I mean i knew philipp is my first route and ultimate but having joker as the profile pic just sealed the deal xD
Looking forward to the chats bc I always love stuff like that in VN or chat simulators in general *_*
I came across the new game before the original game here, so I was wondering why it kinda seemed similar:
anyways here's the link to the game site (bc the link doesn't work, prop bc of the bracket being recognized as part of the link): https://everium.itch.io/velvetbite
Honestly go for it. It's your game. The fact that the game was free this long is freaking amazing and like you said yourselves, it becomes free again in the future. So if ppl can't pay, there are enough games that are free that they can play till this one here becomes free again. Games are a luxury, like art is etc. so ppl need to decide for themselves if they are willing to pay. If not then obviously it wasn't worth enough for them and then that means that you don't need to play the game that desperately. Tbh I personally didn't see the price change and only now your post about it, so for myself it wasn't really a big deal either but yeah I think for the future it does definitely make sense to write the post beforehand, just for the transparency of it and as a heads up. But other than that, ofc it's your decision :)
Wish the best of luck and success for you two and the new game!!
That was amazing!! The premise, the humor, the art and even voiced! I also always love mini games in VN's, so that's a bonus (loved the easter egg of including names of your team!) Annet and Gwen were so cute! When they talked about her loving to run, that was such a special scene! Can't say I relate to that xD but I wished in that moment I could ngl bc she's right, it does have something freeing! But yeah the corporate dread was real too!
I had to laugh when I.V. came and said they're AroAce like it was a job title or their supernatural identity xD but we could have known with the colors that were used for their design!! I just saw, that there is a spin off with one of the mentioned couples, I'm definitely playing this as well!!
Also I was not expecting Iggy's hot voice to also voice "that guys" Shweeps xD
I already wanted to tell you, that we, or I need more with this little universe you created! Especially the way you even built in some mystery that still needs solving: who is creating these gifts, who is the traitor that broke this rule and why did they do it? Would love to see these characters/ supernatural agency in future spin offs as well (or even in their own game maybe when they finally catch the traitor and the others have their cameo) <3
Hey I just played your demo! It was actually pretty cute, I'd love to see more! Maya looks so pretty, I kinda know I would romance Zach! And from what I've gathered this has been your first game (demo) you created? Very impressive!
If you don't mind me giving a bit of feedback, I think some kinda mini game in the full game for the flowers/flower shop would probably be fun, don't know how difficult that is to implement though! But that could be nice. As well as maybe changing up the gui a bit to fit it to the whole flowery, blossom, spring aesthetic?
I also think changing the thumbnail? for the game and putting the pic of our three lovely characters like you have it in the main menu into the thumbnail, would maybe attract a lot more ppl to the game when they look through the submissions from the blossom vn jam (at least that's how i found your game here). Adjusting this site as well could be also useful for ppl that decide whether they want to play the game or not!
But yeah other than that, so far it's promising for a fluffy, wholesome game!
Good luck for working on the game!! :))
That was fun! especially loved the ending with him together, even though the twist (?) was bittersweet! So impressive, considering how this is just a mini vn! I'm curious about the third ending though? I don't know whether I got it. I have had the one, where he goes and respects me not wanting love, then the one where we kiss and how do i get the third one? :)
haha omg, that is such an awesome idea! To introduce these characters through memes and the likes, and essentially learning who they might be! I really am looking forward to seeing more of this world and the characters!
Was already crushing hard on Tancred before downloading but I'll gladly see Asher and him getting their story, I can't romance them myself. The Princess Mononoke reference was soo freaking cute!! Very interested to see more about Brontes role, the person they really are in the original world. Also Khulan, as well as Khulan and Vesna's past relationship? Also i guess Bronte being a double agent, kinda explains why they might be on guard with Vesna, bc I was like why is our MC so distrustful and uncomfortable around her, for (imo) no reason. Also am excited to see more of the existing and teased characters like Zaya. :)
Anyways, excited for future updates!
