itch.io

I'm lovin the pixel art!! Reminds me of Abscission :>

Omg, congrats!! That's a big achievement. Be proud of yourself >^<

Yay! I think this was one of your first games I ever played, and the mechanic of half-truths and the atmosphere made a great impression on me.

And if you ever need help (like a beta reader) I'm pretty experienced and always happy to help lol

It would be the toxic romance to end all toxic romances but it would be GLORIOUS I tell ya

I would play the heck out of that route lol

Hell yeah!

Oooh! That sounds really cool, I'm looking forward to it!

"Lucid dreams made real" is a very good way to describe this game. As a vivid dreamer myself, this game reminded me of a dream quite a bit. The strange cut-aways, the sudden shifts, the "movements" of the characters, all of that is like a dream--very cool. In a more conventional work, this might be a drawback, but in this context, it works very well. 

The art design is fantastic. I loved to look at the characters, and let my eye soak up all the different details. Rubadex resembles a Rubik's cube in color, or a TV screen almost. I liked Ludikris' colors shifting with his expressions. The textures seemed very true to real life (the plaid, the houndstooth) almost as if his body was a cut-out superimposed over something else. The Meddlers' clothes and colors were extremely bright and clashing, which fit them as characters.

Lookin good!

Amare is a newer but pretty darn good term imo. More inclusive for sure.

Also, random questionL Can we date the shady police captain? It sounds exactly like the kind of messed up thing an especially unscrupulous femme fatale would do lol

Short but sweet. As someone who likes to walk while thinking, I can definitely relate to the feeling of wanderlust. Reminds me of the thrill of exploring abandoned buildings. I enjoyed the music, and thought it went well with the real photos.

Of course!! And oof her name is Roel not Rouen lol

ooooh! I just love manhwas with this plot, so I know I'll love this game!!! I just hope that the villainess has some female friends or female compatriots in villainy, haha.

Ooooh, sounds very interesting! I love romance games (aka otome/amare) and I enjoy your writing, so I look forward to the future release!! Can't wait to gaslight, girlboss, gatekeep™ my way into some bearer bonds.

Oh, yay! This is wonderful. I really enjoyed the game as it is, and an expansion would just make it all the better. I really look forward to what you have coming out.

Finally, I can write my review of this game! I first purchased this game a year ago, then decided to play it later due to its unexpected length (I forgot oof), but now I have rediscovered it and I am glad that I did.

I have a fondness for "weird" visual novels, and this game scratched the "weird" itch extremely well. Each character was an oddball in their own way, and I found it very endearing to watch their antics as they navigated their own ways through the detective competition, whether they be detective, criminal or gamemaster. The art itself is distinctive, with a lot of angular lines, corners, shapes and vivid colors, which made them very interesting to look at. Not a single one looked similar to another, and even the detectives/criminals with lesser screen time made an impact through their neon pink hair, or what had they. And of course, I liked the many poses the characters contorted their bodies into, and all the CGs. It helped the world feel more alive. The soundtrack complemented the story and characters perfectly. I especially enjoyed "Office Games" and "Moving On".

I enjoyed the story as well, and one of the highest compliments I can give it is that I was hooked until the end, and I never felt the urge to just skip the "boring parts". Especially the ending and last few chapters/sections. In my experience, many visual novels sort of drag out towards the end (which I usually accept as a given) but this game is one of the exceptions. The detective competition itself kept the story on a nice pace, I felt. I felt sorry to leave the perspective of one character, but it kept things moving. 

All in all, it was an enjoyable experience, and I certainly felt I got my money's worth.

==SPOILERS ABOUND==

My favorite part was definitely when Roel faced off with Catscratcher. I was really, really surprised when Roel actually won. I really expected Red July to win, but Roel definitely made sense--you do need people skills, after all. I also liked this decision because it made me feel suddenly uncertain as to how the story might end. I fell for all the Red July hype, lol, so I thought it would be a given that she would win. So I said to myself, "Well, now I definitely need to know what happens."

I thought the mystery Roel solved was a gripping one, and the setting in which she solved it really heightened the stakes. I became really anxious when Catscratcher made his appearance, and when he was trying to fool her into accepting his testimony as the witnesses', I almost couldn't watch it all play out because I was so invested, lol.

When Roel "lost" and signed the contract with Catscratcher, I was sad, and when she turned it around, it was the best feeling. I was really happy for her!! I know I really did Roel dirty in my mind, thinking she'd never be able to hack it, but she pulled through, and became best girl imo. Also her outfits are slay.

This part was really well written too. I liked all the philosophical discussion about who is deserving, etc. Overall this was this bit that pushed the game from "really good" to "one of the best titles I've seen in a while".

