At the beginning it starts a bit slow, but as it progresses it gets much better and the plot hooks you in, the ending is really good. I liked it a lot xd
Hey I just want to say that this game is great. The endings are genuinely emotionally compelling. I randomly just played this game at 2 am and was like completely captivated. Just wanted to say that what you made here is amazing.
I am not gonna lie I've been playing android VN and i couldn't find one that have a great story only cringe romance but this game is perfect i naver played a VN and be like this it was a legendary experience but the i was a little sad in the ending because i was waiting for him to wake up and find the girl is real and she came or something but it's good end and i loved the game so thx for the experience
If only Hijiri knew she had another fan... Just kidding. This VN is very different from All The Words She Wrote (obviously!). In fact, Ayumu's tale felt like a total opposite of the (mostly) sweet and funny story of Mayo. It's much darker and the atmosphere and the feeling of uneasiness reminds me of Lynne. The visual designs are very interesting. I liked the old school aesthetics a lot.
great experience honestly its a nice touch having the whole wake up button as the end really drives the point home, it is a little annoying since I'm a bit of a completionist and also tend to go for the worst ending first so i got that ending rather quickly and i cant really see the rest but besides that its a really cool game
There is a way to reset your data so you can experience all the endings, but you need to delete some of your game files to get it to work. I think I've told a few people how to go about it in the comments section already, if you're curious and you want to give it a try.
In any case, thank you for your kind comments; I'm glad you enjoyed the VN!
Great game I loved the ending I got. Is there any way you could make it easier to restart from an earlier save because I can't find where or how to change it {I use winrar}. Great game tho but a shame I cant figure out how to revert the game to an earlier save
no clue if i've ended the game or something of the sort but everytime i click "wake up" the game just abruptly quits. am i just dumb? but over all i did enjoy playing this game so much and i was so proud of ayumu when he decided that he was going to go back and fight! it definitely gave me enough courage to take on my problems <3
That's how the game is meant to be, yes! I wanted the true ending to feel very 'final', so you don't have the option to go back to sleep again (unless you tamper with the game's external files, that is). It might be a bit of a nuisance for people who want to replay the VN and read all of the endings though, haha ;;
This simulation is good to scratch the "I want a girlfriend" itch. :3
Also, I can relate to the protag. Life is ridiculously hard.
I liked the story, although I came in expecting something else to happen. I was surprised by one of the endings.
(Sorry if my review is pathetic. I'm tired and depressed. Retail work at the moment is draining and stressful. I feel like I'm being forced into things I don't want to do).
I don't think your review is pathetic at al! Thank you very much for taking the time to leave a comment; it really is appreciated!
I hope your situation improves and you feel less tired and depressed in the future! Maybe reading some happier VNs would help, GF Sim is kind of grim haha ;;;
This was such an oppressive read and so effective… It was really really disquieting and aesthetically so perfect (Sleepy Agents’ work was so perfect for this!). The liminal space chase sequence towards the end was honestly perfect and the final confrontation was really good.
And despite the very grim subject matter, I enjoyed how much heart and compassion there was in this; thank you for making this entry!!
I loved this game. The plot and the characters are very well written and the endings are all unique and thought provoking. It portrays the harms of excessive escapism very terrifyingly. The atmosphere from the start of the dream gave me a sense of anxiety/ feeling something is not quite right here. I will definitely be playing your other VNs. Thanks for reading this.
This is such an amazing story! I especially loved all the detail, like how the water spilled out of the pot and the in depth description of how everything looked and sounded. It was really immersive and wonderful!
Beautiful visual novel! Loved all the subtle elements that really made the game its own. I felt genuinely immersed inside of the characters and the unnerving feeling of Nagi herself, like she's a rag doll that's a little too realistic. The art was also very pleasing to the eye and felt fitting to the whole theme.
I also really loved the ending. I sat there in shock for a minute because of... How shall I describe it? Because of how amazing it was, but amazing is an understatement. Really quite chilling, honestly.
All in all, I really enjoyed playing. Cool game :)
Very suspenseful! This visual novel really nailed an unnerving atmosphere. Here's part 1 of my full playthrough, if anyone's interested:
What I liked was the ambiguity of your relationship with your so-called girlfriend, so it kept you invested in finding out what was truly going on. The visual and audio design also made everything feel slightly off and was a great complement to the story.
The only element that I felt was not to my taste was the few times where a scene was overly described as if it was a book. Like when Nagi's every physical feature was explained in the beginning, even though her clearly drawn sprite is right in front of you! Sometimes it added to the tone of the game if done with purpose, but other times it felt unnecessary to me. But that's just my own subjective preference, I know others would disagree with me.
