*cough* I’m sorry but let me get this straight. There are so many good things about this game. Personally I’ve only played Japanese otoge before and I am so done with them for so many reasons and I generally love playing indie games and really did not expect what was coming.
The art is beautiful. The BGs are done really well they’re neat and they fit the characters art style so well too which is something that even 7 Scarlet couldn’t get right.
The BGM is simple but lovely and it fits the situation , dialogue and the mood perfectly.
The gaming system and the UI fits the story and game’s purpose and it’s minimalistic and gorgeous.
I must say I was reallyyyy SHOOK when I saw the OP video like whaaa- that was so crazy and super cool too!
But most importantly! The writing ! I can not begin to say how impressed I am with the writing.
The characters have been written so well, Miyoko is such an understandable character she’s smart and funny and her reactions are so relatable and I’m so glad that we don’t have to deal with those « damsel in distress » bullshit .
The whole plot carries on very smoothly there’s simply no error in the writing ; how is this possible. The pacing is right, every scene is interesting and adds something to the story. And everything is just so balanced.
I’m sorry I’ve never written a garbage so long but Pinlin you are surreal! I can not believe that you have made such an amazing game ! Congratulations really ! You’re truly inspiring and I’m just so grateful.
Hello, I'm just a random person who likes telling stories _(: D
At the time I started this project, there weren't many English otoge. I wanted to contribute to this community and share my passion for visual novels. I hoped to give players an amazing experience like I had. One of the reasons that I did not collaborate with other artist is I wanted to keep the style consistent. Background, characters, CGs and even the UI. I experimented with styles and came to this simple and clean theme.
Credits are given to the composers for the beautiful BGMs. I purposely gave freedom to maximize their creativity. Even when the soundtrack didn't end up like I expected, I could find use for another scene. I thank the vocalist, song writer & composer, mixer and arranger for the OP. These were roles I couldn't fullfil myself and I had wonderful friends to help out.
Thank you for praises on the writing! I admit that I have a lot to learn; most of the plot was written 6 years ago. I could only polish it with today's knowledge. I would have done some things differently if I were to write from scratch.
The editors and proof readers are here to shine for keeping grammatical/spelling errors to minimum. After release, I did spot a few mistakes. For a 270k script it isn't a big deal.
Thank you for dropping your thoughts and your support! It was enjoyable to read <3
This game is just amazing, so far I've done Kurato - Junoru and Zeikun route but the only one I am completely done with is Zeikun... I'm trying hard for the other two but their is two illustrations I can't get and this is soooooo frustrating x). And I know this is not fair but can we find the solutions somewhere?
Anyway this game is so important to me, Thank you for all! <3
I really liked the UI of this game, is so clean! The backgrounds are so pretty too. My only problem gameplay-wise; would be how sometimes you have to make 100% perfect choices in order to get the happy ending. (edit: Spoilers below)
Character wise, I love them all. But I didn't felt comfortable with the romance in Sachiro's (I found the 1st half to be quite weak) and Junoru's (a lot more heavy-backstory focused) paths.
Zeikun's made me emotional - but at the same time, I found his route to be the most forgettable of them all.
Kurato's is my favorite due to his motivations, personality traits and how he actually interacts with the side cast (and not only the MC). He's a believable and 3D character - through I'm not fan of how his route had a lot of teasing with almost all the other male side characters. I think there was a missing chance of exploring more his beliefs towards justice or work (Sherlock Holmes and Watson style!).
But I know that writing non-human characters, such as demons, gods, angels, 'ghouls' can be hard. Aside that, I overall liked how you connected the plot points, this VN is really good and binge-worthy.
Personally, I like a clear GUI with a theme that fits the whole game. After a few attempts, I came up with this. Even if you miss 1 or 2 choices, you can still get the happy ending. I know some routes are trickier. Usually when there are 3 choices, each gives between 0-2 points.
Each story has a different structure. I like to experiment with variations not just in visuals but narration. I see you have your preference and thank you for the critique!
I think there were many holes and unexplored parts of the story. We only follow MC's perspective, so many things happen behind the scenes. I covered some parts in the bonus scenes, hopefully enough to satisfy your curiosity.
Anyway, thank you again for sharing your thoughts!
Such an amazing game! I spent all day playing through all of the routes! I was entranced from the first hour to the last! This now has a special place in my heart. I really enjoyed playing.
Wow, I absolutely love this game! I've been playing for hours!!! I really, really like Kurato! I can't seem to get romantic endings- just normal :') But I really love this game!! I'll make sure to support in the future when I can!
His route is the hardest when it comes to making choices for the romantic ending. While he is a very open character, his heart is a tough nut to crack :') There are 2 walkthroughs at the link section. Maybe they can help you to get the other ending.
I've been looking forward to this game since the demo and it's been everything that I expected and so so much more. I downloaded this game last weekend, chose Sachiro's route and finished 2 endings in 1 night. I'm honestly left speechless; no amount of words will describe how much I love or enjoyed this game! Every character is sOo cutte and to die for!! [ Potential spoilers ] One thing I noticed was how the MC and Sachiro both described as though they were missing something in their life and wanted to try something new. I thought that that was cute and maybe could mean sth? Also at the scene where Sachiro tries a new drink and it's name happens to be the same as what her friends described her. Haha, am I looking into it too much? And my fav scene so far is from achievement 25 - it really got to me haha! n_n
Ever since playing it that night I've been impatiently waiting for the next weekend to come so that I can try out the other routes (I don't allow myself to play on weekdays so that I don't binge when I need to work). I'm planning on trying Kurato's route next and honestly this is the best reward after a week of studying and work :'D thank you so so much and (a late) congrats on the release <3
Oh! And please consider making routes for the side characters, thx <3
Definitely one of the best free visual novel I've played so far! The art is AMAZING and the story itself is captivating as well. I've come to love all the characters as they are all so interesting and play a major role in the plot line (including the side characters which is really rare in VNs) I'm surprised this game is free given its amazing quality. Definitely 10/10 for me! ^^
This game is unbelievably amazing. The artwork is gorgeous and the stories of each character are so detailed and beautiful. I have a request I think many of us are thinking about, though; Could you maybe add routes/create another game for Chain, Kaichi, Roya, Blace, Jace, and Lioji? They are all wonderful characters and I would really like to play their routes. Please think about it, as I am sure many of us feel the same. But, that is a *lot* of characters to make routes for, so I understand if it would be a tough decision to make.
But anyway, the artwork is beautiful. I commend you for creating such a unique story line, and I look forward to your future works.
Honestly I didn't know you made a VN since I found out about you from YouTube. When I heard that you released Dark Nights, I immediately download it. I like how one main problem can be solved with different approach. My absolute favorite aspect from this game is that the characters are really fleshed out and have some kind of connection with the other characters. It's something I find a bit rare in other VN, where other characters would leave some kind of impact in any of the routes available.
Other than that, the art is great (as always), the music is good, I love the side characters, and the story itself is captivating. I wish any of the current side character will get a route. The overall game is really enjoyable and I'm recommending this to my friends. My only disappointment is that Ikuyo didn't appear in the story :(
I can officially say I love this game! It took me a while to finish all the routes but I'm glad I took my time with everything. Without doubt, my favorite thing about it was the illustrations, they are indeed stunning and I think they add a special something to the game! I also really loved the achievements and the extra-scenes! The four routes are a charm itself, but without doubt I have to say Zeikun was my favorite (not only as a LI but as the content of the route). The big surprise for me was Sachiro route! I was expecting much of it but I loved it! His normal ending is my second favorite ending! Junoru is a delight! His character is really interesting, I just wished he had expressed himself a little more about things in general and his feelings for the MC, I feel more depth could have been added, but I still loved him! In contrast, I enjoyed how deep as a character Kurato was (we got to see a lot of personality traits), perhaps I wasn't much into his route because he is not my usual type of LI and wasn't really sure about his chemistry and interactions with the MC but I still enjoyed him and his route! My only real and big critic with the game, is the prologue. I personally find it hard to go through it as I felt it slow and dense and couldn't really connect with the MC. However, I'm glad to say this doesn't happen with the rest of the game! The writing feels more into place and even when our heroine accepts the absurd things that happen to her, you find yourself accepting them too! I really recommend this game and I want to congratulate Pinlin for it! You can see it was made with love and care, and that's what really matters!!
Thank you for the comment!It's a delight to hear you enjoyed all 4 plotlines. While they differ, I tried to make them equally interesting.
The achievements were added as a challenge for those that like to explore choices.
I was thinking to rewrite the prologue because I heard it turned off a handful people to continue. Perhaps scrap it as whole? I'll take some time to consider this.
I'm not ashamed to admit that I sacrificed sleep and binge played this game in my free time until I finished it (a week (58hrs of gameplay!!!) later). I also made a full walkthrough for it which you can find here.
I saw Pinlin's reddit post announcing the game release and was immediately blown away by the quality of the artwork and intrigued by the story synopsys. I downloaded Dark Nights as soon as I got home after work and was met with the beautiful opening MV. Going through the prologue, Miyoko's boredom and adventure seeking really resonated with me. Throughout the game, Miyoko proves to be different from the MC's we're used to, she's proactive, feisty, independent, compassionate and has her own personality and character which don't depend on her current LI.
The route order I followed was Sachiro>Zeikun>Kurato>Junoru.
Going into Sachiro's route I thought it was a sacrifice I had to make to learn more about the story, since he was very, very far from my usual type. Boy, was I wrong! I'm not going to spoil anything but I'll say I was more than pleasantly surprised by his route! In fact, it ended up becoming one of my favourites as more of Sachiro personality and story were revealed.
Zeikun's at first outright agressive attitude (and character design) intrigued me straight away. I really enjoyed his story and character developement. Him and Sachiro are tied for the Best Boy title for me.
Kurato's (overly) easy-going nature and interactions with Miyoko were so fun to see. Him and Miyoko were more level with each other than Sachiro or Zeikun. His personality brought a nice variety to the game so far and was like a breath of fresh air.
Straight away during Miyoko's first interaction with Junoru, I knew there was going to be a tragic-er than tragic backstory to be revealed in his route. It was amazing to see this shy, gentle boy come out of his shell as him and Miyoko got closer. The pacing of their relationship developement felt very natural, if not a bit too-familiarly awkward for a friendship blossoming into love. We finally get to know Roya a bit better, too. Junoru's route also has one of my favourite CG's in the game.
Finally, the side characters! Ikuya and Lioji were written well, with both of them being reliable friends and support to Miyoko. I'd be interested to see more about Ikuya's brother background from what was hinted at in the game.
I have to admit Kaichi might've stolen my heart the show on a few occasions. His chemistry with Miyoko and their cat and mouse relationship left me wanting more, even if it was in the middle of someone else's (sorry, Sachiro) route. I'm not saying that we need a Kaichi route but we need a Kaichi route...
