I have to get it to a more final stage first I think! Currently it’s still very early stages, I’m kinda developing it alongside people playing it. ^^ But I can look into mobile distribution!
So i didn't expect this to give me the same feeling DDLC gave me, certain parts just felt so unsettling and Haruka explaining how she was trapped was so well written that it makes her feel real, like someday it could be possible for her to "escape" it was just so fucking cool
I love the new characters in this update, they aren't like cookie cutter tropes. They also have similar interest, so they actually have a reason to hang out together
i loved the game! lol maybe i missed the alternative endings? but let me know once more of the content is released! ill make more vids! just curious how many endings or creepy routes are there?
Oh hey! Thank you so much for playing the game, and doing a video on it! As for current routes, I can confirm the broken tech demo is a sorta short sample, which has two effective endings. Day Zero is incredibly linear atm, with most of the secrets tucked into some files. It'll change up more with the subsequent days, but I wanted to set a solid impression of the girls as there was a lot of speculation about them based on the brief flash provided. I'm hoping to make it a dense experience, where multiple playthrus will reveal more secrets, foreshadowing, etc. I'll watch your vid now tho! Thank you! :D
Day Zero is pretty cut and dry. It's just intended to be an introduction for the girls and the tone of the novel. There's some files secreted away but not much more than that!
HexVexed, I have a problem. I can't open the game. It says it can't run beyondyou.py and I have no idea what to do (I played the game on my friends PC and wrote my previous comment)
The next update I'm working on is going to be completely different from the demo; in the sense that it's Day Zero, of the major plot. o.o It's gonna be a huge change of pace! ^^
Hey! Thanks for the feedback! I made this game in the span of a week, to practice some programming techniques in Ren'py. I'm still quite new to the process of using Ren'py and making games, and I hadn't anticipated more than few dozen people seeing or playing it. I appreciate all the people who've found it, and provided insight, and I fully know it's too short to be a full game.
That said, I've been working on expanding it and strengthening the story, as well as making more assets. I'm sorry you found the ending confusing. It was left intentionally vague, as was a lot of the game. I'm working on making a clearer, more informed story that'll be more enjoyable and longer! There are files and secrets in the Ren'py files, if one is inclined to dig thru them.
All your feedback was still incredibly helpful! I don't want to spoonfeed the story to players, but I also want to ensure the story is being told. While some level of vagueness can be considered artistic, it can easily become lazy or clumsy. So, I'm working to polish it up, and I will have a "Day Zero" from the full game out shortly, to introduce the girls and more of the story. I'm not sure if I should wait til I have more fleshed out, but inversely, the tech demo is a suuuuuper quick version of my bigger vision.
In any case, I hope you do enjoy future content more! :D
So I noticed others have seen the glitch with the three girls, however I played and I had three completely different characters... I was completely confused. I was also utterly terrified when they began using the beginning of my email and was wondering where in the heck they got that information.
I absolutely adore the game btw! I am totally going to follow along. I love the story that seems to be unfolding.
Glad you enjoyed it! I'm actually not sure how it pulled the first part of your email. It can read cursory info about you... Hrm. And yes, in 1.0.03, the latest update, there's been some changes to those stand-in sprites. Those girls originally were just there to fill in for the real girls. :P
As a 'veteran' of sorts in playing these kinds of game, this... genre as a whole, I can say that I was honestly and legtimately impressed by what you've done here my friend, really, it's amazing! I found it quite similar to DDLC, of course, but man was I still /very/ impressed and surprised by what I've played, I hadn't really expected the whole '4th wall breaking' shenanigans to tell you the truth, I was caught off guard! but I liked it! keep going will you? this has potential!
I grew up playing visual novels & point-and-click games. I conflate the two, as they're usually story driven . I'm glad you're impressed with what's been released thus far, and I do hope that everyone is willing to come along with me on this journey! Thank you kindly for the comment. :D
i've really just started and I played for about 24 minutes. Amazing concept. A bit strategic? Or to be played by a more complex state of mind? Not too sure. Just know its amazing.
I'm hoping people can enjoy it for what it is, and to further inspire people to reflect and investigate. I can only hope it lives up to the hype it's garnered from this short demo! >_>;;
I downloaded the game several times 'couse I kept coming up with more things to check in the game or in the files x3 Anyway, I loved it! I already expected it too be unusual, but it was way more unexpected then I imagined...