Anyhow, it's a great horror visual novel! I can see the inspiration from Charon's games, but it definitely has its own twist to it.
Thank you very much for taking the time to leave such a detailed comment, and for making a YT video! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
And yeah, I have a bit of a tendency to over-describe things. The rough draft for this story was about 35k, I trimmed it down to like 23k or thereabouts during editing, since there was a lot of description and internal monologuing which slowed down the pacing. I suppose I could've trimmed things even more, but I'm pretty partial to using Lots And Lots Of Words haha ;;
Thank you for your feedback, in any case; it's appreciated!
i love that you use a lot of words! this brought me back into reading when i was in my reading slump ;-; your habit really helps me tysm <<33 btw did u draw nagi yourself?
Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed it, despite my wordiness haha ;; And no, I didn't draw Nagi myself! The artist is listed under the credits section of the itch.io page!
I LOVED the atmosphere of this, the writing is so so good (not a surprise there, of course!) and the visuals, sound and interface really add another layer of unsettling-ness to the whole experience.
I had a lot of theories about what might be going on, and I was entirely wrong about all of them, but I had a lot of fun guessing!
(Also, I happened to play this while I was a bit unwell which gave a whole extra layer to ‘being’ this character, if you play it with a headache/feeling sick this is an extra trippy experience 😅)
A very ominous / emotional / worrisome / hopeful / fascinating game.
I like the story and the different routes you can go but what I really am missing is who the person is that is like yelling to Ayumu outside of his "dream world", since I was feeling quite empty after the wake up ending due to me wanting more, like Ayumu meeting the supposed person that was like calling to him.
It was a very pleasant ride. I liked the atmosphere and the writing is very good, as expected from you ;) You know how to make the reader empathise with your characters, and that's something I particulary enjoy in your works (in those I read).
I feel confused however, reading the comments: readers are talking about a password but, even if I reached the good ending on my second try, I've never came across the possibility of entering any pasword. Did I miss something?
BTW I recently purchased and read Salome's kiss on steam and I loved it (this could be my favourite vn I've read from you), even if I guessed the twist very early in the novel^^ But I'll try to add a review on steam, here is not the right place).
Sorry for the bad english, I'm still french, and I'm still rusty XD
Hi, thanks for checking it out! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
As for the password, you don't use it anywhere in-game: you use it to unlock a .zip file bundled with the VN which can be found in its project folder (the same folder you have to access to launch the game itself). I hope this helps!
Ah! Thanks! Found it. I didn't notice this file. Interesting. The subversion of the unease meter is clever indeed, and now I know where elf forest comes from (when I was reading GF simulator, I checked the light novel's title and author on the internet to have more informations because I thought it might be a real thing XD). Is All the Words She Wrote a dark story too? I'm not really into fluff, exept if it's deep enough, and not fluff for the sake of fluff, that's why I ask. I was planning to read The Mermaid of Zennor in the near future. See you ;)
Words is a very fluffy and light-hearted story, so if you don't care for that sort of thing it might not be your cup of tea. There is some drama involved, but it's fairly minimal. Tonally it's not at all similar to GF Sim. Mermaid might be more to your tastes, it's more gloomy.
Oh man, this was a good shot of unease into my day! The writing was stellar as always, the presentation really added to the feeling, and I really loved the story it told.
SPOILER
I really love stories ABOUT creating stories, especially when it feels like all you're doing when you write is screaming into an unlistening void, and Ayumu's big motivation for waking up at the end being that he wants to finish the story that he's creating because it matters to him to complete it resonated really well.
I have a soft spot for these kinds of stories too (probably because I write things myself... Adaptation and Barton Fink are some of my favourite movies haha), so it was fun putting this story together. I'm glad it was effective!
Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed it! If you liked GF Sim you might also enjoy Lynne, which is another free VN I released a few years ago with a similar aesthetic. You can find it on my itchio page if you take a look!
This game is really unique with the retro style. The audio is also good as well. It definitely fits the spooky jam since the main character can’t remember much with his “girlfriend” Nagi as support. She’s a bit suspicious, but I only got one ending so far. 10/10
It's unlikely, I don't have the means to make an android port or any particular inclination to do so. If anybody else wants to take a shot at porting it they're more than welcome, though.
The way it's written I immediately feel like I'm there, the music is beautiful & adds to the feeling of unease (I noticed that before I saw the unease meter and I didn't read the game description heh). I LOVE the restricted palette look + pixel art style + UI and the combination of SFX to feel like a 90s game, the slowly but relentlessly unfurling horror and haunting atmosphere... she is genuinely scary. It is so immersive I started hoping she would go away for a moment so the MC could think and get his bearings and when she finally did I was like 'yes!'