THAT WAS SO GOOD!! I just played the game a few hours ago, it was so fun, so interesting and mysterious and still even after playing all routes, leaves open questions (which was intended on your part and leaves us hooked even more). Even with being a scaredy cat I'm glad I played it! After I was finished I'm still left with interest and questions and then immediately started googling about the title of the game, the flowers and the yellow king to maybe understand the story even more. And now after knowing about your inspirations with this work of Chambers, I'm even more appreciative of this game and your work and the story!
Edit:// And you completed it in 10 days?!!? Wow!Oh okay yeah, oh okay!"//
- Spoilers ahead -
The way you incorporated the fictional book itself in the story with our MC picking it up, then the elements, motifs of the work of Chambers within the actual story we played. So cool! Like with MC reading the book within our story, so the story within the story that was also a theme of Chambers work. Then like the characters in the work of repairer of reputations, the first Act was described as boring by them, but the second act was the reason Hildred caught interest. Or the whole unmasking thing even though that was a bit confusing :D. I'm also assuming that Aster is the stranger or at least the iteration of the stranger where they are the same or the stand in as the yellow king! Then also the name itself explains the flower we see on the home screen. The titan arum also pretty interesting being the corpse flower because it smells like rotten flesh, and the spider lillies being in the text bar. So amazing! I've known about spider lillie's meanings and symbolism but the rest has been new info for me! Learned so much today :D thank you for that as well! Speaking of the gui! I love love LOVE, when it changes after routes have been played, or a secret route has been unlocked. The way everything changed after unlocking Aster is so cool: from the main menu, to the choices options, the text bar and even the save/load window!
Yeah but I'm still so curious now, bc the different routes feel like playing different realities ig? Like in Theo's route Bartie has been dead for years, whilst in Oscar's route the cat was seen, touched and saved by him. Even hears the yellow kings voice? I also thought that maybe Aster was the cat, but at the very least there's some special connection to it. As it is kinda central and even part of the Aster we see in the main menu!So yeah the cat is still a big mystery to me. Why was it upstairs the whole time, why did MC not go upstairs and check after it. Where is the family? Like in one reality (?) it's as if they are dead/have been even killed by the protagonist? In the other they are on vacation? Then the book, in Oscars route they hate it, in Theos they love it. In Oscars route she was basically a sobbing mess when he came, whilst with Theo the horror started days later.
The question still stands not only for the MC but for us players too: what is real and what is fake? It's cool how you incorporated this one theme of The Yellow King as well: the reader of the book within the story going insane after reading the book. I suppose that's what had happened to MC? But yeah it's still like even after being saved from the house, the MC still connects to the entity. Or you have them thinking about how it is real. Or Aster talking about that this can't be what MC truly wants. It makes one think, are the endings that happen with Theo or Oscar real? Or was that orchestrated? Is our MC lying? Why do we still get the glitching with some of the ending sentences?: "Wasn't it night?"; "Is it real?" (omg now i have to think of peeta noo my baby ToT) in Theo's route. Or "His mouth crashes against yours" and Asters words at the end in Oscars route. Bc before their conscience was probably overwriting things, like with the towel being pink bc of the washing machine etc. but why would it overwrite or our MC lie to themselves in those situations at the end... //But yeah that also ties in the whole unreliable narrator trope that also was in the yellow king, is a popular trope and which I just saw was the theme of the jam you made this game for!!//
After writing this as if had an assignment due xD, all that's left to say: Thanks for your work! And yes the dudes were incredibly attractive and yes I'm now going to the short stories you have published for the three, as well as reading what other players have theorized about in this comment section *_*!
looking from some of the other comments, we all love One Ear Jerio, he's so adorable!! Had to choose between Jerio and Ode! Honestly I'm almost positive, the dev loves Jerio as much, considering the adorable answers we could give xD I had soo much fun, need to play other rounds as well & I just saw there are sequels too, how awesome!!
oh and I love the epilogue: where are they now, thing!!
