Newfound Courage

While I do wish there was a little more to the romance side of the game I really enjoyed playing this.

Initially I was set on disliking the game, albeit it won over me, especially with the DLC. The graphics are great, the music is somewhat decent, however, the story and especially the dialogue still needs work. Thumbs up for improvements in the second part of the story, the DLC really did make it more worth it. I do hope though that there's more to come to this game.

Positives: world-building is extremely interesting, there are some really emotional moments that surprised me, gameplay was fun and not too difficult Negatives: writing could be a little clunky, the development of romantic feelings (both books) seems rushed, storyline is unfinished even after book 2, [spoiler] forgiving Jarrow and going on a date with him happens too quickly for me to feel comfortable with it especially after the rant to Miss about what love does and doesn't mean[/spoiler] I know it's supposed to be a short game, but I think you can find balance in a short game so that all the elements have enough space. This game would have been better if it was longer, more fleshed-out, with more gameplay and storyline development. It just tries to fit a lot into a small package in a way that leaves me a bit unsatisfied. I still like it and think it accomplishes what it sets out to do. [spoiler] Also, everyone upset book 1 does not end with a romantic relationship, you get the chance in the DLC that adds book 2. Yeah you have to get the DLC but it's a misrepresentation to act like the MC never has that opportunity[/spoiler]

I really enjoyed this game. I don't regularly play games with pixel graphics, and now I feel like I've been missing out on a ton of fun. I found the story to be incredibly promising and clearly setting up a lot of world-building for future content that hopefully will come one day. Being queer is a part of the story, and I like that it was something that wasn't subtle or briefly mentioned, but instead an actual part of character development and moving the story forward. I think some of the earlier reviews (prior to the free DLC included) felt a bit cheated in a sense because they, much like I assumed, that the romance would be in the first book, and technically there is love (friendship) there, it's just not romantic like you'd initially assume or maybe felt led to believe. However, the second book actually does include romance, albeit with different characters, and continues the plot in a way that felt exciting and fun to me personally. The combat in the story is also fun, but very simple, which I didn't mind, but at times I wish there were more variety there. I think my biggest want with this game is that I wish it were longer and there were more to explore. I think the romance in book two definitely could use an extension; it doesn’t have to be significant, but I just wish there could have been more conversations involved there, as the interactions are quite short for a romance. In retrospect, as I write this, I would say if your sole interest in playing this game is for a queer love story, it does exist, just in book two, and it isn’t very long. I think the bigger message of the game, without explicit spoilers, is simply the strength that comes with self-acceptance and the impact homophobia can have on a person. Overall, I really enjoyed everything this game has to offer, and I would strongly recommend it to anyone looking for a meaningful queer story that isn’t entirely consumed by romance and more so self-acceptance and the power that comes from it.

LOVE IT! First those reviews crying because it's ending is sad can A. grow up and B. play book 2. the story is great, wish it was longer though, really hoping for either a book 3 or a sequel game! would buy either in an instant. Also i beat the game start to finish on my steam deck, the ONLY "issue" was it would say keyboard buttons instead of the controller buttons

This game hit me right in the feels and has a good story, will be playing book 2 next

!!Spoilers Below!! Gameplay Pros - Pretty decent and simple gameplay. - Puzzles are relatively harmless (Base game) - Failsafes in objectives if the player were to be somewhat gullible. Gameplay Cons - Many instances of padding (DLC). The Carnival rides takes too long, the Magpie nests, backtracking to find keys (might be better to be able to have the means to grab them earlier rewarding those that pay attention), and the Palace being either repeating or winding hallways makes the DLC feel longer than it shouldn't. - With the type of gameplay it has, there preferably has to be a means to be able to change keybinds. Which there does not seem to be. Story Pros - Relatively sweet plot. Not perfect, but most certainly not bad either. Applied to both base game and DLC, but more in favour of base game. - Jake's rejection as a great means to show maturity in relation to the inevitability of unrequited romances. Especially when both Jake and Alex still choose to stay as close friends. Even better with Alex needing a bit of time to grieve a love lost. Actually both Alex and Jake's relationship is rather decent all things considered. - Town NPCs having a relatively good presence as their own characters (Base game). - Amusing dialogue for failsafes. Story Cons - Music doesn't gradually reduce volume but instead it usually stops abruptly within a cutscene. Breaking the flow, and potentially immersion. Decent game overall. However I cannot say I would absolutely recommend nor absolutely wouldn't recommend. The game is mostly saved by its story, but the gameplay has a lot to be desired. But when it comes to the DLC... to be honest, it's inching towards 'not recommended territory' due to the gameplay alone.