I bet a lot of people are comparing it to DDLC, but I was suprised how diffrient it was despite beeing of the same genra (the premise seems to be something a lot more positive and kind of heartwarming ;v; ).
I also find it amazing how I already feel pretty attached to two characters, including 'Haruka' already even with the game being so short. (I also found Aiko and I'm so happy, she seems so nice)
Also, the first time I played the game the three characters that were shown for a couple of seconds I think were diffrient then the ones I saw in later playthroughs, as well as the backgrounds... I'm assuming this is intentional, but is there a way to see them again? unless my memory's playing tricks on me...
Oh hey! Yeah, I've been making small tweaks as I work on the art. (Animations are the main thing I'm up to, as I write out the fuller plot.) I figured the secrecy of the games nature wouldn't be as surprising given DDLC exists. I immensely respect and admire Team Salvato for their work, but I'm also hopeful people will see the differences I worked hard to make clear.
They both break the fourth wall and they're both visual novels, high school setting... but then it's a different thing altogether. But this began as a short tech demo and I didn't expect it to receive as much attention as it has so soon after I made it. Its thanks to people doing Let's Plays esp. BijuuMike no doubt.
Aiko is a genuine soft sweetie, glad you got chat with her. :P I don't wanna spoil things or divulge too much.
the "original" trio is in someone's comment below! Assets are still changing and shifting, so I hope people don't mind too much. The designs that exist now are pretty close to what I want. ^_^
I was cautious with this content because of previous experience. First I tought I have to restore/repair the girls. Could it be the warning at the start fake that it's a demo? Are the other girls already part of the game secretly? Maybe it's the game who tries to convience us not to try romance the other girls. Is the description on this page already a setup/part of game? Then I read the comments and it seems I just ovetcomplicated the things... but I'm not that far from the final concept maybe.
Thank you for the experience! I bookmarked this page. If it's possible I would like to make a translation to my native language in the future.
On one point I suspected you are Dan Salvato secretly. Cuz he can't release other similar game under his real name anymore. It would destroy the surprise.
Hello! I'm definitely not Dan Salvato, just someone who wanted to learn more about Ren'py and thought it'd be fun to approach a fourth-wall breaking VN. I understand why people think they're similar, and no doubt I acknowledge I've seen and enjoyed DDLC, but I'm hoping it stands on its own without that attachment, too! The story and characters are largely my own, though I'm currently relying on some free-to-use assets I'm desperate to replace.
All the same, I appreciate your attitude and your interest! At the moment, there really isn't any further girls. I would love to add them, but I need to find an artist and ensure I'm able to compensate them. Additionally, the story was intended to be larger, but there were material constraints. Without more characters, I felt it would artificially lengthen the experience to make it TOO long... Then again, I have rushed aspects of it, like the intro of the glitch FX. I'm hoping people are willing to give it a second chance, and to bear with me during its development.
A translation is wholly welcome! I'll continue to work on the story and the game, and am happy to look into localization options. ^_^
This demo (albeit short) was great, it brought back the fourth wall breaking, file exploring fun from Doki Doki, except this time, the main character, (and no, I don't mean the player) was acting on behalf of others instead of themselves, it's a really cool twist on what was already an amazing formula, I'm excited to see what the future of this game holds!
Spoilers:
So after finding the true ending, there's a bit of an issue with the way you find it, (it's not huge or anything) basically in the "metadata" where you find the proper name, it's written in all lowercase, but you have to actually enter the name with the first letter capitalized. (Like I said, not a big problem at all, just thought it was worth mentioning)
I was using the project to learn more about coding, and teaching myself more about Ren'py! I come from an artist background, so I'm more used to doing UI or art, rather than coding. I'm glad it came across, and you were able to access the files. I will amend the name... Kinda annoying that it's case-sensitive, but it is coding after all! Thank you for the comment!
Quick tip! In the game's folder, in the "game" subfolder (the one actually named "game") you can delete every file that ends in .rpy when you upload the game, the .rpyc files are the compressed versions of them, and are smaller, the .rpy files are just the actual code (although the game can run with either)
It's about 30~ minutes, if you're just reading. I do want to expand on it, it's just a limitation of budget + time! But I'm dedicating more time to it, and hope to have more content by the first of April! Thank you for the comment. :3
as some have already said, it has a similar concept to Doki Doki, which i admire. i like the little details such as character movements (Haruka blinking). it has quite an interesting story to it, id love to see this be a full game with more characters and longer game play!
