I got all 4 endings (unless you were trolling with the "/4" stuff and there are hidden endings), and admittedly there were certain points in the plot that I didn't quite grasp.
---- SPOILERS obviously ----
The biggest question is what happened to Charlie's mom. From what I've been shown (shadowy hands reaching for Charlie when asked about her, her ghost ?? appearing and told Charlie to steal money, how the dad did not want to clean up another corpse, how he said that Charlie ended up "like him" in ending 4/4), if I had to make a guess, did the dad (player character) kill his wife for some reason? It's a dark train of thought but it just really seems that way. Does that also mean they are haunted by the mom lol? Otherwise I don't get why there's a female ghost hanging around.
Ending 4/4 was kinda confusing because I couldn't open the door (is that option always meant to be locked?), hence it wasn't clear what exactly happened inside the house. Did Charlie kill someone? Did he just kill some random person?
Anyhow, the game was short but decent. I love the shades of colors you gave Charlie's room, they all highlight the differences in various phases of his life. The colors really helped set the mood. Plus, using the door as the entry point to each scene was nicely done too, story-wise it acts as a barrier between the parent and the child, gameplay-wise it adds an element of uncertainty because we can't see what's beyond that door until we open it. I also appreciate how the game depicts the hardship of juggling between making a living and caring for your child, and different ways of up-bringing can change a person. Ofc, I won't pretend like this is some masterpiece of literature, but it was good for what it was.
If there are any improvements I wish for, it's probably that there can be a way to restart the game without reloading the whole page - my internet speed can be unbearable (maybe that'd be possible in the downloadable Steam version), and there was a scene where Charlie showed dad a picture from his art class, it was a bit jarring since the whole game was in hand-drawn/painting style but that picture alone was very realistic lol. Having parts of the face poked out was creepy but the different style broke immersion a bit. Lastly, text speed, I know the text can be skipped immediately by clicking, but there were little changes in dialogues depending on the player's choices, so I still needed to wait for the text to appear anyway to avoid accidentally skipping unread stuff - it became kind of agonizing after some time.
I also want to echo that I would absolutely love to see both of the LMA games on Steam as well.
I think the two games will have no problem getting on Steam, as long as you tag it as AO (Adult Only) and put correct tags, plus warnings in the description. As Elvick already said, there are rules that if you follow, everything will go fine without having to cut any content. In addition to the games Elvick mentioned, Coming Out On Top is also a very adult-oriented game that came out on Steam with no problem. Many adult games by Y Press Games (a visual novel publisher) are also on Steam.
I simply wanted to voice a bit of opinion, because I really want this game (along with possible sweet Steam achievements) in my library. I hope you will consider it!
When I saw this new game I thought today was somehow Valentine's day oof.
Anyway, I definitely enjoyed it, all the choices are cute and interesting! I feel personally attacked for being called "thirsty" by Papyrus xDD I know he doesn't mean it the bad way, but still LMAO.
I laughed a little too much when Careless Whisperlovania started playing LOL. It was a weird mix of hotness and amusement, I laughed and squealed at the same time xD Again, I came to this game for Sans but Papyrus is adorable as well! Somehow I can feel his manly side now too...
Thank you for another enjoyable game!! I don't understand how this was made under 24 hours?! That's insane! Did you draw and code without resting :O
Ah I understand now! I actually love that kind of dynamic/change from cold to hot in relationships xD It's a great feeling to be able to break through someone's defense and reach for their heart.
Thank you for spending your time answering my questions too! It's great insight into how the game was developed, and it's clear that a lot of love was put in! Other Sans simps (like me) really appreciate your work xD
*beep bop* SPOILERS ---
Haha yeah the "cheating" talk really fits Flowey's personality. At least it didn't seem to leave any consequences. I mean it'd be interesting (and hurtful...) to see if Sans can "detect" that the player has the expression of someone who cheated on him with his brother. That'd really take the whole timeline and consequences to another level @_@
That detail about the True LOVE route preventing the player and Sans from becoming SOULmates, it makes so much sense! Which means all the more reason for me not to go the True LOVE route ever again orzz. I've seen Sans die 4 times already (and also got told to go to hell by him countless times...) so that's about enough. Thankfully I backup all save files before doing the True LOVE route ^^"
I want to ask though - and I don't mind spoilers since I'm asking for it: if I were to spare/have mercy on Sans during his fight, would I getttt dunked on LOL? I'm curious but I don't really want to follow my curiosity anymore.
