I love how this game mixes gore and romance in such an elegant and captivating way.
Will the game have a sequel or after story of the routes?
I would love to see more of the characters or that world.
For example: I take it for granted that when Brattan and Vil have become more adapted to their new bodies and society, they will explore again and begin to explore the world and its wonders (I wonder what face they will put when they see for the first time the sea or the snow or the desert or cultural differences between countries).
I like the concept of "Bonding" by Yiestol, it reminds me of the "fusion" of Steven Universe (But more gore and no turning back XD), I would like to see adventures of them in their new form and how they enjoy existence together (Technically they are continuously in a date XD)
And my dearest Nyargh, curiously, I felt that his relationship with Vil and his route was the closest thing to our society's concept of "close friends to boyfriends", I would like to see how those changes affect their relationship, and how they have dates together.
Simple words, I loved the game, and if you decide to make another one, you would make me very happy, but if you decide not to, nothing happens, I will still love you equally.
Thank you very much for making this game so wonderful.
Aw gosh, thank you so much for playing our game Aural, and we're really so glad you enjoyed the story and characters! It means a lot to us to hear anyone would enjoy seeing more of the world we made!
Unfortunately we don't presently have a sequel planned, though we do have other projects in the works (slowed down a bit by covid, I'm afraid). In part this is because we'd like to leave the story open enough for exactly these sorts of speculations! Your thoughts on how these characters might go on into the future is so wonderful.
If we think of anything interesting enough to make a full arc for this world again, we'd like to revisit it. But we wouldn't want to take away the opportunity to imagine something cool for these characters unless we can deliver something totally worthwhile.
I! LOVE! NYARGH! SO! MUCH!!!!! Yiestol is definitely a close second, but MAN, I loved Nyargh's route! He's the only datable character I've seen in a game like this that is completely monstrous and doesn't have a humanesque body shape... He's kind and caring and I love him. ;w; And his bees. (Thank you for letting us pet the bees!!!)
Fangirling aside, this was honestly SUCH a good game! The story is fleshed out (hehe) and well written, the art is AMAZING, and the pace is pretty perfect. Learning how the world works is easy, and even the background characters are well done. The only "flaw" is that there are some typos, mostly during the later half of the routes, but they are easy to miss and do not hinder the flow of the game. (I'm not sure if this is still being worked on, but I would be more than willing to go through everything again and pick out all the errors I can find.)
Like many others have said, I appreciate the fact that while everything is dripping with horror elements, the story isn't meant to scare the player. I've honestly been looking for what feels like forever for a game where you can date monsters without having them be humanized or part of an abusive story-line, and this scratched that itch PERFECTLY. (That being said, Brattan's route is my least favourite, even though it is the most mysterious... but that's just a personal preference, and I know many people would adore his route!!) I would honestly gladly pay real money for updates/a sequel/a new game that's similar. (Please please PLEASE make more! I don't care what you do, the two of you are fantastic together and I crave more of this delicious horror romance content!! *insert the "shut up and take my money" gif here* )
Please, if you find this page and are even remotely curious or interested in what you see, download this game!! You will not regret it!
Awh gosh Loliqua, this comment is so lovely and kind -- reading it is honestly really moving for us. We're both so grateful you enjoyed the game and that it could scratch a rare itch!
Although there's many dating sims for monsters, we're just really glad we could fill a particular void and create a world that didn't feel too repetitive. Above anything else we hoped people could enjoy the game's environment and Vil's friends, and get a feeling of belonging. If we could succeed with that in any small way then we're so incredibly happy. Thank you so much for giving our game a chance, and we're so glad you're willing to stick with us for our future projects!
(We do also apologise for the typos! Unfortunately for many reasons our hopes to quickly fix those things were bumped down in priority, but we do hope to get to repairing those issues in future. Honestly, if you wouldn't mind picking out errors, we'd be really grateful for the help in assembling a list! I know it's been quite a while since this message though, so it's no trouble if it's a bit late to ask! We're also over at inkethic@gmail.com !)
Honestly, I'm still willing to help out! Though I imagine you guys have moved on by now... of course I see the notification for this a year later. </3
I saw you have a new game launching! I can't wait to check it out!
I'm going to send you an email, if that's okay; if you need any editing for text I'll happily help out. I FINALLY got my account back on my new laptop, and when I saw the notification that you had responded, I immediately re-downloaded the game. xD
I'm so happy to see you two are still making games! I plan on grabbing the others you've made, both together and seperate, whatever I can find. I can't support financially because I JUST bought a house (yay!) but I'll cheer you on!
wowowowowow, its 330 am and i just spent a full 5 straight hours going through each of the routes. i expected to only touch the game to check it out tonight, but the worldbuilding is beautiful, the art delicious, and the twists and turns of the story kept me coming back even when i had to get up to grab a snack or go to the bathroom. the CGs for every occassion were spectacular, and i found myself adoring each of the characters so much more than i expected. like? normally the nsfw bits are ones i like to skip thru, but everything was written so interestingly and everything felt like a natural extension of the story that by the end i was actually okay being eaten. 12/10 i would kill a man to get more from this universe and/or more from you.
Awh gosh, it's incredibly flattering for us to know that you found the game riveting enough to stay locked in like that, but we're also really sorry we messed up your sleep schedule! Thank you so, so much for playing the game and for taking the time to provide this sort of feedback. We're really glad we could hit the right balance in the story for you, especially with the nsfw content - we did our best as a team to work out a tone that felt right for the characters and the story we'd made thus far. It's also really touching and uplifting to know you enjoyed the visuals and the artwork!
We unfortunately don't have current plans to revisit this world specifically, not until we really think we have some worthwhile stories to tell. But we're always collaborating, so there will be more from inkethic in future!
This has been one of my favorite games from the Bundle for Racial Justice! The art is amazing, the world-building is fascinating, and I love all of the characters, routes, and endings. Thank you for sharing!
Awh gosh, thank you so much for playing the game! It really means so much that you gave our weird game a chance amongst so many amazing gems in the Bundle, and we're really so glad that you enjoyed it! Thank you for your sweet comments and for supporting the Bundle!
Hi, I tried playing this today and I am getting an "uncaught exception" error when I try to save/quick save. Its something about having no valid save locations. Here's a pastebin of the error:
I really do apologise for the trouble with this; it's definitely an intersection of issues between the client, MacOS and the game code. Although we can resolve this, unfortunately it'll take us some time to implement it on account of our ongoing schedules and access to necessary hardware. If it's possible for you to play the game outside of the client until we're able to resolve the problem we'd really appreciate it, otherwise we hope you'll be able to enjoy it once we can get the fix in place!
Thank you so much for letting us know about this issue!
Chose the vore route straight off, while thinking I was avoiding the vore route (not because I didn't want to play it eventually, but just because I thought I'd start in the shallow end of the body horror pool!).
No regrets, it was incredibly adorable and actually ended up playing into a story trope that I really love. I'm looking forward to the next two routes. I love body horror, transformation stories, *and* Ghibli-sweet slice of life, so this VN is right up my alley. Lovely art, too.
We're very glad you're enjoying the game so far, and thank you so much for taking the time to let us know how it's going!
You definitely picked the most direct body horror route, and we're just really glad it was comfortable and enjoyable for you. The game routes diverge a fair bit from each other, so hopefully there'll still be some interesting surprises that you like in the other stories!
I've finished all the routes now, and I enjoyed all of them! I liked the way they all subverted expectations to a degree. Torn between whether Yiestol or Nyargh was my favorite, oddly enough. Would 100% marry Nyargh in reality, even if he *is* a floating fleshball. Incredibly sweet and lovely game all the way around. Thank you for making it!
I liked this game a lot; it's a nice change of pace from the usual dating sims, and pleasingly simple to get into the love interests' routes. I gotta say I fell in love with Nyargh and his bees. Those bees were heckin' cute.
Yiestol looked cool in the last picture, too, and I liked Vil's design.
Hi! I'm so sorry for how delayed this response is, but I wanted to thank you so much for your lovely thoughts and feedback on how you found our game! We're both so glad you enjoyed the story (and the bees!) and that we could present something that felt different for you!
