How are all the men so charming?
I wanna see more of Sam now, he's very handsome and reminds me of a certain other character I like. I also do like stoic characters in particular.
I wasn't expecting to get into Ludwig either but he sure is adorable, and I can't say the mentions of his big belly didn't get to me after a while.
[Spoilers]
I like how the exposition was handled in this update, with Howl getting to see and experience the city himself, which also allowed us to see more of his personality. Getting to meet Ross was great as well, being able to see just how charming he is, flaws and all. I think the biggest surprise for me this update was that the landlord wasn't actually a robber or something, I was actually preparing myself for a bad ending, lol.
All in all, it was a lot of fun, I do hope we'll get to meet some of the people Howl refers to when thinking to himself though, since it's a little bit disorienting to hear about a bunch of stuff a MC is well aware of, without getting to see it or experience it in any way, or at least not yet.
Other than that... Howl and Ross sure are thick, so that's also very much appreciated, ohh and the smooches too 🥺
A great update. I'm not sure I wanna get into specifics as to avoid spoilers, but it was really interesting seeing how Garret acted under those different circumstances, not to mention the flashback, and the bits and pieces of characterization that keep adding to the mystery, with Sharif, June, Joseph, and even the captain by extension, coming off as important pieces of a puzzle... If I were to use a word for it, it would be "intriguing", and definitely "suspenseful". I'm aware the answers may not come anytime soon, but I'm sure they'll be satisfying in one way or another, so I'm eager to read more.
Other than that, I'm impressed by how the whole cast gets enough attention and time to come off as real people, or at the very least characters with plenty of depth. While I personally wasn't looking forward to the scene with Rufus and Aaron, I came out pleasantly surprised to see a side of them that was more nuanced than what had been shown thus far, specially with the himbo, of course. Other than that, I'm also surprised by how well the characers complement each other, whether through conflict or friendship, it feels like you could separate any small group of characters and make them have an interesting interaction, despite the group being relatively big and pretty varied, when compared to most other VN main casts at least.
So, yeah, all in all I enjoyed many things about the update that I feel elevated the feel of the story to the point where I'm sure I won't be putting it down until its conclusion, and I hope more people get to experience it as well!
An incredibly polished experience in terms of art assets, soundtrack and UI, with very refreshing gameplay ideas, a cool setting and very likable characters. I had a lot of fun with it.
Admittedly, being an ass man myself, I can't say I've gotten into the sexual stuff as much as I would like, yet the writing ends up making a lot of it at least somewhat appealing for me, specially with the more passionate/intimate things, the kinkier stuff (olfactophilia and the like) and the alternative for more extreme scenes, which are also quite refreshing for the genre and usually fun to read.
Definitely looking forward to the next release, and keep up the good work!
there already are many "hints" pointing towards him actually being kind, and his rough exterior being a product of his environment/circumstances more than his own personality, so he'll most likely start acting nicer towards others after spending enough time with MC and achieving some stability in his job, among other things. at least that's how stories tend to work.
Mostly the one in the apartment, it looks a bit too desolate, partially due to the lack of color, but also because of how unnervingly symmetrical it looks, with all the rectangles and sharp edges. If the intent was to portray the emptiness of it, since Howl is moving or smth else, it's mostly alright as is. That being said, I'm happy to see your approach to the VN genre, I hope you'll get to enjoy and learn even more from it in the future, happy to see more of your stories and characters 😀
Having read some of dangpa's previous (non VN) works long ago, I expected the writing to be less cohesive or a bit harder to follow, but that's definitely not the case here, as the pacing, the dialogue and the information are presented in a manner that makes it very pleasant to read overall. A couple typos and a couple short sentences that might get just a little bit close to purple prose territory, but otherwise, it's enjoyable through and through, and I particularly enjoyed the character study approach that the story seems to have thus far, having ample time to focus on specific characters, without neglecting world building or Howl's development, specially considering dangpa's impeccable taste in husbandos.The UI has plenty of fun elements, it looks and handles nicely, and the art is banger as per usual, leaving aside bgs that may or may not be placeholders to some extent (?). Other than that, a couple more songs would've improved the experience significantly in my opinion, whether original or royalty free tunes for ambiance. I'm still intrigued by the lack of sprites as well, wondering if that makes it easier or harder to work on future content, but aesthetically, it's a nice change of pace compared to most VNs out there and it looks pretty great... so yeah, it was a very enjoyable read and I'm already excited to get more of it.
