Pipe Dream Demo
A downloadable game for Windows and macOS
KICKSTARTER PAGE HERE, funded successfully on February 13th, 2021.
Demo also available on Steam.
As longtime aficionados of both visual novels and romcom anime we've spent the past few years pouring our heart and soul into Pipe Dream, a slice-of-life dating sim that follows Robin as she explores college life and escapes her mother's shadow. Unlike many other dating sims we wanted to create a game that doesn't just end when the characters get together, but also explores the complexities of how the relationship develops afterwards.
We have a cast of six charming characters for the player to romance, but be careful! Not everyone has Robin's best interests at heart.
- Gary (CV. Lucas Gilbertson) ーA happy-go-lucky guy with no personal space bubble. Studying to be a forensic scientist. Intelligent, emotional, and occasionally overwhelming.
- Elliot (CV. Brett Bauer) ーA quiet, grumpy guy studying to be a vet. Wants to be cool, but his streak of bad luck and lack of chill always end up sabotaging him.
- Avalon (CV. Carol Anne Day) ーRobin's best friend since high school and current roomie. Energetic, independent, and meddlesome. A ride or die friend.
- Akio (CV. Belsheber Rusape) ーA naive, arrogant rich kid who cut ties with his family to pursue his passion for art. Huffy, dramatic, and hates being incapable.
- Cain (CV. Tom Aglio) ーA perpetually tired charmer juggling part-time jobs to provide for his younger sibling, his only present family. Slowly chipping away at his business degree.
- John (CV. Griffin Puatu) ーA sporty, well-liked guy that somehow slips everyone's mind. Too nice for his own good, but has trouble opening up to people. Loves to read.
And last but not least, the protagonist herself:
- Robin (CV. Melissa Dorsey) ーA down-to-earth and quietly sarcastic girl who used to be a goody-two-shoes. Was salutatorian in high school. Cut ties with her mother and ran away to college to discover what she wants from life. Introverted and bookish, but trying to expand her world.
The new demo contains the first section of the common route: over 20,000 words of content, decked out with complete art assets, music, and partial voice acting!
Follow our official twitter here to always be on top of the latest updates!
Status | In development |
Platforms | Windows, macOS |
Publisher | |
Rating | Rated 4.7 out of 5 stars (58 total ratings) |
Author | Notome Games |
Genre | Visual Novel, Interactive Fiction |
Made with | Ren'Py |
Tags | 2D, Anime, Dating Sim, Female Protagonist, LGBT, Otome, Ren'Py, Romance |
Average session | A few seconds |
Languages | English |
Inputs | Keyboard, Mouse |
Links | Steam, Kickstarter, Twitter/X |
Install instructions
Just unzip the zip, open the folder, and click the executable file and you'll be ready to roll!
Development log
- Demo Update #3Jul 31, 2021
- Pipe Dream Successfully Funded on KickstarterFeb 14, 2021
- LAST WEEK of the Kickstarter Campaign!Feb 05, 2021
- Kickstarter is LIVE: Jan 14th - Feb 13thJan 14, 2021
- Kickstarter LaunchJan 06, 2021
- Demo Update #2Jul 13, 2020
- Demo UpdateApr 20, 2020
- Fully Polished Demo Uploaded!Mar 27, 2020
Comments
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please, this was so good. the voice acting was unexpectedly good and I need more of cain. i hope we do get an update some day. really want this story to continue, really want to know if it is all just a... pipe dream after all or not! thank you for the demo. hoping to see an update <3
does the game still get an update ??i really like it
just hope that the creator is ok (Alive ..maybe just lazy or slow)and that nothing to them :
There was a kickstarter for it, it's still getting updates. But they haven't released an updated / full release of the game since this demo.
The last few updates were basically nothingburgers, too so I am a bit worried. I really do hope it gets finished though I've been super looking forward to this game.
🤍BEST GAME EVER🖤
Are you still planning on releasing the game this spring? Discovered the game recently and I really enjoyed the demo!