Chain, even if a bit one-dimensional, provided some serious bad-assery and a bit of comedy relief to the game. His bonus scenes cracked me up!
Jace and Blace were a great addition to the plot especially this late (in regards to this route order) in the game. I found their backstory very interesting and I loved their character design.
Roya... may or may not have redeemed himself by the time I finished the game. Quite a controversial character. I don't know if Pinlin ever considered him becoming a LI, but from the CG's and Sketchbook illustrations, one has to wonder.
Rasumi had a really nice character design but I never found out her end-game besides antagonising Miyoko and all the LIs and well... you'll see when you play the game.
ALL IN ALL! I enjoyed this game so much! The artworks are insane (and I have to admit to checking out Pinlin's other illustrations and being very humbled by her talent), all the characters are beautifully drawn, the storylines are intriguing and keep you captivated until the very end. The endings, character developement and plot were well executed, too. The side characters were an integral part of the story, which was refreshing. The CG's and bonus content were incredible as well.
Pinlin, I'll say it again, you've done an amazing job! Thank you for creating and sharing Dark Nights with us!
This game is so good. I really wasn't sure what to expect but I really enjoyed it so much. It is one of the few games I actually wanted to go back and get all the endings, CGs and achievements for. All the characters were fantastic from the MC to the main routes and side characters. I originally thought I wouldn't really be into Sachiro because he looked like a little chibi and acted childish but he ended up being one of my favorites. Really all of the routes were one of my favorites. I usually have some that I am kind of over part way through in these types of games but not for Dark Nights. I also especially fell in love with Kaichi. I loved interacting with him in every route and was sad he doesn't show in Junoru's. By the end I really wanted to know more about him and really wanted him to have his own route. His personality made me weak. I also loved Roya a lot and ended up wanted a route for him to just to have more time to get to know him. Chain also left me wanting more info. It is rare for otome/visual novels to have really interesting side characters that leave me wanting more.
I have sunk like 20 hours in total getting all the endings, achievements and CGs. There is one CG that I can't get no matter what I do. I have tried all sorts of combos and looked over the walkthrough and tips but still can't get it. Junoru's 8th CG. It says it is in Chapter 3 but I just can't get it....
But anyways, thank you so much for making such a wonderful game. I hope to see more from you in the future!
Edit: I decided to go look at the Dark Nights twitter and found out Kaichi's birthday is literally the day before mine. lmao
Hey, check out my guide in my comment, you should be able to get Junoru's CG if you follow it, since I don't recall struggling to get it. Let me know if it works!
Thank you very much. I went through it again and managed to get the missing CG by following the normal end part of your guide. Now I have everything done xD
I absolutely loved this game, the plot was phenomenal and I could feel attached to all of the characters. I adore Chain, Roya, and Kaichi, as even though they aren't they main focus you can still feel attached to them. ( Let them be happy!!!! TwT) I binged this game and even though I just finished it completely, I want to play it again, because that's just how great it is.
Thank you for giving this game a try! I'm glad you enjoyed the input of every character. I did my best to give the side-characters a bit of back story. While they aren't the focus, it doesn't mean they totally disappear into the background.
Too bad I have a guilty pleasure of tragedy... but also lighthearted moments (bonus scenes).
If you play all over again, you might pick up hints you missed at the first play-through.
This game is absolutely gorgeous; probably one of the prettiest otome games I've ever played. The character designs are memorable and unique, the CGs and backgrounds are breathtaking, and the music is good! However, while the plot is intriguing, I felt like the writing could be improved upon. The presentation of the characters' reactions to some situations felt a bit unrealistic and pulled me away from the immersion, and I sometimes wondered how Miyoko actually felt about certain things since her feelings weren't clear to me.
Despite this, I did enjoy Dark Nights a lot and I can tell that a lot of care and effort went into its production. I loved how the romance didn't feel rushed or forced, instead it developed naturally during the story's progression. Even more, I loved that side characters got to play important roles in the story and got development. Roya and Jace are probably my favourite side characters, I honestly can't get enough of them.
As far as routes go, I probably liked Sachiro's and Junoru's routes the most. And surprisingly enough, I liked the normal endings a lot more than the romance endings. The normal ends were more emotionally packed for me and provided answers to some mysteries regarding the characters. They were really great and totally worth getting.
Thank you so much Pinlin, for creating and sharing Dark Nights with us! If you decide to make another game in the future, I'll be looking forward to it!
I'm delighted to hear that you like the character designs. It's one of the few things I really enjoy to draw. I'm glad that the game is memorable; it's one of the highest compliments to me. I put all my efforts to combine all elements harmoniously.
The world was established in my head that most characters aren't fazed at the events. I guess that was the unrealistic part? After playing VNs with a lot of monologues from the MC, I intentionally kept this underdeveloped. However, I agree with you. Her thoughts became less prominent as the story progresses.
Through observations, I think that romance hits harder when it's not in focus. I wondered what makes someone fall in love. Each route explores a different aspect. Considering MC's personality, the development should be subtile and slow. I balanced the interactions with the side characters and their role. It's less of a 'dating-sim', but a 'complete story'. Knowing that the side characters got a lot of attention, maybe I put them too much in the splotlights, haha.
I added the achievements and bonus features just so players can explore other possibilities and more of the world. Often in VNs I try to get the 'best ending' while avoiding all other endings. Here I didn't want other ends to be a disappointment.
Though we haven't finish all the routes yet, my friends and I have finished Zeikun and Sachiro's Routes we are currently on Kurato's Route. Dude, their reactions are so funny XD but anyway I'm loving the story so far and we been wanting a Kaichi and Chain Route lol. I was wondering if you were thinking of making mores routes if you update this game. If you aren't it's fine cause I know how hard it takes to make these games. Just an idea if you ever want to update this game again! Anyway I look forward to any more work from you! UwU
I wish to experience their reactions too xD The game has only been released a bit over a month. I'm happy to see more commentary rolling in. Thank you for the positive feedback! About the extra routes, I might consider it depending on the community. Since I had my first release, I got a hang of the process. From now on, development will go faster than before. I believe my skills have improved enough that I don't need to re-do things a trillion times.
I already done kurato's route. Truth be told i already browser the comment so i knew his backgroud unique, but i never think it was that so much mindblowing😓😓😲😲. But even kurato having such a HardshipTOT///
And YES! Finally finish the game and complete it. i am enjoying the story luv it senpai😍😍😍💞
But right Now i feel empty i want to play more _(:3\ ) _ i am looking forwad senpai new game =DDDDDDD
Ahh don't spoil yourself yet! I'm glad so far the comments didn't summarize every single event, haha. His route got through the most edits, because I scrapped a lot out. I wanted to keep the storylines in similar lengths, but it didn't really work out.
Have you completed all endings? Dang, you've binged 6 years of work within a month. There are a few future projects I have mind, but it depends on what crosses my path. I might add a few routes in Dark Nights or leave the project as it is. So far, I give it more time and catch some breath before digging into another endless piles of work _(:D
i been lurking on you deviart years ago!! i love your art the moment i crossed it T_T//
i waiting for the full release 4 years!! OMG!! you wont know how fell when this visual novel game came out8DDDDD
Im tipe of person shy to comment but after playing the game i really want to say you did a good job making geougous game! actually l already done junoru,zeikun,and sachiro route not to metion completed all their ending ,now i am at kurato route
my first target is junoru cuz i like polite nice guy and got straigh to the romance ending first time playing but heck i ready expeted some tragic backstory but it was more blowmind gaps**, i crying at roya death because he die Way too early in the game before geting knowing him better as person :(
my second route is zeikun and got the dead end first, secod id the nomal ending ,seriously i got heatache due so many death in normal route, but still i like him and relatend about what he got trough
third route is sachiro, to be honest i was actualy going for him the last but i saw some spoiler if player complete other character ending you get a bonus scene at the kurato ending if i remember correctly?
move on,my first impression of sanchiro he cute but i really not intersting of him yet, maybe there more side of him? After playing the route sachiro is cutets especially his naked adult vesion blushing on the hot spring cg muehehehe^p^..
i still at kurato route and wanted to finished it.... i just cant because i am stil a high school student still go to school for half day tomorrowT~T
overall is good story illuminate each character and their devoplement,is like describe their own point view of the event
i want route for side character like roya,kaichi,and the twin. i luv their interaction especially for roya the most because he have short screening time and a lack devoplement. i want for him to shine more in the story so i can simpathy his characteristic though
chain i like his art, but he was a total jerk in junoru route, so i want his backstory why he hate supernatural thing so much
Like i metion i don't comment much so there may be typo or english grammar buat this is best as i can to impress my feeling towands the game so i want more of tis game ;):))))))))) sopleasepleaseplease???
I honestly remember when this VN's demo first came out, at first i was so intrigued and captivated by the art style but once getting into it the music, time and thought that went through this whole project just made me fall in love with it. The characters are so beautiful each one makes you just fall in love whether they're a side or main character they all have charms that reel you in. I have yet to finish the whole game due to work and other necessities but i can definitely say that Sachiro still has my heart from the first demo til the full game.
I hope one day some side characters may get their own routes even if they're to be paid content as they would most definitely be worth it. Thank you so much for this detailed, amazing storylines and characters as well as the beautiful art to go with it
Your feedback touches my heart strings (cheesy, but I don't know how else to describe). I took care of each character in the story; their different sides and various interactions. The side characters may not be as fleshed out, but some have a big chunk of their background covered.
Sachiro made the least impression on most people. In the demo he was at his worst, but got to shine in the full version. You're a faithful Sachiro-squad member.
It depends on the community to continue with additional routes. So far there is a lot of interest in the side characters. Thank you for the praises! I always enjoyed to combine my art with writing, but the first time in form of a visual novel.
Omg i love Zeikun (tsundere trope is my weak point) <3333 but I am so interested in roya, kaichi and chain, They are so intriguing! Please make routes for them too T_T I don't care it these routes cost, I just need moreeeeee hahaha this vn is so amazing, congratulations!
He's more Kuudere, but I get what left that impression :'D Roya, Kaichi and Chain make fairly times of appearances. Even with their stories covered (except Chain), I'm surprised you still want more. Depending on the community, I may consider to add their routes :3c
kuudere is my second favorite trope lol now that you said it, I do agree he is more kuudere hahaha
I asked about these 3 because of their personalities, they are so interesting, I think it would be so funny seeing how the mc gets closer to them, since they sound a little out of reach when it comes to romance, like it would never in one million years be possible for them to have strong feelings for the mc xD
Here's the short review I left on the rating: The game itself is gorgeous! but also really fun, and a little tricky, since you have to be careful to not get a bad ending. but the characters are nicely tied together and planned out, making it fun for each route!
also I gave it 5 stars. <3
Note: I was planning on writing up a longer review to share via tumblr, but I wanted to ask if that would be okay, first?