Flawless characterization thus far, from the different personalities, personal struggles and the more comedic moments as well. The story flows surprisingly smoothly, with every scene having a purpose and being nicely tied to what came before and what comes after. Noticed a few grammar issues here and there but nothing major. At the very beginning I felt like the contrast between the slice-of-life ambiance clashed a bit too hard with the more scary stuff, felt a bit shallow and jumpscarey, but the second time around it was presented in a way that felt much more grounded and emotionally charged (after having more context, basically), specially with the distorted visuals, text, and the signs of PTSD overall.
The big cat guards were very cute too, I may be biased when it comes to felines, but here's hoping we get more fanservice with those two. That aside, I guess it felt a bit off for MC to get horny at the cemetery? maybe it's just me but in the context of that scene I'd find it pretty difficult to be aroused by anything lol. Then again, it IS a really handsome horse.
All in all, a really good start to a very promising story. Definitely looking forward to future updates. No he probado la version en español todavía pero creo que tambien estara interesante hacerlo cuando salga la próxima versión 🥺
They might be very different, but along with Jun, Haruki is one of my favorite types of character, so it's really nice to finally have a route for him. "Bad boys" with depth just make me feel all warm and fuzzy. and I do hope we get to fk him someday cuz he's very cute tbh
I'm not sure how to feel about the way his route was integrated into the story, which came a bit off as a series of very convenient events (though I can see how this is somewhat necessary for a "secret route" to even exist here) and Yuuichi suddenly getting a little bit too interested in someone he didn't even perceive as a good person for the longest time, that part felt very dating sim-esque to me, if that makes any sense, but beyond that, it was very nicely written in my opinion, and along with elements that have already been established about Haruki as a character in the past, there's definitely enough depth to him to make for a very enjoyable route, and even for Yuuichi to grow quite a bit as well. Heck, he already realized how judgmental he can be and the route just started, so yeah, very good stuff and looking forward to more.
I played the update yesterday but I'm still thinkin about the Blackzone stuff, I was really hyped for it before the update, and it really didn't disappoint, I'm excited to see more disturbing stuff related to them in the future because the ambiance while MC was attuning his vigor was amazing, as well as Demons of course. I'm not familiar with cosmic horror as a genre for the most part, but I've also been wondering if showing any sort of abstract imagery (instead of a black screen) when there are demons present would detract from the horror of how incomprehensible they're meant to be. The sound effects are very effective for that purpose, so I'm just wondering if seeing something disturbing but abstract or ever-shifting would contribute to the horror element in this case.
While I don't love the more fanservicey stuff, or MC being that much of a bottom, I'll admit that at this point I'd have no qualms about having sex scenes with Loken or anything of the like, specially because of their (seemingly) different perspective on sex and relationships, making the whole affair much deeper and interesting to see, so I'm excited to see where their relationship ends up going, as well as the potential misunderstandings. Other than that, I do appreciate Loken being as unique as he is, being awkward and insecure in many respects, yet still being dominant and very wise, it makes for a lovely combination that only becomes more apparent over time.
Unfortunate, but not surprising or much of a dealbreaker imo. An option to skip those scenes (when and if they do come) to some extent would be nice though, assuming there's no essential characterization in the lewd scenes. If not, it's fine anyway, just a matter of personal preference for the most part.
I may not be the biggest fan of the mc x huge furry canine trope and all the horniness that comes with it, specially early on in the story, but everything else is pretty incredible to me thus far, the setting is very compelling, particularly the cosmic horror element which makes future expeditions into the blackzones something truly scary and exciting, and the characters are very likable as well, to the point I can't quite tell if I'm more invested in the relationship between MC and Loken, or his relationship with Byte, which is a type of relationship I didn't even know I wanted to read, but it's super charming to say the least.
Other than that, I can't quite remember the last time I played through such a lengthy first release in a FVN, and with it being so engaging all the way through, so I'm very surprised and happy to have such a good story to read from now on.
That scene at the beginning (despite the lack of any imagery) was quite haunting, it quickly elevated my expectations for the rest of the story, and I'm definitely not disappointed thus far. The characterization is great, loving Stefan and the sisters in particular, and the setting makes everything quite ominous, so I'm very excited to see the downward spiral develop, but at the same time I'm hoping for a little bit of joy to come Garret's way.
it wasn't completely clear before because some backstory development could explain and maybe even justify some of his actions, but at this point lance seems 100% irreedemable, since he's completely aware of the consequences of his recent actions, but still went ahead with ruining an innocent person's life to get money, and is still too focused on his own misery and hatred to express even a hint of regret for more than 1 second. I don't want him to suffer, and it'd be nice if he does something good for once, but I'd be hard pressed to say I want him to have a happy ending at this point.
