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Holy crud, that was amazing, and I was supposed to take my shower tonight but could not set this game aside to do so. Dry shampoo is going to have to cover for me tomorrow.  I'm usually too much of a cynic for relentlessly optimistic romances, yet somehow, Yrsa and Uribel were both believable enough in the ways that they grew together as people to make it work. Partly it might have been how well you reverse the typical "men-strong, women-peaceful" dynamic; it makes sense that both of these characters would become the kind of people that they are given their backgrounds, and that they'd have some feelings of inadequacy because of that. They complement each other perfectly. The world-building was also well done: gave enough detail to flesh things out while also leaving me curious about the world and its intricacies. (Uribel was super relatable in that regard.) 

Though I can't say I cried while playing this game, I was legitimately worried for the characters after every daimon attack and bandit encounter, and was left with a thorough case of the warm fuzzies by the end. Eventually, I found myself thinking, "Come on, when's the wedding?"  after every scene. Only got one ending so far, but am tempted to re-play just to explore this story from every possible angle. 

Thank you for all the wholesome feels. And excellent work!

I too would like a "hug and befriend this poor creature" ending. He sounds so lonely that you can't help pity him.

Wow, what a game. Despite featuring two mini-games of things I happen to hate, you somehow managed to create a fun package. The visuals, sound design, and Dr. Krueger's character are both fun and appealing yet somehow just off in a way that makes the player want to take a deeper look at them. You really thought through all the little details, too; never seen a game dismantle its own "skip" function like that. And the distorted Itchy and Scratchy clips are just perfect! 

By the way, is Dr. Krueger supposed to be a vampire? He seems to have two fangs when he smiles. Taylor doesn't have them, or I'd assume they were a convention of the way that you draw people.

Side-note: The Shell Game is absolute torture when it's 11 pm and you haven't had your ADHD meds because your insurance screwed you over. It took me 16 replays to get all 6 right, and by the end, I was like "No, I've never thought of murdering another person and turning them into hamburger meat... but I certainly have thought about doing it to a fictional pseudo-therapist."

I confess I may be too asexual to fully click with a story like this. But there's something about the writing style that is extremely evocative, extremely raw. While I may not understand the chemistry happening between these characters, there is this layer of vulnerability to them that makes them feel like people you might really know, maybe without even realizing it. It strikes a chord, and gets you thinking.

No problem, you totally deserve the praise! Glad to be of any service in any way I can. I'm a writing person myself, so I always try to give people usable feedback on their stories.

You know, the first thing I did after finishing this game was to find your Tumblr. I'm actually the person who asked about the control system for Blackout Hospital. Hopefully I can fix my keyboard before the game's release. Nonetheless, I'm looking forward to following its progress. The art alone looks very promising.

P.S. If you ever want a proofreader for your game scripts, let me know. That's kind of my profession ;)

Does this mean there's a version of Reginald out there that is a 100% unproblematic fave? 

In all seriousness, it's a major compliment to your character writing that Reginald was not my favorite person in the game by default (though he still wound up being my favorite). Save Twyla and possibly Netina, who manages to still be pretty charming despite her malicious streak, every character in the game is extremely likable and gives the player enough reason to sympathize with them as people. Jaxter, Mitzi, Mary, Zapara, and Vasilis were particular standouts for me. Vanilla is also easy to like as an MC, which kind of makes the big reveal even more of a knife in the gut. 

That point takes me to the gameplay itself. It's hard to say that visual novels ever make a really satisfying game experience; in most of them, I tend to think the decision-making is an arbitrary mechanic that holds the story back from players for no good reason. (I'm pretty much a slave to game guides and walkthroughs, lol.)  This game is an exception. Not since Ace Attorney have I felt so proud of myself for fumbling into the bad ending, trying again, and narrowing down my options til I get it right. Clearly designating the right and wrong choices really helps to make things feel less frustrating. 

Plus, there's another level of satisfaction to be had from a game that centers on the conceit of making people like you. In life, I am a socially awkward semi-loner who seldom leaves her comfort zone. I would be too scared to approach the likes of Crowven and his friends, fearing we'd have nothing in common, I'd say something wrong. I'd never go near Reginald, because he's too well-dressed, or Mitzi, because she (or they?) seems too cool, so I figure they'd want nothing to do with me. But seeing Reginald go from making someone cry to picking a fight with you to treating you like an old friend in two chapters hits differently than having him as a gentleman right at the start. A game with a self-insert player character and transparent mechanics that lets you figure out the "right" things to say to different kinds of people--the kinds of people you would love to get to know, at that--is rewarding in a way that goes beyond the game itself. It makes the friendships of your wildest dreams feel somehow within reach.  

