Absolutely Loved this game when I played it, full of amazing content, great artwork etc and the whole AI leaving part made me legit cry bc I was so sad , don't want to come across as rude but I'm really curious as to weather a date has been established for the release of the second part, I know it says later this year but just curious
Thank you! We're really happy that you enjoyed our game <3
Unfortunately we don't have a clear release date right now. There were a few dates we aimed for previously but ultimately we had to delay the release of the second half (If you're interested, we elaborated a bit on this in last week's devlog). Right now we're trying to finish the game as quickly as possible but to avoid another delay we'll hold off on announcing another release date until we're really sure that we can make it in time
awa!! i just played it and wowie it's amazing!! I love!! Its really sad that it only has one part, but i wish good luck to the developer(s)!!
the dialogue seems very realistic and flows well, the art is just oN POINT!! and i love all the character designs too! golly gee literally everything about this game is amazing and wowowowowow
Aw, thank you! We're really happy to hear that you liked it! And thanks for the good luck! There's still quite a bit of work left, but we'll try to keep everyone posted on our progress.
I'm a trans gal who struggles with depression and dropped out of college and has a buncha other issues. I even have been saying to myself, no joke, how much I'd appreciate having a personal assistant that's more useful than like, siri or whatever.
I only played like 40 minutes of this but I legit started playing this game feeling pretty depressed and I stopped for now but I'm actually feeling hopeful. Idk if you thought this game would have this kinda impact on people but it's definitely having an impact on me.
We were hoping that people could connect with the game because it's about a few things that are important to us. Giving a hopeful outlook on situations like the one Teal is facing is definitely one of our goals although unfortunately it's not complete yet so the conclusion is still missing. Above all we wanted the story to feel genuine and even if things aren't always great, we wanted to keep at least a small bit of positivity. The second half will hopefully add to that because the current ending isn't how it will ultimately end, but it will still take a few weeks until it's ready.
We're happy that something we made could make you feel a little more hopeful and we hope things will get better for you! (Although we know how difficult it is to deal with depression) Thanks for playing <3
i agree with like everything she said. everything is the same for me. i felt a huge power trip being able to be so productive and socialize and do all the stuff. i afterwards played the route where i just declined everything cause thats how i really am lol
im really looking forward to the full release..
and like yeah i love the pronoun/attraction/character selection choice at the start since its so important and a easy way to make youre game so much more accessible for lgbt folk. im working on a visual novel myself and i have made the pronouns being selectable
We're really happy to hear that! The second half will differ quite a bit depending on the decisions from the first half but we hope that each path will expand a bit on everything that's already there.
We were trying to make the game more inclusive with the pronoun and preference selection so it's always great to hear when it's appreciated! And it's always exciting to see other games that add options like this because we'd love to see the medium become more inclusive! Good luck with your visual novel and thanks for playing our game <3
I found this game yesterday and I got hooked! The writing and art is wonderful and I'm in love with the characters and concept! I also loved the whole choosing pronouns and sexuality thing, it's something I wish was implemented in more games so I thank you guys for it!!
I don't usually leave reviews so I don't know what to say but this game was really good! Thank you guys for putting so much care into it and I can't wait for part 2! B^)
We also hope that it will become more common to let players choose pronouns and preferences in games (especially when there's romance). The wait for part 2 shouldn't be too long now but we'll announce more when we can say for sure!
Man, I played this like, what a few months ago, and I loved it. The cutoff part was amazingly heart wrenching. The art is, so amazing its so soft in colour. I don't even know where to begin or start with the amazing characters, but everything is so awesome and adorable. The music fits the mood and its just perfect. There is obviously a lot of love and care that has been put into this project.
Thank you so much for the kind words! We just started this project because we wanted to make a visual novel but seeing the response has been amazing. We're really happy that you enjoyed the game and we'll do our best to make the second half just as good!
I have never enjoyed a visual novel so much, I have played this about a month ago and wondered if part two would ever come out. However the Dev logs had given me a new found hope, I was extremely pleased to find out the game was being worked on (and that we were updated every week). I have found it challenging to fill the hole in my soul you guys made with that cliffhanger and I eagerly await for part 2 .
We want to make sure that the game turns out good, so don't worry, we won't rush it. Even so, we'll do our best to finish it soon and comments like this one give us even more motivation to keep going.
I played this like... a month ago? and I feel in love with it from the start! it already got my interest with the "choose gender and interest" but once I played I found out that it was so much more than that! Maybe I love this so much because I find the protagonist to be like me 100% but even so the rest of the story, the world, the characters... it's all so charming! I really wish to see this finished and I'll wait for as long as it takes.
Thank you so much! We're really happy that you enjoy the game! There has been a bit of a delay but we're trying to finish the rest of the game in September, so hopefully it won't be that much of a wait anymore. We're excited for people to play the full game and we hope you'll enjoy the second half, too <3
this game rocks. I love everything about it. Unfortunately I didn't realize it was unfinished. Now I'm emotionally invested in the story and eagerly awaiting part 2 ;~;
I love the art style as well as the music! The feeling of wanting to accomplish something while being unmotivated was all too real. And I also want to become an artist but question if I'm cut out for it. Even the way that the protagonist worded it made me relate. The only two things that I didn't relate to was the protagonist's love for pizza and anime, and that they are an only child. Anyways, I love the game and can't wait for the second part.
