Hi there! I am creating a collection of fully blind accessible games, and your game is listed under the "blind support tag". The word "blind" means different things to different people, and within that wide spectrum their are various levels of expertise with visual UI's. but as a fully blind gamer, I am wondering what features this game provides for those who can not see the screen at all. Do you have "screen reader" or "text to speech" support? Is your game fully playable with a keyboard or controller, rather than having to point the mouse at buttons on the interface? If the answer to those questions is no, it would still be great to know what options are provided for those with less severe visual impairments, so that I might make them aware of your game's usability for them. Thank you for any information you can provide, it's very much appreciated! :)
I am still playing through it, so not ready to review it just yet, but I am really enjoying the pacing so far! Question: Is there any way to access that little relationship progress matrix that pops up at the end of a game day? It disappears far too quickly for me to make any sense of it!
Also, PSA for Mac users: Ren’Py games don’t seem to let you save if you launch from the Itch app. If you launch directly from the Itch folder instead, you should be fine!
I think if you don't click anything it won't go away right away, but after you complete 1 full play through you can access the "cheat menu" by clicking the tiny sun in the upper right corner of the main menu and enabling cheats. This will put a screen on throughout the entire game that will let you see how your choices effect everything.
Having that stat screen available whenever the player wants is a good suggestion I've tried to incorporate into my future games! I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! <3
Quick question before I make any decision about whether to download/play: Is this game aro/ace friendly? I really like the concept of visual novels, but I can almost never play them because they all require you to be romantic and/or sexual with other characters and it just makes me really uncomfortable. Can I get through this whole game with only platonic relationships?
No, I'm sorry but a romance option is required in this one. You can play Pinewood Island without romancing anyone and befriending Susan instead but I think there are still date-type events with the guys before that.
still playing through routes so ill have a fuller opinion/review when im done but here are my thoughts after playing through at least one ending with each character! (trying to be vague/spoiler free but heed caution)
for reference the endings ive unlocked so far: Crazy Ex-Boyfriend, Bloody Hands, Gone, Shattered Ties (YALL CRUSHED ME WITH THIS ONE OMG), Not Even a Goodbye, It's All Over, Sandmen, Exiled and Free
a lot of these werent 'good' endings lol but i still enjoyed them nonetheless, looking forward to finding happier ones
really interesting setting and characters! i really enjoy learning more about all of them, and there's really cute moments for each. even the ones you disagree with are still easy to empathize with (except the mayor lol)
the games writing does excel at both casual, funny moments, and more impactful hard hitting ones
unfortunately the mc has pretty selective agency in the story, there's a lot of moments where they simply brush aside something that feels like it could be a major choice. like "oh i dont wanna bring this up" and im sitting here shaking them like YES YOU DO JUST TALK ABOUT IT OMG
i was a bit annoyed they were immediately suspicious of the mayor and you only get to influence your opinion of him AFTER he actually starts doing shady stuff. i wanted to give him a chance but by the time im actually suspicious of him the mc seems to have chilled out over him like?? NO YOU ACTUALLY SHOULD BE SUS NOW
so far the most frustrating element of the game is the all or nothing approach to the coup. like u either have to be 100% on board with supporting the mayor' decisions or 100% willing to partipate in a violent takeover. i think replaying the game after knowing this is the ultimatum makes things a bit easier but on a first or second playthru its not super clear.
i also wish you could play a more active role in showing your support for either side BEFORE the big showdown at the end. like during the protest scene i really wished there was an option to join in. definitely got my heart broken being on the opposite side of things as my lover rip. (very effectively written 'bad' ends!)
I've really enjoyed this game! Any chance for people who own the Itchio version to get access to Steam as well? I try to have all my games on there to make it easier for my friends to discover great titles like this. I also can't seem to leave a review on there unless it's part of my library. Either way, great game! <3
I won't be adding steam keys to this title, but I am looking into doing it for future releases :D and thank you for the kind words I'm so glad you enjoyed it XD I will take a look at videogamegeek, thank u for the heads up
Ok I really like this game and also I need something to list what all the parody book titles are parodies of, because they are really funny when I do get the joke.
Most of the in-game books are references to fellow VN dev's games that were in production or recently released when we were making AWKI. Unfortunately my original list has disappeared, but I can show the in-game list and you can try to figure out the ones I don't remember anymore.
In addition a few titles were submitted by backers, while "Sexy Man Man #5" is Jaime's own creation ;)
I was so pleasantly surprised and flattered when I came across "No Alternative Remedy" on one of my playthroughs!
Out of the ones you don't remember, I'm guessing "Sparrow Drue: Clover Counsel" was Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, and both "When They Laugh" and "When Waterfowl Cry" sound like they could be references to Umineko.