I LOVE THIS GAME. I finished Zeikun and Kurato's romanitic route and my god!!! (I think Kurato is my fav, but I can't decide) and I'm busy with Junoru
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASEEEE make a route for Kaichi,Roya and maybe Chain!? I love them,such interesting characters. I would give my first child just to have these routes. (Im joking but seriously though ♥)
I'm glad multiple characters captured your interest /) v (\ Ahhh, I might consider adding their routes. If the time ever comes, I may create a poll. There are so many side-characters and it's hard to keep track which are the most requested.
The site works fine to me. There are daily visitors and pageviews, so I guess it's only you. Possibly you you got a restricted internet where only few websites work. Google will help you out more than I can.
It was a coincidence I posted it right before Chinese New Year. I never know the date as it changes every year. "Nuomici" is the only Chinese dish mentioned. Most are Japanese, English, French and other western dishes. It's a bit blunt to base it just from this, but I am familiar with the Chinese culture.
Perhaps they banned weebly in general? I wouldn't know either. It's unfortunate to have google banned. I hope you still can reach other favorite sites.
i played the demo like a billion years ago and forgot about this game until i stumbled upon it again, completed. and then i stayed up until 2am playing through all the routes... not a good idea since i had 2 exams the next day lol.
so far i've gone the romantic endings and some death endings, and i will use the walkthrough to get the other endings and achivements to unlock the bonus content.
what i like about the game is that the routes are wildly different. some VNs are lazy where routes are basically the same but with the names switched around, but this one makes sure each route has a completely different atmosphere, with focus on different characters and their development, and focus on one part of the mystery.
sometimes that can get a bit confusing, as there are many different parts to the story. to my understanding, roya is responsible for some of the disappearances/deaths, but so is kaichi, but so is chain, but so is sachiro???
i also like the fact that not only the love interests but the side characters are important to the story, and instead of being placeholders, they actually get given personalities and development.
i played sachiro's route first, and it was a good introduction to the story. i liked the supernatural aspects to it, with the temple guardian and the spirits and all that. it went a completely different direction to what i thought sachiro's route was gonna be like when i played the demo. however, i couldn't get that attached to his character, as most of our time together was spent with him looking like a 12 year old. i started to like him more at the end of the route when he grew up, though.
zeikun's route was slightly connected to sachiro's but also completely different. everytime zeikun was like "damn i wish the temple guardian was here" i really wanted to scream at my computer because the temple guardian did appear, but that was in another timeline, and now in this route sachiro will probably never get his memories back. this made me realise how every route is gonna have some sacrifices and some deaths, and not all of them are gonna be completely happy endings, even though you might not realise the importance of that character's death at first. i really like that about the game, and its one of the reasons why i can't choose a favourite route. zeikun was a jerk at first but i was fine because then i learnt that he had reasons for being a jerk. i also really liked his hair... like damn. what shampoo does he use.
not gonna lie, kurato's route was my least favourite. the character development in this was absolutely amazing, especially chain, kaichi, and the ace brothers, but i thought the ending was really weird. in my playthrough, jace just forgives kurato for no reason, even though he sent blace away, and then everything is just suddenly ok and the disappearances die down despite the characters having no input. also, chain doesn't kill kurato for being cursed, even though he literally killed his own cousin before??? chain whats up bro u got some feelings about kurato u wanna share??? it was still quite good, and i thought kurato's character was nice. his backstory was really interesting, especially because i expected this route to just be like detective murder mystery solving when i played the demo.
the last route i played was junoru's and damn it was sad. i did not expect him to have that tragic backstory. and then i was sad when roya died, and then i was sad when chain died, and then i was sad when they went into detail about junoru's parents dying and then his torture and his relationship with jace and blace and how they betrayed him and it was just overall a lot of emotions. i liked junoru's character because he was always nice to me, when most of the other love interests were kinda jerks (especially zeikun). sometimes i thought that it was weird, because junoru was just nice to us for no reason whatsoever, but thats ok because i love him anyway. i liked this route because it felt kind of like a "true ending" where the zombies get the cure instead of the disappearances dying down naturally in the other endings i got. also... why is his dad so handsome??? i know he dies in the end but that cg where he's sitting on the bed... i feel attacked?
i also really liked the side characters. i didn't care that much about ikuya and lioji as they didn't get as much development. ikuya mentions her brother a bunch of times but then we never meet him, and she also mentions in one of the routes that she likes lioji, but then nothing happens between them at all, and its basically forgotten about. i guess its fine because they didnt have that much involvement in the story.
in some routes, chain was a really nice character, and in other routes, he was a complete jerk (especially junoru's route). i suspect that he has some tragic backstory that made him hate all the supernatural, so it would be cool to have a bonus story about what happened to him to make him such a jerk. but he was a good side character with good development, especially for one so involved in literally every single route.
at first i hated kaichi but in kurato's route i grew to really like him. and his story. i thought it was really weird that the 'cursed souls' thing was only prominent in zeikun's route, and then in all the other routes he had basically no reason to be there. i don't even remember him being in junoru's route at all. i would definitely like to see some bonus story about his life as a shinigami and his feelings about missing being a human.
in kurato's route, i thought jace and blace were really weird because they turn up for no reason, but in junoru's route, they get their story fleshed out, and i started to like them. that cg where jace is leaning really close to mc and he pulls his bandages off and then hes doing that smirk.... bro. you can't just give me that cg and then not give me a jace/blace route. its torture.
rasumi was a good villain in that i hated her with all my heart but i didn't understand any of her choices AT ALL. why did she make the deal with sachiro? why does she try to stop junoru and mc from stopping the zombies? why is she so evil despite being an angel? whats her relationship with jace/blace, especially jace since he's at heaven's gate? it was all a bit confusing, and she was definitely my least favourite side character.
roya was only important in junoru's route, but then i didn't really get to like him because he gets killed off quite early. if we had more time spent with him, i'm sure i would've grown to like his character and feel sympathetic for him. also child roya is such a mood... that monocle... what a legend
overall, i can definitely tell that you worked hard on this game. the story was amazing, the writing was amazing, the art was amazing, everything was generally amazing. 13/10
Thank you for writing this wall of text because I LOVE detailed reviews. Especially since you covered all characters. Sorry for the late reply, because I wanted to write something decent.
It heard many people had upcoming exams during the release. I didn't intend to mess up their priorities and sleeping schedules. Halloween seemed the perfect holiday to match the game's theme. I just pray the game was all worth it.
You're a master of speed gaming to play all routes in one go. Were you lucky to get all choices right or did you scroll back for the pings?
I totally get what you mean with repetition in routes. It makes other routes not as exiting as the first playthrough. I played around with plot structure, choice system, art style and character involvement. Each route has their own outstanding style. Now you played all routes, you can sort of combine the puzzle pieces. The characters have their own way of describing events. Regardless, what happened stays the same.
I treasure each of my OCs and wish to show more of them. Their stories may not be as fleshed out, but enough to spark interest. Adding up, the MC's choices influences their paths as well.
When you replay the routes, you'll pick up all hints dropped earlier. Even the play order drops clues. Like you mentioned, Zeikun > Sachiro. The little boy was the least liked for his appearance, but more people started to like him in the full version. Depending on the ending, his route is split in half of the time looking young and second half being older.
Zeikun has been memed as model for L'Oréal Paris shampoo lol. My love for drawing long hair is obvious at this point haha.
Kurato looks like easy going, yet his route is slow burn. All side characters appeared there and he had to deal with all of them. The affection points makes a difference in the endings that even the side characters act nicer, heh.
Junoru has this sad look glued on his face so I give players what they expect but it's a surprise it seems. He has been lonely for a long time and enjoys company. Like in his first chapter he has the most conversations with the MC. People have "complained" to me why I killed off all handsome characters lol. Initially I didn't want to give Junoru's parents a face, but then thought "it makes the events sadder, right?"
As for the other side characters, they contribute each their part in the routes. Some are to like, others to dislike. I wanted to show more of their sides. Depending on your choices, you can find out more about their intentions.
I just can't seem to get the Junoru romantic end.. I've almost tried all options and I just get to the part of the normal ending! WTH do I do, to get to te romantic part? Walkthrough isn't much help either.. Sorry!
Like in the walkthrough; if you follow the sound (ping) at menu choices, it will lead to a romantic end. Although, not all choices contain that sound which means the outcome doesn't matter or you're on a death row. If you still can't figure out, please join my discord server. Fellow players will help you out!
Oh my god. I love this game..so much. Pinlin, you are too amazing qwq..I'm glad you made this game. It's amazing! I enjoy playing It so much. I love them all. However..Will you ever make a route for Chain and Roya, Lioji(?) In the future? Please? Those three characters have my Interests and love uwu.
*SPOILERS*
I was so happy when we got to stay at Chain's house.. And also when we had a cg where Chain showed his face c: <3
And Roya..Oh my god..Where did the scene In the demo go? I remember he said something like: Where you thinking of ravaging me--? Or something like that and he was In top of us (; ..
Lioji, too...He's so sweet and handsome qwq..I've fallen for his charms..
Okay, enough talking of the 3 boys :3
I saw a reference of "A Whole New World" In Zeikun's route lmao.
And Kurato's pervy side--...Might be my favorite hehe~ :p
Junoru Is too kind, special..Literally. He's too good for my heart @w@..
And Sachiro...Too. Goddamn. Cute! I could literally die from seeing him ^q^..
Ok so... I just finished the game in Zeikun's route, and... OMG. This is game exceeded my expectations, way more than I thought it would. I mean, I really really liked the demo, but the full game was just... so much better. I feel attached to this game, and honestly, to Zeikun in particular. I got the romantic end with him, and oh my lord, was is amazing. He is such an interesting character, with so much personality and character development. I told myself that I'll replay this game in another route, but I don't know if I can, at least not now- it would just feel like I'm betraying Zei. His story was so beautiful and honestly? When MC said that she'll save Zeikun with the power of hugs and kisses, I felt that. He deserves it. He deserves so much love.
Oh god, this review became more cheesy than I expected. Oh, well.
Now to the more technical part: I love the art so much. It's just so pretty and whimsical. I'm also in love with the soundtrack; the music was so good and fitted the atmosphere so well. The UI looked beautiful as well, and I really liked the achievement mechanic. The character design was great, and showed the personality of all the characters. The writing was great as well.
What else would I like to see from this game in the future?
Definitely extra routes or mini-stories for Chain and Kaichi. I felt like their characters developed so well as the story progressed, no less than the LI's, which is something that I don't see very often in visual novels (and at times, just writing in general: sometimes side characters are just forgotten).
Summary
The game was amazing; I loved everything about it. Zeikun is a sweetheart and I love him with all my heart.
The full version has a lot more content. Starting chapter 2, the routes dive deeper in their distinctive story. I'm glad Zeikun made a good impression even though he is a jerk, haha.
