Mon seigneur, I am not deserving of the praise, but thank you ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ your comments get kinder and more thoughtful with every game I release, you're going to start crashing my itch page at some point... The most unique horror experience in seven years is TOO KIND, SURELY NOT 😠thank you so much... (apologies for the late reply as I wanted to make sure to respond thoroughly)
😠Thank you for your comments on the animations, as I was quite worried about them. The Perfect Woman was me "experimenting" without animations, and seeing how I could make the visuals varied and interesting enough even without them, and I was pleased with the result! I'm not sure if my future games will play around with visuals as much as this one, but I would like to incorporate more of this type of work in the future! (And, of course, thank you for letting me plagia--I mean, inspiring me, of course the sprite variations were heavily inspired by The Daughters of the Sun, and the GUI by High School Lolita...) And I'm glad it seemed more polished, I did try to make it so 😠(perhaps too much for such a short game...)
And YES, I was so lucky to have the opportunity to work with such talented VAs, they really were some of the most talented and pleasant people that I've ever had the opportunity to collaborate with. And I am glad that you picked up on the "Greek chorus", that was exactly the concept that I wanted to go for!
===SPOILERS===
😂 I'm glad that you found my approach to the premise interesting! It was actually the main reason that I wanted to use an AI as the focus - this concept that, like Pygmalion, the Doctor slowly carves Yumeko into the "shape" that he desires by continuously rebooting her, until she is nothing more than a hollow shell, parroting his desire.
Your analysis of the Doctor's desires is spot-on - nothing that Yumeko says is outrageous, nothing insults him. Rather, she simply says things that he doesn't agree with. Your point here is exactly correct - he doesn't want her to be a person, he wants someone to glorify him. And as you also mentioned, while I do love "girlpower" and generally feminist narratives, I do oftentimes think that they are too easy. A woman can simply stand up for herself and speak her mind, and others will listen because she's right. But this does not happen all the time IRL - in fact, if a woman speaks up, sometimes she is punished - put down for her conflicting views, forced to bend until she goes back into line. Sometimes, a woman is allowed to speak only when a man allows it - and this is what happens here. If Yumeko rebels, the Doctor prevents her from speaking, reprogramming her into a shell of herself.
I am VERY glad that you liked the sprite changes! I originally only planned two (normal Yumeko and "perfect" Yumeko), but I thought that I would try to vary them a bit more between playthroughs! Your analysis of the third "form" is completely correct - Yumeko is a shadow, unable to emote except to smile and cry. And I am SO GLAD that you liked the fourth form - "perfect" Yumeko - and that you caught the strangulation marks on her neck (it was a small detail that I wasn't sure people would catch!) Your phrasing here - "a woman who tries to rebel is a woman that gets violated" - is very true, and I do really want to emphasize that point - "violate." Because taking away her choice is not harmless, it is a violation of her autonomy, of her dignity, of her as a person.
😂 OF COURSE you know me, murder must be the solution ✨ and yet you are very right, even that is something of a "fantasy." In reality a woman wouldn't be able to overpower her husband, or strangle him. Yumeko is only able to survive because she is "not human" - because she's not limited by the constraints of her physicality. Part of it is a fantasy - a ray of hope, an avenue of escape. Although I also think that her body reflects her inner strength and will to survive - perhaps she would have found a way to escape without it 😂 but then we wouldn't have gotten blood ✨
But I agree with you on the last ending (the Wife) being my favorite as well (and, most likely, the one that I would consider "my" ending). Because, in the end, with no knowledge, no skills, no relationships, no life - who does she have except the Doctor? You captured my intent with this extremely well - abusers find vulnerable partners and strip away their lives, making it difficult to escape. And, in the end, between facing the fear of her life with the Doctor and the fear of the unknown - I don't blame Yumeko for choosing him.
HONESTLY I did not make the fairy tale parallels when I first wrote it, as I mainly based this section on Pygmalion, as well as Japanese beauty standards - but of course, the themes are very similar. Like Snow White, I based Yumeko's real appearance on "ideal Japanese beauty" - pale skin, black hair, red lips - and a white dress, perfectly pure so that she may be dyed in her husband's colors. And like Pygmalion in the myth, the Doctor wants to bring Yumeko to life with his love. "Because it would be proof that a man is loved" is an absolutely perfect way to sum it all up, and I couldn't put it any better myself.
THANK YOU AGAIN FOR LEAVING SUCH A KIND COMMENT, and for playtesting for me 😠I couldn't be more grateful to have you. First to play, first to comment, first to rate, you have all of the medals, mon seigneur...