This is nice \(^ヮ^)/ A story about an awkward MC who stays indoors most of her life and meets 6 pretty men in her new day of college. There is nothing wrong with some classic book romance! Though, I really want to know what the umbrella symbolizes Σ(・口・) The art is cute and the voice actors did an amazing job! I look forward to playing the full game soon! ( ´ ω ` )
i loved the demo so much! cant wait for the full game!! <3
We're so happy to hear that you're looking forward to it, thank you ♡
been watching this game since 2020 !! so happy you guys are still at it and i'm so excited for this game : ) replayed the demo again today, cheered me up sm ! the characters are so fun and interesting, and the interactions make me smile. the art and designs are also fantastic! just such an all round fantastic game so far, definitely one of the best ive played in a while.
can i ask how much the game will be when its out? no worries if not
We're honored to hear you enjoyed the demo enough to play it more than once, thank you! We're planning to release it on Steam and itch.io for $20 when it's done.
me when gary was introduced: oh no i love him
me when elliot was introduced: oh NO i love him!!
me when cain was introduced: OHHH NOOOO I LOVE HIMMMM
me when john was introduced: oHHHHHH NNNNNOOOOOOO
me when akio was introduced: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
and then of COURSE i was IMMEDIATELY ride or die for ava, wowowow i'm going to have such a hard time choosing which order to do routes in when the full game comes out!! INCREDIBLE voice acting work by all the vas, they really made the characters come to life!! and of course the art and the writing are great as well!!! very excited to play the full thing one day; thanks for all your hard work!
Thank you for playing and leaving such a sweet comment! We're fortunate to have so many talented people working with us on this game. We'll do our best in this last leg of development! ♡
I loved the demo! This is so cute. All the characters are interesting(if a bit too dramatic and over the top but in a nice way) and well written. I love the CGs and the voice acting for those particular scenes is great. But the truly underrated character here is Gary's Friend, whom the MC narrates about in practically every scene. I don't know why I find that funny but I don't even know her name despite meeting her several times. I love the college setting and the backstories of each of the characters. There was a weird moment with that "Ameripan" thing which makes me wonder if there is like some sci-fi storyline in the full game.
I'm looking forward to playing the full game, Hope you guys release it by the end of this year!
Edit: Cain reminds me so much of Caine from Tailor Tales, they are SOO similar
We're thrilled to hear some praise for one of the side characters! There will be a few more in the full game that liven up Pipe Dream's campus world. Poor Robin... she's just not that great with names.
(We went and looked up Tailor Tales just now... so many redhead Cain/Caines out there!😱)
Do you have a rough idea of when the full game will be released? I'm so excited for it omg
As for the demo, I played it awhile ago but forgot to write a review lol. Anyways, I really loved all the characters. I'm stuck between Elliot and Gary though. The story was wonderful, and I can't wait to see where you take it.
10/10! :))
They might finish around the end of the year, I'm not sure, but stay tuned for november, they will post an update.
Apologies for the delayed response, but yes, we'd like to release by the end of the year. We're not yet at the point where we can announce an official release date since game development is such a slippery beast, but we're doing our best to hit that target!
We're so glad to hear you're looking forward to it ♡
WOW! I really enjoyed playing the demo and can't wait for more updates! Keep up the great work!!!
We're so glad you had a good time! We're doing our best to release the full version sometime next year. Stay tuned for exciting news in November ✨
OK, to preface: my Itch comment-style is a live reaction where I take notes as I play, in hopes of giving the developers accurate and genuine feedback. This comment will run from the opening to the ending of the game in chronological order.
---
The demo opening enviably professional, and worth emulating. I spent some time examining the title screen UI and admiring the buttons, then I pressed "X" to see what it did.... and inadvertently quit the game lmfao. It might be nice to have a tooltip to inform the player that it's a "Quit" button, much like the little tooltip ribbons on the righthand side during the game, but honestly I just did a dumb thing and it's not the game's/design's fault.
I enjoyed the nice, slow realization that the MC is running away from home, and how the narration never had to say it outright. It's a fantastic way of getting us quickly on board with the protagonist, and it's an experience I can empathize with if I've been lucky enough to not have lived it myself.
The "morning," "afternoon," and "evening" transition graphics are fantastic and I love them.
The "Ameripan" moment MC starts getting headaches, the effect wavy effect runs a bit too strong I think. Considering nothing really happens afterwards, I think the scene could be more subtle, but I do appreciate the indication that there's more going on here than meets the eye, and Ava might know more than she lets on. I think I'm going to actually boot up the game again and pursue her next, after I finish proofreading this comment, to see if there's any particularly weird moments with her.
That's a really nice educational joke with Mad Cow disease lol, I didn't know that.
