is a game that I stumbled into basically completely at random. At first I had no expectations whatsoever and was pleasantly surprised to just be enjoying the writing. Then I played some more and got hooked. Then I binged the whole thing in 3 days and discovered it's absolutely phenomenal.
Criminally, its quality is matched only by its certain obscurity. Not only is it one of a million indie RPG Maker games on Itch, it's just barely "adult" enough to get swept aside by puritan filters. Having been lucky enough to discover it regardless, I feel obligated to spread the word in case others would enjoy it as much as me.
I'm not actually very good at pitching games, so instead I'll just direct you to the Itch page linked above to check out the official blurb, and encourage you to take a chance on it if it sounds at all interesting. Below the readmore is a bunch of aimless gushing I need to get off my chest because oh my god this game hit me like a truck.
I already mentioned the writing, but seriously. This is a narrative game at heart, and the writing never lets it down. The way the game handles the main character Simone, and her various traumas, the ways it fucked her up and the ways she copes… ough.
Considering how combat isn't a huge priority, I enjoyed how most fights have to end by casting an expensive spell. It gives you something to think about that makes even easy encounters non-trivial.
The game seems to mostly use royalty-free music, but one important battle theme is an original arrangement of a relevant royalty-free character theme, and that kind of attention to detail while working around limitations just really tickles me as someone who focuses a lot on music implementation in games.
I love the way the content is divided into small vignettes, letting you stumble into one-off gags, sidequests, or core plot progression with equal importance. And the anime-style eyecatches between each one are just the cutest touch.
The game includes a very unmistakable reference to 7th Dragon 2020 of all things. That doesn't speak to its quality at all, I was just completely shaken to see such a deep cut out of nowhere, it felt like the game was calling me out personally.
I won't go into detail, but the way the game starts getting clever with meta elements like the UI and plot structure is something I always often deeply enjoy, and wasn't expecting here at all. They wait a while to play their hand, which is commendable restraint.