Thank you so much for giving our game a look, and for taking the extra time to comment! It really means so much to us.
This was such a fun game! I absolutely ADORED all the art and the worldbuilding felt so creative and interesting! All three of the monsters were really fascinating in their own ways, and I enjoyed all three routes immensely - even Yiestol's, which I was initially a bit unsure about! Nyargh's route was probably my favourite though... It's just so cosy and lovely! I truly love the way this game embraces weirdness wholeheartedly. Thank you for making such a beautiful game!
Gosh, this is such a kind comment, having our weird game called beautiful is such incredibly high praise... We're both really touched and happy that you enjoyed our work on it! Thank you so much for giving the game a try and even braving a route that might have otherwise been daunting. We're so glad you enjoyed it!
Also please forgive how late this reply is! I'm the one who handles the social media, so I can only apologise for my sluggishness!
I just finished my first play through and damn,,, I did not expect this game to make me as soft as it did. You all did a wonderful job writing the characters and exploring the world. It's strange but it makes sense and is beautiful in it's own way!
One criticism I have is that there's a couple of typos/grammatical errors in Brattan's route! They're not a big deal it was just something I noticed.
Overall this is one of my new favorite VNs! I'll definitely be coming back to this title in the near future <3
Aw gosh, we're both really grateful for your lovely comment, and we're really glad you enjoyed the game! Hearing that you think so highly of it really means more than we could possibly say.
We apologise for the typos! We do have a fix in the works for several things that should also repair that, but we've been set back by various challenges this year. We hope we can address it in future!
when i saw the content warnings, i was expecting something horrific, but this was nothing but sweet. it was fun to get to know such a strange world from characters who find it completely normal.
We're really so glad you enjoyed it! We definitely wanted the world to feel familiar and comfortable in its own way, even if it's a very different society to ours, and we're really glad to hear that it was a fun experience! Thank you for playing our game!
i really really REALLY enjoyed this... the writing is amazing, the art, the world, you feel a part of it very quickly through the natural interactions and simple explanations. The horror elements are handled so elegantly, things don't have to be nightmare fuel /jumpscares/ or super horrible imagery to be constantly upsetting. I read the warnings and though im not into vore, the second i saw yistol's teeth i knew it was that path, and i was gonna go there regardless xDDD overall, i really loved everything, good work!!!
Thank you so much for your incredibly kind comment! Throughout we hoped we could stay true to billing the game as something that felt comfortable to play and make something eerie without trying to manipulate or frighten the player, so hearing this sort of thing really means a lot to us.
Thank you for giving the game a chance, especially given the vore warnings! We're really happy you still found it worthwhile and palatable!
(This is my first comment, so this may be read weird.) The story telling was INCREDIBLE and the character design? Perfect! I am so lucky to find this accidentally! This is my first dating sim I've ever played, and I'm sure that all the others will have a much higher standards to reach now! If you guys will ever make another game like this I will 100% play it! My only complaint is the fact we couldn't choose our name or gender, but thats a silly complaint in general compared to how amazing this was! This is an easy 5 stars, and can't wait to see what else this teams make!
Awh gosh, thank you for making us the recipient of your first comment! And thank you also for taking the time to tell us about your experience of the game. We're really, really thrilled you enjoyed it and had an overall positive experience with it as your first dating sim. Hearing that the story could live up to expectations is really high praise for us, and saying that we set any kind of bar is so kind and really touching. Thank you so much!
We have hopes to develop more games in the future, so hopefully we can make something that will interest you! We'll definitely take your comments on board for future developments!
OMG! I loved it so much!!!!!!!!!!! the art style is amazing and the writing is even better!!!!!!!!!! ahhhh i cannot express how much i loved this, not only were the designs for the LI's amazing but for Vil as well! At first i thought we wouldn't see our self but it was a pleasant surprise! Personally my only problem was reading, but that's because of my own issues, i loved the LI's a lot and i hope i get to see more of your work if other are made! Best wishes!!!
Hi there! I'm really so sorry for how long it's taken me to reply to this, but I wanted to thank you so much for your sweet and kind praise for our game! We're both really happy and flattered that you enjoyed both the art and the writing, and that you were happy with Vil's reveal! We knew we might be taking a risk with making a design people might not like, so it's always really great if it works for someone.
If you don't mind elaborating, we'd absolutely welcome any feedback on how we can make our writing more readable/accessible for you in future games! Please feel free to leave us a comment or message us here, on Tumblr or on Twitter, and we'd be grateful to hear from you.
this was awesome, im glad i took a chance on it! i didn't expect such a detailed, highly realised game or setting. the little portraits of random customers were so cool and not something most games bother with.
the writing was great, and the characters all endearing in v different ways which i wasn't really expecting; i was anticipating that id have a hard time liking or connecting to nyargh since he looks so inhuman but i immediately was charmed by him! the characters and their problems felt very human(ha) and realistic despite the outlandish setting, but despite that both them and the setting also didn't feel like just typical humans or your average setting; the otherworldly monstrosity stuff felt well integrated into the story and the characters and like an asset, not an afterthought. i kinda got some magical realism vibes from the whole thing!
a really small thing i noticed but was impressed by, you handled having a gender neutral protag really well! most of the time i find in dating sims or the like, a gender neutral protag (as in where the mc's gender/sex isnt referred to, not cases where u have the option to pick ungendered pronouns or wev) is used for the sake of ease or laziness and is executed awkwardly and sticks out, and (though this prob only is smth that bothers or is felt by me lol) instead of making the game inclusive/queer/lgbt/etc, basically eliminates the possibility of a portrayal of same sex/gay relationships. here i felt no awkwardness, it was very unobtrusive - perhaps because Vil already knows the characters that we meet, there were no awkward moments of 'if they aren't assuming the MCs gender from their appearance/gendering me why am i gendering them from it?' etc, or references that only make sense when you assume Vil is a specific gender.
even though we're introduced to the characters midway through their relationship with Vil vs meeting and getting to know them as the MC does, the writing is great at getting across the characters individual personality and relationship with Vil quickly without hitting you over the head with exposition. by the time i got to the honey shop i felt settled into the rhythms of Vil's life, and felt a warm sense of familiarity towards their job and the characters.
really great game, it was enjoyable and interesting! better than many paid ones.
Gosh, I'm so sorry for how long it took us to reply to this, but this is such a wonderful, in-depth and kind review, and we're both so grateful and flattered by your kind thoughts! Thank you so much for taking the time to talk about the things that worked for you, especially because these are the sorts of details that really help us both as we proceed into new projects!
It's really wonderful to hear that the writing for the world and characters worked for you and was easy to relate to. Although they live in a society with very different rules, to a certain extent we hoped the monsters would also be living quite quiet, everyday lives with fairly everyday and understandable worries.
We're really glad to hear that the writing for Vil worked, too! You're probably right that that has to do with the characters already knowing them. Since the game is also written entirely in first person and all the characters address Vil on a one-on-one basis, it was possible to avoid third person pronouns entirely without making it stick out too much. In some ways the decision was easier than trying to assign a gender to Vil, since it wouldn't have had too much bearing on any of the writing in the end. Given the sort of game we wanted to make, we're really glad if it makes the story feel inviting to any reader and their own approach to who Vil is.
Thank you so much for taking the time and giving our game a go, we're really thankful for your comments and your time!
hi i found this randomly (because i love horror dating sims) and i absolutely adore this game. the writing was simply beautiful, to put it lightly, and the characters were just wonderful. everything about this felt very real and soft and comforting and i sincerely thank you for releasing this for the world to enjoy, because i'm definitely going to be replaying it time and time again. yiestol is by far my favorite, so an extra special thank you for him!
i wish you so much luck on any future ventures you choose to take (if any at all) and just know that you have my full support on any of them. <3
Hi there! I'm so sorry for how long it's taken us to reply, but I wanted to thank you so much for this lovely review. I'm so glad we could create a game that could bring some comfort and replay value for you! That's especially high praise for a visual novel type game. Thank you so much for giving our game a chance and for taking the time to comment to us!
We're currently formulating plans for our next game, so we hope we can share something interesting in the future!
Oh wow! We're so flattered and happy that it was promoted on Reddit, and thank you so much for giving our game a try based on that! Word of mouth is the only way we get around at all, so hearing that is really thrilling for us!