As I got closer to the end of the game, I began to worry that the ending would be unsatisfying. After spending so much time playing the game, and being extremely invested in Roel, I got anxious. I realized few chapters remained until the end, and with every chapter finished, it seemed less likely that the story would come to a satisfying end. My biggest worry would be--and I felt that this reason had been alluded to--that the competition was being held as amusement for rich people, or that it was done at just the whims of a billionaire with too much money. Primarily because such a reason would have been really, really depressing and maybe a little bit too realistic.

I thought there would definitely be an element of this, given how much Conver loved puzzles, but I was really hoping there would be a deeper meaning behind it all. And there was! I don't even mind it ended on a cliffhanger, lol. Even if Conver is lying, I’m still happy the competition has a deeper meaning, no matter what it is. 

So, very good job with this game! I can't wait to see what you have in store next!

If one has never seen color, would one miss it when it is gone?

In this game, I witnessed a person who "forgot" color remember, then regain their "color". The main character is an artist adrift in Rome, trying to pull herself from the quagmire that is her life. She meets two mysterious creatures--a light owlbeast and a dark owlbeast. Her interactions with them and her surroundings determine the course her life will take. I found the plot to be novel but still familiar, and the writing was a joy to read. I especially loved all the bits of Italian culture, such as the masks and the lovely locations.

==Spoilers==

This game revolves around color. The owls are stark contrasts, and the protagonist can regain her color. I was reminded of how people sometime describe depression as a fog, a dark mire of greyness and dullness. The main character can indeed sink into the abyss of greyness or ascend into the blinding light (none of which are truly good) depending on choices she makes--whether to feed one or the other owl, or both. I interpreted the dark owl as gloom, depression, and cool darkness, and the light owl as dazzle, mania and searing light, and the two endings that one can get by feeding solely one or the other correspond to this.

I was glad, however, that an ending existed where the colors (metaphorically and literally) come back into the character's life. I love it when someone gets knocked down, but finds the strength to come back up, and she deserves it.

This was a really cute demo. I love the character designs of everyone, especially ??? she seems like a cool older sister type, although time will tell lol

Oh lawd he comin

I can't wait!

"Vibrant" is how I would describe this game in a nutshell. The art is really beautiful and distinct--the colors are vivid, the design of the characters are unique, and the faces they make are adorable, especially the alien's! I love him so much, he's such a sweetheart, and it was wonderful to read about how he adjusts to life on Earth. The relationships between the main characters were so sweet. I'm glad Adrianne has at least one true friend. 

The world in which the characters live in--both on Earth and alien's homeworld--were depicted very evocative. I especially liked the forest scenes--the backgrounds are masses of long shapes and colors suggestive of a forest, but at the same time, looks to be an almost alien landscape. It really gave that extra edge of unsettling to drive the bad end home. 

Happy birthday!!!🥳🥳 Can't wait for all you've got planned

Yasss Lor!! He's such a soft boi, love him.

Lor is love, lor is life!! Vote for Lor today!

This is a very lovely game so far. The art style is a wonderful painted style that approaches realism, and I especially love all the different poses of the NPCs and their vivid facial expressions. The many, many CGs are a treat as well, like a picture book. The backgrounds are well done and are in the same art style as everything else (points given for that). The love interests are charming, each in their own way.

The writing is engaging and crisp. It does a good job of establishing the world that these characters live in. As for the story, consider me hooked! I love the mythology that you've established, and I can't wait to find out how it develops. 

[SPOILERS AHEAD]

And now I will theorize and share my thoughts on the story!!

As far as I can tell, there are two factions. The Royal Council of Wizards and the sorcerers, and then the other "secular" factions--the Kingdom of Cirelon, etc.

Lindinis was perhaps a town of sorcerers, and was burned down/destroyed by the Council or the Council's followers. Silvana either had her memories removed by the Council or lost them and the Council decided to take advantage of this fact to observe a sorcerer in their natural habitat or use Silvana as a weapon against the other sorcerers. That year Silvana spent in the house was meant as a trial period almost, to see if Silvana was "safe" or if she would regain her memories. Personally, I think that a war is coming between the sorcerers and the Council (and Council-adjacent allies), and the Council is hoping to use Silvana in this war, which is why they let her attend the school. (Matthias also said them letting her go was an "investment")

History is written by the winners of course, and there were a few allusions to this in Silvana's conversations with Chloe. It is possible that the sorcerers are "innocent" and are being unjustly persecuted by the Council for whatever reason. Alternatively, the sorcerers may be just as terrible as described, and the Council is justified in outlawing them. Of course, the truth may be somewhere in the middle, too!

And those are the thoughts I have so far, my little theories on how the story will develop.

There are games that I hope to come across when I trawl through itch.io's long long list of visual novels, and this is a great example of it. A game that is a representation of one person's vision. I find these kinds of games to be great reads.