A lot of effort and love was put into the art. The soundtracks were especially composed for this game. Thank you for the praises!
If you like to see more of the side characters, I recommend to play other routes. They have different roles and interactions with the MC. By completing all 16 endings, you unlock the bonus scenes. Your suggestion is already taken in consideration.
Hey! I haven't finished this game yet, so this comment will continue to be updated! Thank you, this game is probably the best otome game I've ever played. (Beware of Spoilers)
(Spoilers will be marked with *SPOILERS* and end with **)
I've played Zeikun's route once and I fell in love (with this game and him lol). I'm attached to the story as a whole- I can't describe what I'm feeling.
Okay, now for the fun stuff and reviews!
I was chased by a group of zombies and... got Dead End 7, my first ending. Well, I'm the type that gets panicked easily when there's time limit- so... yeah. I reloaded (From the last choice I need to make... I'M THANKFUL FOR THE SKIP BUTTON) and guess, again... *SPOILERS* I chose RRRS (R is Right and S is Straight) and reached the temple lmao. It was a fun experience.**
Then I just continue like usual, even though I laughed at the achievement I got... heh--
Then I got the romance end! *SPOILERS* I was screaming over the fact that they kissed OH MY GOD. ** And I also got the After Story, and I kept screaming "HELL YEA" inside my head
I will update this soon enough! Just gonna get two more endings from Zeikun's route and then I'm gonna play Sachiro's, wish me luck!
(Oh yeah, I have an issue where if I run the game for about 20 minutes, my internet will stop working because I can't connect to it anymore. And (it's probably my laptop, but...) when sound effects and musics play, they stutter every few minutes (or even seconds). Do you know how to fix these? Thanks a lot.)
I recently finished playing the game and it was an enjoyable experience. I really enjoyed the plot twists and the characters. The game was really immersive and intriguing, and the music had me grooving and bobbing my head. And the art had me shook.
I love almost all the characters except one: Kurato.
I enjoyed his route but not his character. For some reason his character seemed very open and I felt like he dulled the mystery.
My favourite characters are Junoru, Chain and Blace. I felt like there was more mystery around those characters and it made the game feel even more fun.
This was an amazing game, and hopefully there will be future game projects.
I'm currently playing chapter 2 in Zeikun's route, and before I write my final review after I finish the game, I must say a few things:
1. I would really love to have a route for Chain if possible, I think it'll be super interesting. edit: Chain scares me now but I still kind of like him
edit 2: NoNOooO oH gOd pleASe nO Chain I LOVE yoU
2. Finding a black notebook with a white title on it, and having it full with information about shinigamis? NICE. edit: ok so MC actually referred to it as a "death note". thanks, I love it
I'm absolutely blown away by the quality of this visual novel. I've only finished two routes thus far, but I'm so excited to do the other boys' routes! (and finally piece together the full story).
So first let me just say that what i have read of the story line is interesting. Somehow I managed to make it to the end of the first route I tried (normal ending 4 was what i was told it was called) and I really enjoyed it, except i wasnt expecting it to end so suddenly, and it felt a bit unresolved.
After that I tried the little boys route, but i was literally dead within 15 minutes (i skipped over the common route as I had just literally played through it earlier in the day) And whats more the person who kills me warns me that any other choices I had made would have ended the same way (talk about scarring someone off a route)
So i tried another route, guy in the forest. I had already played enough to figure out who/what he probably was, but somehow i manage not to get killed by the same guy in my room again (really again! this guy didnt try this on the first route i played and now he is trying to ruin another route?!) Only to wind up zombie food a bit later....
Im not terribly fond of games that Kill you Off just for not guessing right (like which way to turn in a city you have never actually had to navigate befor) as all it really does is lead to save scumming, so when you guess wrong you can just load up and choose differently. That kind of game play always kills immersion for me, suddenly Im no longer trying to figure out whats going on, but trying to figure out when i really need to save.
I believe there is probably a real gem of a story / mystery to enjoy here. Alas, it may take a long time, if ever, that im willing to save scum enough to get to the parts that make it worth it. With all the glowingly positive reviews this game is receiving, I doubt this one will get any attention at all. Still Ill hope you will consider it when doing your next project. Death of the MC is certainly a motivator, but it should be reasonably avoidable. Having to choose from random directions where none have ever been even offered before, Having an NPC kill you because you are honest? These are just cheap shots at the players emotional investment that only rewards those who arnt really invested in the choices they are making anyways, because their saving before all of them.
I might not be a typical VN writer; some referred me as a troll. There are different kind of endings, I tried vary them between routes. The layout of the 4 story lines are quite different, you have probably noticed.
As a developer, I'm slightly amused by your experience. Your second death is just like what the person said on your first death (this wasn't planned, I'm sorry). What the person said was referring to other routes; death is in the corner. The achievement in this bad ending gives a clue on how to get past.
Some choices are obvious, others go by guessing and there are choices where it doesn't matter; just go with what you're curious about. I anticipated players go for replays, so I added a "Skip to" button. In case you didn't save, it immediately skips to the first next choice or unread line.
Since those deaths are high likely to happen, I tried to make the endings appealing with visuals and some commentary. About your definition of "cheap": it took me several days to get the coding right, because there are several possible answer combinations. It's almost like a lottery, but has it's limits. MC's honesty is a confirmation to the reason this person is chasing her.
I'm a veteran in visual novels and haven't considered those that never played it. Saving is crucial, but for those that forget or don't; I tried adding the tools to make gameplay easier.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts back with me. TBH I wasnt expecting you to even see the post, nevermind respond to it. That means alot in this day. Honestly what I posted was only in the hopes of giving you (and maybe others who might be working on future projects of their own and happened to read it) some food for thought. I did not intend to be rude, though i will not deny that there wasnt still a bit of anger left having just come away from that 2nd (seemingly random and pointless) death.
I know that the formula you used in this VN is common practice these days. Amnesia comes to mind right away of another VN I played that was chock full of guess wrong / die endings. It was considered by the masses to be excellent. To me it was dissappointing. If I need a guide or hours of saving / guessing / replaying the same route over and over again to get to a Not Dead ending, where is the fun in that? Changling is another VN that i really really enjoy the story line(s) of but always come away unhappy from. You have to get every interaction with the character who's route your on right or you dont get their best ending, and there are so many choices (normally a plus right?) and there are no indications when you make any given choice if it was the "right" one or not. So in the end you either need ungodly luck, or a walk through because that game doesnt provide the necessary feed back to let you intuit / get there on your own.
I can honestly tell that you are a great writer, the fact that you do your own coding too well thats just amazing. If you tell me you also did all the art work I think Ill just cry that I havnt won the lotto yet and cant hire you to work on my dream team! (lol seriously some day if God is willing, but thats for another day) I know you dont need me, or anyone else to tell you how to do what you do. I am just hoping some constructive feed back might have been welcome.
I soooo love this game! Every char so far is super interesting . Though i would love for Kaichi to be a romantic option ! I'm a sucker for this kind of attitude guys and his background looks very interesting of how he came with his powers , so i would really liked to see more of his side story. Maybe a dlc with the side characters instead. This is a game and i would glady pay for it cuz it's trully worth it! Keep up the good job!
Just finished all the endings. I'm still missing two achievements tho! D:
The story was fantastic, and I loved how you got little glimpses and hits at the other routes while you were playing.
I started with Sachiro's route, and it ended up being my favorite. It was just so sweet and funny while also being extremely thrilling.
I played Zeikun second, and I really liked his story, it was probably the most intriuging out of all the routes, but for some reason I just didn't get as attached to his character as much, even though I really liked his character design and story.
I played Kurato's route third, and I'll be honest I wasn't really looking forward to it. He gave me creep vibes in the demo. I ended up liking it anyway, mostly because Kurato is just super cute, and when I found out that he was the fluffy creature I was honestly shocked.
I saved Junoru for last, and I'm glad I did. The romance felt most natural in this route. The only thing that kept Junoru's route from being my favorite is that in this route, I felt like the MC didn't get to shine as much. She was played off as more scared, and relied on the men a lot more. I felt like she didn't get to show off her badass side as much, which was kind of disappointing. I also fell in love with Blace in this route, was kind of hoping that in the normal end, after Jun died, we would see a glimpse of a romance with Blace. Sigh.
Her friends attitudes were kind of weird sometimes, and I felt like their personalities changed based on what route you were on, but I liked how supportive they were of their friend.
One character I couldn't force myself to like was Chain. I felt pity for him sometimes, but despite how much Kurato tried to convince me he was a good guy, I just couldn't see it. Maybe I would like him more if I knew more about why he was the way he was? Questionable. He was a big creep.
I have mixed feelings about Kaichi, sometimes I really liked him and sometimes he was just an ass. Lol.
My only problem I had personally is how little some of the men in this game respected the MC's personal space and privacy. (Which was my main problem with Kurato)
Overall, it was fantastic and I loved it. I felt like all the routes were a good length and were very satisfying to finish. Thank you very much for your hard work in providing this game for us.
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can you make it where you can be with liojii
That will be a whole different plotline hehe.
OMG does that mean there will be play through with him in the future I literally can't wait!!!
I think you should make another dark nights where you can do more stuff with other characters!!!
PINLIN WHO ARE YOU AND HOW DO YOU EXIST
*cough* I’m sorry but let me get this straight. There are so many good things about this game. Personally I’ve only played Japanese otoge before and I am so done with them for so many reasons and I generally love playing indie games and really did not expect what was coming.
The art is beautiful. The BGs are done really well they’re neat and they fit the characters art style so well too which is something that even 7 Scarlet couldn’t get right.
The BGM is simple but lovely and it fits the situation , dialogue and the mood perfectly.
The gaming system and the UI fits the story and game’s purpose and it’s minimalistic and gorgeous.
I must say I was reallyyyy SHOOK when I saw the OP video like whaaa- that was so crazy and super cool too!
But most importantly! The writing ! I can not begin to say how impressed I am with the writing.
The characters have been written so well, Miyoko is such an understandable character she’s smart and funny and her reactions are so relatable and I’m so glad that we don’t have to deal with those « damsel in distress » bullshit .
The whole plot carries on very smoothly there’s simply no error in the writing ; how is this possible. The pacing is right, every scene is interesting and adds something to the story. And everything is just so balanced.
I’m sorry I’ve never written a garbage so long but Pinlin you are surreal! I can not believe that you have made such an amazing game ! Congratulations really ! You’re truly inspiring and I’m just so grateful.
-Your tiny super pineapple fan
Stay safe <3
Hello, I'm just a random person who likes telling stories _(: D
At the time I started this project, there weren't many English otoge. I wanted to contribute to this community and share my passion for visual novels. I hoped to give players an amazing experience like I had.
One of the reasons that I did not collaborate with other artist is I wanted to keep the style consistent. Background, characters, CGs and even the UI. I experimented with styles and came to this simple and clean theme.
