CUPID [Romance/Horror] [FREE] -Version 3.0 MAJOR UPDATE!!

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Re: CUPID [Gothic/Romance] [Non-Commercial]

#31 Post by thornbush »

I remember playing the demo for this a while ago, and I just spent hours on end playing the full game. Visually, it was a pleasure to behold. The art was so beautiful I found myself taken aback by some of the CGs, and the costume design (especially Catherine's) was downright gorgeous. What really helped capture the atmosphere and immerse me into the story was the music. It felt very fitting for the time period and summed up the emotions of some pivotal moments clearly; I also very much enjoyed the sound effects. You must have put a lot of time and effort into making this a wonderful visual experience!

Story-wise, the dark and sinister undercurrent running throughout the plot created wonderful tension, even during the more light-hearted scenes. I found myself constantly questioning Guilleme's actions, even when he was doing seemingly kind deeds, and the fact that I felt mild trepidation at every moment meant that you were doing something right. I almost gasped at some of the endings and overall did really like this VN.

However, I do have some questions:
Rosa is, apparently, a witch, but the origin of her powers are not described in the story. Of course, the author does not have to explain every nuance, but I felt this was a very big aspect of the story which was sorely lacking in explanation and delivery. What exactly do the candles accomplish? Why is Guilleme more vulnerable/able to killed when striking the candles? Why/how do they work? How is Rosa both a witch and a "cupid"?

Likewise, how exactly does Guilleme/Rosa's ability work? In the beginning of the VN, Emilie (Catherine's sister) has an affair with Guilleme. She originally expresses indifference or even distaste for him, but over the course of one interaction, her opinion completely changes. How is that possible? Is what she feels simply lust, or does Guilleme have some sort of ability to change the emotions of his victims? He does mention that love is not something that can simply be given; it must be earned. Moreover, Guilleme spends a lot of time with his victims, making sure that they love him before feeding. Surely Emilie did not grow to love him over one dinner. He also mentions other lovers in his journal, some of whom were one-night stands or purely lovers in the physical sense. Can Guilleme (and therefore Rosa by extension) manipulate emotions or simply feed off lust? Is it just a preference; as in, does pure love like Catherine's taste better?

This is nit-picky, but how does no one notice that Guilleme doesn't age? If he looks the same over a ten-year period, I'm sure at least some people would show concern.

Lastly, this isn't a question, but Guilleme is damn creepy, especially if he was basically "grooming" Catherine since the beginning for her to become someone he could feed off. That makes him a pedophile and, in some of the endings, an incestuous one. He's also damn hot, so I don't know whether I'm repulsed or aroused by him. (I admit I preferred the darker endings, but the secret ending was also great. Thank you for the bonus content!)
I'm looking forward to whatever projects you will be working on in the future!

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Re: CUPID [Gothic/Romance] [Non-Commercial]

#32 Post by ameliori »

Hey everyone!

Thank you so much for the wonderful and lovely messages you've left in the thread. Reading through them makes every ounce of effort worth it! I'm so happy a lot of people liked the game! I made an artbook for the game here: http://fervent.itch.io/cupid-artbook. If you would like to support my future games (and I am brewing something up right now!), please consider contributing a little amount!

Now, onto questions!

@Amarilo
Was Rosa's mom a witch? Or non human? Also, during the bonus scenario, where Guillaume said that Rosa was with her mother, does he mean that Rosa died of old age, or something else?

- Rosa's mom is a witch. Mother's voice is a spell that Mother casted before she died, so her memory still stuck to Rosa even after she died.
- Guilleme mentioning that acknowledges that she is his daughter, I don't think he meant Rosa is dead. He even said something like he would like to see her again.
@minase
Thanks for the list of triggers! I will incorporate them in the game's introduction!