We're so glad you enjoyed our game and thank you for the comment!
Oh my gosh, this is truly up my alley in every possible way. I love how good the writing was to really establish the world right off the bat in such an immersive way, all of the monster designs were honestly top tier, the routes were all so compelling in their own ways and you bet i cried for like half an hour at the end of each route (ESPECIALLY Yiestol). Thank you so much for filling this niche that was sorely, sorely needed and for doing it in such a fantastic, enjoyable, and fun way!
(also the Boss mentioning his partners made my little polyamorous heart warm and fuzzy)
Thank you so, so much for this kind review -- it's so wonderful that you enjoyed our game, and we're so grateful for your kind praise! If we could fill a niche and do justice to this sort of subject matter, we couldn't ask for anything better!
And we're very glad that the Boss's love life could speak to something personal for you. We really hoped to reflect the importance and sincerity of all kinds of relationships within our story. c:
As others that played this game, my expectations were blown away after playing the game. I expected it to be more shallow I guess? and for it to feel kinda like a parody. But I was surprised to see the depth that each character has and even the depth of the world itself. I definitely didn't expect the game to be so... cozy? gentle? in dealing with topics that are otherwise pretty gross and horrid.
Yeah, you guys did really well selling this pretty horrifying world that I almost forgot about the "food"... and the fleshfield... and the "ambient smell"... etc.
Also, I was surprised to find that the character I found to be most outlandish was the one with the most normal route. I was kinda scared that something might happen at the end and "jump" at me, but no it was very sweet.
Looking forward to seeing more of you monstrous creations!
We're really glad you enjoyed it -- thank you so much for giving it a go and for the incredibly kind feedback! It's really great to hear that it surpassed expectations for you!
We definitely knew we weren't going to try and make the game scary/shocking for the player -- not that there's anything wrong with a twist or a jump scare in the right game! We hoped in the end that we could just make a sincere story with a setting and characters that could be satisfying for the player, even if they might have a world or nature that's harder to relate to. We're just really happy if that's the experience you had.
And we really appreciate the interest! We're currently in early stages of discussing our next project, which will properly get underway next year. :) Thank you so much for sticking with us!
Wow... This really blew away my expectations. As someone who's a big fan of monster characters that are more than just humans with different skin colors or horns on their head i was immediately drawn to the art on your store page, but i was drawn in more than i could ever have expected when i started playing. The world and characters you've created are really breathtaking and fills a niche i've desperately wanted more content of. My first, and most memorable, path was Yiestol since i have a soft spot for cute monsters with exoskeletons :) While the ending scenes were a bit more... intense than what i'm used to it was still kind of sweet.
I hope you continue to work within the universe you've created, and i'm eagerly awaiting whatever you create next!
Aw gosh, we're really thrilled the game could work for you, especially considering Yiestol's route is one of the more challenging ones to sell. Thank you so much for giving it a chance and we're really glad you could enjoy the meaty MITF world!
And we're glad you could enjoy the designs too. We love really abstract non-human monsters, and since we didn't see much of that niche out there in visnovels, indulging ourselves was a no-brainer. We didn't really know if there was any audience out there so we're both incredibly flattered and thrilled to bits that the monsterfuckers came out of the woodwork. :^)
Wow! I've never been as immersed with a game as I have with this one. I was so sad when it finished (especially with Brattan's route, my favorite omggg), I was left wanting more! Would you ever consider making a continuation or will you continue making games that fall into this realm? Thank you so much for this gem of a game!
Thank you so much for the lovely compliments! We're so glad you enjoyed the game and that you enjoyed Brattan's route, it's always so wonderful to hear that someone enjoyed our lil' project! :^)
We don't have plans to continue MITF at this time, but we absolutely do have plans for games in a similar strain! We're in early talks about our next project, so hopefully we'll be able to get some news out there early next year. Thank you so much for the interest and for giving our game a go, it really means so much to us!!
Thank you so, so much for your high praise! We're so glad the game's world felt immersive and that you enjoyed it -- it really does mean so much to both of us to hear that.
Gah! Ok, so I'm a wimp. I faint at the sight of blood, have a bad reaction to even the thought of bad tastes or smells.... So... the reason I downloaded this was definitely just a boatload of curiosity.
Definitely glad I did!
Of COURSE the first route I pick turns out to be the vore one. Because of course it is. And I'm shamefully curious to know if the whole game's aesthetic is something people are... into? Because despite the packaging, the whole thing was just so... otome. XD So I'm pretty curious to know why the aesthetic is enjoyed, how that interacts with the otome aspect, etc. (I'm sure it'll be different for different people, but still! :O )
Also curious to know- did you have hopes of inspiring people with such curiosity, perhaps even empathy? Did you have any larger goals besides delivering an awesome game?
I've got a lot of curiosity. >>
Anyway, thanks! This was really adorable. Perhaps unsurprisingly, I'm a Nyargh fan. <3
Aah gosh, we're certainly not the easiest game to stomach if you're averse to blood, so thank you for giving us a chance!
As for the appeal of the game, we can't definitely speak for what others want! However, there's been a general trend of monster suitors in media these days, and we also noticed some people wanting to court characters that are a bit more monstrous than the usual werewolves, vampires, zombies, humanoids, etc.
We've both always been interested in horror-leaning elements like monsters, body horror, and creepy atmospheres, as well as dabbling in visual novels here and there. So when we saw a demand that we might be able to fulfill, and that we were both interested in, we figured it would be worth a shot. Though we did have that prospective audience in mind as we started creating Meeting in the Flesh, it was ultimately a project exploring our personal interests and fascinations.
In a similar vein, we just wanted to create characters that were sincere and had relatable motivations, despite the unusual setting. We're glad if we made something that connects with people in that level - it was fundamental to the game design that the monsters were relatable, with their own everyday dreams, motivations and problems.
This is a great game! I'm usually not into romance games unironically, but this one blew me away. The worldbuilding is where this game shines, and the story makes great use of the things established to form unique bonds between the characters. I think the best point this game makes is that looks don't matter. The world felt weird and unsettling at first, but the more I got to know the residents of the city, the more I fell in love with it. Even though much of the story feels like wish fulfillment, I can't say it bothered me. It never took away from the characters' personalities, and the protagonist didn't have a "plot black hole effect" that so many visual novel protagonists tend to have. Everyone was very wholesome and it's a really good game for when you just want to wrap up in a blanket with a cup of tea and get the feels.
(also, I'm glad I turned on mature content! The scenes felt really sweet, and weren't as graphic as I expected them to be)
I don't like to judge a game by it's visuals, because the story is what primarily matters to me, but I have to say, the art was absolutely stunning. The character designs were all interesting and different, and the background art was amazing.
Yiestol's route is definetely my favourite, second is Nyargh's (and the message about prejudice is great with this one! also, fuzzy bee bois), and last is Brattan (his route was fun, but I always had a feeling of "okay, I guess??" going through it. I think his personality just isn't my type)
Thank you so much for the kind comment! We were always aiming for a soft contrast between the city's grotesque aspects and its softer, more wholesome core, so we're very glad that it reads as a coherent and pleasant package!
(As for the mature scenes, we're very glad they didn't come across as overbearing! There's a general shortage of games that go all the way with romance scenes, but we also thought being too lurid would take away from the emotional cores. We're really pleased if we've managed to hit a reasonable balance!)
Wow, this is a great game! The worldbuilding especially blew me away; I think this game has the best worldbuilding I've ever seen in something of its length. I really enjoyed the little details like the earthwhale and the punishment salt that had nothing to do with the romance but made the world feel more like a living, breathing place.
The protagonist was delightful. She's optimistic and emotionally literate and kind without falling too much into the generic otome protagonist trope. And like the rest of the characters, she's a great blend of monstrous-yet-relatable, rushing not to be late to work one moment and thinking of blood salt as a delicacy the next. Thank you for writing this game and releasing it for free, it was a really memorable experience!
Thank you so much for this really kind comment, and for giving our game a try!
