This game has been on my radar after playing Wishbleed. I was looking for more stories about mothers and daughters and this caught my eye. So it was a funny coincidence when you mentioned Wishbleed in Kastel's article. I don't want to make this review a comparison between Wishbleed so the last thing I'll say is that I think you succeeded in forming a literary community by drawing from your influences and creating something.
The atmosphere is really nice. All of the backgrounds being monochrome add to the winter setting, and how colorful the characters are (in design and personality) highlights how oppressive the setting is while showing how much joy Char and Noel bring each other. They love each other very much and its a bond born from being mother and daughter. The scene where Noel comforts Char when she's depressed from being isolated was one of many highlights in a great game. Noel criticizing how society ostracizes women who don't fit in with what's normal, drawing the connection between being disabled and being a lesbian, came from a deep and personal place. They give each other unconditional love, and as the description states they've known each other their entire lives. They give each other what society and other people have denied them. Noel well and truly treasures Char, and the scene where Noel tells Char about her conception to let her know that she loves Char with all her heart and doesn't regret having her was heart-wrenchingly beautiful. The pain and rejection Noel endured and the way Char was able to empathize with that as her daughter. That's how strong their bond is. Beautiful game!
Charlotte and Noel's struggle and yearning feel so real and... raw(?) for lack of a better word. The pity, the self-deprecation, even the awkwardness of their first time... are exquisitely balanced out by their passion and devotion for each other. It's kind of on me since I read the comphet as tragedy rather than horror, but I almost wish Charlotte wouldn't reciprocate Noel's feelings at first, so we can see first hand how someone with full control over all aspects of their target's life (and a strong neediness streak) would react to rejection, but I understand it's not that kind of game. Though some part of me wished the game to be longer, I still love it for what it is. That ending monologue is indeed sobering.
Such a pure and incorruptible love. So fragile in the hostile nature, not just human society, but universe itself, and this is why it is so precious and needs to be preserved at all costs.
I feel it resonates within story - how Noel and Char are trying to connect to each other across that abyss of chaos and destructivness of reality, to create something truly meaningful and harmonic.
Across the story and specifically closer to end I am so happy for Noel and Char, so much that I cried 3 times, thanks to amazing writing and music. But art is doing the most lifting here, so innocent, even in hot moments it is purest.
I don't hold the point that art should explain something, to teach or show moral, for me it is about emotion and human connections - it is more than enough. And this novel is just purest gold vein.
This is very rare piece of art. I am glad I eventually found it. Thank you all so much for creating it. Maybe I sound dramatic, but such things are transcendental to me, yuri specifically, they give meaning to life, not just my life, but the entire concept of life, against all misfortunes and dark moments in the world - this is the light.
I think this game has done a great job in exploring how the agencies of women are denied in the patriarchal status quo. The yearning between mother and daughter feels real to me. They find in each other the things they need to keep on living, and I think that’s wonderful.
Great game. It’s so cool to see how much you’ve improved in a short span of time.
From the moment when Char says that she wanted to put her mom's finger in her mouth, it was clear the dynamic that was going to be present in the game.
I do find the premise intriguing, the desire for normality while disabled, the complicated layers of the characters happening here, and clearly so from very early on. The characterization is very strong, and so is the writing of the yearning and desire, both the kinds that Char has yet to fully understand, and the kinds that her mom understands very well.
I appreciate the buildup of the yearning, the tension, the fear, as both characters grapple with their desires in different ways.
And then I ended up not making any notes between that point from fairly early on in the story, to the end. All of the different elements come together excellently in this game - from the writing to the art to the music. Beyond that, the story itself is written very well and covers a wide range of emotions. Pain, guilt, shame, sadness, longing, and love, all blended together in this relationship that Char and Noel worry might be wrong, might hurt the other, but which ends on notes of pure joy and happiness. I think that this VN really gets into some of those complicated feelings, but I feel like the relationship presented here is one that is able to work the way it does because of the reliance the characters have on each other due to Charlotte's disability. It's much easier to forego thoughts of a normal life if it was something Char had already been locked out of - and that's the angle the VN leans into.
Overall, I just think this VN was excellently done.
I really liked this one. I was totally enraptured from the first moment until the last. The art and music were great and fitting, this game was written the exact sort of way I love to see a story like this pulled off.