Phoenix Wright! Of course! You're probably right about Umineko, I just don't understand why I didn't reference the naming scheme they use. I was very happy some devs recognized their game, it was a lot of fun to make a whole list, and I tried to reference as many lemmasoft ppl I could find.
Getting some problem where the game goes non-responsive as soon as it launches. Got the PC/Linux version, unzipped, unzipped the pc version, launched the application file, and got an empty white window that goes gets a stop's responding flag if i click on it. any advice?
i deleted it and re-unzipped it, unzipped the pc version and the linux version in case maybe something important was there, deleted it and redownloaded it and unzipped x2 that and still having the same issue.
I hope you can get that fixed! I'm not sure what would cause ren'py games specifically to do that, my best guess would be make sure to update your drivers. I had an issue with programs refusing to open (ren'py included) and I had to buy a new hard drive because my old one was corrupting things apparently. I'm sending good tech vibes your way!
thanks for the good vibes! turns out my computer was just having a Rough One and felt better after i restarted it. really enjoying the game, tabby is so cute!!
i was HOOKED the entire time i played this. i'm not one to play through a game multiple times to get different endings, so i'm quite happy with just the 2 endings i got of Jude. i promise you, i kept thinking about how much i just wanted to get back to playing this game every time i needed to get some work done instead lol.
this is written like a novel, and all the dialogue flows well. i think the only negative i have for this vn is more character personalisation? every time i play a different route, i make my character look contrastingly different from the other routes so i can remember the choices easier, but i couldn't do much in this game except make my names entirely phonetically different from each other.
other than that, i love, love, love this game. all its characters are done so well and they all have a depth to them i rarely see in other visual novels. well done! i will definitely be checking out any future games made by the dev ^ ~ ^
This was a great visual novel! I loved all the character depth and backstory you get to learn as you do different playthroughs. And because of the way you go through each day, I was able to get a real sense of time passing, so relationship and story progression felt realistic, never rushed. I could feel the romances and friendships developing. I also enjoyed seeing how differently each character reacted to the storyline, it changed the experience. The endings are not exactly HEAs and are very open-ended, so do be ready for that. There's also lots of diversity among characters (POC, LGBT+, body types). Overall, I really enjoyed this story and getting to know the characters!
My favorite romance was Jude, and my favorite friendship was Trevor. Both were kinda prickly on the outside but soft on the inside <3
Note: This game is fully accessible to blind and visually impaired players! (Pointing this out because games are sometimes listed as such but then are not actually accessible.) Just press V once the game window has opened. Text will be read aloud, including menus and stats (which are based on a 50-point system), and you can play and navigate using the keyboard.
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Hi there!
I am creating a collection of fully blind accessible games, and your game is listed under the "blind support tag". The word "blind" means different things to different people, and within that wide spectrum their are various levels of expertise with visual UI's. but as a fully blind gamer, I am wondering what features this game provides for those who can not see the screen at all. Do you have "screen reader" or "text to speech" support? Is your game fully playable with a keyboard or controller, rather than having to point the mouse at buttons on the interface? If the answer to those questions is no, it would still be great to know what options are provided for those with less severe visual impairments, so that I might make them aware of your game's usability for them. Thank you for any information you can provide, it's very much appreciated! :)
Just started Micah's route and he's quizzing me. Glad to see you got the ABC's down XD
Has anyone tested to see what happens if you max out your stress?
I am still playing through it, so not ready to review it just yet, but I am really enjoying the pacing so far! Question: Is there any way to access that little relationship progress matrix that pops up at the end of a game day? It disappears far too quickly for me to make any sense of it!
Also, PSA for Mac users: Ren’Py games don’t seem to let you save if you launch from the Itch app. If you launch directly from the Itch folder instead, you should be fine!
I think if you don't click anything it won't go away right away, but after you complete 1 full play through you can access the "cheat menu" by clicking the tiny sun in the upper right corner of the main menu and enabling cheats. This will put a screen on throughout the entire game that will let you see how your choices effect everything.
Having that stat screen available whenever the player wants is a good suggestion I've tried to incorporate into my future games! I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! <3
Quick question before I make any decision about whether to download/play: Is this game aro/ace friendly? I really like the concept of visual novels, but I can almost never play them because they all require you to be romantic and/or sexual with other characters and it just makes me really uncomfortable. Can I get through this whole game with only platonic relationships?
