One Thousand Lies
A downloadable game for Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android
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- Added RussianJan 18, 2019
A downloadable game for Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android
Click download now to get access to the following files:
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You are The best comedy visual novel creator on itch.io, pls keep making more like this.
It was so good. I'll forever remember this visual novel.
I remember playing this game back when I was in middle school and loving it, I'm college now. It was the first visual novel I ever played, so it makes me quite nostalgic, I think I'll play it again, since it once meant so much to me. So thanks to the people who created it for the memories!
I'm sorry but I couldn't do it. Everything screams r/im14andthisisdeep. Writing style is like me when I was 14 and trying to be fancy and deep and pretentious. I suppose they're children so it's no wonder but it's too much. The breakup scene in the beginning omg.. "Even knowing the suffering that awaits me" god sounds like an incel, not saying they are as I can't finish the game so I wouldnt know. Nobody speaks like this. It's like a weeb trying to be super deep or the emo kid thinking they're super special and nobody else understands!! It's painful to read. The opening block of text is so pretentious without actually saying anything. It's just reiterating what people learn eventually but angsty teen style. Then everything else is also sprinkle with pretentiousness. I got the heebie-jeebies lol. Brought back too many memories 😂
Story
One Thousands Lies is a high school coming-of-age story focused on 6 students during their last year before graduation. The story focuses on their interactions in the present while alluding to some traumatic past events that have had a hand in shaping their path to where they are now. To the point of the title, the tale is a study in how all of us, whether subconsciously or not, try to influence the narrative surrounding our lives and choices, both for others and for ourselves — even if our attempts are sometimes nothing more than an exercise in deception and misdirection.
Through the everyday adventures of the main character and his orbit of friends, we start to get a sense of the shape of critical events that have shaped their view of the world, their place in it, and their relationships to each other. The "peeling of the onion" proceeds slowly, and most of the critical reveals occur in the epilogue, "One Hidden Truth", which is only available to play through once the main body of the novel has been completed. This is intentional; the story takes great pains to emphasize that for every truth that is core to our being, there are a thousand stories, explanations, justifications and deceptions that we weave around ourselves to protect ourselves and others from the thorny facets of our existence that we are reticent about or ashamed to confront.
At times the story grows burdensome under the weight of its own introspective and philosophical meanderings, but the emotional impact of the story is worth the frequently rambling journey.
Characters
The 6 main characters of the story are all very well developed. Diniz is perhaps the most opaque in terms of character development, but that is in a way simply intrinsic to his personality. Each character has their own quirks, and when they're not busy waxing philosophical, their interactions are hilarious and, at times, stirring.
My main objection to the heavy philosophical musings is that they are conveyed via high school students. It's rare to find young adults that age who analyze life, the universe and everything in such intricate detail. Consequently, the internal musings of the main character stretch the limit of plausibility, and when deep analysis of humanity starts to spill out into the dialogue between characters, it downright undermines the immersion. Yes, the story is trying to weave a set of concepts in preparation for the big reveal at the end; but in the absence of other, older characters who can serve as a platform for such observations, there remains little choice but to deliver the concepts through the most unlikely of demographics.
Interestingly, one of my favorite characters — for situational comedy — isn't a leading characters and doesn't even have a visual representation: the substitute teacher. I laughed every time the substitute teacher became haplessly involved in yet another prank, and of course the twist toward the end had me in stitches. (No spoilers.)
Graphics
The backdrops to this visual novel are very impressionist, which serves well to keep attention focused on the characters themselves. Each character is beautifully portrayed, with many different poses to convey the right mood at each point in the conversations. A few select scenes feature full in-scene character placement to further bring the characters to life during key moments in the story, and these are beautifully done as well.
The main character is not represented graphically; use your imagination. Most side characters (of which there are few) also do not have a graphical representation.
Sound and Music
The music appears to be largely composed of free-to-use or public domain content. The songs are diverse and well selected to support the storytelling; some reinforce the quirky relationships of the characters, and others do a good job of underscoring the more poignant moments of the story. A music player available from the main menu lets the reader play any of the tracks they have heard so far in the story and also doubles as a place to give attribution.
Sound effects are used judiciously but are well done and do help bring parts of the story to life more.
Gameplay and Controls
This is a kinetic visual novel. There are no choices to be made; you are simply reading a story with visuals. Interface is standard Ren'Py. The on-screen interface is intuitive enough for mouse usage, but the game does not have any sort of help screen for the keyboard interface (always appreciated since the game engine doesn't come with an out-of-the-box help screen).
Interestingly, the "Skip" function is enabled, which for a visual novel without any interactive elements, causes it to speed forward all the way to the end of the novel. Also, a recurring gripe I have with Ren'Py is that "Skip" is mapped to the Tab key, and it also reacts on key-up when using Alt+Tab to switch back into Ren'Py from another application — thereby triggering a Skip when it wasn't desired.
