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For anyone who might still be popping in here for updates; it seems as if Parival LLC has been dissolved.

I am honestly quite upset, since people have supported this games development through Kickstarter and have donated $8,184 (main funding goal was $2,000) and I am unsure if anyone has ever received their Kickstarter rewards. 

Plus, the fact that we have given money in support of the side game, which was supposedly going towards the main game's development.

This is what I hate about indie VN developers. Stop trying to start a gaming business when you're still in the middle of university or have work commitment where you'll be treating indie game dev as nothing more than a side project. The fact that Parival listed themselves as a legit small business and even accepted funding for their game's development, is no excuse to shirk responsibilities and then cry about being busy with university and work. 

Why start a company then? I see this happen with so many new indie VN popping up and it's fine if it's a free game and they're not a registered business, but the moment you start demanding funds and register yourself as a business, you are then creating and selling a product. 

Building and maintaining a business is no small feat and should not be taken lightly. I seriously wish more people can understand this, before diving in and starting an LLC and selling products. Especially when money has been given to Parival and since it's done through Kickstarter, everyone has virtually signed an agreement understanding that projects might not meet the goal and refund is impossible if that were the case. (I am unsure how it works if the goal has been met but the company decides to run off with the money). This creates a liability issue and of course, I truly wish in cases such as these legal matters can be brought in to resolve the issue and people can get refunded. 

It's devastating to see a project drop dead and I had such high hopes for this game, since there's not that many dark BL games out there that are Western and I loved how we got a protagonist that is morally grey. The voice actors have done a fantastic job in bringing these characters to life and the gameplay mechanics and story premise was truly refreshing to see.

Any "discord" news I am taking with a grain of salt, since Parival should have been communicating openly on public profiles such as this page for updates/news. I don't understand why they'd make update/news on a private server such as discord. Especially if ownership has been given to someone new and development is being resumed. Why not share that publicly on here? It's been years now, so I am assuming that development has ceased long ago and that the so-called "discord" news is false.

On their Twitter they stated that it's coming out soon (May 2023), so I'd say possibly May 30-31st but since they're also featured in "Future of Play Direct" to announce their new game and show off a game trailer, maybe not until June 10th (since that's when the event starts). I could be wrong though, since the Future of Play Direct could be an opportunity for them to market their game to larger audiences, so the game could be out on May as planned.

What irks me about Parival is that they never seemed to understand how to take their business seriously. There was always a reason for production to be delayed or they were managing their responsibilities poorly and got swamped with other priorities and had to put their game on hold. They are a business offering a product to us (the customers). If it was free then fine, but it's a paid product that was funded. The moment I found out that the devs were busy with university/work, was the moment I realized that Parival as a business was nothing more than a "side hobby or side hustle" for these people. They were irresponsible with their time management or picked the wrong moment to start a gaming company when they were busy with other priorities and responsibilities (i.e., university and their jobs). 

I absolutely would veer away from this team and perhaps Parival would be an example to others that starting a game company and developing games should not be treated lightly. It doesn't matter if it's an indie game, a business is a business and should be treated as such. 

This was such a fun game! However, I noticed that it came out back in 2019 and there still doesn't seem to be a DLC. Was that dropped? :(

In regards to reading other comments and your previous update posts, I feel that I need to speak out as a customer who has been awaiting a product. I am a bit concerned that Parival does not seem to take their business seriously or comprehend that 1st DEGREE is a product. I understand that English visual novels are fairly new in game development and as upcoming publishers/companies. I see new game studios popping up on twitter announcing their newest product. However, even as an indie game studio you are still a business and you are producing a product to sell to customers. 

