This one so far is my fav game of yours for both visual and story, and plus it have a little stats-raising~ You did a good job to the characters, especially Paul, you well written him!
I really love Marimo art style so it such a nice surprise to see her art in a visual novel. Her sprite so gorgerous, I love them all.
I played this creator's other game Chasing the stars and I will say their writing was really good. I felt attached to the main character. The story was decent and the love interests all felt different and unique, like you really wanted to see how it works with each of them.
yea, chasing the stars is good and all, I know this looks good too, its just, the romanceables are not my type xD the 3 of them looked a middle-aged men so Im really dilemma wether buy it for playing 1 route or not, guess I need to see how much is it when its come to steam first
here if it helps to give some advice~ try to remember the main character is not you and you are watching a story go down. so if you think about it like that it may not matter what the lovers are like xD for example the lovers in Chasing the Stars weren't my type but I still played because I wanted to see the story. However if I played an otome type game where the main character is meant to be mostly blank without their own story then I am very picky on the type of lovers I have to pick on.
haha, of course this is just how I feel about things but I wanted to share since could help you make a decision~
Actually, none of the character's are middle aged. People that are significantly younger than someone's age (for instance prob in your case, younger than these character's, or older in fact) may feel that way however. Middle aged is actually aged....well in the middle of one's life. Between the ages of 45-65. This depends of course, on one's familial life expectancy genetics. But ya, middle aged doesn't even start until 40-45 for most individuals.
Now side note: these are VNs. They come in all sorts of perspectives, and usually not your own. If your looking to play more BL games in your perspective, try searching for dating sims. Some great examples are: "Signed and Sealed with a Kiss", "Seiyuu Danshi", "Dead Dating", "Banana Ranch(same creator as Seiyuu Danshi, but this game is WIP. Won't be out until Dec 2022)", "Uncle Neighbor *on steam*", "Dream Daddy", or even "Coming Out on Top." These are some great stories and art content you might miss out on, if all you worry about is whether the character's are between 18-20yrs old😓😭😭. I urge you to def try them out tho and see how you feel! I've gotten past that myself as I've gotten older and realized most of VNs or Otome games I love tend to favor the younger adults.
But I do get what you mean about it being nice to have character's near your age🙌😆. I'm in the middle of my 20s, so I'm actually quite excited to finally play a game that doesn't revolve around 18yr Olds😂(cough, cough, ignoring the fact that the Protagonist is 18 👀 , "every otome game in existence" 🤣) Also, VNs come in multiple perspectives as well as with their own subgenres (like playing a VN with rpg like features) ex: Winter Wolves games tends to be like this.
So, if u are looking for more of blank slate character's, try the game's I listed up above (*If you can get past most of the character's being older than 20yrs old tho😅, or even translations for Eng being a bit off due to some still WIPs* You might actually really come to love those games. Or if not, just continue searching specifically for VNs that are mostly Dating Sims. Just keep in mind, you can find games with character's your age, but that will severely limit the amount of great-ness you can enjoy😍.
thx for the suggestion, the only ones I havent known is dead dating and uncle neighbor, guess Ill check it out
p.s : I agree that middle age is on the age of about 50, but lately in the surges of manga they make a 30 something as middle age already so I'm kinda influenced xD
To each their own😂! It's totally fine if you just don't prefer older people in games. Tbh, there's really only one 36yr old RO in this game anyways🤷♀️, so you could always skip that route if you really can't stand it. But ya, for sure look into dating sims cause those types of characters tend to be more of the blank slate character's.
Oh! The former game "Dead Dating" is currently a horror thriller dating sim on Patreon for a new campaign this month that ends on April 30th. The campaign will be anyone's only chance to pick up the 18+ NSFW content as the dev plans to release on Apple & Google Playstore .
Which have very strict rules about 18+ content. So if you do get it, just know the game isn't far along in development yet and the ENGL translation is pretty bad. But it's only in Early Access right now (only for certain Patreon supporters) so that makes sense. And the other game is on the Steam platform and not itchio.
It's not really a setting I like, so expectedly I have less affinity for this game than your other titles, not to mention I hate stat raising (I won't be skipping that, obviously, since I want the most out of my endings haha!). But it was still a nice experience - I was really worried, to be honest, but I still liked it.
Same goes for the art - not my jam, but still nice enough. Well, that's not entirely true - I love the art for the CGs, but the sprites are not my jam. From an objective point of view it's gorgeous though.
I'm not gonna lie, it'll probably remain my least favorite of your games, and I'm way more excited for "Deep in the Forest", as stated on that game's page, but still!
Paul is nice enough as a protagonist, though I feel his exact personality will depend of the stats, so he's more of a blank canvas (how appropriate!) than your other MCs. I like Gilles a lot though, and Émile is interesting too. Ferdinand and Bertrand didn't attract me, but I'll see in the full game.
All in all, I'm still eager to play the full version (or future demos, if you're planning on uploading more).
