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This was a really lovely game! I enjoyed choosing all the answers that led to game overs before continuing with the story. I had a lot of fun playing this.

I have not stopped thinking about this game since I finished it on Saturday(really, since I started playing Thursday). I'm so impressed with how you hint at what the other characters are thinking, even when the MC doesn't pick up on it(I love myself an unreliable narrator). I initially downloaded the game because I thought it was going to be just a parody game, but I got super invested instead. Even when I wasn't playing I was thinking about wanting to see the end.

I've never written a long comment on itch.io before, so I'm not sure where the cutoff is before it hides the rest under a keep reading button, so I'll add some space for (MAJOR) spoilers.

What really sucked me in was seeing how (or at least this is how I interpreted things,) Leon and Vincent slowly started changing from normal people with flaws(Leon's anger issues and Vincent's need for things to go his way, both of their possessiveness) to unnatural changes that make them scared of themselves. It made me pay special attention to everything they said and did, because I knew it wasn't going to be spelled out, which was fun. The moment I had the "realization" that Leon, Vincent, and Reme had completely different personalities from the original game, I knew I was in for a good time.

I also really liked how real the supposedly fake world was. The original main character had his own personality that everyone else is noticing how different the MC is acting from. And everyone had history with him too, even Vincent and Reme. It felt very "lived in." I had a feeling that the setting was more than just an exact replica of the original game, but "knew" for sure when the brother asked Leon if he had been talking to the MC late into the night, then Leon said that they actually hadn't been talking outside of school for a while. I wanted to hit my forehead, because I realized of course that would be weird. In real life best friends hang out lots after school and call/text at night, but since in visual novels the only interactions are scripted interactions at school, the MC wouldn't think it's "on the agenda" to keep contact with Leon after the bell. I had to second guess myself once again though at the unfinished room in the aquarium.

My best guess is that the setting is like if someone "breathed life" into the original game, with the limitations that the game originally had (like unfinished backgrounds and shadow npcs) but a fully realized world and characters that grew around the framework the original writing had. And it's directing the three LIs(maybe not including Reme?) onto the path of the story by changing their personalities gradually. I could be wrong, though!

And even though the MC's coworker(?) is only mentioned a few times, any time that he felt he was forgetting something or said something like "I still have something I want to do" I was SUPER curious. Especially since he's in promotional art for your game; afaik I have 100%-ed the demo and didn't see him much, so now I'm excited to see how he'll show up in the full version.

Even though I was making guesses and updating those guesses as to "what was going on" all throughout the story, I was still on my toes the whole time because I was never quite sure, so I couldn't tell what was going to happen next or what the choices would do. I saved before literally every choice, lol, if I remember correctly I have 10 pages of save files.

My favorite character was Leon. With all these things I talked about, I enjoyed seeing it the most with him, partially because he's got the most history with the original MC so the changes become most obvious when he's around. I also just like "gentle giants" (to whatever extent you could apply that term to him) who try to suppress their anger. He also felt like the most "realistic" character to me(although they all were good), I knew like at least three guys like him in high school. A lot of the smaller scenes that stuck out most to me involved him too, like when he dented the locker and failed to say "I'm happy for you" or got into a fistfight with his teammate. And my absolute favorite scene was when they rode the train home after he rescued him. I'm not sure if this was intentional, but I love the parallel of the MC falling asleep on the way to school earlier in the story, and Leon falling asleep in this scene.

Idk how to put it, but the way you focus on their personal problems that are more grounded in reality and not so easily romanticized is the main thing that made me appreciate this game. It especially showed in the survival ending.

Lastly, I just had a lot of fun and laughs! The meta humor landed for me. I actually laughed out loud at several parts, perhaps loudest on one of the later days when the interface started talking back to the MC using the choices menu.

I'm really looking forward to the full release! I'm sorry if the length is unusual or I said anything strange, I'm new to itch.io and don't know anything about commenting etiquette. Please take your time to make the best game you can while taking care of yourself.

I love the detail at the end with Leia sitting with the MC in the menu 🥲 Especially contrasted with when she's by herself otherwise.

This was a really nice story! I'm super partial to stories about ghosts crossing over, plus I instantly love characters that are kind, like your exorcist character. The bonus scene added a surprising bit of depth to him, too. He feels like someone I could have a conversation with.