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 ^^
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!
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, sled desk 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 fanservice
ciaran - 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 @ me but 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 girl
ziva - a witch who loves talking nonstop about nonsense psychology (which is really interesting) and is actually not tolerable yet 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 thing
I 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
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...
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 :)
[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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 >.<
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.
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
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 ~
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.
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!
When I originally began reading this story, I was slightly under the impression that it would be like those stupid romance novels where the only choice you make is for which ending of the game you'd prefer, but like you warned us, there were no choices to make. For that reason, I can't call this a game. However, for the beautiful creation that this is, I have a feeling that any other style of presentation would have ruined it.
Your imagination is truly wonderful and your dedication to this project apparent. I'm glad to have been presented with a chance to read this and even more for being able to read this to the very end. I love how you even rewarded our curiosity with those short stories Ciar supposedly wrote. Despite being separate from the main story, they somehow never seemed out of place, and I was left thinking of them just as much as the situations our characters face over time.
Though I have to admit: who was that bald guy? What was the point of him being everywhere at once? Was he just meant as comedic relief or symbolic of something deeper? Perhaps I'm just not seeing the connection, but he did make me laugh a lot. ...Still don't want to meet him in real life though. He's pretty intimidating...
Anyways, since I've stayed up too late both reading this story and writing this comment, I'm going to end my ramblings here. Thank you for the read. Loved what you had to give. Please continue to be inspired and driven to other works of literature art in the future.
Hey thanks for the comment, I appreciate it and I'm glad you liked the novel.
For the bald guy he is mostly comedic relief but it has a biiiiit of symbolism on him, not directly related to him as for the narration as a whole of the story and how absurd his scenes are. If you haven't checked make sure you read the One Hidden Truth in the main menu, I'm guessing you did but just saying because some people missed it.
Hello Sandpixie. Sorry to hear that. Maybe you downloaded the wrong version? Make sure you download the windows, linux or mac version according to your system. Also maybe something went wrong during the download in the processs and maybe you need to download again. I can't help you with that since the downloads are managed by itch.io so please just try again. If after that it's still not working let me know and send me a screenshot of the error if possible, I'll help to fix it.
Amazing game, It must be some superb people to have created it. your idiom is special,you are a good writer. And I do like the tale ''Reaching the sun''
Keinart bro...... Seriously i have no words left to describe how awesome you are or how unbelievably Super power infinite times awesome this game is..... usually i am lazy asf and that too a critic in my own way but after this game i have to say my whole world turned upside down... i hardly rate any game..... and that 5 stars is like..... well only happened once before and considering i am typing is like..... i can't believe myself.... it is just showing my support to you bro.... Hands off to you the story about reaching the sun the way you described everyone's personality you are just making me fangirling you more and more considering i am boy... well lets leave it like that for now... the song selections for the background music mainly claire de lune.... you are just freakingly awesome for a human or a monster..... hands off to you bro... i understood every little part of the story... but i only have one thing that i haven't discoved yet... what was the price for the survival competition.... only one question remains for me unanswered.... but please let me know how can i be in touch with you..... i hardly have any friends.... and reason behind it being i never found anyone like me but now you really have turned my whole world upside down..... thank you sooo much creating such an awesome game and introducing me to claire de lune..... and please let m know if there is anyway i can help you.... anyway.... i am from india by the way... and now i am sending all my "social media" friends to download this epic awesome game..... please let me know how can i stay in touch with you..... and i really cant believe myself right now that i have commented for the first time and it being this long... it is as they say the less they speak the more they have inside.... and right now i am all out!!! thank you once again for this epic awesome novel....
Just asking if your still alive? ^^ Havent heard of your next project but it could be because your busy. Just wanted to know if your still working on it ^^
Welp I'm pretty socially awkward when typing in Spanish even if it's my mother tongue, please put up with me and english lmao ( at least my english's fluent? lol )
aaaah I just finished this, it took me 3 days tbh, cuz I've been in and out, but honestly oh did I enjoy reading this, good lord I'm a lazy ass tbh, lazy enough to quit if there's too much to read, but honestly I loved this to bits I'm even annoyed I finished it now pfft.
Well I read the other comments ( most of them ), and accidentally read your blog and the stuff about Claire, and I must say it's truly impressive, considering I myself have a hard time when developing stories pfft.
Really though, all characters were to deep in personality, story, concepts, and roles that I can't really tell you I disliked a character, cuz character development is something I'm strict over, and I must say it's truly inspiring seeing such well-designed, round, complex characters! Good job on that, it really left a great impression and taste on my mouth~
I did see everyone was commenting upon Claire specifically, or just characters in general ( tbh if it weren't cuz of that blog of yours I'd be lost bout Claire ), but I also really wanted to mention the plot as well.
I must mention I'm an aspiring writer, and there's two things I'm picky to death with, those being Character Development, and Plot. Honestly ( and sadly ), nowadays I find too much cliché and stereotypes in plots, and I must point out I did find it slghtly cliché when Ciar arrived just in time to ask Claire out, since it was in a very used setting, being both under the moonlight and after a graduation. However, it was implied so that it didn't rally make it cringeworthy at all, and even became kinda cute ( I must tell you I was raging over poor Ziva at that time, so I held a small grudge on Claire during that scene pfft ), and knowing who Claire resembled, made it pass and not count as cliché ( aside from the graduation part a bit ), so good job on that as well!
