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omggg you're welcome~~~ I can cut out some of my analysis if you want lololol I loveeeee programming jokes teehee

Ooooh~~~ as someone who played the original, I'm excited for the remake!!

I still watch this page with great interest! If you ever come back to this, I'll definitely play it !!

I am seated

I loved Bride Auction, so was soooo excited to play this!! And it didn't disappoint, I would liken the experience to an appetizer, something to whet my appetite for the main course. I enjoyed the premise (my analysis below) and I enjoyed the FL's dynamic with Xor. I didn't have the heart in me to betray him, so I ended up getting Prisoner quite a few times lol >u< As before, I really enjoy the art style and character design. 

Spoilers below

I found Xor to be so adorable, cute sweet and incredibly creepy in equal measures. I am not a big fan of the my-boyfriend-is-an-axe-killer-and-I-secretly-find-that-hot genre lol. Still, I do enjoy nuanced takes/spins on the genre, and I enjoyed Xor and Nova's dynamic in that way. He might be capable of doing terrible things in the name of love. It definitely did take some pressure for the mask to slip and his "true" yandere-esque face to come out. But I liked he wasn't as yandere in the classic sense, if that makes sense.  I also really loved his name--XOR--the exclusive OR lol. Kind of like the dilemma they're in. I hope that was an intentional programming joke heehee

I enjoyed the setting a lot as well. The setting as I understand it is that humanity suffered some kind of cataclysm, and the survivors are in space, headed towards a pseudo-Earth to rebuild. 

My own hypothesis is that this is actually a lie to give the survivors "hope" or something to strive towards, some purpose as they drift in space. I got the vibes that while humanity may have come to end, there is no planet they are headed towards, and this is why they must so aggressively cull those who are not survival minded.  In this specific setting, I suppose the method they use to remove students from the ship--an exam--serves a dual purpose. Obviously ppl have to be removed from the ship. But why not prevent people from ever having children? That prevents the unpleasantness of having to kill settlers' children, which always runs the risk of offense and insubordination. Additionally, to prevent a bottleneck or founder effect, it would make more genetic sense to select who to remove from the ship based on genetic uniqueness. Because in the past, when a tiny group leaves a large population to start a new group, genetic diversity and fitness takes a huge hit, as the new group is small and is only random sampling of the original genes. This renders the new ppl at risk of being unable to adapt in a genetic sense. 

That's why I think there is no planet for these unfortunate people. Because if there was, there would be more of a pressure to retain genetic uniqueness and diversity. Instead, the exam selects for the most driven, ruthless people, who are willing to do anything to fulfill the win condition of "passing the exam". Once they pass the exam, the veil is removed, and the higher-ups will let these kids know, hey humanity is screwed. But because they have selected for the most ruthless, they will buy into the existing system and propagate it.

I can't wait to learn more about the setting in the full game!!! This was so much fun 

Oh, absolutely!!! I'd love to >^<

Omggggg 

This is so exciting! Happy to see y'all are back and actively developing the game. I played the demo years ago, and really loved it.  

Can't wait to see what yall have cooked up

👀👀😉

My goodness this looks cool!!

Omg, welcome back ☆*:.｡.o(≧▽≦)o.｡.:*☆

I remember playing the demo way back in the day, and being super excited for what's to come! I'm still excited even now! Take as much time as you need, plz don't rush the process >.<

The aesthetic in this game is wonderful--so dark but so evocative. The character art was lovely and expressive, but I really loved the background art, environment. The heart-cage that Nayla is imprisoned in is so cool to look at. 

The premise was horrible, disgusting, so morally awful (I mean this in the best way!)--it really put my guts in a twist. I was hooked, trying to get Nayla a happy ending or at least not a terrible, terrible ending where she lives a subhuman life as a human incubator or something. I just really, really wish the game was longer and we could explore the setting some more...and maybe get an epilogue where Nayla gets to enjoy some happiness away from her terrible fate

I admit given the premise I disliked all of the three suitors, but each of them grew on me by each of their ends. Bradly has a special place in my heart for having good intentions and being a cuddly creature. Rhymond I love because he's so smarmy and smug. I loved when Nayla verbally sparred with him. Xandr was so precious. And I kind of wish the Auctioneer had a route ahaha it would be terrible and maybe even toxic but his doofy self kind of grew on me

SPOILERS BELOW

After reading and re-reading the story, I realized that the pieces of the puzzle were there in the story but I don't have the critical thinking skills to fully put the pieces together...but this is what I think happened!

