Midnight's Café [GxB] [Urban-fantasy, Friendship]

[Didules]

This game is really good.
I like the art, I like the music, I like the characters.

Thanks a lot (Keeping the long and actual thanks for the following part)

But there's one thing that I liked VERY much, and that will keep me looking forward to your work.

Your bad endings HURT ME! I loved them!
Actually, I don't even know if they're the bad endings, or if that's what passes for a happy ending in your dark world.

(Asmodeé spends a night with the main character, she later forgets it. Murmur and the main have an ADORABLE day together, he is horribly punished, then she later forgets it. Nobody is happy and together at the end.)

I wanted to find you and punch in the face you when I got Murmur's ending. (No I didn't! I mean it as a compliment!)
Good bad endings are so hard to find. I really enjoyed your bittersweet writing.

You totally should have seen the main writer's face when I read her the comment, she was laughing happily, she started dancing everywhere in my room and giving my small punches in the face while smiling She'll probably leave a message here as Minilys, don't be surprise
Actually you really seem to have understood everything we meant with those endings. We also loved making them, and we're really so proud and happy that you found them effective. (In fact I'm actually so happy I could start dancing with the main writer XD)
I'm glad you want to punch us in the face (Huh, I mean, because it's a compliment), thank you so much! Honestly I think deep down we were all worried that the ending were too bittersweet but you just made it worth it So thanks a lot for playing the game, for commenting here, thanks a thousand times!!!! Thanks a lot!!!!

Seriously looking forward to your next work.
(I sketched you a little murmur as a thank-you gift. Hope you like it!)

Thanks again, you really touched us right in the heart (better than the face, right? ) And bgqsjhdgyuqzyigzebjkfhzeuifhyuiqsv A fanart, omagad a fanart, omagad *goes dancing with the main writer* thank you so much, for both the very sweet and encouraging comment that made the hellish development worth it, and the wonderful fanart (I love how you depicted Murmur's darkness!)! Thanks a billion times!!!!

[minilys]

Your bad endings HURT ME! I loved them!
Actually, I don't even know if they're the bad endings, or if that's what passes for a happy ending in your dark world.

(Asmodeé spends a night with the main character, she later forgets it. Murmur and the main have an ADORABLE day together, he is horribly punished, then she later forgets it. Nobody is happy and together at the end.)

I wanted to find you and punch in the face you when I got Murmur's ending. (No I didn't! I mean it as a compliment!)
Good bad endings are so hard to find. I really enjoyed your bittersweet writing.

Well, thank you very much for your feedback! I love bittersweet writing and endings.

Didules is even more crazy about them, she ordered me to write an ending where the main character forgets everything so I had to imagine how the characters could fell into such a bad situation she had to do so. I had so much fun writing this ending!

(I sketched you a little murmur as a thank-you gift. Hope you like it!)

Thank you! Our first fanart! (makes me cry)

You totally should have seen the main writer's face when I read her the comment, she was laughing happily, she started dancing everywhere in my room and giving my small punches in the face while smiling She'll probably leave a message here as Minilys, don't be surprise

Didules, you know me too well! But I disagree with you, I didn't punch you in the face, even small ones! It was only the top of the head!!

Actually you really seem to have understood everything we meant with those endings. We also loved making them, and we're really so proud and happy that you found them effective.

This time, I agree with Didules, ludeshka. You really seem to have understood how we wanted these endings to be read. Again, (for the last time) thanks for that and for your review of our game!

[Hoyoka]

I played this game today and I must say I enjoyed it. I decided to play it because I saw the characters and they look so unusual and interesting. The game was short but really well made. I could see how much effort you put into this game. The art was awesome and music too.
I liked Evelyns personality because I do not like when every main heroine is so sweet and cute and so on.
Maybe I would appreciate if it was a bit longer and Evelyn would meet more interesting creatures. But I still loved this game.
I must say that design of main menu was awesome too.
I am really looking forward to your future games.
If you want to know more about my thoughts of your game, feel free to ask me anything.

[Didules]

Ah, thanks a lot for the nice comment, it's very sweet of you =3

I played this game today and I must say I enjoyed it. I decided to play it because I saw the characters and they look so unusual and interesting. The game was short but really well made. I could see how much effort you put into this game. The art was awesome and music too.

Thanks a lot! As it was our first game it's true we put much effort into it, though it didn't always show, your comment really is encouraging!

I liked Evelyns personality because I do not like when every main heroine is so sweet and cute and so on.
Maybe I would appreciate if it was a bit longer and Evelyn would meet more interesting creatures. But I still loved this game.

Haha, well, let's say you probably won't se a "sweet and cute" character coming from us for a long while We enjoy cynical characters, and love unusual personalities for our main characters!
It's true that the game was quite short, and at first Evelyn was to meet 1-2 other characters (a female werewolf and a ghost (who's in some CG XD)), but we had to scrap it to release it one day... Honestly I think we're through with game being "too short", our first 2 games are short, and now we want to do longer, more efficient games!

I am really looking forward to your future games.
If you want to know more about my thoughts of your game, feel free to ask me anything.