Credits are given to the composers for the beautiful BGMs. I purposely gave freedom to maximize their creativity. Even when the soundtrack didn't end up like I expected, I could find use for another scene. I thank the vocalist, song writer & composer, mixer and arranger for the OP. These were roles I couldn't fullfil myself and I had wonderful friends to help out.
Thank you for praises on the writing! I admit that I have a lot to learn; most of the plot was written 6 years ago. I could only polish it with today's knowledge. I would have done some things differently if I were to write from scratch.
The editors and proof readers are here to shine for keeping grammatical/spelling errors to minimum. After release, I did spot a few mistakes. For a 270k script it isn't a big deal.
Thank you for dropping your thoughts and your support! It was enjoyable to read <3
Stay safe and healthy!
This game is just amazing, so far I've done Kurato - Junoru and Zeikun route but the only one I am completely done with is Zeikun... I'm trying hard for the other two but their is two illustrations I can't get and this is soooooo frustrating x). And I know this is not fair but can we find the solutions somewhere?
Anyway this game is so important to me, Thank you for all! <3
There are walkthrough linked at the bottom. If you still are puzzled, you're welcome to join my discord server and fellow players can help you out.
Thank you for the positive feedback! I poured my heart and soul into this project for many years. I'm delighted that it turned good.
I really liked the UI of this game, is so clean! The backgrounds are so pretty too. My only problem gameplay-wise; would be how sometimes you have to make 100% perfect choices in order to get the happy ending. (edit: Spoilers below)
Character wise, I love them all. But I didn't felt comfortable with the romance in Sachiro's (I found the 1st half to be quite weak) and Junoru's (a lot more heavy-backstory focused) paths.
Zeikun's made me emotional - but at the same time, I found his route to be the most forgettable of them all.
Kurato's is my favorite due to his motivations, personality traits and how he actually interacts with the side cast (and not only the MC). He's a believable and 3D character - through I'm not fan of how his route had a lot of teasing with almost all the other male side characters. I think there was a missing chance of exploring more his beliefs towards justice or work (Sherlock Holmes and Watson style!).
But I know that writing non-human characters, such as demons, gods, angels, 'ghouls' can be hard. Aside that, I overall liked how you connected the plot points, this VN is really good and binge-worthy.
Personally, I like a clear GUI with a theme that fits the whole game. After a few attempts, I came up with this. Even if you miss 1 or 2 choices, you can still get the happy ending. I know some routes are trickier. Usually when there are 3 choices, each gives between 0-2 points.
Each story has a different structure. I like to experiment with variations not just in visuals but narration. I see you have your preference and thank you for the critique!
I think there were many holes and unexplored parts of the story. We only follow MC's perspective, so many things happen behind the scenes. I covered some parts in the bonus scenes, hopefully enough to satisfy your curiosity.
Anyway, thank you again for sharing your thoughts!
Such an amazing game! I spent all day playing through all of the routes! I was entranced from the first hour to the last! This now has a special place in my heart. I really enjoyed playing.
I'm glad that the game kept you hooked, even more that it's a memorable experience. Thank you!
Wow, I absolutely love this game! I've been playing for hours!!! I really, really like Kurato! I can't seem to get romantic endings- just normal :') But I really love this game!! I'll make sure to support in the future when I can!
His route is the hardest when it comes to making choices for the romantic ending. While he is a very open character, his heart is a tough nut to crack :') There are 2 walkthroughs at the link section. Maybe they can help you to get the other ending.
Thank you for the support!
I've been looking forward to this game since the demo and it's been everything that I expected and so so much more. I downloaded this game last weekend, chose Sachiro's route and finished 2 endings in 1 night. I'm honestly left speechless; no amount of words will describe how much I love or enjoyed this game! Every character is sOo cutte and to die for!! [ Potential spoilers ] One thing I noticed was how the MC and Sachiro both described as though they were missing something in their life and wanted to try something new. I thought that that was cute and maybe could mean sth? Also at the scene where Sachiro tries a new drink and it's name happens to be the same as what her friends described her. Haha, am I looking into it too much? And my fav scene so far is from achievement 25 - it really got to me haha! n_n
Ever since playing it that night I've been impatiently waiting for the next weekend to come so that I can try out the other routes (I don't allow myself to play on weekdays so that I don't binge when I need to work). I'm planning on trying Kurato's route next and honestly this is the best reward after a week of studying and work :'D thank you so so much and (a late) congrats on the release <3
Oh! And please consider making routes for the side characters, thx <3
Definitely one of the best free visual novel I've played so far! The art is AMAZING and the story itself is captivating as well. I've come to love all the characters as they are all so interesting and play a major role in the plot line (including the side characters which is really rare in VNs) I'm surprised this game is free given its amazing quality. Definitely 10/10 for me! ^^
The game is great. Congrats! I wish Roya had a route.
Agreed ^^
So, judging from Junoru's route, pinlin must really enjoy Black Butler? Xd
I do love this route in particular, it's very different from the others
This game is unbelievably amazing. The artwork is gorgeous and the stories of each character are so detailed and beautiful. I have a request I think many of us are thinking about, though; Could you maybe add routes/create another game for Chain, Kaichi, Roya, Blace, Jace, and Lioji? They are all wonderful characters and I would really like to play their routes. Please think about it, as I am sure many of us feel the same. But, that is a *lot* of characters to make routes for, so I understand if it would be a tough decision to make.
But anyway, the artwork is beautiful. I commend you for creating such a unique story line, and I look forward to your future works.
YESSSSSSSSS! I NEED IT SO BAD!!!!
Finally, I finished this game.
Honestly I didn't know you made a VN since I found out about you from YouTube. When I heard that you released Dark Nights, I immediately download it. I like how one main problem can be solved with different approach. My absolute favorite aspect from this game is that the characters are really fleshed out and have some kind of connection with the other characters. It's something I find a bit rare in other VN, where other characters would leave some kind of impact in any of the routes available.
Other than that, the art is great (as always), the music is good, I love the side characters, and the story itself is captivating. I wish any of the current side character will get a route. The overall game is really enjoyable and I'm recommending this to my friends. My only disappointment is that Ikuyo didn't appear in the story :(
Thank you Pinlin for this amazing game!
I can officially say I love this game! It took me a while to finish all the routes but I'm glad I took my time with everything.
Without doubt, my favorite thing about it was the illustrations, they are indeed stunning and I think they add a special something to the game! I also really loved the achievements and the extra-scenes!
The four routes are a charm itself, but without doubt I have to say Zeikun was my favorite (not only as a LI but as the content of the route). The big surprise for me was Sachiro route! I was expecting much of it but I loved it! His normal ending is my second favorite ending! Junoru is a delight! His character is really interesting, I just wished he had expressed himself a little more about things in general and his feelings for the MC, I feel more depth could have been added, but I still loved him! In contrast, I enjoyed how deep as a character Kurato was (we got to see a lot of personality traits), perhaps I wasn't much into his route because he is not my usual type of LI and wasn't really sure about his chemistry and interactions with the MC but I still enjoyed him and his route!
My only real and big critic with the game, is the prologue. I personally find it hard to go through it as I felt it slow and dense and couldn't really connect with the MC. However, I'm glad to say this doesn't happen with the rest of the game! The writing feels more into place and even when our heroine accepts the absurd things that happen to her, you find yourself accepting them too!
I really recommend this game and I want to congratulate Pinlin for it! You can see it was made with love and care, and that's what really matters!!
Thank you for the comment!It's a delight to hear you enjoyed all 4 plotlines. While they differ, I tried to make them equally interesting.
The achievements were added as a challenge for those that like to explore choices.
I was thinking to rewrite the prologue because I heard it turned off a handful people to continue. Perhaps scrap it as whole? I'll take some time to consider this.
I'm not ashamed to admit that I sacrificed sleep and binge played this game in my free time until I finished it (a week (58hrs of gameplay!!!) later). I also made a full walkthrough for it which you can find here.
I saw Pinlin's reddit post announcing the game release and was immediately blown away by the quality of the artwork and intrigued by the story synopsys. I downloaded Dark Nights as soon as I got home after work and was met with the beautiful opening MV. Going through the prologue, Miyoko's boredom and adventure seeking really resonated with me. Throughout the game, Miyoko proves to be different from the MC's we're used to, she's proactive, feisty, independent, compassionate and has her own personality and character which don't depend on her current LI.
The route order I followed was Sachiro>Zeikun>Kurato>Junoru.
Going into Sachiro's route I thought it was a sacrifice I had to make to learn more about the story, since he was very, very far from my usual type. Boy, was I wrong! I'm not going to spoil anything but I'll say I was more than pleasantly surprised by his route! In fact, it ended up becoming one of my favourites as more of Sachiro personality and story were revealed.
Zeikun's at first outright agressive attitude (and character design) intrigued me straight away. I really enjoyed his story and character developement. Him and Sachiro are tied for the Best Boy title for me.
Kurato's (overly) easy-going nature and interactions with Miyoko were so fun to see. Him and Miyoko were more level with each other than Sachiro or Zeikun. His personality brought a nice variety to the game so far and was like a breath of fresh air.
Straight away during Miyoko's first interaction with Junoru, I knew there was going to be a tragic-er than tragic backstory to be revealed in his route. It was amazing to see this shy, gentle boy come out of his shell as him and Miyoko got closer. The pacing of their relationship developement felt very natural, if not a bit too-familiarly awkward for a friendship blossoming into love. We finally get to know Roya a bit better, too. Junoru's route also has one of my favourite CG's in the game.
Finally, the side characters!
Ikuya and Lioji were written well, with both of them being reliable friends and support to Miyoko. I'd be interested to see more about Ikuya's
brotherbackground from what was hinted at in the game.I have to admit Kaichi might've stolen
my heartthe show on a few occasions. His chemistry with Miyoko and their cat and mouse relationship left me wanting more, even if it was in the middle of someone else's (sorry, Sachiro) route. I'm not saying that we need a Kaichi route but we need a Kaichi route...Chain, even if a bit one-dimensional, provided some serious bad-assery and a bit of comedy relief to the game. His bonus scenes cracked me up!
Jace and Blace were a great addition to the plot especially this late (in regards to this route order) in the game. I found their backstory very interesting and I loved their character design.
Roya... may or may not have redeemed himself by the time I finished the game. Quite a controversial character. I don't know if Pinlin ever considered him becoming a LI, but from the CG's and Sketchbook illustrations, one has to wonder.
Rasumi had a really nice character design but I never found out her end-game besides antagonising Miyoko and all the LIs and well... you'll see when you play the game.
ALL IN ALL! I enjoyed this game so much! The artworks are insane (and I have to admit to checking out Pinlin's other illustrations and being very humbled by her talent), all the characters are beautifully drawn, the storylines are intriguing and keep you captivated until the very end. The endings, character developement and plot were well executed, too. The side characters were an integral part of the story, which was refreshing. The CG's and bonus content were incredible as well.