Poor guy. The ending is so intense - but I love endings like these---
SPOILER
...ones where the MC's flaws/failings play a big role in both creating the story + ultimate outcome.
Thank you so much for the detailed feedback! It's really appreciated ;a; I'm glad that you enjoyed the story! I like the music a lot in particular myself, I think the composer did a really great job!
And how could you call Nagi scary, she just loves you ;a; She's very sweet and kind, really!
Sorry for taking a while to respond! ;a; I think there are six endings, one of them being the true ending. It should be pretty obvious which the true ending is!
I enjoyed it a lot. story,char art,bland bg,dialogue. Liked the true ending, though I consider another ending with a bit more diplomatic approach(coercion/persuassion)that still leads to the same original goal to be nice too. Further thoughts, Nagi might not be exactly real per se but something that is comprehensible and can bounce off a conversation is in my definition of real. Final check is if the illusion can offer ways to solve a dilemma that is grounded and something that the subject cant think of. even more so. Sorry for the long thoughts :p
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it! There was probably room to add more endings and more choices, but since this was made for a game jam I didn't want to overburden myself too much with all the potential branches. And don't apologise for offering your thoughts: I think it's interesting to see what people make of the story!
the "wake up" ending had me smiling with my mouth open. amazing game :O
(SPOILERS AHEAD)
after a bit of trial and error, i got the password working! i got the true ending on my first playthrough, so i couldnt go back to look for clues. i remembered the hint and physically went "WAIT YESSS" as i jumped back to my computer to try every variation i could think of. I got it after maybe 5 minutes fiddling. And let me just say- amazing atmosphere and gameplay and story and everything. The theory that i have is that Arumi (or something like that, i already forgot his name T_T) was in a coma, and the phone call was his parents calling out to him from the side of the hospital bed. This would make sense with the "fall asleep" and "wake up" terminology, as well as the part where he was hit by a car. I had a family member who was in a coma for awhile, and they recall dreams kindof like this: where people were trying to guide them down the street to his hospital room. They recall fighting the people off, but eventually following them and waking up. Very powerful storytelling, in such a perfect experience.
though this was my first game of yours that ive played, ill definitely try to check out some more :)
Thank you very much! I'm glad that you enjoyed reading it!
I think the password is a bit gimmicky, but I'm glad you enjoyed solving it (and that it's not too difficult, haha ;;)
If you liked GF Sim, maybe you'll also like Lynne. It's another horror VN I wrote a few years ago, which has a similar vibe, both aesthetically and in terms of the storyline.
The atmosphere is fun and the music is suitable for the scenarios. The Unease mechanic can be done better but for a story telling tool it works.
SPOILER
I love the concept of Nagi a lot as a character that was created purely to love you (N-not that I know anything about it). Kind of feels bad for Nagi tho since she didn't technically deserve to be treated that way. Let's hope Ayumu gives her a new purpose in his future story or probably in other works (*wink wink*).
Also that ending...
Hah, you lil rascal you got me good with that true ending! Waking up from my own fictional mind by exiting the world itself, is a genius move I would say so myself.
Also, I think it's great that you named the file that you need to delete in order to replay the game as "Persistent". Only a persistent player will take their time to delete files in two different places just to see other endings. Or maybe they forgot the password idk.
I can't take any credit for the naming of the peristent data, though: that's the default name Ren'py calls data if it 'persists' between multiple playthroughs of the same VN haha ;; I suppose it's quite a fortunate coincidence, though, that the name adds to the thematics of the story!
The gaslighting and uncanny in this story are really well done, they gave me the chills 😱 I really liked how they were shown not only through the dialogue but also through the creepy music and the unease mechanic. Like something is not quite right, like something seems off. And, boy, it was off indeed 😱
I liked that, while this game is a horror one, it nonetheless lets you know that, inside the core of it all, there's a sad story. I hope Ayumu can get his happy ending! The way the true ending finished the case was a nice touch!
Thank you very much! Nagi is true gaslight gatekeep girlboss, we could all use somebody like her in our lives (um, maybe... Hahaha.......)
As much as I like writing depressing stories, I tend to feel bad for my characters if I subject them to too much misery, so I'm going to hope for the best for Ayumu too! He deserves it!
Nice game! I got to the true ending on my 2nd attempt so I don't know what would've happened if i took the british implement of the knoife into battle, but I digress.
The protagonist and the story honestly hit a chord with me, being indoors a lot of the time, not really doing much of anything, as well as that escapism aspect... Also the not going out part, can relate a lot, but mostly because I don't have much pocket money to do anything of value outside lol.
And even if you don't have much pocket money, there's a lot of very good free VNs available on the Spooktober Jam to choose through! I was reading through some of them myself, there are some really good entries!
would love to be able to view the other endings as well as be able to get the password.
