Loving this game, a lot deeper than I expected it to be. Lake is probably my favorite route but I find Klaus a bit more interesting (if not confusing.) anyways, this game definitely in my top 5 visual novels.
Genuinely sobbed at the ending, I really hope this can continue past 5 days (especially Lake ;3). Thank you to the creators for an amazing experience, it has honestly changed my life.
Dude... you are an absolute Daddy of a lifesaver. I don't really know the ropes about how Patreon operates even though I've been through multitude of creators' accounts >_< Thanks so much and sorry to bother :3
Is the NSFW version of the current patch not available yet? Whenever I go to Patreon page, it says I need to upgrade before I can even access the post or the patch TwT
I'm sorry but Is the 0.50.8 nsfw patch bugged? I had the old 0.50.7 nsfw patch till i decides to update It today , but as soon as i updated the nsfw patch all bjørns , torulf , lake illustration and jørgens replays dissapeared, did i do something wrong?
the new devon looks like charlie kirk and i cant get it out of my head haha. I liked all the other sprite changes tho, hope they fix him soon so i can continue his route
I love your novel so much, it opened my eyes to the world and what it's like to love a person for his character. For example, this is well shown with Bjorn..
I'm pretty sure this is hinting at the band ABBA from the 80's. It's still very popular today, you probably know some songs from them like Dancing Queen or Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight).
If anyone Who plays LoR ever sees this , u gotta agree that "from a place of love" matches mikko's route so well , if not , you can listen to It! (Atleast , most of It)
I really love this vn, but did Devon's sprite really needed to change? I can't see what was wrong with the last one. The new sprite seems a bit out of place compared to the other characters and I feel like the old one is much more expressive. Maybe it's nostalgia on my part, but I don't think so
We weren't fully happy with it - personally I aimed for a less cute and more stern and dependable look that the previous sprite didn't have. The more muted expressions and firm pose of the new sprite fits Devon's character much better. We don't plan any more redraws, perhaps only small reworks, but the new Devon is the first version of him I'm personally happy with. I'm sorry if you like it less - we know every change to existing sprites is bound to be controversial and we do it only if we feel it's necessary. - Keo
(Spoiler for Ruen route!!) Very nitpicky but the replay for Rune's trip is labeled as "Rune's acid trip" Instead of psilocybin/shrooms trip! Very urgent!
I guess. But I'm super involved in psychedelic/neuroscience circles and I've never heard anyone call Mushrooms acid (Because 'acid' came from the lysergic acid in lysergic acid diethylamide 🤓)
Finally competed all routes, and here are my opinions of the characters (in the order I did the routes in)
Mikko: Supportive, very protective. His route hurt, on some other routes it's also obvious he's hurting. I just want to give him a hug. Favourite appearance outside his own route: Devon's route
Jorgen: Initially mysterious and seemingly reserved, getting to know him better was truly enjoyable. Another hug. Favourite appearance outside his own route: Mikko's route (I'm biased, that was my first time seeing his philharmonic outfit)
Lake: They got a lot of love to give, and I don't blame them one bit. The strong desire of being loved is very relatable. Hug. Favourite appearance outside their own route: Torulf's route (second place Devon's route, the daddy issues line killed me).
Rune: Jack of all trades, master of none. I also relate to the feeling that your worth is attached to your achievements, and seeing someone get over it does make me feel good. I just want to give him a comforting pat on the back. Favourite appearance outside of his own route: Bjorn's route.
Devon: "You can't run, as everywhere you go, there you will be". Older than most of the cast, has trouble fitting in, moved to run away from his problems (which I don't think are actually a problem, it's just who he is). He deserves another pat on the back. Favourite appearance outside of his own route: Rune's route.
Torulf: Kill it with fire. Stab him. The only redeeming quality about this route is you can actually get closer to Gudrun than any other route. Favourite appearance outside his own route: None, hate that guy.
Bjorn: My opinion of Bjorn is the same as Bjorn's opinion on Travis: Too similar in some aspects, too different in others. Pat on the back. Favourite appearance outside of his own route: Mikko's route (I just like him being a part of the friend group in general).
I also believe there's a missable piece of dialogue that slightly suggests Travis would actually say no if you asked him to stay at his room. At least that's my interpretation.
Does anyone have any idea whats the replay inside the circle? I have every photo and illustration unlocked , done every route , yet whenever i click on this replay It doesnt open , assuming i haven't unlocked It yet , any tips?
I actually found out myself by checkikg a reddit post on each 3 torulf endings , i did dogtooth and said to myself "wait , so theres more endings??" Then completely forgot about them , thanks for replying though!
Hello! I downloaded the game about a month ago, and so far I’ve completed Mikko’s route and Bjorn’s route, both of which were wonderful! However, it seems I’m not quite sure how to unlock or play the other routes. At first, I thought there were only two, but after reading the comments and noticing how empty my gallery was afterwards, I realized there must be more. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated!
