Outstanding presentation, some really solid character work for the party members, and maybe some questionable execution on the My Wolf component. 

Breaking down by rating criteria, spoilers from this point forward.

Implementation of Theme:

It's present. The "darkness" here is Matteo's struggle with self-doubt and lack of a sense of belonging, the first "light" to counter that darkness being Vito, with Matteo opening to a secondary "light" of forming bonds with Sunrise Fang given Vito's unknown status. I think there could have been a bit more finesse in handling the theme, both in further developing Vito and in getting the latter point across with more than the series of essentially 1-on-1 monologues from the other party members, but you got the point across.

Story:

While the initial character introductions could have been handled a bit more smoothly (took me a bit to figure out which character was the MC), I think the dynamics of the party (minus Matteo - I'll get to that) are really well done. Diego, Valentina, and Sesto all feel for the most part like developed characters with their own personalities and quirks, and while the latter are sometimes exaggerated for effect I think the humor really comes through for all three of them which really helps sell the bonds present in the party. 

With that said, the characterizations of Vito and Matteo comparatively feel a bit sparse. For Vito, really the only things we know about him are: 1) good adventurer and 2) loves his boyfriend. We don't get much more for Matteo: 1) less good adventurer; 2) sadsack; 3) also loves his boyfriend. It's tough to evaluate this entirely since it seems like there's more to come in the story, but for such a central component of the narrative there could really be more meat on these characters. The line from Matteo contemplating Vito, "Will I ever get to see what he sees in me?" especially stands out since other than being kind of a bummer we don't get much about Matteo's personality, so my reaction was along the lines of, yeah, I don't really know what he sees in you either. 

Also, Diego to Matteo: "You know, you can be quite funny at times, and I am not easily amused" - it's usually kind of a bad idea in my opinion to have a character tell another character they're funny. Either the character is actually funny and the humor is already coming through, so it's redundant, or the character is not actually funny and the line inadvertently calls attention to that. As the least funny member of the party, Matteo unfortunately falls into the latter category.

Quick note about the use of Italian in the story - I didn't have a problem following it, but I also don't know if I understand the point. Usually when a character slips into another language, it's to emphasize their uniqueness, i.e., "that character is the Italian one." However, in this story, all the places have Italian names and all the characters have Italian names, so the presumption is they're already speaking their own language and that everything is written in English for the audience's benefit. So here you have characters slipping into a language they all know while they're already speaking a language they all know. 

Presentation:

It's good. Very good. I think you know it's good, but it bears repeating. There were moments when I wish there were some extra sprites here and there to convey emotion (Diego's line "Not once have you failed to add meaningful commentary in response to the current situation" is so devastatingly sarcastic that I wish there had been a proper visual to accompany it) but really the art, UI, music, "speaking" effects, all of it came together really well for me.

The "You Win!" screen after a battle in which I contributed precisely nothing was also hilarious to me.

Creativity:

I can't fault you here - this went well and beyond the expectation for what you could churn out in the timeframe of the jam and this entry oozes passion and effort. Just wish things had been a hint tighter with the main character and the love interest. Will keep an eye out for this one to see where it goes.

I don't have a lot to say yet. I want you to go even further with the retrogame aesthetic... but that might be more expensive/more work. The battles, I want more animations for them. That said I enjoy the character personalities a lot! I think they're a little... subdued? It's a demo, so like. In the Jam format, it leaves me a little wanting, but in the sense of my overall enjoyment, I think it's really unique and creative, and i'll be playing its future releases! Occasionally the presentation does hamper it a little, just because this isn't really the type of format you're "meant" to read visual novels in, but that's kinda nitpicky. I'd like some accessibility features, but I can't complain too much. There's a lot of hard work in this badboy, and it shows! 

Love the retro game aesthetics. Very impressive presentation, of course. It isn't just a pretty sight, though, it also served to enhance the action scenes throughout. The characters are all full of life, and I really loved the witty banter between them, especially Valentina. The story gives a lot of opportunities for them to bond and grow together, which is everything I ever want from any RPG. So Sunrise Fang is a good RPG-like for sure! My Wolf is also in an interesting position in this one, being much higher up in the ranks and serving as a strong source of motivation for the MC to climb up after him. It resembles a lot of other anime in that way, particularly the ones modeled after fantasy games. But it's a formula that works. It's especially tragic knowing that Vito could have died and Matteo wouldn't know until that fateful letter is sent. At least, that's what I think is being implied by the plot. The world of San Galla is a fascinating one, and I'd gladly read more set in this world. Thankfully, this isn't the end of their story! Excellent work.

One of the jam's most striking attempts at (mis)using Ren'py, and from the pixel art to the music to the battle scene to the aspect ratio, a success at pastiche. The presentation is only not perfect because some traces of the engine (like the sliders) remain in the menus, and it's arguably a little too faithful in some places – for instance, the font is not super comfortable to look at in the cramped text boxes that do not feel like they were designed for reading walls of text. Also, I do ultimately lean towards feeling like not doing something more creative with the VN sprite art represents a missed opportunity, since it does come off as out of place both with its antialiasing and its lack of shading.

I guess I'll also have to voice my hesitation about how the fight scene works out in practice. It definitely looks and feels right for what it's modeled after, but is it a productive way to present a battle mostly told in prose? The visuals and the writing are dissonant in a way I think it doesn't quite overcome; so much of what happens just isn't reflected on the screen in any way, making the flow of the scene a bit muddled. Maybe it'll feel more natural to read when there's more of this to play through.