The blue-haired weaboo manic pixie dream boy did creep me out when I first met him, admittedly. Kuudere glasses boy didn't appeal to me either, because he wouldn't be honest about wanting the cat... But then, maybe his living situation doesn't allow him to have a cat, and I did appreciate him chasing off Gary. ;;; He made me laugh though when he sent NOTHING BUT "?" when I accidentally made him wait later in the game.
Minimum wage worker Cain immediately got my heart with minimal effort. I think it's the disadvantaged position he starts off in, it makes him more immediately relatable -- though he turned me off a bit when he promised the glamor of college will fade and "you'll get there." I get that he's cynical, but it's a little rude.
It's okay that he's not perfect though, I don't expect him to be. His flowery CG is a bit much, but after that I found him to be the most down to earth character of the bunch. I felt like he was the most normal, real human among a cast of quirky characters.
Robin: "Statistics can go jump off a cliff and die." sdkjfbdskfbk. Good line.
John's VA lines go kinda fast despite a relatively static CG, which was kinda weird for me, especially contrasted with Robin's more relaxed speech pattern.
The yawn when Robin says "I don't have any energy." is a fantastic touch though.
There doesn't seem to be a history/logbook option? Is that an intentional design choice? Sometimes I click a bit too fast, and while I can press the button to "skip back," my personal preference is generally to look for the logbook instead. Again, not the game's/design's fault.
The weird library tie guy reminds me of Seth from High School Dreams lmao. He also has a moment with a ton of library books.
"I hope you find someone /exactly like you/ then." That's a really good line.
BRUH THESE GUYS ARE SO WEIRD THOUGH. Practically all of them have an "off" moment where they act like total weirdos, and I can't help wondering if this is because the game is made by a group called "NOTOME" LOL. Is this an anti-otome??
(This being said, Cain never has a weird moment in my entire playthrough, excluding the occasional cynical comment. Even then, it's not that weird. My dude's probably depressed from overwork.)
AW but I love that John's a reading jock. It's sweet, and he seems a little insecure about it. I'd love to reassure him and be his friend. :)
I'm surprised though that I got to choose whether or not I'd put up flyers with John, but then just got railroaded into selling plasma?? That felt like that escalated quickly. If I didn't put up flyers, would I not need to sell plasma? Lolol. I'll have to keep this in mind to test during the next playthrough.
The weeby manic pixie dream boy wants to be a forensic scientist... That's really nice actually, cool darker contrast for his bright personality. I'm still gratified every time Elliot calls him a creep or psychopath though. It's a little mean, sure, but the put downs makes me feel safe -- like I'm not crazy for thinking Gary is acting weird.
When Elliot sprints shirtless out of the plasma center, I feel like it would have been a good option to go after Elliot, then return to the plasma center to get his shirt for him and try to check on Gary/Gary's friend to see if they're okay...
(Just because I think someone is weird, doesn't mean I don't care about their well-being lol).
Akio... manspreading across three tables in a crowded coffee shop.... He's literally insane...... Game, where's my sweet underpaid boyfriend? My customer service prince? You keep giving me weird guys and all I wanna do is text my boy on the preferences menu. :'( He even gave me his number, and I haven't gotten to talk to him even once after that!!
I love the solution of telling John to get me something from outside as an alternative to snapping at him. That's a great tactic, and one that I might have to use in my real life.
... John did kinda sell me a little on the idea of dating him when we start talking about books in the infirmary... but my heart still longs for my food service slave of capitalism. I'm finding myself clicking through the narration to get it over with because I want to see Cain again.
Robin: "I wouldn't say they're my guy friends, exactly." Yeah, me either. <:|
Coming up with names for the cat with Elliot is fun though, it's a cute conversation. I like that he asks Robin questions to narrow down her preference, rather than just rattling off a list of names right away. Very thoughtful.
Then we go get food and there he is!!!! Cain, my boy!!!! Manic pixie had just asked if Elliot was my boyfriend and I said we were just friends. There should be a follow-up choice to immediately be like "See, THIS is my boyfriend" and freaking point at Cain. (I kid, I kid).
The octo-dog though.... Honestly I gaped at the sight of it. I like octopus and I like bread, but wh--what... What on earth.
I would have loved to donate to the Save Cain from Manual Labor Fund. :( We can go on low budget dates, Cain!!
He left me with Elliot and Gary to go back to work... ;_; My kokoro brokoro. ----OH NO MY BOY'S IN TROUBLE
I HELP HIM. Fastest, easiest choice I ever made.
