To Be With You

A very well-written, poignant, and above all human game.

This was so hard to go through. If you have been emotionally abused please beware of getting triggered, the depictions of abuse, gaslighting and manipulation are extremely accurate.

A masterpiece of a game on a topic that is often shied away upon.

This game hit very close to home for me, and I truly recommend reading this.

SPOILERS AHEAD! SPOILERS AHEAD! SPOILERS AHEAD! SPOILERS AHEAD! SPOILERS AHEAD! SPOILERS AHEAD! SPOILERS AHEAD! SPOILERS AHEAD! SPOILERS AHEAD! SPOILERS AHEAD! Being a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, a jerk or a mean person is a choice. And James decides to be like that. Depression or your personal unresolved issues aren't an excuse to destroy someone's self-esteem nor use them at your own convenience. James is an example of someone with a Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Alsie is a constant target and mean for James' objectives. Not to mention, this guy is so insecure he can't even cook for himself and expects someone to do it for him. Alsie had to learn the hard way she couldn't fix him. Alsie is an example of someone who ''is too good for themselves''. Alsie is constantly devoted on helping people out, and tends to see relationships in a very idealistic way, far away from reality (this might explain why she chose an English major, just a hunch, though). Nonetheless, James didn't have any plans on fixing his issues even though Alsie was there, hopelessly devoted to him, giving everything she had, which ended up in her losing herself hitting bottom depression (bad ending) or realising there is always a way out and that she has important people that would never forget about her (good ending). In conclusion, this game is a lesson about demystifying the conception of romantic love. Give up your fantasies and your idea about soulmates, because love is about daily and dedicated care, whoever loves you wants to see you smile every day, and if they care, they will give an effort to be a better person every day.

This is an experience that will stay with you for the rest of your life. You should play it.

10/10 would recommend story was well-written. Also, this game made me think about my current relation ship.

Every once in a while, there comes a game that elevates itself to more than just a game. In this case, To Be With You, this was not just a run of the mill visual novel game, but is a very candid, raw, and sincere experience written from the POV of our main character Alsie, who is in a toxic relationship. The creator of the game has mentioned in the game store page that this is a semi-autobiographical game that's partly based on her own past relationship with an emotionally abusive boyfriend. The quality of the writing is excellent. As I play through the game, although I've recognized some of the techniques Alsie's boyfriend is using to emotionally abuse her, I couldnt help but still want to "fix" her boyfriend because "I love him", and when you love someone, of course you would want to fix them? Wouldn't you? And that's when you realize that's how gaslighters in toxic relationships trap their victims. They gaslight, they always pin the faults onto you, they make you feel worthless, they make you think it's all your fault. They make you doubt your own self worth and they make you feel useless, powerless. My first run of the game I got the bad end, because I got so fixated on the idea of trying to fix her boyfriend out of depression. I didnt realize myself/Alsie had fallen into a deep depression myself. I didnt realize that until it was too late. You honestly dont see games like this a lot, and you honestly dont see a lot of games with this kind of topic. Which is exactly why I think this game is important. It makes you think after you play it. it gives you insights into human interactions you may not have experienced before. Or if you have experienced similar situations before, as the story/your choices in the game unfolds, it teaches you how to recognize when you are in a toxic relationship. I don't feel right rating this game and I dont feel like using the word "entertained" is the right way to describe what I got out of it. I think I would describe it as an emotional, and educational experience. Like I said, it is something more than just a game. And I praise the the developer for crafting this mature, realistic, and at times heavy, experience. Now I must play the game some more times, I want Alsie to have a good ending.