The fact Vanilla isn't actually a self-insert character somewhat throws a wrench in that experience. Like I said, your characters are imminently likable. I don't just want to be their friends; I want to see them all live their best lives and be part of it.  It seems like Vanilla wants that, too, until the twist. The foreshadowing on this is pretty solid, so I have no issue with it on the writing front. It just feels like a betrayal of the things I liked most about this game. In hindsight, it was also a very poor choice on my part to make *this* game the one time that I gave my own name to the main character. I took a little break upon seeing the first cruel decision, but decided I wanted to see how the story played out anyway. I tried to choose options that seemed the least mean or the most honest, but every choice made me feel guilty.

On the bright side, I for one have no major complaints about the ending; if you don't want to see the characters you've come to care about suffer, it is absolutely the ideal outcome. It also gives reason to actually like Twyla: sheer strength of personality. That was one hell of a gambit, and she nailed the landing. (Hopefully, she didn't also nail the bat... but then again, Vanilla deserves to be hit with embedded bits of metal.)  It does render the decision-making of the previous chapter moot, which might feel unsatisfying to players who want to feel their choices matter. Unless it's a kinetic novel, part of the VN experience is about having the power to affect a story, so it's natural that some players will be disappointed when the illusion is shattered, so to speak. On that level, I wouldn't have minded seeing where my decisions led, but mostly I'm just here for the story itself. Plus, I feel like maybe the real point of those options was just to establish how thoroughly loathsome Vanilla's character is before the final smackdown, and for that purpose, it works flawlessly.

I also want to comment on how interestingly this game connects to Cemetery Mary. I was caught off guard when, in Crowven's chapter here, he says he barely knows Mary, since their relationship was so integral to the last game. It surprises me how well they work on their own. Or that Mary is still so Mary without the cemetery (though hopefully she gets a graveyard scene in your next story; that's too unique a character trait not to take advantage of). And, again, I'm shocked that Reginald can seem so normal in another game's context. Can't wait to see what you do with him in Blackout Hospital. 

Genuinely one of the best and most original things I have read in recent memory. Admittedly, the cutesy art style made me a little skeptical going into things, but your storytelling has an emotional maturity to it that I didn't expect. Plus I've never seen a character quite like Mary in any medium before, visual novels or otherwise. 

Crowven's route was probably my favorite one in terms of story, just for how well it deals with the subject of grief. But Reginald hits all my niche interests in a character, so I'd say he's my favorite part of the game overall. I will say that I think he could've been worked into the main plotline better, and that both of his endings feel pretty abrupt; he almost gets a stronger send-off in Twyla's good ending than in his own route. (Disclaimer: I'm not sure if my true end save file branched off of Crowven's route or Reggie's, so maybe I missed a couple of Reggie scenes that would explain the mysteries around him better? He only appeared once in that playthrough.) Regardless, if you ever made a follow-up game with him, I honestly would love to hear more of his story.

Google Chrome, 64 bit. Might have been on my old laptop then, but it should be the same specs

Your art is as amazing as always. Not a big fan of the navigation style on this one; side-scrolling through the pictures becomes tedious when it comes to just moving filters over them, and the transition between slides is not quite as smooth as it should be. The images would work better in a more standard web-comic format, IMO.

Also, was there a PoV shift in the middle of the story?  In the beginning it seemed like we were following red/blue-haired girl, but by the end we're plushie-girl instead.  Just found it confusing, especially with so little dialogue to  help the transition. 

...I saw too much of myself in this for my comfort. Well, that probably speaks well to your writing; there's something very real about it. 

Will say that the overlay of text and images on the main menu screen is a visual mess. It's a good illustration, and I like how colorless it is. But the text is getting lost in it, kind of?

I need to know more about this setting. Damn. You got your masked people and kindly sadist gods and all this incredibly dark imagery coming in on all sides and it's bloody awesome. I can't say I understand the significance of any of it, but I very much want to. 

And I love how kind Osteon is, given the circumstances. Genuinely admirable hero material.

Please write more! I'd love to read it!