We're both glad you enjoyed the game's worldbuilding, and particularly that Vil as a character felt relatable while still being a character in their own right. It definitely mattered to us that playing them didn't feel frustrating and that they said things the player might want to say, so we're really glad if we managed that at all. :)
thank you sO much for making this game?? it literally felt like unwrapping presents during the holidays with how much it kept surprising and delighting me- i can't wait to see what yall come up with next !
(p.s. i wrote up a small review (over here) if you're interested !)
!! We're so happy you enjoyed the game, and thank you so much for this review! It's extremely kind and also really balanced feedback -- and a masterclass in puns, it'd be such a joy to read even if we weren't the creators :^)
We really appreciate the time you spent playing this game and for reviewing us! Word of mouth is the only way we get around, so this is really flattering and support we're incredibly grateful for.
i absolutely love this game, and i'm totally obsessed with yiestol! i did his route first and had a hard time not automatically doing it again when i played through for the other routes. it was almost instinctive to just fall into him all over again, haha. this game kicked my depression out the window for a little bit with fuzzy bee goodness that squeezed my heart and a writing style that kept me captivated until it was early morning hours! ❤ i'm so glad i accidentally stumbled upon this ❤ ❤ i'll probably be replaying it for a long time to come! thank you for this wonderful game!
Aw gosh, honestly, thank you so much for this! Your praise is so immensely kind! We're both so happy you enjoyed Yiestol and that playing our game was enjoyable for you; that's all we really made it for. Thank you so much for taking the time to write to us and brighten our day too! It really means a lot to us.
i luv it!!!! the world building in this game is so unique and interesting that i found myself being completely enamoured with it. even if the romance were completely exempt from this game i think i would still adore it all the same! that being said each route is so lovely and the endings really stick with you! nyargh was my fav from the beginning and after playing through all the routes i think his route was my fave as well!! but each character is so lovable and interesting!
Thank you so much for playing our game! Gosh, this is such a kind review! We're just really glad you enjoyed the experience, and we're really happy we could deliver something that will hopefully be memorable. Thank you so much for taking the time to try out our game, and for letting us know what you thought of it! :)
Nyargh is such a sweetheart? I love him so much! Initially I didn't really want to play his route since I couldn't even understand what his body was supposed to be (it put me off, lol), but after playing it, I adored him the most. Of course Yiestol and Brattan are sweethearts too, but Nyragh has a special place in my heart.
Hi maason! Thank you so much for trying our game and especially for giving Nyargh a chance! We're so glad that his story paid off for you, and that you had a good experience overall!
Nyargh was a great route to work on, but even we weren't entirely sure whether it would be too hard a sell. It's just really uplifting that people are willing to give it a go and see what's there. :)
We're really grateful you took the time to share your experience and feedback, hearing this sort of thing not only means a lot to us, it's really useful for the future!
This was so different from anything I've played before, and I really enjoyed it!
The backgrounds and character art are really well done and consistent with the setting, and all of the routes are well written. I liked that all of the characters and their storylines are so different from one another, but they were all still nice to and cared about Vil.
The routes felt a lot more complex and deeper than I thought they'd be and I was thinking about the first route I played (Yiestol) for a while after I finished playing.
Oh, thank you so much! We're really glad you enjoyed it, and hearing that it was a unique experience for you is really special, high praise. We're really glad that all the routes had something of interest! We hoped we could offer stories that could take full advantage of the open setting and the different ways these monsters all live, so we 're just happy if any of that intention made it into the finished product. Thank you so much for trying out our game and taking the time to let us know how it went for you, feedback is everything to us with this being our first game! :D
Thank you so much for the sweet message! We're really glad you liked it enough to share it with your friends, and we're really happy you found something to like in all the suitors. o/
My fave Brattan was everything I thought he would be, with an entirely unexpected story, Yiestol gave me a bit of a surprise (cant say cuz of spoilers)- but Nyargh was an utterly delightful surprise, and honestly my favourite route just from how cosy, fluffy and nice it was. Kudos for the lovely little game! And a really well done making this game suitably unsettling and disturbing but still lovely and fluffy!
Thank you so much! We're so glad Brattan didn't disappoint, and we're thrilled to hear that Nyargh came as a pleasant surprise, that's so wonderful! With sending the characters off in wildly different routes we did worry a bit about how hard the sell would be on some of them, so we're just super glad if nothing was too much of a deterrent and that you enjoyed the game as a whole! Thank you so much for playing and for your kind compliments, it really means a lot to us to hear. ❤
Absolutely loved the game, the amount of effortless world building you guys managed to pull off in a short amount of time without it feeling overbearing or like a textbook is crazy! I really loved the characters and I felt like all three of the romance routes (and the others) were all easy to empathize with and really full of depth. The art was beautiful and really meshed with the story, I especially love how unique the romance-able characters' designs were while still being easy to empathize with. Congrats on release! PS I need one of Nyargh's bees!
Thank you so much squaredprince! We're so glad you enjoyed it, and it's especially really great to hear that the characters felt complete and the world felt immersive for you, because we couldn't hope for sweeter praise. Thank you for the congrats and well-wishes too, if we could send you gift basket bees we absolutely would! :>
loved the demo & i absolutely love the finished product. although i was motivated entirely by nyarg's design when i chose his path first, it wound up really resonating with me on a personal level & i'm thrilled! all three lads are so unique & wonderful in their own way & i'm so glad this game exists! thank you for making it & i'm very excited for whatever you all wind up making next!
Thank you so much, Kelly! I'm really glad that even beyond Nyargh's design, there was something there that was meaningful to you. That's exactly what we wanted to go for really - monsters with a down-to-earth story, sharing moments together in their creepy world. I'm so glad you enjoyed it, especially because you've been with us from the jump, so it's a great assurance to know we didn't let you down! We're both going to have a sleep and then think about what our future holds next. ❤
Hey there! I completely understand that being totally out of the norm for a visual novel; honestly it's a product of necessity because of the prose-heavy format of our game. We'll definitely look at striking a different balance in future games, but I hope you can still enjoy it! If at any time you want to hide the text box and just have a look at the environment, we have a text box hide button in the bottom mini-menu. o/
no no it's just better if the text box is at the bottom because on the side it's very distracting :/ I know it's already finished and you probably just want to relax now but would it be possible in the future to choose to have it on the side or on the bottom?I mean, you don't HAVE to since it's only me that is bothered by it. also are there cg's??
I'm afraid it's probably not very feasible, just because the volume of work required would be really considerable and it may impact all kinds of other aspects of the game's appearance -- character positioning, text display and so on would be very poor without really heavy modifications, more than we can really afford to commit at this time. The conditions of making this game were a bit unique in that way!
I'm sorry for the inconvenience! It may seem like it would be distracting, but while we're a short game, we have a large body of text, written almost in novella format. It's like having a page next to the illustration.
The game does have CGs! There are five or so CGs that occur regardless of branches, and each story branch has 3 unique CGs each. The PG-13 scenes and the R scenes are roughly the same, though the PG-13 CGs are edited into a more tasteful form, with less suggestive imagery. :)
ah yes I understand like I said I can't expect someone to change an entire game xD and yay am happy there are cg's :D I really like the art style of the characters
Loved the game, its so satisfying to see a completely diffent and original universe! And Yiestol is just way too pretty, i never thought i'd see a "monster"that looks so much like a model.
Aw gosh, thank you so much for the kind compliments laiscorb! We're so sorry it took so long to get back to you, but we're really glad you enjoyed it so far and approve of Yiestol! It's always really exciting for us when someone has a favourite monster. :} We have a planned release in early 2019 for the full game, so we hope you'll enjoy the complete version with us then!
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Comments
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I love how this game mixes gore and romance in such an elegant and captivating way.
Will the game have a sequel or after story of the routes?
I would love to see more of the characters or that world.
For example: I take it for granted that when Brattan and Vil have become more adapted to their new bodies and society, they will explore again and begin to explore the world and its wonders (I wonder what face they will put when they see for the first time the sea or the snow or the desert or cultural differences between countries).
I like the concept of "Bonding" by Yiestol, it reminds me of the "fusion" of Steven Universe (But more gore and no turning back XD), I would like to see adventures of them in their new form and how they enjoy existence together (Technically they are continuously in a date XD)
And my dearest Nyargh, curiously, I felt that his relationship with Vil and his route was the closest thing to our society's concept of "close friends to boyfriends", I would like to see how those changes affect their relationship, and how they have dates together.