Conclusion
This is a beautifully portrayed story with fun, engaging characters. It suffers only from a top-heavy encumbrance of introspective ruminations and philosophical dialogue, which probably could have been more smartly presented by relying on the reader's ability to discern the author's perspective through more subtle conveyances. The result is a number of awkward speed bumps in the storytelling; but otherwise the shenanigans are fun and entertaining, the emotional moments are appropriately poignant, and the final reveals are especially impactful.
Definitely worth a read!
Like a gateway drug into visual novels.
I first read this on recommendation from a dude in the forums(those still exist) of a manga reading website, and I fell in love once I got around to playing it. Now, 2 years later, I'm revisiting it and its still just as good as I remember.
It does have some of the trappings of anime, the art style being the most obvious, but I still think it would stand on its own for someone not familiar with anime, its got a good amount of romance, but the philosophical and melancholic scenes are where it really shines.
But hey, I'm just a random guy on the internet, the game is literally free, at least download it.
Am I really gonna comment when the release was like 5 years ago? Sure! Why not?
HEAVY SPOILERS AHEAD
I really wanted to say that this vn is bad but I can't, the reason why I say that it's bad is because the story feels like it's made for critics or is made to be deep and with pretty big amounts of exposition.
The thing about this story is that its not made to please the viewer at all, especially the main character, basically everything bad that happens is his fault he is in the wrong pretty much all the time, in hindsight this guy pretty much stalked Luce sent the mails to himself so he could spark conflict and speak to her and broke into her apartment, and in the one hidden truth epilogue she was fine with it (to be fair it is teased that that didn't happen yet and its just a story), my man stabbed himself and cut ties with his friends to justify the fact that he wasn't blamed more for stopping the work on the building, his friends don't help much either Ziva just stood there not taking serious action even tho he was going out with him and Diniz did the same and Ausse being comic relief most of the time, also the fact that Claire wasn't real was kinda expected but still felt like bs on an emotional level and given the fact that he was acknowledged by Ausse at some point as being real. The fact that this is a kinetic novel also makes things worse because you cant control what girl you end up with, which also makes it less enjoyable (I actually liked Ziva more than I should have and would have liked an ending for her)
Now erase all I said above.
This vn was actually very good, feelings can't be controlled, sadness and depression can't be controlled, this game shows a very realistic scenario a human mind could work, sometimes people just self destruct and see the world however the want to see it and other people cant change their mind, people just get crushed under the weight of their own burden, cant take things back and shut themselves from other's out of guilt. I actually think the heroines are top tier, all very well written and cute, I cant help but root for all of them, all have good points and are way more realistic than the average vn heroine that is 95% fluff. There are also some funny moments like the speech Ausse gives at the school festival, the bit at the beginning and some nice references. Also the twists in the story are insane you actually cant really predict a lot of things that are gonna happen, especially in the epilogue I would not have imagined in a thousand years that he would stab himself.
I feel like this is at least 8.5/10 if I'm being critical but I'm gonna go with 10/10 because things with way less effort get a 10 and it's made by an english developer.
If you wondering if you should try this, the answer is yes* with an asterisk. In hindsight I should have probably focused on my studies more.
Okay. Where do I start, my taking 3 months to finish this because I just never wanted it to end or confronting the emptiest dark wholesome lie that is left within me after waiting so long only to be met with That end.
My One truth. In true Ciaran fashion I choose to run away from both those options.
Instead.My thoughts posed as questions and vice versa that will contain spoilers:
Ciaran cut his friends off? not much explanation as to why besides some psychological word Olympics (English literature student here) I understood the words and that they may have been lies in an of itself but maybe just like Ziva I am annoying and over psychoanalyse everything because it just doesn't add up to me.
Am I just missing the point? Is that the charm? Missing the point?
I may seem accusatory so I'll explain myself. Ciaran is a stoic man of his word and chronic gambler, is that the lie? Because throughout the story his traits seem to be of someone who would see tough things as too much effort and yet wouldn't avoid them for the sake of his friends. The same dude who knew Ausse enough to know that he wasn't lying about being a virgin. Obviously I don't know him so I might be wrong, I guess, I just feel kind of betrayed because Ciaran seemed to be a chaotic good or lawful neutral person when it really made a difference and yet at the end his character just makes a decision that is full 180° at graduation.
More questions that are more direct, straightforward and easier to answer posed as, well, questions:
1.Ciaran loves Claire?
2.Ciaran broke up with Ziva?
2.2.CIARAN AND ZIVA WERE DATING?
3.The animals in the wolf story reflect his friends?
4.Ciaran is actually schizophrenic which would explain the Bald Bastard being everywhere and working as everything on top of being able to serve dishes so fast and grenades that blow up with a bang releasing was it airsoft bullets? Comedic relief? I understand.?
5.I'm just butthurt because I thought Ziva was reallly good to Ciaran, but got broken up with for fucking legal loli Claire?