I did notice a small bug... I think? When Ophelia was on the scene, and moving around, her sprite wasn't moving smoothly all the time, but jerking around a couple of times.
Also, not really a bug, but more often than not, when the music track changes, it seems very loud at the beginning, which is a bit weird. I think it's because most of the tracks begin in an abrupt way or something? It actually made me jump once or twice.
Thank you very much for the detailed review, as always!
Let's see! First of all, Paul has a set personality, so it doesn't change no matter what route or decisions you make. I'll take a look at Ophelia's sprite; I know I made some changes, but I can't recall if those changes are implemented in the demo or not. Same goes for the music, so thank you for the feedback!
The stats raising part, as you can see, it's not very important in the game (although I still want to make a full dating sim one day because I love that kind of games, haha!), so I hope you enjoy the finished VN when it's ready! And feel free to suggest settings that you'd like to see in a BL game, I'm always open to ideas!
Oh well, haha, you actually already covered or are covering three of my favorite settings, which are Jack the Ripper related stories, medieval fantasy/adventure, and arabian nights. That's why I'm so hyped about Deep in the Forest!
I think the one setting that always belonged to my favorites and that you didn't cover at this point is the Prohibition, in US history. Some of my favorite games are set in that period, like Scheherazade at the Library of Pergamum and The Blind Griffin, and I would LOVE to see a BL game in that setting, for once.
I also teeend to enjoy wartime love stories. You brushed it in the after stories of A Hand in the Darkness, but that was so short!
I think you'd do great with a "proper" sci-fi story set in space, though. The snippet we got in Biel's "after story" for Chasing the Stars was great.
Back to Paul now! I think I got the feeling his personality depends on the stats because of how different he reacts to some things depending on the confidence he has. I still think he's more or less of a blank canvas with a lot of room to evolve though!
As I said, even if Night and Day isn't my jam, I'm still sure I'll like it in the end. It being my least favorite doesn't have to mean I won't like it, so well, I'll obviously be getting it.
And well... I say I hate stat-raisers and I stand by it - I'm glad that type of game isn't as trending as it was in the past, and most romance games don't include stats, BUT I still play these if I like the story, and well, I genuinely love some of them. I mean. I just mentionned Scheherazade, and that one is one of the most difficult stat raisers ever made, it's insane.
Haha, you're welcome! These are cool games, and I think Scheherazade is a good example about how to make a stat raiser that is both great and very challenging! I never felt it was unfair, but at the same time you have to manage your time very well. Even in easy mode.
I am so excited for this game i cant wait. Just placed my pre order for it. I dont normally trust pre orders but I know you guys and I am also in your discord so I know its worth the wait. Been replaying My Burning Heart lately :3.
Is it normal to keep losing stats? In demo, I kept choosing confidence +1 choices, but I continued to lose stats. In the end, my confidence stats was too low to introduce Paul to Bernard.
Yes, sorry: at the beginning of the story, Paul is quite the disaster! But you start getting points really quickly, so don't worry about that. You can get enough points to meet Bernard, though, if you choose every single option that shows confidence. However, although that's up to the player, of course, it's a rather unrealistic option: Paul is very optimistic, but he also drags an "smalltown boy" complex and often feels out of place.
Anyway, Paul doesn't make a great impression on Bernard, so you aren't missing anything. There will be more chances of meeting him properly!
I'm not sure if the demo has been updated since the last time I played it, but I pre-ordered it. I'm seriously such a huge fan of every game you've put out! I own all of them, except the Jack one (which I will!) and I'm really looking forward to this one! Can I just say, that adding the choice to top or bottom is just *chef's kiss*. I usually prefer the bottom POV in games I play so I love being able to choose for maximum experience!
i'm in love with the demo, and i'll most DEFINITELY be playing the full version when it's finally released. ferdinand is my favorite, and i need more of him in my life :)
I'm a huge fan of your games, but I wasn't expecting to like this one, mainly because I've been around quite a few places in Europe and Paris was the only one I can really say I didn't like; however, I LOVE this demo. I'm so glad to have the chance to Patreon you to keep you making wonderful games like this... and I know that Denis won't be a possible love interest (based on the count of four, I'm guessing) but I'll keep my fingers crossed. Those red haired men... =swoon=
That would be a dream come true! I'd even up my patreon specifically (perhaps another $100) if you did. I want to do anything to support your games. I'd kickstart this one now as well but I have CC fraud and need to wait a couple weeks for a new card.
You are amongst my top BL games in the world. Thank you for making these games!
I quite enjoyed the demo! All characters seem interesting and the story got me hooked. I can't wait to play the full game! The only route I will be ignoring is Emile and only because I am super uncomfortable with huge age differences, especially when one person is still in their teens.
