Goodness me, I've had this exact experience with some of my projects. This game really hits home in a very beautiful way, beyond the melancholy. An incredible achievement to the team!
This was such a beautiful game and it has touched me to my very core.
First of all, the details of adding devs' games or characters into the main menu and Zoë's room was super cute <3 I really love seeing that, it makes me happy（｡>‿‿<｡ ）
Secondly, the art, music, voice acting and GUI were all GREAT! They complemented each other so well and were really fitting for the story!
And last, but certainly not least, the WRITING! It was my favorite part, for sure! I relate a whole lot to Zoë's feelings!! Making games is something that is both a wonderful experience as well as something that comes with a lot of struggles. And that...includes receiving bad faith reviews. When a person "goes to the trouble" of making a review that goes so much into detail about everything that's "wrong" with a game and can't see anything positive at all... I personally think that says more about them than about the one who made the game. Being overly negative in a review doesn't really feel like feedback anymore. Good feedback is constructive, NOT destructive. Good feedback is insightful, NOT insensitive. Good feedback unfussy, NOT judgemental. Good feedback is empathetic, NOT vain.
It's true that we're never going to make games that everyone likes but, as Zoë's friend said, there are always going to be people who relate to them and like them. One person's opinion isn't all that matters. They can certainly get you down when they spout stuff like this (which I would honestly argue comes from a place of either envy, insecurity, projection or elitism), but, at the end of the day, they're not going to succeed in killing our passion for games 💪
I've had a talk like this once and it was very relatable. Also I love all the graphic aspect in the game, the sprite is very pretty and the chatbox looked like it was a real stream!
Forgot to leave a review earlier but this was great! I expected no less from this team and I certainly wasn't disappointed. It definitely hit home in a way that other commenters have accurately pointed out already.
This game is a small moment, certainly, and it's very much a "dev's game." (But hey, we're all devs here.) But lovely execution. The voice acting was great as well, and the overall look-and-feel.
GODDDDDDD THIS HIT ME STRAIGHT IN EVERY SINGLE FEEL AND SYNAPSE AND HEART COCKLE I POSSESS????
This is literally like. THE quintessential game dev experience. Every single doubt we have. Every single tear we shed. Every single moment of demotivation, of heartbreak, of insecurity, of wanting to throw everything away but not not not NOT being able to because at the end of the day no matter how many tears we shed or how much sweat we put into things, we can't stop. Because there's something there that's always driving us. And it's why we do this despite the fact that there isn't exactly a lot of reward from it besides getting our stories and ideas and characters out there and hoping there will be others who can relate to and connect with them.
Ok that was a ramble LMAOOOO
But really. I resonate so so so much with every Zoë said. With every doubt she relayed. Getting bad reviews is like... the worst feeling in the world. And it can be absolutely crushing. Getting bad star ratings with no comments attached is bad enough -- you can like, convince yourself it's just a troll or a jerk or maybe even someone who didn't even play it and just is being mean -- but to have someone go into infinesimal detail about everything they personal found "wrong" with something you poured your heart and soul into is absolutely crushing. And despite how much we can try to tell ourselves that it's just one person and there may be plenty of others who do in fact like it, it's basically impossible to put it out of your mind and have it stop weighing on your entire spirit (which then can demotivate you from continuing to work on stuff, since the normal happy feeling you get from working on your stuff is tainted by their words) I really liked at least how we as the friend in this game could encourage Zoë enough to give her the motivation back to keep pushing. We all need someone like that honestly. Someone who has our back even when external factors are trying to cut us down. And that's also why having such a supporting community of others in the same situation, or other friends who have been with us every step of the way, is so important. Game dev is already isolating enough!! Having at least someone else there beside you can help you in those (unavoidable) moments where you just want to throw in the towel.
UMMM TO TALK MORE ABOUT THE GAME THOUGH love love LOVEDDDDD the GUI???? It was so unique and fun! And the set up with having the text on the right and Zoë's sprite on the left was so good??? And the title screen! And all the little cameos! Literally everything about it was just like... a love-letter to game dev in general and brought such a smile to my face. And the voice acting for Zoë was phenomenal, as well!! Some of the emotion in those lines made my eyes get all foggy, particularly when it was something I had felt and could relate to so much myself.
