aaa this was such a cool experience!! i came here from 'my robot boyfriend' (i also loved it, so thats why i went looking for everyone's other works lmao) and i'm not disappointed!! the whole vibe is impeccable.... i loved the characters and i loved how you can't choose the same name and how every time you try it gives you a new message... it was a nice detail!!
i read the devlogs you wrote and just wanted to share my own interpretation about the game.
to me the story as a whole explores the 'what's the point of all this' question. arthur and ms. lucy at some point try to answer that too. it's like when you're a kid and you don't see life as a sequence of days, but only one day at a time -- and that's why you feel so eager to try to do everything the MOMENT you wish for it. or when you are a teen and every chore you're given you try to dismiss by asking "why should i do that, if i'm going to die anyway?", "why should i organize my bed if i'm going to sleep on it tonight?"... or even the bizarre advice of "live every day like it's your last" (i never agreed with it anyway,,,,,,). it all boils down to "why am i here? what do i exist for?" i guess.
that existencial crisis can make you anxious. and i think that's what happens to echo. she is so disturbed by the end of things, worried about how they will end, that she shuts herself in a room to hide from all of that (and i expand this "fear" not only for the end of life (death) but for other things too (friendships, relationships in general -- i thought of that after seeing the 'bloody end of the world' sequence). she's scared and lonely. she feeds on a tv -- a symbol of media -- that tells her everything she fears will happen. (reminds me a bit of how people would get so scared and down when feeding themselves with the news in the pandemic tbh...)
it's not... an easy thing to overcome. i guess with depression and anxiety it gets hard to get over that fear of the end and accept it as a nice thing -- or as a new beginning, as the game suggests every time you change your name -- but friends can help you.
also i need to say that i really love the friendship between the main character and echo, aaaaaa. how she accepts each iteration of them, and how they themselves accept her and try to help her every time. even in the loop before the last one, when they get frustrated with searching for her, they don't give up on it and don't lash on her when they meet. they're really supportive of each other and that was incredibly sweet.
i guess that sometimes it is like that. you get scared, and you need someone to stay by your side, just for you to listen. some other times, you need someone to pull you out of your comfort zone and reassure you in the meanwhile. both things are okay. and i like how both are portrayed here. every day is a new day.
idk i just rambled a lot here ksffkjsfsdhfs but this game made me Feel Things and i'm really glad for it. i loved the vibe and the message and the characters and everything, really. excellent work!!!!!!! thanks for this game