Ps. That Fire Emblem poster in the bedroom was a pleasant surprise.
Thank you! We're happy to hear you enjoyed the game! The doubts and worries of the protagonist partly come from personal experiences, so we know how difficult it can be to let go of such feelings. Dealing with that is one of the major themes of the game, so we're always happy to see when our story resonates with people. Even if we're in no position to give advice we hope you find out what works for you and we'll try to finish part 2 in the near future so you can experience the full game!
This is such a great game, I can't wait for part 2!
[This is gonna contain some spoilers btw]
I love the pastel colors and the art style, it's so cute, also I felt so happy that I could choose they/them pronouns and the sexual/romantic preferences. I found the mc so relatable it's kinda sad, but Snow is my favorite character i love them so much I wanna hug them. Is that weird? Sorry, they're a smol bean I need to protect.
I was confused cause I got the male version of Joyce and here were I live (Brazil) Joyce is a "girl's name", but that's okay I got used to it, I still can't believe what happened to him at the end, I got so attached to him.
Phoenix... I love her too ugh all the characters are awesome, I need to know who will the art competition! I'm so into this game I started playing it last night and here I am writing a comment about it.
Thank you! We're really happy that you liked our game and the characters! We tried to choose gender-neutral names for everyone but apparently that didn't quite work out for Joyce :'D It's good to hear that you got used to it though.
We'll try to finish part 2 as soon as possible but we will announce more as soon as we can estimate a more specific date. Thanks for playing <3
I love this game so much! I just finished part 1, and so far the art is amazing, and I've already fallen for the story itself!
I really enjoy how you have the ability to choose your gender and sexual preference, seeing as most games in this genre don't. Going back to the art, it is absolutely stunning. It's pleasing to eye, isn't overwhelmed with too many details, and has amazing colors! The MC actually has a personality, and is actually relatable! (Which isn't the case for many games)
I honestly can't express how much I love this game! Im excited to see the second part!
Thank you so much! We are really happy to hear this! By the time part 2 is finished there will be quite a bit more art, too so we hope you'll enjoy that as well :D
I had heard of this game before and I was waiting for it to come out, and - boy - am I glad I remebered it! I've just finished playing the first part and I'm completely hooked! I can't wait to see what happens next.
What first picked my interest in the game was the cute art (it's really so so cute) and the fact that you could pick they/them pronouns for the main character (as well as choosing their appearence); but I've already played two walkthroughs of the game and the plot is so good as well! I play a lot of visual novels, but most of the times I just find the main characters to be a complete snooze, which is certainly not the case with Teal! Teal (as well as all the other characters) is just so real and has so much personality... Urg, it's great.
Thank you for the kind words! We're really happy that you enjoyed the game! It's great to hear that the plot holds up for multiple playthroughs and that you like Teal and the others. Part 2 is still in development but we're excited to share it soon as it's ready! (Hopefully in August :'D) Thanks for playing <3
I'm barely into this game, but thank you for making Them/They pronouns an option. I only know of two other games that allow that (Hustle Cat and The Arcana, for anyone interested). As a nonbinary person, it makes me feel happy to be inclulded in things like a visual novel. Thank you!
[Edit]
So I just finished two playthroughs of this game and I can't wait for the next part! Honestly I was confused at the romantic and sexual preference, forgot about it, then played a second time, choosing the opposite of what I did the first time, and it made some sense. I do like how you incorporated the choices into the game. I look forward to the second part!
It's great to hear that you felt included! Seeing how many people appreciate it, adding gender neutral pronouns turned out to be one of our better decisions and we're really glad we included it!
We thought about clearer ways to frame the romantic and sexual preferences but this was the best we could think of without completely breaking the fourth wall :'D
We're happy you look forward to Part 2! And thanks for playing (multiple times even <3)
Just finished part one and I made an account specifically to comment!
I loved this game. Loved loved loved it. The concept, characters, the art, the writing - I loved all of it. All of the characters are incredibly likable, the dialogue is believable, and while the story is simple, everything else surrounding it keeps your interest and attention, so you never feel bored with it.
The art was honestly what caught my eye first, but then I read the description. I'm such a sucker for AI, androids, robots, etc, and so when I saw Joyce mentioned, I was immediately interested! Then I read further and I noticed players would be able to pick gender-neutral pronouns and their romantic & sexual preferences and as a nonbinary person I said to myself, "I have to give this game a try." I am so, so glad I did.
[SPOILERS]
I was incredibly sad to see Joyce go, but seeing comments that he's (he was the male version in my playthrough) going to return in part two depending on what choices you make relieved the heck out of me! I also just love the name 'Joyce'. What a perfect name for such a splendid AI.
I could gush more about this game but then my comment would end up being far too long, so I'll leave things as they are here. Absolutely great job on this game, and I can tell a lot of hard work was put into it!