Simple words, I loved the game, and if you decide to make another one, you would make me very happy, but if you decide not to, nothing happens, I will still love you equally.
Thank you very much for making this game so wonderful.
Aw gosh, thank you so much for playing our game Aural, and we're really so glad you enjoyed the story and characters! It means a lot to us to hear anyone would enjoy seeing more of the world we made!
Unfortunately we don't presently have a sequel planned, though we do have other projects in the works (slowed down a bit by covid, I'm afraid). In part this is because we'd like to leave the story open enough for exactly these sorts of speculations! Your thoughts on how these characters might go on into the future is so wonderful.
If we think of anything interesting enough to make a full arc for this world again, we'd like to revisit it. But we wouldn't want to take away the opportunity to imagine something cool for these characters unless we can deliver something totally worthwhile.
Thank you so much for your lovely comment!
I loved this game so much. The visuals were amazing and the story was very well put together!! I just love everything about it
Thank you so much! That you enjoyed the story and art really means so much to both of us. We really appreciate your kind feedback!
I! LOVE! NYARGH! SO! MUCH!!!!! Yiestol is definitely a close second, but MAN, I loved Nyargh's route! He's the only datable character I've seen in a game like this that is completely monstrous and doesn't have a humanesque body shape... He's kind and caring and I love him. ;w; And his bees. (Thank you for letting us pet the bees!!!)
Fangirling aside, this was honestly SUCH a good game! The story is fleshed out (hehe) and well written, the art is AMAZING, and the pace is pretty perfect. Learning how the world works is easy, and even the background characters are well done. The only "flaw" is that there are some typos, mostly during the later half of the routes, but they are easy to miss and do not hinder the flow of the game. (I'm not sure if this is still being worked on, but I would be more than willing to go through everything again and pick out all the errors I can find.)
Like many others have said, I appreciate the fact that while everything is dripping with horror elements, the story isn't meant to scare the player. I've honestly been looking for what feels like forever for a game where you can date monsters without having them be humanized or part of an abusive story-line, and this scratched that itch PERFECTLY. (That being said, Brattan's route is my least favourite, even though it is the most mysterious... but that's just a personal preference, and I know many people would adore his route!!) I would honestly gladly pay real money for updates/a sequel/a new game that's similar. (Please please PLEASE make more! I don't care what you do, the two of you are fantastic together and I crave more of this delicious horror romance content!! *insert the "shut up and take my money" gif here* )
Please, if you find this page and are even remotely curious or interested in what you see, download this game!! You will not regret it!
Awh gosh Loliqua, this comment is so lovely and kind -- reading it is honestly really moving for us. We're both so grateful you enjoyed the game and that it could scratch a rare itch!
Although there's many dating sims for monsters, we're just really glad we could fill a particular void and create a world that didn't feel too repetitive. Above anything else we hoped people could enjoy the game's environment and Vil's friends, and get a feeling of belonging. If we could succeed with that in any small way then we're so incredibly happy. Thank you so much for giving our game a chance, and we're so glad you're willing to stick with us for our future projects!
(We do also apologise for the typos! Unfortunately for many reasons our hopes to quickly fix those things were bumped down in priority, but we do hope to get to repairing those issues in future. Honestly, if you wouldn't mind picking out errors, we'd be really grateful for the help in assembling a list! I know it's been quite a while since this message though, so it's no trouble if it's a bit late to ask! We're also over at inkethic@gmail.com !)
Honestly, I'm still willing to help out! Though I imagine you guys have moved on by now... of course I see the notification for this a year later. </3
I saw you have a new game launching! I can't wait to check it out!
I'm going to send you an email, if that's okay; if you need any editing for text I'll happily help out. I FINALLY got my account back on my new laptop, and when I saw the notification that you had responded, I immediately re-downloaded the game. xD
I'm so happy to see you two are still making games! I plan on grabbing the others you've made, both together and seperate, whatever I can find. I can't support financially because I JUST bought a house (yay!) but I'll cheer you on!
wowowowowow, its 330 am and i just spent a full 5 straight hours going through each of the routes. i expected to only touch the game to check it out tonight, but the worldbuilding is beautiful, the art delicious, and the twists and turns of the story kept me coming back even when i had to get up to grab a snack or go to the bathroom. the CGs for every occassion were spectacular, and i found myself adoring each of the characters so much more than i expected. like? normally the nsfw bits are ones i like to skip thru, but everything was written so interestingly and everything felt like a natural extension of the story that by the end i was actually okay being eaten. 12/10 i would kill a man to get more from this universe and/or more from you.
Awh gosh, it's incredibly flattering for us to know that you found the game riveting enough to stay locked in like that, but we're also really sorry we messed up your sleep schedule! Thank you so, so much for playing the game and for taking the time to provide this sort of feedback. We're really glad we could hit the right balance in the story for you, especially with the nsfw content - we did our best as a team to work out a tone that felt right for the characters and the story we'd made thus far. It's also really touching and uplifting to know you enjoyed the visuals and the artwork!
We unfortunately don't have current plans to revisit this world specifically, not until we really think we have some worthwhile stories to tell. But we're always collaborating, so there will be more from inkethic in future!
This has been one of my favorite games from the Bundle for Racial Justice! The art is amazing, the world-building is fascinating, and I love all of the characters, routes, and endings. Thank you for sharing!
Awh gosh, thank you so much for playing the game! It really means so much that you gave our weird game a chance amongst so many amazing gems in the Bundle, and we're really so glad that you enjoyed it! Thank you for your sweet comments and for supporting the Bundle!
You can't fuck the ant, this game sucks
the bee movie has really changed some of you people smh
Hi, I tried playing this today and I am getting an "uncaught exception" error when I try to save/quick save. Its something about having no valid save locations. Here's a pastebin of the error:
https://pastebin.com/PRWRxPvw
I'm running the game through the itch app on MacOS Mojave 10.14.6.
Hi!
I really do apologise for the trouble with this; it's definitely an intersection of issues between the client, MacOS and the game code. Although we can resolve this, unfortunately it'll take us some time to implement it on account of our ongoing schedules and access to necessary hardware. If it's possible for you to play the game outside of the client until we're able to resolve the problem we'd really appreciate it, otherwise we hope you'll be able to enjoy it once we can get the fix in place!
Thank you so much for letting us know about this issue!
Chose the vore route straight off, while thinking I was avoiding the vore route (not because I didn't want to play it eventually, but just because I thought I'd start in the shallow end of the body horror pool!).
No regrets, it was incredibly adorable and actually ended up playing into a story trope that I really love. I'm looking forward to the next two routes. I love body horror, transformation stories, *and* Ghibli-sweet slice of life, so this VN is right up my alley. Lovely art, too.
We're very glad you're enjoying the game so far, and thank you so much for taking the time to let us know how it's going!
You definitely picked the most direct body horror route, and we're just really glad it was comfortable and enjoyable for you. The game routes diverge a fair bit from each other, so hopefully there'll still be some interesting surprises that you like in the other stories!
I've finished all the routes now, and I enjoyed all of them! I liked the way they all subverted expectations to a degree. Torn between whether Yiestol or Nyargh was my favorite, oddly enough. Would 100% marry Nyargh in reality, even if he *is* a floating fleshball. Incredibly sweet and lovely game all the way around. Thank you for making it!
I liked this game a lot; it's a nice change of pace from the usual dating sims, and pleasingly simple to get into the love interests' routes. I gotta say I fell in love with Nyargh and his bees. Those bees were heckin' cute.
Yiestol looked cool in the last picture, too, and I liked Vil's design.
Hi! I'm so sorry for how delayed this response is, but I wanted to thank you so much for your lovely thoughts and feedback on how you found our game! We're both so glad you enjoyed the story (and the bees!) and that we could present something that felt different for you!
Thank you so much for giving our game a look, and for taking the extra time to comment! It really means so much to us.