No, I'm sorry but a romance option is required in this one. You can play Pinewood Island without romancing anyone and befriending Susan instead but I think there are still date-type events with the guys before that.
still playing through routes so ill have a fuller opinion/review when im done but here are my thoughts after playing through at least one ending with each character! (trying to be vague/spoiler free but heed caution)
for reference the endings ive unlocked so far: Crazy Ex-Boyfriend, Bloody Hands, Gone, Shattered Ties (YALL CRUSHED ME WITH THIS ONE OMG), Not Even a Goodbye, It's All Over, Sandmen, Exiled and Free
a lot of these werent 'good' endings lol but i still enjoyed them nonetheless, looking forward to finding happier ones
really interesting setting and characters! i really enjoy learning more about all of them, and there's really cute moments for each. even the ones you disagree with are still easy to empathize with (except the mayor lol)
the games writing does excel at both casual, funny moments, and more impactful hard hitting ones
unfortunately the mc has pretty selective agency in the story, there's a lot of moments where they simply brush aside something that feels like it could be a major choice. like "oh i dont wanna bring this up" and im sitting here shaking them like YES YOU DO JUST TALK ABOUT IT OMG
i was a bit annoyed they were immediately suspicious of the mayor and you only get to influence your opinion of him AFTER he actually starts doing shady stuff. i wanted to give him a chance but by the time im actually suspicious of him the mc seems to have chilled out over him like?? NO YOU ACTUALLY SHOULD BE SUS NOW
so far the most frustrating element of the game is the all or nothing approach to the coup. like u either have to be 100% on board with supporting the mayor' decisions or 100% willing to partipate in a violent takeover. i think replaying the game after knowing this is the ultimatum makes things a bit easier but on a first or second playthru its not super clear.
i also wish you could play a more active role in showing your support for either side BEFORE the big showdown at the end. like during the protest scene i really wished there was an option to join in. definitely got my heart broken being on the opposite side of things as my lover rip. (very effectively written 'bad' ends!)
I've really enjoyed this game! Any chance for people who own the Itchio version to get access to Steam as well? I try to have all my games on there to make it easier for my friends to discover great titles like this. I also can't seem to leave a review on there unless it's part of my library. Either way, great game! <3
Oh and can I also recommend adding it to videogamegeek.com?
I won't be adding steam keys to this title, but I am looking into doing it for future releases :D and thank you for the kind words I'm so glad you enjoyed it XD I will take a look at videogamegeek, thank u for the heads up
Thanks for the quick reply! Figured it was worth asking, as it'd help get the word out about this wonderful game.
Ok I really like this game and also I need something to list what all the parody book titles are parodies of, because they are really funny when I do get the joke.
Thank you for the kind words :)
Most of the in-game books are references to fellow VN dev's games that were in production or recently released when we were making AWKI.
Unfortunately my original list has disappeared, but I can show the in-game list and you can try to figure out the ones I don't remember anymore. In addition a few titles were submitted by backers, while "Sexy Man Man #5" is Jaime's own creation ;)
Horror:
Zombie Holmes and the Giant Crabs (not a VN reference)
Pinewood Island
Lets Feast Steve - Let's Meat Adam
Magnitude Death - possibly Quantum Suicide
Doki Doki School Club Series - DDLC
The Note - The Letter
Pursuer and Maniac - Stalker & Yandere
Censored Life - Redacted Life
Spirit Terminal - Yurei Station
Which one is the real Mich? - Might be Who is Mike?
Recognize Recall - ?
Prof. Wurst’s Construct-A-Companion - Dr. Frank's Build-a-Boyfriend
9 Moments, 9 Lives, 9 Archways - 999
Faith’s Terminal Award - Virtue's Last Reward
Consort or Croak - Date or Die
Awareness of the Lifeless - ?
When they Laugh - ?
Comedy:
XOXO: Tales of jerks in love - XOXO: Droplets
Owlful Partner - Hatoful Boyfriend
Lady’s Woman in a Tight Spot - Ladykiller in a Bind
Fantasy Father - Dream Daddy
Revelatr - Celestial Convoy - ?
Within the Basket - ?
Convenience Store Tale - Konbini Life
The Cutoff - ?
High Jinx Adept - could possibly be Prank Masters
Hoof & Tail: My horse is a Hominid! - Paws & Effect: My Dogs are Human!
My Mystic Annulment Office - My Magical Divorce Bureau!!
Pitching for the Win - Coming Out on Top
Sparrow Drue: Clover Counsel - ?
Fantasy:
The Rise of the Hawks (Not a VN reference)
The Final Rhino (Not a VN reference - The Last Unicorn)
Carbons - Cinders
Trunks: the Troll dating experience - Tusks: The Orc Dating Sim
The Enchantress in the Woods - The Witch in the Forest
Hotfoot Feline - Hustle Cat
An Elfishly Unique Fortnight - An old, unfinished VN I made
Stadium Bazaar - Arena Circus
The Seven Streets of Shortcomings - ?