Thank you for all the kind words <3 We're really happy that you like our game so much!
We'd love to see more games add gender neutral pronouns to their character choices. Especially because just from a writing perspective it's not much more work than having binary options.
We're happy we stuck with Joyce as a name, too! There were a few other names we came up with during conception but we decided on this one pretty quickly :'D
Looking back there really was quite a bit of work and effort that went into this so we'll continue to do our best to make Part 2 good!
Finished part 1, and I have to say that I ADORE the game.
Things I loved: The art is so retro and pastel and vivid, and the music is also fitting. The option to choose gender and sexual orientation was awesome too. I really like the MC; I found that I could really relate to her artistic struggles and identity crisis. There were so many pleasant things about the game mechanics and the way you guys executed a simple concept. I loved interacted with different customers at the store, how sweet our boss is, and grabbing food with Phoenix, of course. One of my favorite parts was when Joyce directly addressed our escapism/solitude and though it made me pretty sad, he decided to leave.
Something I wasn't crazy about: There was a lot of clicking through the text, to the point where I became pretty restless. Granted, heavy text is a given with a visual novel, but it often felt like most of the lines didn't contribute anything. For instance, in the last argument we have with Joyce, it seemed like we were just talking in circles for a few minutes. The same applied when everyday MC would ponder over what to do--I felt that the lines could have been condensed! Just a personal opinion.
Overall, I find the MC refreshing and relatable, and the game beautifully designed. There's something very peaceful and relaxing about the game. I'm currently in the midst of applications and AP testing, and finding this gem was really made my morning. I cannot wait for Part 2, and I wish you guys the best of luck!
(Also I'm now in love with Phoenix and his fashion and his beautiful character design oooops)
Thank you so much! We're really happy you like the game :D It's always great to hear that people can relate to the story and the characters (maybe save for the unpleasant aspects that might come from it :'D) and we're happy you found so many moments of the game enjoyable!
Also thanks for the feedback! You do make a valid point with the heavy text. Since this was originally made for a game jam we didn't get nearly as much time for editing as we would have liked so while we are working on part 2 we are also trying to refine part 1 some more.
Thanks for the good luck and we're looking forward to finishing part 2 as well!
I've finished part one RIGHT NOW, and I feel the need to comment on the spot!
So, first of all, the general aspect - I love it! The art style is very pleasing. It's not too saturated with details, but remains very polished and fits the story and characters perfectly. Music is also pretty nice!
I really like how you can choose the main character's gender (up to non-binary!) and the sexual preferences. It may be a bit surprising, but the ability to choose the prefereces (and the fact that the other characters adapt to that) is something I see far less frequently than the ability to choose the MC's gender. And it was a really pleasant surprise!
The characters are also very interesting, and I love how you can influence the way they see each other in a very realistic and complex way by including very random choices such as working or not and things like that.
Now, this has it's downsides too, but to be honest the downsides are more about my personal preferences than about it being a bad or a good thing per se. Actually, I think lots of people would like it - I guess I'm the weird one haha! So, what I'm talking about is the very relatable situation Teal is in, and the overall realism of what's happening in their life. The game talks about escapism among other things, and to be honest I often need some of it to be able to overcome troubles, and this game itself is some kind of escapism right now, since I'm basically in the same situation as Teal is right now, except I don't even have a work. It's kind of stressful to play a game trying not to think about the troubles you have for a while on days when you can't do anything about it, and seeing the game shows you the exact same situation XD - but well, as I've said, I think most people would think it's appealing, and besides I guess I stumbled upon this game at a bad time too.
That ending got me so traumatized oh my god nooooo!!! I... had a feeling something like that may happen, but that was still awful! I mostly expected that test with the AI will end, and Joyce would be forced to leave, not something like that. But it also makes me curious... is there a way to actually prevent that from happening, or is it the default ending for part 1 (minus small differences depending on the choices, of course)?
I also like Snow a lot. I wish they were older and also a romance option haha! The part when Teal was so adamant about their theory on the book without knowing Snow was the author was really cute and funny.
Anyway, creators, if you read this - thank you for making such a lovely game! It's always a pleasure to have a game featuring a (hopefully) romanceable AI/robot/other character!
Thank you so much for writing this comment <3 We're really happy you like the game! Being able to choose gender and preferences is something we're always happy to see in a game like this ourselves so including it was one of the first decisions we made. And it's great to hear that it's appreciated!
We're sorry to hear that you are in a difficult situation right now and wish you the best of luck that it will get better soon! Escapism is something probably most people deal with in some way and parts of Teal's and Joyce's views on it definitely come from personal experiences. So it was important to us not to paint it as either entirely bad or good since there are usually more complex issues involved. Even if the game may have failed at serving as a distraction we hope that this aspect wasn't entirely unpleasant for you :'D
The ending of part 1 is always like this. It would be nice if there was a way to change it but since the events of part 2 are affected by it quite a bit, it would have been too big of a branching point for us to handle.
And don't worry, Joyce is romanceable and if you choose to look for them, they'll appear again in part 2 ;)
Yeah, I figured so, about the escapism thing, and don't worry - while I didn't like this specific aspect, everything else was great and Teal is very cute and charming, so it wasn't too hard to overlook either!