I squeal a little bit in real life when he rewards me with a hug over the counter. <3 Honestly I wanna make Elliot and Gary come help too lol, but I guess there's not enough room behind the stall.
Cain: "I bet you're the only one who volunteered here who has nothing at stake."
...................... I mean. I wanna date him real bad, so I don't think that's quite accurate lololol.
Omg I have a full ride in college. If I get a part-time job I could support Cain and he could work less, and we could go on dates. I can see this relationship working out.
Robin: "I don't know, your passive-aggressive gibes were pretty great too." Shouldn't it be "jibes"? ((I looked it up later, apparently they're both valid!))
He gave me a keychain!!! I'll treasure it forever!!! ;_; Did he make it himself?? Is he a furry? Lol. I'm not judging, I've already decided he's my boyfriend and I'm ready to accept all his quirks and flaws.
... And so ends my first playthrough.
I'm reading the other comments here and I'm a little confused about the mention of a changing theater scene. Looks like I missed it? :\ Once I got my keychain, the credits scrolled and ended with a kickstarter link. Maybe this is a new game plus feature; I guess I'll find out.
Overall I had fun, and I'd recommend this game to my friends! Even though a lot of the guys weirded me out, I do consider them friends and care for them. I'm curious about how Gary's friend appeared on-screen just once, and then just started silently skulking around in the background in the narration. I noticed the conversation about "nonlinear storytelling" and figure that's what you guys are gonna be playing with as you continue working on the game.
This is one of the more polished demos I've played, and I'm glad I gave it a chance after randomly hearing John's voice reel on twitter. Thank you for the love and hard work you guys have put into it so far, I'm excited to support the game and see where it goes. :)
My boy was at the plasma center!!!! Lol I missed him the first time because I was worried about a friend, gdi hahahahah
Thank you so much for such long and detailed feedback! It's always wonderful to get people's thoughts across the whole experience. Good catch with the "off moments," our characters are definitely over-the-top in the way you might expect from an otome/comedy-anime, but we also wanted them to have flaws in a way that pushes the boundaries of the familiar otome archetypes.
As for mentions of a theater scene in earlier comments, those were for a rough build of the demo that extended further into the game's common route than the current demo.
We're glad you enjoyed playing this slice of Pipe Dream!
god I love this so far!! It's awesome and the character designs are cool ashell. the only thing is that I can't seem to find a text log? sometimes I click too quickly and I lose what was said :((
We're glad you're having fun! There is no text log, but if you click on the back button located at the top of the text box, it will let you go back through up to 20 blocks of text from where you started. Alternatively, you can use the scroll wheel to scroll backwards.
While the dev may not officially support it I can verify for those interested that there is a Linux version that gets downloaded with the Windows version of the demo and it runs fine for me so far. Just have to run the .sh file.
Thank you for bringing this up. We haven't yet been able to test the demo on Linux ourselves so we can't officially support it at this time, but we're happy to hear that it's running properly for you.
I played this and I'm literally in love!
The characters are so well made and developed while also being the typical dating sim, I don't know how you managed to make them so individual!
Literally was surprised when the demo ended, I was so unbelievably invested.
I'm normally very picky when it comes to dating sims because they are all the same to me usually, and those I do like don't give me the sucker punch I felt with this one, not that the cliche's are bad but I only have very few dating sims that have felt personal!
I can't wait to learn more about each character's background and even Robin's as well!
10/10 for me!
Our writer was so happy to hear this! It was a big priority for us to create characters that are emotionally complex and struggle in a very real way, even though they also have a lot of exaggerated or silly anime-style moments.
We're glad you're looking forward to the full game. We'll work hard to release it!
I'm screaming!!! I thought this project was dead! I'm so happy there's an update! I'm downloading it right now.
I loved the first demo so much, and I'm really glad to hear there's still work being done on this! I'm sure it'll turn out to be an amazing game!
We're so happy you remember us! We had to resolve some setbacks during development in the past, but don't worry: we're 100% committed to finishing this. We hope you enjoy the new demo, and we hope you look forward to the release of the full game in the future☆
Me too so happy to see it still being worked on. I'm so excited
Thank you! We've never given up on it, and we're doing our best this year to work harder than ever on getting things done. We hope you'll enjoy it!
It's very nice ! Keep o the good work.
Thank you very much!
miss this game, please tell us about dates of updates or releases !!! thank you so much <33
We’re happy to hear you’re looking forward to it! We have been relatively quiet for the past year, but we’ve been making good progress, and things are gearing up to where we’ll be able to share more things soon ☆
How is the game coming along?