The King wanted a gazillion kids, and chose the Queen for that express purpose. For some reason, none of their kiddos could bear children, so the King's bloodline would have stopped right there.

Maybe they were related or modified humans, so their genes couldn't pass on to the next generation intact (like with Robertsonian translocations, you can pass the gene on for one generation but the next gets messed up). But anyways. 

The King decided to do something??? to Nayla, with the golden apple. Somehow, Nayla's parts (face, voice box, heart, organs, etc,etc) were split from her and a clone of Nayla, Clone Nayla was created. Clone Nayla is now fertile. The Queen was mad because Mutilated Nayla was her "true daughter", and is now living a terrible life. The King killed the Queen to shut her up and imprisoned Clone Nayla. Eventually, the King decided to put on a dog and pony show where Nayla had a shot at getting away, but he'd destroy her for good--by letting everyone know she wasn't the "real" Nayla, forcing her to be his captive incubator, and thus prolonging his bloodline..............that was what I was getting from the story. Not sure whether I'm even close tho (*^.^*)

It was a crazy wild ride, but I'm glad Clone Nayla had even the chance to get away. I hope she lives happily from now on. 

PS if you need beta readers for the updated version, I volunteer as tribute (˘˘ ♡)

I felt very uncomfortable, like the jerk on the other side would break the door down lol

all in all great well written experience 

That was a WILD ride 

SPOILERish

I felt something was off about the heroes but jeez

I really, really hope there's an ending where the poor MC can beat the stuffing out of the so called heroes

Holy cow, I remember this game! I thought it had been abandoned for a hot sec, but I'm so excited to try it out, the demo looked soooo cool!!!

The road might have been rough, but it'll be worth it in the end

I'll happily wait 

Holy crap I'm excited!!!!

This was a really cool game. The aesthetics were en pointe. One of my personal favorite designs was 1717. I loved the summery trees and moon; they almost form a halo around 1717's head. Of course, 2222's design was sick, with all her teeth. I love that her angel number is two; I personally think it's a very feminine number, and can be found in mundane things, which speaks to her physicality and willingness to interact with the "mundane". The tree also gives her the impression of being grounded; roots deep in the ground and all that. 

On the other hand, we have 333, who is more "up in the clouds", kinda. 333 feels more airy, more ethereal. The glass shards on either side of the mirror almost appear like wings. 333 forces the other angels to justify themselves and become closer to their true self, just by gazing upon the others; once they "look into the mirror" the mirror changes them. It's like the superposition principle; a particle cannot be observed without changing it. 

All in all the vibes were immaculate, I enjoyed the story. If you ever revisit the world, I can't wait to see what happens next!! Good job!!!

Welcome back!!!

The voice fits Jasper sooo well! 

this is very interesting, and I haven't even read the whole thing yet. It takes me back to the days when I used to read ancient works and wonder about the mindset of the authors, and marvel at the fact that I could actually read words written by someone who lived hundreds or thousands of years ago. I was especially intrigued by the fact that the Ousentan people seem to gravitate towards this book, and have an opinion on it, almost as if there's a supernatural element, like Lovecraftian forbidden knowledge you can't look away from.

Oh, wow!!! Congrats on finishing, I can't wait to play it for myself >-< I can't believe how much ADW has changed over the years

This was such a lovely little experience. I've had quite a few big matters on my mind, and many small things running around in there too. It felt good to try to remove some of those nagging little thoughts. Thank you.

I question my reason for being here.

What would you do if you were the last of your kind on Earth? Would you live a life of unfettered freedom, go on a power trip, live a life of solitude, or hide from the world? 

This is a question that permeates through this game so far. It's a story of discovery, and rediscovering why one wants to live...that includes getting thrown into a prison cell in the process.

I can't wait to play the whole game, but let me just say I'm enjoying the ride so far!

Heck yes, new demo!! Running to play it like 🏃‍♀️🏃

An update was just the thing to cheer me up on this dreary morning eee

Can't wait for all the new voices >u<

I'm lovin the pixel art!! Reminds me of Abscission :>

Omg, congrats!! That's a big achievement. Be proud of yourself >^<

Yay! I think this was one of your first games I ever played, and the mechanic of half-truths and the atmosphere made a great impression on me.

Hell yeah!

Oooh! That sounds really cool, I'm looking forward to it!

