Okay, let's check the notes for things to remember going into May Wolf '26... Ah yes, here we are, "QUINTUPLE CHECK TO MAKE SURE YOU AREN'T MISREADING JOE'S ENTRY." While this is especially curious timing considering It Could Be was apparently updated like four hours ago, I think I have enough of a handle on this one to do my thing.
And do my thing I shall! Let's get into it.
Implementation of Theme:
Sure, we have a local legend about a villa that provides the central narrative and thematic throughlines for the piece. If there's any connection to real folklore, I don't get it (though I didn't look very hard either), so operating under the assumption that the legend was invented for this story, both the superstition and the misconceptions that created it feel plausible, grounded, and well-connected to the story and characters. Definitely good on this area.
Presentation:
Man, there's a lot I really liked in terms of presentation here. I adored the art in this, both the sprites and the more impressionist CGs that really convey the dreamy aesthetic of the flashbacks. I love the contrast between the bright colors in the flashbacks with the muted palette of everything occurring within the villa as well. Sprites all had multiple expressions that were used effectively, and there was one curious effect where Raimondo's text box sprite was flickering between "current" and "past" versions as Federico grappled with how to handle that relationship.
Regarding possible issues with the visuals, there were a few occasions where text box sprites didn't appear when it seemed like they should have. Some of the backgrounds felt a little superfluous, especially for rooms we didn't revisit or spend much time in, and the saturation and lighting on some of the backgrounds left me a bit confused early on as to what the tone was supposed to be. Some of the rooms and art pieces came off distinctly eerie, but there wasn't really a horror component to this.
I think audio could have really helped clarify the tone in certain scenes, but it was conspicuously absent for much of the VN. This is a bit disappointing considering the soundscape at the beginning was actually great - having just the crickets at first, followed by the introduction of fitting BGM worked really well, and I wish we got more of this, though I understand that sometimes things happen due to jam constraints.
I wonder if some visuals may have been planned but were also cut for the jam - I think this VN really needed a better image of Giuditta's portrait considering how significant it is to the story. There's an image that serves as a stand-in for it, but I think we need the full picture (literally) for everything to land. Besides capturing Giuditta's emotions, which are clearly very important, it can also just clarify the appearances of the historical characters (I point this out as on first reading I thought the husband was the fox, so I was very confused by the revelation following the locket breaking).
I like the multiple perspective narration, though I found the first transition a bit jarring and had to rewind to make sure I followed correctly. There are clear choices that are made to distinguish the narration like the color of the text box boundary and the switch between second and first person, but you only learn the significance of these a few lines into Federico's narration. Maybe if you could have started Federico's first narration with a direct interaction with Anna or something that would've been clearer.
Last point here, when Federico states his wish in the center of the screen, the text box looks a little awkward hanging out empty in the corner, and I think it probably should have been removed for that moment.
Story:
"Be careful what you wish for." Not exactly the world's most exotic theme but the grounded, personal approach this VN takes for that makes it work. We have a legend where people consider a historical figure good luck and wish upon her memory for love and prosperity, only to find that she only really got one of those things. She got the respect she longed for, but it came at the expense of her happiness. The villa then becomes something of a gilded prison, and I think it's important to note that Federico wanted to spend the night in the villa just like Giuditta did then, and he absolutely did - decidedly unhappy.
It's intentionally ambiguous to what extent anything supernatural is actually happening, but I think there's some indication that Giuditta is pushing Anna and Federico out of the villa, trying to give them that happiness she could never have with the fox guy. The wolf sculptures help sell this too, with the one that reminds Federico of Raimondo notably facing away from the other two.
Where I think this story is particularly interesting is how Raimondo is handled. We're never given what his wish was, but we are told that this excursion was his idea, and he does seem awfully eager to jump to the conclusion (at least at first) that Anna and Federico are done before kissing Federico. I think it's plausible that Raimondo wished for a romantic happiness with Federico that he never got to have, and eventually had to accept that forcing that on Federico would be just like Giuditta was forced to stay with Ferdinand even though she didn't feel about him the same way he did for her. Raimondo is also notably the only one of the three still inside the villa when the sun comes up, indicating that your wishes don't come true if you follow the legend. This is all well and good considering Raimondo's wish presumably, at least implicitly, included remaining gainfully employed, and he is going to be absolutely fucked when he finds out Anna broke the pendant.
I also think the themes of jealously and insecurity were handled really well here. I read Anna's crashout not so much as homophobic as much as a manifestation of her insecurities about hanging around someone her partner had also had sex with. She says some pretty regrettable things, but it is a lot to take in at once, and I think the story does a good job of letting each of the characters have their space, breathe, and then come to a logical, adult conclusion, with Anna starting to move past her insecurities, including with extending and olive branch to Raimondo, and Federico heeding advice from Raimondo that he had to some extent already learned from Anna ("I gave her time, just like I learned from her").
Conversely, I don't think Raimondo is really able to come to terms with those things in the same way. When Anna mentions seeing him again, all he responds with is "maybe." Perhaps the jealousy is too much for Raimondo to swallow and he thinks continuing to hang out with Federico will hurt both of their happiness. It's tough to take from his perspective.
Writing:
I don't have a ton to comment on here, but just to point out a couple things, first, while I thought the writing style was good pretty much across the board, there were a few moments here and there that came across a little awkward. For example, "Geez, guys, I have nothing against straight people, but do keep it in the bedroom." I'm not sure if this is early enough in the story where you're still trying to softly exposit that Raimondo is gay, but you do that so many other times in so many other ways that I think you could have left this as a more natural sounding "Easy with the PDA, guys, I was only gone for ten minutes" or something to that effect.
While I thought the fight and subsequent recovery between Anna and Federico was well done, as described above, I thought some parts of the fight itself were a little contrived. Anna happening to call out the one sex act Federico had ever done with another man felt just a bit too convenient.
It didn't really bother my enjoyment or understanding of the VN, but I'm not really sure what the intent was for having second person narration for Anna and first person for Federico, other than just to differentiate the two perspectives generally.
Creativity:
Yeah, so, as I said in the story section, thematically this isn't the most revolutionary piece you'll ever see, but I thought the character work was seriously effective here and keeping everything grounded, mature, and realistic really helped convey the emotions you were going for, and the creative direction absolutely elevated the premise to make this one of my favorites of the jam so far (though it is still early).
At least until someone else comes along and points out that I got everything wrong.
Either way, you've been armoredopossum'd yet again.
Final score of 55 iridescent beetle shells out of 1 clump of fox fur of unknown origin that you shouldn't ask any further questions about.