Our only artist was ill this past year so we’ve been on hiatus, but she’s made a recovery and we’re back on track, so expect more in the near future! A lot of exciting things are in store for 2019 ✨
Hi I have a question !
What code should I write in the Renpy program, which, after reaching the good end, will create a hidden end in the game?
spoliers
I really like it. Very good early version :)
The arstyle is very good... Well... backgroungs could be better but... Sprites and CGs looks very good.
I like the characters. Each of them has their own style, personality and adventages. My favourite is Ava. She is very sunny, cute, adorable, funny, charming and pretty girl. And Robin's best friend. I just wonder why it is so hard to spend some time with her and why usually she already has something planned :( . But date with her was very good... even if they haven't seen a movie. She should spend more time with Robin during plot - they are roomies, besties and she's romance interest... so she should have a bit bigger role.
The game has a lot of meaningful choices. The SMS system is very interesting idea but I think Robin should recive more of them. It's good that sometimes player can choose if/how will she reply. The dialogues are funny and I like that each character is interested in different things.
The plot is full of interestng events. And the game has few endings. Of course I've got Ava's ending. And I had started her not existing route...
I really think you should write guide. Sometimes it can be hard to choose good option, especially if you are interested in one person
I'd love to see full game :)
We're glad you enjoyed it! The backgrounds will definitely be replaced with more polished versions before the final release and the sprites will get more poses as well.
As for Avalon, she's a social butterfly so she doesn't hang around in one place for long. She likes to go, go, go! But in her character route there will definitely be more one-on-one time between her and Robin.
The final version will also have a lot more texting, but we've been focusing on writing the main portion of the game so that's why there's only a few at the moment.
Thank you so much for playing and giving us your thoughts! We're working hard to bring the full version out.
I played through the demo many times- and I've noticed the movie scene changes regarding max affection- so far I've manged to get these max affection scenes for all the characters (I think) apart from John. I feel like I should be choosing the right answers, unless his are a bit odd? I really can't figure out what I'm doing wrong... I've even answered his text at the game, too, since that's what I though I was missing the first time, but- apparently not? I really want to see the scene, so if you could help pont out where I might be going wrong that would be a huge help ^^
That aside, I love the demo! All the LIs are intriguing and cute in their own ways and the GUI is really cute! My only fault here is that for saving/loading, all the pages look the same since they're labeled 1-2-3 on every page, but it's only a minor thing and doesn't really need replacing. All the art is really good and consistent too! I can't wait to see how this develops.
Whoops, we believe you’ve actually found a subtle bug! We can let you know when we’ve uploaded a new, fixed version so you can experience John’s max affection theater scene if you’d like. As for the save menu, there will eventually be different text titles for each scene and when you get on a character’s route, the icon will change to that character, so we hope that will help distinguish the individual save files a little better.
Thank you for playing our demo so thoroughly! We’re happy you enjoyed it.
I've gone through the demo so many times. I'm astonished at how many little (and big) details come out of the woodwork the closer I look at the game. There's so much depth here; I'm so lucky to be able to play a game--a demo, I know, but still--that has this much thought in it. The characters feel so raw compared to the characters I usually encounter in otome. Even though there were definitely tropes and cliches as mentioned in the description (it's said to be a parody, after all), the characters all seemed oddly realistic because of the honest and candid ways in which they reacted to the consequences of the tropes. I was amazed at how little changes in the sprite animations completely changed the tone of the dialogue I was reading, and how I reacted to the changes in tone. It almost didn't feel like I was reading, sometimes; instead, it felt as though I were just experiencing this story firsthand, merely interjecting every once in a while--like a dream, rather than a visual novel. It was a really fascinating experience, and I'm suuuuper glad that you're making such a cool game :D But it also leads me to a question: why is Robin not re-nameable? Is she supposed to have a personality separate from the player's? It feels odd to be able to make decisions that seem to completely change the personality of the main character while her name remains pre-set.
