itch.io

<3 love the detailed breakdown! thanks! and glad you enjoyed!! :D

They will stay partial. I don’t have the budget for full voice acting. ^_^;

<3

Nope, dev is exclusively on Pateron.

https://www.patreon.com/arewar

https://arewar.itch.io/particles-of-reality/devlog/756688/is-there-any-hope

Sorry I didn’t respond earlier, I didn’t get a notification! Here’s an in–depth answer because I’m getting that question a lot (understandably so).

Remembrance was originally intended to be paid DLC for Obsession, not a free content patch. So no, no one will get Remembrance for free (except Patreon supporters who paid the game cost in membership fees prior to the release announcement).

Remembrance was changed from paid DLC to a full sequel because the scope of both games grew far beyond my original intentions. I initially thought Obsession would be half the length that it is and Remembrance would be like 25% of that length.

Now I expect Remembrance to be even longer than Obsession. Remembrance will likely (subject to change as always) include both a full route for Alexander and Victor on release. 6 routes instead of 4 with a significantly larger number of CGs, plus the voice acting and the other listed improvements on the store page.

I am including a (very short) abridged version of Obsession within Remembrance for any players who couldn’t stomach the extreme content of Obsession. So playing Obsession is optional. (This abridged version contains no variation endings, side content, etc. It’s a single short linear summary of the world and Ethereal situation.)

I’ll straight up say this for any future readers: If you are not a yandere AND horror fan, do not buy Obsession. This will not be a pleasant experience. The demo is a full representation of what you should expect from ALL OF THE CHARACTERS regardless of your initial impression.

NONE of the characters in this game are ‘treasured friends’. Not even the girls. They are all very bad, insane people. That is the full intention.

Julian is arguably one of the WORST, not the best. (I have since realized I should have ‘cracked’ the masks of Julian and Alexander a lot more early on in the game. My first game, lessons learned!) Julian’s mask is “I am a sane, normal man and my life depends on you believing that complete lie.”

The “safest” (and I say this with HEAVY sarcastic quotes) characters are going to be Quinn and Alexander’s DLC. And I define ‘safest’ as the ones who traumatize the MC the least.

Obsession is 80% horror and 20% romance for crazy yandere lovers. 0% healthy. 0% happy.

Remembrance will (probably, current estimation) be like 60%/40% of the same ratio.

I just forgot to update the tag, it’s fixed now! It’s complete and released!

Thanks for the feedback. I’ve updated the patreon page with these requested details and word choices.

Thanks for the feedback!

Good callout on the missing warning. I’ll add ‘mutilation’ to Sebastian’s warning list next time there’s an update.

The suggestion for a violent CG warning is a good idea, so I’ve added that option to Remembrance, the sequel currently under development.

But that’s be a pretty big update to Obsession, so I won’t be able to add that feature anytime soon.

The only one that’s even a little decent is Julian, and even that I’m not certain actually, since I haven’t finished his route.

\nervous-eye-shift

Ummmmmmmmmmmm……….

XD

I can’t seem to find a straight answer to this. Does a Patreon user automatically lose access to a linked game when their pledge expires?

Ex.

A person on Patreon subscribes on Jan 1st for 1 month. Links their account to the game that requires Patreon access. Gets a game key.

Feb 1st - A game update goes out, but they are not a Patreon member anymore. Can they still download the game / use the key to get access to the new version? Will Itch block them from downloading the new version?

To clarify to anyone reading this, I want to specifically lay out the content. I have tried to be as clear as possible regarding it and I have no intention of not disclosing anything.

• There is 1 CG of 5 year old Brandon & Monika playing dolls together. (Nothing sexual happening here. It’s kids playing a game. I think it’s honestly cute.)

• There is 1 CG of teenage Brandon lying over Monika without his shirt on (Monika is fully dressed). There is no nudity or sex act depicted.

I don’t personally see any issue with these images? But that is exactly what is in the game in regards to Brandon & Monika as children/together.

But this kind of discomfort is why the patch is separate from the game and fully skippable. You can delete it at any time.

There absolutely is a lot of sexual abuse and warped intimacy between the siblings before the age of 18 in text form, which is listed on his warnings panel.

If anyone feels a specific warning should be added to the screen that is absent, I fully welcome suggestions.

The patreon page with the patch links specifically states: “This route contains a significant amount of content around child abuse, child sexual abuse, and text-only sexual content with teenagers.”

Looking for mine as well, haven’t seen it yet. I think the deadline for them to produce them is Jan 31st though, so there’s still a couple days.

Zero images of minors in questionable situations in any of the routes, no worries there!