Just finished the game. I must say, the demo was quite amazing. I'll start with the writing and say that's it's very well done. The characters, even though we only see them for a short time, feel real and interesting. I didn't see any spelling errors either. I really like how this game is in first person as well. For some reason I just prefer that in visual novels. I also like Paul's voice, which is important when reading in first person. I'll say it's hard for me to decide who I like most, but I do enjoy Paul, Emile, and Ferdinand..
Next the art. The art is something that's quite special for with this game, though I'm not sure why. First off, I love the scenery. It looks like 1950's France and feels calming. During the stressful times everyone's going through, it's nice to have things that have calming scenery. The background are also very detailed and colorful. I love the flower shop and river bank the most. I'm excited to see more of the backgrounds. Also, the touch of painted parts is cool too. The character sprites are also nice. I admit it took me a bit to get use to them, but I realized how more real the look and the guys are quite handsome. Also many of the expressions on them look good, a bit simple but done well. One gripe I do have is the sprites seemed to be a bit a blurry? I'm not sure if it's because I had it in full screen or not, but the resolution may need to be fixed on them. Also, maybe make them a bit bigger. It could just be me though.
Also, I noticed a small bug in the game. The brush icon that ends after a sentence sometimes goes right in the middle of a word. I'm not sure if this is fixed yet, but just wanted to let you know in case.
Anyway, this game looks really amazing. I'm really interested in seeing where it goes and what stories you're gonna tell. During these times, I honestly need a game like this and with the big emphasis on creative hobbies, the story really intrigues me. Should you do a KS, I will back it.
Thank you so much for the detailed review! I had a Kickstarter planned, to run from May 15th to June 15th, but given the current global situation it might be delayed some weeks; we'll have to wait and see.
I'm glad you like the demo so far! And thank you for your feedback about the sprites size and resolution, I'll look into it.
The GUI (textbox and game menus) are being redone by a professional, haha! I'll fix the brush icon once that it's done. I hope you like the updated demo even more, with the new GUI, more characters sprites and some new scenes!
Np! With what's going on, it's best not to do one right now honestly. But when you do, I'll back it. And cool, I thought it would likely get fixed. On thing, will you have sub sprites for characters Nat?
Sorry, I don't understand the last question... If you are asking if Nathalie will have a sprite, then yes! All the characters will have a sprite for the final version, and at least Denis, Nathalie and Ophelia for the updated demo.
This was truly beautiful. The story, the ambience, the music, the art, the way how characters interact with each other... It's fair to say I'm in love with all these!
The only suggestion I can think of right now is that the text in the "Help", being white on a bright background, is a bit hard to read. An altered colour scheme could help.
Keep up with the great work, I can't wait to learn what's going to happen next.
I am sooo in love with this project! It looks great!!! I'm downloading the demo right now! Honestly I don't like playing demos because it just makes it harder to wait but I'll succumb to my desire lol. Also one more thing, you should probably take out the tag "otome" because it can mislead the wrong audience. Otome means a dating sim for girls that has a female mc with male love interests. Good luck with you're project, I am cheering you on!
Shiiit... Pardon my language, but I seriously can't wait for this to be reallll! I'm going to declare myself Ertal's number 1 fan, please don't fight me on this, you'll lose. I seriously can't get over how great all of these games are. The storylines are frickin amazing and the art is fantastic! Ugh, I'm obsessed.
And yes, I hope the sprite artist finishes Denis, Nathalie and Ophelia's sprites for the updated demo, before the Kickstarter. The new GUI will be done by then, too.
For the finished games ALL the characters will have a sprite.
First of all, I want to say that I was really impatient to be able to play this demo! And I'm not disappointed at all~
Of course, it's short, doesn't show much of the game and have small mistakes in it. It's a demo. But just that little hour I took to play it, made me even more impatient to discover the rest of the story, characters and choices you have in store for us.
But enough chit-chat! Let's review this~
First, for the things I liked:
( + ) Paul's and Gilles' facial expressions are really cute. Great job Marimo, you nailed them. The other characters' sprites are great too (except for two of Ferdinand's expression which are... a bit disturbing XD).
( + ) The story, although we didn't see much of it, was great and relaxing after such a heavy subject like slavery in "My Burning Heart". I dived into it immediately. As for the characters, they have their own distinct personality too. Paul is adorable and impossible to hate, Emile is a bit rude but seems to hide a lot of things, Ferdinand is silent and way too serious for his own good, and Gilles looks like an innocent little kid in this cruel world! So far, I'm impatient to discover more about them~
( + ) The music is really relaxing and a treat for the ears. I especially like the one you hear when you are at the riverbank! I could definitely join Paul and start painting while listening to this song. I also like the sax song and "Let's fall in love" was a nice surprise! Great addition~
( + ) Maybe it's because I'm French but I was happy to see some well-known names like Simone de Beauvoir or Boris Vian. It shows how much you researched and I think it adds depth to your story and the world you're building for Paul and the others to live in. Even if other players don't know them, maybe it will spark some interests to make them look into it!