Sadly, I got the true ending on my first try and now I can't play again. I am aware it fits with the theme of the game, but it's always a bit bothersome when a game does that since I am not to sure how to get it working again.
Sure, there's a relatively simple way to reset your data if you want a fresh starting point.
First, you need to go into the folder where you have the game installed. Go into the game folder, then in the saves folder. There'll be a file in here called persistent, which you should delete. Next, you need to search your PC for a folder called gfsim-1663084630. There'll be another file in here called persistent. Delete this too, and it should reset the VN to its OG settings, letting you reread from the beginning.
I did delete the persistent file from the game folder, I did not know about the other one. Unfortunately, my PC seems to have issues locating the gfsim-1663084630 folder. Maybe it's because it's rather old and already has a lot of hick-ups, hence why I am not such a big fan of these kind of game mechanics.
Just finished this and quite enjoyed the atmosphere, but uh. Even though I finished the VN, I can't figure out what the password is supposed to be for the present/author's notes. It's probably something obvious so I feel a bit silly asking for it directly, but if you can give some kind of hint, I'd really appreciate it. Thank you so much for making.
In the very first scene of the VN, Nagi will tell you a piece of information and asks you to make a note of it, because 'it might come in handy later'. This is what you ought to be looking out for though if you've already finished the game, it might be difficult to access this info again haha
Thank you for the hint. This is actually something I did take note of and is one of the passwords I tried, but I must not be putting it in the right format since I keep getting error messages.
Thank you very much, I managed to figure out what the format you were looking for is. The issue ending up being a format issue since I would normally write that piece of info very differently from what you were looking for which caused me to insert that piece of info in just about every way I possibly could (involving both writing it out and using numbers) until I stumbled onto it. I feel very silly having taken so long to get it but at least now I have access.
Once again, thank you very much for making. By sheer coincidence I actually happened to play All The Words She Wrote shortly before this VN, so it was very fun seeing the references to it. Oh and now that I've read the author's notes... *Throws rose petals at your feet*
Excited to check out your remaining works that I haven't had the chance to dive into yet, I've recently been marathoning a lot of them. Some I've been very into, others not quite my cup of tea (though I know others would be more into), but I really appreciate the sheer variety in what you make. Best of luck with your future projects as well.
Sorry about that haha ;; I tried to format the pw in what I thought would be the most intuitive way for the majority of my readers, but it's something that gets formatted differently depending on what country you're from, so it's understandable some people might get stuck ;;
And thank you very much for your kind words, it's appreciated! <3 I'm interested to know which of my stories is your favourite so far!
created an account just to ask for that hint - i feel like i've tried everything but i must be missing some way to input it and i know i'm going to feel really silly once i know what it is LMAO
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Comments
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Ouuuuu man
At the beginning it starts a bit slow, but as it progresses it gets much better and the plot hooks you in, the ending is really good. I liked it a lot xd
Thank you! I'm glad you wound up enjoying the story, despite the slow start!
I played on android and after I choose the language it's just kick me out and I even try to open the game again but it still kick me out
Edit:Nvm I can play now idk what happened but I can play
Hey I just want to say that this game is great. The endings are genuinely emotionally compelling. I randomly just played this game at 2 am and was like completely captivated. Just wanted to say that what you made here is amazing.
Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
I am not gonna lie I've been playing android VN and i couldn't find one that have a great story only cringe romance but this game is perfect i naver played a VN and be like this it was a legendary experience but the i was a little sad in the ending because i was waiting for him to wake up and find the girl is real and she came or something but it's good end and i loved the game so thx for the experience
Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
And it's also nice to have the confirmation that it's working properly on Android! \o/
Great stuff 10/10
If only Hijiri knew she had another fan... Just kidding. This VN is very different from All The Words She Wrote (obviously!). In fact, Ayumu's tale felt like a total opposite of the (mostly) sweet and funny story of Mayo. It's much darker and the atmosphere and the feeling of uneasiness reminds me of Lynne. The visual designs are very interesting. I liked the old school aesthetics a lot.
great experience honestly its a nice touch having the whole wake up button as the end really drives the point home, it is a little annoying since I'm a bit of a completionist and also tend to go for the worst ending first so i got that ending rather quickly and i cant really see the rest but besides that its a really cool game
There is a way to reset your data so you can experience all the endings, but you need to delete some of your game files to get it to work. I think I've told a few people how to go about it in the comments section already, if you're curious and you want to give it a try.
In any case, thank you for your kind comments; I'm glad you enjoyed the VN!
thanks I thought i probably could but didn't want to screw up the files accidentally
"But, in the end, you got greedy, You wanted more than a made-up happiness." cuts so fuckin hard
It's a very grim story! I'm glad it left an emotional impact!