As for a few words to the creators:
Even though I haven’t finished the full game yet, I’m genuinely impressed so far. The storytelling is captivating, the art is absolutely adorable, and the cast of characters feels rich and engaging. You’ve created something truly special here. Keep up the amazing work! I can’t wait to experience the rest of the routes!
all routes start when you have to choose who to stay with for the night during the stargazing (and for torulf you also have to say that you are comfortable around him when he flirts with you). you have to talk to them a few times throughout day 1 to be able to pick them. this is with the exception of gudrun and klaus, who are "special" routes that you can probably find the steps somewhere in the comments.
also note that jorgen's route splits into 2 paths on day 4, and torulf's path splits into 3 (4?) different routes (dont know when sorry i havent played his route).
Thank you so much for the answer! That makes a lot more sense now. I didn’t even realize the choices I made could affect who I could choose later on! And I had no idea Torulf, Gudrun, and Klaus had their own routes, I’ll definitely have to experiment with my choices more next time. By the way, do you happen to know what the “insert code” feature is for? I figured it might be something meant for the devs, but I saw a few people mention using it (I didn’t read too much to avoid spoilers).
Hey Buddy, how are you doing today? I have a couple of questions to ask if you can help me out. Are there updates planned for all the characters and their routes? I’m also wondering if there are more ideas for sex scenes.
Additionally, will the routes include a week-long break for the protagonist, perhaps away from the cabin or wherever they are staying? This could lead to some separation anxiety from the characters due to what route you pick. I think it would be interesting to explore the characters dating and becoming boyfriends, with them being protective and a bit possessive of the protagonist, and a lot more stuff that could happen towards the protagonist.
It would be great to incorporate situations where things happen to the protagonist that require the chosen character to comfort them from their route you picket, like having nightmares or facing other challenges, eta. Would you be open to these types of ideas?
And can I record this game for a series and put the link for the game in the description of the video to get people to play it? If your okay with that...
not a dev but i can answer a few of those questions there is 1 more day of the game planned and that will be the end (probably). im sure there will be a few nsfw scenes on day 5
there might be a story continuation beyond dawn chorus, but im pretty sure the game will end at the end of day 5 or maybe morning of day 6
for jorgen route, you get put onto route A if you confront jorgen during the concert and route B if you go for a beer instead
major spoilers for mikko route
to get the first bad ending, return to your room at the end of day 1. the second bad ending is much more complex, i believe you have to not go on the walk with mikko, but there is also a way to get back into default route if you miss the walk. theres probably a flowchart somewhere and if anyone wants i can make one if there isnt already one
So... thought to mention On most routes when (if) you meet Gudrun, she is referred to as an ewe. When going specifically for Torulf's early ending, which results in Gudrun being introduced during day 2 supper, the protagonist (narration) calls her a goat.
So, on current mobile version, an exception occurred while I was trying to replay the concert scene from Rune's route in the gallery... The issue is, while I could replicate it, I just pressed buttons and the issue fixed itself?
Like, every time I tried to replay it, an exception occurred, and clicking ignore just threw me to choosing a name for the protagonist and began day 1. But when I got that again, I clicked rollback twice, the game closed, and when I reopened it that same replay was functioning properly...
Love the game but what gets me most after following for years now is Professor Arne. He doesn't exactly have much dialogue but I wish he was alot more involved with how much of a pretty boy he is. I heard of cancellations of his route back then but a guy can dream.
Did they remove the NSFW visuals? I just reinstalled on a new device so I have to skip through stuff I already did, but I feel like even only on two routes (Bjorn and Rune) I have significantly less NSFW in my gallery than I usually do. Also, the Legacy code isn't working for me. It takes the code but won't actually give me the toggle in preferences.
Normally I only comment AFTER finishing everything the build I played has to offer... but damn, this is very well-written and pulls at the heartstrings JUST RIGHT.
I only played what's currently available in Mikko's route, and I loved all the deep lines and metaphors (and the protagonist just makes me feel like they're suffering from depression), and I don't think I've seen romance novels (visual or not) go in the direction of the protagonist still not being sure of their feelings when the love interest confesses...
I'm looking forward to playing the other routes, but I need to take a break because that route broke me (in a good way).
Makes a mental note you mentioned multiple bad endings
Ok, but really, I'd get around to getting A bad ending, now I know there's multiple, I don't know in which direction to go... I know this visual novel isn't linear, but I'd actually appreciate being told the paths to go (spoilers be damned, I don't care).
Edit: Ok, nevermind, found 1 bad ending for Mikko that triggers on day 1, I'll just explore each option and guess I'll find the endings myself.
And I know I said I'll take a break... but I literally started and finished what I can only assume to be the good route for Jorgen. It's just after some thought I decided there must be at least one less heartbreaking route among the and chose Jorgen at random... and I'm glad that was my choice.
Alright, without spoilers, but you must promise to come back and discuss them with me after you play them.
The Bad Ending - stay with Mikko but ignore him. (I think you only need to ignore his invitation to go outside, but if you're going for a bad ending - might as well ignore him completely, this way the final scene seems more natural).