More characters and longer gameplay all came down to budgeting! I modded and animated the character sprite but if I wanted a full game, I would need to pay a character artist which I couldn’t at the time. However I am searching for an artist at the moment, and once that’s squared away, I’ll be able to lengthen the story! Also CGs, OST... all the polished stuff. It’s just a money thing. ;-; thank you very much!
I noticed an influx from YouTube, and was kinda blown away! I feel as though people may not one it's a one person team, and that it was made in five days... Which, yay? But also I'm so nervous! I'm glad he seemed to enjoy it though! It means a lot to have someone showcase my game. ^_^ Welcome to the page and thank you again for the comment!
-The use of the history tab is extremely helpful in this game, especially when text goes by almost too fast to read (which I assume is intentional).
-Perhaps not intentional, the sound effects for Haruka in the beginning scared the shit out of me and kept me on edge for the rest of the game. Also the breathing sound effects at one point were freaky. Well done!
-I wasn't quite sure what the deal with the whole "Nao" thing was; I didn't know if it was meant to be creepy (implying that you payed the game previously with another alias) or if it was a casual nickname. If creepy, then I think that the use of Nao should be help off being said directly (the scene where she mentions giving the player a new name), and should just be casually thrown into the mix without being directly acknowledged. Changing the name tag to say Nao and using it for the first time when Haruka says "I care about you Nao" is perfect. If casual, disregard, but make that scene a little more clear.
-The change in music and visual distortion was great. The plastic 3D glasses (red and blue) effect was done well on Haruka, which is hard to do without hurting the eyes to look at.
-In terms of grammar/English, I noticed that sometimes when the game goes into the narrative thing where the player talks to themselves, sometimes you say "You stepped in several times.." and sometimes it's "...Haruka is already miles ahead of me." You switch from third to first person a lot, which is something to watch out for. I would settle with one of the two. On the same topic, The bit where Haruka talks about stamina is a bit confusing. She seems to be talking about stamina being related to looking attractive but I don't really get it.
-The overall character design and backgrounds were very charming and friendly, which goes perfectly with your deeper game meaning.
-This is a type of demo, so I can't be too harsh, but Haruka's speech at the end lays it on a little thick. In other words, you may want to give the player more credit in terms of showing vs telling. The end speech was far more telling than showing. A player should be able to find the meaning of your game, without you having to tell them what the meaning is directly. Instead of telling, show them the meaning and let them put the pieces together themselves. I was having fun trying to figure the game out, but felt a bit discouraged in being handed the meaning on a silver platter. Again, this is a demo, and I don't know what the full game will look like, but something to keep in mind.
I very much liked this game, and see great potential in it! Keep up the good work; I can't wait to play the full game.
Hey! Thank you for coming across! And thank you especially for the thoughtful comment.
- The too-fast parts to read were intentional! Several times the text is eliminated altogether, as if to pretend it didn't happen at all.
- The music and SFX can be a little loud, I meant to mix them quieter for launch, but figured it'd be better if the player could turn down the FX, rather than them being too quiet with no way to turn them up. I will tweak it a little lower as it's not meant to totally freak you out. :P
- Nao is a gender neutral name, and is a default name if you don't enter your own. You should be able to enter a name at the beginning, and then a second time when Haruka prompts you! The use of names in this game is important, esp, when it comes to Haruka's and her true name. It may be an error that it permanently changed to 'Nao' thru the whole game, as that's always up to the player's choice...
- That 3D glasses effect is just one that I super love to use and abuse. >:)
- Spelling or grammar errors are 100% my own fault. Haruka's comment about 'stamina' was about sex, in essence. A joke about stamina aka being able to last longer.
- Without giving it away, there's two endings to the game. The speech at the end definitely needs some work, to justify the journey the player goes on. Is there a specific point at which it felt that way, or is the whole section just a little too much? Feel free to point it out, I'll take it into consideration!
Thank you again for the comment! It means a lot to me that you came across, and took the time to go into detail about your experience. I'm happy to review the overall game with another pass, to better refine the way Haruka comes across. I'm trying to make it come across as genuine, not hammy... Thank you, Ren! :D
It's totally possible that I had my volume turned up way too loud for the sound effects, but either way, I think it's fine as is :)
*misses the sex joke because I'm desensitized*
I'd love to play through the game again with this information and give you more specific details, but the game (Mac) doesn't appear to let me. It downloaded just fine, but won't seem to open. Tells me "%@" can't be found, or that "beyondyou" can't be opened.
