So happy to hear from you! Can't wait for the game to be finished.
Also, I read the last paragraph and went "Yeah, definitely need to buy something..." and then I realized that I already own TRoS, HG and DDBS (which I totally need to replay in the near future!)
But I'll let a friend know that there's a sale, she'd been very interested in TRoS when I described it to her.
I love TRoS and recommended the hell out of it to a friend a while ago (I don't know if she bought it yet, but she was really interested also!), and I was deeply intrigued by the TToW demo, so I chose TToW in a survey as it's my preference :)
But if you decide to go for BFF first, I'd want to support it too — I'm not sure if I'd give the same amount since I'd be way more hyped for TToW, to be honest.
I haven't chosen any scenes as reward tiers, not because I'm not interested, but because I hate being locked out of content just for not being on time or not being able to give as much. But I think that, e.g., special romantic content would be appealing to a lot of people, so that's just my two cents.
Oh, I'm so sorry to hear it! You're such an amazing writer and developer and you certainly deserve better than this.
All the things I say below are solely from a player's and supporter's perspective, as I don't know how things work from the other side. But still.
I'm not sure about supporting a Kickstarter (I don't even have an account), but for you I'd certainly try :D I'd also most definitely back TTOW (rooting for Sophie and Bastien here!)
Also I'd definitely join your Patreon (I'm not sure if I'm able to give much more than $1-2 per month condtantly, but if there are many people like me - that's a sum). Also I could suggest putting up a Ko-Fi page, it seems convenient to send small sums there.
Social media presence is also a powerful thing and a great tool to build community (so that there's a convenient place to link people to, to share stuff, to let people exchange opinions, etc - I'm not seeing itch as such a tool, maybe because I'm new here, but still).
I wish I could help more practically, but the social network I'm most versed in is Russian (as I'm from there) and finding Russian people here who are fluent in English and would be able to enjoy English-language VNs is a whole another story (I know they're there, though). I also dabble in targeted ads, but that's in that very same network and not even in Instagram, unfortunately.
I can try and write a post about some of your games (or maybe your studio in general) in a group that shares content about women and girls in games, films, etc. Unfortunately, HG doesn't have FxF romance routes so I'm not sure if I'll be recommending specifically that, but still.
Anyway - I wish you the best luck. And please know we're there with you.
> Lol, perhaps I should make an alternative game where Saffron 'misses' the accident and it's just the girls and boys at school. (I was joking, but I wonder if I shouldn't now... >_>
As soon as I saw this, I went YES!
The accident was indeed a plot twist, and what came after it is interesting on itws own, but I can't help but wonder: what it would be like if it never happened? (I was really looking forward to getting to know Susan and wondering why you can't romance Malody, and then... yeah.)
It would be a different genre altogether, but I'd like to see that happen too.
I'm not completely done with the demo yet (and I'm immensely enjoying it so far!), but my head is swarmed with what-if's and I can't help it.
I know it would be a whole another game and would take time on its own, but I see so many amazing things that can happen this way...
Ah, sorry, I got carried away a bit. I'm rooting for this game so much, can't wait to get my hands on the full version!
As I understand, you'll become more concentrated on it once you finish Heaven's Grave, right?
My first impression: they all need a hug, I'm not into men, but they all need a hug this instant. And Arha needs all of the hugs.
Suiza probably has the most painful backstory, I guess. With Tai being close second in that regard. But Kien looks so sweet and the most empathetic so far.
So uh. I can't pick.
I'm most curious about Suiza, I think, so I'll pick him for my first route.
P.S. What are you doing to me, I have no interest in F+M romances whatsoever, but I know how engaging your storylines can be and *fangirl squealing noises!!!!*
Hello and thank you so much for the swift reply — I expected to wait a day or two, but here you are :)
Oh, Bastien is amazing! I love that he's kind and caring and always strives to do what he believes is right and stay true to it, no matter how much pain it may bring him. Honestly, the two human-shaped balls of chaos (Frederique and his sister, of course) can use someone like him by their side — not only loyal, but also a voice of reason. His route also is relatable to me personally: I know how it is to feel for someone so deeply and not be able to tell them, and that inner turmoil and torture is captured brilliantly and rings very true.
I'm definitely going to be replaying his and Sofia's routes! (Well, most likely — all of them, and some are just going to be replayed a bit more times...)
Regarding music: YES! I've found it among the first two you listed, thank you so much *___* I was initially referring to "Trio for Piano, Cello, and Clarinet" — it first caught my ear as a very fitting piece for the scenes it was used in, and then I listened a bit more closely and fell in love.
P.S. Oh, and I'm definitely coming back for your other games — I'll get The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea as soon as another paycheck comes in, I can't wait for Heaven's Grave and Best Friends Forever, and I've fallen head over heels for the Thorns of War demo. I wish you best of luck with these three and more!
You're amazing, don't stop creating <3
I also made an account for the (initial) purpose of commenting here. I see I'm not alone. :D
I started the demo and almost instantly thought "Nope, I need the full one". So I bought the game (on Steam) and boy, was I not disappointed.
It's captivating. A great idea, amazingly executed. I love all of it: the text, the artwork, the music... Oh, the music.
The character arcs feel fleshed out and — most importantly — believable. They're not too epic, sure, but I engaged with them, I empathized, I can't help but think of them as real live people — just not of this reality, but of another. That often happens when I read good books, so that one is a huge praise.
I'm not usually one to play FxM romances (as a WLW in real life, I find myself way more inclined to pursue FxF romances in games too), but after reading comment after comment about how somebody adored this or that guy, I succumbed to my curiosity and... was also not disappointed, even though my expectations were really high at that point.
I haven't completed all the routes yet — I'm saving Charlotte for last and I'm not going for the secret route (I might actually try to please the King instead for once :D), but I enjoyed each end every one of the others.
My favorite so far is Sofia, hands down. Bastien comes in very, very close second place, though. I won't go into detail here (might get carried away and go into spoiler territory), but whoa, I do feel for both of those struggles. And it was just the right amount of bittersweetness for my taste (in both cases, though for entirely different reasons, of course).
Also, as I mentioned earlier, I loved the music very much. Especially the bittersweet track that plays in the most "heart to heart" dialogues, I don't know its proper name, unfortunately.
And I wonder if there's any way to download/buy the music as playable files (such as mp3, etc)? I personally would give the same money I paid for the whole game without hesitation, to be honest. I couldn't find even the pointers: the credit roll comes and goes very quickly (for me, perhaps, since English isn't my mother tongue), and there's no other mention of the composers in the devlog or elsewhere that I've been able to find.
I do hope you (or someone) can point me in the right direction.