Pinlin, I'll say it again, you've done an amazing job! Thank you for creating and sharing Dark Nights with us!
This game is so good. I really wasn't sure what to expect but I really enjoyed it so much. It is one of the few games I actually wanted to go back and get all the endings, CGs and achievements for. All the characters were fantastic from the MC to the main routes and side characters. I originally thought I wouldn't really be into Sachiro because he looked like a little chibi and acted childish but he ended up being one of my favorites. Really all of the routes were one of my favorites. I usually have some that I am kind of over part way through in these types of games but not for Dark Nights. I also especially fell in love with Kaichi. I loved interacting with him in every route and was sad he doesn't show in Junoru's. By the end I really wanted to know more about him and really wanted him to have his own route. His personality made me weak. I also loved Roya a lot and ended up wanted a route for him to just to have more time to get to know him. Chain also left me wanting more info. It is rare for otome/visual novels to have really interesting side characters that leave me wanting more.
I have sunk like 20 hours in total getting all the endings, achievements and CGs. There is one CG that I can't get no matter what I do. I have tried all sorts of combos and looked over the walkthrough and tips but still can't get it. Junoru's 8th CG. It says it is in Chapter 3 but I just can't get it....
But anyways, thank you so much for making such a wonderful game. I hope to see more from you in the future!
Edit: I decided to go look at the Dark Nights twitter and found out Kaichi's birthday is literally the day before mine. lmao
Hey, check out my guide in my comment, you should be able to get Junoru's CG if you follow it, since I don't recall struggling to get it. Let me know if it works!
Thank you very much. I went through it again and managed to get the missing CG by following the normal end part of your guide. Now I have everything done xD
I absolutely loved this game, the plot was phenomenal and I could feel attached to all of the characters. I adore Chain, Roya, and Kaichi, as even though they aren't they main focus you can still feel attached to them. ( Let them be happy!!!! TwT) I binged this game and even though I just finished it completely, I want to play it again, because that's just how great it is.
Thank you for giving this game a try! I'm glad you enjoyed the input of every character. I did my best to give the side-characters a bit of back story. While they aren't the focus, it doesn't mean they totally disappear into the background.
Too bad I have a guilty pleasure of tragedy... but also lighthearted moments (bonus scenes).
If you play all over again, you might pick up hints you missed at the first play-through.
This game is absolutely gorgeous; probably one of the prettiest otome games I've ever played. The character designs are memorable and unique, the CGs and backgrounds are breathtaking, and the music is good! However, while the plot is intriguing, I felt like the writing could be improved upon. The presentation of the characters' reactions to some situations felt a bit unrealistic and pulled me away from the immersion, and I sometimes wondered how Miyoko actually felt about certain things since her feelings weren't clear to me.
Despite this, I did enjoy Dark Nights a lot and I can tell that a lot of care and effort went into its production. I loved how the romance didn't feel rushed or forced, instead it developed naturally during the story's progression. Even more, I loved that side characters got to play important roles in the story and got development. Roya and Jace are probably my favourite side characters, I honestly can't get enough of them.
As far as routes go, I probably liked Sachiro's and Junoru's routes the most. And surprisingly enough, I liked the normal endings a lot more than the romance endings. The normal ends were more emotionally packed for me and provided answers to some mysteries regarding the characters. They were really great and totally worth getting.
Thank you so much Pinlin, for creating and sharing Dark Nights with us! If you decide to make another game in the future, I'll be looking forward to it!
I'm delighted to hear that you like the character designs. It's one of the few things I really enjoy to draw. I'm glad that the game is memorable; it's one of the highest compliments to me. I put all my efforts to combine all elements harmoniously.
The world was established in my head that most characters aren't fazed at the events. I guess that was the unrealistic part? After playing VNs with a lot of monologues from the MC, I intentionally kept this underdeveloped. However, I agree with you. Her thoughts became less prominent as the story progresses.
Through observations, I think that romance hits harder when it's not in focus. I wondered what makes someone fall in love. Each route explores a different aspect. Considering MC's personality, the development should be subtile and slow.
I balanced the interactions with the side characters and their role. It's less of a 'dating-sim', but a 'complete story'. Knowing that the side characters got a lot of attention, maybe I put them too much in the splotlights, haha.
I added the achievements and bonus features just so players can explore other possibilities and more of the world. Often in VNs I try to get the 'best ending' while avoiding all other endings. Here I didn't want other ends to be a disappointment.
Thank you for your feedback and support!
Though we haven't finish all the routes yet, my friends and I have finished Zeikun and Sachiro's Routes we are currently on Kurato's Route. Dude, their reactions are so funny XD but anyway I'm loving the story so far and we been wanting a Kaichi and Chain Route lol. I was wondering if you were thinking of making mores routes if you update this game. If you aren't it's fine cause I know how hard it takes to make these games. Just an idea if you ever want to update this game again! Anyway I look forward to any more work from you! UwU
I wish to experience their reactions too xD The game has only been released a bit over a month. I'm happy to see more commentary rolling in. Thank you for the positive feedback! About the extra routes, I might consider it depending on the community. Since I had my first release, I got a hang of the process. From now on, development will go faster than before. I believe my skills have improved enough that I don't need to re-do things a trillion times.
I already done kurato's route. Truth be told i already browser the comment so i knew his backgroud unique, but i never think it was that so much mindblowing😓😓😲😲. But even kurato having such a HardshipTOT///
And YES! Finally finish the game and complete it. i am enjoying the story luv it senpai😍😍😍💞
But right Now i feel empty i want to play more _(:3\ ) _ i am looking forwad senpai new game =DDDDDDD
Ahh don't spoil yourself yet! I'm glad so far the comments didn't summarize every single event, haha. His route got through the most edits, because I scrapped a lot out. I wanted to keep the storylines in similar lengths, but it didn't really work out.
Have you completed all endings? Dang, you've binged 6 years of work within a month. There are a few future projects I have mind, but it depends on what crosses my path. I might add a few routes in Dark Nights or leave the project as it is. So far, I give it more time and catch some breath before digging into another endless piles of work _(:D
That's okay senpai! 👌
Its you choice to make a New vesion games or New. Visual novel=DDDDD
pinlin senpai~!!8D hello(^0^)/
i been lurking on you deviart years ago!! i love your art the moment i crossed it T_T//
i waiting for the full release 4 years!! OMG!! you wont know how fell when this visual novel game came out8DDDDD
Im tipe of person shy to comment but after playing the game i really want to say you did a good job making geougous game! actually l already done junoru,zeikun,and sachiro route not to metion completed all their ending ,now i am at kurato route
my first target is junoru cuz i like polite nice guy and got straigh to the romance ending first time playing but heck i ready expeted some tragic backstory but it was more blowmind gaps**, i crying at roya death because he die Way too early in the game before geting knowing him better as person :(
my second route is zeikun and got the dead end first, secod id the nomal ending ,seriously i got heatache due so many death in normal route, but still i like him and relatend about what he got trough
third route is sachiro, to be honest i was actualy going for him the last but i saw some spoiler if player complete other character ending you get a bonus scene at the kurato ending if i remember correctly?
move on,my first impression of sanchiro he cute but i really not intersting of him yet, maybe there more side of him? After playing the route sachiro is cutets especially his naked adult vesion blushing on the hot spring cg muehehehe^p^..
i still at kurato route and wanted to finished it.... i just cant because i am stil a high school student still go to school for half day tomorrowT~T
overall is good story illuminate each character and their devoplement,is like describe their own point view of the event
i want route for side character like roya,kaichi,and the twin. i luv their interaction especially for roya the most because he have short screening time and a lack devoplement. i want for him to shine more in the story so i can simpathy his characteristic though
chain i like his art, but he was a total jerk in junoru route, so i want his backstory why he hate supernatural thing so much
Like i metion i don't comment much so there may be typo or english grammar buat this is best as i can to impress my feeling towands the game so i want more of tis game ;):))))))))) sopleasepleaseplease???
I honestly remember when this VN's demo first came out, at first i was so intrigued and captivated by the art style but once getting into it the music, time and thought that went through this whole project just made me fall in love with it. The characters are so beautiful each one makes you just fall in love whether they're a side or main character they all have charms that reel you in.
I have yet to finish the whole game due to work and other necessities but i can definitely say that Sachiro still has my heart from the first demo til the full game.
I hope one day some side characters may get their own routes even if they're to be paid content as they would most definitely be worth it. Thank you so much for this detailed, amazing storylines and characters as well as the beautiful art to go with it
Your feedback touches my heart strings (cheesy, but I don't know how else to describe). I took care of each character in the story; their different sides and various interactions. The side characters may not be as fleshed out, but some have a big chunk of their background covered.
Sachiro made the least impression on most people. In the demo he was at his worst, but got to shine in the full version. You're a faithful Sachiro-squad member.
It depends on the community to continue with additional routes. So far there is a lot of interest in the side characters.
Thank you for the praises! I always enjoyed to combine my art with writing, but the first time in form of a visual novel.
Omg i love Zeikun (tsundere trope is my weak point) <3333 but I am so interested in roya, kaichi and chain, They are so intriguing! Please make routes for them too T_T I don't care it these routes cost, I just need moreeeeee hahaha this vn is so amazing, congratulations!
He's more Kuudere, but I get what left that impression :'D
Roya, Kaichi and Chain make fairly times of appearances. Even with their stories covered (except Chain), I'm surprised you still want more.
Depending on the community, I may consider to add their routes :3c
kuudere is my second favorite trope lol now that you said it, I do agree he is more kuudere hahaha
I asked about these 3 because of their personalities, they are so interesting, I think it would be so funny seeing how the mc gets closer to them, since they sound a little out of reach when it comes to romance, like it would never in one million years be possible for them to have strong feelings for the mc xD
I am really happy you are considering it!
I love this game! had fun playing through all the routes, and I left you a review!
Thank you leaving a review! I assume it was on itch ratings? I was actually googling you for specific reviews haha;;
Yeah, it was on the itch ratings!
Here's the short review I left on the rating: The game itself is gorgeous! but also really fun, and a little tricky, since you have to be careful to not get a bad ending. but the characters are nicely tied together and planned out, making it fun for each route!
also I gave it 5 stars. <3
Note: I was planning on writing up a longer review to share via tumblr, but I wanted to ask if that would be okay, first?
I did see it! Thank you for dropping one.
Of course, I don't mind! In fact, I encourage to share reviews on blogs/social media. Spoiler warnings ahead if you plan to write about them.
