itch.io

Hello, I'm wife, and we loved this game so much!  I have no idea why this series isn't bigger (not JUST for the Canada references), it's probably one of my favourite video games of the decade if I'm rolling it in with the 1st Methods (and I really love video games).

So well written, great characterization and art, music is fantastic, and both games are a very fresh take on detective/murder puzzles as a genre.  I particularly like the stepping stone model in the first game, but I enjoyed the focus on more developed longer term characterization in the Canada Files possibly even more.

Also, I adore Larika and her being from Yarmouth is so funny and so perfect.  It's like the City on the south shore of NS but really just a smallish town anywhere outside of Nova Scotia, and her combination of stubborn tryhardism, self-doubt, and refusal to give up or accept unfairness feels so much like the best parts of Nova Scotia to me but obviously with a lot of individual characterization as well, and I loved her as a protag!

And really all the other characters, too.  Streuss, especially, but another highlight for me was the antagonism between Viu and Larika - I was worried it would be written in a shallow way as just an impediment to progress, or make Viu just an obstacle, but it was very well-written and I appreciate that you come away from it understanding both of them more and feeling like they both have a valid POV and a reason for needing what they need and feeling the way they do.  And them begrudgingly admitting that and their similarities without the conflict being resolved instantly or fully was also breath of fresh air.

Lastly, TH Girl was so funny and I love her design.  And the Chocolate Chill WAS a great drink.  I'd actually forgotten about it until this, but it was a great pick!

Great job, I have no idea why these games are so slept on.

This looks like so much fun, but unfortunately the generator is no longer working so you can't generate a new set of cards.  This is probably too old to really be on your radar, but if you ever do find another way to host that side of things I'd love to give it a try!

This is the end of gaming, no game can top Horse Magnifier.  It's all over.

See my reply to them:

I removed my comment because I believe you, and it's definitely plausible you're just paying homage in a realistic way - there's a bit characters that look very similar in pose/design to the characters in the screenshots here, and your style is clearly very inspired by that genre of 80s-90s horror manga (which is fine) but the similarity seemed more.  I did find your illustration website though and I believe what you're saying - they're meant to be simplistic designs because the characters are mostly ordinary people (+ monsters) and to make it easy to ensure continuity across pages, and in this case it's likely just coincidence & you being strongly inspired by that style of manga art, apologies.   

I do have examples, but they're from print comics that I have (since as I said, it's bit characters I'm thinking of and I didn't have success quickly googling for those specific comparisons).  But I'm not going to post them because the artist responded and I believe them, it's just that Ito (and this style of horror manga in general) has been copied frequently and these seemed more similar than most.  In this case I think it's just coincidence + clear inspiration/homage having read their comment and looking at their portfolio, so my apologies.

I removed my comment because I believe you, and it's definitely plausible you're just paying homage in a realistic way - there's a bit characters that look very similar in pose/design to the characters in the screenshots here, and your style is clearly very inspired by that genre of 80s-90s horror manga (which is fine) but the similarity seemed more.  I did find your illustration website though and I believe what you're saying - they're meant to be simplistic designs because the characters are mostly ordinary people (+ monsters) and to make it easy to ensure continuity across pages, and in this case it's likely just coincidence & you being strongly inspired by that style of manga art, apologies.  

this was really, really good.  thank you - fantastic writing, it hit home.

This looks great, thank you for your contribution to society.  I'm gonna go do business in my car.

Edited because the author and artist responded, and I believe them, please see response below.