Great game I loved the ending I got. Is there any way you could make it easier to restart from an earlier save because I can't find where or how to change it {I use winrar}. Great game tho but a shame I cant figure out how to revert the game to an earlier save
no clue if i've ended the game or something of the sort but everytime i click "wake up" the game just abruptly quits. am i just dumb? but over all i did enjoy playing this game so much and i was so proud of ayumu when he decided that he was going to go back and fight! it definitely gave me enough courage to take on my problems <3
That's how the game is meant to be, yes! I wanted the true ending to feel very 'final', so you don't have the option to go back to sleep again (unless you tamper with the game's external files, that is).
It might be a bit of a nuisance for people who want to replay the VN and read all of the endings though, haha ;;
I'm glad you enjoyed the story nonetheless!
This simulation is good to scratch the "I want a girlfriend" itch. :3
Also, I can relate to the protag. Life is ridiculously hard.
I liked the story, although I came in expecting something else to happen. I was surprised by one of the endings.
(Sorry if my review is pathetic. I'm tired and depressed. Retail work at the moment is draining and stressful. I feel like I'm being forced into things I don't want to do).
I don't think your review is pathetic at al! Thank you very much for taking the time to leave a comment; it really is appreciated!
I hope your situation improves and you feel less tired and depressed in the future! Maybe reading some happier VNs would help, GF Sim is kind of grim haha ;;;
Can't get this to work on joiplay for some reason.
I don't know what Joiplay is, so I can't help you there. I apolgise for the inconvenience!
This was such an oppressive read and so effective… It was really really disquieting and aesthetically so perfect (Sleepy Agents’ work was so perfect for this!). The liminal space chase sequence towards the end was honestly perfect and the final confrontation was really good.
And despite the very grim subject matter, I enjoyed how much heart and compassion there was in this; thank you for making this entry!!
It took a while to get the password xD I like the game <3
I'm glad you got the password in the end; I hope it wasn't too obscure haha
And thank you!
Nagi is definitely a very protective and lovable girlfriend. Not unnerving at all. Nope.
Anyway, this was a good read~
Nagi is a good girl and she loves you a lot! She just wants what's best for you!
And thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
I loved this game. The plot and the characters are very well written and the endings are all unique and thought provoking. It portrays the harms of excessive escapism very terrifyingly. The atmosphere from the start of the dream gave me a sense of anxiety/ feeling something is not quite right here. I will definitely be playing your other VNs. Thanks for reading this.
Aaa I'm sorry it took me so long to reply to you; I must have missed your comment!
Thank you very much; I'm glad you enjoyed it! I like writing creepy/unsettling stories, so I'm glad it hit the mark!
This is such an amazing story! I especially loved all the detail, like how the water spilled out of the pot and the in depth description of how everything looked and sounded. It was really immersive and wonderful!
Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed it, and that my fondness for describing things wasn't offputting!
Beautiful visual novel! Loved all the subtle elements that really made the game its own. I felt genuinely immersed inside of the characters and the unnerving feeling of Nagi herself, like she's a rag doll that's a little too realistic. The art was also very pleasing to the eye and felt fitting to the whole theme.
I also really loved the ending. I sat there in shock for a minute because of... How shall I describe it? Because of how amazing it was, but amazing is an understatement. Really quite chilling, honestly.
All in all, I really enjoyed playing. Cool game :)
Thank you very much! I'm glad that you enjoyed it! ♥
Very suspenseful! This visual novel really nailed an unnerving atmosphere. Here's part 1 of my full playthrough, if anyone's interested:
What I liked was the ambiguity of your relationship with your so-called girlfriend, so it kept you invested in finding out what was truly going on. The visual and audio design also made everything feel slightly off and was a great complement to the story.
The only element that I felt was not to my taste was the few times where a scene was overly described as if it was a book. Like when Nagi's every physical feature was explained in the beginning, even though her clearly drawn sprite is right in front of you! Sometimes it added to the tone of the game if done with purpose, but other times it felt unnecessary to me. But that's just my own subjective preference, I know others would disagree with me.
Anyhow, it's a great horror visual novel! I can see the inspiration from Charon's games, but it definitely has its own twist to it.
Thank you very much for taking the time to leave such a detailed comment, and for making a YT video! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
And yeah, I have a bit of a tendency to over-describe things. The rough draft for this story was about 35k, I trimmed it down to like 23k or thereabouts during editing, since there was a lot of description and internal monologuing which slowed down the pacing. I suppose I could've trimmed things even more, but I'm pretty partial to using Lots And Lots Of Words haha ;;
Thank you for your feedback, in any case; it's appreciated!
i love that you use a lot of words! this brought me back into reading when i was in my reading slump ;-; your habit really helps me tysm <<33 btw did u draw nagi yourself?
Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed it, despite my wordiness haha ;;
And no, I didn't draw Nagi myself! The artist is listed under the credits section of the itch.io page!
Is this made with RenPY?
Yup.
I LOVED the atmosphere of this, the writing is so so good (not a surprise there, of course!) and the visuals, sound and interface really add another layer of unsettling-ness to the whole experience.
I had a lot of theories about what might be going on, and I was entirely wrong about all of them, but I had a lot of fun guessing!
(Also, I happened to play this while I was a bit unwell which gave a whole extra layer to ‘being’ this character, if you play it with a headache/feeling sick this is an extra trippy experience 😅)
A very ominous / emotional / worrisome / hopeful / fascinating game.
Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Won't you let Nagi take care of you?! o'a'o
I like the story and the different routes you can go but what I really am missing is who the person is that is like yelling to Ayumu outside of his "dream world", since I was feeling quite empty after the wake up ending due to me wanting more, like Ayumu meeting the supposed person that was like calling to him.
I left some details of the story ambiguous on purpose so people can mull over them. Please feel free to interpret things however you want!
It was a very pleasant ride. I liked the atmosphere and the writing is very good, as expected from you ;) You know how to make the reader empathise with your characters, and that's something I particulary enjoy in your works (in those I read).
I feel confused however, reading the comments: readers are talking about a password but, even if I reached the good ending on my second try, I've never came across the possibility of entering any pasword. Did I miss something?
BTW I recently purchased and read Salome's kiss on steam and I loved it (this could be my favourite vn I've read from you), even if I guessed the twist very early in the novel^^ But I'll try to add a review on steam, here is not the right place).
Sorry for the bad english, I'm still french, and I'm still rusty XD
Hi, thanks for checking it out! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
As for the password, you don't use it anywhere in-game: you use it to unlock a .zip file bundled with the VN which can be found in its project folder (the same folder you have to access to launch the game itself). I hope this helps!
Ah! Thanks! Found it. I didn't notice this file. Interesting. The subversion of the unease meter is clever indeed, and now I know where elf forest comes from (when I was reading GF simulator, I checked the light novel's title and author on the internet to have more informations because I thought it might be a real thing XD). Is All the Words She Wrote a dark story too? I'm not really into fluff, exept if it's deep enough, and not fluff for the sake of fluff, that's why I ask. I was planning to read The Mermaid of Zennor in the near future. See you ;)
Words is a very fluffy and light-hearted story, so if you don't care for that sort of thing it might not be your cup of tea. There is some drama involved, but it's fairly minimal. Tonally it's not at all similar to GF Sim.
Mermaid might be more to your tastes, it's more gloomy.
Oh man, this was a good shot of unease into my day! The writing was stellar as always, the presentation really added to the feeling, and I really loved the story it told.
SPOILER
I really love stories ABOUT creating stories, especially when it feels like all you're doing when you write is screaming into an unlistening void, and Ayumu's big motivation for waking up at the end being that he wants to finish the story that he's creating because it matters to him to complete it resonated really well.
Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
I have a soft spot for these kinds of stories too (probably because I write things myself... Adaptation and Barton Fink are some of my favourite movies haha), so it was fun putting this story together. I'm glad it was effective!
I loved playing this so much! Do you have other horror vns or plans for them in the future?
Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
If you liked GF Sim you might also enjoy Lynne, which is another free VN I released a few years ago with a similar aesthetic. You can find it on my itchio page if you take a look!
This game is really unique with the retro style. The audio is also good as well. It definitely fits the spooky jam since the main character can’t remember much with his “girlfriend” Nagi as support. She’s a bit suspicious, but I only got one ending so far. 10/10
Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoy the aesthetics and the music: everybody involved in the project did a really good job!
Yes, it was exceptional work. I prefer aesthetics like this so it's very fun.
I hope this game will release on android soon
It's unlikely, I don't have the means to make an android port or any particular inclination to do so.
If anybody else wants to take a shot at porting it they're more than welcome, though.
The way it's written I immediately feel like I'm there, the music is beautiful & adds to the feeling of unease (I noticed that before I saw the unease meter and I didn't read the game description heh). I LOVE the restricted palette look + pixel art style + UI and the combination of SFX to feel like a 90s game, the slowly but relentlessly unfurling horror and haunting atmosphere... she is genuinely scary. It is so immersive I started hoping she would go away for a moment so the MC could think and get his bearings and when she finally did I was like 'yes!'
Poor guy. The ending is so intense - but I love endings like these---
SPOILER
...ones where the MC's flaws/failings play a big role in both creating the story + ultimate outcome.