I do NEED to mention now. much. I lo v ed the whole story omg. And I might just rant a bit here but darn Left and Right, the Wolf, the Snake, the Crow, I loved that story to bits and pieces ( and there you go with the ranting again, this wasn't even my point but oh well ). Boy was I dying to know the whole thing behind that small story!! Now that my rushing mind reminds me I'll have to bother you but, do you happen to have any full explanation on what happens with the other characters in the story? I'd love to know if each one of them had a counterpart in OTL? Maybe they resembled somthing else? and is there a story behind why Left and Right had specific names chosen for the Wolf? Maybe he does have a real name? and the crow? what name did the wolf ask him perhaps? I'm really sorry but I'm always so curious when it comes to big awesome plots omg.
Anyways my point wAs, I am truly in love with this story, and its characters. I'll robably even end up making fanart pieces for each character aah, indeed I was just blabbering to my bff on how much I loved this story omg.
Also!! Random question~
I did see in the comments ( sorry I'm an impulsive reader sometimes lol ) that you'd choose ( oh omg I just remembered something I wanted to ask ) either Claire or Luce as your fave character varying on the days pfft
I wanted to know what did you think of Luce, since you already answered about Claire?
And what do you think about the rest? Maybe a fave male as well?
I personally love the three girls, but my constant debate goes between Luce and Ziva, for both exceed in both beauty and knowledge ( please don't take me wrong, I'm a she if that makes it sound less weird pfft ), so I'm thinking I prefer Ziva for being so lovable and extroverted, now that I think about it I also kinda identify with her on how I usually want to be ( if only I weren't that much of an introvert potato ), but really her impression development throughout the story's stunning, and also gives a warm feeling everytime the situation becomes too personal for her. But I also really like Luce for how her constant war with herself doesn't stop her from being how she is, even if she tries not to be it in front of others ( basically the Luce we see from Ciar's POV ), and the warmthness she gives is truly amazing tbh. I'd also say I really love how, while Ziva gives off a motherly, concerned aura at the end of the story, Luce gives a younger figure aura, a more carefree one, even if she still deeply cares, which also really makes me doubt in which I prefer, so I guess it's kinda the same feeling as you with Claire and Luce haha.
And my point before this was to ask, which one's your favorite pairing? Oh and I read in your blog that all what Ciar was narrating wasn't true, well some parts, so I wanted to know if-- oh wait nevermind now I realize Ziva did mention hersel in One Hidden Truth that they indeed were a couple pff sorry.
But really even if it's just a bit for each, we can see Ciar develop a romantic relationship with each girl, so I wanted to know which one you supported the most? or which one is your fave?
( I'll butt in while proof reading, I remember I also thought Luce was gay for Ziva for a moment? Or vice versa? That caught me off guard lmao, specially since Ciar actually asks if she likes her heh, what are your thoughts on that maybe? )
Aaah one more and I'll stop bothering, I'd love to know if Ausse actually liked Ziva ( which is kinda obvious but still ), and if the thing with the New Substitute Teacher and J... I just downright forgot Jennifer's name but yknow who pfft, I wanted to know if that was one of Ausse's pranks or a real thing pffft.
Well I guess this is where my little "critique" ends, I'm really sorry and I do apologize for taking so much space from the comments section and time from you if you read this, and I'm immensely grateful if you really just were crazy enough to just read this insanity whole!!
But overall, I really loved this whole, and I'm honestly sad there's no more to read haha, I'll also add that I'm really grateful that you took your time to make such a grand thing for free, for us. I'd really donate but I'm still under my parents' care so I'm afraid I'm not allowed to, but you could bet I totally will if I ever get the opportunity!! ( see what I made there, I'm so lame omg lol )
Good luck on your upcoming projects! I really wish to see them already, and hopefully they'll be free, or affordable for a poor soul like me pfft.
I'm sure this comment alone can surpace the number of letters in OTL by golly I'm so sorry you should have a headache by now, but thanks for even skimming through this abomination here, I really hope to see you and your work anytime soon~
Woah that was a long comment. I appreciate it, though, I'm glad to see this... passion I guess we can call it. Also I'm answering in english since your comment is in english but Spanish is also my mother tongue so it may be a bit weird.
Well let's see there's a lot to comment. First I wanna tell you that I don't really like to give all the answers, so I may leave some things open. I prefer people thinking about it themselves. And second: SPOILERS, so for people reading this that doesn't know anything about the story, please avoid!
For the Wolf story, well there's a lot to comment there, I may create a blog entry about it one day but the main point behind it was to recreate what you were reading in the story to a point inside another story. The entire "story that should be true" in a more complex way with certain representations and metaphors. The other characters on the story, like the snake, crow and all that, they are not necessarily people from the "real world", but actually influences in the main character. Each chapter represents certain types of "pressure" the wolf receives, expectations he must fulfill if he wants to reach an objective. The very moment you need something from the world, the world will put labels on you on one way or another, that's why in each chapter the characters try to put a "label" on the wolf. The first chapter, about right and left, represents control, and how Ciar was obsessed with controling everything through lies to be able to reach his objective. The entire complex plan to express his feelings avoiding the risks of his trauma, it is made clear how his plan "will fail" because the sun "has already won", because how right and left, black and white, happiness or sadness, how they are change so brutaly at every given moment during this chapter. Because they are all lies, and with so many lies you can't really control anything.
The second chapter with the snake is about tentations. The vivid colors of the snake, her attitude about being really close and flirty. Those represents tentations on Ciar about going "one step ahead", in this case saying the truth about his feelings. However he knows how tentations can lead to the poison of the snake. There's fear of failing now that things are going well, and at the end avoids the snake just to suffer more and more in his doubts, just because at the end all he wants is to make sure the the moon will be there to run away in case he needs it.