If you get the latest version and still hit that error, try this: Go to the Settings screen and click the “Reset Nav” button, then try again.

If you still get an error after that, please send me a screenshot at ArewarGames@gmail.com and I’ll look into it! Thx!

Not sure what ‘yk’ means but let me know if this doesn’t answer the question.

The demo does include some of this, so if you aren’t sure if the game is for you, please do play the demo first! What you see in the demo is very reflective of the game.

The demo also displays all warnings for every character on their route trigger warning page.

For all routes except Brandon:

In terms of content with minors, throughout the entire game there are REFERENCES to the main character’s childhood, which contained some dubious consent / sexual abuse from her biological brother who is 1 year older than her. That began around the age of 14 for her.

In the same manner, one of Quinn’s route paths also includes some historical references of him and his much younger sibling also being sexually abused by their stepfather.

By ‘references’, I mean these topics are verbally discussed in a historical manner during present day conversations with limited detail.

There are no active present-day descriptive scenes or CGs related to any form of sexual abuse of any minors. Everything is historic events.

However, Brandon’s route is different.

Brandon’s route specifically is excluded from the base game because his route takes place during some of those events. There are some scenes regarding their abusive relationship described in text (no CGs).

Brandon’s route is completely 100% optional and not included in the base game for that exact reason. So if that kind of content isn’t for you, you can entirely skip it without missing anything important in the overarching narrative.

If you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to ask. I’m also available in Discord or email if you want to discuss it further in depth.

I’m still in the planning phase for Remembrance, so specifics TBD, but progress will be made with the overarching story that will lead to some positive endings.

I haven’t gotten any reports like this before and I’ve double-checked the current versions, both which have the appropriate content in the ‘game’ folder. All I can suggest is try to redownload it.

Yes! Patreon members can play the content as it’s developed over at https://www.patreon.com/arewar

Currently, Alexander’s route for Obsession is under development. Once that is complete, development for the sequel Remembrance will begin.

Edit update - Added to the intro warning screen XD

If you got past the…

• “There is an excessive amount of violence and abuse”
• “This game is suitable for no one”
• Viewer discretion is required
• “… will not be surprised WHEN this content offends you”
• And the full trigger warnings list per route………..

Somehow I doubt “this is more f’ed than you expect” would have stopped you. XD

To any player in all seriousness, I don’t want to upset people. That’s why the warnings exist and are presented from the very start of the game, and are also a part of the demo.

If anyone wants to suggest verbiage to add to the warning screens that would have prepared/informed them better or trigger warnings that may have been missed, I’m always happy to add them.

Suggestions/discussion welcomed to ArewarGames@gmail.com or Discord.

Alexander is getting a route DLC that will start development next month, so these questions might be answered there. :)

Hi. The file only unlocks in the full paid version of the game. If you have that, ensure the file is placed in the Particles of Reality folder specifically named “game”, not the main folder. If it’s neither of those, reach out to ArewarGames@gmail.com for further support.

Update: We’re open now!

Aww! Thank you! I’m just on hiatus in October to celebrate the release and take a long overdue break. :D

The Patreon and development resumes Nov 1st. I’ll post an announcement when it’s open.

Update - to anyone who hits an error that looks like this!

Go to Settings and click the “Reset Nav” button, then try again. If that doesn’t work, email me for support, I’m happy to help.

Note that the Patreon is on hiatus until November, I’m taking a celebratory break because it was 18 months of work! :) I’ll post an announcement when it reopens, so follow the game, twitter, tumblr or discord for news.

Those who join the Patreon get a free key if they pay the sale price in membership fees. They can also play content as its developed - typically there is 1 monthly release - along with other perks.

That patreon rule applies to all content related to Particles of Reality, DLC or sequels. It is cumulative for each key obtained this way.

The next world “Remembrance” is expected to be equivalent in length, content, and price when released, but that will be in 2025. Development will begin probably Feb/March 2024.

The DLC Alexander’s route will likely be charged as a DLC, but it will be a small price, like $5 USD or so depending on how long the route becomes. Both TBD. Development for Alexander starts in November.

Any content updates to Obsession (like a new side story or What If) beyond that would be from player requests in Discord/Patreon and would be free. Currently, there are no plans, but I’m always open to suggestions or requests.

Sorry, not anytime soon! Probably not for at least a year, and if there was a sale sooner than that it wouldn’t be more than ~10-15% at most. Many reviews (on Itch & Steam) have said the game is well worth the current price and it’s had steady supporters on Patreon throughout its development!