All in all I really liked this visual novel, I put in 17 hours making sure I read the text properly. I could of forgotten things too since I played it over a span of 3 months, so forgive me if I said something wrong or stupid.
You got no time to be reading this long crap but if you did please do let me know if I'm wrong or if you just are of a different opinion.
Except with regards to best girl, it's obviously
Bald BastardZiva. I'm not wrong on that.Have you read One Hidden Truth? It's an extra chapter that explains some of your questions. Click it on the main menu.
I don't really try a lot of human visual novels, But this particular one caught not just mine, But also my best friends attention too. we will be trying this out so thank you for making this wonderful game ^^
-Made a Video.
and i have finished the game again! i'd probably want to change the summary of this game from "a bunch of normal students making an impression of kokichi oma on each other with a bit of romance as well" to "five insane students and a sleepy nerd discuss psychology while annoying each other". because really, everyone but diniz is insane or crazy in some way or another.
i still love the game, and i'm still obsessed with it and may not stop recommending it to everyone who makes eye contact with me in the internet. glad i somehow came across this, this is one of the three games that hooked me into visual novels, so of course i love it
also, i am still in the warpath against ciaran as he declared that anyone who picks bulbasaur as their starter pokémon is his public enemy no 1.
Why the fuck would you make the option to download for free?! this was soooooooo fucking good (just finished it) holy mother fucking Christ was this good! Are you a god? A demon? a master of story writing? ALL?! fuck you how fucking dare you make such a good fucking visual novel! no seriously how could you fucking do this? nothing will beat it! FUCK YOU!
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it so much. Hope it gets beaten by my new novel Lotus Reverie (coming soon) though! :)
I have the website bookmarked, definitely will buy!
I'm making this a weekly chill series on my youtube channel I just got through the prologue but i'm realling enjoying it so far. Will write a bit further when I experience it to its fullest! I acutally happen to come by this by accident, I dont usually play many visual novels but OTL really caught my eye.
Awesome in the actual sense of the word. The depths this visual novel goes to is astounding. After completing it I was so depressed and I had to surf reddit for an hour before I came down from the (for lack of a better or even existent word) emotional low this game gave me. Every character and scene is just marvelously crafted until it ends in a heart-shattering finale that left me empty and sad but fulfilled at the same time. Still don't know what the prize on graduation day was going to be though.
// very spoily stuff below so if you haven't played this game yet do so it's very good, and if you haven't finished it, please do. //
that took around 6 hours. this is probably the greatest story i ever experienced so far. here's what I think of the six main characters in the story:
ausse - character development practically just starts and ends with "girls" and "skirt chaser". he seems a bit more shallow than the rest of the cast but maybe it's just me. he, of course, does have his own moments like the party,
sleddesk race and his clinic scene, but still... maybe i'm just half repulsed by his personality. oh and he also broke the 4th wall by mentioning fanserviceciaran - a well sculpted mc. the description here practically sums up my opinion on him, but the flashback scene in OHT... why... also bulbasaur is the best kanto starter and there's nothing he can do to stop or @ me
claire - by the time of the rooftop scene i'm thinking that claire is mostly defined by "stalker" and "insane", then of course she hit my feels in a few of the next scenes like her proposal in the streets and the mall scene after ciaran's outburst on ziva
diniz - on my first few hours I half thought diniz was mostly just a joke character added to the description here, and my other half thought wonders if he'll be appearing in the next scene. then the first meeting happened. he's also kinda relatable too as he's a nice guy with interests in gaming + he seems smart
luce -
best girl don't @ mebut seriously she's almost as relatable as diniz as she's a friendly, bright girl who likes art. and also very very helpful. except during that entire stealing a car thing which seems normal then since I didn't really know who she is, but now it feels a bit more out of character since now I portray her as the good and sane girlziva - a
witchwho loves talkingnonstopaboutnonsensepsychology (which is really interesting) and is actuallynot tolerableyet another relatable character. I feel like she is practically the main trio (her, ciaran and ausse)'s leader and it fits so well due to her personality. she also prefers doing everything by herself instead of with groups so that's another relatable thingI really love the description of the game here, and especially ziva's profile, as it gives the characters a bit more of a colorful personality. I also love the epilogue (One Hidden Truth) except the part where ciaran just stabs his foot, that was definitely uncalled for, and should be removed or at least made less graphic (although it really isn't graphic). the image scenes I think highlighted the most important scenes of the game (the rooftop scene, the evening pool scene, claire's piano scene, the argument(?) with ziva, the classroom scene with luce, the proposal, and the sunrise stairs scene in the epilogue. also I like how the epilogue references things you may already have forgotten by this point, most especially the chain binding three people (who is revealed to be ciaran, diniz and ziva) from the prologue. speaking of the prologue, that's probably the only noteworthy thing there, since I don't think the pianist or the apprentice made a proper appearance in the story, but that's probably just me.
and also this convo between claire and ciaran "On the other hand, I'd rather observe everything from afar." "That's just a nice way of saying that you enjoy watching me suffer." is my new mood quote now thanks
<3 <3 <3
not yet through with this game (4 hours in with 3 pictures discovered but the pics are mostly endgame), but my fairly speedy reading speed (i often click once to reveal all the text, read quickly, and move on to the next dialogue box without skipping a beat) could mean that i’m one scene away from finishing this game just like another visual novel i loved...
all i can describe my book’s cover opinion in this game can be summed up with “a bunch of normal students making an impression of kokichi (from danganronpa) on each other with a bit of romance as well”, but of course you do not trust a book by its cover, as this is a really heartwarming and lovely story. <3
i wonder what’ll the ending be? and i wonder whether you or someone else who finished the game will press the reply button to spoil me the ending...