AAHH! I just played the demo and I LOVE IT! I'm very interested in learning more about Shroudfall Cove, the lore behind there, as well as Grammy's possible involvement etc. The characters all have an awesome character design, as well as their own personalities and roles which I really like!! Excited to learn more about them!
Ngl, I already dig Raga soo much! Perfect rivals to lovers thing going on! The others I like as well, Dion probably is something like a siren? and I would be interested in learning why he was angry being touched, as well as where he was before coming to the Cove, as he himself is pretty new there. Where was he before that? And the rest? Did they all grow up there? If so, does the mom know them? Is the cave that our MC saw at the beginning important? --- soo many questions! I'm already excited for the finished game and thank you for your hard work!
Also you wrote about two routes, who are those though? Bc honestly I first thought the two routes would be Dion and Raga? But now I'm not sure anymore. And honestly ngl I would love a Hiroki route too (he's so cute as well). Would also love to see if there's more to him and Raga? Or to Raga and Otilia (which I think will be an interesting one as well!!). As well as Ade, who was such an adorable presence and really stands for that whole goal they wanted to accomplish between Human and nightfolk.
All in all, I love this already! Also extra compliments to the beautiful art and perfectly fitting music additions!!
No offense, but like others have stated, this game demo was released with the otome and josei jams that have been going on in the past two/three months.
This years bl/yaoi jam is still ongoing till august (btw i can recommend you actually look into all the entries of the past years bc yaoi/bl. soo many good ones, if you want recs. Just say it. On this site here at least yaoi/BL definitely are not rare! I'd even argue it's less common to find romance w/ NSFW written with fem characters that is not h3ntai. Plus of all queer groups gay men are the most represented, popular in all forms of media, just saying. GL and others don't even compare. Why? Internalized Misogyny.).
Also there are a lot of great games with customizable protagonists/pronouns (often with tags like Amare). Check them out first, before coming to games that are not fitting your criteria of game. Like you knew that with the tags so why look in Otome and Josei?
And also the dev even wrote that they might include other gender expressions for the MC in the future, soo..
But I think regardless, there's no need for every game to have customizable protagonists, esp. if that character is one of the genders that is significantly less represented. Idk you don't need to force yourself to play a game with a fem protagonist bc of your dysphoria but everyone else why shouldn't they, even if they aren't women themselves, be able to play such a game. We women have do it all the time, don't we? I don't see anyone under a BL complaining about not having a fem protagonist (which is good!), so why the other way around? Btw I disagree with one of the comments above: that's not heterophobia but more so (internalized) misogyny.
Ofc customizing protagonists is awesome, neccessary and should be a goal for inclusivity but yeah you can give a feedback that doesn't use words like "I hated" bc like someone else said, there's no need to put pressure on the dev like this. Esp. if you come around and expect it here but not vice versa. Other than that, if it's constructive why shouldn't you be able to be entitled to your opinion.
Oh also there's the Queer Games bundle sale still going on!
I really loved this story! I'm so looking forward to new investigations and more lore about the imps and of course Hawley and Harrold and their respective imps. Also want to see more of Maggie, as I'm seemingly a bit confused bc I thought Harrold is a trans man but somehow other comments seem to suggest he's not and Maggie is the manifestation of his trans identity being repressed. But why does everyone know about Harrold being trans?
Want to see Hawley's pirate moms and honestly I would die for would not at all mind a reappearance of Lupine and Goose, they're kinda cute together, I ship tbh. Plus their story also seems interesting to me, with the literal hole in gooses chest and the lore about their imp. Liked Dea as well with her imp and its reaction (was that her dad or smth. connected to him? or was it something else connected to Dea's being considering they asked whether she's okay when that imp cried and said "let me out"). Regardless, that was such a time well spent and a genuinely interesting story leaving hopes for more!!
