Big props to having a protagonist who (assuming you don't go through charlie's phone) decides that the best way to communicate with his friend and find out what's wrong is to JUST ASK HIM. Dan may not be perfect but he's at least ahead of the game.
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I thiiiink I'm gonna hold off rating it until the full work comes out, but I really like the start. I can just see the jam limitations coming in, and I'm pretty sure (going off the other games I assume being for classes) this is your first time writing as well? Most of the critiques are things that get solved with more time. The beginning goes on for a bit too long, the sprites disappear after a certain point, etc. Which like, I get it lmao. But there's enough there that I'm excited for the full release. or further release, at least, but you gotta keep making it.
I do want to talk about some of the stuff I liked! Personally I have no qualms with Naro being turned into a dog and being like "this rocks! no further qualms." like yeah dude (gender neutral) good for you. I feel bad for them getting shoved into the death game but they're a league player so like. Not too bad ;> I also love that they're nonbinary, and that grating build up of being misgendered repeatedly lmao. getting Mister'd or Sir'd enough times that you just reach this point of exhaustion. And of course your art rocks. I hope the sprites have emotional variation because I think they're all really charming. can't wait for more
I really appreciated your feedback fuze. I think it's really awesome that you left such detailed comments on the entries you read, and count myself lucky to be among them. Personally I'm really glad to have people interact with something that I've created on that deep a level, and I appreciate the further comments still. I want to continue to grow as a writer!
I'll leave a full review after I chew on it a little bit, but I really dig the vibes of this one. I see all of the team members are kind of cryptids on social media themselves, but I hope you guys make more, I think there's a lot of really good parts to this one, and while sometimes they struggle to coalesce into a greater whole, it's really fun to follow from start to finish
How do I even rate this vn? Do you give stars to something based off your own personal enjoyment, or based on the achievement of a certain goal? This really is just an HSS film in fvn form. The dialogue is stilted, the cinematography is nonsensical, the choices are ultimately meaningless, and the timeline is all sorts of fucked up. For me, HSS movies tend to be kind of hit or miss. I come away feeling like I learned something, or got a secret peek at an intimate part of someone else's human experience, or I feel very "well that's 70 minutes of my life i'm never gonna get back." The Poet's Visual Novel doesn't really push me in either direction, probably because it's pretty short. I guess I appreciate the cleverness involved (like the mention of renpy, and even the imitation of its default UI), but as someone who was quite a fan of the lead dev's previous work, I do wish this game had less HSS and more Purkka. But I don't think it's fair to critique something based off "the artist made something different than what I wanted from them."
My one source of critique (because I don't know that I'm qualified to speak on the rest of the game) lies in the engine itself. When scrolling on my mouse to go back, the speed is incredibly high and instead of taking me back a line or two it sends me back approx. twenty. Also the music volume slider is just fully nonfunctional. I turned it all the way to nothing just to make sure the short passage that functions as the game's soundtrack wasn't just getting louder each time because I wouldn't put that kind of insanity past HSS. But no, it just is regular broken.
Jam Post-Mortem + Developers Yapping comments · Posted in Jam Post-Mortem + Developers Yapping comments
"whatever go my 'you got this pookie'"
seriously though it's always really enticing to get context into the process of the creation, and the minds of the creators! True Makers, as Kerche would say if he were still with us. Loudo get a real fursona. I don't know what that emoji is supposed to be but it just does not show up lmao. I restrained myself from fangirling too much in the call when we read this, and in the bookclub, but i promise you when the final version comes out you are going to receive the full blast of my adoration. I can't wait to see the final version!
