This game is so beautiful and I love every bit of it. I WISH there was a walkthrough though, I went through so many plays and gave up to find Souma's good end but I went through a few comments to find it. Struggled a little more on Izumi's even though it shouldn't have been that hard. BUT ALL IN ALL, IT IS A REALLY WELL-MADE GAME WITH A GOOD STORY <3
Thank you for making the game!!
More like a gay shooter since they're not straight, wink. Sorry, I'll see myself out for this joke.
Hey! Unfortunately I don't have access to my laptop for a day or two. But the general rule of thumb to get on Izumi's route is to not give too much attention to Souma while supporting Izumi whenever it comes up.
Below is a guide I wrote long ago for Souma's route. Avoid these options as much as possible. If you still can't get on Izumi's route let me know! I can type up a guide by Thursday, give or take.
I loved this game it had a lot of different routes that you could go and I'm still not done with the endings! However, unlike a lot of comments, I'm seeing I actually think Izumi is more toxic than Souma, and tbh not as good of a route as Souma.
Izumi seems really nice and caring but as soon as Yuki kisses Souma at his house, he immediately turns on him and demolishes his business. I understand Yuki hurt him but Yuki still worked hard on his business and didn't deserve it to be taken away just for not returning Izumi's feelings. It came off as an abuse of power to me. Souma is abrasive at first sure but he doesn't do anything to hurt Yuki. He helps out at the shop during Izumi's absence, works in the garden every day, and makes sure Yuki is ok even if you choose to be with Izumi over him. He even encourages you to move on even if it hurts him. Plus Souma has piercings.
Ok so it was really good but I struggled for a long time to get the Souma route.
Here are my tips for anyone trying to get a good ending for Souma
The first one is that you have to invite him to your bday party and then wish for him to be nice to you when given the choice.
Another choice in the game will be in the garden where he talks about how he's not hot. You will be given three choices: Choose the one which says leave him be: then choose primrose flowers.
Idk if this tip counts but I made Yuki boop his nose and I got to the good ending so.
These sound really minor but they actually change the whole course of the story. Every time I did every other choice the same but these two I would stab the president.
Okay but- is there a guide for the endings lol, the game looks intriguing and id love to fully play it but im not big on bad endings, they just arent really my cup of tea. But i cant find a guide anywhere?
If you like modern settings and a bunch of humour in between the dramatic/serious plot, I think you’ll like this game!
The (main-)characters are multi-dimensional and the author makes great use of different expressions of their sprites to match whatever is going on at the time. The writing is well done and engaging.
The two love interests differ well from each other and bring an interesting and changing dynamic to the game.
Also, as a personal recommendation; Play Izumi’s route first for extra heart-break feels when you later on go pine for Souma (´v`).
Your writing really sold it! I don’t remember ever being bored while reading, even when you described their workday – just prior to Flour Hour, I read a VN that was about the MC’s workplace as well, and… yeah, it wasn’t bad, but often dragged on and didn’t really captivate me as you did.
Things like Yuki's humming when specifically frying garlic made me go "aww". It's really nice to see even small things like this or choices I made come up or being referred to again. That really feels like cohesive writing, instead of just random cute moments being strewn in between or choices I only make for the sake of getting points towards a character’s route.
Speaking of choices, it was also nice that you had the chance to pick a third/neutral option several times. It wasn’t always just a stiff choice between one or the other guy. Pretty much all choices also felt very organic to me and fitting to Yuki’s character. It felt nice to see him become bolder towards the end of the game (at least I perceived it as such) and mature along with the story, to be able to stand up for himself.
The small switches in perspective were also neat and short, just to give the reader some insight. Overall, I also think that the pacing was completely on point.
The humour despite all the drama going on was nice and felt mostly natural – and had me laughing a bunch of times. Just Mei’s birthday plans kinda came out of the blue, but I can see that just being part of her character really.
Also. Nyah! (The achievements were a nice touch)
- - - - -
Art
I’m glad, that the sprites of the three main characters had the same style (and I do like the art and especially all the different, often subtle, expressions). The rest was a bit of a culture shock compared to the main cast, though especially Rei and Mei looked still rather fitting. The only one that jumped right at me, was grandma’s sprite - maybe that’s also because she was pretty huge on the screen (^^’). It was a great touch that you made use of animated emotes for the side characters, though!
The art overall was still very nice to look at, even though the backgrounds had some heavy style-differences and the CGs broke style as well – but they were cute (´v´). As a personal nit-pick though; I didn’t really like Izumi’s blush being so... extreme? He looked like he just had the heatstroke of the century or slammed face-first into a door – Yuki’s and Souma’s blushes were a lot more natural and nicer to look at.
- - - - -
The Routes
I liked both, honestly. They felt quite different to me, because you wrote the characters well in my opinion – even if they might’ve initially seemed like common tropes, their personalities gained more depth the further I read. The first time I ended up on the neutral (bad) path, when I behaved naturally (aka, here and there be reasonable polite to Souma, but overall preferring Izumi) and had to figure out how to end up on the path I wanted.
I did not experiment too much with it, but it felt like you had to stick nearly 100% to one guy from the start to really get to their (good) endings respectively. That’s something I kind of dislike personally, as I want to make my own choices instead of being forced to sidle up to a character right from the start (especially since you might usually not even really know who you want to end up with when you play it for the first time … and Souma is a bit of an angry, not very likeable, furball to work with in the beginning). However, that is a minor complaint and also it was pretty easy to figure out the correct choices, honestly. So, no sweat there to actually get to the route wanted.
- - - - -
Izumi
The reason why I picked Izumi’s path first actually, was because I skimmed through the comments before playing and someone mentioned that it ruined Izumi’s path somewhat for them, after seeing his nasty side in Souma’s. I gotta say, I am really glad that I played Izumi’s route first, because knowing what is actually going on in Souma’s route when Izumi keeps vaguely mentioning family problems or helps Yuki secretly was just heart-breaking.
Funnily enough, I was somewhat hoping for Izumi to go full yandere at some point (I just love fictional psychos, sorry lol) since he did have the potential to be quite manipulative, (in theory) if Yuki would stay too neutral, but still ended up on Izumi’s route somewhat – sadly, Yuki lost his marbles and just knifed the prez instead. But that was nice in its own right really. Old man had it coming.
Moving on in the end felt like Yuki maturing and letting go of someone else’s dreams to pursue his own and Izumi finally being free of his own shackles for real, so it felt really satisfying. Also, I liked as well that it wasn’t your “classical” ending, where the “heroes” succeed with the initial goal they had set, but rather evolve along with the story.
I’m not sure how to feel about Izumi’s grandfather trying to patch up things after all the quite terrible stuff that guy pulled… but since it’s been a few years, I can appreciate the sentiment, that even an old man stuck in his own negative mind would want to try and reconnect with his grandson again – eventually.
Regarding Izumi’s personality – how can one not love the guy, despite his lies (T_T)! The sheer amount of work he put in to help Yuki was just so heart-warming and admirable, I can’t even. He felt so genuine and star-struck with Yuki. While it could be a bit off-putting, that he was so incredibly defensive towards Souma… I mean, it makes sense – and Souma really didn’t make it easy, especially at the beginning.
Izumi going hysteric in the bad ends is a bit… yeah, leaves a bad taste. But I think that is intended? He only reacts like that when Yuki basically lies to him, despite the things Izumi has done for him, though, and he’s also a bit more openly emotional than a certain pink haired dude. So, I guess it’s understandable that he flips his sh*t, though it’s a complete 180 without much forewarning.