( + ) For the backgrounds, they are just... wonderful. Saedee did a really good job and they are so colorful and refreshing. The details are a treat for the eyes. As for the textbox, it didn't disturb me much.
Then, the things that could be improved:
( - ) I don't know if you thought about it or were gonna do it, but when we are on the map, maybe it would be cool to highlight the places when we put the cursor on it (don't know if it makes sense). But it's just my opinion
( - ) It was already pointed out before but two of Ferdinand's expression are a bit... weird? Don't know how to describe them...
That's all for me! Playing that demo made my day and brought a smile to my face! It's starting to form slowly but surely~ Now, I'm going to wait to be able to help your Kickstarter when it will be ready.
I just played through the demo and I have some concerns. I’m going to write them out below, sorry for the long post.
First of all - will this game be commercial? If so, do you intend to update the main menu GUI, seeing as it’s the basic ren’py one but with some random paint brushes here and there? It looks very unprofessional and not becoming of a paid product.
As for the textbox - is this a placeholder? The colors are too saturated and bright, and it looks amateur. I can see it’s meant to be a French street sign, but they didn’t look like this until after 1950. It kind of ruins the beautiful backgrounds to have a big, ugly textbox.
I noticed quite a few grammatical mistakes, too. I wanted to ask if you have an editor or a proofreader? Also, in places, the English is a little wonky. “Get out the road” should either be “” Get out of the road” or “Get off the road”, for instance.
When you get into Paul’s room, the room is already full of painting supplies. Is this just to save money on variations, or is there something else planned here?
The paint brush that shows at the end of sentences also is often in the wrong place and covers the words.
On the choice where you decide whether to approach the woman or not in the flower shop, even if you pick to let her browse Nathalie still says “Perhaps that direct approach works well in the country” which doesn’t make sense.
In general, some of the sprites expressions are, well.. They’re downright creepy. For Ferdinand, some of the expressions change his face so much that he doesn’t even look the same.
So, that’s pretty much it. The backgrounds were lovely (props to the artist), and the premise was fine, but the way it was executed was rather poor.
I hope you’ll improve this before it goes on Kickstarter.
Thank you for the honest feedback! Some of those issues were already on my list, while some are new.
I'll ask the editor for another check. As for the GUI, it was my first attempt at doing one, so I guess I'll have to commission one since this was a fail XD
By the way, what's your source for those street name signs not being used in 1950? The regulation of the current signs was made in 1938, and it stated shape, color and design, including the semi-circle with the arrondissement number and the trompe-l'oeil circles on the corners, made to look as if they were nails holding the sign.
XD I actually have one. lol I see I should promote it more... https://www.patreon.com/ertal Patrons get previews of all the new art, additional sketches, early builds of the games for betatesting and some exclusive extra stories.
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This one so far is my fav game of yours for both visual and story, and plus it have a little stats-raising~ You did a good job to the characters, especially Paul, you well written him!
I really love Marimo art style so it such a nice surprise to see her art in a visual novel. Her sprite so gorgerous, I love them all.
Im so dilemma between buy this or not, aside from gilles all the other love interest are not interesting, hm maybe ill try the demo first
I played this creator's other game Chasing the stars and I will say their writing was really good. I felt attached to the main character. The story was decent and the love interests all felt different and unique, like you really wanted to see how it works with each of them.
yea, chasing the stars is good and all, I know this looks good too, its just, the romanceables are not my type xD the 3 of them looked a middle-aged men so Im really dilemma wether buy it for playing 1 route or not, guess I need to see how much is it when its come to steam first
here if it helps to give some advice~ try to remember the main character is not you and you are watching a story go down. so if you think about it like that it may not matter what the lovers are like xD for example the lovers in Chasing the Stars weren't my type but I still played because I wanted to see the story. However if I played an otome type game where the main character is meant to be mostly blank without their own story then I am very picky on the type of lovers I have to pick on.
haha, of course this is just how I feel about things but I wanted to share since could help you make a decision~
Actually, none of the character's are middle aged. People that are significantly younger than someone's age (for instance prob in your case, younger than these character's, or older in fact) may feel that way however. Middle aged is actually aged....well in the middle of one's life. Between the ages of 45-65. This depends of course, on one's familial life expectancy genetics. But ya, middle aged doesn't even start until 40-45 for most individuals.
Now side note: these are VNs. They come in all sorts of perspectives, and usually not your own. If your looking to play more BL games in your perspective, try searching for dating sims. Some great examples are: "Signed and Sealed with a Kiss", "Seiyuu Danshi", "Dead Dating", "Banana Ranch(same creator as Seiyuu Danshi, but this game is WIP. Won't be out until Dec 2022)", "Uncle Neighbor *on steam*", "Dream Daddy", or even "Coming Out on Top." These are some great stories and art content you might miss out on, if all you worry about is whether the character's are between 18-20yrs old😓😭😭. I urge you to def try them out tho and see how you feel! I've gotten past that myself as I've gotten older and realized most of VNs or Otome games I love tend to favor the younger adults.