@iusername
Rosa's age is
left ambiguous on purpose because she is also long-lived like Guilleme
@thornbush

Rosa is apparently a witch...
There are parts of the game that suggest that Rosa was "found" by Mother while she was looking for Guilleme. So in my mind, Mother is a witch who took the cupid, Rosa, under her wing and taught her magic. It is very probable that Rosa dislikes using it though, and would only use it as protection. In Chapter 2, she said "It's been a while since she used magic", hinting that ever since she met Catherine, she stopped using it.
What exactly do the candles accomplish...
The candles are a form of mind control. Trick his mind to think they are kin, make Guilleme trust her completely, suspend any kind of suspicion directed towards her. This may be why Guilleme didn't even notice her "witchiness". The purpose of the candles was not to kill him, but to gather information. "Know thy enemy" and all that. Eros and Agape were different, I think. When Rosa struck Eros (candle for lust) or Agape (candle for pure love), she was able to get into his deep subconscious state and manipulate him there.
How exactly does Guilleme/Rosa's abilities work...
In my mind, the Cupids' ability is to plant attraction in people, appealing to their impulses. There are people who you just feel attracted to or drawn to. It is a matter of taste, but it comes easy for them. I don't think they exactly "control" emotions or minds. Like any other thought or impulse, you can resist or act on it. The priest and Francois were subjected to the same thoughts that plagued Emilie, but they both chose not to act on it. The longer you are exposed to the cupids though, the deeper the attraction becomes. This explains how Mother first got attracted to Rosa as Mother/Daugher... but then it got weird. I think Guilleme also can sense people's fantasies and conform to fit them. This is all context, but Catherine's "type" is a sweet, caring man, so that is how Guilleme "acted". Rosa's "type" is stricter, tougher and more authoritative so in the library scene, Guilleme was like that. I think it goes beyond acting though. I think it's part of his skill set to embody people's fantasies. Rosa doesn't know how to do that yet, so there are some skills she never unlocked.

Guilleme doesn't like staying too long because he has a tendency to get attached to his victims, that's why he uses manipulation and seduction techniques to make his victims fall in love with him faster. He gains control and power over them that way too.
About Emilie...
I think Guilleme didn't mean to attract Emilie. Emilie is just a very headstrong lady so Guilleme gave into it (also he was hungry). This is hinted because Guilleme became forlorn and anti-social while he was having an affair with her. Catherine also observed that there is no affection between them at all. Emilie did love him, but the love was obsessive and laced with a lot of pride (oh, i got the marquis to be in a relationship with me!). So Emilie was much more in love with the idea of that fantasy, instead of Guilleme himself. Guilleme just used her to eat, but he wasn't happy.
Romantic Love... Is it just preference...?
Romantic love is just Guilleme's preference, but he was also addicted to it like a drug. Mother's love for Rosa sustained her for a long time, which means other kinds of love can be consumed too. There are different kinds of love in the game. I would think each of them have different "tastes" like normal food.
Guilleme's age...
As for Guilleme's age, there are certain people who do not age quickly. I'm proof! I am in my late 20s and people still comment that I look 19. This might be because of my round face, my diet or my genetics. That said, look at celebrities. When Keannu Reeves appear to look the same for 20+ years, we don't think "he's a vampiiiree!!" but more of "oh, he's aging gracefully! What is his secret?" I think at one point (around late 20s to early 40s), for men especially, age is almost indistinguishable. Guilleme is careful not to go over that limit. Also, age can be tricked by putting on or shedding body mass, changing hairstyles and wardrobe, demeanor, posture, etc. I'm sure Guilleme is good at that after decades of practice.
Guilleme is damn creepy...
Hm. This is a tricky part. In the dream with Catherine, Guilleme mentioned "I didn't mean to kiss you..". So there is a part of him that probably didn't want to cross that line, but yep, it was his plan all along. That is part of his dark nature. He did question himself and his actions, probably even planned to run away to save Catherine.

That said, wife husbandry is common in those times, so it's not too bad. The incest one is definitely effed up tho.. And if you are both repulsed and aroused, or even plain confused, then uhh... welcome to the club!!! ; - ;
Thanks for playing the game! I'm happy to hear everyone's feedback! If you have any more questions, I would love to discuss the story more *fangirl mode*! If you want more info on the game, the Artbook is available! Again, thanks to everyone's support! I want to keep making games and discussing things like this with you guys!
Last edited by ameliori on Wed Sep 27, 2017 5:40 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: CUPID [Gothic/Romance] [Non-Commercial]

#33 Post by h-honey »