And I totally understand about the ending of part 1. It's not like I'd WANT it to be different, since it was a great scene in my opinion. But if it was possible, I'd have tried to do the other ending too, of course XD
OMG the male joyce is cute! He's got that adorable ponytail and those cool threads. He is so lovely and mmmmm.... I hope he comes back to part 2 (I cried at the end so sad)
okay so i made an account for this site specifically to comment on this page........ this game is my new favorite. i finished it in 2 days and i loved it and have been so excited for part 2 ever since, I want to teleport into the game and give Phoenix a hug, please make this an option in part 2.
Thank you so much for saying this! We're happy you like the game and there will definitely be some more opportunities to spend time with Phoenix in part 2! There will also be an option to get closer to Phoenix but any hugs this might entail will probably stay virtual ;)
oh gosh... um, i've never commented before so please forgive me if i get a little rambly..! i really, really liked this game! the art was lovely (i love the way the lines are colored, as well as how it's simple and soft and easy to digest. i also really love the color work on the eyes! phoenix's eyes are very pretty) and the interface is really nice and smooth-- also, um, i'll admit i downloaded this game with some trepidation (i'm so sorry!!) since i've seen games like this before and not particularly grown attached to them in any way, but this completely blew me out of the water!
i also really felt a lot of empathy towards teal with all the art struggles... i'm in much of a similar situation, so... ahaha, it might be a bit self indulgent, but i was really attached to them, and seeing them get a good result (in p1 at least!) made me feel... a lot better, actually.
so thank you very much for all your hard work making this game!! i really, really enjoyed it, and i'm super looking forward to the rest of it!
Thank you so much for writing this comment! We're really happy you like our game :D It was one of our goals that the story and Teal are relatable so it's great to hear that this was the case for you! Parts of Teal's story come from a fairly personal place so we hope you could take something from it and we're happy that that the results of part one made you feel better! Even if we can't say yet when exactly the rest of the game will be finished, we'll do our best to make it good and hope you'll enjoy that as well <3
Thank you! We don't have a specific date yet but we'll try to finish it before summer. We'll announce more when we have a better idea when exactly the second part will be complete
Well, what can we say... :'D We're happy you're looking forward to part 2! And our smol bean may or may not make an appearance again - it's up to you ;) Thanks for playing!
Hi :) The game is very nice, the best thing probably that the story is very relatable :D Though I doubt anyone has motivating AI... (It would be nice though :D) I love your art and I'll be waiting for the second half! (Cliffhangers kill me T_T)
P.S. I believe there is something not right with sprites of AI and MC not showing near the end of the game. (Maybe it's meant to be this way, I'm sorry to bother you >_<)
Thank you! We're glad you like it <3 The last scene was unfortunately unfinished up until now but with the latest update the sprites should display correctly! We're still working on updating some other things but the bulk of Part One is pretty much final now (And it's no bother at all, don't worry :D)
There's nothing I have got to say about this besides the fact that I am extremely hyped for part two! Only thing is, I made a huge mistake and didn't save after the cliffhanger and I'm going to have to replay it haha rip. But ye, hype train chuga chuga choo choo!!
Thank you! But also oh no... maybe we should make it clearer that you go back to the main menu after the cliffhanger. On the bright side by the time you replay it we probably also got around to polish everything some more :'D But we're really happy you liked it and look forward to part two!
Hey!! I must say that I really enjoyed playing the first part! I love the fact that you can choose your gender and prefernce you can really see that you care that the player has a full body experience. Also the art style and the designs for the characters are amazing. The genderbends of the characters are perfect!! The story is also super interesting !! I can't wait for the next part. Thank you so much for creating and sharing this game with us !
Thank you so much! Being able to choose gender and preferences was important to us from the beginning. So we're happy you like it :D We'll do our best to finish the rest of the game as soon as possible but we can't say when exactly it will be done yet
Hello! The game is really great so far! <3 I've got a question tho, who exactly are the romance options? Is Phoenix included, or just the AI's? Thanks for your hard work!<3
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Amazing game so far, I'll be looking forward for more of it!
Thank you! We're happy you enjoyed it <3
Absolutely Loved this game when I played it, full of amazing content, great artwork etc and the whole AI leaving part made me legit cry bc I was so sad , don't want to come across as rude but I'm really curious as to weather a date has been established for the release of the second part, I know it says later this year but just curious
Thank you! We're really happy that you enjoyed our game <3
Unfortunately we don't have a clear release date right now. There were a few dates we aimed for previously but ultimately we had to delay the release of the second half (If you're interested, we elaborated a bit on this in last week's devlog). Right now we're trying to finish the game as quickly as possible but to avoid another delay we'll hold off on announcing another release date until we're really sure that we can make it in time
Amazing first half, looking forward to where the story goes!
Thank you! We're happy you like it <3
awa!! i just played it and wowie it's amazing!! I love!! Its really sad that it only has one part, but i wish good luck to the developer(s)!!
the dialogue seems very realistic and flows well, the art is just oN POINT!! and i love all the character designs too! golly gee literally everything about this game is amazing and wowowowowow
cant wait for the 2nd part! (>uo)b
Aw, thank you! We're really happy to hear that you liked it!
