this were ever revised, I'd suggest they slow down the days a bit; I think this would also allow Warren's actions towards the end to have more of an emotional punch. 

One other element I feel like wasn't developed as much was the specific effects of the MC's curse in the present. It kinda just presented as this magical sickness, and I was waiting to see if it was going to prevent him from staying long or punish him to some degree for wanting to.

All in all, I think Wayward Tower has an interesting premise but does not sustain the pizazz of the intro throughout the rest of the story. 

(realized I forgot to rate the  Maywolf games for real like I said I was going too, oops).

I enjoyed the time I spent with Tuning Out. Other VNs have certainly had routes unlock after playing though other options, but I felt like Tuning out is one of the few that ties it so well to the narrative. It's a simple premise "what if I could go back and choose differently", but it's executed in such a way that hit for me particularly.

Roy (1st route) is a very well-done character; his actions do the talking of showing you how someone can technically do things for you and say they care, but undermine you at every step of the way. It's not-heavy handed, and allows the audience to come to the conclusion. Telling him off was very cathartic. 

Felix's route was cute as well, and I enjoyed the option to find a better path for Holden, but it progressed very quickly in comparison. I would love for us to have had as much time with him as with Roy.

Although not necessarily a story with a super original plot, Tuning out executes character writing in a way that keeps you invested. I would love to see more from Dana in the future. 

(Expanding on my original comments from the Game Jam)

 Wacky's sense of humor and art is always nice to see; it's a guarantee that you'll laugh at least three times during the VN. It was also unexpected but cool that it gets tied into his main project.

I think where the VN falls a little short, for me, and this is very much a personal thing, is that the plot is a little lacking in terms of providing a hook, and a lot of the development between the characters is skipped over. One arriving at the camp, the tone and the feel of the writing stays much the same until the "climax" of the novel/ending, and so there's not much in terms of contrast .

Wacky has said he would like to expand the story at some point, so I'll definetly revisit this on the rewrite.

Astrophobia banks a little too hard on its premise. If it wasn’t for this set-up, say if they were cornered while being hunt down or running out of supplies while stranded on a mountain, the conversation here (literal and metatextual) would not be nearly as engaging. My feelings aren’t “damn, I’m sad for Nova and Albert,” but more “damn, I’d hate to be in their place,” which I’m not sure this is going for.

This one was okay, with enough to latch onto but not really a lot that’s actually there. There’s a single choice so far and it is incredibly lopsided, where the obvious choice gives you vital info and the renegade one offers way too little as a counterweight. Furthermore the music is incredibly uneven with some tracks blasting while others are barely listenable. All that said, it’s a pretty decent effort.

the Canis Convalescence is a pretty uneven project. The complete lack of music or sfx was a real turn off, but that paired with the lack of variety and little character development is what really kills it for me. It wasn’t exactly boring, what’s there is still engaging enough but it really needed more of it.

Imperfect Facets delivers an excellent short experience. The entrancing story, its characters develop well and the presentation of its magical elements  work to make it one of the best entries in 2024's May Wolf Game Jam. An interesting take on urban fantasy and eldritch horror that captivates in all aspects.

Mixed feelings on this one. It works but I can’t help but feel its a little wooden, it doesn’t really hit the emotional beats it’s going for. Also the blocking is real odd, not making proper use of the full-body sprites being used. Still, it’s enjoyable enough and the twists and turns work pretty well.