But I do get what you mean about it being nice to have character's near your age🙌😆. I'm in the middle of my 20s, so I'm actually quite excited to finally play a game that doesn't revolve around 18yr Olds😂(cough, cough, ignoring the fact that the Protagonist is 18 👀 , "every otome game in existence" 🤣) Also, VNs come in multiple perspectives as well as with their own subgenres (like playing a VN with rpg like features) ex: Winter Wolves games tends to be like this.
So, if u are looking for more of blank slate character's, try the game's I listed up above (*If you can get past most of the character's being older than 20yrs old tho😅, or even translations for Eng being a bit off due to some still WIPs* You might actually really come to love those games. Or if not, just continue searching specifically for VNs that are mostly Dating Sims. Just keep in mind, you can find games with character's your age, but that will severely limit the amount of great-ness you can enjoy😍.
thx for the suggestion, the only ones I havent known is dead dating and uncle neighbor, guess Ill check it out
p.s : I agree that middle age is on the age of about 50, but lately in the surges of manga they make a 30 something as middle age already so I'm kinda influenced xD
To each their own😂! It's totally fine if you just don't prefer older people in games. Tbh, there's really only one 36yr old RO in this game anyways🤷♀️, so you could always skip that route if you really can't stand it. But ya, for sure look into dating sims cause those types of characters tend to be more of the blank slate character's.
Oh! The former game "Dead Dating" is currently a horror thriller dating sim on Patreon for a new campaign this month that ends on April 30th. The campaign will be anyone's only chance to pick up the 18+ NSFW content as the dev plans to release on Apple & Google Playstore .
Which have very strict rules about 18+ content. So if you do get it, just know the game isn't far along in development yet and the ENGL translation is pretty bad. But it's only in Early Access right now (only for certain Patreon supporters) so that makes sense. And the other game is on the Steam platform and not itchio.
The release will be most likely postponed to June, but I'll make an official announcement as soon as we are 100% sure!
Okay, I did it! Played this one too!
It's not really a setting I like, so expectedly I have less affinity for this game than your other titles, not to mention I hate stat raising (I won't be skipping that, obviously, since I want the most out of my endings haha!). But it was still a nice experience - I was really worried, to be honest, but I still liked it.
Same goes for the art - not my jam, but still nice enough. Well, that's not entirely true - I love the art for the CGs, but the sprites are not my jam. From an objective point of view it's gorgeous though.
I'm not gonna lie, it'll probably remain my least favorite of your games, and I'm way more excited for "Deep in the Forest", as stated on that game's page, but still!
Paul is nice enough as a protagonist, though I feel his exact personality will depend of the stats, so he's more of a blank canvas (how appropriate!) than your other MCs. I like Gilles a lot though, and Émile is interesting too. Ferdinand and Bertrand didn't attract me, but I'll see in the full game.
All in all, I'm still eager to play the full version (or future demos, if you're planning on uploading more).
I did notice a small bug... I think? When Ophelia was on the scene, and moving around, her sprite wasn't moving smoothly all the time, but jerking around a couple of times.
Also, not really a bug, but more often than not, when the music track changes, it seems very loud at the beginning, which is a bit weird. I think it's because most of the tracks begin in an abrupt way or something? It actually made me jump once or twice.
Thank you very much for the detailed review, as always!
Let's see! First of all, Paul has a set personality, so it doesn't change no matter what route or decisions you make. I'll take a look at Ophelia's sprite; I know I made some changes, but I can't recall if those changes are implemented in the demo or not. Same goes for the music, so thank you for the feedback!
The stats raising part, as you can see, it's not very important in the game (although I still want to make a full dating sim one day because I love that kind of games, haha!), so I hope you enjoy the finished VN when it's ready! And feel free to suggest settings that you'd like to see in a BL game, I'm always open to ideas!
Oh well, haha, you actually already covered or are covering three of my favorite settings, which are Jack the Ripper related stories, medieval fantasy/adventure, and arabian nights. That's why I'm so hyped about Deep in the Forest!
I think the one setting that always belonged to my favorites and that you didn't cover at this point is the Prohibition, in US history. Some of my favorite games are set in that period, like Scheherazade at the Library of Pergamum and The Blind Griffin, and I would LOVE to see a BL game in that setting, for once.
I also teeend to enjoy wartime love stories. You brushed it in the after stories of A Hand in the Darkness, but that was so short!
I think you'd do great with a "proper" sci-fi story set in space, though. The snippet we got in Biel's "after story" for Chasing the Stars was great.
Back to Paul now! I think I got the feeling his personality depends on the stats because of how different he reacts to some things depending on the confidence he has. I still think he's more or less of a blank canvas with a lot of room to evolve though!
As I said, even if Night and Day isn't my jam, I'm still sure I'll like it in the end. It being my least favorite doesn't have to mean I won't like it, so well, I'll obviously be getting it.