- - - - -
Souma
Well, wasn’t he difficult to work with at the start! If I hadn’t tried to get on his route intentionally, I think I would’ve only ended up there initially, cause I’m too nice. I really like that he isn’t just purely a mean guy though, whom Yuki hopelessly pursues – you can sort of tell rather soon, that Souma does care about Yuki and the situation he’s in… but is utterly terrible at wording it and not letting his emotions and frustration get to him. The way he just barges into the shop and picks up the garden work though demonstrates, that he’s sort of better at showing rather than telling.
It's good that Souma comes around on his own (Well, depending on it if Yuki hears him out or not) and admits his faults, owns up to it and really does change his attitude afterwards. The little sweet gestures always made me melt too – Souma towards the end just became more and more of a complete sweet dork (´v`).
In regards to the ending; While Yuki goes to study later on, I’m not sure anymore what happens with the store? It sounded like he kept it at first. So that felt a bit off (only compared to Izumi’s Route, where they yeet the shop immediately), especially since Souma was the one so passionate about Yuki pursuing his own dream.
One thing I guess I would’ve ideally liked, is a possibility in Souma’s route to still stay in contact with Izumi though, after he had done so much to help Yuki out. Made it feel extra sad, that he just sort of faded away with Yuki never really knowing the truth. Then again, I like tragic stuff in fictions, so oh well.
- - - - -
So.. uh .. I ended up writing two pages in Word for the review. I’m sorta sorry for the long wall of text like that, but I mean what I said – I really enjoyed it!
Thank you for putting in the work and making this a very enjoyable Visual Novel to play!
I think I’ll go check out some more of your stuff down the line~
I really enjoyed playing through this bc I really enjoyed the characters and it was easy to care about them right off the bat.
spoilers: I was very underwhelmed by Souma's route honestly, and playing it first kind of ruined my desire to do Izumi's route after learning his identity. His pettiness from Souma's (bad??) ending also just really made my opinion of him sour... I really wish there felt like more of an actual choice as to who could be the true ending but I still ended up completing and enjoying Izumi's route. And for only needing to sink a few hours in, it was really good! The art was solid (especially the sprites/expressions) and the soundtrack was simple but used effectively.
I found the opening segment with Yuki's dream really relatable and intriguing with how it implied he was too scared/anxious to actually voice his concerns with his loved ones but I so wish it was expanded on a liiiiittle more. Also Mei and Rei are totally together in my heart uwu
tldr: really great and short and sweet! Good, likable characters and compelling plot. Recommended!!
Great characters and story! I liked Izumi more but it was easier to get on Souma's route :') . Also I'm just gonna talk about spoilers now.
I think the ideal ending would be with Souma since you still get to keep the shop. But who knows, maybe Izumi's grandpa will give back the shop after they've fully made amendments :/
It was such a struggle figuring out how to stop Yuki from stabbing an old man. If there isn't a guide, I wouldn't mind making one, although it'll be like the second guide I've ever made 0-0
got all the achievements (took a long, frustrating time though.) the storylines and endings are great!! kudos to the devs who made this game a great success :D u guys did great :D
I really loved this! It was very cute. I didn't like Souma at first but he really grew on me and his route was so sweet. :) Great characters! The story was interesting and well written too.
Didn't finish. Souma isn't just "grumpy". He gives the MC traumatic sounding flashbacks/makes him feel ill with his presence, he yells at the MC a lot, he physically drags the MC places against his will (This is only in the beginning of the story and does taper off in Izumi's route but I can't speak for Souma's route) Izumi's route is cute and wholesome.
I edited this because I said Souma comes across like an abuser. I did not do his route, and I still think he is terrible in the beginning. The way the MC reacts to Souma is what makes me think they had a toxic relationship. I won't say he is abusive in the story as far as I played, but the way the MC acts around him makes it seem like maybe he was. The MC has nightmares about him where he wakes in a panic, feels physically weak/drained when he sees him, flinches from his grasp and can barely look at him... Not to mention the moments where the MC says he thinks Souma looks like he's going to grab him by the collar and yell in his face, or when Souma calls the MC a coward because the MC walks away from him because he feels uncomfortable to the point he can't bear talk to him, or when Souma vaguely says "you know how I get sometimes" when referring to his anger issues, or when Souma just baselessly insults the MC and tears him down even though he can tell the MC is struggling...
Most of the glaring issues with Souma are in the beginning of the story with a few places that just need clarification later on (clarifying anger issues). Souma's set-up as a "nice guy who has anger issues" is just too strong in the "anger issues" department. A good example of making someone "too mean" is in the movie Shazam where the "school bullies" hit a kid on crutches with their car and then just start beating him up. That is not "bullying" that is a second possibly first degree felony. Bullying is wrong and harmful, yes, but attempted murder is a different level. I get that "anger issues" is vague enough to encompass many things, but Souma is still supposed to be a sympathetic character. So, the "anger issues" can't be so severe that they make him unsympathetic or a bad relationship choice for the MC.
Later in the story, Souma does appear sympathetic through his interactions with the side characters and his behavior, but this is overshadowed by his initial build up. He is fine to be frustrated or angry, but the instant he starts physically dragging the MC places and yelling insults it is over the line. The fact that they haven't spoke in 2 years and still have this terrible feeling between them that makes the MC feel ill and have night terrors is really off putting.
I feel strongly about this, because this is a common thing in dating games. I'm afraid that it encourages the thought that guys who are giving bad vibes and bad signals are secretly really nice. So, even though they yell at you and physically drag you places against your will and belittle and insult you, they are actually really caring and just misunderstood. In reality, they might be nice guys who have emotional problems that they can't deal with on their own but aren't seeking out help for (so they take it out on others). Or, even worse, they aren't nice guys at all and have issues and will abuse their partners (emotionally, physically, verbally, etc). I get that the MC knew Souma from childhood, but it has been years since they last spoke. And, at face value to the player, he is setting off red flags of being someone who is unstable and looking to get back with someone he could push around. The thought of "I'm yelling at you and doing all these things that hurt you because I care" is also dangerous.
It's in Yuki's nature to be passive about things and overthink to the point it makes him uncomfortable. And Souma's to go behind what he thinks is right blindly.
That being said, I'm not sure what parts make him come across as an outright abuser, so I'm sorry you felt that way. Will try to do better in the future when I tackle such characters!
Thank you for replying. I edited my review to go into more detail and explain my thoughts better. And I finished Izumi's route to get a better perspective. I did find myself laughing at points and think it is overall cute. With tweaks, I think Souma would be fine.
No. Thank you for going into more detail! Will definitely keep these things in mind going forward and in a way from the player's perspective and what they see with little to no solid information about their previous relationship I can understand how it could raise major red flags! The intent was for things to mellow down on his route but if people are really turned away from said route it becomes a little counter productive. Sadly I don't think I can overhaul Souma and what he is at this point but I really appreciate the constructive criticism! ^^
I didn't mean that you should go back to change him :) I just felt like I should clarify that he is mostly a good character. Some characters are just terrible all around, but I don't think this is the case with Souma. Overall, he is likeable and well written but suffers from a few bad interactions. I do look forward to what your team makes on the future! And, thank you for replying. It makes me feel like what I'm saying matters at least a little :)
Oh god I really like this gam but got so frustrated when I keep stabbing the president because I didn't get a good ending. After experimenting and reading th comments, I have to say I officially completed the Souma route.
At first I wasn't interested in getting back together with my ex because , ya' know , who would want to get back with someone who hurt you.Despite that, after playing the Souma route, I can say that I really liked it. Might replay someday with the Izumi route.
Also I don't know why I feel this sene of accomplishment when I stabbed the president (Q.Q)
i am going to die trying to get souma's ending. i've got all the bad endings, and Izumi's ending, but EVERYTIME i try to get souma's ending, IZUMI COMES AND SAID NOPE IM TAKING THAT SHOP and i am mAd,,,, because i love souma and I TRIED GETTING HIS ENDING FIRST ACTUALLY but nO luck whatsoever- the furthest i got was getting him to help me bring them cupcakes. i need a guide or a hint, i've been trying this fOr moNTHS.