[SPOILERS AHEAD]
Hello, Mr.Keinart. I'd like to thank you for creating this game. I'm in a spot in my life where I'm stuck in my room at night with no internet and only my phone to accompany me and I desperately needed a "visual novel kind of friend". Most visual novels I know of put emphasis on romance and generally are very gimmicky. So when I saw that you openly declare that there is no hentai/choice, that convinced me to give it a shot. "The author has a story to tell it would seem. I am exactly in a mood to listen to one". And oh boy was I in luck with that choice. It was everything I wanted from the experience and then some. It took time to get accustomed to your whole work tbh. The corky introduction of the game on this very page with the main character giving vibes of a jerk, the sophisticated, confusing and rather long intro to the story that I, might as well confess, eventually skipped at first to clarify if I'll even commit to the game.. I think it's safe to say that to an extent you are testing your reader, so that only the right reader would choose you. Take me for one, after skipping that intro, I find myself bamboozled again, getting pranked by everyone including protagonist himself. Not exactly a thing to make me confident about reading the whole thing. But something did stuck with me about the whole thing. Something about it worked. And I think that something is a direct extension of the talent you poured into the game.
Now having completed it, I learned a lot of interesting insights from comment section here and on steam. I myself am a very simple, short sighted person, I never manage to "solve" a story on my own. Heck, I was just like "Please choose Claire!" for the entire second half of the game and then after marriage proposal I was like "Oh wow, that's a bit of an overkill, but damn I'll take it!". Now though.. I find it pleasant how you called Claire "special". Her way of channeling truth into the world in most unusual ways, completely and harmlessly piercing through all of Ciaran's complicated defences.. I guess she really is too good to be truth :d
I am generally pondering some of the details now, it will definitely take me second playthrough at some point to get more things sorted out. You seem to imply that the Baldy guy has a certain role too. Since OTL is altered in many ways by Ciaran's twisted good intent, it's tough to say what is real and what's not at times. His first encounter was an incoming punishment that luckily and unexpectedly was avoided. His later encounters all seem to overcomplicate a routine reality to Ciaran, and arguably all of them have something to do with Luce. Especially his school combat encounter made me think he is, in a way, Ciaran seeking to be punished, needing things to be tough to make sense. The restaurant encounter is probably Ciaran overcoming even that with Luce by his side. Maybe. Idk. As I said, I'm bad at this.
The savefiles having peculiar names is also a very nice touch to which I payed attention too late into the game. For example "Story of the last syzygy". I suppose in the game syzygy implies a line made out of Earth, Moon and Sun. And the last syzygy is perhaps the last time when Ciaran treats Claire and Luce equally, in a sense that they are both in his reach. On that day, Ciaran decides to embrace the moon and give up on the sun, thus it's the last syzygy.
The way OHT presents us Ciaran is interesting too. Now it's a dark, lonely(as it turns out) room with a silhouette on his computer, a way less charming, magical image than a mastermind that everyone subtly adores in OTL. Sets the tone nicely. And the box turning out to be empty, when Luce herself is around, just like the other side of the phone call turning out to be silent.. she was the delivery all along, the perfect image that somehow happened to have a living form, to Ciaran's astonishment.
It is also interesting how we get almost random hints of there being a different story going on behind the one we actually get to see unfold. Diniz appeared kind of out of nowhere. So did last talk to Ziva. It became more and more apparent that it's not your typical story of a guy choosing between three hotties. Ciaran has his own background, not exactly a protagonist of ours after all.
But what I wanted to tell you the most is how the most impact the game made on me wasn't the story, or amazing flow you mixed into it with dynamic pacing, comedy and deception, or the amount of themes and stuff you sneaked in it every here and there. No. Truth be told, I don't know what it was. I just know it was something else. Having played the game, seeing Ciaran endure tons of teasing, something that I'd personally never handle(making it a bit hard for me to strongly fall for Luce), thinking over about his phantom pain connected to his emotions.. The sense of "playing the role" this story gives is something else. It invites me to think differently about things. It invites me to be above things even in a state of misery, which is confusing, daring, absurd... and life affirming. It will take me time to process how I feel. I wonder if this is the impact you intended. Regardless, yet again, thank you for making it.
