Newfound Courage

I don't often leave reviews but I really enjoyed this game and it impacted me in a big way. Alex's story is relatable for many of us who have been made to feel out of place in society for our identity and the opportunity to trace a romantic path for him in book 2, while short, feels extremely meaningful. I truly appreciate the message behind the game and while initially I was skeptical about the story and thought it wasn't making much sense, I started to go with the flow and saw that the story takes a backseat to the emotional and psychological experiences of the characters, which are mostly well-developed and in my opinion relatable for a wide audience since they touch on universal themes. The only thing I don't understand is how to play the winter DLC. If anyone knows how to play it please let me know! I tried hitting play from the DLC but it loads the regular game and I can't find the winter story. I truly hope to see a book 3 in the future <3

I really enjoyed this game. I don't regularly play games with pixel graphics, and now I feel like I've been missing out on a ton of fun. I found the story to be incredibly promising and clearly setting up a lot of world-building for future content that hopefully will come one day. Being queer is a part of the story, and I like that it was something that wasn't subtle or briefly mentioned, but instead an actual part of character development and moving the story forward. I think some of the earlier reviews (prior to the free DLC included) felt a bit cheated in a sense because they, much like I assumed, that the romance would be in the first book, and technically there is love (friendship) there, it's just not romantic like you'd initially assume or maybe felt led to believe. However, the second book actually does include romance, albeit with different characters, and continues the plot in a way that felt exciting and fun to me personally. The combat in the story is also fun, but very simple, which I didn't mind, but at times I wish there were more variety there. I think my biggest want with this game is that I wish it were longer and there were more to explore. I think the romance in book two definitely could use an extension; it doesn’t have to be significant, but I just wish there could have been more conversations involved there, as the interactions are quite short for a romance. In retrospect, as I write this, I would say if your sole interest in playing this game is for a queer love story, it does exist, just in book two, and it isn’t very long. I think the bigger message of the game, without explicit spoilers, is simply the strength that comes with self-acceptance and the impact homophobia can have on a person. Overall, I really enjoyed everything this game has to offer, and I would strongly recommend it to anyone looking for a meaningful queer story that isn’t entirely consumed by romance and more so self-acceptance and the power that comes from it.

Positives: world-building is extremely interesting, there are some really emotional moments that surprised me, gameplay was fun and not too difficult Negatives: writing could be a little clunky, the development of romantic feelings (both books) seems rushed, storyline is unfinished even after book 2, forgiving Jarrow and going on a date with him happens too quickly for me to feel comfortable with it especially after the rant to Miss about what love does and doesn't mean I know it's supposed to be a short game, but I think you can find balance in a short game so that all the elements have enough space. This game would have been better if it was longer, more fleshed-out, with more gameplay and storyline development. It just tries to fit a lot into a small package in a way that leaves me a bit unsatisfied. I still like it and think it accomplishes what it sets out to do. Also, everyone upset book 1 does not end with a romantic relationship, you get the chance in the DLC that adds book 2. Yeah you have to get the DLC but it's a misrepresentation to act like the MC never has that opportunity