Please, gimme literally anything to help my little fish brain figure this out cuz god im so done with my countless failures- well, if you could tho! no pressure. I just love this game and i happen to always be more interested in them 'bad' softies, so not managing to get his ending makes me want to slap my brain. When i first played this game, I actually eventually thought Souma hAD NO ENDING, cuz like, I TRIED EVERYTHING and visual novels are never this hard. Maybe yuki needs to move on and not dwell on the past or smth, i thought that was maybe the message? I was kinda dissapointed but eventually accepted it. HOWEVER, i came here again cuz idek, quarantine makes me go do random stuff. I then saw all the comments talking about his ending aND I WAS SHOOK, SO I TRIED MY BEST AGAIN AAAND, yeah it didn't go anywhere. By now, I just want to throw Izumi in a FIRE PIT (he's a precious cinnamon roll, but boi can you nOT)
Ayy just give me 2 days give or take. I'm back home and didn't really bring my laptop along nor do I have the game on my phone. I remember the gist of how the routes work but I don't want to lead you astray and give you any more grief than Souma has already caused with his tough route haha . So I'll need to look through it real quick. and get back to you.
oH gEE, so school started and I couldn't see this sooner, but thank you SO MUCH, I really appreciate that you took the time to do this ;v; Now, finally, nO MORE FRUSTRATION, time to check out that ending u-u
Is there a guide? Ive been able to get all but two endings and I have an idea on how to get one but everyone keeps talking about stabbing the pres and i am uterly lost
For a free game, this is FANTASTIC! I was disappointed by some other visual novels and this lifted my spirits. I still didn't want to go for Souma (his character type isn't my cup of tea) but I will admit that I didn't dislike him by the end of the game; I just didn't want to romance him.
Spoiler talk below:
I see all these comments about stabbing the president and I'm really curious what dialog choice causes it (if I had to guess, maybe the "Nothing" answer when Yuki sees the garden, or maybe picking the wrong options when choosing if he takes care of himself or not ("soldier on" instead of "take a nap", and then "take a cup of hot milk" even though he doesn't like milk that much). The first ending I got was with Izumi and Yuki running away together which... I don't know, that FEELS like the best ending you can get (just gonna presume that stabbing the president leads to consequences so I won't do it even if I want to lol) but I'd hoped that there was a way to save the bakery too, and I'm afraid of doing another run because getting bad endings make me feel like such a failure and I don't know what I could've done better anyway.
I just find myself really sad because I wanted Izumi but I also wanted the bakery; like, spite the president AND take the president's son, y'know?? Like, "HA, YOU MIGHT HAVE YOUR MONEY BUT I HAVE DETERMINATION AND A MAGNETIC PERSONALITY FOR ATTRACTING BLONDE CITY BOYS."
My whole strategy was, "Be nice to Souma when he's reasonable (I might not like his character type but I don't just rudely dismiss him when he doesn't deserve it), let Izumi help when he wants to, try and take care of Yuki's needs whenever possible." It sounds... well, sound, but maybe I'm missing something? The whole thing where, "oh, Izumi's actually making up with his grandfather," caught me COMPLETELY off-guard and kinda made me angry (let's just say that I have some family troubles so things getting patched up with the guy who literally took the bakery away from them left a sour taste in my mouth), so I was hoping there'd be another ending I'd like more? It just feels... wrong that the whole point of the game was to get the bakery back but that's not what happened. I'd take Izumi over the bakery, sure, but it doesn't leave me feeling wholly satisfied.
(I know that sounds like a lot of complaining but I really enjoyed the game; it's just that the ending is the freshest in my mind but I'd gladly gush if given prompting to.)
I was so excited about this game! I managed to get a good ending first try, probably helped I chose Souma. I feel like things got more complicated on Izumi's route lol It was pretty clear to me when Izumi wouldn't go what was happening there. I'm glad how things worked out re: the debt at the end. Izumi seems like he'd be a nice boyfriend and all but how can he possibly compete with the weight of all that history and heartbreak? I feel like when I was playing Yuki only even noticed Izumi was into him when Yuki felt awkward explaining he was going to go to Souma's house and hang out and stuff. Because, like, he was not over that ex sorry Izumi lol
I got so invested into this and I wanted to be with Izumi so much :( but I ended up stabbing the President haha what a surprising twist. I'll have to play again and try and change a few things up and hopefully get that ending I want. I really enjoyed the game and how helpful Izumi has been, and Souma helping out with the garden was a pleasant thing as well. I also loved having Rei and Mei to balance out the male characters and bring some lightheartedness.
Update: I played Izumi's route and I cried a little bit, it got me so emotionally attached :') I absolutely loved it and them being together.
I love the game! But does anyone know where a guide is? I keep stabbing the president. I haven't gotten to any good or bad endings with either character. T_T lol
Edit: Nevermind! Got it! I love all the endings. Even the one where the prez gets stabbed :-) Thank you for this wonderful game!
Oh nooo. I'm glad you were able to get the endings despite all the toils you went through! I kind of did strap the margin of error on the choices a little too tight. Sorry about that.
And I'm also super glad that you liked playing through!!!
Thanks for playing and taking the time to comment!!
Just played through Souma's route and got a good ending ^v^ so I'm pretty impressed when I see in the comments that there's a stabby ending...I'm guessing that Izumi is the son or grandson of that old man who made Yuki pay the debt?
Also this is a really good game!! When a grumpy guy doesn't act grumpy he's soooo cute!
Yo! You got the good ending on the first try, then? Thoroughly impressed haha.
Kind of spoilers(?)
Oh aaa... You got that. :') Could you let me know exactly when you connected the dots with respect to Izumi? (Idk I just feel like I want to know which of the tiny little clues actually lead there. )
Thanks so much for playing and taking the time to leave a line!! ^^
You mean when & why I start to think Izumi is somehow related to the old man?
Actually it's not really mentioned in the game, instincts told me that...
I'm already having a little suspect when Izumi disappears day after day, added to Souma saying he's wearing designer clothing head to toe...when Yuki called the lawyer and he mentioned a Tsukihara-san whose voice sounded awful young, I'm pretty sure about this. That's definitely a main character, and the most suspectable person is Izumi.
But maybe that's Korean or Chinese TV dramas affected me too much...you know, they're always full of this kind of things...often the male protagonist (very rich) deep in love with the female protagonist (not so rich or just poor) and his family doing all sort of things to part them....So I always get a strange feeling when playing XD
(because idk if the reason that old Tsukihara targeted Yuki is about Izumi or not..if not that will be embarrassing lol)
Oh my. You caught THEM ALL! I had wondered if the young Tsukihara-san clue was a bit too vague, but if you caught on then I guess it's not too far fetched. >.< Thanks for listing them out , it helps !
I've watched my fair share of the richxpoor dramas, so I guess I can confirm there was heavy influence from there haha.
(Yes, it is. The only reason old Tsukihara went the personal route was because he got news of what Izumi was doing over there ^^)
Well then I guess Souma is somehow like the supporting male who also likes the female protagonist hahaha ( sorry Souma but I can't help). But they are always beaten by (oh forgive my poor English I can't find a better phase) the male protagonist, and considering that I played Souma's route first...I guess it's not so drama after all XD
I love this game so much! It certainly knows how to punch you in the gut, and also have you fall in love with all the characters.
Spoilers below!
I keep getting the third ending, and I'll admit, I was super surprised when I first got it. Definitely fulfilled the shock value and had me thinking of Yuki. He really went stabby to the president aha
I'm going to continue playing until I get something other than the third ending, and I'm sort of excited pf what other ending there are. I'm really glad this isn't one of those visual novels where there's only two endings, and that bad endings aren't a possibility.