And thanks for the good luck! There's still quite a bit of work left, but we'll try to keep everyone posted on our progress.
Thanks for playing <3
kawaii
ﾟ･:*｡o(〃＾▽＾〃)o｡*:･ﾟ
This game is..... really hitting home for me.
I'm a trans gal who struggles with depression and dropped out of college and has a buncha other issues. I even have been saying to myself, no joke, how much I'd appreciate having a personal assistant that's more useful than like, siri or whatever.
I only played like 40 minutes of this but I legit started playing this game feeling pretty depressed and I stopped for now but I'm actually feeling hopeful. Idk if you thought this game would have this kinda impact on people but it's definitely having an impact on me.
We were hoping that people could connect with the game because it's about a few things that are important to us. Giving a hopeful outlook on situations like the one Teal is facing is definitely one of our goals although unfortunately it's not complete yet so the conclusion is still missing.
Above all we wanted the story to feel genuine and even if things aren't always great, we wanted to keep at least a small bit of positivity. The second half will hopefully add to that because the current ending isn't how it will ultimately end, but it will still take a few weeks until it's ready.
We're happy that something we made could make you feel a little more hopeful and we hope things will get better for you! (Although we know how difficult it is to deal with depression)
Thanks for playing <3
i agree with like everything she said. everything is the same for me. i felt a huge power trip being able to be so productive and socialize and do all the stuff. i afterwards played the route where i just declined everything cause thats how i really am lol
im really looking forward to the full release..
and like yeah i love the pronoun/attraction/character selection choice at the start since its so important and a easy way to make youre game so much more accessible for lgbt folk. im working on a visual novel myself and i have made the pronouns being selectable
We're really happy to hear that! The second half will differ quite a bit depending on the decisions from the first half but we hope that each path will expand a bit on everything that's already there.
We were trying to make the game more inclusive with the pronoun and preference selection so it's always great to hear when it's appreciated! And it's always exciting to see other games that add options like this because we'd love to see the medium become more inclusive! Good luck with your visual novel and thanks for playing our game <3
No offense taken my friendo, I'm actually doing a lil better now since I posted that comment, mainly due to the professional help I've been getting.
But seriously thanks for saying that, that was really nice of you <3
I found this game yesterday and I got hooked! The writing and art is wonderful and I'm in love with the characters and concept! I also loved the whole choosing pronouns and sexuality thing, it's something I wish was implemented in more games so I thank you guys for it!!
I don't usually leave reviews so I don't know what to say but this game was really good! Thank you guys for putting so much care into it and I can't wait for part 2! B^)
Thank you! We're happy you like the game!
We also hope that it will become more common to let players choose pronouns and preferences in games (especially when there's romance).
The wait for part 2 shouldn't be too long now but we'll announce more when we can say for sure!
Thanks for playing (and commenting) <3
Man, I played this like, what a few months ago, and I loved it. The cutoff part was amazingly heart wrenching. The art is, so amazing its so soft in colour. I don't even know where to begin or start with the amazing characters, but everything is so awesome and adorable. The music fits the mood and its just perfect. There is obviously a lot of love and care that has been put into this project.
Thank you so much for the kind words! We just started this project because we wanted to make a visual novel but seeing the response has been amazing. We're really happy that you enjoyed the game and we'll do our best to make the second half just as good!
Thank you so much Boys Laugh!
I have never enjoyed a visual novel so much, I have played this about a month ago and wondered if part two would ever come out. However the Dev logs had given me a new found hope, I was extremely pleased to find out the game was being worked on (and that we were updated every week). I have found it challenging to fill the hole in my soul you guys made with that cliffhanger and I eagerly await for part 2 .
P.S. Don't rush it
P.S.S Not that you would :)
Thank you! This really means a lot to us <3
We want to make sure that the game turns out good, so don't worry, we won't rush it.
Even so, we'll do our best to finish it soon and comments like this one give us even more motivation to keep going.
So thank you! We're happy you like our game!
I played this like... a month ago? and I feel in love with it from the start! it already got my interest with the "choose gender and interest" but once I played I found out that it was so much more than that! Maybe I love this so much because I find the protagonist to be like me 100% but even so the rest of the story, the world, the characters... it's all so charming! I really wish to see this finished and I'll wait for as long as it takes.
Thank you so much! We're really happy that you enjoy the game!
There has been a bit of a delay but we're trying to finish the rest of the game in September, so hopefully it won't be that much of a wait anymore. We're excited for people to play the full game and we hope you'll enjoy the second half, too <3
this game rocks. I love everything about it. Unfortunately I didn't realize it was unfinished. Now I'm emotionally invested in the story and eagerly awaiting part 2 ;~;
Thank you! We're happy you like it!
And sorry about the wait. We'll try to finish part 2 as soon as possible!