Just absolutely fantastic overall. Fantasically made. Fantastically written. Fantastically voice acted. And fantastically imbued right into the very soul of all the other game devs it's speaking to. Just very cathartic to play and know that... that none of us are alone in our thoughts. And we all go through these struggles. But a wonderful reminder of why it is we do what we do in the first place. And honestly all of us need to remember and re-hear this (and literally re-experience it, in this case) from time to time. Thank you for this!! 💕
I'm loving the conversation! Zoë is very relatable. I'm glad she cheered up (I believe many of us needed to hear that too).
I love the overall GUI look, how well they're all put together! Little icons for other games is a very cute touch! The VA did amazingly, it's as if I'm really calling her! I had great experience. Thank you for releasing a fun game, team!
Aww this game made me tear up! It was so sweet (and painfully relatable). I really adored the entire premise - offering some words of comfort to your friend when she's feeling down about her accomplishments. As I was playing I got really absorbed into the relationship between Zoe and the MC! The dialogue was so heartfelt and realistically written. I love how most of the game consists of the player listening to Zoe's worries, with only occasional interjections to lift her spirits or help reframe her state of mind. I won't lie, my utter lack of social prowess led me to get the bad ending multiple times (and reminded me of how bad I am at comforting people apparently fgdfgdfg), but it did make the good ending feel all the sweeter!
EVERY aspect of this game was very polished! The logo is gorgeous, I loved every bit of the UI, the texting screen looked SO good, the background is lovely, and the background music is really pleasant! An extra special shoutout to the VA! Her performance was really wonderful, and she brought so much emotion to her portrayal of the character!
There are SO many fun Easter eggs, and I was honestly surprised at HOW many things were clickable... dsfdsfsds when I saw the malewives gremlins list and the VN backlog on the credits page I was crying (for a different reason than before...) It was really fun trying to find them all! (And thank you very much for the shoutout!)
This game was so heartwarming, and as a dev that has experienced some less than stellar reviews, I really found it to be validating and personal too! I want a friend like the MC! And I got really invested in Zoe's character and her journey. I hope she succeeds!
Aside from that, this game is so well polished, the UI is so sexy haha. The voice acting is also very convincing, I could really relate to Zoe as a character and feel bad for what she's going through.
I loved playing around with the GUI and taking a quick look at the other games I should def get to! It was really fun talking to Zoe and trying to cheer her up. The MC had great relatable dialogue too (Derank ehheheh). Great work!
I am such a sucker for chatsims so I knew that I'd love this game!! The UI is wonderful, I love all the interactable easter eggs on the start screen especially :) Zoe is incredibly relatable and the VA did an amazing job! Really enjoyed the writing, my fav interaction was between Zoe and MC about their derank to gold LOL Very well polished and a great use of O2A2 restrictions ^^
ooh, this has very pretty ui, art, and the voicing sounds really good too! i tend to find english voices in vns a bit hit or miss, but zoe's voice acting is very convincing!
this is very polished! you all did a great job!
also, i'm a mean person, so i enjoy that you have the option of not picking up zoe's call and ending the game within 1 second hahaha, it was a fun little touch which made it that bit more interactive.
Hey! I played the game and it was a very nice entry!
First, let's get it out of the way: the GUI was gorgeous, the sprite art was gorgeous, the background was gorgeous, the music track was so great and appropriate, the voice acting was excellent, emotional when it had to and light-hearted too! A great support for the story (+ Zoë and Zoe is a match made in heaven)! The little easter egg, with the games from the team on the main menu was very cool!!!
Story-wise, I enjoyed it, it obviously felt very relatable, haha! Zoë's doubts, excitement for her project, conflict between making it marketable and making it about passion... Yes, it felt so authentic! So thanks for making it!!
(+) wow, it respected all O2A2 restrictions without feeling like it, honestly!! Congrats on that too! The team did a great work!!!
EDIT: forgot to mention it as I included it in GUI, but I should since it was made by a different person: the logo is fire!!!!!!!!
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SSOOOO COOL!!I LOVE THE VOICE OVER!
Wow, I deranked to Silver because of this game!1 Rito pls!! Also, who's chopping onions?! 😭
Thank you for sharing this beautiful reminder! 💖
Also, Ghostly Crimes and Missile T-shirt?! LET'S GOOOOOOO 🐶
Goodness me, I've had this exact experience with some of my projects. This game really hits home in a very beautiful way, beyond the melancholy. An incredible achievement to the team!
What a novel idea :)
This was such a beautiful game and it has touched me to my very core.