And well... I say I hate stat-raisers and I stand by it - I'm glad that type of game isn't as trending as it was in the past, and most romance games don't include stats, BUT I still play these if I like the story, and well, I genuinely love some of them. I mean. I just mentionned Scheherazade, and that one is one of the most difficult stat raisers ever made, it's insane.
I just added those two to my playing list, thank you!
Haha, you're welcome! These are cool games, and I think Scheherazade is a good example about how to make a stat raiser that is both great and very challenging! I never felt it was unfair, but at the same time you have to manage your time very well. Even in easy mode.
I am so excited for this game i cant wait. Just placed my pre order for it. I dont normally trust pre orders but I know you guys and I am also in your discord so I know its worth the wait. Been replaying My Burning Heart lately :3.
Is it normal to keep losing stats? In demo, I kept choosing confidence +1 choices, but I continued to lose stats. In the end, my confidence stats was too low to introduce Paul to Bernard.
Yes, sorry: at the beginning of the story, Paul is quite the disaster! But you start getting points really quickly, so don't worry about that. You can get enough points to meet Bernard, though, if you choose every single option that shows confidence. However, although that's up to the player, of course, it's a rather unrealistic option: Paul is very optimistic, but he also drags an "smalltown boy" complex and often feels out of place.
Anyway, Paul doesn't make a great impression on Bernard, so you aren't missing anything. There will be more chances of meeting him properly!
Oh, that's good to hear. Thanks! I really love the art style and face expressions. I will pre-order it and wait eagerly for the full game!
I'm not sure if the demo has been updated since the last time I played it, but I pre-ordered it. I'm seriously such a huge fan of every game you've put out! I own all of them, except the Jack one (which I will!) and I'm really looking forward to this one! Can I just say, that adding the choice to top or bottom is just *chef's kiss*. I usually prefer the bottom POV in games I play so I love being able to choose for maximum experience!
Are you planning to add the game pre-order feature to steam? Or will it only be available here?
Mmmn, I don't think Steam supports pre-orders, just "early access", which would feel weird for a visual novel...
Anyway, all purchases on itchio can claim a Steam key once the game is released!
Will this be on Steam too? :3
Yes, of course! The demo is already there.
Oh? I must have missed it. Sweet, thanks :D
Is there romance scenes in the demo or did I just miss them?
There aren't :(
Sadly, the demo is just the introduction of the characters.
Im looking forward to it! I really appreciate that your doing both top/bottom
when will the game be released?
Between December 2020 and May 2021. Sorry, I can't be more specific yet.
hopefully that day is when corona is over
Just got done with the demo, amazing work! I can't wait to see the full release <3
i'm in love with the demo, and i'll most DEFINITELY be playing the full version when it's finally released. ferdinand is my favorite, and i need more of him in my life :)
I'm a huge fan of your games, but I wasn't expecting to like this one, mainly because I've been around quite a few places in Europe and Paris was the only one I can really say I didn't like; however, I LOVE this demo. I'm so glad to have the chance to Patreon you to keep you making wonderful games like this... and I know that Denis won't be a possible love interest (based on the count of four, I'm guessing) but I'll keep my fingers crossed. Those red haired men... =swoon=
Haha! Thank you so much! I'll be sure to include a redhead as a love interest in the next project!
That would be a dream come true! I'd even up my patreon specifically (perhaps another $100) if you did. I want to do anything to support your games. I'd kickstart this one now as well but I have CC fraud and need to wait a couple weeks for a new card.
You are amongst my top BL games in the world. Thank you for making these games!
I like it! The art is really good!
Good luck with your kickstarter <3
I quite enjoyed the demo! All characters seem interesting and the story got me hooked. I can't wait to play the full game! The only route I will be ignoring is Emile and only because I am super uncomfortable with huge age differences, especially when one person is still in their teens.
Wish you luck on the Kickstarter campaign! :)
I think the release price will be around $20, but it's not set on stone yet.
I know he's not a part of the four planned love interests, but having something develop between Denis & Paul would be so juicy! Please consider it!
O.o Denis is already taken, sorry!
;_;
Just finished the game. I must say, the demo was quite amazing. I'll start with the writing and say that's it's very well done. The characters, even though we only see them for a short time, feel real and interesting. I didn't see any spelling errors either. I really like how this game is in first person as well. For some reason I just prefer that in visual novels. I also like Paul's voice, which is important when reading in first person. I'll say it's hard for me to decide who I like most, but I do enjoy Paul, Emile, and Ferdinand..