But at any rate, keep up the good work, at your own pace of course. I'll be eagerly awaiting whatever you have next. :)

Great work here! The best bit about this game is by far the worldbuilding, which left me wishing for a deeper exploration or sequels. The concept of "cultivating one's [magical] garden" (to steal a phrase from Candide) especially piqued my interest. 

The art was quirky and cute, and the game was well written. Good job.

This was a very neat game! I enjoyed the premise and concept, and the writing was snappy and didn't wear out its welcome. The occasional moments of levity were refreshing, and the voice actors did a great job. 

All in all, it scratched my sci fi itch very well.

Ooooh! Nice!!

Take ur time y'all! Your flock of dedicated ducklings will wait 🦆❤️

I love it, thank you so much!!! I give this soundtrack 100 Yellow Signs out of 100 Yellow Signs

This was a really lovely game. I enjoyed the whole vibe of it--the art style + backgrounds + GUI really did it for me, and gave me a nice cozy winter vibe. I loved Claus so much, he really is the best boi. I was so happy there was an option to pet him lol it must have been like petting a Samoyed or an Angora rabbit--super soft and fluffy. The heroine was a pip too. 

I was impressed by how hateable Wulfgang was! Every time I didn't think he could say something more nasty or cringeworthy, he immediately did. The "feminine aversion to bloodshed" was the icing on the cringe cake. I could feel my insides crumpling from the undiluted ick

Good job, y'all!!

A very neat game. The constantly ticking clock and background graphics were effective in creating an uneasy atmosphere. The very presence of the clock noise made me anxious lol The way in which the animals were described was slightly unsettling as well. All of this made the payoff very effective in the end. Good job!

Oooh, looks cool!

Oh my goodness, congrats!!take all the time u need, and bond with ur bby

Thank you for the update >u< you've been workin hard and I'm lookin forward to y'all's game!

I'm enjoying the experience so far...but I've been getting the following bug: It happens every time I try to examine some papers in Submachine 6, especially the papers that detail the order of how the red balls go in the pillar in world 3.

___________________________________________

############################################################################################

ERROR in

action number 1

of Draw Event

for object o_god:

unable to convert string "_zoom" to float

at gml_Script_scr_god_zoom_detail

############################################################################################

gml_Script_scr_god_zoom_detail (line -1)

gml_Script_scr_god_draw

gml_Object_o_god_Draw_0

*squeals* I'm excited!!

I'm enjoying the ride so far, even though I got killed due to 

***SPOILERS***

my own inability to commit lol. My MC was a poor second class citizen, who didn't drink at all (I found it amusing how MC could refuse and still have to drink, gave me a chuckle every time) I leaned more towards Harald, but in the end I was too non-aligned, so I was killed lol And even when I threw my lot in with Harald, killed Chorsa, and tried to overthrow the government, I still died oof To be honest I don't know how this ends well for the MC--even if he manages to survive, he'll be shredded mentally, and maybe even physically if the Dengizichens get their hands on him :p

The game was pretty enjoyable to play!! I like the writing, and the level of suspense. I brought my younger daughter Yamie to the ball, and almost had a heart attack when she spoke up. I'm loving the characters so far; Harald the drunk, Jor the weasel and Valen the slimeball, but especially Artur Madrisky! He and the MC ended up being friends, and I never threw him under the bus once. I would love to see some Artur-specific endings!!

The colored names provided a nice pop of color. I always love some color-coding, but in the case of this art style, I don't know how it would work, cause everything has that yellowed out filter over it, like the radiation settling into the land.

But at any rate, I look forward to the full version and to not dying by the big boss man's hands XDDD

Well, I've played through the game, and I must say, that escalated real quickly! Overall, I liked your game, short though it was. I don't typically read neo-noir or crime fiction, so it was a lot different than I was expecting, but in a good way? I guess? I liked the colored text. It was a nice touch! If you ever decided to redo the game (or make another sequel) and keep the colored text, it would be really cool if the art matched the color. I also enjoyed the colorful metaphors :>

I suppose it will be explained in the sequel, but I'm guessing G and the boys were ****SPOILER**** set up by the Warden? In a get rid of two bad elements with one stone kind of way? Because god damn the villains were a real piece of work. The world will not miss them at all, because god damn. I can't wait to see Evelyn take revenge in the sequel heh.

But otherwise good job!

so uh, what happened to the game? The page is gone :o

This was a neat game! I enjoyed the procedure of searching for names, bits of history, pictures etc, etc. Every time I found another person or the pieces clicked into place I got a rush of adrenaline haha I'm glad you included the intuition mechanic. There was a moment where I was completely stumped and it came in clutch.

The ending surprised me a bit. For the locked people, I knew both their names, but I could not figure out their relationship. So when it came time to enter the names, I got confused as to their relationship and their relationship to you-know-who. But once I saw the ending, it made sense! I found the ending to be very satisfying, and it wrapped up all the pieces together well. A wonderful game!

edit: removed spoilers, sorry!