I love the art style as well as the music! The feeling of wanting to accomplish something while being unmotivated was all too real. And I also want to become an artist but question if I'm cut out for it. Even the way that the protagonist worded it made me relate. The only two things that I didn't relate to was the protagonist's love for pizza and anime, and that they are an only child. Anyways, I love the game and can't wait for the second part.
Ps. That Fire Emblem poster in the bedroom was a pleasant surprise.
Thank you! We're happy to hear you enjoyed the game!
The doubts and worries of the protagonist partly come from personal experiences, so we know how difficult it can be to let go of such feelings. Dealing with that is one of the major themes of the game, so we're always happy to see when our story resonates with people. Even if we're in no position to give advice we hope you find out what works for you and we'll try to finish part 2 in the near future so you can experience the full game!
Thanks for playing <3
This is such a great game, I can't wait for part 2!
[This is gonna contain some spoilers btw]
I love the pastel colors and the art style, it's so cute, also I felt so happy that I could choose they/them pronouns and the sexual/romantic preferences. I found the mc so relatable it's kinda sad, but Snow is my favorite character i love them so much I wanna hug them. Is that weird? Sorry, they're a smol bean I need to protect.
I was confused cause I got the male version of Joyce and here were I live (Brazil) Joyce is a "girl's name", but that's okay I got used to it, I still can't believe what happened to him at the end, I got so attached to him.
Phoenix... I love her too ugh all the characters are awesome, I need to know who will the art competition! I'm so into this game I started playing it last night and here I am writing a comment about it.
Thank you! We're really happy that you liked our game and the characters!
We tried to choose gender-neutral names for everyone but apparently that didn't quite work out for Joyce :'D
It's good to hear that you got used to it though.
We'll try to finish part 2 as soon as possible but we will announce more as soon as we can estimate a more specific date.
Thanks for playing <3
I love this game so much! I just finished part 1, and so far the art is amazing, and I've already fallen for the story itself!
I really enjoy how you have the ability to choose your gender and sexual preference, seeing as most games in this genre don't. Going back to the art, it is absolutely stunning. It's pleasing to eye, isn't overwhelmed with too many details, and has amazing colors! The MC actually has a personality, and is actually relatable! (Which isn't the case for many games)
I honestly can't express how much I love this game! Im excited to see the second part!
Thank you so much! We are really happy to hear this!
By the time part 2 is finished there will be quite a bit more art, too so we hope you'll enjoy that as well :D
Thanks for playing <3
I had heard of this game before and I was waiting for it to come out, and - boy - am I glad I remebered it! I've just finished playing the first part and I'm completely hooked! I can't wait to see what happens next.
What first picked my interest in the game was the cute art (it's really so so cute) and the fact that you could pick they/them pronouns for the main character (as well as choosing their appearence); but I've already played two walkthroughs of the game and the plot is so good as well! I play a lot of visual novels, but most of the times I just find the main characters to be a complete snooze, which is certainly not the case with Teal! Teal (as well as all the other characters) is just so real and has so much personality... Urg, it's great.
I'm really looking foward to the next part!
Thank you for the kind words! We're really happy that you enjoyed the game! It's great to hear that the plot holds up for multiple playthroughs and that you like Teal and the others. Part 2 is still in development but we're excited to share it soon as it's ready! (Hopefully in August :'D)
Thanks for playing <3
I'm barely into this game, but thank you for making Them/They pronouns an option. I only know of two other games that allow that (Hustle Cat and The Arcana, for anyone interested). As a nonbinary person, it makes me feel happy to be inclulded in things like a visual novel. Thank you!
[Edit]
So I just finished two playthroughs of this game and I can't wait for the next part! Honestly I was confused at the romantic and sexual preference, forgot about it, then played a second time, choosing the opposite of what I did the first time, and it made some sense. I do like how you incorporated the choices into the game. I look forward to the second part!
It's great to hear that you felt included! Seeing how many people appreciate it, adding gender neutral pronouns turned out to be one of our better decisions and we're really glad we included it!
We thought about clearer ways to frame the romantic and sexual preferences but this was the best we could think of without completely breaking the fourth wall :'D
We're happy you look forward to Part 2! And thanks for playing (multiple times even <3)
Just finished part one and I made an account specifically to comment!
I loved this game. Loved loved loved it. The concept, characters, the art, the writing - I loved all of it. All of the characters are incredibly likable, the dialogue is believable, and while the story is simple, everything else surrounding it keeps your interest and attention, so you never feel bored with it.
The art was honestly what caught my eye first, but then I read the description. I'm such a sucker for AI, androids, robots, etc, and so when I saw Joyce mentioned, I was immediately interested! Then I read further and I noticed players would be able to pick gender-neutral pronouns and their romantic & sexual preferences and as a nonbinary person I said to myself, "I have to give this game a try." I am so, so glad I did.
[SPOILERS]
I was incredibly sad to see Joyce go, but seeing comments that he's (he was the male version in my playthrough) going to return in part two depending on what choices you make relieved the heck out of me! I also just love the name 'Joyce'. What a perfect name for such a splendid AI.
I could gush more about this game but then my comment would end up being far too long, so I'll leave things as they are here. Absolutely great job on this game, and I can tell a lot of hard work was put into it!