I'm noticing a lack of professionalism when it comes to updates, especially this update in particular. Telling your customers that you're sensitive to reading comments regarding your product is unprofessional. Parival's attitude and how you guys have handled your business lack professionalism. You aren't treating your game studio as if it's a business. If you were aware of the fact that you have a busy personal life, college commitments, and a different job; then why start a gaming company? That's not organizing your priorities, you and your team are woefully unprepared to handle a business. If there's been a recurring issue with other team members not balancing their responsibilities and are unable to commit to this job then why keep them? Why not terminate their contract and hire someone more reliable? I have no idea if you have contracted freelancers to work with you or if your team consists of personal friends. I can guarantee, that if you worked on any other game developers such as Naughty Dog, Bethesda, etc. etc. you won't be able to keep your job/position if you have to pause a project every so often. 

I want you to know that as a customer, your excuses for pausing 1st DEGREE's game development and continuously delaying the game's release date; tells me that Parival as a whole are unprepared and weren't ready to handle managing a game studio. Again, other gaming companies try their hardest never to announce a game's delay. They work on their product with little announcements on progress and schedule a release date that's set 2-5 years ahead to give them the time-frame to work and polish their product for release. If they do need to announce a delay, it is to wrap production up and polish out any bugs or to tweak game-play. Even so, their announcements are short and sweet, and above all: professional. 

Here's an example of SQUARE ENIX's delay announcement on FFVIIR:

We are making this tough decision in order to give ourselves a few extra weeks to apply final polish to the game and to deliver you with best possible experience. I, on behalf of the whole team, want to apologize to everyone, as I know this means waiting for the game just a little bit longer. Thank you for your patience and continued support.

In regards to previous comments from customers who were suspicious of Parival's continuous delays, they have a reason to be upset and suspicious. As I stated earlier, game companies try to prevent any issues with their game development as it can ruin their business and evoke a negative reaction from fans who supports that game company. 

Parival should have handled their delays more proficiently and kept it to one delay with an announcement that the product needs x amount of time to wrap production up. I understand that Parival is new and that 1st DEGREE is your first product. I am reaching out to you and Parival in hopes that you can understand why there are upset customers and understand that the way Parival is presenting themselves online to their customers, have made me view this game studio in this way. 

You are a business that is taking funds from customers to produce this product. You are planning to sell this product. If this was just a hobby and the game would have been FREE then no one will care as much if the game gets delayed or is never released, because there's no funding involved. 

I enjoyed playing the demo and the updated demo tremendously, but as I've mentioned before, so far this game studio has been severely unprepared and irresponsible. However, I believe that this is a learning curve and that perhaps in the future if Parival wishes to produce a new product, then you will understand the ropes and learn from past mistakes.

I am looking forward to 1st DEGREE and see how the story unfolds, and I wish Parival the best of luck.

Episode 3 was a whirlwind of emotions from shamelessly flirting with Vexx and exploring more of MC's back-story and their relationship with Vexx, to present time. I was flirting with June and hoping to romance him later on as the story progresses, but Vexx is also an interesting character. His involvement with the incident came as a shock. Moreso, when he acted out ruthlessly towards MC.  That moment broke my heart as I was still in shock with his role in MC's family assassination. 

So heartbroken over what transpired with Vexx, I naively thought to myself that at least I'll have June's kindness and love, but alas when MC came forward with their newfound identity, that too ceased. 

June's sudden avoidance and cold attitude was a lovely icing  on the cake. Other than MC's horrible romantic love life, episode 3 is kicking off the story with new questions. We also learn more about each Andromeda member's back-stories and their views on MC's father. 

Vexx is an intriguing character. While trying to set up a past romantic relationship with him, I've noticed that at some point he seemed concerned and hurt for MC, but quickly replaced with a mask of indifference. It makes me think if he originally intended to hurt the royal family, but not find himself involved with one. I wonder if he's regretting his decisions and just how much role did he have in the royal family demise? 

Andromeda crew members seem to suggest that MC should take up the throne and build a new better future, so it is interesting to see how we get to shape MC and how they will grow.

ANDROMEDA SIX is a fun, whirlwind of a game and I can't wait to play episode 4 and see how the story unfolds! 

OK seeing the twins as a hard route made me cry...LMAO. I'm going to fail them...multiple times XD better get a notebook to record every choice and reaction!