The crow chapter is about relationships, that's why is about a collaboration between the wolf and the crow, how they need each other to get an objective, in this case represented through food. What Ciar is trying to express here is how he managed to make it so far until now thanks to his friends (Ziva, Ausse, etc...). He needs of society to reach the sun, all humans needs of others for everything and nobody is truly fully independent, however what is put in doubt here is how real can this relationships be considered. Is there really love? Friendship? Or is everything just people acting for their own benefit (including yourself)? That's why this part of the story is called Real, and the crow never gives his name. In the previous story it was right or left, warm or cold, in this it should be real or false, but it is never really expressed which one is the correct one. So, are these relationships real or false? That's what the wolf (Ciar) doesn't know. Or doesn't want to know, because he himself may be false too.
There's more to it than just this. The references to Skoll and Haiti, Yagatarasu and some other things, but I'll leave those for people to investigate themselves.
Now, about my opinion for the characters. Let's see, this may take long.
Luce: she's great. I just can't help but love her. I tried to create a character that people would fall in love with. Not so much because of her aspect (that she's pretty sure, but Ziva for example was made more appealing exactly for this reason), but because of her personality. I wanted to create someone that you would fall in love with her a little bit more with each scene. So you first see her and she almost doesn't talk, then in each scene she's more and more brave, opening herself more, and showing how strong she actually is. She's the strongest character in the game, she manages to overcome everything by herself and just by her power of will. However, she still becomes embarassed about showing certain parts of herself, and doesn't really want to to be labeled by other people. In that aspect I took some aspects that actually happen to me to try to make her more realistic and tackle some themes in the novel, to make sure her character is more complete. The final plan was to make sure that you, the reader, fall in love with her, so you can identify better with Ciarán at the end and become overwhelmed when she actually saves you, and not the other way around, changing the usual style romantic visual novels follow where the guy saves the girl.
Ziva: She's pretty, and in this case I wanted to make it as a more perfect character. She's the best in every aspect. She loves the main character in her own way, she's popular, helpful, caring, attractive, she's even good at videogames! In a lot of visual novels and anime one thing that happens a lot is how there's clearly a girl that is better at everything that everyone loves, but the main character goes with someone else for no real reason and makes everyone mad. Here I wanted to defy that in a different way most people would understand: Ziva is perfect, but she's not the most compatible person with Ciarán. I think this is something really important that most creators don't know how to handle. The scenes between Luce and Ciarán are interesting because you can see a chemistry between the two. Sure they insult each other and all that, but it's made obvious how their compatibility is really high, however with Ziva is different. They are not compatible, they can be friends, and Ziva sure, is great, but it's not what Ciarán needs. Her caring aspect is not good for a Ciar that, due to his trauma, can't really accept help from other people, that suffers when people spend their time or efforts on him. Luce is different in that aspect, she even bullies Ciar from time to time, but that's precisely what Ciarán needs. So here comes the point: sometimes the best for us is not "the best" option, but the one that helps us to grow, so even though the story with Ziva ends kinda... let's say... bad, at the same time I think no one really felt as if it was forced, people can relate to how Ziva is great but there's a pit that separates the two that can't be helped. Life is not fair, and sometimes you can't do anything about it.
Ausse: Oh man Ausse is such a great character. He's a character that has survived me some other novels and projects that never actually came to light. The first point was to make him the cliche flirty friend that loves all the girls, and sure he is, but it was all to get to his conclusion and theme at the end. About how the personality can't really be set in stone for someone, how people can decide what to be or how to act depending of the situation and that's not a bad thing. People get obsessed about being "something" or "someone" in particular. I'm personally tired of hearing that "just be yourself" as if "yourself" was actually something. People change all the time, they act differently with different people, and that's ok. Ausse takes that and makes jokes about it, becomes whom he wants to become and helps the main character in his own way. Sometimes people think that you can only be friends with someone when you talk serious or deep themes, but I think a good friend can also be that guy that only wants to make you happy, even if it's just with silly things.
Diniz: some people have actually complain about how Diniz wasn't really developed that much, but I think that was a bit the point with him. He's more the kind of the "observer" character, someone that is "just there". You don't see his personality directly since he doesn't talk that much, but through other people. How he was in the past, how he acts in the present. He knows everything but tries to not do that much, he's a bit the opposite to Ziva, trying to help by "not helping". I think he's interesting enough and leaves the reader with doubts and ideas about him that helps to don't make the general plot not so easy. So he's more of a support, a small role that actually impacts big if you keep attention to the details (he's mentioned as soon as in chapter 2, but most people don't even realize this).
Ciar: well he's the main character, so I guess he's my favorite, not so much because of personality but because how complete he is. It's obvious he's the most developed character, but well, this is his story, it's all about his development, so there wouldn't be any point to this story without him. The main point I wanted to make with him was how he was a character in a gray area. Most characters in all stories represent something in society, they are important with great lives so they catch attention, or they are depressive, lost at the bottom, trying to make everything sad. I wanted to make something different with him, as if someone who doesn't really have a reason to be sad or happy. He's not unkown in his class or school, he's a clown after all, but at the same he's kinda unapproachable, since he's so sarcastic and a general asshole about everything. So that puts him in a gray area, people knows him, nobody really cares about him since he seems to be doing well, but at the same time nobody admires him, nobody really wants to be close friends with him. All his relationships are superficial and mediocre, and there's really nothing that makes him special. With time you can hear about his trauma and leg and everything, but the point of all that was how it all was psychological, how he actually didn't really have any problems. Nobody ever blamed him of anything, nobody ever throught high of him: and that was made him suffer. People need an identity, they need to be someone to somebody, to be able to be proud of something, and that was kinda the point about this character and his relationship with Pygmalion story. I think he represents really well the current youth in society, how nowadays most people can't really complain about their lives since they had all their basic necessities covered, they had good families, education, money, everything. But at the same they are nobodies, they are just one more person among a million, they are not the best at anything, neither the worse, they don't have any sad story to share, neither a victory. That gray area creates a void of emptyness in a lot of people, and there's no answer to that, not help.