"Lucid dreams made real" is a very good way to describe this game. As a vivid dreamer myself, this game reminded me of a dream quite a bit. The strange cut-aways, the sudden shifts, the "movements" of the characters, all of that is like a dream--very cool. In a more conventional work, this might be a drawback, but in this context, it works very well. 

The art design is fantastic. I loved to look at the characters, and let my eye soak up all the different details. Rubadex resembles a Rubik's cube in color, or a TV screen almost. I liked Ludikris' colors shifting with his expressions. The textures seemed very true to real life (the plaid, the houndstooth) almost as if his body was a cut-out superimposed over something else. The Meddlers' clothes and colors were extremely bright and clashing, which fit them as characters.

Lookin good!

Short but sweet. As someone who likes to walk while thinking, I can definitely relate to the feeling of wanderlust. Reminds me of the thrill of exploring abandoned buildings. I enjoyed the music, and thought it went well with the real photos.

Of course!! And oof her name is Roel not Rouen lol

ooooh! I just love manhwas with this plot, so I know I'll love this game!!! I just hope that the villainess has some female friends or female compatriots in villainy, haha.

Oh, yay! This is wonderful. I really enjoyed the game as it is, and an expansion would just make it all the better. I really look forward to what you have coming out.

Finally, I can write my review of this game! I first purchased this game a year ago, then decided to play it later due to its unexpected length (I forgot oof), but now I have rediscovered it and I am glad that I did.

I have a fondness for "weird" visual novels, and this game scratched the "weird" itch extremely well. Each character was an oddball in their own way, and I found it very endearing to watch their antics as they navigated their own ways through the detective competition, whether they be detective, criminal or gamemaster. The art itself is distinctive, with a lot of angular lines, corners, shapes and vivid colors, which made them very interesting to look at. Not a single one looked similar to another, and even the detectives/criminals with lesser screen time made an impact through their neon pink hair, or what had they. And of course, I liked the many poses the characters contorted their bodies into, and all the CGs. It helped the world feel more alive. The soundtrack complemented the story and characters perfectly. I especially enjoyed "Office Games" and "Moving On".

I enjoyed the story as well, and one of the highest compliments I can give it is that I was hooked until the end, and I never felt the urge to just skip the "boring parts". Especially the ending and last few chapters/sections. In my experience, many visual novels sort of drag out towards the end (which I usually accept as a given) but this game is one of the exceptions. The detective competition itself kept the story on a nice pace, I felt. I felt sorry to leave the perspective of one character, but it kept things moving. 

All in all, it was an enjoyable experience, and I certainly felt I got my money's worth.

==SPOILERS ABOUND==

My favorite part was definitely when Roel faced off with Catscratcher. I was really, really surprised when Roel actually won. I really expected Red July to win, but Roel definitely made sense--you do need people skills, after all. I also liked this decision because it made me feel suddenly uncertain as to how the story might end. I fell for all the Red July hype, lol, so I thought it would be a given that she would win. So I said to myself, "Well, now I definitely need to know what happens."

I thought the mystery Roel solved was a gripping one, and the setting in which she solved it really heightened the stakes. I became really anxious when Catscratcher made his appearance, and when he was trying to fool her into accepting his testimony as the witnesses', I almost couldn't watch it all play out because I was so invested, lol.

When Roel "lost" and signed the contract with Catscratcher, I was sad, and when she turned it around, it was the best feeling. I was really happy for her!! I know I really did Roel dirty in my mind, thinking she'd never be able to hack it, but she pulled through, and became best girl imo. Also her outfits are slay.

This part was really well written too. I liked all the philosophical discussion about who is deserving, etc. Overall this was this bit that pushed the game from "really good" to "one of the best titles I've seen in a while".

As I got closer to the end of the game, I began to worry that the ending would be unsatisfying. After spending so much time playing the game, and being extremely invested in Roel, I got anxious. I realized few chapters remained until the end, and with every chapter finished, it seemed less likely that the story would come to a satisfying end. My biggest worry would be--and I felt that this reason had been alluded to--that the competition was being held as amusement for rich people, or that it was done at just the whims of a billionaire with too much money. Primarily because such a reason would have been really, really depressing and maybe a little bit too realistic.

I thought there would definitely be an element of this, given how much Conver loved puzzles, but I was really hoping there would be a deeper meaning behind it all. And there was! I don't even mind it ended on a cliffhanger, lol. Even if Conver is lying, I’m still happy the competition has a deeper meaning, no matter what it is. 

So, very good job with this game! I can't wait to see what you have in store next!