I'm so looking forward to more of this/the full game! It's such a charming and entertaining game with adorable and intriguing characters. Will definitely be playing every LI which doesn't happen that often with me. Really want to know what happened between MC and Viriam. Also now even I am curious what is going on with fern these days. Same with peregrine, kinda think there's something going on. Or it's because of the failed mission. I'm scared, kinda get the feeling that ros actually won't get ressurected :O fingers crossed i'm wrong. also the duck. either it's a very normal and ordinary duck... or it is either something to do with the dragon/ some shapeshifter like peregrine (maybe they can talk with each other and that's why he was so puzzled)/ or some monster/duck combo xD
also i love the different LI's reactions to the duck and was hoping for mr broom to speak when they were alone xD
Completely understand and also agree with you! And yeah I definitely wouldn't have agreed with OG and their "chill out" comment, that they probably wrote without really knowing about the situation which is also bad. Bc ppl rightfully are hurt, and pissed about this situation and should be able to critize even if a bit more direct and harshly. And I do to a certain degree understand your comfort when someone else voices criticism when you feel like you're not heard. But yeah again it just personally icks me when I see ppl acting self-important even tho they didn't even support the game. And I personally wouldn't say that the comment was criticism nor just slightly mean. Other comments are also able to voice their criticism and some ppl are even pretty directly and don't hide their anger so I would say there is definitely a way for you as a backer to do it and voice this frustration, anger, distrust and disappointment without again just plainly insults and personal attacks. but yeah that's just my two cents.
But yeah idk about this whole situation either, bc the whole thing with discord is just not it. This all should have went down here on this site. And yeah I also would have liked to be updated here, that apparently someone took over the game and now it's apparently coming out on 2024. but yeah this whole situation is validly so frustrating and in your case angering.
I'm not at all arguing this. Ppl who backed up the game, like you. They are rightfully so pissed. And they have to be refunded or in any other way compensated (which I also said above) but I'm pretty sure that I was clear on specifically calling out ppl that did not financially support the game that now completely insensitively and loudly act as if their opinion on this matter is the most important, and as if the choice of words couldn't be more appropriate. Voicing your disappointment is not just understandable but very valid in this situation, esp. if you backed the game. But here just see, you are one that backed up the game and you're still able to voice your disappointment in an appropriate manner. And that is what I was talking about.
I 100% agree that their communication has been shit and intransparent (which I also called out on the comment you replied to), which is my biggest complain in this whole situation. So on that part of course, they should have from the beginning update their website here, bc it's the main site. So I'm not arguing with you and definitely get your assumption that it just feels icky and that it might seem like they just want ppl to forget (personally i don't believe that but the assumption I do get)!! I really really hope that they update this site here soon, bc how can ppl not think that the game is abandoned if this main site here is not being updated with a big "Indefinite Hiatus. The game is still worked on though. More updates to follow." or whatever.
But we both should be able to agree on that there is a difference between 1) very validly so like you voicing your criticism, disappointment in the intransparent communication and calling them out for breaking our and esp. y'all backers trust; or 2) more or less simply shitting on the dev team and talking about how you don't care about the very serious and heartbreaking shit that has been going on bts and belittling their situation by being extremely disrespectful "my brain feels funny" or "mentally unstable person", even though some person (the one i mentioned in my comment) in this comment section literally explained what happened behind the scenes with one person in the dev team, and other things that happened with deaths of parents and such. And that the game is still worked on (again here 100% agree that this belongs on this site here as an update!!!).