For the pairing, well I'm the author, so I'm with the pairing I put at the ending lol. I understand some people would like more some other pairings but I guess that's ok, not everyone will feel the same about what I tried to convey and that's great. Same for a possible Ziva and Ausse pairing, I'll let people think what they want about that. Also the Luce and Ziva thing wasn't really gay lol (well, again it's ok if people want to think that), but it was more about Luce just admitting how Ziva was so great. Luce is not really envious or anything and she can be really direct about what she thinks so she doesn't have any issues stating how Ziva is obviously a better person than her, and also has a great body (maybe she has a bit of concern about a lack of something? Oh... I better let this for the readers once again).
The Ausse thing at the end was a bit of a joke and not. The situation actually got out of hand for him, to a point it would put him in an embarassing moment, but since people is used to him being a prankster nobody actually took it seriously. It was a small point I wanted to make about how sometimes being a liar can be really useful if you don't want to be labeled of anything. Nobody would take a clown seriously.
I think this covers everything. Wew that was long. In any case thanks again for your comments, and feel free to ask anything any time again (you can do it in spanish if you want lol). Bye!
Aaah omg tysm for this I feel bad now that you've typed so much omg lol
I'm so hyped over how you've put so much effort in your story all those answers were so developed and it really showed once again how much effort you had put in this whole project.
Aah lo siento, sé que es tu idioma natal también, solo que supongo que estoy más acostumbrada a escribir en inglés ( además me da pereza poner tildes y eso haha )
Also I'm pretty socially awkward when it comes to spanish, for I don't use much expressions with people here, however I d talk a lot online so I guess english would be better to transmit my emotions more clearly haha
and english doesnt need accents ;;v;;
Anyhow uhh I had some questions but I guess I forgot ergh
Oh if it's not creepy, and if I may ask, are you male or female?
I instinctively thought of you as a male, since I mostly see males working on video games rather than females, not for a stereotype but for life experience pfft. However, I saw you getting called a she in a comment, so I got confused lol
Its not really needed but I guess it kinda changes the way I see you, not on my thoughhts but on my impression, if that makes sense pfft.
Now uhh I did have a question, so I'm not leaving without remembering what was it haha;;
Umm I remember it had to do with the front page, I told myself to think in the frint page and I'd recall, but now I don't oof.
Oh!!
Some random questions-- omg you should have a Tumblr Ask Blog for the OTL Crew omg it'd be hilarious and amazing tbh I'd totally spam your feed there pfft.
Does Lice have any drawing style you think of? or did you not think of that lol
I really imagine her going to the realistic sci fi anime style, yknow that one that isn't really anime looking, but it also isnt realism either.
Also about Ziva, she seemed really hurt with the breakup, but were her feelings out of real love or just fake ones she developed due to the pity and need she felt of helping him?
I know you wanna leave questions open to the crowd, so you don't really need to reply to these lol
oof I still can't remember what was I gonna ask
Oh what was Ziva's original introduction ( without Ciar's cosntant interruption ) gonna be? I would've liked to read that too lmao
Aah well sadly I don't remember any of the questions I wanted to make, so you'll have to put up with me later when I remmember ;;v;;
Thanks though!!
And I really love this story whole hh all the hidden stuff behind it's highly amazing as well ~
I'm a guy, male yes. I don't know why someone called me she before lol. I had a Trumblr long time ago but I didn't really used it that much. What I use the most is twitter (@Keinart) so you can probably find me there.
Uhmm the Luce thing, that's again one of those things I would like to leave people to imagine, but I think something more "mature" and "masculine" would be kinda funny, wouldn't it? Something like Punch of the North Star or Jojo, it would be special and the kinda unexpected thing I would love to find out of someone like Luce.
And the Ziva thing, well, they were kids after all, so they really never had a true relationship as to be sure if they were in love with each other. It's that more pure love or just caring for an old friend? Ziva is the kind of responsible woman that takes care of everything she does by himself, it is mentioned a few times how she took all the work for the committee and some other things until everything would be perfect, so it wouldn't be weird to think that the thing Ziva had with Ciarán was more related to her sense of responsibility than actual love... or maybe not. Again I prefer people thinking about this.
Also her introduction without Ciar it's something like this: "Hi, I'm Ziva. I'm from the same class as Endyein. I love to study the human brain and I hope to become a psychologist one of these days." Kinda the normal introduction, isn't it? I think it's a lot better how it is right now, even if Ziva gets mad for it.
Ahhh sorry for the later reply I never got any notification for this ;;v;;
Andoh fine then thanks for answering ^v^
And yeet if I ever download Twitter again I'll make sure I follow!
Also omg sorry for all those typos I hadn't noticed;;
Omg I just looked those up and those would truly fit Luce tbh pfft I can totally picture her drawing like that
Yep Ziva being more on the Mom Friend duties rather than actual love makes sense, but her being so hurt also got me thinking a lot about it haha. And her introduction indeed is pretty normal and neutral, Ciar really gives a great introcuction for her pffft
UNBELIEVABLE. I have never experienced a game like this and im even sad that it even ended so Keinart Good Luck in your future projects and may the force be with you.
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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!
When I originally began reading this story, I was slightly under the impression that it would be like those stupid romance novels where the only choice you make is for which ending of the game you'd prefer, but like you warned us, there were no choices to make. For that reason, I can't call this a game. However, for the beautiful creation that this is, I have a feeling that any other style of presentation would have ruined it.