Next the art. The art is something that's quite special for with this game, though I'm not sure why. First off, I love the scenery. It looks like 1950's France and feels calming. During the stressful times everyone's going through, it's nice to have things that have calming scenery. The background are also very detailed and colorful. I love the flower shop and river bank the most. I'm excited to see more of the backgrounds. Also, the touch of painted parts is cool too. The character sprites are also nice. I admit it took me a bit to get use to them, but I realized how more real the look and the guys are quite handsome. Also many of the expressions on them look good, a bit simple but done well. One gripe I do have is the sprites seemed to be a bit a blurry? I'm not sure if it's because I had it in full screen or not, but the resolution may need to be fixed on them. Also, maybe make them a bit bigger. It could just be me though.
Also, I noticed a small bug in the game. The brush icon that ends after a sentence sometimes goes right in the middle of a word. I'm not sure if this is fixed yet, but just wanted to let you know in case.
Anyway, this game looks really amazing. I'm really interested in seeing where it goes and what stories you're gonna tell. During these times, I honestly need a game like this and with the big emphasis on creative hobbies, the story really intrigues me. Should you do a KS, I will back it.
Thank you so much for the detailed review! I had a Kickstarter planned, to run from May 15th to June 15th, but given the current global situation it might be delayed some weeks; we'll have to wait and see.
I'm glad you like the demo so far! And thank you for your feedback about the sprites size and resolution, I'll look into it.
The GUI (textbox and game menus) are being redone by a professional, haha! I'll fix the brush icon once that it's done. I hope you like the updated demo even more, with the new GUI, more characters sprites and some new scenes!
Np! With what's going on, it's best not to do one right now honestly. But when you do, I'll back it. And cool, I thought it would likely get fixed. On thing, will you have sub sprites for characters Nat?
Sorry, I don't understand the last question... If you are asking if Nathalie will have a sprite, then yes! All the characters will have a sprite for the final version, and at least Denis, Nathalie and Ophelia for the updated demo.
Ah sorry, yeah, that's what I meant lol. I'm really glad they will =D
Is the protagonist versatile?
Hopefully yes. It will be a stretch goal in the Kickstarter campaign (the FIRST stretch goal, because I really want it to happen).
Thanks for the reply! This made me even MORE interested in the game now.
Thank you so much!! ^_^
This was truly beautiful. The story, the ambience, the music, the art, the way how characters interact with each other... It's fair to say I'm in love with all these!
The only suggestion I can think of right now is that the text in the "Help", being white on a bright background, is a bit hard to read. An altered colour scheme could help.
Keep up with the great work, I can't wait to learn what's going to happen next.
Thank you for your kind words!
And... damn, I thought "Help" was disabled! I'll fix the screen if it's still accessible.
Oh damn, nice art. Finally dudes that look like actual dude, hell yeah.
is this a NSFW game?
It will have NSFW scenes, yes. But I'll probably add the option to skip them.
Quick question,is Gilles from Romania,cuz I'll lpce this game if he is,plus,I think this will be a great game,everyone looks cute for now
Aaaaw, nope, he's romani as in race (maybe in your country it's more common to call it "gypsy", as in mine?), but he's French.
I am sooo in love with this project! It looks great!!! I'm downloading the demo right now! Honestly I don't like playing demos because it just makes it harder to wait but I'll succumb to my desire lol. Also one more thing, you should probably take out the tag "otome" because it can mislead the wrong audience. Otome means a dating sim for girls that has a female mc with male love interests. Good luck with you're project, I am cheering you on!
Shiiit... Pardon my language, but I seriously can't wait for this to be reallll! I'm going to declare myself Ertal's number 1 fan, please don't fight me on this, you'll lose. I seriously can't get over how great all of these games are. The storylines are frickin amazing and the art is fantastic! Ugh, I'm obsessed.
T_T Thank you so much!
omg I need more Ferdinand in my life! And Gilles seems naughty and adorable!
The colors are right, the backgrounds are right, the music is right, the tropes are on point, I think you're gonna have a hit Ertal!
Ony one question; I assume in the full game there will be sprites for Paul, Nathalie and Ferdinand's sister, right?
Thank you!! <3
And yes, I hope the sprite artist finishes Denis, Nathalie and Ophelia's sprites for the updated demo, before the Kickstarter. The new GUI will be done by then, too.
For the finished games ALL the characters will have a sprite.
We'll get to see what they look like? Yuusss. I was hoping so! Ophelia's description left me wanting a visual representation for sure!
I stay clear of demos, because I always want to get the full deal.
Any idea when the full game will be available?
By the end of 2010, hopefully ;)
LOL! This made me laugh. 2010 has been and gone XDDD
OMG, we need the Tardis!
2020, I meant 2020! XDD
First of all, I want to say that I was really impatient to be able to play this demo! And I'm not disappointed at all~
Of course, it's short, doesn't show much of the game and have small mistakes in it. It's a demo. But just that little hour I took to play it, made me even more impatient to discover the rest of the story, characters and choices you have in store for us.
But enough chit-chat! Let's review this~
First, for the things I liked:
( + ) Paul's and Gilles' facial expressions are really cute. Great job Marimo, you nailed them. The other characters' sprites are great too (except for two of Ferdinand's expression which are... a bit disturbing XD).