So my comment was never: "oh how can you not support the devs or this game anymore. how can you lose hope and trust." Bc that part is very understandably not there anymore for A LOT of ppl. Backers or not. My comment is about basically not being a disrespectful asshole. Especially if you didn't even back up the game. And I do stand by that comment.
calm tf down and check your tone. read the comment from le20. i get being frustrated as someone that backed the game up, but even then these choices of words would not be it.
they really did shit in the way they didn't update things here on their main site and weren't transparent in that communication esp. here. or they didn't at least make a big fat "indefinite hiatus" sign here and i hope ppl that backed them, will get their money back or somehow if the game like parival said actually will get done with jackie, that there will be something for those that backed them up.
but you aren't even one of the ones that supported the game (ppl can read the comments one posts), so you can just shut your mouth and sit down, if what comes out of you is just not at all helpful. i didn't back the game either and i'm disappointed as well and get that the backers are frustrated but you don't see me or other ppl pulling the same shit here, bc frankly we are the last ones that should feel entitled to this. esp. given what happened in the dev team.
man this game is a blast, it's just a fever dream and i love it!! i bursted out laughing when you hit me with the bet on it :D i wish it was longer so we could have even more story, it's just such a nice concept and the plot strings you began and teased would be awesome to explore more of them. btw is there any way to bring others together? piscis and tauro for example? and how can i find out why scorpio doesn't like tauro (is that bc of zodiac sign stereotypes or bc of piscis?) and to mend that?
ah thanks for the info! but yeah i agree, it's just such a pity, bc this game had so much potential and quality and i feel like with the game they could have established themselves as a game dev team on itch.io like lunaris or wanderlust etc. but now so many ppl just lost their trust (for very understandable reasons). i haven't invested any money so for me it's more like just disappointment but i can understand how and why others who even backed them up, are angry and frustrated. I too think even if they didn't have the time or nerve or something like that, to write an update here, the very least they could have done is to just update this site and just write: Indefinite Hiatus. Because then we know and people who find the game right now will also know to not play the demo or at least to not get their hopes up.
played this today! really liked it, cause i loved the main game as well! the interactions were so cute and i love how they're trying to better their relationship. i just hope wyatt and liam get to make new christmas traditions as brothers and i also loved to the wholesome moments between kyro and both of them respectively. i kinda would love to see more about stellan as well, so i wouldn't mind a story for him as well :D
I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised since I'm normally not playing /reading stories with vibes like this one. I am very curious for the story I must say, the mysteries in this prison and its prisoners...you really intrigued me with the characters. Tbh I'm even more curious for the story then the romance, since I'm still kinda wondering how the whole vibe of romance will be in a prison game like this, where its not really romance at first but more "business". So i'm curious to see how you'll manage it. Romance wise I'll definitely play rex and reavor, and probably vera too, but character wise I think everyone is interesting! Viz is definitely not an option for me and I'm kinda scared of xeno too but at the same time i think his character is intriguing.
Spoilers
my theories so far: rin timber maybe has some kind of split personality or maybe he's even fully aware of this side of him which is pretty horny and as far as i got it, everyone knows about it. He's far stronger and more dangerous than he let on, because if someone like viz is calling him a monster and didn't kill him yet, then there's a reason. I also feel like rin is maybe behind those half eaten bodies for various reasons. also His sentence is even higher than the one of a psycho cannibal so there has to be something with him and i'm curious to see what it is. Same with xeno. He's dangerous and lol i always was scared that if he was touched with the finger he'll just bite through the finger . I'm looking forward to see what powers he has. I'm thinking about maybe some psychic manipulation etc. powers. he's sucking life energy through seducing and manipulating his victims by beeing directly connected skin to skin. I'm also intrigued to know who kai is and what happened with him. what vera's deal is with this prison. He also kinda comes off as really possessive in a sense. Or who the other earthling is? Maybe he also plays a role? If i'm not completely off, cause first i thought maximus and vera were humans but that's not the case? so who is the other earthling besides miguel? Lastly reavar's curse I'm very interested in, because he obviously hates viz but still does everything he's ordered to do. And i want to break it because when i saw first that the two were a team i was a bit disappointed in reavar cause viz is my personal enemy in this game :D (even though i'm getting very suspicious of rin and his possible plans too) but now that i know that he despises him as well , i can romance him.
thanks for coming to my ted talk! you have done an incredible job (like you always do) and I'm excited for the full game!