Post by TheStateOfDanemark in Solipsism Reigns Otome/GxB Version comments

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Hello Melancholy Marionette!

I'm three routes into SR, and I just wanted to say: thank you.

I play a lot of story-driven games, be it mystery or drama or romance, free or commercial, big or small budgets... A handful of times, I've come across titles made by small dev teams or dev persons trying their best to tell new, surprising stories in spite of the limited resources they had. Those particular games are few and far between, but they have always had a special place in my heart as a player, and they end up staying with me for years. So I was pretty excited when I came across your profile and read the description for this one. And it doesn't disappoint! <3

It's super obvious that a lot of love went into it. I really appreciate you going the extra mile and having an OP (which is super catchy, by the way, I've been singing it for several days). As I appreciate you wanting to include as many CG as you possibly could - I do agree with some of the other commenters, though, CGs aren't the most important feature in an otome. Plus, you can always add more later down the line should you want to and have more funds to dedicate to them. ^^

To me, the main point of interest is the story. And while it's not always perfect (the student route could've been more developed, for example, imho), I'm loving what you're doing so far. You have a pretty interesting concept to begin with, and you're using it in really clever ways -- I just can't wait to learn more about the bigger picture, but all the while, I never want to be done with this game, I'm too emotionally invested not to be sad when it's over. Finishing each route feels really bittersweet, which might be done on purpose?

And Kuro is... fascinating. I don't normally care for yanderes; in fact, I normally hate the trope, but the idea of a constant, invisible companion who's been with you since the very beginning of your life is really interesting. Such a relationship would be both desirable in a way, and a recipe for disaster. So, I find myself excusing a lot of things coming from him that I wouldn't if they came from garden-variety yandere characters (That, or it's just the fact that you write him so well and give him depth and layers, and that his VA is doing an amazing job). Either way, I'm weak for him, even at times when I really shouldn't...

So thank you for creating him. Thank you for making this game, for all the feelings and thoughts it spawned, and in advance for the other three routes (Detective/Gamer/???) which I'm sure will be a trip. Thank you for having the guts to carry the development process through to the end, which might not always have been easy.
I love SR to bits already, and I'm glad it exists. And I'll definitely make sure to check your other works if I ever get back onto a PC. Hope you'll keep on being creative, and stay safe!

(PS: true story: I played Nintendogs as a tween; my first dog was a Shiba Inu I called 'Kuro'. So all the lines about him being a pet/a dog hit really weirdly. I think it says much about the strength of your character writing that I managed to overlook this and feel for this Kuro as intensely as I do. :D)

(Edited for clarity and to correct a couple of mistakes, because I'm not a native English speaker and wrote this at 3 A.M., still reeling from the end of the Princess route. Apologies if this comment is too long or confusing in any way ^^;)

Melancholy Marionette4 years ago

Hey there! Thank you so much for taking the time to comment + for your kind words :D They're very appreciated <3

It's great that you play such a variety of games (and story-driven ones are my personal favourite to play too :3) and you decided to check SR out. I have a feeling a lot of people wouldn't touch it with it being a solo indie dev project with no funding, haha. So thank you for giving it a chance! I'm very honoured that you're enjoying it so far :D

I'm super happy you like the opening theme :3 There was a point where I was almost gonna give up on having one, cos the old version backing track just wasn't right >.< Then my boyfriend said he'd help make a brand new backing track. I had to change the lyrics a fair bit from what I originally had down in order to fit his track, but managed to keep the same meaning. It took weeks to make though xD

I totally agree in regards to the student route, haha. There's a reason for it, one being that it's not a setting that I particularly enjoy in stories, but my friend wanted me to write something in that sort of setting >.< I feel like because I'm not keen on that setting it had a lot less effort put into it than the other routes. On top of that, it was the very first route that I wrote, before I knew exactly where I wanted to take the story as a whole. By the time it got to the point that I was writing the ??? route, at least a year had passed since I wrote the student one xD I did toy with the idea of completely rewriting it since I wasn't happy with it, or leaving it out altogether, but my friend said I should just leave it as is x3 I do feel like it's not to the same standard as the other routes though >.<

The bittersweetness at the end of each route is indeed intentional :3 Hopefully, it'll all make sense when you get round to reading the ??? route :D I know the feeling about not wanting a game you're enjoying to be over. I had terrible trouble finishing the Mass Effect series for that reason xD It took me a long time to start 3. I kept going back and replaying 1 & 2, always too afraid to start 3 cos I knew it would bring me closer to the end of the story :( Of course, I cried when I did eventually play and finish 3, haha. The good news is, the last 3 routes you have left to play are the longest ones :D

I'm glad you find Kuro interesting :3 There's been a small amount of debate as to whether or not he's truly a yandere. It's a hard one to discuss really because I can totally see how some might think he's just a psycho if they come across certain bad endings in the initial routes without completing the game >.< I just hope that by the end of the ??? route anyone who is still playing will see that he's not a monster. I still personally think he fits the bill for a yandere, at least he's closer to that than any other character tropes that I know of, but I guess it's probably best for people to make up their own minds on that one.