For All There Exists the Inevitable jam comments · Posted in For All There Exists the Inevitable jam comments
I couldn't finish before the time limit is out so I'm dropping some ratings based on what I've read because I think it's really sweet and genuine. Partially because the mc feels very... trusting lmao. I do think perhaps Rover's dedication to escape could be treated a little bit more seriously? but I saw that you're hoping to release a bigger fuller game post jam, so I'm excited to (finish this jam version and) see that, and assume when you have more time and more words things like that will get some help and be ironed out. It's a good one, great entry
Well, what a game for me to end off on, since I don't think I'll be able to finish any of the others I have left before rating closes. Still woof! Love all the sprites you have of Birch. I appreciate that he has a... plant name as well. heheh. I don't know if I have much to say that hasn't already been said, I know this is one of the most rated games of the jam, coming out a full week before the deadline, but still I thought it was good. The jazz, the weird quirks we try and hold onto after we lose everything else. Shrek and Shrek 2. Admittedly I think shrek two is a better film, but I appreciate the uh... cinematic parallels about transforming into a monster and still loving someone through that anyway? heheh that might be a bit of a reach but I'm always glad to see those films get mentioned as silly as it is. The ending is... graphic, but I like that you didn't shy away from it either. I understand the desire to cut away from the end, and let it be poetic, but I think there's also beauty to be found in the gruesomeness as well.
anyway that said if I was trapped with a musclebound himbo for weeks it would not take me nearly as long to shoot my shot but at least they got to kiss and doze off together.
ooooh what a good twist, and what good use of the assets as well! I think we did skip perhaps some of the parts that could've built a bit more suspense, the panic, a bit more time between murders... but honestly it was really a banger. I think when you have such a small cast and such a short time frame for a murder, you need more than just the reveal of who it is, and you did that really well. The most delicious part of any mystery is always the why, and it delivered. Also props for having the mc (at the end at least) react a lot more realistically. Not giving the choice to accept Xeth, and sticking to his guns. A really strong entry, and great use of the music. Short sweet and to the point. Great work!
BANGER, BANGER, BANGER!!! I LOVE FAT BOY FALL!!! I LOVE FAIL GIRL FRIDAY!!!! Genuinely I'm so excited for the next chapter, can't wait. Adam really is a cutie, ready for the hurt comfort and the shitty abusive ex/stalker/etc. Great opener, I'm glad you got attached to these characters because I sure did too
Oh really good. The light in the dark was a bit weak? and the long gaps of silence made me wish for a little more music here and there, but honestly overall great work. I love the art and the character design, the expressions are great, and the dialogue flows so well. Personally I think there needs to be more stories about deradicalization, and forgiveness, and the things you can come back from... like being in a hate group. I was definitely caught off guard a little by the like... Slop Monster Reveal? admittedly? It's the sort of thing I think would work better in a longer format, just to have more time to build it up rather than the few mentions here and there of Weird Stuff Happening. Especially since it happens so shortly after the big reveal about Zane. Still that's all nitpicking, when really I think it's an amazing piece about what you expect for yourself and the reality around you, and having to occasionally face unpleasant truths about the people around you, and about yourself as well. If it went on another 5000 words I'm willing to be it'd even follow up about what types of forgiveness you can find as well. Good work, definitely excited for what the team does next!
Not a lot here to serve up honestly, but I appreciate the humor. I feel like you could really do something with its irreverence if you committed to a more... substantial game? I mean the green shirt to hide the red flags, the "honk honk" bits, those kinda remind me of parody films like Airplane or Top Secret. Padding out the word count with sonic fanfic is a... bold creative decision, certainly. At least the stock music was nice. I do think any creative effort is at least worth recognizing
I don't have a lot to say yet. I want you to go even further with the retrogame aesthetic... but that might be more expensive/more work. The battles, I want more animations for them. That said I enjoy the character personalities a lot! I think they're a little... subdued? It's a demo, so like. In the Jam format, it leaves me a little wanting, but in the sense of my overall enjoyment, I think it's really unique and creative, and i'll be playing its future releases! Occasionally the presentation does hamper it a little, just because this isn't really the type of format you're "meant" to read visual novels in, but that's kinda nitpicky. I'd like some accessibility features, but I can't complain too much. There's a lot of hard work in this badboy, and it shows!
Calling yourself parody and that you subvert fvn tropes is... a pretty high statement to make for something you started in the last few days. I understand the appeal of doing that, but from what there is so far... I don't think there's much to that at all. Things need to be maybe just a bit more Extra to really hit that level of Parody instead of just being kinda.... mocking? at best? I'm missing the humor in this game and it doesn't really ever breathe to have any tropes to subvert.