I was looking forward to playing this, but while extracting the zip folder, I got several notifications from my anti-virus saying it found an infected file, which has never happened to me when downloading a VN before. Is there a reason for that? I know some anti-virus programs are weird about anything that doesn't come from a well-known source, but I've never had this problem in the past so it's a bit concerning.
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Re: CUPID [Gothic/Romance] [Non-Commercial]

#34 Post by ixWishing »

This vn looks so high quality and amazing! I'm downloading this right now as I type. All the previous comments have complimented this, so I'm excited to try it out! I'll post my feedback later!
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Re: CUPID [Gothic/Romance] [Non-Commercial]

#35 Post by ameliori »

h-honey wrote:I was looking forward to playing this, but while extracting the zip folder, I got several notifications from my anti-virus saying it found an infected file...
So far there hasn't been any virus complaints from other players, h-honey. Some anti-viruses give a false negative on renpy files. Hope you get to play the game! Let me know if you did.
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Re: CUPID [Gothic/Romance] [Non-Commercial]

#36 Post by h-honey »

Alright, I tried the first download link again but the same thing happened, my anti-virus said there were infected files and automatically removed them. So I deleted that, and downloaded the second link, and everything was fine. :)

Oh my. Where do I begin?

It's been a while since something has freaked me out this much using anything other than jump scares.
Although to be honest, the flashing images did make me scream once or twice... or three times.
I love that you make decisions as Mother, it's very original! I also think it helps me feel for such a cruel character, even if I still don't know her innermost thoughts and feelings. I've gotten two endings so far (number 2 and number 3) and will probably replay when I'm not so sleep-deprived, to try to get a different one. There are some things I was confused about, although that's most likely my own fault, as the story itself did not seem to have any plotholes or inconsistencies.
Did Mother die for the same reason as Catherine? It seems pretty heavily implied, especially since Catherine went crazy as Guilleme drained her of her love, and Mother certainly does not seem to be mentally stable. I feel like this miiiiiight have already been answered in the third ending, but I just wanna make sure. :)
Also...
What exactly is Guilleme? Again, sorry if this was already answered in the game -- I just need closure!
I loved the art, and the sound effects were so wonderfully creepy I actually had to mute it towards the end because it was making me feel too much.
The characters were wonderfully developed as well. There were things I liked and disliked about all of them, which just makes them so real.

All in all it was a fantastic game and I am very glad I gave it a chance, even though my anti-virus really did not want me to. <3 Keep up the good work!
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Re: CUPID [Gothic/Romance] [Non-Commercial]

#37 Post by LadyOfGatsby »

I have to say that I am very touched with this original visual novel and this has to be my favorite visual novel of all time. I will exaggerate and say that this is a masterpiece. The atmosphere was creepy, the right amount of suspense and overall intrigue to keep me reading for about four hours straight and determined to get all the endings. I really applaud the music with the sinister vibe, the beautiful writing that captured the storytelling perfectly, and overall art. I loved the surprise and unexpectedness, nearly crying at some endings. The presentation was gorgeous and it was a pleasure to play this game for free. I am a big fan and do hope to enjoy more games in the future from you. Great job! I just have so many great things to say about this but I will leave it at that. Only question was that I wonder what kind of monster they would be defined as?
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Re: CUPID [Gothic/Romance] [Non-Commercial]

#38 Post by Mad Harlequin »

Just downloaded this. :)

I played the demo a while ago, so I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product.
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Re: CUPID [Gothic/Romance] [Non-Commercial]

#39 Post by Rivai »

Hello, I've played in it a bit before and was really thrilled with that unique form of... narration, I guess. But it kept crashing on my pc, in one particular place, so I installed it on my laptop to check if it will do the same. But hell, I read the mother parts out loud, and soun like psycho, so it's all good. :x

I suggest you take a second look at the files (scan them with good program), because what my antivirus detected is not just some adware but nicely packed trojan infection that tried three times to get out, but was luckily stopped. It's name is Virus.Win32.Nimnul.a, you can google it if you want. Basically it gets into your registry and makes mess in the files but can also steal private information (including credit card details, passwords etc), just like most trojan does.

Pics or it didn't happen:
Image
http://i.imgur.com/CkL3Cr6.png

The bold line just says that the files was cured.

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Re: CUPID [Gothic/Romance] [Non-Commercial]

#40 Post by Caligo »

This is such a great game!

