A reasonably solid experience. Features are well-implemented and clearly defined. Played through it twice to see if there was a second ending, but alas, I suppose there is not. I'd say it's a nice enough game that I bothered to play through it a second time.
but also...quick summary of my thoughts:
(INCLUDES SPOILERS)
gameplay:
+ cool minigames, I like the ambition
+ you can PET THE PET
+ tooltips are very good and i like them
- mouse sensitivity low due to decision to (i assume) tween in-game cursor to input, causes a perceived slow-down in gameplay because it's not as responsive (although this may be because I'm used to max mouse sensitivity)
- cashier minigame inherently unfair as a result of randomized number of spawned items
- in paper sorting minigame, note that the words "darker" and "lighter" are relative, so it would be better to provide actual images of said darker and said lighter papers. only a minor issue though because you figure it out soon enough
- minor issues with hitboxes, i selected a lighter paper behind a darker paper somehow in the paper sorting minigame, probably because of how they're spawned in. not sure if it's a quirk of the game engine, but I understand why you'd spawn multiple in, in case the player loses one somehow. might want to look into some way to keep track of z order and overlapping hitboxes where you disable hitbox if the overlapping one is of a greater z order.
- missing feedback for syringe usage, could've added checklist at side or something to keep track as well, because at some point I just kept the syringes on the ground partially because I didn't know if they were used and partially because I didn't know whether I used one that day
Note: used drawing tablet and pen as well as not full screen so window minigame was ez 40 bucks. I think it's inherently exploitable with high mouse sensitivity... which I also happen to have at max.
artstyle:
+ I like the cat/puppy/pet thing. it stares at me and i find it deeply disturbing. what secrets does it hold behind its eyes. what does it wish to tell me.
- missed opportunity to use non-monochrome colors for anything pet-related to emphasize severity (it's only used for feedback in cashier minigame)
- leash does not look like leash
Note: I'm like pretty sure static shaders bloat video filesizes due to how video compression works- each frame changes based on the previous frame so static shaders, which change every frame to be dissimilar to the previous, would destroy any optimization from this (i'm totally not a youtuber i just thought you should know) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_compression#Video for more information)
story:
+ fairly relevant in today's society where they charge you an arm and a leg for pet healthcare and you generally just have to hope your pet does not get sick
- in my opinion, a generally ineffective one-liner downer ending as a result of zero emotional attachment and the storytelling decision to shift blame onto player. your mileage may vary depending on if you get emotionally attached to things easily or if you have actually experienced medical-related or pet-related losses. I am in neither of those categories. In the latter case, it's not because the story is touching. it's because it reminds the player of their own loss. so the ability to induce emotion in those who have experienced loss is not good writing, it's just the topic matter. We can all relate to the idea of loss, because nobody goes through life without some loss, but you cannot induce the feeling of loss in someone if they don't see it as a loss. Make me care.
- I generally dislike game stories that go "it's clearly your fault" when the game was structured in a way to force such an outcome, so the illusion of choice takes away from the impact
- confused why vet says good evening if you visit in morning (probably a bug, also, on my second run, I accidentally clicked go to bed the night that vet got unlocked and it displayed the first vet dialogue the next day, but the third vet dialogue on the correct day)
- could've subtly introduced darker elements within the game instead of just hitting people with the big twist, like the room gradually getting dirtier or the creature moving slower over time. more of a preference thing though. some people like it sudden.
audio:
+ i like piano so i'm biased
- music loop could use extension to match playtime, gets boring after a while. an easy way to pad time for game music is to go with an ABAC format, each letter representing a section of music and the second A section is slightly different by moving it an octave up or an octave below or changing the chord progression slightly. sections of music can also be made up of smaller sections following an "a a b c" format where - ok i think I'm rambling now uhhh good luck on your further musical journeys i believe in you!!!!!!!
- lack of sound effects (or at least I didn't notice them so if you did have them, you might want to make them pop out a bit more. really make them stand out so I know the game is responsive)
I did read your devlog and I hope you're doing well after getting sick. I'm impressed you powered through it and completed a game. Good job. Hopefully the feedback helps.