I'm pretty impressed with this game! I think I'm sort of addicted to it, and I'm totally in love with all the characters.
I just wanted to say how much I love the game! It's so well written, and I love all the characters, especially Mei and Rei. This game is really cool, and even having read the description, I didn't expect it to be that drama filled!
--spoilers--
I got what I think is a bad end right away, where Izumi tears down the building because of Yuki's feelings for Souma. I've gotten so attached to the shop that I actually started crying! That's a good sign, as it means the game is so well done that it can make people cry and feel attached to the shop! But honestly, I could never have seen that coming. It surprised me, to say the least. All in all, I really enjoyed playing this!
Oh nooo everyone's being blindsided with all that drama haha
Either way, thanks so much for playing and taking the time to comment 😊
--spoilers--
Ahh that's ending started with the thought that there should be a consequence for getting with Souma but hiding it from Izumi (even if it's for the good intention of sparing his feelings) But then I guess I just got a little bit carried away with how far Izumi actually went oops.
And truly, it warms my heart that you felt so strongly about it. Excuse me while I go cry in a corner.
Hey Sayumi, I just got done with this game and I must say it was quite a treat. First off, I love how it was a BxB romance (not enough of those sadly), and enjoyed the story for the most part. It was a nice and fun read for me, and I finished it within a couple of days. You guys worked really hard on this game, and I can tell. It's actually quite long too, which I liked. Thanks so sharing this game. It was a treat for me.
Anyway, just a few thoughts. I'll start with the story and characters. Overall I liked everyone, from the two best friends and then to the love interests. I loved both guys honestly, but choosing who is my favorite is hard. I'd say Souma was the main route, since he got two CG's, and I liked his story. However for him, I don't know why, his route felt a tad rushed. Not sure why. I still enjoyed his route quite a bit though and liked his character a lot. I'll admit, Izumi is my favorite of the pair not only for his style but also his story and personality. I admit I knew who he was soon, but only cause I read into a certain thing he said about his family. Anyway, his story felt the most complete to me and he was really cute. I kind wish I could see more of his serious side. I do hate his grandad though, but that's likely what was meant. Rei and Mei were great too, though Rei was my fav of the pair. Also, I really like the main character too. One thing that was a bit out of nowhere was the ending in which Yuki attacks someone. It was just so strange.
As for the art, I enjoyed it overall. I am wondering, for the extra characters was it a different artist? As for the CG's they are simple, but cute at the same time especially in Souma's route. Also, I love the backgrounds in this as well. Give off that countryside feeling. Music was great too.
Overall this was a great game. A little choppy at points in story, but nothing too much. I'd love to play more from you guys down the line and will even likely replay this when I can. Good job with everything! And thanks for what you've shared with us =).
Thanks so much for playing and taking the time to leave such an in depth review!
Glad you enjoyed it!
About the unbalances CGs, we were kind of pressed for time and weren't able to get Izumi's second one done but thought it best to just go with this for now.
The extra characters were actually a free resource, is why they don't have expression variations. I tried over painting them a little so they'd be a little similar to the main art but oops there's still a quite noticeable difference >.<
Hm and I think I can understand the feeling of Souma's route being a little rushed. Did you have that feeling more towards the end of the playthrough?
Also about Izumi's uhm lineage, is it possible to know exactly when you connected the dots? ( I think it'll be interesting which to know which clues did the pointing haha)
Ah it's okay. I do like the cg's. I did realize that time was pressed, and NaNo is super hard to finish the game. As for the extra characters, they did fit in a way. You picked good art to match the main game =).
As for Izumi, it was when he mentions his family, but then tries to not talk more about them. He says how he doesn't always get along with them either, and that got me thinking. . It was sometime in the common route, and was the first time he talks about them. I just had a feeling. Also, him having that expensive apartment really nailed it for me. It's not bad though. I did enjoy his route =). I've just read a lot, so sometimes I'm able to guess where the story may go. As for Souma, I still liked his route. Did you guys just really like Izumi? That can happen when writing characters, we love them so much that we just wanna write more =D.
Right from the common route, huh? That's pretty early on! Chalking this as major instincts on your end, haha.
About the Izumi favouritism, I can't really say I prefer Izumi over Souma... maybe some things just happened subconsciously? ^3^ I think maybe it comes across that way because there's a little bit more completeness(?) to Izumi's arc. In hindsight, I do think that Souma's route doesn't have the URGENCY towards the end because Izumi is more intimately tied to the debt.
Got all the Achievements! I dove in without reading the summary so I was really unprepared for the drama-heavy turn, and this turned out to be a really chunky NaNoReNo at 3.5 hours. Probably would have been under 3 if I weren't so often in this screenshot:
(Rightly representative of Souma's route. HNNnnnNNGggGG. He didn't even start out as a favorite!)
I had to mentally reorient myself often when tone shifts happened (I gunned so hard for the puppy dog and then...; and then couldn't avoid Mr. Not-Leather-Weather), but I swooned in both routes. I love the supporting cast! Textor Grams is the truest bomb and I'd love if Mei and Rei got more of their own focus if the scope allowed them to. Truth-Dare-[redacted] is not entirely relevant to the story but I'd be damned if it wasn't a jolly good time with the characters. I always enjoyed your games and this one did not disappoint, either. Good job on delivering another NaNoReNo! Looking forward to all your future endeavors.
Ah! I'm glad Souma grew on you and that you enjoyed(dare I say) both of the routes. ^o^
For Mei and Rei, tbh I wasn't sure how much would be too much especially given that their sprites don't have all the expressions like the bois. So we kept it sort of barebones.
Thank you so much for playing and taking the time to leave a line. [Also for the consistent support ! :') ]
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This game is so beautiful and I love every bit of it. I WISH there was a walkthrough though, I went through so many plays and gave up to find Souma's good end but I went through a few comments to find it. Struggled a little more on Izumi's even though it shouldn't have been that hard. BUT ALL IN ALL, IT IS A REALLY WELL-MADE GAME WITH A GOOD STORY <3
Thank you for making the game!!
More like a gay shooter since they're not straight, wink. Sorry, I'll see myself out for this joke.
Does anyone know how to do Izumi's route instead of the 'stabbing the old man' one? I wanna date my favorite blonde dog boy ;-;
Hey! Unfortunately I don't have access to my laptop for a day or two. But the general rule of thumb to get on Izumi's route is to not give too much attention to Souma while supporting Izumi whenever it comes up.
Below is a guide I wrote long ago for Souma's route. Avoid these options as much as possible. If you still can't get on Izumi's route let me know! I can type up a guide by Thursday, give or take.
Sorry the solution is so long winded 😅😅
[[[spoilers CLEARLY ]]
1. What brings you here?
2. It's okay, I'll hear him out.
3. Run Away.
4. Serve him yourself
5. Chase After him.
6. Invite him over to share Gram's dinner
7. Wish for Souma to be nice to you.
8. Invite him in/Get him a drink
9. Don't interfere
10 . Boop the snoot/Misdirect
11. Tell her about Souma
12. Take a quick Nap
thank yoiufvdsstsfgsds
this game is so cute...had to go for souma bc i love bad boys
Same same. ಡ ͜ ʖ ಡ
Somehow the first ending I got was the one where you murder the old man who owns Moon Corp... I don't know how to feel about that.
I think that's the most common one I got it several times lol
Please someone tell me there’s a good ending for Souma’s route and tell me how to get it if there is one
lol nevermind I just got it but if anyone wants it I can help
Glad to hear you got to it ✨
I loved this game it had a lot of different routes that you could go and I'm still not done with the endings! However, unlike a lot of comments, I'm seeing I actually think Izumi is more toxic than Souma, and tbh not as good of a route as Souma.