That's pretty cool how you have a function for counting SKIPs xD I didn't realize I'd used it so many times. Considering all the things you have to take note of in this game, I guess that means a lot of functions and variables are needed.
The textbox dragging idea was cool xD I think the hints you put in were well-written as well. Same goes for that maze with Papyrus!
It always saddens me that Sans just kind of accepts the fact that all the things he did and anything that happened to him can easily be RESET. I mean, ye it's true there's nothing he can do about it, he's literally just an NPC lmao, but the fact that he's written as if he's aware of it really messes with the player's mind. That's why I have this special place in my heart for games that break the 4th wall haha.
Btw, I just realized I forgot to ask this yesterday. That bridge scene where Sans saves the player, if "Compliment" was chosen instead of kissing him, he'd have a line telling the player not to "get too close to the edge". I thought it meant to not be involved in dangerous situations, but the player's reaction was "feeling the stomach drop" and a "tight smile" as if they're uncomfortable. Did his line allude to something else? Like "don't go on a killing spree bruh" or something...
I also forgot to mention that I love how the phone's outline color changes depending on which trait was chosen by the player! But it seems sentences where the trait is specifically mentioned (in yellow text) can be skipped even though that trait was not chosen before?
For example: "your SOUL is pulsing strong with [trait]" - sentences like these are skipped even when that trait is newly chosen compared to previous playthroughs. It seems RenPy treats this as the same sentence even though the content (trait variable) is changed?
It feels kinda weird because some sentences - which are completely identical to each other - cannot be skipped, such as (if I recall correctly) some "hmmm..." and "you reached LV something" that Sans said before his boss fight. I've seen this behavior in some other VNs before too so I just find it kind of interesting.
All in all, I'm definitely looking forward to your future projects! ^^
Hello, I just want to say I really love this game!
Er---SPOILERS I guess ----
First of all, I've played the original Undertale (I'll call it UT now) years ago, it's been 5 years since the game was released...time flies. Honestly I can't even remember much about UT anymore - well I know the story but the finer details escaped me, and playing Dating Start certainly jogged my memory a bit. I totally love how consistent the characters are written - it really feels like I'm playing the original UT again. The jokes, the way each of them speaks definitely gives off that same vibe of UT without making any of them seem OOC. I know some details and lines are certainly taken from UT, but LOL... like I said I have bad memory so it's hard to differentiate what you actually wrote and what was taken from UT.
Toriel was so cuddly and warm as usual, I love that little motherly talk session with her! The hints and sparks flying between Undyne and Alphys are so cute as well! I also love how you give players the choice of smooching Sans at every possible moment xDDDD And of course, the choice NOT to smooch him for anyone who doesn't want to. That's really sweet (but you probably know what I chose xDD).
That said, I replayed the happy/True love route again and again to pick all the possible choices. The little variations and reactions from different choices were so much fun and finely written. I especially like how "Jumping off" the bridge became an option in later playthroughs LOL. I'd imagine any monster who sees that must be like "Yooo that hooman is crazy" xD I love that if the player picks that choice, Sans realizes how weird it is.
I also like how you utilized repeated phrases like "filled with determination" "warm your heart with love", and especially Sans' saying "cause someone really cares about you". I'm not quite sure if it alludes to himself or Toriel or anyone else in the original UT, but the way you turned it to explicitly refer to himself in the happy end "cause I really care about you" was so sweet xD
While I didn't want to cheat, the "secret" route was too enticing so I ended up doing it anyway. And I totally LOVE it (capitalized for emphasis btw, it's not an acronym or anything). All the different choices of making spaghetti and picking out Papyrus' outfit was really fun. I found myself laughing a lot LOL. While I certainly did not play this game with the intention of wooing the taller skeleton, I still find him endearing. Though, it really tugged at my heart when Sans shook the player's hand at the end of Papyrus' route and gave a sad smile. Flowey calling me "cheating with his brother" also didn't help orz... I felt bad :(
...But not as bad compared to when I play the True LOVE route. Tbh, years ago when playing UT, I completely left out the genocide route, mostly because it was unnecessary to kill everyone (like whyyyy) + Sans' fight could really kick some ass + wiping save files is a pain. I did watch Youtube playthroughs though. This time I decided to try it myself. Welp, lots of regret.