Edit: Nevermind, the fifth download worked? Gonna roll with it.
How weird... The %@ command may be linked to the %(pn)s and %(tn)s tags, for the names in the game. In any case, I'll be either reworking the sleuthing involved or being more overt, as I'm not sure it's clear what has to be done to unlock the 'good' ending. It's kinda meta, but I don't wanna spoil the fun so early on in the process.
Does the good ending have anything to do with inputing Haruka's real name in the beginning? That was my thought, but I can't get any dialogue that mentions her real name.
technically there's 3 endings-ish (i guess more like 2.5) because if you enter the correct name at the beginning of the game, or at the ending of the game, the dialogue is slightly differed
This turned out as an interesting experience! As the updates come, will there be more added to the experience as well? Or will it remain is a short game?
Hello! I would love to have additional characters, which would in turn extend the experience. This would probably involve a character artist, as I couldn't draw in this style in a convincing enough way to be happy.
I don't ever seen it being more than a few hours, even with the extension... But more time to build tension, and some more time to develop the mystery would be ideal!
I see, I see. I'm super interested in seeing how the game will turn out! Some tension would be really good too because the game felt a little rushed, but that makes sense with it being a demo and not a full game. Can't wait to see more!
Hey, so I just wanted to let you know about a small bug I encountered. After the "do-over" at the beginning, when there's the "Of course I know your name, it's..." prompt, for some reason she always says "that's a little on the nose" unless you input Haruka, and always says "you're not one of those... nevermind..." unless you also input Haruka for that as well.
Noted -- that's the result of trying to account for multiple possibilities in one single instance, and that works and then doesn't... =-= Apologies! Thank you for letting me know tho! :D I updated the available version to remove that occurring.
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im stupid i got the broken ver.
Is this available for mobile devices? because I don't have a computer but I would like to play this game.
I'll try to make it available on mobile devices eventually but I think that involves releasing on an app store which I've not had experience with yet.
Okay, are you able to code to get it on Play Store?
I have to get it to a more final stage first I think! Currently it’s still very early stages, I’m kinda developing it alongside people playing it. ^^ But I can look into mobile distribution!
AMAZING! It obly took me about an hour to play!
that's pretty good timing! I'm hoping for it to be a few hours by the time its finished. ^^
how long to play?
half an hour to an hour, depending on reading speed it seems!
or if you look in the files a lot
Oh. My. God.
So i didn't expect this to give me the same feeling DDLC gave me, certain parts just felt so unsettling and Haruka explaining how she was trapped was so well written that it makes her feel real, like someday it could be possible for her to "escape" it was just so fucking cool
I love the new characters in this update, they aren't like cookie cutter tropes. They also have similar interest, so they actually have a reason to hang out together
Yeah, I love tropes but I also love defying them! Its good to have a balance! :3 thank you!
I really loved this demo, I can't wait to play the full game
I'm hoping it won't take too long! Thank you though for enjoying it! ^_^
Oh hey! Thank you so much for playing the game, and doing a video on it! As for current routes, I can confirm the broken tech demo is a sorta short sample, which has two effective endings. Day Zero is incredibly linear atm, with most of the secrets tucked into some files. It'll change up more with the subsequent days, but I wanted to set a solid impression of the girls as there was a lot of speculation about them based on the brief flash provided. I'm hoping to make it a dense experience, where multiple playthrus will reveal more secrets, foreshadowing, etc. I'll watch your vid now tho! Thank you! :D
Ok, so I found the hidden real name. but i'm stumped on the 1.1.01 version. Any hints for the secrets?
Day Zero is pretty cut and dry. It's just intended to be an introduction for the girls and the tone of the novel. There's some files secreted away but not much more than that!
👀👀 glad you enjoyed the demo!
HexVexed, I have a problem. I can't open the game. It says it can't run beyondyou.py and I have no idea what to do (I played the game on my friends PC and wrote my previous comment)
Usually you run the .exe, not the .py?
Well, I run the .exe file and it says that it can't open the .py thing
I'm not too sure. Maybe delete the DL, and then re-download it...? I'm not sure why it won't run for you. D: Maybe someone else may know why!