Your imagination is truly wonderful and your dedication to this project apparent. I'm glad to have been presented with a chance to read this and even more for being able to read this to the very end. I love how you even rewarded our curiosity with those short stories Ciar supposedly wrote. Despite being separate from the main story, they somehow never seemed out of place, and I was left thinking of them just as much as the situations our characters face over time.
Though I have to admit: who was that bald guy? What was the point of him being everywhere at once? Was he just meant as comedic relief or symbolic of something deeper? Perhaps I'm just not seeing the connection, but he did make me laugh a lot. ...Still don't want to meet him in real life though. He's pretty intimidating...
Anyways, since I've stayed up too late both reading this story and writing this comment, I'm going to end my ramblings here. Thank you for the read. Loved what you had to give. Please continue to be inspired and driven to other works of literature art in the future.
Hey thanks for the comment, I appreciate it and I'm glad you liked the novel.
For the bald guy he is mostly comedic relief but it has a biiiiit of symbolism on him, not directly related to him as for the narration as a whole of the story and how absurd his scenes are. If you haven't checked make sure you read the One Hidden Truth in the main menu, I'm guessing you did but just saying because some people missed it.
T^T it isn't downloading properly!! keeps saying error when i try to open it after downloading
Hello Sandpixie. Sorry to hear that. Maybe you downloaded the wrong version? Make sure you download the windows, linux or mac version according to your system. Also maybe something went wrong during the download in the processs and maybe you need to download again. I can't help you with that since the downloads are managed by itch.io so please just try again. If after that it's still not working let me know and send me a screenshot of the error if possible, I'll help to fix it.
hi hi sorry about that,was a problem my side :3 sorted it
Glad to hear it!
Amazing game, It must be some superb people to have created it. your idiom is special,you are a good writer. And I do like the tale ''Reaching the sun''
Keinart bro...... Seriously i have no words left to describe how awesome you are or how unbelievably Super power infinite times awesome this game is..... usually i am lazy asf and that too a critic in my own way but after this game i have to say my whole world turned upside down... i hardly rate any game..... and that 5 stars is like..... well only happened once before and considering i am typing is like..... i can't believe myself.... it is just showing my support to you bro.... Hands off to you the story about reaching the sun the way you described everyone's personality you are just making me fangirling you more and more considering i am boy... well lets leave it like that for now... the song selections for the background music mainly claire de lune.... you are just freakingly awesome for a human or a monster..... hands off to you bro... i understood every little part of the story... but i only have one thing that i haven't discoved yet... what was the price for the survival competition.... only one question remains for me unanswered.... but please let me know how can i be in touch with you..... i hardly have any friends.... and reason behind it being i never found anyone like me but now you really have turned my whole world upside down..... thank you sooo much creating such an awesome game and introducing me to claire de lune..... and please let m know if there is anyway i can help you.... anyway.... i am from india by the way... and now i am sending all my "social media" friends to download this epic awesome game..... please let me know how can i stay in touch with you..... and i really cant believe myself right now that i have commented for the first time and it being this long... it is as they say the less they speak the more they have inside.... and right now i am all out!!! thank you once again for this epic awesome novel....
Thank you, I'm glad you liked it that much. You can probably find me around twitter https://twitter.com/Keinart
I also have a blog (also I don't update it that much and it's mostly in spanish, sorry for that): http://keinart.weebly.com/
I'm not very talkative myself and I'm usually busy so I can't promise anything but feel free to ask anything from time to time if you want :)
Y'all got more of these masterpieces?
Will there be another more cool VN like this ?
I'm working on my next project right now, it's kinda big compared to this one so it will take some time, I hope I can announce it in a few months!
Just asking if your still alive? ^^ Havent heard of your next project but it could be because your busy. Just wanted to know if your still working on it ^^
Welp I'm pretty socially awkward when typing in Spanish even if it's my mother tongue, please put up with me and english lmao ( at least my english's fluent? lol )
aaaah I just finished this, it took me 3 days tbh, cuz I've been in and out, but honestly oh did I enjoy reading this, good lord I'm a lazy ass tbh, lazy enough to quit if there's too much to read, but honestly I loved this to bits I'm even annoyed I finished it now pfft.
Well I read the other comments ( most of them ), and accidentally read your blog and the stuff about Claire, and I must say it's truly impressive, considering I myself have a hard time when developing stories pfft.
Really though, all characters were to deep in personality, story, concepts, and roles that I can't really tell you I disliked a character, cuz character development is something I'm strict over, and I must say it's truly inspiring seeing such well-designed, round, complex characters! Good job on that, it really left a great impression and taste on my mouth~
I did see everyone was commenting upon Claire specifically, or just characters in general ( tbh if it weren't cuz of that blog of yours I'd be lost bout Claire ), but I also really wanted to mention the plot as well.
I must mention I'm an aspiring writer, and there's two things I'm picky to death with, those being Character Development, and Plot. Honestly ( and sadly ), nowadays I find too much cliché and stereotypes in plots, and I must point out I did find it slghtly cliché when Ciar arrived just in time to ask Claire out, since it was in a very used setting, being both under the moonlight and after a graduation. However, it was implied so that it didn't rally make it cringeworthy at all, and even became kinda cute ( I must tell you I was raging over poor Ziva at that time, so I held a small grudge on Claire during that scene pfft ), and knowing who Claire resembled, made it pass and not count as cliché ( aside from the graduation part a bit ), so good job on that as well!