Izumi seems really nice and caring but as soon as Yuki kisses Souma at his house, he immediately turns on him and demolishes his business. I understand Yuki hurt him but Yuki still worked hard on his business and didn't deserve it to be taken away just for not returning Izumi's feelings. It came off as an abuse of power to me. Souma is abrasive at first sure but he doesn't do anything to hurt Yuki. He helps out at the shop during Izumi's absence, works in the garden every day, and makes sure Yuki is ok even if you choose to be with Izumi over him. He even encourages you to move on even if it hurts him. Plus Souma has piercings.
Ok so it was really good but I struggled for a long time to get the Souma route.
Here are my tips for anyone trying to get a good ending for Souma
The first one is that you have to invite him to your bday party and then wish for him to be nice to you when given the choice.
Another choice in the game will be in the garden where he talks about how he's not hot. You will be given three choices: Choose the one which says leave him be: then choose primrose flowers.
Idk if this tip counts but I made Yuki boop his nose and I got to the good ending so.
These sound really minor but they actually change the whole course of the story. Every time I did every other choice the same but these two I would stab the president.
i need a walk through for ending 7. i cant figure it out
Okay but- is there a guide for the endings lol, the game looks intriguing and id love to fully play it but im not big on bad endings, they just arent really my cup of tea. But i cant find a guide anywhere?
I can give you tips on one route
How long is the game play?
TL;DR, because I wrote half a book;
If you like modern settings and a bunch of humour in between the dramatic/serious plot, I think you’ll like this game!
The (main-)characters are multi-dimensional and the author makes great use of different expressions of their sprites to match whatever is going on at the time. The writing is well done and engaging.
The two love interests differ well from each other and bring an interesting and changing dynamic to the game.
Also, as a personal recommendation; Play Izumi’s route first for extra heart-break feels when you later on go pine for Souma (´v`).
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Warning: Everything below is very detailed and contains spoilers!
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Writing
Your writing really sold it! I don’t remember ever being bored while reading, even when you described their workday – just prior to Flour Hour, I read a VN that was about the MC’s workplace as well, and… yeah, it wasn’t bad, but often dragged on and didn’t really captivate me as you did.
Things like Yuki's humming when specifically frying garlic made me go "aww". It's really nice to see even small things like this or choices I made come up or being referred to again. That really feels like cohesive writing, instead of just random cute moments being strewn in between or choices I only make for the sake of getting points towards a character’s route.
Speaking of choices, it was also nice that you had the chance to pick a third/neutral option several times. It wasn’t always just a stiff choice between one or the other guy. Pretty much all choices also felt very organic to me and fitting to Yuki’s character. It felt nice to see him become bolder towards the end of the game (at least I perceived it as such) and mature along with the story, to be able to stand up for himself.
The small switches in perspective were also neat and short, just to give the reader some insight. Overall, I also think that the pacing was completely on point.
The humour despite all the drama going on was nice and felt mostly natural – and had me laughing a bunch of times. Just Mei’s birthday plans kinda came out of the blue, but I can see that just being part of her character really.
Also. Nyah! (The achievements were a nice touch)
- - - - -
Art
I’m glad, that the sprites of the three main characters had the same style (and I do like the art and especially all the different, often subtle, expressions). The rest was a bit of a culture shock compared to the main cast, though especially Rei and Mei looked still rather fitting. The only one that jumped right at me, was grandma’s sprite - maybe that’s also because she was pretty huge on the screen (^^’). It was a great touch that you made use of animated emotes for the side characters, though!
The art overall was still very nice to look at, even though the backgrounds had some heavy style-differences and the CGs broke style as well – but they were cute (´v´). As a personal nit-pick though; I didn’t really like Izumi’s blush being so... extreme? He looked like he just had the heatstroke of the century or slammed face-first into a door – Yuki’s and Souma’s blushes were a lot more natural and nicer to look at.
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The Routes
I liked both, honestly. They felt quite different to me, because you wrote the characters well in my opinion – even if they might’ve initially seemed like common tropes, their personalities gained more depth the further I read. The first time I ended up on the neutral (bad) path, when I behaved naturally (aka, here and there be reasonable polite to Souma, but overall preferring Izumi) and had to figure out how to end up on the path I wanted.
I did not experiment too much with it, but it felt like you had to stick nearly 100% to one guy from the start to really get to their (good) endings respectively. That’s something I kind of dislike personally, as I want to make my own choices instead of being forced to sidle up to a character right from the start (especially since you might usually not even really know who you want to end up with when you play it for the first time … and Souma is a bit of an angry, not very likeable, furball to work with in the beginning). However, that is a minor complaint and also it was pretty easy to figure out the correct choices, honestly. So, no sweat there to actually get to the route wanted.
- - - - -
Izumi
The reason why I picked Izumi’s path first actually, was because I skimmed through the comments before playing and someone mentioned that it ruined Izumi’s path somewhat for them, after seeing his nasty side in Souma’s. I gotta say, I am really glad that I played Izumi’s route first, because knowing what is actually going on in Souma’s route when Izumi keeps vaguely mentioning family problems or helps Yuki secretly was just heart-breaking.
Funnily enough, I was somewhat hoping for Izumi to go full yandere at some point (I just love fictional psychos, sorry lol) since he did have the potential to be quite manipulative, (in theory) if Yuki would stay too neutral, but still ended up on Izumi’s route somewhat – sadly, Yuki lost his marbles and just knifed the prez instead. But that was nice in its own right really. Old man had it coming.
Moving on in the end felt like Yuki maturing and letting go of someone else’s dreams to pursue his own and Izumi finally being free of his own shackles for real, so it felt really satisfying. Also, I liked as well that it wasn’t your “classical” ending, where the “heroes” succeed with the initial goal they had set, but rather evolve along with the story.
I’m not sure how to feel about Izumi’s grandfather trying to patch up things after all the quite terrible stuff that guy pulled… but since it’s been a few years, I can appreciate the sentiment, that even an old man stuck in his own negative mind would want to try and reconnect with his grandson again – eventually.
Regarding Izumi’s personality – how can one not love the guy, despite his lies (T_T)! The sheer amount of work he put in to help Yuki was just so heart-warming and admirable, I can’t even. He felt so genuine and star-struck with Yuki. While it could be a bit off-putting, that he was so incredibly defensive towards Souma… I mean, it makes sense – and Souma really didn’t make it easy, especially at the beginning.
Izumi going hysteric in the bad ends is a bit… yeah, leaves a bad taste. But I think that is intended? He only reacts like that when Yuki basically lies to him, despite the things Izumi has done for him, though, and he’s also a bit more openly emotional than a certain pink haired dude. So, I guess it’s understandable that he flips his sh*t, though it’s a complete 180 without much forewarning.
- - - - -
Souma
Well, wasn’t he difficult to work with at the start! If I hadn’t tried to get on his route intentionally, I think I would’ve only ended up there initially, cause I’m too nice. I really like that he isn’t just purely a mean guy though, whom Yuki hopelessly pursues – you can sort of tell rather soon, that Souma does care about Yuki and the situation he’s in… but is utterly terrible at wording it and not letting his emotions and frustration get to him. The way he just barges into the shop and picks up the garden work though demonstrates, that he’s sort of better at showing rather than telling.
It's good that Souma comes around on his own (Well, depending on it if Yuki hears him out or not) and admits his faults, owns up to it and really does change his attitude afterwards. The little sweet gestures always made me melt too – Souma towards the end just became more and more of a complete sweet dork (´v`).
In regards to the ending; While Yuki goes to study later on, I’m not sure anymore what happens with the store? It sounded like he kept it at first. So that felt a bit off (only compared to Izumi’s Route, where they yeet the shop immediately), especially since Souma was the one so passionate about Yuki pursuing his own dream.