It didn't work but it's ok, as long as you update the game files and put some goodies in there, it will be worth the while
The next update I'm working on is going to be completely different from the demo; in the sense that it's Day Zero, of the major plot. o.o It's gonna be a huge change of pace! ^^
Hey! Thanks for the feedback! I made this game in the span of a week, to practice some programming techniques in Ren'py. I'm still quite new to the process of using Ren'py and making games, and I hadn't anticipated more than few dozen people seeing or playing it. I appreciate all the people who've found it, and provided insight, and I fully know it's too short to be a full game.
That said, I've been working on expanding it and strengthening the story, as well as making more assets. I'm sorry you found the ending confusing. It was left intentionally vague, as was a lot of the game. I'm working on making a clearer, more informed story that'll be more enjoyable and longer! There are files and secrets in the Ren'py files, if one is inclined to dig thru them.
The menu song was a free-to-use asset, by Tandess! https://www.tandess.com/en/music/
Thanks again for the feedback, and I hope my improvements in future make for a better experience! :D
All your feedback was still incredibly helpful! I don't want to spoonfeed the story to players, but I also want to ensure the story is being told. While some level of vagueness can be considered artistic, it can easily become lazy or clumsy. So, I'm working to polish it up, and I will have a "Day Zero" from the full game out shortly, to introduce the girls and more of the story. I'm not sure if I should wait til I have more fleshed out, but inversely, the tech demo is a suuuuuper quick version of my bigger vision.
In any case, I hope you do enjoy future content more! :D
wow now i want to play the full game...
so ill be waiting (but how long will it take tho? :u)
It could be a while for a full, finished game, but I'm gonna try!
So I noticed others have seen the glitch with the three girls, however I played and I had three completely different characters... I was completely confused. I was also utterly terrified when they began using the beginning of my email and was wondering where in the heck they got that information.
I absolutely adore the game btw! I am totally going to follow along. I love the story that seems to be unfolding.
Glad you enjoyed it! I'm actually not sure how it pulled the first part of your email. It can read cursory info about you... Hrm. And yes, in 1.0.03, the latest update, there's been some changes to those stand-in sprites. Those girls originally were just there to fill in for the real girls. :P
Does anyone know how to get onto the game files? I think that it would help me understand the game a bit better.
I thought you just open the game directory and some stuff is there..? >>
I should play this game forever. because i love it.
Aw, glad you enjoyed it!! I hope to add more with time. ^_^
As a 'veteran' of sorts in playing these kinds of game, this... genre as a whole, I can say that I was honestly and legtimately impressed by what you've done here my friend, really, it's amazing! I found it quite similar to DDLC, of course, but man was I still /very/ impressed and surprised by what I've played, I hadn't really expected the whole '4th wall breaking' shenanigans to tell you the truth, I was caught off guard! but I liked it! keep going will you? this has potential!
I grew up playing visual novels & point-and-click games. I conflate the two, as they're usually story driven . I'm glad you're impressed with what's been released thus far, and I do hope that everyone is willing to come along with me on this journey! Thank you kindly for the comment. :D
I love this game so much! Still trying to find the other girls and nothing will stop me from finding these sweet hearts
They're out there! >:)
i've really just started and I played for about 24 minutes. Amazing concept. A bit strategic? Or to be played by a more complex state of mind? Not too sure. Just know its amazing.
I'm hoping people can enjoy it for what it is, and to further inspire people to reflect and investigate. I can only hope it lives up to the hype it's garnered from this short demo! >_>;;
I downloaded the game several times 'couse I kept coming up with more things to check in the game or in the files x3
Anyway, I loved it! I already expected it too be unusual, but it was way more unexpected then I imagined...
I bet a lot of people are comparing it to DDLC, but I was suprised how diffrient it was despite beeing of the same genra (the premise seems to be something a lot more positive and kind of heartwarming ;v; ).
I also find it amazing how I already feel pretty attached to two characters, including 'Haruka' already even with the game being so short.
(I also found Aiko and I'm so happy, she seems so nice)
Also, the first time I played the game the three characters that were shown for a couple of seconds I think were diffrient then the ones I saw in later playthroughs, as well as the backgrounds...
I'm assuming this is intentional, but is there a way to see them again?
unless my memory's playing tricks on me...