There was also an interesting thing I noticed after I chose which character to ask out to the movies. If your affection with the character is high enough (I think... I'm going by what Ava says when Robin has the chance to ask her opinion before The Choice), then during the date, Robin doesn't actually get to choose some of the options. Instead, the otome proceeds without player input and automatically chooses the options that seem to have the better outcome. Why are the choices taken away if the player has gotten the love interest's affection high enough? Is it so that if you weren't able to get the affection high enough before the date, you have a chance to raise it? Or maybe I just messed the game up somehow... It was an interesting change, but I just felt less involved in the ensuing events as a result.There were a few things that bugged me, but ultimately I think my irritation was caused by my own expectations rather than the demo itself. Sometimes it seemed that the player had to be really mean to some characters in order to open additional favorable dialogues with other characters. For example, when I chose the options that caused Ava to say that Cain was really REALLY interested in Robin, those also happened to be the choices that hurt Akio the most. But maybe that's the point: I have to compromise my own values so that Robin can earn his affection... Was this a conscious design choice? If so, it makes sense, and I respect it because to be honest it's a pretty genuine representation of how some people relate to each other by being mean. However, I'm much less interested in Cain's route now. (Or maybe I'm completely overthinking this and the options I chose didn't affect the game in the way that I thought they did!)
Thank you so much for releasing this demo! I really appreciate what you're doing, and I look forward to what you'll do in the future!!
Thank you so much for your long and detailed comment! We really appreciate the time and care you've put into playing the demo.
Character authenticity is definitely one of our major concerns, even when the characters are having silly moments, so we're glad you enjoyed them and our take on those tropes. Robin does have her own character--and her own backstory that will come to light in certain routes--which is why her name is fixed. She's an introvert, but also in some ways a people pleaser which is why she can have different choices/reactions based on who she's got her eyes on. Of course she might seem a touch too mutable, but for the sake of giving the player the latitude to shape the story to such an intense degree that's a necessary sacrifice.
And yes, some characters in the game are at odds with each other and by taking one person's side, you have to snub another. That was deliberate, although we understand wanting to make all the characters happy. (And with Cain in particular, his desire to see Akio be lectured or turned away is because he's unable to do it himself...Akio is legitimately inconsiderate and rude on occasion, but it's up to the player whether they want to tell him off for it or explain things more gently to him.)
And you're correct about the theatre scene changing if you achieve max affection! We wanted there to be a chance for the player to earn more affection to escape the common route bad end, and we also wanted to emphasize that at max affection, the relationship feels more natural and flows on its own. That is a very good point about involvement though, and we'll take that feedback into consideration for the final release.
Thanks again! Your comment brightened our day. We'll be hosting a Kickstarter soon and if all goes well we'll be releasing the full game by the end of this year, so keep your eyes out!
Thank you so much for the explanations!!
Concerning the Akio thing though, it kind of seems like the "telling off" options didn't really take into account his own potential viewpoint, so I'm just worried that choosing those options won't lead to a more positive character development for him. You probably intended this, and I only point this out because I'm wondering whether we'll be able to see characters develop without having to particularly focus on them or romance them. For example, when Robin had the option to offend Elliot and thereby have alone time with Gary at the festival, it made me wonder: will we only be able to positively impact the other characters' lives or get to know them intimately by directly romancing them? Was that what you meant by other characters having to be snubbed?
But to be honest, I'm thinking about this too much; the final game isn't even released, so I should cool it and just experience the final release XD
I appreciate the thought y'all have put into the game, and I really respect what you're doing. Thank you !!! :)
No problem! We’re happy you’re so interested in the game. <3
If you choose to side with Cain and get on Cain’s route, it’s true that you will likely alienate Akio to a certain extent, but that’s only because those two characters are directly opposed to each other. If you get on other character’s routes, you’ll have opportunities to interact positively with him still even if you’re not romancing him. Certain characters get along better with certain people than others, you know? So depending on the route you end up on, you’ll have different opportunities and different ways to interact with the other characters.
Ah, that makes sense. Thank you so much!
I love this game so much, the common route itself is amazing and I'm really looking forward to the whole thing! Also the art style is so so cute and the chibis in the different menu screens are one of my favourite things <3 Thank you for putting this out there and for all your hard work, I'm so excited for the release!! I hope everything goes smoothly and you guys take care and have a lovely rest of the day <3
We're glad you had fun! Our estimated release date is in 2018, so look forward to upcoming news. We'll make sure to pass your compliments on to the artist, and we hope you have a lovely day too. <3
There are so many qualities in this vn that I am almost left speechless. The absence of BGM (even if it's a demo) often bother me, but its flowing narration and the characterization of the cast has been earlier on enraptured me; as they touch delicately the issues of choosing and living your own path away from strict rules (here, by the parents), which I think becoming many problems in young generation (I experience it myself, at least :') ).