Thank you a lot for the comment dayfly! It means the world to me to receive this kind of thoughtful feedback.
You mentioned tons of things there! I really like that it made you think this much, that was the idea in a sense. To think and question while having a good time, that's all I ever wanted out of this and knowing it did for you is great. Especially if at the end it left you with some sense of loss, but still hopeful (for a reason hope is the final message of the game!).
The beginning being lacking is something that I thought about. The idea was to make a huge contrast of it with the rest of the story to make clear it is a different story and narrator, but I think I could have handled it differently. Probably my biggest mistake of the book now in retrospective, but as you say it also filters out people which was probably for the best on the long term.
Anyway thanks a lot, listening to your ideas was great. Let me know if you ever give it a second run :)
I'm the same
[mild spoilers, finish OTL before reading this comment]
I'm writing to say say thanks for this nice little game.
At first I didn't get much out of it. I didn't find the characters particularly endearing and I didn't find their actions realistic. Teenagers generally aren't that self-aware of their feelings nor talkative about them (at least not any I knew) and some average guy isn't going to suddenly have three attractive girls literally throwing themselves at him. The story felt like a lot of background filler building up to something which never quite happens.
Then you did something no author ever does: You explained the story.
The clear factual delivery of The Hidden Truth was fantastic. It precisely describes the background, characters' motivations, and message really well. I then understood the story and what you were trying to communicate a lot more. It was great!
It was also nice reading your English blog entries and Itch/Steam threads. Turns out I'd "got" most of it like the twist with Claire, Ziva's friendship breakup and her whole Holden-Caulfield can't-save-everyone story arc, the wolf story representing this story within itself, but I'd missed some of the subtle points like the characters' name origins and the sun/moon comparisons, so it was good of you to fill in the gaps.
I then read the story again a second time with that knowledge, which I can only liken to rewatching Fight Club right away after your first viewing because you now know the Narrator and Tyler Durden are the same person. I found the story a lot more light-hearted and enjoyable the second time around.
I didn't think I was that enamoured with any of the characters, but looking at them again these weeks later as I write this comment, I do miss hanging out with them. You managed to bring up that conflicting feeling I had towards the end of high school, both hating constant attendance but not wanting something so familiar to end and for "real life" to start. I imagine every school student in the world has felt that to some degree.
I don't think I got any great epiphany or emotional takeaway from the OTL story which I hadn't already considered myself before reading it, but I'm fine with that. It was good entertainment and to have spent these hours exploring something so thoroughly feels like a good expenditure of time. I'm glad to have read it.
I like your earlier comment that authors often don't make their stories clear and that's very pretentious of them, that there should be a clear "correct" literary answer to a story, and I appreciate the effort you've made to explain the parts of the novel that you want explained. I'm not any sort of analytical genius and I've always wished for authors to do exactly what you've done. I guess my favorite character in the OTL "mythology" is Keinart :P
Again thanks. I'm really looking forward to Lotus Reverie.
PS: Bulbasaur is the best starter Pokemon.
You were doing great until that PS...
Thank you a lot for your message and your time to read it not only once, but twice! I really appreciate the message and your own experience with the novel. It is really useful to me as an author. Hope to see you around for when Lotus Reverie comes along :)
Wow. Just wow. This game blew me away. I love the characters, the story, the music (Goddamn its so good), and just everything about this. The story is so unique in how it captures that youthful essence, while at the same time presenting such a deep and meaningful lesson about pain and growth. It's superb in so many aspects. I love how the characters interact and develop, and how we learn more about Ciar as the story progresses. And the way the music just flows along with all the different scenes and invokes so many emotions just mmmmmmmmmmmmmasterpiece. Thank you Keinart for making this. Truly a 10/10 experience.
SPOILERS AHEAD
I was so happy that Luce ends up being the girl. I do wonder what happens to Ziva thought. I felt so bad during the scene where she and Ciar leave each other for the last time. I kind of do wish that there was an alternate route where you could go with ZIva. Also I love Aussie. What a doofus. I love that guy so much. I wish we got to hear more about what happens with him and the substitute teacher at the end of the story. It would be hilarious to see the others make fun of him.
Thank you very much for your comment, I really appreciate the support and thank you for reading this story that I worked so hard to try to make to become true :)
ABOUT THE SPOILERS
I get you. It is actually a thing a lot of people have commented. It is sad but I think it is appropriate to fully give this bitter feeling to the end of the story. I have actually thought about making a "definitive" edition of the novel after a lot of people asked me for it with better backgrounds and actually putting some money into it (this has been made with the smallest of budgets, never thought people would even download that much in the first place). This way I could offer a bit of "fanservice" and add these extra routes and fill some of your requests. But I'm currently 100% busy with my new novel Lotus Reverie so that will have to wait to be honest. I'll keep it in mind though!
