Happy anniversary, Our Life! Though I'd heard of the game before, I only played a few months ago, starting a save file with my girlfriend... then I ended up so addicted to it that I stayed up til 2-3 am after work playing it. Then when I finished the DLC, I stayed up til 3 yet again to write Cove/MC fanfic haha <3
As a VN writer and longtime gamer, Our Life is one of the best visual novels I've ever had the pleasure of playing. It's so fun and never gets old despite how many times you replay. (The variations and callbacks are insane btw, kudos to the GB Patch team for that!)
It's so wholesome and lighthearted. The jokes never failed to make me laugh (I loved teasing Cliff and Cove). And the hurt/comfort moments were handled so excellently. The Reflections DLC moment got me bawling so hard. The realism and depth of these characters are amazing.
Whoever said the perfect man doesn't exist has never met Cove Holden. (And this is where I took a mini break to cry because I miss him so much.) Getting to know him was such a precious, irreplaceable experience. He's a wonderful friend and playing the platonic route was fun, but honestly? He's one of my Top Tier LIs of all time. Sweet, stubborn, and maybe a little bit spoiled (who can say no to him??), Cove is so easy to love. His struggles in dealing with change is so relatable. The way he can be /our constant/ in a life that's ever changing is so beautiful. I can't wait to replay the game and love Cove all over again!!
Derek was fricking amazing too. He's such hardworking thoughtful guy with issues that cut deep (I vibed with having a fam that's very dependent on you and struggling to figure out your career).
I'M SO EXCITED FOR BAXTER WHO I [spoiler alert] ACCIDENTALLY GOT AT THE SOIREE IN STEP 2 BY A STROKE OF FATE LMAO!!!
Like I said, the supporting cast was so fun and comforting too. Ma and Mom are lovely, and I adore Kyra and Cliff so much. Elizabeth really felt like an older sibling, and I love the Filipino rep <3
All in all, it broke my heart to say goodbye to Sunset Bird, especially since real life changed so drastically, so similarly to the end of step 3. But Cove was always there. Every, "See you tomorrow" came true (especially at the butt crack of dawn, oh Cove). There are no words to accurately describe how returning to Sunset Bird feels so comforting, how being surrounded by all these loving and lovable characters felt like family, and how seeing Cove again feels like home, the way our MC is home to him.
Thank you so much, GB Patch. I genuinely can't wait to see more from the Our Life Cinematic Universe 🥺 💜