Edit - There’s no need to downvote someone for simply making a request! I always welcome any and all feedback and requests of any kind, even if I choose not to fulfill them in the end. I don’t want anyone getting hate for expressing those opinions or hesitating to make them in the future.

Glad you enjoyed it!

Unfortunately, I’m sorry to say this is not a feature that will be coming to PoR for two big reasons:

A) Because it’s quite too late in development for that. It would be a ton of rework, not to mention the sprite and CG updates that would be a costly expense, and many adult scenes would need to be fully rewritten. The expense alone is a blocker as PoR hasn’t broken even in development costs yet.

B) Monika being a cis female is actually a very significant fact in Brandon’s route and a critical plot-point in her history and upbringing. I won’t elaborate for spoiler purposes, but essentially Brandon’s entire route would have to be rewritten.

In general, although it’s common for otome games, PoR isn’t intended to be a fully self-insert type of game. The MC is her own person who’s personality is very unique and specific to her situation. She does a lot of things that most people would not do!

I will keep this in mind in the future if I develop any new games though! Thanks for playing~

This was great to read, thanks for the in depth review! I love hearing people’s viewpoints.

To clarify a couple things on upcoming content:

• Alexander will have a route in Obsession as DLC bonus content. It won’t add to the Particles overarching story plot. Coming early 2024.

• V’s route is done for Obsession, there’s no more! You just get the introduction and snippets. He’ll be a huge focus in Remembrance with a full route.

• Isabella will be a bigger character in the next world Remembrance as well.

• In Remembrance, Monika will have an entirely new background. No more mafia & abuse. She will be a lot stronger and smarter of a person! I know it was a rough ride alongside her in Obsession for so long. I got tired of it too! :D

Remembrance is the sequel. It will start development in 2024 (after Alexander in Obsession is released) and likely complete in 2025. Patreon members can play as it’s developed. (Patreon will reopen in November, I’m on a hiatus currently!)

Thanks for the notes! I’ll have these fixes in the next update.

Anyone who finds any typos/bugs etc - send me a quick email to ArewarGames [at] gmail or post on the Discord. Screenshots help a lot as well! Thx

Yes, you must purchase the full game. It will not unlock in the demo.

Yes, the game will be for sale on Itch and Steam. Brandon’s route will be a free content patch to anyone who owns the game. Details will come at release.

No, the cost at release will be $30 USD.

If you’re playing the demo, many options are locked that will be available on the full release. (Planned for this September.)

If you’re a Patreon playing the latest build, you need to complete some endings to unlock other content and choices. The full release will display all these requirements on the world menu. So no guessing will be required. :)

Not in the demo. Brandon will be an optional free content patch in the full release (due to store content restrictions).

Not on initial release, but I’ve received multiple requests for Alexander, so I’m considering it as a post-release content update or future DLC.

Thanks for the feedback, especially of the sprite. I will have that adjusted and give some thought into the others. :)

Due to the overarching plot, there won’t be happy endings in the main story, but there are some in the What If side content, so make sure to check that out if you haven’t yet.

Hehe! Sorry you were frustrated! Part of the goal of the demo is so you’re interested enough to play on release. :)

Also, many of the paths in the demo tend to err to the darker side, which coincidentally also happened to be the first paths programmed and made available publicly very early in game development.

The darker paths being in the demo specifically was intentional, because I do want the demo to reflect that portion of the game so people know what they’re getting into before they buy it. Don’t want anyone to feel like it was a bait & switch.

As for the warnings, 100% correct. The warnings apply to the full, completed route of each character. I did not modify the game GUI or warnings for the demo. That’s another element of making sure the player knows what the full game will include.

Thanks for the feedback on the main character. I’ll keep that in mind as I’m polishing the game for release. I don’t want any specific choice making the player hate their own character, so there could be room for improvement there. :)

It will be paid. Probably $25-30 USD. Patreon members (past or present) who have paid that much in membership fees will receive a key for free upon release.

Brandon’s route will be a free external patch on release. I will make a post on release with instructions here, discord, and my twitter @arewar. (edit - and tumblr @arewar)

It will be a simple process. You’ll have to download a very small file <1MB and insert it into the game folder manually.

It cannot be a DLC via the stores because the content violates store policies.

Update: March-April

Hoping around Feb 2023 for ‘Obsession’ to be complete, but not set in stone. When the steam store page is available, I’ll announce it in a devlog.

Due to content restrictions, Brandon’s route will not be available in the base game on any store, but will be a free external patch after release. Until then, the remainder of Brandon’s route will be exclusive to Patreon.

You can read the public posts below for details. https://www.patreon.com/posts/long-term-plans-70155523 https://www.patreon.com/posts/long-term-plans-70155523