First of all, the details of adding devs' games or characters into the main menu and Zoë's room was super cute <3 I really love seeing that, it makes me happy（｡>‿‿<｡ ）
Secondly, the art, music, voice acting and GUI were all GREAT! They complemented each other so well and were really fitting for the story!
And last, but certainly not least, the WRITING! It was my favorite part, for sure! I relate a whole lot to Zoë's feelings!! Making games is something that is both a wonderful experience as well as something that comes with a lot of struggles. And that...includes receiving bad faith reviews. When a person "goes to the trouble" of making a review that goes so much into detail about everything that's "wrong" with a game and can't see anything positive at all... I personally think that says more about them than about the one who made the game. Being overly negative in a review doesn't really feel like feedback anymore. Good feedback is constructive, NOT destructive. Good feedback is insightful, NOT insensitive. Good feedback unfussy, NOT judgemental. Good feedback is empathetic, NOT vain.
It's true that we're never going to make games that everyone likes but, as Zoë's friend said, there are always going to be people who relate to them and like them. One person's opinion isn't all that matters. They can certainly get you down when they spout stuff like this (which I would honestly argue comes from a place of either envy, insecurity, projection or elitism), but, at the end of the day, they're not going to succeed in killing our passion for games 💪
Awesome job Kristi and team! ٩(*•͈ ꇴ •͈*)و ̑̑❀
I've had a talk like this once and it was very relatable.
Also I love all the graphic aspect in the game, the sprite is very pretty and the chatbox looked like it was a real stream!
Forgot to leave a review earlier but this was great! I expected no less from this team and I certainly wasn't disappointed. It definitely hit home in a way that other commenters have accurately pointed out already.
Thanks for making it. :) <3
WHO GAVE YOU PERMISSION TO HAVE SUCH GOOD ART.
This game is a small moment, certainly, and it's very much a "dev's game." (But hey, we're all devs here.) But lovely execution. The voice acting was great as well, and the overall look-and-feel.
GODDDDDDD THIS HIT ME STRAIGHT IN EVERY SINGLE FEEL AND SYNAPSE AND HEART COCKLE I POSSESS????
This is literally like. THE quintessential game dev experience. Every single doubt we have. Every single tear we shed. Every single moment of demotivation, of heartbreak, of insecurity, of wanting to throw everything away but not not not NOT being able to because at the end of the day no matter how many tears we shed or how much sweat we put into things, we can't stop. Because there's something there that's always driving us. And it's why we do this despite the fact that there isn't exactly a lot of reward from it besides getting our stories and ideas and characters out there and hoping there will be others who can relate to and connect with them.
Ok that was a ramble LMAOOOO
But really. I resonate so so so much with every Zoë said. With every doubt she relayed. Getting bad reviews is like... the worst feeling in the world. And it can be absolutely crushing. Getting bad star ratings with no comments attached is bad enough -- you can like, convince yourself it's just a troll or a jerk or maybe even someone who didn't even play it and just is being mean -- but to have someone go into infinesimal detail about everything they personal found "wrong" with something you poured your heart and soul into is absolutely crushing. And despite how much we can try to tell ourselves that it's just one person and there may be plenty of others who do in fact like it, it's basically impossible to put it out of your mind and have it stop weighing on your entire spirit (which then can demotivate you from continuing to work on stuff, since the normal happy feeling you get from working on your stuff is tainted by their words) I really liked at least how we as the friend in this game could encourage Zoë enough to give her the motivation back to keep pushing. We all need someone like that honestly. Someone who has our back even when external factors are trying to cut us down. And that's also why having such a supporting community of others in the same situation, or other friends who have been with us every step of the way, is so important. Game dev is already isolating enough!! Having at least someone else there beside you can help you in those (unavoidable) moments where you just want to throw in the towel.
UMMM TO TALK MORE ABOUT THE GAME THOUGH love love LOVEDDDDD the GUI???? It was so unique and fun! And the set up with having the text on the right and Zoë's sprite on the left was so good??? And the title screen! And all the little cameos! Literally everything about it was just like... a love-letter to game dev in general and brought such a smile to my face. And the voice acting for Zoë was phenomenal, as well!! Some of the emotion in those lines made my eyes get all foggy, particularly when it was something I had felt and could relate to so much myself.
