Wow, this was a lot more touching than I had expected going into it, and it was a good length too, nice work!

Very nice story and art. Did not expect to see a visual novel with animations and was very much impressed by it. The deeper themes are presented really well and overall I really enjoyed it.

really good stuff.

one of the most interesting aspects of this, to me, is that, despite not knowing they would eventually be the abuser, i chose the "friend" route--and this happens to line up most closely to my own experience of abuse. sure, it's just one data point, but i have to wonder if the contemplative atmosphere of the game + deeper psychological patterns would lead the average player to choose their own most relevant route. idk. just kinda cool.

the early shot of marco's teeth legitimately kinda frightened me. i thought that was great, as bard was seemingly also frightened in that moment. very effective use of the visuals.

on a general note: as soon as i saw this game had saving i wasn't sure i was going to do it in one sitting. but i did. i think the story really hooked me in, and i think that's great.

i also think the afterlife is such a great lens through which to discuss kink. like yeah, once you're dead... kinda doesn't matter how crazy your kinks were, and so it's a very sober way to discuss them in that sense. the vore in this game felt positively enjoyable and nonsexual, which may not be what you were going for, but i do think the context of the afterlife kind of makes sexuality moot.

along those lines: i've heard the whole "vore is comfortable and warm" thing before, and i kinda get it, but i think this game really does that well even for a (slightly) more general audience. it makes vore, like, the most natural possible conclusion to the game's story, and it feels nice, in like, a narrative sense. and i think that's really cool.

one thought: i think that the fishing minigame would benefit from the net maybe following the momentum of the mouse? like, i really wanted to "throw" the net in, and i think it would make the game more immersive (which would hopefully ground the player in the story even more).

This was a really nice experience!! The visuals, music, story, themes, kink all feel so cohesive and well put together. I could really feel the deeper themes running through this of fear, trust, exploration, safety, etc. Every part of the game feels in service to this one core idea, which in turn strengthens all of the parts. Even the fishing felt thematic, of throwing out your net not knowing what you'll find. It feels like a game and story very personal to you, that only you could have made, and I super appreciate getting this nice look into your world. The kink was so well-integrated that I had to remind myself that it was horny. This story explores my absolute favourite part of kink, which is why people have paraphilias like this, what it means to them emotionally. Bard felt like a completely realized character, whose fascination I could completely understand from top to bottom. Which really elevates them getting eaten to a very emotional scene.

I was immediately charmed by the 3d look and continually impressed by the utilization of that for setting the scene and posing the characters, making these close-feeling scenes of the soul's light dancing through Marco's fingers. The music also continually impressed me with how it accentuated the story.

This was a really lovely game. The story was thoughtful and evoked a lot of emotions and the music that paired along with the scenes were very moving. All and all the narrative and its ambience was quite immersive. The small fishing minigame was fun and at times a little tricky. With things bouncing around, it was fun trying to plan my net throws. There was quite a lot done and quite polished too. This game was a very nice experience. ~

I went into this knowing almost nothing about it, only that others in the Discord were talking about how good it was. They were right! This was such a touching and vulnerable story, with a beautiful and evocative visual aesthetic that looks even better in motion. I loved this game from beginning to end, and I'm so glad to have played it!

kinda feel bad that i didn't play this earlier but also i'm kinda glad i played it when i was on my own because holy fuck that hit on the feels a lot. great characters for an amazing story that talks about a lot of important things, like i genuinely would have forgotten it was a vore game if it wasn't for the whole subplot about it slowly building up on the side to mesh with the main plot in the best way at the end

now if you excuse me i'm gonna be in bed thinking about life for a while lmao

How in the world did you make me feel warm and fuzzy about a kink I have basically no interest in? Woah, this game gets a nearly perfect rating from me!

The visuals are unique and amazingly made, sound is icredible, and the story? Well that's the best part! It's touching, meaningful and just all around amazing. I loved the characters and how they interacted with each other, the way their dynamic evolves over the short story and the way they find their common ground. If I was a bit more emotional I might've teared up, and it definitely had me smiling when Bard gave their insight on mortal life, it resonated with my own views on it in a very special way.

Functionally the game is well polished too, good QOL features like quick dialogue advancement and autosave, a fun minigame that ties well into the theme and story, and nothing struck me as needing extra work or being buggy. I'm also completely amazd that this was made in a single month, HOW?!

I'd not be at all surprised if this gets the highest ratings in this jam, I reckon it could win in most jams where it fits the theme, hell, it could get great ratings as a regular release! I loved every moment of it and I'll happily sing its praises, amazing work!

Not my kink but your description of it was pretty interesting. The visuals were solid too and while the fishing mini-game was simple, it was actually a surprising amount of fun. Nice job all around!