I do NEED to mention now. much. I lo v ed the whole story omg. And I might just rant a bit here but darn Left and Right, the Wolf, the Snake, the Crow, I loved that story to bits and pieces ( and there you go with the ranting again, this wasn't even my point but oh well ). Boy was I dying to know the whole thing behind that small story!! Now that my rushing mind reminds me I'll have to bother you but, do you happen to have any full explanation on what happens with the other characters in the story? I'd love to know if each one of them had a counterpart in OTL? Maybe they resembled somthing else? and is there a story behind why Left and Right had specific names chosen for the Wolf? Maybe he does have a real name? and the crow? what name did the wolf ask him perhaps? I'm really sorry but I'm always so curious when it comes to big awesome plots omg.
Anyways my point wAs, I am truly in love with this story, and its characters. I'll robably even end up making fanart pieces for each character aah, indeed I was just blabbering to my bff on how much I loved this story omg.
Also!! Random question~
I did see in the comments ( sorry I'm an impulsive reader sometimes lol ) that you'd choose ( oh omg I just remembered something I wanted to ask ) either Claire or Luce as your fave character varying on the days pfft
I wanted to know what did you think of Luce, since you already answered about Claire?
And what do you think about the rest? Maybe a fave male as well?
I personally love the three girls, but my constant debate goes between Luce and Ziva, for both exceed in both beauty and knowledge ( please don't take me wrong, I'm a she if that makes it sound less weird pfft ), so I'm thinking I prefer Ziva for being so lovable and extroverted, now that I think about it I also kinda identify with her on how I usually want to be ( if only I weren't that much of an introvert potato ), but really her impression development throughout the story's stunning, and also gives a warm feeling everytime the situation becomes too personal for her. But I also really like Luce for how her constant war with herself doesn't stop her from being how she is, even if she tries not to be it in front of others ( basically the Luce we see from Ciar's POV ), and the warmthness she gives is truly amazing tbh. I'd also say I really love how, while Ziva gives off a motherly, concerned aura at the end of the story, Luce gives a younger figure aura, a more carefree one, even if she still deeply cares, which also really makes me doubt in which I prefer, so I guess it's kinda the same feeling as you with Claire and Luce haha.
And my point before this was to ask, which one's your favorite pairing?
Oh and I read in your blog that all what Ciar was narrating wasn't true, well some parts, so I wanted to know if-- oh wait nevermind now I realize Ziva did mention hersel in One Hidden Truth that they indeed were a couple pff sorry.
But really even if it's just a bit for each, we can see Ciar develop a romantic relationship with each girl, so I wanted to know which one you supported the most? or which one is your fave?
( I'll butt in while proof reading, I remember I also thought Luce was gay for Ziva for a moment? Or vice versa? That caught me off guard lmao, specially since Ciar actually asks if she likes her heh, what are your thoughts on that maybe? )
Aaah one more and I'll stop bothering, I'd love to know if Ausse actually liked Ziva ( which is kinda obvious but still ), and if the thing with the New Substitute Teacher and J... I just downright forgot Jennifer's name but yknow who pfft, I wanted to know if that was one of Ausse's pranks or a real thing pffft.
Well I guess this is where my little "critique" ends, I'm really sorry and I do apologize for taking so much space from the comments section and time from you if you read this, and I'm immensely grateful if you really just were crazy enough to just read this insanity whole!!
But overall, I really loved this whole, and I'm honestly sad there's no more to read haha, I'll also add that I'm really grateful that you took your time to make such a grand thing for free, for us. I'd really donate but I'm still under my parents' care so I'm afraid I'm not allowed to, but you could bet I totally will if I ever get the opportunity!! ( see what I made there, I'm so lame omg lol )
Good luck on your upcoming projects! I really wish to see them already, and hopefully they'll be free, or affordable for a poor soul like me pfft.
I'm sure this comment alone can surpace the number of letters in OTL by golly I'm so sorry you should have a headache by now, but thanks for even skimming through this abomination here, I really hope to see you and your work anytime soon~
Thank you, really!
Woah that was a long comment. I appreciate it, though, I'm glad to see this... passion I guess we can call it. Also I'm answering in english since your comment is in english but Spanish is also my mother tongue so it may be a bit weird.
Well let's see there's a lot to comment. First I wanna tell you that I don't really like to give all the answers, so I may leave some things open. I prefer people thinking about it themselves. And second: SPOILERS, so for people reading this that doesn't know anything about the story, please avoid!
For the Wolf story, well there's a lot to comment there, I may create a blog entry about it one day but the main point behind it was to recreate what you were reading in the story to a point inside another story. The entire "story that should be true" in a more complex way with certain representations and metaphors. The other characters on the story, like the snake, crow and all that, they are not necessarily people from the "real world", but actually influences in the main character. Each chapter represents certain types of "pressure" the wolf receives, expectations he must fulfill if he wants to reach an objective. The very moment you need something from the world, the world will put labels on you on one way or another, that's why in each chapter the characters try to put a "label" on the wolf. The first chapter, about right and left, represents control, and how Ciar was obsessed with controling everything through lies to be able to reach his objective. The entire complex plan to express his feelings avoiding the risks of his trauma, it is made clear how his plan "will fail" because the sun "has already won", because how right and left, black and white, happiness or sadness, how they are change so brutaly at every given moment during this chapter. Because they are all lies, and with so many lies you can't really control anything.
The second chapter with the snake is about tentations. The vivid colors of the snake, her attitude about being really close and flirty. Those represents tentations on Ciar about going "one step ahead", in this case saying the truth about his feelings. However he knows how tentations can lead to the poison of the snake. There's fear of failing now that things are going well, and at the end avoids the snake just to suffer more and more in his doubts, just because at the end all he wants is to make sure the the moon will be there to run away in case he needs it.