Thank you so much for the detailed feedback! It's really appreciated ;a;
I'm glad that you enjoyed the story! I like the music a lot in particular myself, I think the composer did a really great job!
And how could you call Nagi scary, she just loves you ;a;
She's very sweet and kind, really!
You're welcome!
Oh, of course! My mistake, I meant... she's so genuinely sweet !
I have 1 questions(I havent completed the game yet)
how many endings are there in this game?
Sorry for taking a while to respond! ;a;
I think there are six endings, one of them being the true ending. It should be pretty obvious which the true ending is!
I will be playing this live 10/4 around 6:30-7 PM EST =).
https://www.twitch.tv/twallsx4
I really enjoyed this game. Getting to play it felt a bit like opening a present :)
Is the soundtrack available anywhere online? I'd love to listen to it some more while working on other things, the ambience was great.
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
You can buy the OST on the composer's bandcamp here: https://sleepyagents.bandcamp.com/album/girlfriend-simulator
I enjoyed it a lot. story,char art,bland bg,dialogue. Liked the true ending, though I consider another ending with a bit more diplomatic approach(coercion/persuassion)that still leads to the same original goal to be nice too. Further thoughts, Nagi might not be exactly real per se but something that is comprehensible and can bounce off a conversation is in my definition of real. Final check is if the illusion can offer ways to solve a dilemma that is grounded and something that the subject cant think of. even more so. Sorry for the long thoughts :p
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it! There was probably room to add more endings and more choices, but since this was made for a game jam I didn't want to overburden myself too much with all the potential branches. And don't apologise for offering your thoughts: I think it's interesting to see what people make of the story!
I hope you dont feel pressured by my thoughts then. Honestly forgot its for a game jam. Thanks for the amazing game :)
Thank you for taking the time to make a YT vid on it! It's appreciated! <3
holy crap this was amazing
the "wake up" ending had me smiling with my mouth open. amazing game :O
(SPOILERS AHEAD)
after a bit of trial and error, i got the password working! i got the true ending on my first playthrough, so i couldnt go back to look for clues. i remembered the hint and physically went "WAIT YESSS" as i jumped back to my computer to try every variation i could think of. I got it after maybe 5 minutes fiddling. And let me just say- amazing atmosphere and gameplay and story and everything. The theory that i have is that Arumi (or something like that, i already forgot his name T_T) was in a coma, and the phone call was his parents calling out to him from the side of the hospital bed. This would make sense with the "fall asleep" and "wake up" terminology, as well as the part where he was hit by a car.
I had a family member who was in a coma for awhile, and they recall dreams kindof like this: where people were trying to guide them down the street to his hospital room. They recall fighting the people off, but eventually following them and waking up. Very powerful storytelling, in such a perfect experience.
though this was my first game of yours that ive played, ill definitely try to check out some more :)
Thank you very much! I'm glad that you enjoyed reading it!
I think the password is a bit gimmicky, but I'm glad you enjoyed solving it (and that it's not too difficult, haha ;;)
If you liked GF Sim, maybe you'll also like Lynne. It's another horror VN I wrote a few years ago, which has a similar vibe, both aesthetically and in terms of the storyline.
I have a great time with this VN!
The atmosphere is fun and the music is suitable for the scenarios.
The Unease mechanic can be done better but for a story telling tool it works.
SPOILER
I love the concept of Nagi a lot as a character that was created purely to love you (N-not that I know anything about it). Kind of feels bad for Nagi tho since she didn't technically deserve to be treated that way. Let's hope Ayumu gives her a new purpose in his future story or probably in other works (*wink wink*).
Also that ending...
Hah, you lil rascal you got me good with that true ending!
Waking up from my own fictional mind by exiting the world itself, is a genius move I would say so myself.
Also, I think it's great that you named the file that you need to delete in order to replay the game as "Persistent". Only a persistent player will take their time to delete files in two different places just to see other endings. Or maybe they forgot the password idk.
Can't wait for your next horror VN!
Thank you very much, I'm glad you liked it! <3
I can't take any credit for the naming of the peristent data, though: that's the default name Ren'py calls data if it 'persists' between multiple playthroughs of the same VN haha ;; I suppose it's quite a fortunate coincidence, though, that the name adds to the thematics of the story!
The gaslighting and uncanny in this story are really well done, they gave me the chills 😱 I really liked how they were shown not only through the dialogue but also through the creepy music and the unease mechanic. Like something is not quite right, like something seems off. And, boy, it was off indeed 😱
I liked that, while this game is a horror one, it nonetheless lets you know that, inside the core of it all, there's a sad story. I hope Ayumu can get his happy ending! The way the true ending finished the case was a nice touch!