I don't want to say a lot because I'm just getting the translation of it, but I really enjoyed this one. I'll write a more in depth opinion of it when I finally get to read it in a slightly more presentable form. I do think, if nothing else, the set up and the premise are amazing. Two immortals from opposite sides (a scientist who is half insane and wants to understand everything, and someone who holds all knowledge but only knows it in a way that drives the surrounding people mad) traveling together in an ethereal story book setting. The parts I don't need words to understand, like the art and the music, are very very well done. I cannot wait to come back when its a bit easier to read!
EASIEST SIX OUT OF FIVE STARS OF MY LIFE
If I had a dollar every time dracuclaw showed up to a game jam and went straight for the jugular, I'd have two dollars. I love the nuance, and the layers, and the very real trans (and overprotective? overpossessive? lol parents) experiences. Amazing art, I love your style so much, it lends itself so well to the moods of the characters but also the tone of the work overall. Nat is insanely charming, and Oliver is someone I can't help but root for myself as well. I think, from what I've seen, you do an insanely good job at setting up emotional stakes that feel real, and conflict that has lasting consequences, while still finding ways to deliver your characters back to... if not a "happy" ending, then at least one with closure.
and as for Cadmium, please pass on my regards as well, the music is astounding, and it really adds that extra OOMPH to the scenes, the curation and creation of it really help take the emotional moments over the edge. Great work, as a trans reader myself, I cannot stress enough how thrilled I am with this entry!
So back in 2017, a movie called Atomic Blonde came out, and I remember a bunch of incels getting pissy and calling it "Just a james bond movie with Charlize Theron" like watching Charlize Theron beat the hell out of a bunch of goons set to the greatest hits of the 80s and have sex with a woman who dies one scene later wasn't something I'd want to do. In the same sense, I feel like this is "John Wick but for Gay Furries." Maybe a Liam Neeson film. Y'know, one of those action movies where they have a real actor, someone who can actually display the full range of human emotion beyond "quippy one liner" so they want to give him a tragic backstory to balance and justify all the hyperviolence he wants to commit. I mean come on the only thing Luc is missing, and I fully expect to see it in a full release, is a dead wife in the white sheets scene. We've got a similar set up with the main character, he's an ex navy seal, so there's justification for why he can snap necks or fire every gun known to man or whatever other action hero shenanigans he gets up to, and he's a war criminal so you know that even though he's REALLY COOL war is bad! Once again, I think all of this is hype. It's just what if you made [ALREADY FUN MOVIE NIGHT] have gay furries. Cool. I'm extremely down.
I don't want to honestly dig too deep into the guts of critique here, because it's not really something I want to rate since I know it's going to be more finished, and I'll have more to say then. Great teaser, wish there was more, etc. I love the creativity and how much you've twisted renpy but... I wish there was more accessibility. I would rather just not read the vn than listen to the god awful self voicing, but some of the fonts were a bit hard for me to read, and self voicing can't handle the things on the papers we're given. Is the puppy we're shown at the end supposed to be Theo, then? Admittedly I think you're gonna have to work a little harder to invest me in the cast. Personally I've got a fairly negative view of the military so having Luc and Darius both be like "wow thank you for your service" is like... hrm. Luc nothing but respect for nurses. Darius... I mean you kinda reaped what you sowed man. The names are different but I assume we're in Fake America and our enemy nation is Fake Russia, but Darius' deployment seems to be a mishmash of Iraq and Vietnam. idk if I were him I would not be touting my service if I got a whole town blown up including a kid that kept giving me bread. Despite my enjoyment of the overall... premise? setting? these guys do not thrill me, but I am a burnt out american so it might appeal to people who do not have to sit through countless recruitment attempts from the industrial war machine. Or maybe when we get a bit more time with them they'll offer me more than just "what if the punisher was a buff gay tiger?" It's hard to suspend my disbelief with Fictional Military when it very purposefully resembles Real Military, is what I'm saying, and that distances me from caring about them from an empathetic standpoint. Only a clown would die for his country etc etc. Either way you made me think this much about it, the use of the medium is extremely impressive, I'm always thrilled when people make renpy cry and scream and twist into something other than a visual novel engine. Love the art direction, and i'm looking forward to future updates!