I'm not into vore, but Marco is such a sweet lad, I want him to eat me up in another way

Wow, this was incredible. I have to admit when I saw it was a vore game I wasn't sure how well it would land for me, just because it's something I've never seen done in a way that worked for me, but I'm so glad I still gave it a try because it's just a beautiful game either way. I love these kinds of deep conversations in strange circumstances, and I can't get over how good the writing is, especially considering everything else that must have gone into making this since the presentation is top notch. Just really floored. Excellent, amazing work.

Also I might legitimately print this out and stick it on my desk:

This is a perfect articulation of something I think about all the time, and to be walloped over the head with it halfway through a lewd jam game was strangely emotional and also kind of hilarious.

Marco is very big, yes.

Jokes aside, this is an excellent story. It's sad at times (poor Bard) but there's some real warmth and meaning to it. Death, fishing, and vore, indeed. The VN gameplay feels good and the fishing minigame adds texture to the gameplay, so that's great.

Love the art style as well. Reminds me of a certain era of games around 2000, especially with the limited animation during normal gameplay vs. that one fully animated cutscene. Except your models actually look good, rather unlike early 3D.

I was immediately struck by the amount of effort in the visual design and the animation. The game takes the form of a visual novel, but the presentation is different from the typical Ren’Py style, and showcasing the environment with different camera angles and character poses go a long way in establishing the atmosphere. I also felt the environment and character design was appropriately sparse, and creates a project that is visually distinctive.

I enjoyed the narrative to an extent. I liked how it was cohesive and well constructed without plot contrivances, and the world was not encumbered with excessive exposition. I also liked how the fetish content was integrated in a classy fashion, even though that class is not necessarily sexually gratifying.

The central conceit of the narrative is that Marco and Bard fall in love with each other, but within the context of the lore established, I don’t think that’s realistic. If we go by Marco’s own words, they had been working this job forever, having ferried countless souls. The personality of Bard is essentially an anxious abuse victim with suppressed sexuality and a bit of a nihilistic streak. I don’t think Bard’s personality is strong enough to carry this conceit, and Marco does not have any especially strong personality traits that suggest they would be immediately infatuated with Bard, especially in the short timeframe the narrative presents. (That there are three other souls fished up with the same traits is a further damnation.) I understand this is an Anthropic Principle thing where this has to happen for the story to function, but I don’t buy that the characters presented would perform the actions they do if they were not part of this narrative.

I also think that the themes presented in the work are general to the point where they are universally applicable, especially regarding persistent inadequacies, the fear of death, the usage of well-worn afterlife tropes, and the popular positive-nihilistic outlook. I think that for a project like this, having a specificity of theme would be a great benefit, allowing an exploration of vore and sexuality in a more direct way. Because as nice as the aesthetic is, there isn’t a “wow factor” that makes this story stand out from other stories, and I think that is a shame given the excellent presentation.

Apart from that, it’s really good, highly competent, with good sound design, good harmony… you know, just really high-effort all around.

that's incredible that you made all of this in just a month. I love the art style, it reminds me of old point and click games. and the story was sweet. really good job

A truly grand tale for a month-long project! The breadth is incredible with minigames, animated characters, 3D models, a length narrative, a short movie, and an extensive fully original soundtrack! The levels of polish are equally incredible, this isn't just an ambitious big project, but it's also fully complete!

The story has a very good flow to it and makes excellent use of music, animation and transitions to punctuate the important moments. I really enjoyed the visual atmosphere and stylized 3D pixel-art renders. The various animations that show what's happening on the boat have kept the narrative very dynamic and engaging even for the tiny area it all takes place in. The character art and animations are great, I'm amazed how emotive you have made Bard even in the form of a disembodied soul! The nets don't match the very consistent style of the game, but I can see how converting the shadows and sinking animation into hard pixels can be a problem.

 It's very apparent that you had real passion about this project and made it with lots of love and care. Excellent work!

Oh goodness that was touching.  I don't know what else to say.  A long (for a jam game) and involved story, with a visual style reminding me of 90s CD games, original music that fits each scene, a minigame that's easy when you're calm and hard when you're panicking, and a nice cutscene that I'm sure some people will enjoy very much. 

Wow. WOW. Absolutely LOVED this one. Marco is an absolute CUTIE, so that helps, but the narrative and plot were very good on their own.

10/10 great story loved it. would love to see more of just the fishing minigame it was fun. to be honest the vore was a bit unnecessary. but it was a great way to get a degenerate like me to find the game.

This is insanely good! The story, visuals, and music tie together perfectly! You've made something really memorable ^^ the only thing I'd change is- the vore felt a bit jarring..? (I say this as someone into vore x) I love the tone of the story but I personally feel like the vore doesn't blend well into it. I dunno, maybe it's bc I'm still a bit embarrassed of being into it myself x) and scary monster maw doesn't appeal to me

Overall fantastic and I look forward to following you :3

Wow, this is so cute! very sweet, the style is great. i love you marco.
[also, because you made a heartfelt vore game, prepare to be one of the top rated games lmao]