One thing I guess I would’ve ideally liked, is a possibility in Souma’s route to still stay in contact with Izumi though, after he had done so much to help Yuki out. Made it feel extra sad, that he just sort of faded away with Yuki never really knowing the truth. Then again, I like tragic stuff in fictions, so oh well.
- - - - -
So.. uh .. I ended up writing two pages in Word for the review. I’m sorta sorry for the long wall of text like that, but I mean what I said – I really enjoyed it!
Thank you for putting in the work and making this a very enjoyable Visual Novel to play!
I think I’ll go check out some more of your stuff down the line~
I really enjoyed playing through this bc I really enjoyed the characters and it was easy to care about them right off the bat.
spoilers: I was very underwhelmed by Souma's route honestly, and playing it first kind of ruined my desire to do Izumi's route after learning his identity. His pettiness from Souma's (bad??) ending also just really made my opinion of him sour... I really wish there felt like more of an actual choice as to who could be the true ending but I still ended up completing and enjoying Izumi's route. And for only needing to sink a few hours in, it was really good! The art was solid (especially the sprites/expressions) and the soundtrack was simple but used effectively.
I found the opening segment with Yuki's dream really relatable and intriguing with how it implied he was too scared/anxious to actually voice his concerns with his loved ones but I so wish it was expanded on a liiiiittle more. Also Mei and Rei are totally together in my heart uwu
tldr: really great and short and sweet! Good, likable characters and compelling plot. Recommended!!
Great characters and story! I liked Izumi more but it was easier to get on Souma's route :') . Also I'm just gonna talk about spoilers now.
I think the ideal ending would be with Souma since you still get to keep the shop. But who knows, maybe Izumi's grandpa will give back the shop after they've fully made amendments :/
It was such a struggle figuring out how to stop Yuki from stabbing an old man. If there isn't a guide, I wouldn't mind making one, although it'll be like the second guide I've ever made 0-0
Can you please make android version please i really wanna play it
Just finished my first playthrough last night, now I gotta start over and get the other achievements 😁
got all the achievements (took a long, frustrating time though.) the storylines and endings are great!! kudos to the devs who made this game a great success :D u guys did great :D
I really loved this! It was very cute. I didn't like Souma at first but he really grew on me and his route was so sweet. :)
Great characters! The story was interesting and well written too.
Thanks for playing and taking the time to leave a line!
I'm glad you weren't completely put off too much by Souma and were able to like him atleast towards the end. (≧▽≦)
Do you know if anyone has done a walkthrough yet? to help with unlocking the other achievements??
I finally got the route I want!!! This was amazing work!!! Thank you for all the hard work
Haha cheers! ❤️
Thanks for playing and taking the time to leave a line :')
Didn't finish. Souma isn't just "grumpy". He gives the MC traumatic sounding flashbacks/makes him feel ill with his presence, he yells at the MC a lot, he physically drags the MC places against his will (This is only in the beginning of the story and does taper off in Izumi's route but I can't speak for Souma's route) Izumi's route is cute and wholesome.
I edited this because I said Souma comes across like an abuser. I did not do his route, and I still think he is terrible in the beginning. The way the MC reacts to Souma is what makes me think they had a toxic relationship. I won't say he is abusive in the story as far as I played, but the way the MC acts around him makes it seem like maybe he was. The MC has nightmares about him where he wakes in a panic, feels physically weak/drained when he sees him, flinches from his grasp and can barely look at him... Not to mention the moments where the MC says he thinks Souma looks like he's going to grab him by the collar and yell in his face, or when Souma calls the MC a coward because the MC walks away from him because he feels uncomfortable to the point he can't bear talk to him, or when Souma vaguely says "you know how I get sometimes" when referring to his anger issues, or when Souma just baselessly insults the MC and tears him down even though he can tell the MC is struggling...
Most of the glaring issues with Souma are in the beginning of the story with a few places that just need clarification later on (clarifying anger issues). Souma's set-up as a "nice guy who has anger issues" is just too strong in the "anger issues" department. A good example of making someone "too mean" is in the movie Shazam where the "school bullies" hit a kid on crutches with their car and then just start beating him up. That is not "bullying" that is a second possibly first degree felony. Bullying is wrong and harmful, yes, but attempted murder is a different level. I get that "anger issues" is vague enough to encompass many things, but Souma is still supposed to be a sympathetic character. So, the "anger issues" can't be so severe that they make him unsympathetic or a bad relationship choice for the MC.
Later in the story, Souma does appear sympathetic through his interactions with the side characters and his behavior, but this is overshadowed by his initial build up. He is fine to be frustrated or angry, but the instant he starts physically dragging the MC places and yelling insults it is over the line. The fact that they haven't spoke in 2 years and still have this terrible feeling between them that makes the MC feel ill and have night terrors is really off putting.
I feel strongly about this, because this is a common thing in dating games. I'm afraid that it encourages the thought that guys who are giving bad vibes and bad signals are secretly really nice. So, even though they yell at you and physically drag you places against your will and belittle and insult you, they are actually really caring and just misunderstood. In reality, they might be nice guys who have emotional problems that they can't deal with on their own but aren't seeking out help for (so they take it out on others). Or, even worse, they aren't nice guys at all and have issues and will abuse their partners (emotionally, physically, verbally, etc). I get that the MC knew Souma from childhood, but it has been years since they last spoke. And, at face value to the player, he is setting off red flags of being someone who is unstable and looking to get back with someone he could push around. The thought of "I'm yelling at you and doing all these things that hurt you because I care" is also dangerous.
It's in Yuki's nature to be passive about things and overthink to the point it makes him uncomfortable. And Souma's to go behind what he thinks is right blindly.
That being said, I'm not sure what parts make him come across as an outright abuser, so I'm sorry you felt that way. Will try to do better in the future when I tackle such characters!
Thank you for replying. I edited my review to go into more detail and explain my thoughts better. And I finished Izumi's route to get a better perspective. I did find myself laughing at points and think it is overall cute. With tweaks, I think Souma would be fine.
No. Thank you for going into more detail! Will definitely keep these things in mind going forward and in a way from the player's perspective and what they see with little to no solid information about their previous relationship I can understand how it could raise major red flags! The intent was for things to mellow down on his route but if people are really turned away from said route it becomes a little counter productive. Sadly I don't think I can overhaul Souma and what he is at this point but I really appreciate the constructive criticism! ^^
I didn't mean that you should go back to change him :) I just felt like I should clarify that he is mostly a good character. Some characters are just terrible all around, but I don't think this is the case with Souma. Overall, he is likeable and well written but suffers from a few bad interactions. I do look forward to what your team makes on the future! And, thank you for replying. It makes me feel like what I'm saying matters at least a little :)
I'm having trouble getting achievement 8. I've played so many times but can't get ittt please help 😭
choose all the souma route options till he comes over on ur birthday and then ask him to leave
Oh god I really like this gam but got so frustrated when I keep stabbing the president because I didn't get a good ending. After experimenting and reading th comments, I have to say I officially completed the Souma route.
At first I wasn't interested in getting back together with my ex because , ya' know , who would want to get back with someone who hurt you.Despite that, after playing the Souma route, I can say that I really liked it. Might replay someday with the Izumi route.
Also I don't know why I feel this sene of accomplishment when I stabbed the president (Q.Q)
i am going to die trying to get souma's ending.
i've got all the bad endings, and Izumi's ending, but EVERYTIME i try to get souma's ending, IZUMI COMES AND SAID NOPE IM TAKING THAT SHOP and i am mAd,,,, because i love souma and I TRIED GETTING HIS ENDING FIRST ACTUALLY but nO luck whatsoever- the furthest i got was getting him to help me bring them cupcakes. i need a guide or a hint, i've been trying this fOr moNTHS.
Oh myyyyy. Just give me a bit, I'll whip up a walkthrough real quick.