The writing hits a great balance of things being uncomfortable and intimate and also sweet and fluffy. Noel’s great, I love her. I love the way both Noel and her daughter are alienated from others in different yet similar ways. I really liked the ending too.
I’ll also echo another commenter here in that I enjoyed how the “horror” aspect came from comphet rather than the kink.
Perverts in control. Trust the plan. The scenario has the perfect mix of awkwardness and tenderness, discomfort and comfort. The prose is lovely. Visuals, and music were both good.
I especially liked the note that the game ends on, which is a bit hard to talk about without spoiling, but I think it rounds out the game's atmosphere really well. The future might not be rosy, but that's no reason not to try to enjoy what happiness you have now. I do wish there were a bit more "traditional" horror to the scenario.
On second thought though, I do appreciate the game's kink not being played up for, or like, presented as its horror component. It would be such a low hanging fruit. idk, maybe this makes it more horrific in a way to some people. But there is clearly horror in the scenario, it's just that it's, well... men
I think for me something I wanted to go for was how "horrorific" the situation/game was would depend on individual's perspectives. But also yes comphet is awful and miserable and can really fuck over your life.
for me, after i finished it, i remembered something about myself. there was a time when my connection to my mother, as another queer person especially, was something that i felt defined me. to this day i say she is the reason i know what love is. i still mourn how i know, even if she understands how her husband is hurting her, even if i can hear it in the things she almost says, that she can’t leave it behind right now.
as unfortunate as it is that women like noel are hurt by men like that, i’m glad she had the opportunity to raise char properly without it being passed on to her, too. without his touch creeping into her own hands, voice, gaze. i’m glad she was able to express that hurt properly. it’s nice to see a glimpse of what could have been. your character writing is lovely.
aww noel is so cute shes the best mom ever. i found this to be a really sweet and charming story. really pretty. everything from the art to the music. well done and thank you for sharing it
← Return to game
Comments
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
Thank you for writing this, I wish loving parents were real.
=) loved it
This made me cry. The scenes about disability hit really, really hard, and as a certified daughtercon, the romance was adorable=.
I really really love this game, thank you for making it
This game has been on my radar after playing Wishbleed. I was looking for more stories about mothers and daughters and this caught my eye. So it was a funny coincidence when you mentioned Wishbleed in Kastel's article. I don't want to make this review a comparison between Wishbleed so the last thing I'll say is that I think you succeeded in forming a literary community by drawing from your influences and creating something.
The atmosphere is really nice. All of the backgrounds being monochrome add to the winter setting, and how colorful the characters are (in design and personality) highlights how oppressive the setting is while showing how much joy Char and Noel bring each other. They love each other very much and its a bond born from being mother and daughter. The scene where Noel comforts Char when she's depressed from being isolated was one of many highlights in a great game. Noel criticizing how society ostracizes women who don't fit in with what's normal, drawing the connection between being disabled and being a lesbian, came from a deep and personal place. They give each other unconditional love, and as the description states they've known each other their entire lives. They give each other what society and other people have denied them. Noel well and truly treasures Char, and the scene where Noel tells Char about her conception to let her know that she loves Char with all her heart and doesn't regret having her was heart-wrenchingly beautiful. The pain and rejection Noel endured and the way Char was able to empathize with that as her daughter. That's how strong their bond is. Beautiful game!
I love mother daughter yuri. Do you perhaps have more recommendations? or at least anything that would scratch a similar familial issue ridden itch?
Charlotte and Noel's struggle and yearning feel so real and... raw(?) for lack of a better word. The pity, the self-deprecation, even the awkwardness of their first time... are exquisitely balanced out by their passion and devotion for each other. It's kind of on me since I read the comphet as tragedy rather than horror, but I almost wish Charlotte wouldn't reciprocate Noel's feelings at first, so we can see first hand how someone with full control over all aspects of their target's life (and a strong neediness streak) would react to rejection, but I understand it's not that kind of game. Though some part of me wished the game to be longer, I still love it for what it is. That ending monologue is indeed sobering.
Such a pure and incorruptible love. So fragile in the hostile nature, not just human society, but universe itself, and this is why it is so precious and needs to be preserved at all costs.
I feel it resonates within story - how Noel and Char are trying to connect to each other across that abyss of chaos and destructivness of reality, to create something truly meaningful and harmonic.
Across the story and specifically closer to end I am so happy for Noel and Char, so much that I cried 3 times, thanks to amazing writing and music. But art is doing the most lifting here, so innocent, even in hot moments it is purest.