( + ) The story, although we didn't see much of it, was great and relaxing after such a heavy subject like slavery in "My Burning Heart". I dived into it immediately. As for the characters, they have their own distinct personality too. Paul is adorable and impossible to hate, Emile is a bit rude but seems to hide a lot of things, Ferdinand is silent and way too serious for his own good, and Gilles looks like an innocent little kid in this cruel world! So far, I'm impatient to discover more about them~
( + ) The music is really relaxing and a treat for the ears. I especially like the one you hear when you are at the riverbank! I could definitely join Paul and start painting while listening to this song. I also like the sax song and "Let's fall in love" was a nice surprise! Great addition~
( + ) Maybe it's because I'm French but I was happy to see some well-known names like Simone de Beauvoir or Boris Vian. It shows how much you researched and I think it adds depth to your story and the world you're building for Paul and the others to live in. Even if other players don't know them, maybe it will spark some interests to make them look into it!
( + ) For the backgrounds, they are just... wonderful. Saedee did a really good job and they are so colorful and refreshing. The details are a treat for the eyes. As for the textbox, it didn't disturb me much.
Then, the things that could be improved:
( - ) I don't know if you thought about it or were gonna do it, but when we are on the map, maybe it would be cool to highlight the places when we put the cursor on it (don't know if it makes sense). But it's just my opinion
( - ) It was already pointed out before but two of Ferdinand's expression are a bit... weird? Don't know how to describe them...
That's all for me! Playing that demo made my day and brought a smile to my face! It's starting to form slowly but surely~ Now, I'm going to wait to be able to help your Kickstarter when it will be ready.
R.
Aaaaw, thank you so much!
Those two things you mention are already worked on, so don't worry!
Hi there,
I just played through the demo and I have some concerns. I’m going to write them out below, sorry for the long post.
First of all - will this game be commercial? If so, do you intend to update the main menu GUI, seeing as it’s the basic ren’py one but with some random paint brushes here and there? It looks very unprofessional and not becoming of a paid product.
As for the textbox - is this a placeholder? The colors are too saturated and bright, and it looks amateur. I can see it’s meant to be a French street sign, but they didn’t look like this until after 1950. It kind of ruins the beautiful backgrounds to have a big, ugly textbox.
I noticed quite a few grammatical mistakes, too. I wanted to ask if you have an editor or a proofreader? Also, in places, the English is a little wonky. “Get out the road” should either be “” Get out of the road” or “Get off the road”, for instance.
When you get into Paul’s room, the room is already full of painting supplies. Is this just to save money on variations, or is there something else planned here?
The paint brush that shows at the end of sentences also is often in the wrong place and covers the words.
On the choice where you decide whether to approach the woman or not in the flower shop, even if you pick to let her browse Nathalie still says “Perhaps that direct approach works well in the country” which doesn’t make sense.
In general, some of the sprites expressions are, well.. They’re downright creepy. For Ferdinand, some of the expressions change his face so much that he doesn’t even look the same.
So, that’s pretty much it. The backgrounds were lovely (props to the artist), and the premise was fine, but the way it was executed was rather poor.
I hope you’ll improve this before it goes on Kickstarter.
Thank you for the honest feedback! Some of those issues were already on my list, while some are new.
I'll ask the editor for another check. As for the GUI, it was my first attempt at doing one, so I guess I'll have to commission one since this was a fail XD
By the way, what's your source for those street name signs not being used in 1950? The regulation of the current signs was made in 1938, and it stated shape, color and design, including the semi-circle with the arrondissement number and the trompe-l'oeil circles on the corners, made to look as if they were nails holding the sign.
Very excited for this one!
The game's art is gorgeous! Your writing for plot and characters is just truly superb and I'm very excited to see what you do with this one!
I hope it has some raunchy scenes I oh so love from your other games!~
Hehehe, of course it will have naughty bits, who do you take me for?
And thank you so much <3
Nice!
Please pass my compliments on to the artists-- this game & its characters are so incredibly pretty!
I actually just looked a couple of days ago to see if Ertal and my other favorite creators had any new releases! I'm so excited, I cannot wait!! <3
Aaaw, thank you!
No thank you forrrr reaaaaal. Your work is amazing and I'm kind of only living for them right now!
If you have a Patreon or something, I'll sign up asap.
XD I actually have one. lol I see I should promote it more... https://www.patreon.com/ertal Patrons get previews of all the new art, additional sketches, early builds of the games for betatesting and some exclusive extra stories.
I'm going to look at it nooooooowwww.
I'm poor right now because I'm a crappy Uni student with a part time job, but in a couple of weeks, I'm joining your patreon for sure. <3
ooohh :) I'm very interested and excited ;))
Yay! I hope the demo doesn't disappoint ;) It will be out soon.
This sounds great! How long do you expect till it is available to play?
I hope we have a first demo by the end of February ;)