I have never been great with words, but I very much have to try for this game, as it has meant so much to me in so many ways and I have to find a way to say it. It's beautiful, somehow relates to me, or makes me think about what I would want in ways that I was expecting (me being ace, feeling like I didn't fit in) to ways I just wasn't expecting or maybe didn't even know that I was going to relate to (the potential Orlam and Iggy relationship) and, of course, made me cry after a day or two with my friend who played the game practically alongside me, but with how many emotions I had for this game, that was to be expected!
Honestly, this game inspired me in every way it could, art (especially pixel art which I hope to be just as good in some way at some point!), music choice, writing and the characters (who I all loved the whole way through), enough that I feel I have to buckle down and find a way to make a game that's somehow just as amazing, I even found myself literally listening to the music and such while I work on my own stuff, just to remind myself how much I love it, and feel so inspired all over again!
!SPOILERS!
But that's just my general feelings, I have even more to say specifically! :D
I think I played the finale as soon as I was physically able to, exactly how I played every other Arc when I found this game and refused to put it down. (Or stop telling the people around me in real life everything about it.) And with everyone together and things being more peaceful at the cabin I was already emotional, enough that when things got to Bucks and everything surrounding her with how the group treated her and, honestly I like how it wasn't a "huge" incident or particularly one incident that was bad, it was more of a consistent treatment that wore on her eventually, I was consistently close to tears from the start, and that's not even mentioning the later scenes, where I had to fight tears so badly I got a headache.
Then the tree and Saydie. Those were just amazing scenes in every way, horrifying, but amazing. This is where I mean I have a hard time with words, but I truly loved this scene, in atmosphere and reveals.
The field scene surprised me, but fit in perfectly too!
I had little idea what the final ending for everything was going to be, but the final time loop was a great end to me, one final loop to something better, not perfect, but better!
And that's of course not even mentioning the routes, a big part of all my emotions, I just love every ship with Iggy, enough that one day I basically have one as my favorite before waking up the next day and having another and then other days they are all my favorite, just because I find something so good in each of the dynamics, where I'll just remember a scene and just love that pair all over again.
I feel like I can only just say random things about each pair that I loved so much, like how Iggy and Orlam's relationship isn't one thing and still just as close, or how Genzou and Iggy's scene finally has Iggy actually tell Genzou he loves him or Gidget and Iggy's relationship changing so much for the better in their ending together. Maybe my thoughts are just a little scattered right now, but I can only describe it as I have so much to love with each pair and I have a hard time describing how much I love each, other than just saying random parts I liked with each.
I went in the order of Orlam - Neutral - Gidget - Genzou, mostly as I knew I would like Orlam and Genzou no matter what so they should be my first and last routes and I always leave Gidget as my nice surprise in the middle. Plus tradition honestly, for some reason I did the same thing while playing OFW and OC, I either played Orlam or Genzou first, then Gidget, then whoever was left. My friend and I even discussed which route to play first, we took it seriously!
Just to end this, thank you for making this game, Carrot. I loved it in every way, and I believe it is a story that I will carry with me forever! Take care of yourself and I'll keep an eye out for anything else you do!