Really loving the artstyle and the tone of the narrative. I don't fully vibe with the cast just yet but I do find Riley quite relatable (which hurts just a little, in a good way!) and Ranzo super cute. I find the setting quite cozy as well, but also grounded in a way that lets you see there are plenty of struggles to be found, just like how it seems to be for the main group's dynamic thus far. Can't wait to see how the story and characters will develop, I'm already preparing to feel a lot of things through this story <3
Also, thanks in advance for the android version!
Had to sub after finishing build 8, that was way too intriguing. I loved every second of the last couple of builds, and the little convincing I still needed to put Alex on my list of top tier husbandos has already been done. On the other hand, now I'm actually afraid of what may happen to him, but I'm already invested in the story so whatever happens will be engaging at the very least
Regarding my peeves, I do think they're not all that relevant since they're elements that have their place in the story one way or another. One of them is how every character seems to enjoy physical intimacy from the get go, and it comes off a bit artificial to me how everyone ends up wanting to cuddle with Robert from day 1, even when it's something unusual for them, specially with Hector not being too much of a physical person, but I can see that being somewhat necessary to better homogenize relationship development across the different routes, to some extent, which also makes sense considering they're not gonna stay in Cor for an indefinite amount of time.
Another peeve of mine was the introduction of powers, though it's not much an issue when I consider the possibilities they present for future events, and while I do think they'd be better off in a different story focused on the more supernatural side of their world (along with the miracle caves and whatnot), I don't really mind them as long as they're there mostly for flavor and don't slow down the pace of the story, as in, not replacing relationship development time with long exposition segments or something like that.
Other than that, there's only a few things I can think of, like Hector suddenly doing such a good psychological intervention, which for a while felt like an excuse to bring him into the spotlight, since he hadn't had a more serious plot-relevant scene just yet, but it still made sense for him to act the way he did.
Oh, and I did find the "fanservice scenes" on day 3 a bit odd for Faust in particular, the heat transferring thing seemed a bit out of nowhere, and while Hector's was a bit much, it still felt in-character, just showing a more reckless side of him, so it's mostly Faust's that felt a bit off to me.
Anything else I could think of regarding criticism would probably be just a small nitpick, like me wanting Ed to not wear his beanie once in a while cuz I really like how his hair looks 😌
I wouldn't really share my fanfic since, for the most part, I consider it too self indulgent and NSFW (aka a bit trashy lol), but it's been fun to write while waiting for an update, it's helped me realize that there are many ways the story and its characters could go, since I've been considering many things that are already in the story, even if only mentioned briefly, like Mike's family, Rob's relationship with Jacob, Faust's personal goals and desires, the things Gus has done while Rob and Ed were away during all those years, their lives at Morelin... among other things that I've enjoyed coming up with, and a couple twists I have yet to write.
It's also been a very good excuse to gush about my favorite characters in a more meaningful way, with Mike being my fav at the moment.
That being said, I'm very excited to see whatever's coming in the future, and I'm glad to know we're getting a new devlog soon, so I'll be waiting patiently. Thanks for the hard work and do stay safe!
I meant to leave a comment here a while ago, since I did end up playing through all the content available (a couple of times), and I really enjoyed all of it. I have a few peeves with the writing/characterization, but they're honestly quite insignificant, and I could see how some of those elements I didn't quite love serve to either set the groundwork for future developments, or keep the pacing of each route more manageable in terms of how relationships evolve over time.
It's very refreshing to have a cast of characters where everyone is likable in a distinct way. It's rare for me to find a VN where I can clearly tell "yeah, he's definitely not my type", yet still feel compelled to know more about them and be friends with them, whether to see how they'll act as their feelings change, or how the group dynamic might change in the long term, since one of the most enjoyable aspects of Cor is seeing these characters interact with each other, care for each other and share their experiences, be them joyful or otherwise.
On top of that, and on a more personal note... it was hard not to feel a certain connection with the setting and with Robert, having strong feelings of nostalgia for seaside towns, and relating to him for a number of reasons, among other things that made me feel quite immersed while I was reading.
All this is to say that I'm already missing Cor, so I've been writing a dumb self indulgent Mike fanfic for a while just to fill the void while I wait for an update :x
Keep up the good work!
Glad to finally be able to play it on android. Not sure how I feel about certain plot elements just yet since it's too early to tell where things are going (mostly regarding bnuuy), but this is really enthralling thus far and I'm loving it as a whole, the character depth (wasn't expecting to like Grey that much) and the psychological horror elements in particular.
The plot progression was growing a little bit stale in my opinion, but this update definitely took care of that and so much more. I'm very excited to see where things will go from here, it might be a great starting point for exciting events and character development, and not just for MC I would hope, assuming Coop is still around one way or another.