I only made an account here so I could say thank you. This game is amazing, really. Everything from the art, to the story, the music and sound effects fits together perfectly.

Going in I wasn't sure what to expect because I usually dislike PG-17+ and/or horror games but I'm so glad I checked this one out. I just couldn't stop playing, the story always had me wondering what would happen next and what was going on. Plus I absolutely loved playing Mother! I'm mean like that.
The first ending I got was the fourth one, I succeeded as Mother, ha! But when she taunted Rosa, telling her she only wanted some bloodshed for her own amusement, I'll admit I felt a bit bad for the choices I made, haha. But I just couldn't resist, after all you don't get to have these kinds of options in a lot of games.

And I'm not sure if I missed something, but was it confirmed if Guilleme is Rosa's father or not?
So, again, thanks for creating and sharing such a great visual novel!

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Re: CUPID [Gothic/Romance] [Non-Commercial]

#41 Post by Marionette »

Rivai wrote:Hello, I've played in it a bit before and was really thrilled with that unique form of... narration, I guess. But it kept crashing on my pc, in one particular place, so I installed it on my laptop to check if it will do the same. But hell, I read the mother parts out loud, and soun like psycho, so it's all good. :x

I suggest you take a second look at the files (scan them with good program), because what my antivirus detected is not just some adware but nicely packed trojan infection that tried three times to get out, but was luckily stopped. It's name is Virus.Win32.Nimnul.a, you can google it if you want. Basically it gets into your registry and makes mess in the files but can also steal private information (including credit card details, passwords etc), just like most trojan does.

Pics or it didn't happen:
Image
http://i.imgur.com/CkL3Cr6.png

The bold line just says that the files was cured.

Hi,

I tried scanning the versions i have and didn't find any issues.
Scanned with both Avast antivirus and MalwareBytes and both came up clean.
(I even tried scanning the old itch.io build as well as the more recent files we put on steam to be safe.)

I also haven't heard anyone else with virus issues, so there's a chance it may be something on your system, You should do a full system scan if you can to be safe.

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Re: CUPID [Gothic/Romance] [Non-Commercial]

#42 Post by Swedra »

I'm getting the same virus complaints with Kaspersky, so if only us with Kaspersky get it, it might be a false positive, but i'm going to stay clear from this just in case.

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Re: CUPID [Gothic/Romance] [Non-Commercial]

#43 Post by ameliori »

Swedra wrote: Wed Sep 14, 2016 5:07 pm I'm getting the same virus complaints with Kaspersky, so if only us with Kaspersky get it, it might be a false positive, but i'm going to stay clear from this just in case.
Some users have said that the Steam version has no viruses. http://store.steampowered.com/app/42167 ... ual_Novel/

That said, Ren'py files usually give a false positive in most antiviruses. The game has been downloaded 10k times and there hasn't been any complaints of their system being infected. Hope you get to play it!
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Re: CUPID [Gothic/Romance] [Non-Commercial]

#44 Post by ameliori »

Hi guys! I recently uploaded a new version on Itch.io because of the virus complaints! This version doesn't seem to have any problems so far, so let me know if there are any more issues! Here's the download link: https://fervent.itch.io/cupidvn

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Also, there's going to be a Let's Read event for Cupid at the Discord server at r/visualnovels Feb 11, 2018 at 8PM CST. Perfect time for wine, love and murder this Valentines! If you want a game to try out this weekend, why not join us? : https://discord.gg/Z6skErt

See you guys there!
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Re: CUPID [Gothic/Romance] [Non-Commercial]

#45 Post by peachesncream »

ameliori wrote: Sun Feb 11, 2018 1:18 pm Hi guys! I recently uploaded a new version on Itch.io because of the virus complaints! This version doesn't seem to have any problems so far, so let me know if there are any more issues! Here's the download link: https://fervent.itch.io/cupidvn
I've just downloaded this (after meaning to play it for years!) and I just want you to be aware that this version comes with cgs and endings already unlocked. Specifically endings 2 and 4. Normally this wouldn't bother me but I have a feeling this would interfere with skipping only unread text (as it might flag something I have never seen before as read). I opened the saves folder and there are some autosaves and a persistent file. I deleted those as well as the newly formed saves in my appdata folder, and the game seems to be normal now :)

Just wanted to let you know!

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