I'm sorry you went through so much hassle! You must really be annoyed at Izumi right about now
Please, gimme literally anything to help my little fish brain figure this out cuz god im so done with my countless failures- well, if you could tho! no pressure. I just love this game and i happen to always be more interested in them 'bad' softies, so not managing to get his ending makes me want to slap my brain. When i first played this game, I actually eventually thought Souma hAD NO ENDING, cuz like, I TRIED EVERYTHING and visual novels are never this hard. Maybe yuki needs to move on and not dwell on the past or smth, i thought that was maybe the message? I was kinda dissapointed but eventually accepted it. HOWEVER, i came here again cuz idek, quarantine makes me go do random stuff. I then saw all the comments talking about his ending aND I WAS SHOOK, SO I TRIED MY BEST AGAIN AAAND, yeah it didn't go anywhere. By now, I just want to throw Izumi in a FIRE PIT (he's a precious cinnamon roll, but boi can you nOT)
Ayy just give me 2 days give or take. I'm back home and didn't really bring my laptop along nor do I have the game on my phone. I remember the gist of how the routes work but I don't want to lead you astray and give you any more grief than Souma has already caused with his tough route haha . So I'll need to look through it real quick. and get back to you.
Okay! Sorry for the wait! Here's a surefire guide to Souma!
[[[spoilers CLEARLY]]]
1. What brings you here?
2. It's okay, I'll hear him out.
3. Run Away.
4. Serve him yourself
5. Chase After him.
6. Invite him over to share Gram's dinner
7. Wish for Souma to be nice to you.
8. Invite him in/Get him a drink
9. Don't interfere
10 . Boop the snoot/Misdirect
11. Tell her about Souma
12. Take a quick Nap
----- Souma's Route ---- in case you need one once you're in XD
13. Bring him pudding
14. Stay Still
15. I'm not sure myself
16. To Souma's place
oH gEE, so school started and I couldn't see this sooner, but thank you SO MUCH, I really appreciate that you took the time to do this ;v; Now, finally, nO MORE FRUSTRATION, time to check out that ending u-u
There sort of is an android version. But I think it's a little unstable with what android versions are allowed to download it and the like
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=fh.sayumi101.vw
Has anyone gotten achievement 8. Please let me know I can't figure it out
it has something to do with Yuki's birthday
Is there a guide? Ive been able to get all but two endings and I have an idea on how to get one but everyone keeps talking about stabbing the pres and i am uterly lost
For a free game, this is FANTASTIC! I was disappointed by some other visual novels and this lifted my spirits. I still didn't want to go for Souma (his character type isn't my cup of tea) but I will admit that I didn't dislike him by the end of the game; I just didn't want to romance him.
Spoiler talk below:
I see all these comments about stabbing the president and I'm really curious what dialog choice causes it (if I had to guess, maybe the "Nothing" answer when Yuki sees the garden, or maybe picking the wrong options when choosing if he takes care of himself or not ("soldier on" instead of "take a nap", and then "take a cup of hot milk" even though he doesn't like milk that much). The first ending I got was with Izumi and Yuki running away together which... I don't know, that FEELS like the best ending you can get (just gonna presume that stabbing the president leads to consequences so I won't do it even if I want to lol) but I'd hoped that there was a way to save the bakery too, and I'm afraid of doing another run because getting bad endings make me feel like such a failure and I don't know what I could've done better anyway.
I just find myself really sad because I wanted Izumi but I also wanted the bakery; like, spite the president AND take the president's son, y'know?? Like, "HA, YOU MIGHT HAVE YOUR MONEY BUT I HAVE DETERMINATION AND A MAGNETIC PERSONALITY FOR ATTRACTING BLONDE CITY BOYS."
My whole strategy was, "Be nice to Souma when he's reasonable (I might not like his character type but I don't just rudely dismiss him when he doesn't deserve it), let Izumi help when he wants to, try and take care of Yuki's needs whenever possible." It sounds... well, sound, but maybe I'm missing something? The whole thing where, "oh, Izumi's actually making up with his grandfather," caught me COMPLETELY off-guard and kinda made me angry (let's just say that I have some family troubles so things getting patched up with the guy who literally took the bakery away from them left a sour taste in my mouth), so I was hoping there'd be another ending I'd like more? It just feels... wrong that the whole point of the game was to get the bakery back but that's not what happened. I'd take Izumi over the bakery, sure, but it doesn't leave me feeling wholly satisfied.
(I know that sounds like a lot of complaining but I really enjoyed the game; it's just that the ending is the freshest in my mind but I'd gladly gush if given prompting to.)
I was so excited about this game! I managed to get a good ending first try, probably helped I chose Souma. I feel like things got more complicated on Izumi's route lol It was pretty clear to me when Izumi wouldn't go what was happening there. I'm glad how things worked out re: the debt at the end. Izumi seems like he'd be a nice boyfriend and all but how can he possibly compete with the weight of all that history and heartbreak? I feel like when I was playing Yuki only even noticed Izumi was into him when Yuki felt awkward explaining he was going to go to Souma's house and hang out and stuff. Because, like, he was not over that ex sorry Izumi lol
I got so invested into this and I wanted to be with Izumi so much :( but I ended up stabbing the President haha what a surprising twist. I'll have to play again and try and change a few things up and hopefully get that ending I want. I really enjoyed the game and how helpful Izumi has been, and Souma helping out with the garden was a pleasant thing as well. I also loved having Rei and Mei to balance out the male characters and bring some lightheartedness.
Update: I played Izumi's route and I cried a little bit, it got me so emotionally attached :') I absolutely loved it and them being together.
Show post...
Oh my god I hate Izumi with passion :)
Oh nooo ^_^;
I love the game! But does anyone know where a guide is? I keep stabbing the president. I haven't gotten to any good or bad endings with either character. T_T lol
Edit: Nevermind! Got it! I love all the endings. Even the one where the prez gets stabbed :-) Thank you for this wonderful game!
Oh nooo. I'm glad you were able to get the endings despite all the toils you went through! I kind of did strap the margin of error on the choices a little too tight. Sorry about that.
And I'm also super glad that you liked playing through!!!
Thanks for playing and taking the time to comment!!
Please how do you get the good ending with Izumi I am literally going to cry after getting the bad ones
I made the mistake of playing Souma's route first. I like Izumi but gosh dang it if I ain't a sucker for old loves rekindled D<
Oh noo haha.
Same though. Have a thing for misunderstandings and second chances (if you couldn't already tell X3)
It's that good shit. Thank you for giving that good shit.
that game was amazing im so glad i've found it.
you work is truly perfect and appriciated !
thank you so much!
Thanks for playing and taking the time to comment!
Glad to know you enjoyed it :')
Um...a bit of spoilers?
Just played through Souma's route and got a good ending ^v^ so I'm pretty impressed when I see in the comments that there's a stabby ending...I'm guessing that Izumi is the son or grandson of that old man who made Yuki pay the debt?
Also this is a really good game!! When a grumpy guy doesn't act grumpy he's soooo cute!
Yo! You got the good ending on the first try, then? Thoroughly impressed haha.
Kind of spoilers(?)
Oh aaa... You got that. :') Could you let me know exactly when you connected the dots with respect to Izumi? (Idk I just feel like I want to know which of the tiny little clues actually lead there. )
Thanks so much for playing and taking the time to leave a line!! ^^
You mean when & why I start to think Izumi is somehow related to the old man?
Actually it's not really mentioned in the game, instincts told me that...
I'm already having a little suspect when Izumi disappears day after day, added to Souma saying he's wearing designer clothing head to toe...when Yuki called the lawyer and he mentioned a Tsukihara-san whose voice sounded awful young, I'm pretty sure about this. That's definitely a main character, and the most suspectable person is Izumi.