Just absolutely fantastic overall. Fantasically made. Fantastically written. Fantastically voice acted. And fantastically imbued right into the very soul of all the other game devs it's speaking to. Just very cathartic to play and know that... that none of us are alone in our thoughts. And we all go through these struggles. But a wonderful reminder of why it is we do what we do in the first place. And honestly all of us need to remember and re-hear this (and literally re-experience it, in this case) from time to time. Thank you for this!! 💕
I'm loving the conversation! Zoë is very relatable. I'm glad she cheered up (I believe many of us needed to hear that too).
I love the overall GUI look, how well they're all put together! Little icons for other games is a very cute touch! The VA did amazingly, it's as if I'm really calling her! I had great experience. Thank you for releasing a fun game, team!
Aww this game made me tear up! It was so sweet (and painfully relatable). I really adored the entire premise - offering some words of comfort to your friend when she's feeling down about her accomplishments. As I was playing I got really absorbed into the relationship between Zoe and the MC! The dialogue was so heartfelt and realistically written. I love how most of the game consists of the player listening to Zoe's worries, with only occasional interjections to lift her spirits or help reframe her state of mind. I won't lie, my utter lack of social prowess led me to get the bad ending multiple times (and reminded me of how bad I am at comforting people apparently fgdfgdfg), but it did make the good ending feel all the sweeter!
EVERY aspect of this game was very polished! The logo is gorgeous, I loved every bit of the UI, the texting screen looked SO good, the background is lovely, and the background music is really pleasant! An extra special shoutout to the VA! Her performance was really wonderful, and she brought so much emotion to her portrayal of the character!
There are SO many fun Easter eggs, and I was honestly surprised at HOW many things were clickable... dsfdsfsds when I saw the malewives gremlins list and the VN backlog on the credits page I was crying (for a different reason than before...) It was really fun trying to find them all! (And thank you very much for the shoutout!)
This game was so heartwarming, and as a dev that has experienced some less than stellar reviews, I really found it to be validating and personal too! I want a friend like the MC! And I got really invested in Zoe's character and her journey. I hope she succeeds!
Really fantastic work by the team!
MISSILE T SHIRT MISSILE T SHIRT
Aside from that, this game is so well polished, the UI is so sexy haha. The voice acting is also very convincing, I could really relate to Zoe as a character and feel bad for what she's going through.
I loved playing around with the GUI and taking a quick look at the other games I should def get to! It was really fun talking to Zoe and trying to cheer her up. The MC had great relatable dialogue too (Derank ehheheh). Great work!
woah! this was very touching <3 absolutely wonderful voice acting as well!
Awwww poor detective zoe, now I wanna try the game in the game hehe
I like how there's lil links to other VNs, reminds me there's a bit on my to play list to get to!
This was extremely beautiful and validating. <3
the ui is really awesome and i love how you sprinkled some really cool vn's lol. this really feels like me andy friends random 3am chats lol
I am such a sucker for chatsims so I knew that I'd love this game!! The UI is wonderful, I love all the interactable easter eggs on the start screen especially :)
Zoe is incredibly relatable and the VA did an amazing job!
Really enjoyed the writing, my fav interaction was between Zoe and MC about their derank to gold LOL
Very well polished and a great use of O2A2 restrictions ^^
A beautiful game—relatable, too!
I loved the little touches with the eastereggs ✨
ooh, this has very pretty ui, art, and the voicing sounds really good too! i tend to find english voices in vns a bit hit or miss, but zoe's voice acting is very convincing!
this is very polished! you all did a great job!
also, i'm a mean person, so i enjoy that you have the option of not picking up zoe's call and ending the game within 1 second hahaha, it was a fun little touch which made it that bit more interactive.
Hey! I played the game and it was a very nice entry!
First, let's get it out of the way: the GUI was gorgeous, the sprite art was gorgeous, the background was gorgeous, the music track was so great and appropriate, the voice acting was excellent, emotional when it had to and light-hearted too! A great support for the story (+ Zoë and Zoe is a match made in heaven)! The little easter egg, with the games from the team on the main menu was very cool!!!
Story-wise, I enjoyed it, it obviously felt very relatable, haha! Zoë's doubts, excitement for her project, conflict between making it marketable and making it about passion... Yes, it felt so authentic! So thanks for making it!!
(+) wow, it respected all O2A2 restrictions without feeling like it, honestly!! Congrats on that too! The team did a great work!!!
EDIT: forgot to mention it as I included it in GUI, but I should since it was made by a different person: the logo is fire!!!!!!!!
Oooh now that'll hit any dev out there hard. Really great short piece about the side of things that players might not usually know about, great job
Also I love clickable things so the clickable little icons in the main screen... chef's kiss