As for the topic of the cast, the demo has a good range of introducing the environment and the nature of each characters, and but still leave many vague parts to intrigue the player for the final version. ( SPOILER :
heck, I am so curios about the coffee shop bill/coupon from Gary, Cain's sister figure, John's reason regarding his sudden freakness in the lights-out incident and who-what-why the incident happens, Elliot's reason for cancelling his plasma charity donationbut soooo much thanks for the fanservice, Akio's background whether he is also rebelling from his parents like Robin, and of course Ava's history with Robin; all leaves me to overthinking and daydreaming xD ).(beware slight spoiler, again) A flirt-but-reliable best friend who once a nemesis of our big-heart-can-be-sarcastic protagonist? a happy-go-lucky guy but secretly has a great dedication to medical education who seems be a frenemies to an animal lover who has the series of unfortunate events in his life? a popular-but-somehow-easily-forgotten sport idol? a sweet-but-sleep-deprived workaholic who doesn't get paid enough for encountering a silver-spoon jerk who actually doesn't understand a manner of socializing and can be easily distracted? They are all a bit cliche in otome but somehow it's reborn in new entertaining light in this story, and it is an exquisite touch how each choice affect the detail of narration in Robin's encouter with them again. And don't say I don't notice that the more compatible her action to the Love Interest; the choice bubble just disappear in the Movie scene and subtely tell that Robin has confidence and knows him well enough that she doesn't hesitate to act or not bother to ask the player what she has to do anymore (in Akio's route, spesifically, how amusing she can handle that brat :'v )
The art style is also chosen beautifully, the chibi especially ;) (I don't know if it's intentional or because it's still a work in progress, but the sketch style for the background gives room and focus to the colorful figure of the cast, make them more alive)
However, there are two parts to reconsider : (1) I notice that the message on the phone for Cain's route which appropriately show on "I guess" option precisely keep appears no matter the choice I made before it. (2) It's more likely a personal wariness regarding the first sentence of the synopsis, honestly... I already see the parody and cliche of romcom in this story, but the "cautionary tale" part intrigues me. I don't have enough knowledge about that genre, but what I know is that the story are basically telling three parts of warning; in short, the first act will be about the prohibition or the taboo is stated, then the act of violating the prohibition (Robin breaks loose from her controlling mother and lives in her ideal campus), and the last is the consequence of said rebellion. If this vn really follows that plot... well.... I had achieved the Bad Ending in Akio's Route and it's likely expected that there will be same misfortune in other route, as said that "Careful though, not everyone has her best interests at heart. Buried beneath the mass of anime tropes lies some pretty heavy and not always easy to recognize issues." ...... PLEASE GIVE ME TIME TO PREPARE MYSELF FOR THE CHANCE OF BROKEN HEART IF SUCH SCENARIO WILL COME T^T
Oh, and the university gate for the background, I think Cambridge's one had been a fine choice, but I also recommend Van Wickle Gates at Brown University, or fairy-tale-like gate of Indiana University Bloomington, or the Harvard (well, they are my preferences, a bit better that those European university gate.... no offense, their type of gates just remind me and kind of resemble a cemetery's gate :'D ).
Overall, I am so hype for this!!! Take your time and keep the good work (>w<)/
N.B. thank you for reading my endless mumbling :'D
We're so touched you took the time to leave such a thoughtful and detailed comment! Playing with and breathing new life into otome game tropes is one of the main things we've been aiming to do, so we're glad you mentioned that and doubly glad you're intrigued by all of them. And good catch on noticing the choices disappearing in the movie scene! As for the chance of a broken heart...you'll have to wait for the full release to see. ;)
We'll definitely take your feedback to heart as we continue development, so thanks again. Stay tuned for more news in the coming months!
did a playthrough, thanks
Thank you for playing our game! We're happy you gave it a shot even if visual novels aren't a format you're used to. To answer your question about the music on the title screen: yes, it was created for and is owned by us, but we're fine with it being featured in the video of your Let's Play. Thanks again, and hope to see you around for the final release!
thank you too I liked it, I sure stick around for the final release good luck :)
I just went through the whole thing and I'm so excited for the full game!! The story and art are so lovely, and the chARACTERS oh my gosh I love them all and I want them to be happy. I can't wait to see the finished product!!
We're so glad you enjoyed it! We definitely poured our heart and soul into these characters, so we're excited to work towards putting the full game out there. We'll do our best to keep everyone updated on the development process!