This was such a fun game! I absolutely ADORED all the art and the worldbuilding felt so creative and interesting! All three of the monsters were really fascinating in their own ways, and I enjoyed all three routes immensely - even Yiestol's, which I was initially a bit unsure about! Nyargh's route was probably my favourite though... It's just so cosy and lovely! I truly love the way this game embraces weirdness wholeheartedly. Thank you for making such a beautiful game!
Gosh, this is such a kind comment, having our weird game called beautiful is such incredibly high praise... We're both really touched and happy that you enjoyed our work on it! Thank you so much for giving the game a try and even braving a route that might have otherwise been daunting. We're so glad you enjoyed it!
Also please forgive how late this reply is! I'm the one who handles the social media, so I can only apologise for my sluggishness!
I just finished my first play through and damn,,, I did not expect this game to make me as soft as it did. You all did a wonderful job writing the characters and exploring the world. It's strange but it makes sense and is beautiful in it's own way!
One criticism I have is that there's a couple of typos/grammatical errors in Brattan's route! They're not a big deal it was just something I noticed.
Overall this is one of my new favorite VNs! I'll definitely be coming back to this title in the near future <3
Aw gosh, we're both really grateful for your lovely comment, and we're really glad you enjoyed the game! Hearing that you think so highly of it really means more than we could possibly say.
We apologise for the typos! We do have a fix in the works for several things that should also repair that, but we've been set back by various challenges this year. We hope we can address it in future!
Thank you so much for playing our game!
when i saw the content warnings, i was expecting something horrific, but this was nothing but sweet. it was fun to get to know such a strange world from characters who find it completely normal.
We're really so glad you enjoyed it! We definitely wanted the world to feel familiar and comfortable in its own way, even if it's a very different society to ours, and we're really glad to hear that it was a fun experience! Thank you for playing our game!
i really really REALLY enjoyed this... the writing is amazing, the art, the world, you feel a part of it very quickly through the natural interactions and simple explanations. The horror elements are handled so elegantly, things don't have to be nightmare fuel /jumpscares/ or super horrible imagery to be constantly upsetting. I read the warnings and though im not into vore, the second i saw yistol's teeth i knew it was that path, and i was gonna go there regardless xDDD overall, i really loved everything, good work!!!
Thank you so much for your incredibly kind comment! Throughout we hoped we could stay true to billing the game as something that felt comfortable to play and make something eerie without trying to manipulate or frighten the player, so hearing this sort of thing really means a lot to us.
Thank you for giving the game a chance, especially given the vore warnings! We're really happy you still found it worthwhile and palatable!
(This is my first comment, so this may be read weird.) The story telling was INCREDIBLE and the character design? Perfect! I am so lucky to find this accidentally! This is my first dating sim I've ever played, and I'm sure that all the others will have a much higher standards to reach now! If you guys will ever make another game like this I will 100% play it! My only complaint is the fact we couldn't choose our name or gender, but thats a silly complaint in general compared to how amazing this was! This is an easy 5 stars, and can't wait to see what else this teams make!
Awh gosh, thank you for making us the recipient of your first comment! And thank you also for taking the time to tell us about your experience of the game. We're really, really thrilled you enjoyed it and had an overall positive experience with it as your first dating sim. Hearing that the story could live up to expectations is really high praise for us, and saying that we set any kind of bar is so kind and really touching. Thank you so much!
We have hopes to develop more games in the future, so hopefully we can make something that will interest you! We'll definitely take your comments on board for future developments!
OMG! I loved it so much!!!!!!!!!!! the art style is amazing and the writing is even better!!!!!!!!!! ahhhh i cannot express how much i loved this, not only were the designs for the LI's amazing but for Vil as well! At first i thought we wouldn't see our self but it was a pleasant surprise! Personally my only problem was reading, but that's because of my own issues, i loved the LI's a lot and i hope i get to see more of your work if other are made! Best wishes!!!
Hi there! I'm really so sorry for how long it's taken me to reply to this, but I wanted to thank you so much for your sweet and kind praise for our game! We're both really happy and flattered that you enjoyed both the art and the writing, and that you were happy with Vil's reveal! We knew we might be taking a risk with making a design people might not like, so it's always really great if it works for someone.
If you don't mind elaborating, we'd absolutely welcome any feedback on how we can make our writing more readable/accessible for you in future games! Please feel free to leave us a comment or message us here, on Tumblr or on Twitter, and we'd be grateful to hear from you.
this was awesome, im glad i took a chance on it! i didn't expect such a detailed, highly realised game or setting. the little portraits of random customers were so cool and not something most games bother with.
the writing was great, and the characters all endearing in v different ways which i wasn't really expecting; i was anticipating that id have a hard time liking or connecting to nyargh since he looks so inhuman but i immediately was charmed by him! the characters and their problems felt very human(ha) and realistic despite the outlandish setting, but despite that both them and the setting also didn't feel like just typical humans or your average setting; the otherworldly monstrosity stuff felt well integrated into the story and the characters and like an asset, not an afterthought. i kinda got some magical realism vibes from the whole thing!
a really small thing i noticed but was impressed by, you handled having a gender neutral protag really well! most of the time i find in dating sims or the like, a gender neutral protag (as in where the mc's gender/sex isnt referred to, not cases where u have the option to pick ungendered pronouns or wev) is used for the sake of ease or laziness and is executed awkwardly and sticks out, and (though this prob only is smth that bothers or is felt by me lol) instead of making the game inclusive/queer/lgbt/etc, basically eliminates the possibility of a portrayal of same sex/gay relationships. here i felt no awkwardness, it was very unobtrusive - perhaps because Vil already knows the characters that we meet, there were no awkward moments of 'if they aren't assuming the MCs gender from their appearance/gendering me why am i gendering them from it?' etc, or references that only make sense when you assume Vil is a specific gender.
even though we're introduced to the characters midway through their relationship with Vil vs meeting and getting to know them as the MC does, the writing is great at getting across the characters individual personality and relationship with Vil quickly without hitting you over the head with exposition. by the time i got to the honey shop i felt settled into the rhythms of Vil's life, and felt a warm sense of familiarity towards their job and the characters.
really great game, it was enjoyable and interesting! better than many paid ones.
Gosh, I'm so sorry for how long it took us to reply to this, but this is such a wonderful, in-depth and kind review, and we're both so grateful and flattered by your kind thoughts! Thank you so much for taking the time to talk about the things that worked for you, especially because these are the sorts of details that really help us both as we proceed into new projects!
It's really wonderful to hear that the writing for the world and characters worked for you and was easy to relate to. Although they live in a society with very different rules, to a certain extent we hoped the monsters would also be living quite quiet, everyday lives with fairly everyday and understandable worries.
We're really glad to hear that the writing for Vil worked, too! You're probably right that that has to do with the characters already knowing them. Since the game is also written entirely in first person and all the characters address Vil on a one-on-one basis, it was possible to avoid third person pronouns entirely without making it stick out too much. In some ways the decision was easier than trying to assign a gender to Vil, since it wouldn't have had too much bearing on any of the writing in the end. Given the sort of game we wanted to make, we're really glad if it makes the story feel inviting to any reader and their own approach to who Vil is.
Thank you so much for taking the time and giving our game a go, we're really thankful for your comments and your time!
hi i found this randomly (because i love horror dating sims) and i absolutely adore this game. the writing was simply beautiful, to put it lightly, and the characters were just wonderful. everything about this felt very real and soft and comforting and i sincerely thank you for releasing this for the world to enjoy, because i'm definitely going to be replaying it time and time again. yiestol is by far my favorite, so an extra special thank you for him!
i wish you so much luck on any future ventures you choose to take (if any at all) and just know that you have my full support on any of them. <3
Hi there! I'm so sorry for how long it's taken us to reply, but I wanted to thank you so much for this lovely review. I'm so glad we could create a game that could bring some comfort and replay value for you! That's especially high praise for a visual novel type game. Thank you so much for giving our game a chance and for taking the time to comment to us!
We're currently formulating plans for our next game, so we hope we can share something interesting in the future!
someone just happened to recommend this on Reddit and clicking the link was the best decision that my lineage ever made.
Oh wow! We're so flattered and happy that it was promoted on Reddit, and thank you so much for giving our game a try based on that! Word of mouth is the only way we get around at all, so hearing that is really thrilling for us!