Can't wait for part two!
Thank you for all the kind words <3 We're really happy that you like our game so much!
We'd love to see more games add gender neutral pronouns to their character choices. Especially because just from a writing perspective it's not much more work than having binary options.
We're happy we stuck with Joyce as a name, too! There were a few other names we came up with during conception but we decided on this one pretty quickly :'D
Looking back there really was quite a bit of work and effort that went into this so we'll continue to do our best to make Part 2 good!
Thanks for playing (and commenting) <3
Finished part 1, and I have to say that I ADORE the game.
Things I loved: The art is so retro and pastel and vivid, and the music is also fitting. The option to choose gender and sexual orientation was awesome too. I really like the MC; I found that I could really relate to her artistic struggles and identity crisis. There were so many pleasant things about the game mechanics and the way you guys executed a simple concept. I loved interacted with different customers at the store, how sweet our boss is, and grabbing food with Phoenix, of course. One of my favorite parts was when Joyce directly addressed our escapism/solitude and though it made me pretty sad, he decided to leave.
Something I wasn't crazy about: There was a lot of clicking through the text, to the point where I became pretty restless. Granted, heavy text is a given with a visual novel, but it often felt like most of the lines didn't contribute anything. For instance, in the last argument we have with Joyce, it seemed like we were just talking in circles for a few minutes. The same applied when everyday MC would ponder over what to do--I felt that the lines could have been condensed! Just a personal opinion.
Overall, I find the MC refreshing and relatable, and the game beautifully designed. There's something very peaceful and relaxing about the game. I'm currently in the midst of applications and AP testing, and finding this gem was really made my morning. I cannot wait for Part 2, and I wish you guys the best of luck!
(Also I'm now in love with Phoenix and his fashion and his beautiful character design oooops)
Thank you so much! We're really happy you like the game :D
It's always great to hear that people can relate to the story and the characters (maybe save for the unpleasant aspects that might come from it :'D) and we're happy you found so many moments of the game enjoyable!
Also thanks for the feedback! You do make a valid point with the heavy text. Since this was originally made for a game jam we didn't get nearly as much time for editing as we would have liked so while we are working on part 2 we are also trying to refine part 1 some more.
Thanks for the good luck and we're looking forward to finishing part 2 as well!
I've finished part one RIGHT NOW, and I feel the need to comment on the spot!
So, first of all, the general aspect - I love it! The art style is very pleasing. It's not too saturated with details, but remains very polished and fits the story and characters perfectly. Music is also pretty nice!
I really like how you can choose the main character's gender (up to non-binary!) and the sexual preferences. It may be a bit surprising, but the ability to choose the prefereces (and the fact that the other characters adapt to that) is something I see far less frequently than the ability to choose the MC's gender. And it was a really pleasant surprise!
The characters are also very interesting, and I love how you can influence the way they see each other in a very realistic and complex way by including very random choices such as working or not and things like that.
Now, this has it's downsides too, but to be honest the downsides are more about my personal preferences than about it being a bad or a good thing per se. Actually, I think lots of people would like it - I guess I'm the weird one haha! So, what I'm talking about is the very relatable situation Teal is in, and the overall realism of what's happening in their life. The game talks about escapism among other things, and to be honest I often need some of it to be able to overcome troubles, and this game itself is some kind of escapism right now, since I'm basically in the same situation as Teal is right now, except I don't even have a work. It's kind of stressful to play a game trying not to think about the troubles you have for a while on days when you can't do anything about it, and seeing the game shows you the exact same situation XD - but well, as I've said, I think most people would think it's appealing, and besides I guess I stumbled upon this game at a bad time too.
Now, depressing things aside...
------------------SPOILER WARNING!!!--------------------
That ending got me so traumatized oh my god nooooo!!! I... had a feeling something like that may happen, but that was still awful! I mostly expected that test with the AI will end, and Joyce would be forced to leave, not something like that. But it also makes me curious... is there a way to actually prevent that from happening, or is it the default ending for part 1 (minus small differences depending on the choices, of course)?
I also like Snow a lot. I wish they were older and also a romance option haha! The part when Teal was so adamant about their theory on the book without knowing Snow was the author was really cute and funny.
Anyway, creators, if you read this - thank you for making such a lovely game! It's always a pleasure to have a game featuring a (hopefully) romanceable AI/robot/other character!
Thank you so much for writing this comment <3 We're really happy you like the game!
Being able to choose gender and preferences is something we're always happy to see in a game like this ourselves so including it was one of the first decisions we made. And it's great to hear that it's appreciated!
We're sorry to hear that you are in a difficult situation right now and wish you the best of luck that it will get better soon!
Escapism is something probably most people deal with in some way and parts of Teal's and Joyce's views on it definitely come from personal experiences. So it was important to us not to paint it as either entirely bad or good since there are usually more complex issues involved.
Even if the game may have failed at serving as a distraction we hope that this aspect wasn't entirely unpleasant for you :'D
The ending of part 1 is always like this. It would be nice if there was a way to change it but since the events of part 2 are affected by it quite a bit, it would have been too big of a branching point for us to handle.