I LOVE THIS GAME. I finished Zeikun and Kurato's romanitic route and my god!!! (I think Kurato is my fav, but I can't decide) and I'm busy with Junoru
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASEEEE make a route for Kaichi,Roya and maybe Chain!? I love them,such interesting characters. I would give my first child just to have these routes. (Im joking but seriously though ♥)
I'm glad multiple characters captured your interest /) v (\
Ahhh, I might consider adding their routes. If the time ever comes, I may create a poll. There are so many side-characters and it's hard to keep track which are the most requested.
I would love that!!! I really do hope you put up a poll sometime soon, I'm Addi Ted to this game now, there's no saving me
The site works fine to me. There are daily visitors and pageviews, so I guess it's only you. Possibly you you got a restricted internet where only few websites work. Google will help you out more than I can.
It was a coincidence I posted it right before Chinese New Year. I never know the date as it changes every year. "Nuomici" is the only Chinese dish mentioned. Most are Japanese, English, French and other western dishes. It's a bit blunt to base it just from this, but I am familiar with the Chinese culture.
Perhaps they banned weebly in general? I wouldn't know either. It's unfortunate to have google banned. I hope you still can reach other favorite sites.
***spoilers btw***
i played the demo like a billion years ago and forgot about this game until i stumbled upon it again, completed. and then i stayed up until 2am playing through all the routes... not a good idea since i had 2 exams the next day lol.
so far i've gone the romantic endings and some death endings, and i will use the walkthrough to get the other endings and achivements to unlock the bonus content.
what i like about the game is that the routes are wildly different. some VNs are lazy where routes are basically the same but with the names switched around, but this one makes sure each route has a completely different atmosphere, with focus on different characters and their development, and focus on one part of the mystery.
sometimes that can get a bit confusing, as there are many different parts to the story. to my understanding, roya is responsible for some of the disappearances/deaths, but so is kaichi, but so is chain, but so is sachiro???
i also like the fact that not only the love interests but the side characters are important to the story, and instead of being placeholders, they actually get given personalities and development.
i played sachiro's route first, and it was a good introduction to the story. i liked the supernatural aspects to it, with the temple guardian and the spirits and all that. it went a completely different direction to what i thought sachiro's route was gonna be like when i played the demo. however, i couldn't get that attached to his character, as most of our time together was spent with him looking like a 12 year old. i started to like him more at the end of the route when he grew up, though.
zeikun's route was slightly connected to sachiro's but also completely different. everytime zeikun was like "damn i wish the temple guardian was here" i really wanted to scream at my computer because the temple guardian did appear, but that was in another timeline, and now in this route sachiro will probably never get his memories back. this made me realise how every route is gonna have some sacrifices and some deaths, and not all of them are gonna be completely happy endings, even though you might not realise the importance of that character's death at first. i really like that about the game, and its one of the reasons why i can't choose a favourite route. zeikun was a jerk at first but i was fine because then i learnt that he had reasons for being a jerk. i also really liked his hair... like damn. what shampoo does he use.
not gonna lie, kurato's route was my least favourite. the character development in this was absolutely amazing, especially chain, kaichi, and the ace brothers, but i thought the ending was really weird. in my playthrough, jace just forgives kurato for no reason, even though he sent blace away, and then everything is just suddenly ok and the disappearances die down despite the characters having no input. also, chain doesn't kill kurato for being cursed, even though he literally killed his own cousin before??? chain whats up bro u got some feelings about kurato u wanna share??? it was still quite good, and i thought kurato's character was nice. his backstory was really interesting, especially because i expected this route to just be like detective murder mystery solving when i played the demo.
the last route i played was junoru's and damn it was sad. i did not expect him to have that tragic backstory. and then i was sad when roya died, and then i was sad when chain died, and then i was sad when they went into detail about junoru's parents dying and then his torture and his relationship with jace and blace and how they betrayed him and it was just overall a lot of emotions. i liked junoru's character because he was always nice to me, when most of the other love interests were kinda jerks (especially zeikun). sometimes i thought that it was weird, because junoru was just nice to us for no reason whatsoever, but thats ok because i love him anyway. i liked this route because it felt kind of like a "true ending" where the zombies get the cure instead of the disappearances dying down naturally in the other endings i got. also... why is his dad so handsome??? i know he dies in the end but that cg where he's sitting on the bed... i feel attacked?
i also really liked the side characters. i didn't care that much about ikuya and lioji as they didn't get as much development. ikuya mentions her brother a bunch of times but then we never meet him, and she also mentions in one of the routes that she likes lioji, but then nothing happens between them at all, and its basically forgotten about. i guess its fine because they didnt have that much involvement in the story.
in some routes, chain was a really nice character, and in other routes, he was a complete jerk (especially junoru's route). i suspect that he has some tragic backstory that made him hate all the supernatural, so it would be cool to have a bonus story about what happened to him to make him such a jerk. but he was a good side character with good development, especially for one so involved in literally every single route.
at first i hated kaichi but in kurato's route i grew to really like him. and his story. i thought it was really weird that the 'cursed souls' thing was only prominent in zeikun's route, and then in all the other routes he had basically no reason to be there. i don't even remember him being in junoru's route at all. i would definitely like to see some bonus story about his life as a shinigami and his feelings about missing being a human.
in kurato's route, i thought jace and blace were really weird because they turn up for no reason, but in junoru's route, they get their story fleshed out, and i started to like them. that cg where jace is leaning really close to mc and he pulls his bandages off and then hes doing that smirk.... bro. you can't just give me that cg and then not give me a jace/blace route. its torture.
rasumi was a good villain in that i hated her with all my heart but i didn't understand any of her choices AT ALL. why did she make the deal with sachiro? why does she try to stop junoru and mc from stopping the zombies? why is she so evil despite being an angel? whats her relationship with jace/blace, especially jace since he's at heaven's gate? it was all a bit confusing, and she was definitely my least favourite side character.
roya was only important in junoru's route, but then i didn't really get to like him because he gets killed off quite early. if we had more time spent with him, i'm sure i would've grown to like his character and feel sympathetic for him. also child roya is such a mood... that monocle... what a legend
overall, i can definitely tell that you worked hard on this game. the story was amazing, the writing was amazing, the art was amazing, everything was generally amazing. 13/10
**Spoilers ahead too**
Thank you for writing this wall of text because I LOVE detailed reviews. Especially since you covered all characters. Sorry for the late reply, because I wanted to write something decent.
It heard many people had upcoming exams during the release. I didn't intend to mess up their priorities and sleeping schedules. Halloween seemed the perfect holiday to match the game's theme. I just pray the game was all worth it.
You're a master of speed gaming to play all routes in one go. Were you lucky to get all choices right or did you scroll back for the pings?
I totally get what you mean with repetition in routes. It makes other routes not as exiting as the first playthrough. I played around with plot structure, choice system, art style and character involvement. Each route has their own outstanding style. Now you played all routes, you can sort of combine the puzzle pieces. The characters have their own way of describing events. Regardless, what happened stays the same.
I treasure each of my OCs and wish to show more of them. Their stories may not be as fleshed out, but enough to spark interest. Adding up, the MC's choices influences their paths as well.
When you replay the routes, you'll pick up all hints dropped earlier. Even the play order drops clues. Like you mentioned, Zeikun > Sachiro. The little boy was the least liked for his appearance, but more people started to like him in the full version. Depending on the ending, his route is split in half of the time looking young and second half being older.
Zeikun has been memed as model for L'Oréal Paris shampoo lol. My love for drawing long hair is obvious at this point haha.
Kurato looks like easy going, yet his route is slow burn. All side characters appeared there and he had to deal with all of them. The affection points makes a difference in the endings that even the side characters act nicer, heh.
Junoru has this sad look glued on his face so I give players what they expect but it's a surprise it seems. He has been lonely for a long time and enjoys company. Like in his first chapter he has the most conversations with the MC. People have "complained" to me why I killed off all handsome characters lol. Initially I didn't want to give Junoru's parents a face, but then thought "it makes the events sadder, right?"
As for the other side characters, they contribute each their part in the routes. Some are to like, others to dislike. I wanted to show more of their sides. Depending on your choices, you can find out more about their intentions.
Anyways, thank you again for this feedback!
I just can't seem to get the Junoru romantic end.. I've almost tried all options and I just get to the part of the normal ending! WTH do I do, to get to te romantic part? Walkthrough isn't much help either.. Sorry!
Love the story by the way!
Like in the walkthrough; if you follow the sound (ping) at menu choices, it will lead to a romantic end. Although, not all choices contain that sound which means the outcome doesn't matter or you're on a death row. If you still can't figure out, please join my discord server. Fellow players will help you out!
Oh my god. I love this game..so much. Pinlin, you are too amazing qwq..I'm glad you made this game. It's amazing! I enjoy playing It so much. I love them all. However..Will you ever make a route for Chain and Roya, Lioji(?) In the future? Please? Those three characters have my Interests and love uwu.
*SPOILERS*
I was so happy when we got to stay at Chain's house.. And also when we had a cg where Chain showed his face c: <3
And Roya..Oh my god..Where did the scene In the demo go? I remember he said something like: Where you thinking of ravaging me--? Or something like that and he was In top of us (; ..
Lioji, too...He's so sweet and handsome qwq..I've fallen for his charms..
Okay, enough talking of the 3 boys :3
I saw a reference of "A Whole New World" In Zeikun's route lmao.
And Kurato's pervy side--...Might be my favorite hehe~ :p
Junoru Is too kind, special..Literally. He's too good for my heart @w@..
And Sachiro...Too. Goddamn. Cute! I could literally die from seeing him ^q^..
That's all I can say :3
I'm sorry If my english Is not good/well..
I'm delighted you enjoyed it! About these 3 side characters, it depends on the community. If there is enough interest, I may consider it.
Chain is one of the most mysterious characters, so I wanted to at least add a bit of his personal life.
That line of Roya is not edited out. I think it was in Kurato's route where he said it.
Lioji's popularity still surprises me. His role as friend is on equal part with Ikuya.
There are many references spread through the routes. Kudos to you for catching this one!
No worries about your English, I understood everything well ^_^
Ok so... I just finished the game in Zeikun's route, and... OMG. This is game exceeded my expectations, way more than I thought it would. I mean, I really really liked the demo, but the full game was just... so much better. I feel attached to this game, and honestly, to Zeikun in particular. I got the romantic end with him, and oh my lord, was is amazing. He is such an interesting character, with so much personality and character development. I told myself that I'll replay this game in another route, but I don't know if I can, at least not now- it would just feel like I'm betraying Zei. His story was so beautiful and honestly? When MC said that she'll save Zeikun with the power of hugs and kisses, I felt that. He deserves it. He deserves so much love.
Oh god, this review became more cheesy than I expected. Oh, well.
Now to the more technical part: I love the art so much. It's just so pretty and whimsical. I'm also in love with the soundtrack; the music was so good and fitted the atmosphere so well. The UI looked beautiful as well, and I really liked the achievement mechanic. The character design was great, and showed the personality of all the characters. The writing was great as well.