Thanks a lot!! Actually I'm quite curious about some things, for instance which ending did you get first? Which one did you prefer? (Team Asmodée or Team Murmur? ) Did the art feel inconstant? Sorry, it feels like I'm drowning you in questions Feel free to answer -or not if you don't want to

[Zelan]

Oh. My. Gosh. You guys. Your games are amazing and I love them. Phantom of the Hospital was great, so I had figured this would be, too, but this is even better than I expected! The art was gorgeous, especially the CG for the bar area - how long did those bottles take?? - and the CG for

Murmur's worst end - sad, but beautifully drawn.

The story drew me in quicker than I would have thought, and I love how the game was used to keep the plot and dialogue moving. It was a very clever way, I think, for the characters to open up to each other more readily than strangers normally would. And Murmur was just the cutest thing. cx Asmodeé was a great character, too, but I've always had a soft spot for the cute ones, so Murmur's my definite favorite. I sort of ship the two of them together, to be honest, but I always do that so...ignore me. cx

I'd also like to say that, even though you guys used free resource music, it didn't detract from the VN at all because your music choices were perfect! ^_^ Just by opening up the game I was immediately excited by the main menu music.

I loved all of the endings even though most of them were pretty bittersweet - I don't think a story has to have a happy ending to be a good story, and their bittersweetness made sense; it wasn't like you wrote them that way to add unnecessary drama, it just fit. I think I would have liked the VN less if there were cheesy happy endings, in fact - they're great and all, but if they don't work, they don't work.

I also loved the bonus unlock able stories! That was a great use of novel mode, which is something that I don't really see a lot. I loved Owner's story especially - it gave her so much more depth and I thought you wrote about her husband's predicament very well. And about Bartender's story, is it supposed to be implied that Evelyn is the little girl?

Last little thing - spelling and grammar errors. c: I separated them into a few different folders - my first playthrough (so they should all be in order), subsequent playthroughs (these are out of order), her story, and his memory. You don't have to go back and fix them if you'd rather leave it as is but I figured I'd let you guys know anyway. It's not a huge deal since there's never a time when I can't understand the story. ^_^

[Virelai]

I'm not going to lie, I was actually extremely creeped out by the screenshots. I'm the type of person that can't stand anything 'scary'--at least, anything that's 'scary' to me.

But I really liked how different this was from other VNs.

The MC character is very relatable, in the sense that she has depression. And it's not a very "typical" sad, lonely, weak depression. I feel like there's a lot of solidity in the point that you're making, and honestly I feel like there's a deeper meaning to it? (unless im actually overthinking it lol). I did wish that the story was a little longer, because there wasn't too much depth, like not enough layers to peel back, ya feel? Sorry I'm really like, fluffy when I write, so just in simpler terms, there wasn't as much character development in the Evelyn as I would have liked.

With this type of story, I Feel like there's a lot more room for expansion. I also like how not everything is romance, and not everything is fast paced. It's realistic.

Regarding the backgrounds and CG, all of it is really well put together. I don't know if you tweaked the background, or made original backgrounds, but the ambiance is really there and there's sort of a creepy/off feeling about each character.

In any case, hope you make a sequel! This was really well made, and keep cranking out good stuff!

[Didules]

Oh, wow, it's really been a while since we got comments on this old game

Oh. My. Gosh. You guys. Your games are amazing and I love them. Phantom of the Hospital was great, so I had figured this would be, too, but this is even better than I expected!

Oh my, thanks a lot, that is absolutely so sweet (m*´∀`)m Thanks a lot!!! This is so encouraging when we're already working on another game!! Thank you a lot!

how long did those bottles take?? - and the CG for

Murmur's worst end - sad, but beautifully drawn.

It took much longer than I hoped it would...

And yes, it's actually my fav CG as well, it looks desperate, I wish I had known how to make some animations in Ren'py back then... There would have been ashes flying as well *__*

I sort of ship the two of them together, to be honest, but I always do that so...ignore me. cx

Actually we can't ignore you, we ship them together as well... since the beginning of the dev.

Between you and me? We put as many hints as we could that Asmodée is actually more into Murmur than Evelyn.

Last little thing - spelling and grammar errors. c: I separated them into a few different folders - my first playthrough (so they should all be in order), subsequent playthroughs (these are out of order), her story, and his memory. You don't have to go back and fix them if you'd rather leave it as is but I figured I'd let you guys know anyway. It's not a huge deal since there's never a time when I can't understand the story. ^_^

Woooaaaah, thank you a lot !! I'll be fiwing this as soon as I can (I hope the files are still here ><), I'll be sure to update it once it's fixed, and also add you in the credit! Thanks a thousand times!!

The MC character is very relatable, in the sense that she has depression. And it's not a very "typical" sad, lonely, weak depression. I feel like there's a lot of solidity in the point that you're making, and honestly I feel like there's a deeper meaning to it? (unless im actually overthinking it lol)

.

Oh, thanks a lot! As you started your comment by saying you wouldn't lie, I'll be honest as well,

I went through the same phase as Evelyn did, during 2 years, though I never was convinced that it could be call "depression".