So, first of all, I'm glad I didn't actually have to fight anyone and the killing scenes just kind of automatically played out. I was prepared to be frustrated and spend hours dying replaying. I do recognize it's kind of messed up to have them all die without much of a fight like that, it makes them seem so vulnerable ;-; Especially Toriel and Papyrus really trusted the player a lot. Sans' expression when he saw that Papyrus was killed really broke my heart. It's also pretty screwed up when I kissed Sans before killing only Undyne and Alphys.
The Sans fight even when played in "visual novel mode" was still challenging. I don't know if it was a 100% replica of his fight in the original UT, I only recognized some moves haha. But either way, I had to get a notebook and jotted down the options' order to win LOL. I have to say, the animation was really well done. RenPy is known for visual novels - which are normally quite static, so all the animated moves in Sans' fight was definitely a breath of fresh air (and definitely a skele-TON of efforts was put in).
The way you reused some famous lines Sans said during the fight, while also adding some tailor-made lines about soulmates was great too.
The order I played - until the time of this review - was True love (many times) => Secret route (twice) => True love (again because why not) => True LOVE (once) => True love (twice because...I wanted to confirm Sans actually gets killed...gosh) => Secret route (twice) => True LOVE (again because I wanted to see if anything's changed).
With that said, on the 1st True LOVE run, Sans mentioned how once upon a time we used to be soulmates - quite a lot of times, and it made me feel really bad orz. I kept thinking in my head "i don't want this either why am i doing this" T_T When he dragged himself away at the end (to die off screen), the last thing he said was calling the player's name, then asking "why...?". I admit, it was like I got punched in the guts T_T
Sans rarely refers to the player by name, if I remember correctly, he only did so at the end of the True love (happy) route, True LOVE and well, True love (the fcked up version when Chara possessed the player's SOUL). Because these moments are so rare, whenever he does so, it really hits hard.
Gosh, when the player/Chara stabbed him, he only called the player's name like "[insertname]......?" with that look of betrayal akldkjfgls argh T_T I feel like that left a scar in my heart now. And that was AFTER he knew the player killed him in another timeline and decided to forgive. It's like, he really loves the player so he's willing to look past their sins, but he was stabbed again right after that...
I gotta say, I'm surprised Chara did not kill the rest of the monsters. I kind of expected that to happen. I replayed Papyrus' route to see if he'd get killed, but surprisingly he lived? It's so unfair Sans is the only one who got killed by Chara adjfkls wait what am i even saying i shouldn't wish for others' deaths.
Also, when playing the Papyrus' route again after acquiring the True LOVE ending, it seems Sans didn't shake the player's hand anymore when Papyrus told him we were on a date? Is it because the player/Chara betrayed/killed him before in the True love ending so he didn't bother anymore orz...
Anyway, on the 2nd run of True LOVE, I realized there was a lack of some lines mentioning the player and Sans' past connection as soulmates. He also did not call the player's name when he died either. I'm not sure if that was because I was on my 2nd True LOVE run, or because I did Papyrus' route right before that so technically we weren't recognized as soulmates in the past. It was an interesting change nonetheless.
I was impressed with how you created the Chara scene also: a dark void, had to wait a little bit before the dialogue to give up my SOUL appears. The Flowey scene when it absorbed both mine and Sans' SOULs was also great. I kept Alt+F4 the game to interrupt its dialogue LOL. Basically, the little variations (4th wall breaking) here and there depending on the number of playthroughs and the player's actions really preserved that original UT vibe. I think at some point Flowey mentioned I used the SKIP function 84 times, was it a random number or actually counted LOL?
Onto happier things, I really love the epilogue of napping under the "stars" with Sans. The only problem (pls don't hate me I know you worked hard): it's too short ;-; I would've loved to see more of what life with Sans is like, since he's pretty well-known in the Underground and all, how would people-- I mean, other monsters react if the player keeps sticking around him. I wanted to exercise in his room too (on the treadmill of course...), and go to his workshop and all xDD Basically, the game was so good and I want moar ;-;
I think that's enough of my rambling...on the writing - sorry if my review's a mess ;-; Moving on to...