The crow chapter is about relationships, that's why is about a collaboration between the wolf and the crow, how they need each other to get an objective, in this case represented through food. What Ciar is trying to express here is how he managed to make it so far until now thanks to his friends (Ziva, Ausse, etc...). He needs of society to reach the sun, all humans needs of others for everything and nobody is truly fully independent, however what is put in doubt here is how real can this relationships be considered. Is there really love? Friendship? Or is everything just people acting for their own benefit (including yourself)? That's why this part of the story is called Real, and the crow never gives his name. In the previous story it was right or left, warm or cold, in this it should be real or false, but it is never really expressed which one is the correct one. So, are these relationships real or false? That's what the wolf (Ciar) doesn't know. Or doesn't want to know, because he himself may be false too.
There's more to it than just this. The references to Skoll and Haiti, Yagatarasu and some other things, but I'll leave those for people to investigate themselves.
Now, about my opinion for the characters. Let's see, this may take long.
Luce: she's great. I just can't help but love her. I tried to create a character that people would fall in love with. Not so much because of her aspect (that she's pretty sure, but Ziva for example was made more appealing exactly for this reason), but because of her personality. I wanted to create someone that you would fall in love with her a little bit more with each scene. So you first see her and she almost doesn't talk, then in each scene she's more and more brave, opening herself more, and showing how strong she actually is. She's the strongest character in the game, she manages to overcome everything by herself and just by her power of will. However, she still becomes embarassed about showing certain parts of herself, and doesn't really want to to be labeled by other people. In that aspect I took some aspects that actually happen to me to try to make her more realistic and tackle some themes in the novel, to make sure her character is more complete. The final plan was to make sure that you, the reader, fall in love with her, so you can identify better with Ciarán at the end and become overwhelmed when she actually saves you, and not the other way around, changing the usual style romantic visual novels follow where the guy saves the girl.
Ziva: She's pretty, and in this case I wanted to make it as a more perfect character. She's the best in every aspect. She loves the main character in her own way, she's popular, helpful, caring, attractive, she's even good at videogames! In a lot of visual novels and anime one thing that happens a lot is how there's clearly a girl that is better at everything that everyone loves, but the main character goes with someone else for no real reason and makes everyone mad. Here I wanted to defy that in a different way most people would understand: Ziva is perfect, but she's not the most compatible person with Ciarán. I think this is something really important that most creators don't know how to handle. The scenes between Luce and Ciarán are interesting because you can see a chemistry between the two. Sure they insult each other and all that, but it's made obvious how their compatibility is really high, however with Ziva is different. They are not compatible, they can be friends, and Ziva sure, is great, but it's not what Ciarán needs. Her caring aspect is not good for a Ciar that, due to his trauma, can't really accept help from other people, that suffers when people spend their time or efforts on him. Luce is different in that aspect, she even bullies Ciar from time to time, but that's precisely what Ciarán needs. So here comes the point: sometimes the best for us is not "the best" option, but the one that helps us to grow, so even though the story with Ziva ends kinda... let's say... bad, at the same time I think no one really felt as if it was forced, people can relate to how Ziva is great but there's a pit that separates the two that can't be helped. Life is not fair, and sometimes you can't do anything about it.
Ausse: Oh man Ausse is such a great character. He's a character that has survived me some other novels and projects that never actually came to light. The first point was to make him the cliche flirty friend that loves all the girls, and sure he is, but it was all to get to his conclusion and theme at the end. About how the personality can't really be set in stone for someone, how people can decide what to be or how to act depending of the situation and that's not a bad thing. People get obsessed about being "something" or "someone" in particular. I'm personally tired of hearing that "just be yourself" as if "yourself" was actually something. People change all the time, they act differently with different people, and that's ok. Ausse takes that and makes jokes about it, becomes whom he wants to become and helps the main character in his own way. Sometimes people think that you can only be friends with someone when you talk serious or deep themes, but I think a good friend can also be that guy that only wants to make you happy, even if it's just with silly things.
Diniz: some people have actually complain about how Diniz wasn't really developed that much, but I think that was a bit the point with him. He's more the kind of the "observer" character, someone that is "just there". You don't see his personality directly since he doesn't talk that much, but through other people. How he was in the past, how he acts in the present. He knows everything but tries to not do that much, he's a bit the opposite to Ziva, trying to help by "not helping". I think he's interesting enough and leaves the reader with doubts and ideas about him that helps to don't make the general plot not so easy. So he's more of a support, a small role that actually impacts big if you keep attention to the details (he's mentioned as soon as in chapter 2, but most people don't even realize this).
Ciar: well he's the main character, so I guess he's my favorite, not so much because of personality but because how complete he is. It's obvious he's the most developed character, but well, this is his story, it's all about his development, so there wouldn't be any point to this story without him. The main point I wanted to make with him was how he was a character in a gray area. Most characters in all stories represent something in society, they are important with great lives so they catch attention, or they are depressive, lost at the bottom, trying to make everything sad. I wanted to make something different with him, as if someone who doesn't really have a reason to be sad or happy. He's not unkown in his class or school, he's a clown after all, but at the same he's kinda unapproachable, since he's so sarcastic and a general asshole about everything. So that puts him in a gray area, people knows him, nobody really cares about him since he seems to be doing well, but at the same time nobody admires him, nobody really wants to be close friends with him. All his relationships are superficial and mediocre, and there's really nothing that makes him special. With time you can hear about his trauma and leg and everything, but the point of all that was how it all was psychological, how he actually didn't really have any problems. Nobody ever blamed him of anything, nobody ever throught high of him: and that was made him suffer. People need an identity, they need to be someone to somebody, to be able to be proud of something, and that was kinda the point about this character and his relationship with Pygmalion story. I think he represents really well the current youth in society, how nowadays most people can't really complain about their lives since they had all their basic necessities covered, they had good families, education, money, everything. But at the same they are nobodies, they are just one more person among a million, they are not the best at anything, neither the worse, they don't have any sad story to share, neither a victory. That gray area creates a void of emptyness in a lot of people, and there's no answer to that, not help.