And don't worry, Joyce is romanceable and if you choose to look for them, they'll appear again in part 2 ;)
Yeah, I figured so, about the escapism thing, and don't worry - while I didn't like this specific aspect, everything else was great and Teal is very cute and charming, so it wasn't too hard to overlook either!
And I totally understand about the ending of part 1. It's not like I'd WANT it to be different, since it was a great scene in my opinion. But if it was possible, I'd have tried to do the other ending too, of course XD
OMG the male joyce is cute! He's got that adorable ponytail and those cool threads. He is so lovely and mmmmm.... I hope he comes back to part 2 (I cried at the end so sad)
We're happy you like him :D And not to spoil anything but if you want to, this won't be the last time you see Joyce ;)
okay so i made an account for this site specifically to comment on this page........ this game is my new favorite. i finished it in 2 days and i loved it and have been so excited for part 2 ever since, I want to teleport into the game and give Phoenix a hug, please make this an option in part 2.
Thank you so much for saying this! We're happy you like the game and there will definitely be some more opportunities to spend time with Phoenix in part 2! There will also be an option to get closer to Phoenix but any hugs this might entail will probably stay virtual ;)
Hello, guys! I wonder - how to contact you by email? :)
Hello! You can contact us via support@boyslaughplus.moe
oh gosh... um, i've never commented before so please forgive me if i get a little rambly..! i really, really liked this game! the art was lovely (i love the way the lines are colored, as well as how it's simple and soft and easy to digest. i also really love the color work on the eyes! phoenix's eyes are very pretty) and the interface is really nice and smooth-- also, um, i'll admit i downloaded this game with some trepidation (i'm so sorry!!) since i've seen games like this before and not particularly grown attached to them in any way, but this completely blew me out of the water!
i also really felt a lot of empathy towards teal with all the art struggles... i'm in much of a similar situation, so... ahaha, it might be a bit self indulgent, but i was really attached to them, and seeing them get a good result (in p1 at least!) made me feel... a lot better, actually.
so thank you very much for all your hard work making this game!! i really, really enjoyed it, and i'm super looking forward to the rest of it!
Thank you so much for writing this comment! We're really happy you like our game :D
It was one of our goals that the story and Teal are relatable so it's great to hear that this was the case for you! Parts of Teal's story come from a fairly personal place so we hope you could take something from it and we're happy that that the results of part one made you feel better! Even if we can't say yet when exactly the rest of the game will be finished, we'll do our best to make it good and hope you'll enjoy that as well <3
really liked your game. when will the 2nd part be released?
Thank you! We don't have a specific date yet but we'll try to finish it before summer. We'll announce more when we have a better idea when exactly the second part will be complete
THE ENDING LEFT ME SAD AS FUCK MY SMOL BEAN LEFT ME MY EYES STARTED TO LEAK IM HYPED AS FUCK FOR PART 2 THO
Well, what can we say... :'D We're happy you're looking forward to part 2! And our smol bean may or may not make an appearance again - it's up to you ;) Thanks for playing!
Hi :) The game is very nice, the best thing probably that the story is very relatable :D Though I doubt anyone has motivating AI... (It would be nice though :D) I love your art and I'll be waiting for the second half! (Cliffhangers kill me T_T)
P.S. I believe there is something not right with sprites of AI and MC not showing near the end of the game. (Maybe it's meant to be this way, I'm sorry to bother you >_<)
Thank you! We're glad you like it <3
The last scene was unfortunately unfinished up until now but with the latest update the sprites should display correctly! We're still working on updating some other things but the bulk of Part One is pretty much final now (And it's no bother at all, don't worry :D)
I'll be looking forward to updates! ^-^
There's nothing I have got to say about this besides the fact that I am extremely hyped for part two! Only thing is, I made a huge mistake and didn't save after the cliffhanger and I'm going to have to replay it haha rip. But ye, hype train chuga chuga choo choo!!
☆*:.｡.o(≧▽≦)o.｡.:*☆
Thank you! But also oh no... maybe we should make it clearer that you go back to the main menu after the cliffhanger. On the bright side by the time you replay it we probably also got around to polish everything some more :'D But we're really happy you liked it and look forward to part two!
Hey!! I must say that I really enjoyed playing the first part! I love the fact that you can choose your gender and prefernce you can really see that you care that the player has a full body experience. Also the art style and the designs for the characters are amazing. The genderbends of the characters are perfect!! The story is also super interesting !! I can't wait for the next part. Thank you so much for creating and sharing this game with us !
Thank you so much! Being able to choose gender and preferences was important to us from the beginning. So we're happy you like it :D We'll do our best to finish the rest of the game as soon as possible but we can't say when exactly it will be done yet
Hello! The game is really great so far! <3 I've got a question tho, who exactly are the romance options? Is Phoenix included, or just the AI's? Thanks for your hard work!<3
Thank you <3 We're happy to hear that! And yes, Phoenix is a romance option (even though Joyce gets a lot more screen time in the first half :'D)
Oh yeay! Thank you so much, both are absolute cuties. *^* Have a great day!!<33