Oh hey! Yeah, I've been making small tweaks as I work on the art. (Animations are the main thing I'm up to, as I write out the fuller plot.) I figured the secrecy of the games nature wouldn't be as surprising given DDLC exists. I immensely respect and admire Team Salvato for their work, but I'm also hopeful people will see the differences I worked hard to make clear.
They both break the fourth wall and they're both visual novels, high school setting... but then it's a different thing altogether. But this began as a short tech demo and I didn't expect it to receive as much attention as it has so soon after I made it. Its thanks to people doing Let's Plays esp. BijuuMike no doubt.
Aiko is a genuine soft sweetie, glad you got chat with her. :P I don't wanna spoil things or divulge too much.
the "original" trio is in someone's comment below! Assets are still changing and shifting, so I hope people don't mind too much. The designs that exist now are pretty close to what I want. ^_^
Thanks for the comment!
Hey! I think I found something, look..
I was just messing around with the files and I found these links, http://ns.adobe.com/xap/1.0/ http://ns.adobe.com/xap/1.0/mm/ http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#%22%3E http://ns.adobe.com/xap/1.0/sType/ResourceEvent# http://ns.adobe.com/photoshop/1.0/ and http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/ when I was reading the files I saw "We trust talia, she only wants the best for us even if it does.." "We trust talia, she only wants the best for us, even if it doesn't work, its better than what was waiting for us, thats what she said, i have to trust her" so ''Haruka'' is Talia probably. I found these links when I coppied all of the notes and sent it to my friend on discord so this is something new to finding out something ^^ I found some other thinks in the see ya file the person kept saying "See ya xx" at the end and these links were in the see ya file: http://ns.adobe.com/xap/1.0/sType/ResourceEvent# http://ns.adobe.com/photoshop/1.0/ http://ns.adobe.com/xap/1.0/mm/ http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/ http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#%22%3E http://ns.adobe.com/xap/1.0/ so that's all the information I got kids ill post more if I found out anything else!! Oh yeah and here are the pictures of the girls I got!!
yo
at the end i tried renaming haruka to talia
and it did something!
This is a brilliant game. Its so simplw but I love it! It reminds me of doki doki
*me when it says my name* Haruka : Right ######? Me : NOPE NOP ENOPE *CloSES game* noPEEEEEEEEEE (BUT GREAT GAME THO)
hey man, i enjoyed the game and i'm looking foward for what is coming next :)
i found her real name because at the end it said t---a laugh not found
im not gonna say the name because spoilers
i love the game btw
I'll be implementing a patch shortly to fix some actual errors. :P And thank you, I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
dude this looks great keep going
Thank yoooou! :DDD
I was cautious with this content because of previous experience. First I tought I have to restore/repair the girls. Could it be the warning at the start fake that it's a demo? Are the other girls already part of the game secretly? Maybe it's the game who tries to convience us not to try romance the other girls. Is the description on this page already a setup/part of game? Then I read the comments and it seems I just ovetcomplicated the things... but I'm not that far from the final concept maybe.
Thank you for the experience! I bookmarked this page. If it's possible I would like to make a translation to my native language in the future.
On one point I suspected you are Dan Salvato secretly. Cuz he can't release other similar game under his real name anymore. It would destroy the surprise.
Hello! I'm definitely not Dan Salvato, just someone who wanted to learn more about Ren'py and thought it'd be fun to approach a fourth-wall breaking VN. I understand why people think they're similar, and no doubt I acknowledge I've seen and enjoyed DDLC, but I'm hoping it stands on its own without that attachment, too! The story and characters are largely my own, though I'm currently relying on some free-to-use assets I'm desperate to replace.
All the same, I appreciate your attitude and your interest! At the moment, there really isn't any further girls. I would love to add them, but I need to find an artist and ensure I'm able to compensate them. Additionally, the story was intended to be larger, but there were material constraints. Without more characters, I felt it would artificially lengthen the experience to make it TOO long... Then again, I have rushed aspects of it, like the intro of the glitch FX. I'm hoping people are willing to give it a second chance, and to bear with me during its development.
A translation is wholly welcome! I'll continue to work on the story and the game, and am happy to look into localization options. ^_^
This demo (albeit short) was great, it brought back the fourth wall breaking, file exploring fun from Doki Doki, except this time, the main character, (and no, I don't mean the player) was acting on behalf of others instead of themselves, it's a really cool twist on what was already an amazing formula, I'm excited to see what the future of this game holds!