A what!!??? Another novel!!!!!! Oh man. Wow. You sure are amazing Keinart. Just to make it 100% clear, it's not really me complaining or criticizing. I understand and agree with your creative choice since it makes for an impactful ending. It's really just me wanting more since you did such an amazing job of your game and characters and just wow. I'm sure that's what all of us fans think. Our complaints of wanting more go to show how attached we got to the characters, which you can count as a huge plus. But I mean........ If you're making another novel, that can definitely wait. I'm extremely hyped to see what's coming next. No pressure lol. You do you man. I hope that even more people are able to play your second game. If you need some sort of beta tester or something I'd be glad to help too. (Although it'd be more like the opinion of an amateur since I'm not so computer-savvy lol) Take care Keinart!!
Haha thank you very much. Yes I appreciate the comments really, I try to never take it as something negative, the opposite, just the fact you guys put this tome to comment and talk to me means you really liked it and it is a true honor for me.
I may open beta testing too soon in fact, just finishing the demo of the new game (well, it is more like a short introductory chapter). I want to give around a private beta first for only a few players then I'll make it public. You'll find out in the website if you register to receive emails or follow any of the accounts: twitter, tumblr, facebook, discord. https://www.lotusreverie.com/
Sorry for transforming this in a shameless self-plug but I'm working really hard for this new novel :P
Lol no problem man. I'm already following Lotus Reverie on Twitter and Discord and I'm subscribed. I'm looking forward to what comes next and I'm sure your hard work will pay off. Buena Suerte Keinart! I don't know how you find time to reply to our comments but you really are amazing for doing so. Stay safe my man.
(EXTREME SPOILER AHEAD) Okay i feel stupid... is the claire ending the only ending?! Or did i mess up and didnt see a choice button!? Heeellllppp
One Hidden Truth in the main menu :)
clever.... btw thanks for the best vn ive had in a while
Thank you for this awesome kinetic novel that -- as I realized only after reading the analytical threads on steam -- truly is a piece of literature, not "just a story". I'm a bit ashamed that I didn't try to analyze it while reading.
Now I'm not even sure about whether the Luce ending is true or not. After Claire "went down the stairs and disappeared", the same view of her standing above him on the stairs and the sun rising behind her he had when they first met comes again and she asks him to stay with her. Would be "the good ending".
Or was he just breaking all chains in a literal way when he says farewell to everyone including Luce when he gives her the empty box, meaning the figurine has disappeared (reintegrated in his now healing personality) along with Claire. After all, when they are about to kiss the light goes dark and after it comes again he has disappeared. In that case, the final scene would once more just happen in his imagination. This would be a very sad ending indeed.
10/10 for everything - story, CG art, background art, music.
My waifu is Claire (if she existed), the one to go for irl clearly (pun intended) is Luce.
i came here for sarcasm and waifus but nowhere does it mention that this game also includes an existential crisis.
the best waifu is obviously the baldy bastard. he is so beautiful, so perfect in every way. he deserves all the love in the universe. he beats all the other waifus in everything. baldy bastard will always hold a special place in my heart.
Thanks a lot for your kind words signus! I really appreciate it.
(Spoilers)
Umm as you say it is a bit troublesome if I say "what happens next", and more in this story that the entire point at the end is about "Based on a story that I will make true", putting everything in that hope that you need to use to build your own future. However I can say that the ending is obviously bittersweet and that as you can guess the birthday party doesn't really happen, at least not normally.
Growing distant is not a bad thing though, since sometimes that may be the best to forget about the past and get over the trauma... and Ziva's own obsession. She was also stuck in the past trying to heal Ciar, making it dubious if she was in love, was only a sense of responsibility, or maybe even her own selfish desire to "make things right" and bring that "perfect world" she talks about in Chapter 4 at the arcade.
Maybe even after going past their past they can meet again, and start all over. That would be great don't you think? At the end you can't really know since this is a story full of lies, and whatever truth you try to guess out from it depends of your own interpretation (or at least that was my aim).
Finally about Koishi... you are totally right hahaha. I'm pretty much touhou obsessed so yes, Koishi was a reference for Claire the entire time (and Marisa for Luce to a lesser degree I would say). While writing I would think of her, and then finally when I explained and made documentation for Bonkiru, the artist, she was the main reference I gave him. Never told him to use the same color scheme, only the hair had to be silver for symbolism about the moon and she had to be a loli to make sure it fits with the time Ciar's trauma happened, but since it is a nice color scheme he just decided to use it anyways and go for it.
He did the same for Ausse using Battler from Umineko as the reference (they look a bit alike, right?) and the Baldy using Professor Badass as reference. Although knowing him he could probably work as a teacher too, who knows?!
Anyways thanks again for everything, I appreciate these comments a lot and they help during the hard times of deving (practically everyday tbh). So you all help to make this worth it. Thank you!
Hey Keinart,
Just wanted to stop by and tell you how much I absolutely adored your game. I'm a big fan of your absurd type of humor and there are 3 or 4 scenes that I fondly remember laughing non-stop, tears in my eyes (That bald guy man). I really appreciate the psychological aspect you put into the characters and your way of telling a good story.