Very cool game!
Thank you very much! Nagi is true gaslight gatekeep girlboss, we could all use somebody like her in our lives (um, maybe... Hahaha.......)
As much as I like writing depressing stories, I tend to feel bad for my characters if I subject them to too much misery, so I'm going to hope for the best for Ayumu too! He deserves it!
Nice game! I got to the true ending on my 2nd attempt so I don't know what would've happened if i took the british implement of the knoife into battle, but I digress.
The protagonist and the story honestly hit a chord with me, being indoors a lot of the time, not really doing much of anything, as well as that escapism aspect... Also the not going out part, can relate a lot, but mostly because I don't have much pocket money to do anything of value outside lol.
Yeah, that's all I guess, nice work :)
Thank you! I'm glad you liked it!
And even if you don't have much pocket money, there's a lot of very good free VNs available on the Spooktober Jam to choose through! I was reading through some of them myself, there are some really good entries!
Fun read for the creepy atmosphere and seeing what led up to nagi appearing in the apartment! ✂ gang
Thank you very much! I'm glad you liked it! <3
Hello, what a great game!
I quite enjoyed my time with it. However, I
SPOILER
would love to be able to view the other endings as well as be able to get the password.
Sadly, I got the true ending on my first try and now I can't play again. I am aware it fits with the theme of the game, but it's always a bit bothersome when a game does that since I am not to sure how to get it working again.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Sure, there's a relatively simple way to reset your data if you want a fresh starting point.
First, you need to go into the folder where you have the game installed. Go into the game folder, then in the saves folder. There'll be a file in here called persistent, which you should delete.
Next, you need to search your PC for a folder called gfsim-1663084630. There'll be another file in here called persistent.
Delete this too, and it should reset the VN to its OG settings, letting you reread from the beginning.
I hope this helps!
Hello, thanks for the quick reply!
I did delete the persistent file from the game folder, I did not know about the other one. Unfortunately, my PC seems to have issues locating the gfsim-1663084630 folder. Maybe it's because it's rather old and already has a lot of hick-ups, hence why I am not such a big fan of these kind of game mechanics.
Is there an easy way to find the folder manually?
If you're using windows, it should be in this folder specifically: C:\Users\YourUsernameHere\AppData\Roaming\RenPy\gfsim-1663084630
Thanks a lot, got it.
Great game! have only gotten a couple of endings so far but I really enjoy the game.
Amazing that you managed to create such a gem in just a single game jam ^^
Thank you very much! I'm glad you're enjoying it!
Everybody on the team worked really hard, I'm very happy with how it turned out!
Just finished this and quite enjoyed the atmosphere, but uh. Even though I finished the VN, I can't figure out what the password is supposed to be for the present/author's notes. It's probably something obvious so I feel a bit silly asking for it directly, but if you can give some kind of hint, I'd really appreciate it. Thank you so much for making.
In the very first scene of the VN, Nagi will tell you a piece of information and asks you to make a note of it, because 'it might come in handy later'. This is what you ought to be looking out for
though if you've already finished the game, it might be difficult to access this info again hahaThank you for the hint. This is actually something I did take note of and is one of the passwords I tried, but I must not be putting it in the right format since I keep getting error messages.
If you made note of it then you're doing the right thing! I suspect you'll get it eventually, but lmk if you need another hint.
Thank you very much, I managed to figure out what the format you were looking for is. The issue ending up being a format issue since I would normally write that piece of info very differently from what you were looking for which caused me to insert that piece of info in just about every way I possibly could (involving both writing it out and using numbers) until I stumbled onto it. I feel very silly having taken so long to get it but at least now I have access.
Once again, thank you very much for making. By sheer coincidence I actually happened to play All The Words She Wrote shortly before this VN, so it was very fun seeing the references to it. Oh and now that I've read the author's notes... *Throws rose petals at your feet*
Excited to check out your remaining works that I haven't had the chance to dive into yet, I've recently been marathoning a lot of them. Some I've been very into, others not quite my cup of tea (though I know others would be more into), but I really appreciate the sheer variety in what you make. Best of luck with your future projects as well.
Sorry about that haha ;;
I tried to format the pw in what I thought would be the most intuitive way for the majority of my readers, but it's something that gets formatted differently depending on what country you're from, so it's understandable some people might get stuck ;;
And thank you very much for your kind words, it's appreciated! <3
I'm interested to know which of my stories is your favourite so far!
created an account just to ask for that hint - i feel like i've tried everything but i must be missing some way to input it and i know i'm going to feel really silly once i know what it is LMAO
It's a purely numerical password with no letters, spaces, or dashes, and it's 4 numbers long. I hope that helps!