I don't hold the point that art should explain something, to teach or show moral, for me it is about emotion and human connections - it is more than enough. And this novel is just purest gold vein.
This is very rare piece of art. I am glad I eventually found it. Thank you all so much for creating it. Maybe I sound dramatic, but such things are transcendental to me, yuri specifically, they give meaning to life, not just my life, but the entire concept of life, against all misfortunes and dark moments in the world - this is the light.
I think this game has done a great job in exploring how the agencies of women are denied in the patriarchal status quo. The yearning between mother and daughter feels real to me. They find in each other the things they need to keep on living, and I think that’s wonderful.
Great game. It’s so cool to see how much you’ve improved in a short span of time.
From the moment when Char says that she wanted to put her mom's finger in her mouth, it was clear the dynamic that was going to be present in the game.
I do find the premise intriguing, the desire for normality while disabled, the complicated layers of the characters happening here, and clearly so from very early on. The characterization is very strong, and so is the writing of the yearning and desire, both the kinds that Char has yet to fully understand, and the kinds that her mom understands very well.
I appreciate the buildup of the yearning, the tension, the fear, as both characters grapple with their desires in different ways.
And then I ended up not making any notes between that point from fairly early on in the story, to the end. All of the different elements come together excellently in this game - from the writing to the art to the music. Beyond that, the story itself is written very well and covers a wide range of emotions. Pain, guilt, shame, sadness, longing, and love, all blended together in this relationship that Char and Noel worry might be wrong, might hurt the other, but which ends on notes of pure joy and happiness. I think that this VN really gets into some of those complicated feelings, but I feel like the relationship presented here is one that is able to work the way it does because of the reliance the characters have on each other due to Charlotte's disability. It's much easier to forego thoughts of a normal life if it was something Char had already been locked out of - and that's the angle the VN leans into.
Overall, I just think this VN was excellently done.
Thank you so much for your thoughts! Very glad you enjoyed it.
Thank you very much! Glad you enjoyed
Thank you for reading! I shall leave Char and Noel's future for you to imagine
I really liked this one. I was totally enraptured from the first moment until the last. The art and music were great and fitting, this game was written the exact sort of way I love to see a story like this pulled off.
The writing hits a great balance of things being uncomfortable and intimate and also sweet and fluffy. Noel’s great, I love her. I love the way both Noel and her daughter are alienated from others in different yet similar ways. I really liked the ending too.
I’ll also echo another commenter here in that I enjoyed how the “horror” aspect came from comphet rather than the kink.
Thank you so much!! Very glad you enjoyed it
Perverts in control. Trust the plan. The scenario has the perfect mix of awkwardness and tenderness, discomfort and comfort. The prose is lovely. Visuals, and music were both good.
I especially liked the note that the game ends on, which is a bit hard to talk about without spoiling, but I think it rounds out the game's atmosphere really well. The future might not be rosy, but that's no reason not to try to enjoy what happiness you have now. I do wish there were a bit more "traditional" horror to the scenario.
On second thought though, I do appreciate the game's kink not being played up for, or like, presented as its horror component. It would be such a low hanging fruit. idk, maybe this makes it more horrific in a way to some people. But there is clearly horror in the scenario, it's just that it's, well... men
I think for me something I wanted to go for was how "horrorific" the situation/game was would depend on individual's perspectives. But also yes comphet is awful and miserable and can really fuck over your life.
my sister and i loved this.
for me, after i finished it, i remembered something about myself. there was a time when my connection to my mother, as another queer person especially, was something that i felt defined me. to this day i say she is the reason i know what love is. i still mourn how i know, even if she understands how her husband is hurting her, even if i can hear it in the things she almost says, that she can’t leave it behind right now.
as unfortunate as it is that women like noel are hurt by men like that, i’m glad she had the opportunity to raise char properly without it being passed on to her, too. without his touch creeping into her own hands, voice, gaze. i’m glad she was able to express that hurt properly. it’s nice to see a glimpse of what could have been. your character writing is lovely.
The fact that the game resonated with someone who has adjacent experiences is very nice to hear.
This was a very fun read
Thanks for reading!
aww noel is so cute shes the best mom ever. i found this to be a really sweet and charming story. really pretty. everything from the art to the music. well done and thank you for sharing it
I really fell in love with Noel while writing. Very glad you enjoyed.