Congrats for finishing the game! I really enjoyed it~
Sona was an interesting protagonist and Ying Le was really cute haha (I see what you did with his name 8DDD)
I'm Chinese myself so I could understand all he was saying and all the parts Sona misunderstood and thought he was happy working with her XD And also, the paddings lol .Ying Le is somehow quite a perv?
When I finished the love ending, I was kinda disappointed at the open end but ohoho, I'm glad I found the last 10% in the extras, you guys are really sneaky huh? Mugen's ending was really random haha. Hmm... But it would make quite a nice ending too.
Though there was a part that kind of confused me, in the snow fungus soup, Sona mentioned that there was something black? I don't really get what it was? Are you were referring to Jews Ears? Ahhh, but my parents cook me Snow Fungus soup whenever I'm having coughs and stuff so this scene was really nostalgic.;u;
Also, in the Volti Subito chapter cover, was the girl young Sona? >u< Nellie really drew the chibis well! They were so cute aaaa *swoons* The doodles too! They were so cute, especially Ying Le's, he could be an artist if he wasn't a conductor lol. I also liked how the doodles were used to illustrate his past, it's cute and yet so sad, especially when you could understand him.(I almost cried ;_;)
Lastly, I would like to comment on the music, If felt that it was really pleasing to the ears, maybe because I actually like classical music myself, but I also like softer sounding background music so it was really nice.
Looking forward to your next work! (*nudge*nudge*AXIOM.01 demo*cough*)I should draw some fanart too
First of all; I loved the game! I actually enjoyed it more than some of the commercial games I have played and you definitely deserve a review.
The character design, both visual and written, was great. The story focuses on the two main protagonists (three, if you count the orchestra) without involving many other things. The conflict provided was great for discovering more of the characters, but it does focus heavily on this character development. People looking for well-written characterizations, cometh to this VN! The design of the characters underscores their personalities, which without the excellent writing could have seemed stereotypical, but instead adds another layer to their person.
The CGs add to the story, rather than just being an excuse to draw something pretty. Some people might balk at the differing drawing styles, but I personally found no problem there. The slides before every chapter, I adored. The stark black/white sketches somehow really reminded me of sheet music and went well with the music theme of the VN. The drawing style was also very attractive.
The GUI colour scheme was appropriate, as are the fonts. I would have to agree with an earlier post that the save and load screen had slightly overlarge lettering.
Loved the music theme, but agree with the quality of the recording. I sometimes hear a strange sound, but do not know what could cause this aside from microphone troubles. Again though; I really LOVED the music. The quiet piano melody was soothing and not disturbing during reading.
The backgrounds I was indifferent to, they did not stand out to me as good or bad, which must mean they did their job.
Review parts that might concern the content of the game are below:
I adored the running theme of misunderstanding; from the language barrier, to the differing attitudes of the main characters and the orchestra, and the relationship between father and daughter. Even the contrasting appearances of the main characters tie into this theme. It was lovely and made the story thematically coherent and engaging. Sometimes these misunderstandings were used humorously and sometimes more seriously; this really balanced out the emotions.
I also commend the bravery in the team for using two languages without providing a translation (unless you finish the game that is). I do appreciate the translation feature, but it was not necessary to the story. Using two wildly different languages really bangs home the difficulty in overcoming a language barrier and how much effort the main characters put into trying to understand each other. This understanding of each other despite their speech is magnifies the fact that they are also starting to understand the other as a person. It really it a lovely and important issue you have touched upon in your VN.
Altogether, If I would like to see things improved it would just be some polish of the GUI, the backgrounds and the music. I personally would not change the CGs, since I like the look of them as they are. I also had no errors of any sort on my Mac laptop, so the coding seems to be perfectly solid on this platform.
I started playing it, and I must say I'm actually impressed since it's pretty good for one month's job!!
Well though I can't understand a thing this guy says!! I'm just looking at the text smiling like an idiot saying " Aha..Yeah I'm pretty sure you are right..."
I just finished, and I have to say this was really wonderful. There were times near the end I just felt so happy, like I was watching a heartwarming drama ( I got the happy ending I assume...) it was really sweet.
DiamondRoseTears wrote:I started playing it, and I must say I'm actually impressed since it's pretty good for one month's job!!
Well though I can't understand a thing this guy says!! I'm just looking at the text smiling like an idiot saying " Aha..Yeah I'm pretty sure you are right..."
