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A cinematic masterpiece. Together with you until the end of time is easily a masterclass in the cyclical and personal nature of visual novels and interactive fiction, weaving together choice and inevitability with a practiced hand. For me personally, I experienced the high-tech, university, warring family, and alchemist worlds upon first playthrough, each delighting me and cementing the theme and core message in its own way.
Our mc has such a unique set of eyes to see through, viewing themself as a fix-it charity case in world 1, a meaningless, lonely failure in world 2, and a fool who hates as much as they love in world 3, all while the people around them obviously see them so differently. Life is what we make of it, and if we continue to search for missing pieces dictated by others, then we'll never be able to see it for what it truly is. Just like how the mc can't see their life for what it's worth, the people around them also fail to see the mc in their deeper struggles, being friends but never confidants.
...And not to mention our lovely guide, who observes the mc through every plight and peril, ultimately choosing to bridge that gap between one who watches and one who does. It's incredibly fitting that the endings hammer what was set up from page 1, that contentment can not be found if you don't even actually know what you're looking for. And then, the curtain closes. Brava.
I'm so very proud at all your work in every aspect of this game. From the writing, to the visuals, to the game design, to the coding, everything is so cohesive and smooth, I'm sure anyone would be surprised that this was your first forray into ren'py. And I truly do hope that it isn't your last. 80085
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You know me, you know I'm gonna call this jank., but still allow me to be your game's first fanartist :p
this crazy ass comment i gasped, screamed, shouted, hit the table, got a drink of water, exclaimed, and put my hand over my mouth… and i’m ready to do it all over again. i hardly deserve the praise (AND the fanart but we’ll get to it later) you’ve lavished on me here, but i’m infinitely grateful that something my humble self has made can be reiterated so beautifully in your words. i feel like you were able to articulate so much better than i could my thoughts on making this game!
i’m glad that the variability and fluidity of experiences were able to enhance that kind of personal, individual feeling! how ironic that there is so much you can dictate through your choices, but they fall hollow and meaningless in the end regardless. some call it bad gameplay, but we can call it adherence to the theme here :^)
thank you for making my modest writing sound so beautiful and evocative in your words! the forest has been lost to the trees, one could say. i like that you specifically mention both the failure of the mc to see their inherent worth and the way they’re misunderstood by those around them — blinded by the wishes of others, they’re put in a situation where they can never be happy. this is definitely a bittersweet ending for aion, but hopefully not for us! we’re not trapped in a forever limbo yet, luckily! you and i have many more happy days in the sun at a beach that won’t be evil :D
and, of course, our guide. the hottest faceless voice one could have. i feel like a real bleeding heart doesn’t call themself a bleeding heart, but hey, he still made the effort to help out — even if it ultimately wasn’t a happy ending! i guess we can say that the eye of the beholder ought to be open to even find something to behold :P
coming from a ren’py MASTER such as yourself, i’m glad my shoddy code can still manage to hold up! it wouldn’t look nearly as good without the snake you drew for me too off the worst concept squiggle in existence >_< i suppose with your encouragement i might as well keep on trucking and find a new way to beat ren’py into submission for me. c = ==3 (robobarbie & allie vera please don’t kill me for the obscenity)
[le awesome timeskip brought to you by prussia ^_~]
the fanart is NOT jank. it’s AWESOME. i love the background being the nvl textbox and the colors being from the textbox like i see u. i seeeee you. his little erm actually voice and the way his skinny little waist tapers in like he is so FINE if i were talking to this guy in the afterlife let’s just say i’d choose a world with him in it >_< and also the SNAKE NECKTIE sheeeesh….. i need someone to come get this crazy combo of writer artist and coder like you can do it all. most unmatched itch.io user ever. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
Fuck me, this game is a thinker. It's so beautiful and sad. I love the ouroboros on the title screen and in the UI. It made me think about the fact that if I was given a choice to dip out of life and live another life somewhere else, I would have done that a million times by now. But if I did that, I never would have seen myself get better, find friends, find love, find peace. Damn, man. I'm crying right now, this game really touched me.
EDIT: I'm not done!!! The ending, man, the discontentment with contentment, the realization that even when their dream is fulfilled, the main character is still not satisfied. They hunger for more, but they don't know what that "more" is. Very relatable.
!!! let me pop out the candles and cake and champagne, thank you so much for your comment (and being the first)! you could maybe say i was very heavy handed with the snake imagery, but i’m so happy you caught the ouroboros especially on the title screen! even though i never explicitly refer to it, i wanted it to clearly call back to the main character’s pessimistic, cyclical cycle of never quite having enough and having what they want. and you’re so right! i’m also guilty of always imagining going to other worlds and having infinitely many more exciting experiences – but i have so much here that i don’t consider too. i think this was my clumsy attempt at trying to narrate that your happiness is so much more than what other people think should be your happiness (happiness is in the eye of the beholder amiright?) so i’m glad that even if a little, it could touch you!
and exactly! wanting more, but not knowing what the more is – they’re lost because they never thought about what they wanted, only what other people said they should want. but anyways, thank you so much for playing my humble game! even if no one else plays i’ll be happy that you enjoyed :D
I didn't think the snake imagery was heavy handed; I thought it was handled just right. & yeah, happiness is definitely in the eye of a beholder! Often, it's a goalpost that constantly moves.
For sure! When you're defined by others and don't know who you are, finding meaning in life can seem impossible. The ending is melancholic in that way.
This is definitely my favorite game in the jam, I hope you place high in the rankings. You did a fabulous job!