For the pairing, well I'm the author, so I'm with the pairing I put at the ending lol. I understand some people would like more some other pairings but I guess that's ok, not everyone will feel the same about what I tried to convey and that's great. Same for a possible Ziva and Ausse pairing, I'll let people think what they want about that. Also the Luce and Ziva thing wasn't really gay lol (well, again it's ok if people want to think that), but it was more about Luce just admitting how Ziva was so great. Luce is not really envious or anything and she can be really direct about what she thinks so she doesn't have any issues stating how Ziva is obviously a better person than her, and also has a great body (maybe she has a bit of concern about a lack of something? Oh... I better let this for the readers once again).
The Ausse thing at the end was a bit of a joke and not. The situation actually got out of hand for him, to a point it would put him in an embarassing moment, but since people is used to him being a prankster nobody actually took it seriously. It was a small point I wanted to make about how sometimes being a liar can be really useful if you don't want to be labeled of anything. Nobody would take a clown seriously.
I think this covers everything. Wew that was long. In any case thanks again for your comments, and feel free to ask anything any time again (you can do it in spanish if you want lol). Bye!
Aaah omg tysm for this I feel bad now that you've typed so much omg lol
I'm so hyped over how you've put so much effort in your story all those answers were so developed and it really showed once again how much effort you had put in this whole project.
Aah lo siento, sé que es tu idioma natal también, solo que supongo que estoy más acostumbrada a escribir en inglés ( además me da pereza poner tildes y eso haha )
Also I'm pretty socially awkward when it comes to spanish, for I don't use much expressions with people here, however I d talk a lot online so I guess english would be better to transmit my emotions more clearly haha
and english doesnt need accents ;;v;;
Anyhow uhh I had some questions but I guess I forgot ergh
Oh if it's not creepy, and if I may ask, are you male or female?
I instinctively thought of you as a male, since I mostly see males working on video games rather than females, not for a stereotype but for life experience pfft. However, I saw you getting called a she in a comment, so I got confused lol
Its not really needed but I guess it kinda changes the way I see you, not on my thoughhts but on my impression, if that makes sense pfft.
Now uhh I did have a question, so I'm not leaving without remembering what was it haha;;
Umm I remember it had to do with the front page, I told myself to think in the frint page and I'd recall, but now I don't oof.
Oh!!
Some random questions-- omg you should have a Tumblr Ask Blog for the OTL Crew omg it'd be hilarious and amazing tbh I'd totally spam your feed there pfft.
Does Lice have any drawing style you think of? or did you not think of that lol
I really imagine her going to the realistic sci fi anime style, yknow that one that isn't really anime looking, but it also isnt realism either.
Also about Ziva, she seemed really hurt with the breakup, but were her feelings out of real love or just fake ones she developed due to the pity and need she felt of helping him?
I know you wanna leave questions open to the crowd, so you don't really need to reply to these lol
oof I still can't remember what was I gonna ask
Oh what was Ziva's original introduction ( without Ciar's cosntant interruption ) gonna be? I would've liked to read that too lmao
Aah well sadly I don't remember any of the questions I wanted to make, so you'll have to put up with me later when I remmember ;;v;;
Thanks though!!
And I really love this story whole hh all the hidden stuff behind it's highly amazing as well ~
I'm a guy, male yes. I don't know why someone called me she before lol. I had a Trumblr long time ago but I didn't really used it that much. What I use the most is twitter (@Keinart) so you can probably find me there.
Uhmm the Luce thing, that's again one of those things I would like to leave people to imagine, but I think something more "mature" and "masculine" would be kinda funny, wouldn't it? Something like Punch of the North Star or Jojo, it would be special and the kinda unexpected thing I would love to find out of someone like Luce.
And the Ziva thing, well, they were kids after all, so they really never had a true relationship as to be sure if they were in love with each other. It's that more pure love or just caring for an old friend? Ziva is the kind of responsible woman that takes care of everything she does by himself, it is mentioned a few times how she took all the work for the committee and some other things until everything would be perfect, so it wouldn't be weird to think that the thing Ziva had with Ciarán was more related to her sense of responsibility than actual love... or maybe not. Again I prefer people thinking about this.
Also her introduction without Ciar it's something like this: "Hi, I'm Ziva. I'm from the same class as Endyein. I love to study the human brain and I hope to become a psychologist one of these days." Kinda the normal introduction, isn't it? I think it's a lot better how it is right now, even if Ziva gets mad for it.
Ahhh sorry for the later reply I never got any notification for this ;;v;;
Andoh fine then thanks for answering ^v^
And yeet if I ever download Twitter again I'll make sure I follow!
Also omg sorry for all those typos I hadn't noticed;;
Omg I just looked those up and those would truly fit Luce tbh pfft I can totally picture her drawing like that
Yep Ziva being more on the Mom Friend duties rather than actual love makes sense, but her being so hurt also got me thinking a lot about it haha. And her introduction indeed is pretty normal and neutral, Ciar really gives a great introcuction for her pffft
Again thanks for replying!!
If i could Explain this in 1 word it would be
UNBELIEVABLE. I have never experienced a game like this and im even sad that it even ended so Keinart Good Luck in your future projects and may the force be with you.