Thanks a lot for saying it seem relatable, because it was the toughest part about writing it: would it actually be interesting, relatable, or would it be unecessary? You answered to that, so thank you!!

I did wish that the story was a little longer, because there wasn't too much depth, like not enough layers to peel back, ya feel? Sorry I'm really like, fluffy when I write, so just in simpler terms, there wasn't as much character development in the Evelyn as I would have liked.[/spoiler]

Yes. you are true, and there's nothing wrong with saying it: we should have spent more time on Evelyn and the way she changes. Mismanagement of ingame-time as well, with 15.000 words, there should have been some place for her character development. In the future we never plan on letting the MC be that undeveloped, thank you for pointing it out!

Regarding the backgrounds and CG, all of it is really well put together. I don't know if you tweaked the background, or made original backgrounds, but the ambiance is really there and there's sort of a creepy/off feeling about each character.

Thank you a lot TT___TT)/ It's quite old now (most of the art was done around 2014-2015), but reading that it gives off an atmosphere is really nice (all the more since it's an urban fantasy game, it relies on this "off" feeling).

And about the BG, half half actually, I did take pictures of my own city, my fav café and all, but only used it as reference for the colors and the atmosphere. Evelyn's room is 100% Ikea for instance

In any case, hope you make a sequel! This was really well made, and keep cranking out good stuff!

We're still thinking about the next games we want to make, the only thing I can say for sure is that we really liked the urban-fantasy world Evelyn was thrown into, and we will probably use it again (like, definitely ).



Thank you both for your help and your comments

[Zelan]

I sort of ship the two of them together, to be honest, but I always do that so...ignore me. cx

Actually we can't ignore you, we ship them together as well... since the beginning of the dev.

Between you and me? We put as many hints as we could that Asmodée is actually more into Murmur than Evelyn.

In any case, hope you make a sequel! This was really well made, and keep cranking out good stuff!

We're still thinking about the next games we want to make, the only thing I can say for sure is that we really liked the urban-fantasy world Evelyn was thrown into, and we will probably use it again (like, definitely ).

Another VN set in the same world? Please count me in.

[Didules]

Another VN set in the same world? Please count me in.

Aiaoejqsldsdgfjsdd, that's so sweet! We'll place it higher on the priority list. Definitely! （=´∇｀=）

[Zelan]

^accurate representation of me currently

[effenelle]

Well done! Seriously, well done! I'm loving the main character, especially her cynicism. I didnt expect it at first as you started the story with quite a dark tone. But as it progressed, I've came to like her

As for the other characters, given the VN is a one-night kinda story so I think they are pretty generic. It is understandable that there's not enough time to spill out each and everyone's back story, but it's already good that you managed to even spark interest from the readers to know about them.

That aside, your endings, they are interesting! Especially Murmur's. I dont really understand Asmodee's

as to why he made Eve forget about him in one ending, and what exactly was his feeling towards her in the other ending.

nevertheless, I like it when you would actually

die from drinking that cocktail haha. I am someone who loves a dare like that so "Hell yeah Imma drink it all up!" was my immediate response XD

so that was a bit unexpected from my side. That said, overall, I like Asmodee more because he was fun, but I like Murmur's/Mathieu's endings more. Oh, and nice special bonus stories you have there!

I like the writing as well, straight to the point, not too much inner monologue. GUI are simple but well-made and simply beautiful. Well done again!

[procutemeister]

I just finished playing this! Most of my critiques have already been said by other people, so that's that.

I enjoyed this game; the premise was a little odd to me at first, partly because Evelyn was an odd choice of MC, but I liked her more as I progressed through the game. I like that even though she was struggling with depression, she wasn't a completely mopey woe-is-me person, which I find to be a mistake that many writers tend to commit when writing these kinds of characters. But you didn't do that, you made her more than that which I greatly appreciate. Kudos!

And honestly I enjoy that she was good friends with Murmur and Asmodee instead of romancing them (also I ship Asmodee and Murmur more with each other than with her woops)

Also. That art of them. Sooo cute X3

I also love that you included bonus stories in the Extras; not a lot of VNs do so, and also I liked how it gave us more background on the other characters and on the cafe itself.

All in all, good job with your first game! It's a promising start.

[Zelan]

And honestly I enjoy that she was good friends with Murmur and Asmodee instead of romancing them (also I ship Asmodee and Murmur more with each other than with her woops)

I think we may be the same person. <: First Between the Lines, now Midnight's Café. (If you look a few posts above you will see that Asmur is 100% Canon!™)

[procutemeister]

And honestly I enjoy that she was good friends with Murmur and Asmodee instead of romancing them (also I ship Asmodee and Murmur more with each other than with her woops)

I think we may be the same person. <: First Between the Lines, now Midnight's Café. (If you look a few posts above you will see that Asmur is 100% Canon!™)

OMG you're right (I did recognize your username from the Between the Lines thread, ahaha!)

And yes. Asmur. Yes. I love them

[Didules]

Hello everyone !
I entirely forgot about this thread until it popped on itch.io, and I'd like to thank you SO MUCH for leaving comments, it's really sweet that even though this is an old game there are still people who played it and left a few words ;_;