itch.io

Incredible ... Come on you can't leave us hanging like this😭

That said, as much as I look forward to updates, please take care of yourself and work on this at your own pace :)

I will not admit that this game made me search if it's possible to keep octopuses/cuttlefish as pets and watch a few documentaries on sea creatures - because what's more fun than trying to out-yandere yanderes! Both Thaumo's and Nalis' designs made me feel things that I never should feel towards fish!!

Seriously, everything about this game is *chef's kiss*. But like others have said: As much as I look forward to the next update and more fish shenanigans, your mental health ALWAYS comes first :) Please take your time and don't let the pressure sap the fun of the project!

I adore this in almost every single way! I happened to play the perhaps "best" route order on my first try (Unum -> Septem -> Nulla), and the way the lore unfolds across the three routes is just perfect (*chef's kiss*). Everything about the game speaks to the amount of effort you have put into it. The PLOT, the sprites, the music, the CGs ... Oh god, the CGs!

I was feeling a bit bad after making a certain choice in Unum's route because that guy is just a brat child who doesn't know better, and then a certain CG came up, which made me laugh every single time I remember it. Speaking of which, just a tiny suggestion: Would it be possible to add a CG gallery to the game, too? Your art is truly gorgeous, and I'd love to revisit them from time to time. :) But no pressure, of course.

All in all, I can't believe this is just Act 1, and I just can't wait to see what you may develop in the future!

THIS DESERVES MORE RATINGS. Come on, just look at the gorgeous art!

The demo is relatively short, but clearly a LOT of love and effort is put into it, and clearly we're just getting started with the real meat of the story. I can't wait to read more about the boys and be scared out of my wits - by monsters or by what humanity is capable of? Who knows  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Wow. This is really, really impressive. I can't believe this is your first game! You must be a very talented artist, writer, and programmer. Despite the relatively short length of the game, there are already many breadcrumbs that speak to a bigger story.

--spoiler--

I can't wait to learn more about Eito's family (which is clearly a lot more complicated than an ordinary one) and Sen's ability (the marks on his neck ... Oof. Must be painful). And the main title screen ... One pair of hands clearly belongs to Sen, but what about the other pair? So many questions! I really look forward to what craziness you are stewing, and thank you so much for pulling through and publishing the demo for the jam. I had a great time!

(Also, just a random side note that hopefully isn't too out-of-place: The name of your game kind of reminds me of Higurashi: When They Cry. The superstitious small town + creepy incidents setting also help bring back my PTSD lol. You are at least just as talented in creating tension for horror scenes - I actually died two times during the clicking minigames lol. I'm sorry Eito baby. The designs of the piano spirit and the creepy man are also very cool! Again, well done!!)

Mmmmm yes👌

--spoiler--

Twisted twincest, exactly what I need most in my life. Not gonna lie, when I first saw the game page, I was like: "Who the hell is this eyeless generic otome MC? I hate self-insert !!111!!1!" Then I actually laughed when the first scene was us choking to death. It was at that moment when the sadist within me knew that this game would be a blast.

On a more serious note: It's really impressive how well you managed to develop the characters in such a short amount of space!

My favorite scene is actually the police scene - that Evan, the guy who has been giving off the "emotionless high-performing sociopath" vibe, is the one who knows he might not be able to handle the interrogation without being suspected, while Enjel is the who switches faces as fast as a light bulb ... only to almost immediately confess how nervous he really was, only to have Evan act surprised by it. This scene establishes the dynamic between them so well! Evan is cold on the outside but hot on the inside, while Enjel is timid outside but unflinching within, and how Evan thinks he knows Enjel inside-out even though he really doesn't ...

And I suppose just adding more to the "inside-out" theme, the character designs are just awesome: Evan wears grayish-blue within but black outside, while Enjel wears black inside but grayish-blue outside. The duality between the twins is captured so well both in the writing and the art!

To be frank, as someone who has read tons of messed-up VNs, I wasn't entirely surprised by the ending, but this absolutely doesn't mean I haven't enjoyed the game. To have a reader dwell on the ending and the characters even though they saw the twist coming, is some of the greatest signs of a writer's talent! 

Wow! It's really impressive how you managed to pack so much into such a short game. And, of course, this game being short, I feel like there are many things left unsaid and I'm absolutely not obsessing over them!