Selfish Addiction - Ego Holic
A Worgen Advantage, Apparently - A Werewolf Opportunity, Obviously
WonderlandMafia - OZMAFIA
Reverbs of the Unholy - is this.. Echoes of the Fey
Aged - ?
Specter Procession - Spirit Parade
Demonconstruct - ?
The Core of Fables - The Heart of Tales
Romance:
Sexy Man Man #5 (Not a VN reference)
Checkers of Daggers - Chess of Blades
Moth Chowder - Butterfly Soup
A Palm in the Twilight - A Hand in the Darkness
Entice Me the Romance - Seduce Me the Otome
Longing: Ur Queer Story - Yearning: a Gay Story
Twosomes - Pairs
So Many Untruths - ?
Lovemade - ?
Where We Set Our Sight - Where We Lay Our Scene
Date Almost Everything - Date (Almost) Anything?
Affectionate Charlatan - Sentimental Trickster
Generic Cherry Blossoms - ?
Abnormal Physics - ?
Flatmates - Roommates
Drama:
No Alternative Remedy - No Other Medicine
Phantoms of Florida - Ghosts of Miami
Onwards the Perimeter - Along the Edge
Delusion Liberator Daigaku - Dream Savior Gakuen
How We Have Changed - Who We Are Now
Father's Fibs - Daddy Lies (now The Secrets We Keep)
When Waterfowl Cry - ?
Felony Opus: The Ripple Effect - ?
Some of the parody titles are... less bad than others.
(Posting with the right account this time)
I was so pleasantly surprised and flattered when I came across "No Alternative Remedy" on one of my playthroughs!
Out of the ones you don't remember, I'm guessing "Sparrow Drue: Clover Counsel" was Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, and both "When They Laugh" and "When Waterfowl Cry" sound like they could be references to Umineko.
We were hoping devs would notice! :D <3
Phoenix Wright! Of course! You're probably right about Umineko, I just don't understand why I didn't reference the naming scheme they use.
I was very happy some devs recognized their game, it was a lot of fun to make a whole list, and I tried to reference as many lemmasoft ppl I could find.
Woah thank you! I love these! And now I have a new list of vns to look through
PM was so happy someone took notice of the books! :D we're glad you enjoyed that part
Getting some problem where the game goes non-responsive as soon as it launches. Got the PC/Linux version, unzipped, unzipped the pc version, launched the application file, and got an empty white window that goes gets a stop's responding flag if i click on it. any advice?
i deleted it and re-unzipped it, unzipped the pc version and the linux version in case maybe something important was there, deleted it and redownloaded it and unzipped x2 that and still having the same issue.
wait hang on this is happening to all my renpy games. the problem was me all along. sorry to bother you.
I hope you can get that fixed! I'm not sure what would cause ren'py games specifically to do that, my best guess would be make sure to update your drivers. I had an issue with programs refusing to open (ren'py included) and I had to buy a new hard drive because my old one was corrupting things apparently. I'm sending good tech vibes your way!
thanks for the good vibes! turns out my computer was just having a Rough One and felt better after i restarted it. really enjoying the game, tabby is so cute!!
I'm glad it worked out :D
i was HOOKED the entire time i played this. i'm not one to play through a game multiple times to get different endings, so i'm quite happy with just the 2 endings i got of Jude. i promise you, i kept thinking about how much i just wanted to get back to playing this game every time i needed to get some work done instead lol.
this is written like a novel, and all the dialogue flows well. i think the only negative i have for this vn is more character personalisation? every time i play a different route, i make my character look contrastingly different from the other routes so i can remember the choices easier, but i couldn't do much in this game except make my names entirely phonetically different from each other.
other than that, i love, love, love this game. all its characters are done so well and they all have a depth to them i rarely see in other visual novels. well done! i will definitely be checking out any future games made by the dev ^ ~ ^
Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked the writing :D I hope you like future games as well
This was a great visual novel! I loved all the character depth and backstory you get to learn as you do different playthroughs. And because of the way you go through each day, I was able to get a real sense of time passing, so relationship and story progression felt realistic, never rushed. I could feel the romances and friendships developing. I also enjoyed seeing how differently each character reacted to the storyline, it changed the experience. The endings are not exactly HEAs and are very open-ended, so do be ready for that. There's also lots of diversity among characters (POC, LGBT+, body types). Overall, I really enjoyed this story and getting to know the characters!
My favorite romance was Jude, and my favorite friendship was Trevor. Both were kinda prickly on the outside but soft on the inside <3
Note: This game is fully accessible to blind and visually impaired players! (Pointing this out because games are sometimes listed as such but then are not actually accessible.) Just press V once the game window has opened. Text will be read aloud, including menus and stats (which are based on a 50-point system), and you can play and navigate using the keyboard.
We're so glad you liked it!! Thanks for playing it :D