I also couldn't have read it at a better time since it was when I kind of had a philosophical type of breakdown about life in general a few months back. I won't go too into it but the philosophy presented about lies and truths was exactly what I needed to hear at the time so it was marvelous and just what I needed. I'll be rereading it soon with my gf so we can both enjoy it.
I saw that you had your next game planned which I'm super excited to see! I'm an Argentinian Artist and if you're looking for any help with translation English/Spanish or maybe need some assets drawn I'd love to pitch in. Either way I love your work and am willing to pay full price if you're planning to sell it.
Good luck man!
Hello Swordticus, or should I say hola? Si eres argentino imagino que la segunda es una mejor opción pero voy a usar inglés ya que me has preguntado en inglés por ahora ;)Glad to see I made an impact on you, it's always great to hear stories like that and it makes all the work worth it. Hope your gf likes it too (and well even if she doesn't it's always nice to get feedback at least haha). For my new project we are working pretty hard right now to be able to announce it and don't really need anything "right now" but maybe in the future that may not be the case. Feel free to send me or leave me your portfolio for your art if you want, who knows if I may request you something someday, or at least I always like to see what other artists do (and support them too since I know how hard is to get somewhere in this craft). Or simply feel free to add me to twitter (@Keinart) or something when the time comes. I sure will need all kind of proofreading and testing in every possible language (I actually write in spanish since I'm from Spain myself and then translate to english), so you can count with that at least haha.
See you around and thank you!
Dale! Lo dije todo en ingles para no quedar raro en un mar de comentarios en "English" jajaja. Seguire en ingles mas que nada para que otros podran seguir la conversacion.
I don't want to pry too much but I imagine the pain in the butt preparations for announcing a game would be. I'm guessing it involves things like mainly preparing promo art, a basic synopsis to hook fans in and building a little bit of "hype" around it as much as possible. Maybe even doing some guest posts here and there to get some eyes heading towards your direction. I wish the best of luck with you on that! You seem to have everything under control and know what you're doing. If you're ever needing ideas on better implementation I can always try to have a stab at it.
As for a portfolio, thank you for your interest! I've done some concept art for clients in the past but since I've only done art as an on and off thing (I'm mostly studying engineering actually) I never built up a full on portfolio. I can send you 2 or 3 samples that I think you'd be most interested in but I don't want to feel like I'm spamming your game page with things that have nothing to do with OTL. I'll leave my email here just in case you ever want to message me or so I can send you the samples. Swordticus@gmail.com. I also added you on twitter :)
If you ever need anything just holler! Money isn't an issue for me and I'd love to take part even if it's just a small little thing.
Good luck man! Suerte!
Got it! As I said before right now we don't really need anything but I'll keep your email and let you know if something comes up or at least I manage to announce the title. Every little help will probably be appreciate it since we are aiming high this time. Thank you and see you around! Suerte a ti también.
Dear Keinart,
I played your excellent game a few days ago and suffice it to say that it is my favourite visual novel now and I will be eagerly awaiting your next work!
[spoiler below]
I have just one question (and I think I have read most of the discussions online): Am I correct in thinking that the prologue written from Diniz's perspective and took place right before the library accident?
P.S. Really loved the ending! Luce was my favourite character in the game, so I'm really glad about the fourth requirement. Don't listen to the people who insist on Ziva or Claire being the waifu >.<
Thank you! Really glad you liked it so much!
And about the spoiler, yes, you are correct ;)
can someone tell me if this is a visual novel? I mean to ask if there are any choices for us to make?
It is a kinetic novel so there are no choices.
Just a quick question, for the mall scene did you use a picture of the centre in Milton Keynes, UK? I was just surprised to see somewhere I recognise in a game.
It is! Glad you recognize it.
One of the finest game I ever played. but its bit too long. When I was playing it I though I have to go through all those thousand lies.
I have not notice how many lies he (or I) said in this game. But what matters to me in the game is how it flows. Kinda get both keened or bored while playing.
Found Ziva annoying, tbh. LOL
Okay time for rating -
Character Development - 5/5
Sound Tracks - 10/5
Story - 3.5/5
Dialogues and Humor - 4/5
Visuals - 5/5
Interactivity (Choices) - 2/5 (very few)
Overall, the one must play game for android visual novel fans.
Thanks for writing this, it's a great story. The dialogues are lively, the characters are well shaped, the humor is a harsh workout for the abdominal muscles, the drama is powerful, scenes flow naturally and the pacing sits in a comfortable sweet spot so that the narrative feels just as long as it's supposed to be (something unfortunately unusual for most visual novels :p ). I loved how every single line in the story is a Chekhov's gun.
There is one element that felt a bit dissonant to me, though. Some spoilers ahead.