Spoilers:
So after finding the true ending, there's a bit of an issue with the way you find it, (it's not huge or anything) basically in the "metadata" where you find the proper name, it's written in all lowercase, but you have to actually enter the name with the first letter capitalized. (Like I said, not a big problem at all, just thought it was worth mentioning)
I was using the project to learn more about coding, and teaching myself more about Ren'py! I come from an artist background, so I'm more used to doing UI or art, rather than coding. I'm glad it came across, and you were able to access the files. I will amend the name... Kinda annoying that it's case-sensitive, but it is coding after all! Thank you for the comment!
Quick tip! In the game's folder, in the "game" subfolder (the one actually named "game") you can delete every file that ends in .rpy when you upload the game, the .rpyc files are the compressed versions of them, and are smaller, the .rpy files are just the actual code (although the game can run with either)
The game itself is good but it is short, would definitely play if you make it longer. Also I can't open the game for some reason
It's about 30~ minutes, if you're just reading. I do want to expand on it, it's just a limitation of budget + time! But I'm dedicating more time to it, and hope to have more content by the first of April! Thank you for the comment. :3
Thanks dude. B)
Haruka = TaliaFun fact: I acually found that out while watching Buji Mike play
as some have already said, it has a similar concept to Doki Doki, which i admire. i like the little details such as character movements (Haruka blinking). it has quite an interesting story to it, id love to see this be a full game with more characters and longer game play!
More characters and longer gameplay all came down to budgeting! I modded and animated the character sprite but if I wanted a full game, I would need to pay a character artist which I couldn’t at the time. However I am searching for an artist at the moment, and once that’s squared away, I’ll be able to lengthen the story! Also CGs, OST... all the polished stuff. It’s just a money thing. ;-; thank you very much!
yea no problem! i should've mentioned but bijuu mike played this (popular Youtuber)! thats how i found it in the first place
I noticed an influx from YouTube, and was kinda blown away! I feel as though people may not one it's a one person team, and that it was made in five days... Which, yay? But also I'm so nervous! I'm glad he seemed to enjoy it though! It means a lot to have someone showcase my game. ^_^ Welcome to the page and thank you again for the comment!
oops so basically i am autually new here so yea
Welcome! I laughed at your comment “oh” as it sums up the game.
IT"S DOKI DOKI LITERATURE CLUB ALL OVER AGAIN!
Similar concept from a different angle. Just a bit of fun! ;33
HEHE! True!
I love looking around to find secrets, and the storyline is so different from the other games like this!
Yeah, it's more... protective, than most games in the same genre. "For the greater good" rather than "All for me!". Thank you!
Here from "Console Her".
My thoughts:
-The use of the history tab is extremely helpful in this game, especially when text goes by almost too fast to read (which I assume is intentional).
-Perhaps not intentional, the sound effects for Haruka in the beginning scared the shit out of me and kept me on edge for the rest of the game. Also the breathing sound effects at one point were freaky. Well done!
-I wasn't quite sure what the deal with the whole "Nao" thing was; I didn't know if it was meant to be creepy (implying that you payed the game previously with another alias) or if it was a casual nickname. If creepy, then I think that the use of Nao should be help off being said directly (the scene where she mentions giving the player a new name), and should just be casually thrown into the mix without being directly acknowledged. Changing the name tag to say Nao and using it for the first time when Haruka says "I care about you Nao" is perfect. If casual, disregard, but make that scene a little more clear.
-The change in music and visual distortion was great. The plastic 3D glasses (red and blue) effect was done well on Haruka, which is hard to do without hurting the eyes to look at.
-In terms of grammar/English, I noticed that sometimes when the game goes into the narrative thing where the player talks to themselves, sometimes you say "You stepped in several times.." and sometimes it's "...Haruka is already miles ahead of me." You switch from third to first person a lot, which is something to watch out for. I would settle with one of the two. On the same topic, The bit where Haruka talks about stamina is a bit confusing. She seems to be talking about stamina being related to looking attractive but I don't really get it.
-The overall character design and backgrounds were very charming and friendly, which goes perfectly with your deeper game meaning.
