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I wanted to go for Niko’s route initially because I loved her character design and also found her very charming in her first interactions with Olga, but somehow I accidentally ended up in Katusha’s route instead aksjdh

That said, Katusha’s relationship with Olga is also very sweet and I didn’t want anything bad to happen to her, so I was stressed (and mildly betrayed) when Niko showed up on the train in the end. But I’m happy that there was at least one ending where things kind of worked out…? ^^;;;;

Even though Niko played a more antagonistic role, I still found her incredibly charming and she was definitely my favourite. While she was a little suspicious at first, I honestly didn’t expect her to become the antagonist and to turn out so unhinged in the end aksjdha but!! that did not detract from her appeal at all and I still love her a lot, although her endings don’t feel like the happiest for Olga… I did feel a bit bad for Katusha as well, especially since the historical reference to her family’s assassination is pretty dark.

As for Olga, she is a fantastic protagonist that I felt incredibly sympathetic towards and her immortality is so so tragic. The flashbacks of her backstory - her village being massacred and her past with Vassa - were devastating and she has been through so much, I just wanted to her to be happy. Regardless, I enjoyed the more bittersweet feeling of some of the endings and the tragedy of the darker ones as well.

Overall, thank you for making this amazing game! I don’t usually read historical fiction but I was absolutely immersed in this one as the plot and emotional beats are excellently executed!

Yes there is a kiss in the good ending HAHA

To get it you can try spending more time with Mikael (don’t poison him in the morning) and be nice to Henri ^^;;;

• Your point about making the warnings clearer is fair and I have updated them accordingly! I thought that mentioning there was an age gap would be sufficient but in hindsight I should have been more specific as I understand that trope can be icky for some people. Sorry about that!

• Regarding the abuse towards Cyrus by Mikael’s father as well as what happens in the bad end - I will say that what I had in mind was for it to be subject to the player’s interpretation of whether it is sexual or not, but I’m sorry for not warning about that explicitly as well and I have updated the warnings to mention the undertones present.

• Regarding Mikael’s father specifically, he did NOT do anything sexual to Cyrus as a child. Even as an adult, it is not meant to be anything beyond what has been depicted in the game. In my mind, Cyrus always tried to avoid his advances, but tolerated him in the carriage ride because he was trying to lure him into a trap. As for Mikael, outside of the bad end which could be interpreted in that way, he also does not do anything sexual towards Cyrus without his consent (unless you count his persistent flirting which I don’t personally see as abusive). Nevertheless, I understand his behaviour can be uncomfortable and Mikael is in no way supposed to be an ideal romantic partner.

• Regarding the point you made about showing more of Cyrus’s inner turmoil, I do agree that I could have definitely elaborated more on why Cyrus has feelings for Mikael, but ultimately their relationship is really not meant to be healthy (thereby the theme of toxic love). Cyrus loves and cares about Mikael since the beginning of the game, but also hates him for the similarities to his father. He constantly rejects Mikael until the end because he is unable to accept his own feelings for Mikael, but is at the same time unable to bring himself to commit to killing Mikael because he still cares about him. I’m sorry if it sounds quite cliched but that is just what I had in mind.

• Regarding Mikael, I understand perfectly if his character might not be everyone’s cup of tea and I didn’t intentionally write him to be likeable or unlikeable. You are perfectly welcome to hate his guts because he is not meant to be a good person 😂 He is supposed to be obnoxious and unhinged, doing whatever he wants without any regard for others. Personally I find these kinds of character entertaining in a fictional context, which is why I made this game. Again, he is by no means supposed to be a perfect romantic love interest. And what happens in the bad end is supposed to be, well, bad. Mikael is meant to be really awful in that, showcasing the extremes of his character.

• The good ending is also not really supposed to be a happily ever after moment, although the player is free to interpret it as they wish. The relationship between Cyrus and Mikael is flawed at its core due to the extreme power imbalance between them as you have mentioned. But I do agree that maybe I could have showcased some improvement in Mikael’s behaviour to demonstrate some character development.

• I’m glad that you feel sympathetic towards Cyrus and I also sometimes feel that he deserves better. I will consider making Mikael a more considerate and caring partner to him but I find it difficult to depict their relationship as something truly healthy given the inherent inequality of their dynamic. In a realistic situation, of course leaving Mikael is the healthiest option for Cyrus. But again, in the end, the very basis of this pairing is that it is supposed to be problematic and that is what makes it interesting to me personally. It is also why I have termed this as “toxic yaoi”. I understand that everyone has different tolerance levels for these sort of things, so I’m sorry for any depictions that bothered you.

• Ultimately, I understand perfectly if this game is not for you. I did not intend to make any sort of commentary as I do not believe I have the skill or experience to tackle complex and nuanced themes. I only made this game for myself as something that is entertaining for me personally. I definitely did not intend to make light of abuse and I did not depict any of the abuse Cyrus faced in a comedic way. I absolutely would not condone the behaviour of someone like Mikael or his father in real life but this is a work of fiction in the end. I will definitely be mindful of labelling warnings more clearly in the future!

Still, thank you very much for playing the game and leaving very thoughtful feedback!! I will keep in mind what you have mentioned and I hope you have a good day as well!

Maybe I just have a thing for villains/ antagonists but Aldric is so attractive asdjkahd I went to spell class every day to see him. I’m fascinated by his backstory too and kind of feel bad for him for being chained and labelled a villain just because the academy doesn’t like the type of magic he was studying?

• The music that starts playing when they first get off the elevator fits the tense moments really well and really adds to the unsettling atmosphere of the game! I saw in another comment that you made the music yourself which is so cool ahhh

• The foreshadowing of Otogi being startled by the water in the bathroom (because he drowned) was another neat detail that I liked

• the first time I played this game, I got six endings quite easily but I really couldn’t figure out how to get the seventh one because I didn’t realise the looping part would eventually lead to something different askjdh in hindsight I think it is a really cool mechanic although maybe easy to miss. I really liked that that ending showed more of their past as well!

• Kyu and Otogi’s relationship is very well-written and a very fascinating depiction of an unhealthy relationship! I can’t help but want to root for Kyu to “save” Otogi, but the fact that it is ultimately futile and ends up hurting Kyu seems quite realistic in a way (supernatural elements aside)