We're so glad you enjoyed our game and thank you for the comment!
Oh my gosh, this is truly up my alley in every possible way. I love how good the writing was to really establish the world right off the bat in such an immersive way, all of the monster designs were honestly top tier, the routes were all so compelling in their own ways and you bet i cried for like half an hour at the end of each route (ESPECIALLY Yiestol). Thank you so much for filling this niche that was sorely, sorely needed and for doing it in such a fantastic, enjoyable, and fun way!
(also the Boss mentioning his partners made my little polyamorous heart warm and fuzzy)
Thank you so, so much for this kind review -- it's so wonderful that you enjoyed our game, and we're so grateful for your kind praise! If we could fill a niche and do justice to this sort of subject matter, we couldn't ask for anything better!
And we're very glad that the Boss's love life could speak to something personal for you. We really hoped to reflect the importance and sincerity of all kinds of relationships within our story. c:
As others that played this game, my expectations were blown away after playing the game. I expected it to be more shallow I guess? and for it to feel kinda like a parody. But I was surprised to see the depth that each character has and even the depth of the world itself. I definitely didn't expect the game to be so... cozy? gentle? in dealing with topics that are otherwise pretty gross and horrid.
Yeah, you guys did really well selling this pretty horrifying world that I almost forgot about the "food"... and the fleshfield... and the "ambient smell"... etc.
Also, I was surprised to find that the character I found to be most outlandish was the one with the most normal route. I was kinda scared that something might happen at the end and "jump" at me, but no it was very sweet.
Looking forward to seeing more of you monstrous creations!
We're really glad you enjoyed it -- thank you so much for giving it a go and for the incredibly kind feedback! It's really great to hear that it surpassed expectations for you!
We definitely knew we weren't going to try and make the game scary/shocking for the player -- not that there's anything wrong with a twist or a jump scare in the right game! We hoped in the end that we could just make a sincere story with a setting and characters that could be satisfying for the player, even if they might have a world or nature that's harder to relate to. We're just really happy if that's the experience you had.
And we really appreciate the interest! We're currently in early stages of discussing our next project, which will properly get underway next year. :) Thank you so much for sticking with us!
love love love this, played it like six times and i'm forcing my friends to download it as well
HAHAHAH Thank you so much, both for giving our game so much of your time and for helping to share it! We really hope your friends can enjoy it too!
Wow... This really blew away my expectations. As someone who's a big fan of monster characters that are more than just humans with different skin colors or horns on their head i was immediately drawn to the art on your store page, but i was drawn in more than i could ever have expected when i started playing. The world and characters you've created are really breathtaking and fills a niche i've desperately wanted more content of. My first, and most memorable, path was Yiestol since i have a soft spot for cute monsters with exoskeletons :) While the ending scenes were a bit more... intense than what i'm used to it was still kind of sweet.
I hope you continue to work within the universe you've created, and i'm eagerly awaiting whatever you create next!
(Also the thank-you booklet was a nice touch!)
Aw gosh, we're really thrilled the game could work for you, especially considering Yiestol's route is one of the more challenging ones to sell. Thank you so much for giving it a chance and we're really glad you could enjoy the meaty MITF world!
And we're glad you could enjoy the designs too. We love really abstract non-human monsters, and since we didn't see much of that niche out there in visnovels, indulging ourselves was a no-brainer. We didn't really know if there was any audience out there so we're both incredibly flattered and thrilled to bits that the monsterfuckers came out of the woodwork. :^)
Wow! I've never been as immersed with a game as I have with this one. I was so sad when it finished (especially with Brattan's route, my favorite omggg), I was left wanting more! Would you ever consider making a continuation or will you continue making games that fall into this realm? Thank you so much for this gem of a game!
Thank you so much for the lovely compliments! We're so glad you enjoyed the game and that you enjoyed Brattan's route, it's always so wonderful to hear that someone enjoyed our lil' project! :^)
We don't have plans to continue MITF at this time, but we absolutely do have plans for games in a similar strain! We're in early talks about our next project, so hopefully we'll be able to get some news out there early next year. Thank you so much for the interest and for giving our game a go, it really means so much to us!!
The worldbuilding in this is incredible. Really, really fantastic work.
Thank you so, so much for your high praise! We're so glad the game's world felt immersive and that you enjoyed it -- it really does mean so much to both of us to hear that.
Gah! Ok, so I'm a wimp. I faint at the sight of blood, have a bad reaction to even the thought of bad tastes or smells.... So... the reason I downloaded this was definitely just a boatload of curiosity.
Definitely glad I did!
Of COURSE the first route I pick turns out to be the vore one. Because of course it is. And I'm shamefully curious to know if the whole game's aesthetic is something people are... into? Because despite the packaging, the whole thing was just so... otome. XD So I'm pretty curious to know why the aesthetic is enjoyed, how that interacts with the otome aspect, etc. (I'm sure it'll be different for different people, but still! :O )
Also curious to know- did you have hopes of inspiring people with such curiosity, perhaps even empathy? Did you have any larger goals besides delivering an awesome game?
I've got a lot of curiosity. >>
Anyway, thanks! This was really adorable. Perhaps unsurprisingly, I'm a Nyargh fan. <3
Aah gosh, we're certainly not the easiest game to stomach if you're averse to blood, so thank you for giving us a chance!
As for the appeal of the game, we can't definitely speak for what others want! However, there's been a general trend of monster suitors in media these days, and we also noticed some people wanting to court characters that are a bit more monstrous than the usual werewolves, vampires, zombies, humanoids, etc.
We've both always been interested in horror-leaning elements like monsters, body horror, and creepy atmospheres, as well as dabbling in visual novels here and there. So when we saw a demand that we might be able to fulfill, and that we were both interested in, we figured it would be worth a shot. Though we did have that prospective audience in mind as we started creating Meeting in the Flesh, it was ultimately a project exploring our personal interests and fascinations.
In a similar vein, we just wanted to create characters that were sincere and had relatable motivations, despite the unusual setting. We're glad if we made something that connects with people in that level - it was fundamental to the game design that the monsters were relatable, with their own everyday dreams, motivations and problems.
This is a great game! I'm usually not into romance games unironically, but this one blew me away. The worldbuilding is where this game shines, and the story makes great use of the things established to form unique bonds between the characters. I think the best point this game makes is that looks don't matter. The world felt weird and unsettling at first, but the more I got to know the residents of the city, the more I fell in love with it. Even though much of the story feels like wish fulfillment, I can't say it bothered me. It never took away from the characters' personalities, and the protagonist didn't have a "plot black hole effect" that so many visual novel protagonists tend to have. Everyone was very wholesome and it's a really good game for when you just want to wrap up in a blanket with a cup of tea and get the feels.
(also, I'm glad I turned on mature content! The scenes felt really sweet, and weren't as graphic as I expected them to be)
I don't like to judge a game by it's visuals, because the story is what primarily matters to me, but I have to say, the art was absolutely stunning. The character designs were all interesting and different, and the background art was amazing.
Yiestol's route is definetely my favourite, second is Nyargh's (and the message about prejudice is great with this one! also, fuzzy bee bois), and last is Brattan (his route was fun, but I always had a feeling of "okay, I guess??" going through it. I think his personality just isn't my type)
I recommend it 100%, great work!
Thank you so much for the kind comment! We were always aiming for a soft contrast between the city's grotesque aspects and its softer, more wholesome core, so we're very glad that it reads as a coherent and pleasant package!
(As for the mature scenes, we're very glad they didn't come across as overbearing! There's a general shortage of games that go all the way with romance scenes, but we also thought being too lurid would take away from the emotional cores. We're really pleased if we've managed to hit a reasonable balance!)
Wow, this is a great game! The worldbuilding especially blew me away; I think this game has the best worldbuilding I've ever seen in something of its length. I really enjoyed the little details like the earthwhale and the punishment salt that had nothing to do with the romance but made the world feel more like a living, breathing place.
The protagonist was delightful. She's optimistic and emotionally literate and kind without falling too much into the generic otome protagonist trope. And like the rest of the characters, she's a great blend of monstrous-yet-relatable, rushing not to be late to work one moment and thinking of blood salt as a delicacy the next. Thank you for writing this game and releasing it for free, it was a really memorable experience!