---Spoiler---

What exactly happened between Crowley and Abel? What exactly is the connection between Crowley and the poltergeist? What exactly made it possible for Crowley to use us? So many interesting questions!

When we decide to tell Abel about the strange occurrences, his reaction clearly indicates that there is a stalker around us - at least in the past - and he suspects that this stalker is back. In another dialogue between the protagonist and Crowley, we mention that the way he mentions not being able to know us when he was alive sounds like he already knew us "back then" - Crowley, when he denies this, looks away from us and is clearly lying. (Also, dear Crowley here is obviously a yandere -)

On the one hand, this seems to imply that Crowley was that stalker, but on the other hand, Abel's wording definitely makes it sound like the stalker is still alive and well - indeed, he mentions that he "never should have left [the stalker] alone. (And, well, we know he certainly did not leave Crowley alone.) This leads to some very interesting scenarios:

a). Crowley was the stalker. Abel never knew it was him and thought the stalker to be someone else.

b). Crowley wasn't the stalker. There's another guy who really is a stalker, and Abel knows who that person is.

c). Crowley was the stalker, and then there is another guy who is also a stalker. Abel only knows about the latter.

... And these speculations bring us to the identity of the poltergeist! I was 99% certain that Crowley was bs-ing us until Father Lucian came in and specifically mentioned that there were two spirits, one much stronger than the other. Moreover, during the exorcism, two voices have indeed spoken - one is Crowley (green text), and the other ??? (grayish text).

But then this doesn't make any sense, because ??? sounds EXACTLY like Crowley - the way he says "You should have listened ..." Crowley (the explicitly labeled one with green speech texts) first begged for his life for exactly one sentence, then when he realizes that this ain't working, he proceeds to drop all pretense and threaten us: "This won't end well for you. You're making a mistake ..." Like, tell me they aren't the same person!  Besides, if we assume that the ??? during the exorcism is the same ??? who read our journal, during the scene ??? explicitly expressed surprise that we are "with him," and that "as expected" we are "the same" (something Crowley would later say regarding our relationship with Abel).

So why the hell does Father Lucian say there are two spirits? If we assume that Crowley is the poltergeist and not, say, the unknown stalker who accidentally died somewhere out of Abel's sight, then... I don't even know, maybe this is the true source of Crowley's power? splitting his "soul" so he can find hosts to overtake.

Woof, I did not expect to type out an essay. Once again, well done on leaving so many breadcrumbs in such a short game. Thanks for making this - I had great fun! 

Wow. This is... some ride. I haven't completed all the endings yet, but I have reached the last ending of the secret character and read the last chapter of Particles. There will be HEAVY spoilers in this review.

I'm a lover of horror-mance games (*cough* Boyfriend to Death *cough*) myself, so frankly, I don't find the game "too dark" at all. That said, I'm generally not a fan of "gore for gore's sake", so I'm very pleasantly surprised that this game gives purpose and proper explanation to the "darkness" manifested, and it actually spends time developing the personality of our various psycho "love interests".

About the love interests themselves... I like all of them except Sebastian. God, I'm just SICK of Sebby. He's everywhere and you can't get rid of him even if you're on another guy's route. Like, the others are bad too, but at least they have some self-awareness and are at least trying!

Quinn tries to be a good friend (and is one in several endings, such as when he protects Monika and apologizes for misjudging Sebby's character). Also, he's about the most decent character in the whole game, so I have a soft spot for him and am usually more forgiving of his flaws.

Julian tries to protect you (... yes, only in Sebby's route, I know). But he recognizes his own hypocrisy in his vigilante work and kind of, sort of, tries to believe in Monika even after she (accidentally) stabs him. I'm genuinely surprised that he acknowledges Ash as an inherent part of himself instead of blaming everything on his "evil twin".

Brandon tries to make things right by (generally) keeping his distance from Monika, and he seems somewhat remorseful about his sexual abuse of Monika, while acknowledging that he only regrets hurting her rather than doing anything "wrong". Yes, still screwed up, but again, at least the guy is self-aware!

Sebastian ... OH MY GOODNESS. Not only is the guy delusional (like every other love interest), disrespectful to Monika (like every other love interest except maybe Quinn), only cares about himself (like every other love interest except maybe Quinn), but worst of all, he's pathetic. I applaud every time Alexander opens his mouth and rips his twin to shreds. Like, damn it, listen to your brother and grow up!