The graphics: I think you mentioned somewhere on Twitter that you were more of a coder than an artist, but the art is honestly really nice. I love all the CGs, items and character sprites (I'm not sure if you did the backgrounds yourself orz, they look like they were taken straight from the original game, but if you did, wow). I especially love the sprites. They really radiate each character's personality, the proportions, expressions and all are really close to the original pixel ones in UT. Flowey's expressions were so well done, that little twist of pain on its face when its petals were plucked in the True LOVE ending, definitely a nice touch. Papyrus and Undyne's expressions when they knew the player likes Sans were priceless LOL. Sans' expressions were great too, his nonexistent face muscles didn't move much, but slight changes could really change the emotion he depicted. The light effects and little animations such as flying cape, twinkling/blinking eyes were nice additions too. Did I mention the annoying(ly cute) dog wagging its tail?! That was adorable! Really, many games don't have those details. They really bring the characters to life!
The system: I love that you coded in a system to prevent the player from taking existing characters' names (like Chara, Frisk, Sans etc). I mean, it's not ground-breaking because that's how it is in the original game, but to replicate such features still takes a certain amount of effort. It really shows how you are attentive to details like that. Same goes for the variations on different playthroughs, special scenes with Chara and Flowey that I've mentioned before. The aptly named save files were interesting (and kind of funny too LOL). The hidden section in the Album was...well I can't say nice because it hurts to look... but you certainly did a good job! My curiosity for the last (4th) CG in Sans' section of the Album really killed the cat (and literally everyone else)...
The UI: There's not much to say, except that it's punderful. The design and fonts reflected UT's style perfectly! Being able to drag the textbox and have options changing places during Sans' fight was a great idea too. Varying text speeds for certain lines also had a good effect on controlling the game's flow!
The music and sound: I feel like it's not punny to keep saying things are punderful, but allow me to say it again: punderful. The tracks accompany the scenes so well, I especially ADORE the slower, sadder ones that play when the player interacts with Sans. It seems you had a hand in the making of certain music tracks as well, that's pretty awesome considering you already coded AND drew art for the game!
Overall, I have nothing but love for this game, and I can feel your love in the project too! Thank you for making it! If there ends up being an expansion or sequel (?) of some sort, I'd definitely support you!
A little side note, Doki Doki Literature Club SPOILERS to please stop reading if you're uncomfortable--
--
I was kind of expecting the epilogue with Sans to have more dialogue, like, he's always there when the player opens the game (unless the game is RESET somehow), and he'll say different things each time - in a punny and romantic way...not creepy and yandere-ish LOL (if that happens i wouldn't mind cuz i'm a simp but would such characteristics fit him omg). Basically, kind of like that Monika scene near the end of DDLC. I know I have too much expectations for the epilogue but I just don't want it to end orz ;-;
Other than that, I just want to say again I'm impressed with your coding skills in RenPy. It really feels like you can create a mind-blowing original project with concepts similar to Undertale or DDLC, not a clone or fangame, but like a truly original game with...that files/system manipulation and 4th-wall breaking thing.
--
Again, I'm sorry if my review is messy and my English (as a second language) gives you a bone to pick with me...
Hello (yes it's me again...),
today I tried doing the vertical sitting animations (the normal straight-up one, not the one for arm chairs) and I encountered a problem: if the character isn't sitting close to the table, their feet will appear cut off - because right now the animation frames don't include their feet. For example, they look fine if they sit right by the table like this gif, but if they sit further away, maybe in the orange chair that is pulled out, the cut-off feet will be shown.
Is it possible to have additional vertical sitting animations where they have a full body, including the feet?
The kids are really cute! Um, do you think you can update the animations of characters in the "Old characters" folder?
I quite like their designs (especially the hair) but they lack the animations that new characters have :(
I'd also love animations for the "man in black" as well. He looks really cool!
Thank you so much!
I would love some kind of tall snack bar table and tall stools too! Maybe something like this, with multiple colors (like white, red etc) because I notice there are many wooden tables in the pack but not many with colors.
Can I also suggest glass doors (horizontal and vertical) for future updates too?
Thank you for the updates!! Again, I really appreciate your work and don't mind waiting!