Horn and Fang: The Curse of Dimwood jam comments · Posted in Horn and Fang: The Curse of Dimwood jam comments
It's quaint, I appreciate it for what it is. The sexy villain saxophone made me chuckle, and I have to admire that even though there's more or less 2 body types (being generous with Rawain) all the art is still custom, including the backgrounds, so it's a pretty cohesive experience. I don't... know if this is an insult, or downside, and I don't want it to come off as one, but it feels like I'm reading porn acting. There's not really a lot of internal conflict, the writing is straightforward, the personal conflicts are all immediately resolved within the same scene they're presented, and there's even a convenient cum ritual. Like... it's set up and flashy effects to explain why this religious goodboy absolutely must get these platonic ideal of mostly wolf twinks to cum... for magic. I appreciate the variation of Jerkin' It, so while it's not like, blowing me away or blowing my loads, I think it also understands what it is, and what it wants to be. As a side note I like that Talrem decided he had to fully commit to the bit, not just by transforming into a fell cleric but also like. Dressing up like a slut for no apparent reason? "I'm evil now, so I can wear a fit that perfectly defines my bulge and accents my cum gutters, it's in the handbook."
Banger??? Banger????? I love the art, the premise, I appreciate the wolves matching the colors of their horses. That's a cute touch. anyway Vik yeah he really uhhhh. well actually Nike is also whore shaped too. Really good, I just want more. Love the gimmick, and the setting, and the art direction is amazing. I appreciate the Humor of the sfx too, even if it might be a bit much sometimes.
I haven't read all the jams yet, so I can't say for sure, and god forbid I commit to an opinion but... This might be my favorite game of the jam. I think other people have done a wonderful job summarizing it. This is a visual novel, but really it's a visual poem. I could cite a lot of the moments that are really good, the repetition, the simplicity of the art, the symbolism, the sort of melancholy feel of the ending, the use of the music, the quiet intimacy of the piece. I think there's a lot of things that are left to speculation, but it feels cheating to call it that since I feel like there's often accompanying context clues that tell us the answers even if its not explicitly stated. The lack of any sprites and instead only backgrounds and CGs really adds to the story book feel. It also reads out loud wonderfully, if that was something you were wondering about. Absolute banger of a game, short and sweet and with absolutely nothing wasted.
I'm gonna rate this like I'm right and everyone else is insane, even though I might be insane and everyone else is probably right but...
The stuff that happens with Lugh, that isn't real right? I mean I've played enough videogames to know that Lugh is the name of a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann, and I think he represents light and craftmanship? Idk though my knowledge of that kind of stuff is shaky at best, I just know that he's Cu Chulainn's dad. Anyway! Between the title being "It Could Be," the tropey (as even pointed out by Lugh) meeting of Dusty and Lugh, Dusty's love for romance novels, and his frequenting of the park wishing fountain, along with that being the final scene, and perhaps most importantly that the choices you make influence how things go with lugh... but don't really change how things go with Randall at all. The fantasy with Lugh is lit in this pink ethereal dreamlike light, and everything with Randall is grounded in real color. If that's the intent? Peak cinema. That's the read I got, but I see other people's comments everyone thinks it's just a standard love story told out of chronological order, in which case neat, but I feel like you could've done a little bit more with that then. Compare and Contrast Lugh and Randall even more. Tell us how Dusty got out of the south. etc. I get it, it's a Jam, limited words, limited time. I really liked the whole presentation, the light in a dark was a little weak, but on the other hand "Cock in the butthole, Lugh!" is a really charming scene so you still get 5s across the board.
Seriously though please let me know if I'm right or not I feel like I'm going insane.
Love the set up but... I wanted more on either end! Either let me see Seb slowly go crazy, or LET US FUCK THE WOLF!!!!
I'll be honest I'm not sure why this game is in Unity, it just makes it slightly more difficult to play, since trying to do visual novel format in unity makes things get janky, and break, especially if you try scrolling the text back. There's not a lot to critique here, short and sweet, which is the main problem. I do love the set up, I know people tend to complain about lore dumps, but I didn't have a problem.
Also Kerche/City of Sneps stole my "Your hole or the black hole" joke so I won't make it here, but that was me!!!! I was the author of that line!!!!!!!!