Though the in media res opening feels a little jarring and it takes some time for the character dynamics to land, the writing has its charms and hits some successful emotional beats. If there's a weakness, it might be the pacing being very slow, with not a lot happening in the first 10k words and the plot never quite finding its footing in the sense of having clear forward momentum. I wouldn't necessarily call this a problem, but it does make loving the game as a jam entry difficult – especially since how the demo version ends is just an amusing gag, too. Sunrise Fang is a good time on the whole, but I don't really know if I can rate it favorably in contrast to submissions that tell complete and satisfying stories or at least get further on the road there, if that makes sense? I do want to stress that despite these criticisms, I overall enjoyed the VN a lot and am very excited to read the rest of it!

'Sunrise Fang' is a charming slice-of-life fantasy story, with so much influence from RPG games. The whole aesthetic of it being presented like an RPG video game is amazing, from the pixelated backgrounds, to the small character headshots, to the battle sequence done in a full on pixel RPG battle presentation. There's a whole lot of world building that's both interesting and has a Spanish flair that I haven't seen a lot of, so it stands out even more. Each of the characters feels fully realized, with their own quirks and motivations, and the designs are surprisingly striking. It says a lot when it feels like this would be a type of RPG game I would like to play.

That being said, the weakest part of the story I would say is the main character and his relationship to his wolf boyfriend. It's a challenge to make the sour antisocial character the main character, and still be able to portray why his wolf boyfriend has fallen for him. I imagine that since this is a demo, I expect it to fully flesh out in this aspect a bit more in the full release. Also, there's an element of a slow burn set up, with the main guy being so closed off about his secret relationship, that I imagine his guards would be lowered as the story progresses. I would say, to not be afraid to really commit to his characterization as an "abrasive exterior with a soft interior" type of character, it'll make the payoff for when he does let his guard down feel more rewarding. As a foundation for a set up for a full campaign/story, this demo really sets up the party well and what each of their motivations are for going on quests, just be sure to put in some smaller story hooks to keep the attention of the reader.

I think this visual novel met the brief for the theme of 'a light in the dark'. You have the obvious imagery of a sunrise being a centralizing theme of moving forward even during times of uncertainty, as well as the wolf being the main character's motivation for becoming higher rank adventurer. Or maybe friendship is the light in the dark. The creativity and presentation are top notch, can't say how charming it is enough. The only thing with a demo is that currently, there's not much of an overarching story to give a full resolution, but I think when this project has it's updates, it'll really become quite the adventure

This was a great homage to SNES/GBA JRPGs of the past! You got the typical JRPG party with the young hero, the mentor, the quirky guy, and the support. I really like the characters, with each one of them having a moment where they're cool, and the chemistry between them is also enjoyable. I also think the relationship between Matteo and Vito is adorable and melancholy, it was relatable on some level. This definitely got the classic feeling perfectly. I do have a few issues, though. The demo certainly gives off "Prologue" vibes. The story is essentially just set up and introduction to the characters, which would be forgiven if there was more to the VN currently. But there's not any big hook or cliffhanger, it just sorta ends. That does come from there not being enough time to work on it, but it still causes the demo to feel like it can't stand on its own and relies on future updates to carry it through. 

The next criticism is more of a personal preference, but I feel like it's a bit out of place for a medieval setting to have modern day language such as "punkass" or "bullshit". Just takes me out of the experience, and I'd much prefer if there were more of an effort to keep the dialogue sounding more period-appropriate.

The last thing I'll mention is the ending. Without spoiling anything, it's hard to tell if that's supposed to be foreshadowing for future story events or if it's just a cute little gag. I REALLY hope it's not the former as I'm personally not a fan of that sorta trope and this really isn't the project for that sort of thing.

Overall, a fun little experience that I'll be looking forward to seeing more of!

I loved the retro aesthetic of this adventure; it parallels how I imagined these types of games, playing them when I was younger, bringing the script to life and acting it out.  You went all out with the presentation to make it truly have a SNES-style JRPG interface, and the sprites reminded me of how games like Final Fantasy III (VI) and Chrono Trigger had detailed, stylized concept art used for promotion, contrasted with the 8-bit sprites.  

I believe this one will certainly stand out in its uniqueness among the many entries of the jam!  So much care was given to the small details, from the aspect ratio, to the character portraits, to the game menu mimicking the battle action commands!

The ending is nostalgic as well... it made me want to "blow the cartridge" and pop it back in...😮  The young'uns might not understand such hardships today.😆

(I will recuse myself from speaking or judging in regard to the music as, full disclosure, I contributed two songs and the victory fanfare, however I had no involvement in the story, direction, artwork, or any other aspect of the game.)

Very fun. The presentation is amazing and easily the best part of this so far, though the ending took that down just a little. Otherwise it's a little basic, but in a cozy way that doesn't feel lazy or anything

The 16-bit RPG renaissance! Well, it’s not actually an RPG of course, but the aesthetics is matched almost perfectly. The UI, pixel portraits, backgrounds and especially the battle scene look amazing. The sound design works very well too, maybe the music is a bit too low by default? As for the story, the characters are all really charming and the writing very good. This clearly feels like a “chapter 1” but still works as a standalone piece. There’s maybe a bit too much random italian but whatever. The way the ending happens is a bit too weird I feel, it doesn’t really match how bugs look in that era, I feel. I had a lot of fun reading this, congrats!