Thank you so much for this really kind comment, and for giving our game a try!
We're both glad you enjoyed the game's worldbuilding, and particularly that Vil as a character felt relatable while still being a character in their own right. It definitely mattered to us that playing them didn't feel frustrating and that they said things the player might want to say, so we're really glad if we managed that at all. :)
thank you sO much for making this game?? it literally felt like unwrapping presents during the holidays with how much it kept surprising and delighting me- i can't wait to see what yall come up with next !
(p.s. i wrote up a small review (over here) if you're interested !)
!! We're so happy you enjoyed the game, and thank you so much for this review! It's extremely kind and also really balanced feedback -- and a masterclass in puns, it'd be such a joy to read even if we weren't the creators :^)
We really appreciate the time you spent playing this game and for reviewing us! Word of mouth is the only way we get around, so this is really flattering and support we're incredibly grateful for.
i absolutely love this game, and i'm totally obsessed with yiestol! i did his route first and had a hard time not automatically doing it again when i played through for the other routes. it was almost instinctive to just fall into him all over again, haha. this game kicked my depression out the window for a little bit with fuzzy bee goodness that squeezed my heart and a writing style that kept me captivated until it was early morning hours! ❤ i'm so glad i accidentally stumbled upon this ❤ ❤ i'll probably be replaying it for a long time to come! thank you for this wonderful game!
Aw gosh, honestly, thank you so much for this! Your praise is so immensely kind! We're both so happy you enjoyed Yiestol and that playing our game was enjoyable for you; that's all we really made it for. Thank you so much for taking the time to write to us and brighten our day too! It really means a lot to us.
i luv it!!!! the world building in this game is so unique and interesting that i found myself being completely enamoured with it. even if the romance were completely exempt from this game i think i would still adore it all the same! that being said each route is so lovely and the endings really stick with you! nyargh was my fav from the beginning and after playing through all the routes i think his route was my fave as well!! but each character is so lovable and interesting!
Thank you so much for playing our game! Gosh, this is such a kind review! We're just really glad you enjoyed the experience, and we're really happy we could deliver something that will hopefully be memorable. Thank you so much for taking the time to try out our game, and for letting us know what you thought of it! :)
Nyargh is such a sweetheart? I love him so much! Initially I didn't really want to play his route since I couldn't even understand what his body was supposed to be (it put me off, lol), but after playing it, I adored him the most. Of course Yiestol and Brattan are sweethearts too, but Nyragh has a special place in my heart.
Hi maason! Thank you so much for trying our game and especially for giving Nyargh a chance! We're so glad that his story paid off for you, and that you had a good experience overall!
Nyargh was a great route to work on, but even we weren't entirely sure whether it would be too hard a sell. It's just really uplifting that people are willing to give it a go and see what's there. :)
We're really grateful you took the time to share your experience and feedback, hearing this sort of thing not only means a lot to us, it's really useful for the future!
This was so different from anything I've played before, and I really enjoyed it!
The backgrounds and character art are really well done and consistent with the setting, and all of the routes are well written. I liked that all of the characters and their storylines are so different from one another, but they were all still nice to and cared about Vil.
The routes felt a lot more complex and deeper than I thought they'd be and I was thinking about the first route I played (Yiestol) for a while after I finished playing.
Thank you for making this and sharing it!
Oh, thank you so much! We're really glad you enjoyed it, and hearing that it was a unique experience for you is really special, high praise. We're really glad that all the routes had something of interest! We hoped we could offer stories that could take full advantage of the open setting and the different ways these monsters all live, so we 're just happy if any of that intention made it into the finished product.
Thank you so much for trying out our game and taking the time to let us know how it went for you, feedback is everything to us with this being our first game! :D
this was adorable and I recced it to my friends
I love all the love interests, I can't choose a fave
Thank you so much for the sweet message! We're really glad you liked it enough to share it with your friends, and we're really happy you found something to like in all the suitors. o/
My fave Brattan was everything I thought he would be, with an entirely unexpected story, Yiestol gave me a bit of a surprise (cant say cuz of spoilers)- but Nyargh was an utterly delightful surprise, and honestly my favourite route just from how cosy, fluffy and nice it was. Kudos for the lovely little game! And a really well done making this game suitably unsettling and disturbing but still lovely and fluffy!
Thank you so much! We're so glad Brattan didn't disappoint, and we're thrilled to hear that Nyargh came as a pleasant surprise, that's so wonderful! With sending the characters off in wildly different routes we did worry a bit about how hard the sell would be on some of them, so we're just super glad if nothing was too much of a deterrent and that you enjoyed the game as a whole! Thank you so much for playing and for your kind compliments, it really means a lot to us to hear. ❤
Absolutely loved the game, the amount of effortless world building you guys managed to pull off in a short amount of time without it feeling overbearing or like a textbook is crazy! I really loved the characters and I felt like all three of the romance routes (and the others) were all easy to empathize with and really full of depth. The art was beautiful and really meshed with the story, I especially love how unique the romance-able characters' designs were while still being easy to empathize with. Congrats on release! PS I need one of Nyargh's bees!
Thank you so much squaredprince! We're so glad you enjoyed it, and it's especially really great to hear that the characters felt complete and the world felt immersive for you, because we couldn't hope for sweeter praise. Thank you for the congrats and well-wishes too, if we could send you gift basket bees we absolutely would! :>
Fantastic job, guys. Congratulations on release!
Thank you so much SC, your support and promo-ing our materials throughout has really meant the world to us!
loved the demo & i absolutely love the finished product. although i was motivated entirely by nyarg's design when i chose his path first, it wound up really resonating with me on a personal level & i'm thrilled! all three lads are so unique & wonderful in their own way & i'm so glad this game exists! thank you for making it & i'm very excited for whatever you all wind up making next!
Thank you so much, Kelly! I'm really glad that even beyond Nyargh's design, there was something there that was meaningful to you. That's exactly what we wanted to go for really - monsters with a down-to-earth story, sharing moments together in their creepy world. I'm so glad you enjoyed it, especially because you've been with us from the jump, so it's a great assurance to know we didn't let you down! We're both going to have a sleep and then think about what our future holds next. ❤
I like the look of the characters and it seems like it will be fun but the large text box on the side is rather irritating :/
Hey there! I completely understand that being totally out of the norm for a visual novel; honestly it's a product of necessity because of the prose-heavy format of our game. We'll definitely look at striking a different balance in future games, but I hope you can still enjoy it! If at any time you want to hide the text box and just have a look at the environment, we have a text box hide button in the bottom mini-menu. o/
no no it's just better if the text box is at the bottom because on the side it's very distracting :/ I know it's already finished and you probably just want to relax now but would it be possible in the future to choose to have it on the side or on the bottom?I mean, you don't HAVE to since it's only me that is bothered by it. also are there cg's??
I'm afraid it's probably not very feasible, just because the volume of work required would be really considerable and it may impact all kinds of other aspects of the game's appearance -- character positioning, text display and so on would be very poor without really heavy modifications, more than we can really afford to commit at this time. The conditions of making this game were a bit unique in that way!
I'm sorry for the inconvenience! It may seem like it would be distracting, but while we're a short game, we have a large body of text, written almost in novella format. It's like having a page next to the illustration.
The game does have CGs! There are five or so CGs that occur regardless of branches, and each story branch has 3 unique CGs each. The PG-13 scenes and the R scenes are roughly the same, though the PG-13 CGs are edited into a more tasteful form, with less suggestive imagery. :)
ah yes I understand like I said I can't expect someone to change an entire game xD and yay am happy there are cg's :D I really like the art style of the characters
Loved the game, its so satisfying to see a completely diffent and original universe! And Yiestol is just way too pretty, i never thought i'd see a "monster"that looks so much like a model.
ps: fluffy bees is such wholesome content.
Aw gosh, thank you so much for the kind compliments laiscorb! We're so sorry it took so long to get back to you, but we're really glad you enjoyed it so far and approve of Yiestol! It's always really exciting for us when someone has a favourite monster. :}
We have a planned release in early 2019 for the full game, so we hope you'll enjoy the complete version with us then!