Thank YOU for playing :3 When I was in the process of making it, because I struggle with anxiety and depression, I would sometimes tell myself that it was all pointless >.< but a little part of me would always fight back and say, no it's not. In the end, I came to the conclusion that as long as at least one person gets as much joy out of playing it as I did making it, then it was absolutely worth it. So whenever I receive a lovely comment like yours, it really warms my heart and means a hell of a lot to me :3

That's adorable that you had a dog called Kuro on Nintendogs :D My partner wants a shiba inu in real life, but I bet he wouldn't let me call it Kuro x3 Hehe, I can see how those lines would come across odd though!

I would never have known you weren't a native English speaker if you hadn't said :o Your English is brilliant! You don't need to apologise anyhow, it's not too long or confusing at all :3 I really enjoy reading any comments I get about the game.

I really hope that you continue to enjoy the routes that you have left to play through. I personally think that the ones you have left are the best 3 routes! Feel free to update your comment or write a new one as you progress through the game. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the other routes :D
I hope you have fun with it! I also hope that you're managing to stay safe + having a wonderful week so far <3

TheStateOfDanemark4 years ago (1 edit)

Hello again!

I'd be happy to tell you what I thought of the last three paths, if/when the drive to play the game juuuust a little bit longer manages to be stronger than the fear of it being over ;:D (one more coincidence: as a Mass Effect superfan who has yet to properly finish ME3, I relate to everything you wrote to an almost frightening degree).
You are doing a terrific job of introducing what's to come, though, and I really want to experience all of it! I think I'll get to Detective as soon as I have enough time to properly enjoy it. :) And then the others two, gradually.

On that note: boy oh boy, I did *not* think it was possible for me to get more hyped than I already was about the ??? route, but you somehow made that possible. Here's the thing: I LOVE true routes. They might be my favourite aspect of the genre (I think they're more of an otome thing than anything else, I'm not sure about many of those being in typically male-oriented dating sims...). So much so that if someone were to contact me tomorrow asking me to write a thesis on them, I'd be grateful. So much so that I'm currently teaching myself to code and write tiny multiple-choice stories for the sole purpose of one day being capable enough to release one specific game, which is basically just a huge pretext for having one of those :D (E.T.A.: 3430, if ever, given my current learning curve > <;) The idea of an entire dimension of the story not being accessible to the player at first is wild.

Kowing that, the fact that there is a true route in SR is reason enough for me to be giddy; doubly so because, judging from the game description, it seems pretty meaningful to the story as a whole and not there just because. And now you're teasing more character development, including a possible redemption arc, for our favourite Not-Yandere Yandere? Be still my heart.~

Again, this game has brought me so much joy already, and I'm not even at the halfway point. <3 If, as you wrote, making players happy was the mission you gave yourself when developing the game, then mission friggin accomplished.

I'll let you know when I'm done, then! In the meantime, thank you for sharing all of these details about your experience, as well as what went through your head during development. It was really interesting, and really pleasant to read. It's always neat to see how a project evolves from beginning to end. Also, getting SR all the way to release is all the more commendable given the effect anxiety/depression can have on productivity and the perception people have of their own work. All the kudos to you.

Have a lovely week as well (and then some ^^) and take care! <3

Melancholy Marionette4 years ago

Hehe, well I hope you manage to finish ME3 someday too :3 I mean, I cried when it was all over, a lot xD But I'm so glad that I did finish it in the end. I think that I wasn't just scared of the story as whole being over, but also my Shep's romance with Garrus! In all the games I've ever played, Garrus remains my favourite romance option x3 I'm still hoping to play an otome someday with a LI that finally puts Garrus in second place, haha.

I'm a huge lover of true routes too :D I had no idea that it was more of an otome thing though :o That's really interesting! I wonder if that means when I finally release the BxG version of SR, dudes will be like, wtf?! at the true route x3 I think the first time I experienced something like it was when I played the otome game, Amnesia, and my mind was just blown xD It left so much of an impact on me that I just thought I have to make something like this someday, haha. Good luck with your learning and creating :D I'm sure you'll get there in the end! You're doing better than me... I'm too lazy to learn to code properly which is why I used Tyrano >.< haha.

Yeah, I don't wanna say too much regarding the true route stuff and accidentally spoil anything for you, but you're right, it is absolutely meaningful to the overall story rather than just there for the sake of it :3

Also, sorry for my slow reply x3 I didn't know whether I should actually reply or not! I'm kind of terrible at knowing when to stop a conversation xD In the end I just thought, why not? So feel free to tell me to shut up and go away, haha. Hope you've been well + having many super duper days :3 Stay safe <3

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