itch.io

oh hey!! first dont worry i never thought that was ever an intended takeaway. in fact it does actually make me happy knowing you tried to address and work around All That. but i 100% understand your reasoning it's messy and complicated and idk if there exists a perfect way to deal with that without messing with the game's positive message (which is also really important like you said). i think i mainly just wanted to write that disclaimer somewhere, outside of the game's narrative, where people who played it might see.

the number of gender identity crises this game activated is impressive (congrats btw, official game of trans your gender)(this is a joke that isnt how being trans works), and i think that in and of itself is something to be proud of. the longer it takes to figure it out the worse it can be for some folks, and i really love seeing the impact this game had. idk, i guess i just wanna take this opportunity to say thank you (and dont take what i said earlier as criticism on your part even though reading it back it def sounds that way lol)

right off the bat, i need to say: get this game. even if you dont like card/deck-building games. trust me. theres also a dog. hes perfect.

i think the fact that i found this game frustrating and difficult at times says more about me than it does the game. youre told by nadine fairly early on: "you can't please everyone, and trying won't do you any good." and like... she's right? and i trusted her on that, but still didn't value her advice. like, watch me! so i spent the whole game trying to do everything for everyone and have them all like me. and for mediocre results across the board, i got a mediocre ending. spreading yourself too thin to please everyone is a fools errand, both in this game and real life.

theres so much that can be said about how perfectly this game encapsulates interpersonal relationships and interactions. but there's not much point, because it's all revealed to you as you play. every new mechanic or card type you encounter makes you go "oh- ooohh, that's clever. oh that translates perfectly from real life." i always found myself imagining the actual conversation as every card was played, 100% sucked into the world.

i have a lot to say about this game (as does everyone it seems like lol) but honestly, just play it for yourself and you'll see what people mean. its a really good game.

having had time to think about it, though. i wanna address the happy ending to the game. normally, id be fine with it (there arent enough pieces of media with happy endings imo), but seeing the real effects this game has had on real people, i think it could be a dangerous narrative.

just hearing from john's own mouth what hes done in the past and the scale of his delusions and twisted perspectives? im surprised he even got joint custody. and like, im sorry but... ive never heard a story about someone like that who actually ended up changing their ways. in fact, they usually apologize and seem genuinely vulnerable (just like john does) for a very short time before going right back to how they were before. its called an abuse cycle, and this game ends in the middle of one.

im not saying the game is tone-deaf. in fact, sammy's and laguna's situations kinda highlight what im talking about. but the end makes me uncomfortable; just coming to grips with the fact that abuse cycles rely and feed on the hope that "they'll change this time" can take years of therapy. it's why found family is such an inherently queer trope—we usually end up forcing ourselves to break out of it by leaving the johns of the world behind us, and making new & actually healthy connections.

sorry for the long comment. if this game cracked your egg, please keep this in mind, and be careful. you'll figure it out. <3

my egg was already cracked so it was straight up uncomfy at parts but overall good game i did squeal when i found out laguna was One Of Us lol 9/10 id give it 10/10 but it didnt let me respond to the scam email offering spiro and estradiol ://

(also, the wiggler presets crash the game even with the changes widget77 mentioned below if you didn't know yet) (aLSO i noticed that theres a subreddit for this in the readme.txt. would it be too much to ask for the link on this page? i really want to see what other people create with this and thought that might be a good way to start!!)

this is actually wonderful and really really exciting??  ive spent the past decade complaining that spore couldve been so much more even just in the cell stage and this is EXACTLY what i meant. the accolades!! the game awards!!! the respect!!!! may you be eternally blessed with the excitement and motivation and willpower to continue to work and expand on this. thank you for contributing to this bundle supporting what matters and happy pride month!!!!!