What else would I like to see from this game in the future?
Definitely extra routes or mini-stories for Chain and Kaichi. I felt like their characters developed so well as the story progressed, no less than the LI's, which is something that I don't see very often in visual novels (and at times, just writing in general: sometimes side characters are just forgotten).
Summary
The game was amazing; I loved everything about it. Zeikun is a sweetheart and I love him with all my heart.
5/5 stars, will definitely recommend this!
I AGREE WITH THIS!!! Chain And Kaichi deserves love from the MC, too.. qwq
The full version has a lot more content. Starting chapter 2, the routes dive deeper in their distinctive story. I'm glad Zeikun made a good impression even though he is a jerk, haha.
A lot of effort and love was put into the art. The soundtracks were especially composed for this game. Thank you for the praises!
If you like to see more of the side characters, I recommend to play other routes. They have different roles and interactions with the MC. By completing all 16 endings, you unlock the bonus scenes. Your suggestion is already taken in consideration.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
Hey! I haven't finished this game yet, so this comment will continue to be updated! Thank you, this game is probably the best otome game I've ever played. (Beware of Spoilers)
(Spoilers will be marked with *SPOILERS* and end with **)
I've played Zeikun's route once and I fell in love (with this game and him lol). I'm attached to the story as a whole- I can't describe what I'm feeling.
Okay, now for the fun stuff and reviews!
I was chased by a group of zombies and... got Dead End 7, my first ending. Well, I'm the type that gets panicked easily when there's time limit- so... yeah. I reloaded (From the last choice I need to make... I'M THANKFUL FOR THE SKIP BUTTON) and guess, again... *SPOILERS* I chose RRRS (R is Right and S is Straight) and reached the temple lmao. It was a fun experience.**
Then I just continue like usual, even though I laughed at the achievement I got... heh--
Then I got the romance end! *SPOILERS* I was screaming over the fact that they kissed OH MY GOD. ** And I also got the After Story, and I kept screaming "HELL YEA" inside my head
I will update this soon enough! Just gonna get two more endings from Zeikun's route and then I'm gonna play Sachiro's, wish me luck!
(Oh yeah, I have an issue where if I run the game for about 20 minutes, my internet will stop working because I can't connect to it anymore. And (it's probably my laptop, but...) when sound effects and musics play, they stutter every few minutes (or even seconds). Do you know how to fix these? Thanks a lot.)
I recently finished playing the game and it was an enjoyable experience. I really enjoyed the plot twists and the characters. The game was really immersive and intriguing, and the music had me grooving and bobbing my head. And the art had me shook.
I love almost all the characters except one: Kurato.
I enjoyed his route but not his character. For some reason his character seemed very open and I felt like he dulled the mystery.
My favourite characters are Junoru, Chain and Blace. I felt like there was more mystery around those characters and it made the game feel even more fun.
This was an amazing game, and hopefully there will be future game projects.
Thank you for developing something so amazing.
I'm currently playing chapter 2 in Zeikun's route, and before I write my final review after I finish the game, I must say a few things:
1. I would really love to have a route for Chain if possible, I think it'll be super interesting. edit: Chain scares me now but I still kind of like him
edit 2: NoNOooO oH gOd pleASe nO Chain I LOVE yoU
2. Finding a black notebook with a white title on it, and having it full with information about shinigamis? NICE. edit: ok so MC actually referred to it as a "death note". thanks, I love it
I ALMOST CRIED WHEN CHAIN DIED-- and thE FACT THAT HE WANTS ANYONE WHO FIND HIS BODY TO NOT TELL ANYONE
THAT WAS SO FRIGGING SAD WHY WOULD ANYONE DO THIS TO MY POOR HEART jusT LET CHAIN LIVE pLeAse
Uhm /whistle/ Keep playing the routes and you may find happier stories.
On the side note: I'm glad you're enjoying my references hehe
Haha, when I saw the black note book, I was like "If he calls this a Death Note I'll die lmao" and he really did call it that. Thank you so much!
Edit: Did we call it the 'Death Note' instead of him? I don't really remember ;-;
I'm absolutely blown away by the quality of this visual novel. I've only finished two routes thus far, but I'm so excited to do the other boys' routes! (and finally piece together the full story).
In the meantime, Zeikun is best boii <3
Oh my god It's been 206 days since I had been here for the last time. I'm going to peek a little around to stay tuned!
Am actually curious if anyone is interested at making a walkthrough of all the ending for the extra CG?
I just added a full walk-through in the links. It was done by one of the editors. I hope it helps!
Thank you!!
So first let me just say that what i have read of the story line is interesting. Somehow I managed to make it to the end of the first route I tried (normal ending 4 was what i was told it was called) and I really enjoyed it, except i wasnt expecting it to end so suddenly, and it felt a bit unresolved.
After that I tried the little boys route, but i was literally dead within 15 minutes (i skipped over the common route as I had just literally played through it earlier in the day) And whats more the person who kills me warns me that any other choices I had made would have ended the same way (talk about scarring someone off a route)
So i tried another route, guy in the forest. I had already played enough to figure out who/what he probably was, but somehow i manage not to get killed by the same guy in my room again (really again! this guy didnt try this on the first route i played and now he is trying to ruin another route?!) Only to wind up zombie food a bit later....
Im not terribly fond of games that Kill you Off just for not guessing right (like which way to turn in a city you have never actually had to navigate befor) as all it really does is lead to save scumming, so when you guess wrong you can just load up and choose differently. That kind of game play always kills immersion for me, suddenly Im no longer trying to figure out whats going on, but trying to figure out when i really need to save.
I believe there is probably a real gem of a story / mystery to enjoy here. Alas, it may take a long time, if ever, that im willing to save scum enough to get to the parts that make it worth it. With all the glowingly positive reviews this game is receiving, I doubt this one will get any attention at all. Still Ill hope you will consider it when doing your next project. Death of the MC is certainly a motivator, but it should be reasonably avoidable. Having to choose from random directions where none have ever been even offered before, Having an NPC kill you because you are honest? These are just cheap shots at the players emotional investment that only rewards those who arnt really invested in the choices they are making anyways, because their saving before all of them.
I might not be a typical VN writer; some referred me as a troll. There are different kind of endings, I tried vary them between routes. The layout of the 4 story lines are quite different, you have probably noticed.
As a developer, I'm slightly amused by your experience. Your second death is just like what the person said on your first death (this wasn't planned, I'm sorry). What the person said was referring to other routes; death is in the corner. The achievement in this bad ending gives a clue on how to get past.
Some choices are obvious, others go by guessing and there are choices where it doesn't matter; just go with what you're curious about. I anticipated players go for replays, so I added a "Skip to" button. In case you didn't save, it immediately skips to the first next choice or unread line.
Since those deaths are high likely to happen, I tried to make the endings appealing with visuals and some commentary. About your definition of "cheap": it took me several days to get the coding right, because there are several possible answer combinations. It's almost like a lottery, but has it's limits. MC's honesty is a confirmation to the reason this person is chasing her.
I'm a veteran in visual novels and haven't considered those that never played it. Saving is crucial, but for those that forget or don't; I tried adding the tools to make gameplay easier.
Thank you for your honest feedback!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts back with me. TBH I wasnt expecting you to even see the post, nevermind respond to it. That means alot in this day. Honestly what I posted was only in the hopes of giving you (and maybe others who might be working on future projects of their own and happened to read it) some food for thought. I did not intend to be rude, though i will not deny that there wasnt still a bit of anger left having just come away from that 2nd (seemingly random and pointless) death.
I know that the formula you used in this VN is common practice these days. Amnesia comes to mind right away of another VN I played that was chock full of guess wrong / die endings. It was considered by the masses to be excellent. To me it was dissappointing. If I need a guide or hours of saving / guessing / replaying the same route over and over again to get to a Not Dead ending, where is the fun in that? Changling is another VN that i really really enjoy the story line(s) of but always come away unhappy from. You have to get every interaction with the character who's route your on right or you dont get their best ending, and there are so many choices (normally a plus right?) and there are no indications when you make any given choice if it was the "right" one or not. So in the end you either need ungodly luck, or a walk through because that game doesnt provide the necessary feed back to let you intuit / get there on your own.
I can honestly tell that you are a great writer, the fact that you do your own coding too well thats just amazing. If you tell me you also did all the art work I think Ill just cry that I havnt won the lotto yet and cant hire you to work on my dream team! (lol seriously some day if God is willing, but thats for another day) I know you dont need me, or anyone else to tell you how to do what you do. I am just hoping some constructive feed back might have been welcome.
I soooo love this game! Every char so far is super interesting . Though i would love for Kaichi to be a romantic option ! I'm a sucker for this kind of attitude guys and his background looks very interesting of how he came with his powers , so i would really liked to see more of his side story. Maybe a dlc with the side characters instead. This is a game and i would glady pay for it cuz it's trully worth it! Keep up the good job!
Just finished all the endings. I'm still missing two achievements tho! D:
The story was fantastic, and I loved how you got little glimpses and hits at the other routes while you were playing.
I started with Sachiro's route, and it ended up being my favorite. It was just so sweet and funny while also being extremely thrilling.
I played Zeikun second, and I really liked his story, it was probably the most intriuging out of all the routes, but for some reason I just didn't get as attached to his character as much, even though I really liked his character design and story.
I played Kurato's route third, and I'll be honest I wasn't really looking forward to it. He gave me creep vibes in the demo. I ended up liking it anyway, mostly because Kurato is just super cute, and when I found out that he was the fluffy creature I was honestly shocked.
I saved Junoru for last, and I'm glad I did. The romance felt most natural in this route. The only thing that kept Junoru's route from being my favorite is that in this route, I felt like the MC didn't get to shine as much. She was played off as more scared, and relied on the men a lot more. I felt like she didn't get to show off her badass side as much, which was kind of disappointing. I also fell in love with Blace in this route, was kind of hoping that in the normal end, after Jun died, we would see a glimpse of a romance with Blace. Sigh.
Her friends attitudes were kind of weird sometimes, and I felt like their personalities changed based on what route you were on, but I liked how supportive they were of their friend.
One character I couldn't force myself to like was Chain. I felt pity for him sometimes, but despite how much Kurato tried to convince me he was a good guy, I just couldn't see it. Maybe I would like him more if I knew more about why he was the way he was? Questionable. He was a big creep.
I have mixed feelings about Kaichi, sometimes I really liked him and sometimes he was just an ass. Lol.
My only problem I had personally is how little some of the men in this game respected the MC's personal space and privacy. (Which was my main problem with Kurato)
Overall, it was fantastic and I loved it. I felt like all the routes were a good length and were very satisfying to finish. Thank you very much for your hard work in providing this game for us.
Also, forgot to mention this, but Rasumi was a fantastically creepy villian, and I only wish I knew more about her motivations.
I'm crushing on Jun's parents...