-This is a type of demo, so I can't be too harsh, but Haruka's speech at the end lays it on a little thick. In other words, you may want to give the player more credit in terms of showing vs telling. The end speech was far more telling than showing. A player should be able to find the meaning of your game, without you having to tell them what the meaning is directly. Instead of telling, show them the meaning and let them put the pieces together themselves. I was having fun trying to figure the game out, but felt a bit discouraged in being handed the meaning on a silver platter. Again, this is a demo, and I don't know what the full game will look like, but something to keep in mind.
I very much liked this game, and see great potential in it! Keep up the good work; I can't wait to play the full game.
-Ren
Hey! Thank you for coming across! And thank you especially for the thoughtful comment.
- The too-fast parts to read were intentional! Several times the text is eliminated altogether, as if to pretend it didn't happen at all.
- The music and SFX can be a little loud, I meant to mix them quieter for launch, but figured it'd be better if the player could turn down the FX, rather than them being too quiet with no way to turn them up. I will tweak it a little lower as it's not meant to totally freak you out. :P
- Nao is a gender neutral name, and is a default name if you don't enter your own. You should be able to enter a name at the beginning, and then a second time when Haruka prompts you! The use of names in this game is important, esp, when it comes to Haruka's and her true name. It may be an error that it permanently changed to 'Nao' thru the whole game, as that's always up to the player's choice...
- That 3D glasses effect is just one that I super love to use and abuse. >:)
- Spelling or grammar errors are 100% my own fault. Haruka's comment about 'stamina' was about sex, in essence. A joke about stamina aka being able to last longer.
- Without giving it away, there's two endings to the game. The speech at the end definitely needs some work, to justify the journey the player goes on. Is there a specific point at which it felt that way, or is the whole section just a little too much? Feel free to point it out, I'll take it into consideration!
Thank you again for the comment! It means a lot to me that you came across, and took the time to go into detail about your experience. I'm happy to review the overall game with another pass, to better refine the way Haruka comes across. I'm trying to make it come across as genuine, not hammy... Thank you, Ren! :D
Hey,
It's totally possible that I had my volume turned up way too loud for the sound effects, but either way, I think it's fine as is :)
*misses the sex joke because I'm desensitized*
I'd love to play through the game again with this information and give you more specific details, but the game (Mac) doesn't appear to let me. It downloaded just fine, but won't seem to open. Tells me "%@" can't be found, or that "beyondyou" can't be opened.
Edit: Nevermind, the fifth download worked? Gonna roll with it.
How weird... The %@ command may be linked to the %(pn)s and %(tn)s tags, for the names in the game. In any case, I'll be either reworking the sleuthing involved or being more overt, as I'm not sure it's clear what has to be done to unlock the 'good' ending. It's kinda meta, but I don't wanna spoil the fun so early on in the process.
Does the good ending have anything to do with inputing Haruka's real name in the beginning? That was my thought, but I can't get any dialogue that mentions her real name.
It's not mentioned directly in the game, per say. It's in supplementary information. Meta-things.
technically there's 3 endings-ish (i guess more like 2.5) because if you enter the correct name at the beginning of the game, or at the ending of the game, the dialogue is slightly differed
This turned out as an interesting experience! As the updates come, will there be more added to the experience as well? Or will it remain is a short game?
Hello! I would love to have additional characters, which would in turn extend the experience. This would probably involve a character artist, as I couldn't draw in this style in a convincing enough way to be happy.
I don't ever seen it being more than a few hours, even with the extension... But more time to build tension, and some more time to develop the mystery would be ideal!
I see, I see. I'm super interested in seeing how the game will turn out! Some tension would be really good too because the game felt a little rushed, but that makes sense with it being a demo and not a full game. Can't wait to see more!
Hey, so I just wanted to let you know about a small bug I encountered. After the "do-over" at the beginning, when there's the "Of course I know your name, it's..." prompt, for some reason she always says "that's a little on the nose" unless you input Haruka, and always says "you're not one of those... nevermind..." unless you also input Haruka for that as well.
Noted -- that's the result of trying to account for multiple possibilities in one single instance, and that works and then doesn't... =-= Apologies! Thank you for letting me know tho! :D I updated the available version to remove that occurring.
That's fine. Just another thing, you didn't mark the updated versions with a platform, so they can't be downloaded on the desktop app.
I didn't use butler.... Whoops. @_@ First game woes. I'll fix it!
Oh this looks like an awesome concept! Great work!! The art is gorgeous as well!
Thank you! The art is largely free assets that I edited and compiled but appreciate the comment all the same. :P