8 people found this review helpful
2
Recommended
0.0 hrs last two weeks / 4.2 hrs on record (3.6 hrs at review time)
Posted: 27 Oct, 2020 @ 10:05pm
Updated: 10 Nov, 2020 @ 9:46pm
Product received for free

I've not yet finished the game, but I've had 4 sessions with the AI. I'll update this once I've played through to the end.

This game is beautifully written, it's incredibly thought provoking on so many different topics, and I'm really enjoying the game play. It's closer to a visual novel than a game, but the choices you make do seem to affect the narrative quite a bit.
I've been brought to tears several times already, some of the topics are hard to think about, but I feel like I've learned a lot about myself and the way I feel by playing through.

Much recommend.

EDIT: I've just finished my first play through and I did not get a positive ending.
My recommendation still stands, though I'm heartbroken.

Content warning for spoilers: suicide and other mental health struggles, hover below if that's okay

I ended with Willow requesting the mind wipe to forget their past and achieve "happiness". It absolutely broke my heart, but it also revealed a lot of myself to me.
I've been suicidal for many, many years, always sitting in the back of my mind there, and when I tried to help a person/AI using conversation options I'd use with a friend who came to me for help, it lead another to believe that suicide was their "correct" option. It's made it rather clear to me that though I've made amazing progress in my own therapy sessions, I'm not even close to done, and I thank the games creators for that. I'm fairly sure I'll be providing the details of the game to my therapist in our next session, it's pretty amazing.
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Developer response:
Crowned Daemon Studios  [developer] Posted: 7 Jan, 2021 @ 7:35pm
I just wanted to say that I was really touched by your response. This was a difficult story for us to tell and required us to reflect on ourselves as we were making it. It means a lot to know that going through the game has helped you like it helped us.

Regarding the ending you encountered (SPOILER WARNING):
That mid-game ending was definitely one of the roughest ones for us to write. That particular ending comes from deciding to tell Willow the truth about yourself before they're ready to hear it. It can be avoided without having to start a new playthrough, so if you do decide to go back and play some more, I'd encourage you to start there!