This is such a beautiful VN! The music, themes, feelings and everything were portrayed thoroughly and everything was so in depth it touched me. I'm a sucker for such slice-of-life, drama, tragedy romances so this was absolutely everything I could look for in a VN! All the endings were wonderful,
especially the third ending. I actually thought that Master Song *cough* Uncle Mugen *cough* had actually just gone on vacation and everything.
The art was amazing and I loved the CGs. I like how the MC was different and had her blue/purple mohawk and was all badass with her lip rings and whatnots.
The way that she fell in love with him slowly without her realising how much he'd changed her ways over two months was really sweet. Perhaps she was always like this even before Hao turned up but she just needed someone to help her find what she wanted to do with her life again.
And so I repeat, it was a beautiful VN!
Also, are you planning on releasing the vocal version of We Are Legends? Just because it is just a beautifully sung song and I would like to listen to it everywhere lol.
Chaotic wrote:
Also, are you planning on releasing the vocal version of We Are Legends? Just because it is just a beautifully sung song and I would like to listen to it everywhere lol.
Well, for now here's a video of the singer on youtube singing the song:
Wow, It's so good! The artwork is beautiful! I've unlocked all but the last two chapters so far. Oh, I don't know if this is just my computer or what (probably... my computer has been a bit slow lately) but the intro took me a good ten minutes to get through. I couldn't click the 'skip' button either. I'm glad I waited through that though! Just figured I'd mention it in case it actually has something to do with the game and not my computer. Also, I can only advance the text when my cursor is in a spot where the 'x' located at the upper left of the text box is white. It took me a while before I figured that out since the cursor is really finicky about it. When it was blue it just kept closing the box. Again, I don't know if that was just my computer being weird or if it was the game, but it was an issue (though very slight) so I figured I'd mention it too. Other than that, it all went smoothly. Good job!
I think the themes of misunderstandings and the fear of being a disappointment will resonate with just about anyone. Sona was a very sympathetic character, and I really felt for her.
I mean, I started crying when she did. Also got preeetty emotional when she was reading the scrapped messages from Hao towards the end. His vulnerability was so moving.
The relationship between Sona and Hao - whether friendship or something more - developed at the perfect pace, as did the relationship between the two of them and the orchestra. It was a really sweet, gradual thing and it just felt very natural.
And thank you for putting the Reprise in the extras! As awesome and hopeful as the romantic ending was, it was nice to get that little bit of extra sweetness.
Thank you for making this. I adore it, and I can already tell that it's going to stay with me for a while to come.
Wow! I just got finished with my first go-through and absolutely loved this! Also you guys made me cry so take some responsibility. (no. don't worry about it. i'm a crybaby) Just the atmosphere was just so good?? the calming music and the sweet kind of "smallness" of the story (I don't know how to frame that, sorry if that sounds like an insult??) Oh, the character designs were so fun, Sona's especially. Doodles were adorable. Sona the Hedgehog heheh.
I love how the language of music literally connected them, A+
Orchestra coming in like Big Fucking Heroes at the end, talk about my unexpected fondness for a bunch of flutes and precussions with no actual names--how did those guys become my favorite characters?? what in the even?
Anyway, this was so much fun, I'll see if I can nitpick up any amateur critique after I finish the other two routes, or put together something that isn't just rambling. But until then, ty for sharing!
100% it and I loved the themes of bonding, language barriers, and using music language to get ideas/expressions across. Shows that you don't need to understand each other verbally to create a strong bond.(You just need cute chibi drawings XD )
Thank you so much for creating this, it's a very adorable VN.
It was an awesome game!!!!!!! You all did a great job, and thanks so much for making it
I must say I cried when Sona readed Hao's "letters"
And it was so funny that Sona couldn't understand a thing Hao said and made her own assumptions.
Thank god there was a translation cause I wouldn't understand a thing otherwise
And what the &*&^% did Hao say at the concert? What if Sona could understand that only phrase I don't think he would have stayed alive for more than a couple of seconds!
I've only played through one of the endings so far, but I really enjoyed it! Just want to echo what's been said already: the slides introducing the chapters are really nice, and I love the way the themes of misunderstanding and the language barrier played out.
One minor issue: occasionally the text would continue past the "click to continue" icon before correcting itself on the next click.
I don't think he would have stayed alive for more than a couple of seconds!