But maybe that's Korean or Chinese TV dramas affected me too much...you know, they're always full of this kind of things...often the male protagonist (very rich) deep in love with the female protagonist (not so rich or just poor) and his family doing all sort of things to part them....So I always get a strange feeling when playing XD
(because idk if the reason that old Tsukihara targeted Yuki is about Izumi or not..if not that will be embarrassing lol)
Oh my. You caught THEM ALL! I had wondered if the young Tsukihara-san clue was a bit too vague, but if you caught on then I guess it's not too far fetched. >.< Thanks for listing them out , it helps !
I've watched my fair share of the richxpoor dramas, so I guess I can confirm there was heavy influence from there haha.
(Yes, it is. The only reason old Tsukihara went the personal route was because he got news of what Izumi was doing over there ^^)
Well then I guess Souma is somehow like the supporting male who also likes the female protagonist hahaha ( sorry Souma but I can't help). But they are always beaten by (oh forgive my poor English I can't find a better phase) the male protagonist, and considering that I played Souma's route first...I guess it's not so drama after all XD
I love this game so much! It certainly knows how to punch you in the gut, and also have you fall in love with all the characters.
Spoilers below!
I keep getting the third ending, and I'll admit, I was super surprised when I first got it. Definitely fulfilled the shock value and had me thinking of Yuki. He really went stabby to the president aha
I'm going to continue playing until I get something other than the third ending, and I'm sort of excited pf what other ending there are. I'm really glad this isn't one of those visual novels where there's only two endings, and that bad endings aren't a possibility.
I'm pretty impressed with this game! I think I'm sort of addicted to it, and I'm totally in love with all the characters.
Thanks for playing !!
I'll admit I tightened the point strings kind of hard for the route pushing this time around.
Let me know if you need a guide!
I appreciate it! I've unlocked all the endings except for one,,, time to try and romance Souma ;;
Yo congrats on getting them endings!
I guess the only one you have left is post Souma's route. Go for it!
Here's hoping you'll like it haha
I just wanted to say how much I love the game! It's so well written, and I love all the characters, especially Mei and Rei. This game is really cool, and even having read the description, I didn't expect it to be that drama filled!
--spoilers--
I got what I think is a bad end right away, where Izumi tears down the building because of Yuki's feelings for Souma. I've gotten so attached to the shop that I actually started crying! That's a good sign, as it means the game is so well done that it can make people cry and feel attached to the shop! But honestly, I could never have seen that coming. It surprised me, to say the least. All in all, I really enjoyed playing this!
Oh nooo everyone's being blindsided with all that drama haha
Either way, thanks so much for playing and taking the time to comment 😊
--spoilers--
Ahh that's ending started with the thought that there should be a consequence for getting with Souma but hiding it from Izumi (even if it's for the good intention of sparing his feelings) But then I guess I just got a little bit carried away with how far Izumi actually went oops.
And truly, it warms my heart that you felt so strongly about it. Excuse me while I go cry in a corner.
Thanks again for playing !
Hey Sayumi, I just got done with this game and I must say it was quite a treat. First off, I love how it was a BxB romance (not enough of those sadly), and enjoyed the story for the most part. It was a nice and fun read for me, and I finished it within a couple of days. You guys worked really hard on this game, and I can tell. It's actually quite long too, which I liked. Thanks so sharing this game. It was a treat for me.
Anyway, just a few thoughts. I'll start with the story and characters. Overall I liked everyone, from the two best friends and then to the love interests. I loved both guys honestly, but choosing who is my favorite is hard. I'd say Souma was the main route, since he got two CG's, and I liked his story. However for him, I don't know why, his route felt a tad rushed. Not sure why. I still enjoyed his route quite a bit though and liked his character a lot. I'll admit, Izumi is my favorite of the pair not only for his style but also his story and personality. I admit I knew who he was soon, but only cause I read into a certain thing he said about his family. Anyway, his story felt the most complete to me and he was really cute. I kind wish I could see more of his serious side. I do hate his grandad though, but that's likely what was meant. Rei and Mei were great too, though Rei was my fav of the pair. Also, I really like the main character too. One thing that was a bit out of nowhere was the ending in which Yuki attacks someone. It was just so strange.
As for the art, I enjoyed it overall. I am wondering, for the extra characters was it a different artist? As for the CG's they are simple, but cute at the same time especially in Souma's route. Also, I love the backgrounds in this as well. Give off that countryside feeling. Music was great too.
Overall this was a great game. A little choppy at points in story, but nothing too much. I'd love to play more from you guys down the line and will even likely replay this when I can. Good job with everything! And thanks for what you've shared with us =).
Thanks so much for playing and taking the time to leave such an in depth review!
Glad you enjoyed it!
About the unbalances CGs, we were kind of pressed for time and weren't able to get Izumi's second one done but thought it best to just go with this for now.
The extra characters were actually a free resource, is why they don't have expression variations. I tried over painting them a little so they'd be a little similar to the main art but oops there's still a quite noticeable difference >.<
Hm and I think I can understand the feeling of Souma's route being a little rushed. Did you have that feeling more towards the end of the playthrough?
Also about Izumi's uhm lineage, is it possible to know exactly when you connected the dots? ( I think it'll be interesting which to know which clues did the pointing haha)
Thanks again for playing !😊
Ah it's okay. I do like the cg's. I did realize that time was pressed, and NaNo is super hard to finish the game. As for the extra characters, they did fit in a way. You picked good art to match the main game =).
As for Izumi, it was when he mentions his family, but then tries to not talk more about them. He says how he doesn't always get along with them either, and that got me thinking. . It was sometime in the common route, and was the first time he talks about them. I just had a feeling. Also, him having that expensive apartment really nailed it for me. It's not bad though. I did enjoy his route =). I've just read a lot, so sometimes I'm able to guess where the story may go. As for Souma, I still liked his route. Did you guys just really like Izumi? That can happen when writing characters, we love them so much that we just wanna write more =D.
And np! It was a fun game. I really enjoyed it.
Right from the common route, huh? That's pretty early on! Chalking this as major instincts on your end, haha.
About the Izumi favouritism, I can't really say I prefer Izumi over Souma... maybe some things just happened subconsciously? ^3^ I think maybe it comes across that way because there's a little bit more completeness(?) to Izumi's arc. In hindsight, I do think that Souma's route doesn't have the URGENCY towards the end because Izumi is more intimately tied to the debt.
^3^ woop
Got all the Achievements! I dove in without reading the summary so I was really unprepared for the drama-heavy turn, and this turned out to be a really chunky NaNoReNo at 3.5 hours. Probably would have been under 3 if I weren't so often in this screenshot:
(Rightly representative of Souma's route. HNNnnnNNGggGG. He didn't even start out as a favorite!)
I had to mentally reorient myself often when tone shifts happened (I gunned so hard for the puppy dog and then...; and then couldn't avoid Mr. Not-Leather-Weather), but I swooned in both routes. I love the supporting cast! Textor Grams is the truest bomb and I'd love if Mei and Rei got more of their own focus if the scope allowed them to. Truth-Dare-[redacted] is not entirely relevant to the story but I'd be damned if it wasn't a jolly good time with the characters. I always enjoyed your games and this one did not disappoint, either. Good job on delivering another NaNoReNo! Looking forward to all your future endeavors.
Chunky good or chunky bad lol.
Ah! I'm glad Souma grew on you and that you enjoyed(dare I say) both of the routes. ^o^
For Mei and Rei, tbh I wasn't sure how much would be too much especially given that their sprites don't have all the expressions like the bois. So we kept it sort of barebones.
Thank you so much for playing and taking the time to leave a line. [Also for the consistent support ! :') ]
Chunky good! Substantial and fun reading ftw
Having to relax MeiRei's scope makes sense given the time constraint. I did enjoy both routes!