Who said this game didn't have a happy ending? The ending where Monika calls him on his bullshit and shatters his fantasy, by pointing out how different she is from the "soulmate" he thinks he knows (based on diaries written years ago), is absolute gold. Destroy him, girl! Yes, Monika dies in the end, but at least it's relatively painless! (Wow, how low my standards for a happy ending have dropped after playing this game ...)

The only thing that surprised me and almost made me want to revise my impression of him ... is when he refrains from killing Julian after Julian has driven Monika insane, just because Julian claims that Monika loves him. I did not expect that, which made me like Sebastian a little ... just a little.

One more thing... I really, really like the overarching plot with the Ethereals! I enjoyed a great deal the dynamic between our Ethereal duo Lux and Quispe. I don't think I could get through some of Monika's ... more questionable decisions without their snarky comments. Also, while I fully understand why Monika is the way she is - and appreciate her as our very unlucky heroine - I am still relieved to have Lux as a "female" supporting character with a more outspoken personality and just good old common sense.

(Speaking of common sense ... I sincerely think the greatest irony of this game is that our otherworldly deities seem to have more common sense than our human characters!)

Obviously, this very fact is also part of the plot. This "cluster" of reality is deliberately made so messed up. My guess is that Monika is somehow connected to Allannia, and Casper is somehow connected to Allannia's banishment, and Allannia is being punished for whatever. But who knows?

Overall, I can't believe this is your first game. The project is very ambitious and well done. I can't wait to see what you have in store for us in Remembrance!

(Last point ... Even though I've bashed Sebby to a pulp with a club in this review, I don't really "hate" him. He's a fun character who embodies the "obsession" in the title, and I find his insanity both entertaining and frustrating :) Being able to evoke strong emotions in the reader is always a strength in my eyes, so once again, well done, Arewar!)

I love this so, so much. I actually guessed the truth quite early on and was pretty sure where the plot was going - but that didn't stop me from melting and almost tearing up when the resolution actually came. That, my dear author, is one of the highest compliments I can think of. Just. The FEELINGS.

Some other comments have mentioned how "stereotypical" Phebe is as an otome protagonist. I agree wholeheartedly. This story is ultimately about Phebe and her growth, not the boys, and that is one of the most brilliant twists in this genre.

Your writing is absolutely gorgeous. There's a touch of gentleness to it that enhances both the sadness and the bittersweetness of the story. The relatively minimalist visuals also serve the atmosphere of the game perfectly.

Really well done. My utmost respect to you and this game.

Thanks for your reply! The chloroform bit is definitely ...

The author is cooking up something big with so many breadcrumbs. Not to mention that we still know little about the biggest mystery of all, the truth behind the accident of Louise and Lu Ren's parents.

(And I love the way you put it about the restaurant. Who needs a restaurant that services people when it can serve people!!)

This is SO good. I've played all your games, loved them all, and I already have a feeling that this will be an absolute blast. The world-building! The characters! The suspension!

--spoiler alert--

I am just jotting down my thoughts here so that I can be proven wrong when more update is released. Is Puppy the student of Professor Joy who is suspected of having shady connections? Is the "conglomerate" the family business of Louise and Lu Ren, whose board is arguing over which sibling to support? Is the high-end restaurant connected to the missing persons cases?

So many questions! Looking forward to the mystery and dating. All of your characters are so attractive give me all of them from the human-shaped golden retriever to the hot bartender robot to the queenly CEO mommy. Now we'll just have to wait for the titular blind date ...

Gonna play this first-thing when it's out!

Loved all your games - I played them roughly according to the order you published them, and I must say that I've been seeing a steady improvement in your style which yet never lost that unique touch you have!

ITYH is absolutely one of the most creative otomes I've played, and I can't wait to see what craziness (in a good way) you deliver this time!

Just finished the demo and oh my god, haven't been so hyped for a wip for so long. The cliffhanger is absolutely brutal, how can you be so cruel?!

Just kidding though. Thank you so much for writing this, and I absolutely cannot wait for the next update!

Hey, just wanna tell you how much I've enjoyed the demo and absolutely can't wait to read more!!