Baldy. It is made pretty clear in the story that Ciarán is an unreliable narrator, and Ziva's comment on schizophrenia and how schizoid personalities tend to warp reality to fit their own mental image is pretty much a full explanation for what's told in OTL (including Claire). So lights go off at the most dramatic moment, Ciarán's sleight of hand likewise fails or succeeds situationally for the best effect and graduation parties turn into airsoft battle royales. All good. But I think Baldy took it a bit too far and his constant, full defiance of common sense made it hard to keep disbelief suspended for me. I could see how this might be done on purpose to give the reader one more clue, but it's the one place where I think it's too much, lampshaded though it is.
Also, but this really is a tiny, obnoxious nitpick, this is a kinetic novel, not a VN :p
But overall, I loved it. Really looking forward to your next work :)
Haha that's ok, you are not the only one who thinks the Baldy was a bit overboard and it's understandable. I guess I simply have a thing for absurd humor and the Baldy is the kind of humor resource that strikes me fancy. Still I'm glad you liked it overall and I apreaciate your comment and insight. I'm also glad to see you figured out a lot of small details most people don't notice :)
Hi Keinart, this is my first visual novel wanted to try it when i watched the anime TWGOK.
and i can say with all my heart that i loved it i even lost some sleep because so many things are running in my mind, i found my self conflicted with different feelings ^.^ ~
but just like any great story it had to end, what killed me inside the most is the part the line "(there was only silence on the other side of the phone)" which made me tear up knowing the truth behind Claire (Ciaran could have pressed the mute button but it would have been described in that scene since it was a very important detail) at 1st i was a bit doubtful about it when they were in the library and the fact that she can materialized just about anywhere he his but the line confirmed one of my favorite character never really .........;
When i searched about the meaning of the Ciaran 's name i can see how it connected with Claire representing as the Moon and Luce as the Sun it was amazing where you got your basis for this story and the music Clair de Lune OMG!! one of my favorite piece when i'm playing the piano <3.
oh yeah i remember a line as well "Moonlight is a reflection of Sunlight" that was stated by Claire meaning (for me) that everything that Ciaran did with Claire he always reflected on what he wanted to do with Luce but maybe it's just jibberish, sorry kinda just spewing out random things.
I don't really go in-depth through this kind of things not really the type of person to go as much to go deeper than foretold in the story, still wanted to what other characters did after the graduation specially with Ziva who Ciaran released from the shackles of guilt, cause knowing Ziva was emphasize as a responsible person and she felt like she was responsible to "Fix/ Save" him but in terms of Romance between them there were none it was mostly from pitty from Ziva's side.
Sorry just really amazed with your work and i hope i can see more from you ^.^.
Thank you very much, and nothing to be sorry about I really appreciate your comment! You are not wrong about the moonlight and sunlight part either, I think in general you got a really good grasp of everything including Ziva and everything else :)
Thank you very much for your comment, and stay tune for more things in the future!
Oh good ^.^ thought i was creating an own world for my self :c ~
oh yeah made a lil something for my favorite character.
It's not as good compared to the art in-game i hardly started drawing around 6-8 months T_T and annoyingly using a mouse still hope you like this fanart i did based on Claire :D
bleh ~ sorry for my bad english and script XD. ~
This is super cute, thank you very much, means a lot to me. For a mouse drawing it is amazing!
I also love Claire a lot, even though people think the opposite, but for me she's kinda special. Thanks again for your support and the drawing :)
Glad you liked it ^. ^ ~
Claire would me my 1st fave i cant imagine hating someone so pure and the MC would be my second Endyien because of how conflicted his life is, trying to find meaning and acceptance, cause before the graduation he was trying to find at least a recognition for himself but because of the shackels within him just like his story he became a lone wolf which made him mostly an unapproachable outcast despite being a class clown in my opinion.
Srry going overboard again i just really love the game :) ~
Well thank you for replying i hope i read another great story from you in the near future ~
Well ill stop annoying you now ^°^~
AYYYYYY The World God Only Knows. That's some good stuff right there
sorry if i dont have some long meaningful comment, ive always been pretty blunt with my words, but this has been an experience that i havent had the likes of in years and i very much enjoyed it, even made the modified title screen my background.
Thank you very much for your kind words, sometimes blunt and direct is better than long complicated posts. I'm really glad you liked it!
Ah, creo que es un bug raro porque ya ha habido más de uno que me lo ha dicho que le pasa y sinceramente no he conseguido nunca replicarlo. Si quieres desbloquearlo es tan fácil como volver a pasar por el juego, puedes simplemente hacer nueva partida y darle al tab para que se salte todo el texto y con eso debería ser suficiente. Es extraño porque a la mayoría le suele pasar solamente con la CG de la piscina, pero a veces a otros les pasa con otra, a ti con tres. Si algún día averiguo por qué pasa intentaré parchearlo.
Por lo demás gracias por el comentario, me alegra que te haya gustado. ¡Un placer!
Out of one thousand novels
This is one hidden gem of a novel i will never forget!