THE WORST ENDING - Agree to stay with Mikko, but bail on him when you find the key.
Worst ending felt a bit sudden, to say the least... It just feels like everything just goes completely unresolved. Bad ending felt more definitive. Sure, it ends with day 3, but the protagonist truly felt broken by the events of that route. I feel their choice at the end was understandable, even if I find it a bit rushed. Very well-written, but I still think Mikko's good ending (at least as far as was released) is the best in terms of the emotional range it made me feel, tied with the bad ending for pure writing quality.
(And I know what you meant by kinky... in the protagonist's place, I'd find that terrifying)
Keo keeps rewriting the axe murder ending, and it just keeps getting weirder because of it.
I don't know what the scene originally was, I only came around patch 0.28, I think. But I caught the tail end of someone giving Keo shit over changing it. I think it might have used to end with the axe sound, or maybe the axe sound was meaty, or maybe there was blood - something gruesome like that.
In 0.35.1, which I have kept, the cuffs were real(screenshots attached)
Now it's 0.51.1 and there's no blood, no axe, no cuffs... And since there's no Mikko - the scene now suggests that it was all purely imaginary, Arvo simply freaked out from being around Mikko and ran.
That feels more anti-climactic than the jumpscare of the worst ending, IMO. That one at least follows the motif of Mikko's repeating monologue about how nothing we do matters, and we're less than dust on the cosmic scale. You're dying, never having made up for your betrayal to your best friend/love, but at least you both happened, no matter how inexplicably unlikely, and managed to enjoy each other's company for a bit. And if it ended poorly - well... None of it mattered in the first place.
p.s. Imagine Travis' face in the morning when he found out that Arvo fucking DIED! 😳How would he try to make amends for his sticky paws? Would he tell Mikko? How would Mikko feel about it? I love exploring the doomed timelines like this, they are so rich for good meaty developments.
p.p.s. The Bad Ending, if read as "it was all a dream", shouldn't really be the end, as it invites a continuation of the story - Mikko going ballistic from Arvo not just leaving the lodge, but straight up dropping out of the university. Running way from him. FUCKING. AGAIN. It could actually lead to a satisfying ending where Mikko actually corners him with cuffs to make sure this time he stays around long enough for them to talk. How it would go from there - imagine for yourself, fanon is bae. ;)
I like how artistically artificial they look. Their expressions, their poses - they are aimed directly at YOU, the viewer, the only real person here, whose act of witnessing the show makes it real.
When it's a one on one dialogue, your companion stands in the middle of the frame, staring right at you, unblinking, like they are a character in a Wes Anderson movie. His works exude the same artistic artificiality as the old Dawn Chorus sprites - everything is not just artificial, but draws attention to its artificial nature.
I always loved works of fiction that are not afraid to make a nod, or better yet, a full bow to their artificial nature. "Pathologic" is a great example - it has main characters, background characters, and then the extras that don't even get a costume, they are just wearing a black bodysuit and a mask to create the sense of scale and numbers.
But back to Dawn Chorus. It's not just the old sprites that have this artistically artificial nature, other aspects of the FVN share that quality.
The background extras are not even black-clad shadows, they straight up don't exist. There's several dozen people in the lodge, you only ever see less than a dozen.
A lot of the writing here is unnatural in an artistic fashion as well.
Every single OOC dialogue about ships at the sea the characters have is non-diegetic, it doesn't actually happen in the world of the VN.
Every single perspective change is just the omnipotent storyteller lifting the curtain only to you, the viewer.
Every single monologue is saturated with theatrical pathos, like there's a literal spotlight shining on the speaker. Especially the self-analyzational sermons you shouldn't hear, because they are happening inside another character's head, or even in another time. It's completely fake but also extremely awesome.
And the old sprites really add to that feel - they grasp your attention demanding you witness them.
And the best part is that it's all entirely accidental. The creators of this FVN did not intend this at all, it happened by completely improbable sheer cosmic occurrence. The universe just shuffled the deck of reality 14 billion years ago and a never-ending sequence of happenstances made it just so happen that the people behind Dawn Chorus had created this deeply artistic artificial feel to their work while just trying to tell a story.
Wes Anderson is a good catch, watching Asteroid City was what emboldened me to go further with the non-diegetic elements of narration. My first inspiration behind these would likely be Kunihiko Ikuhara's animes, mostly Penguindrum and Utena. I like the idea of these moments fading in an out, weaved into the narrative, complementing the more life-like fabric and vice versa.
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I'm so excited for more jørgen content i swear they jørgen and MC gotta end up together
Loving this game, a lot deeper than I expected it to be. Lake is probably my favorite route but I find Klaus a bit more interesting (if not confusing.) anyways, this game definitely in my top 5 visual novels.
i cant seem to get the nsfw patch to work
Genuinely sobbed at the ending, I really hope this can continue past 5 days (especially Lake ;3). Thank you to the creators for an amazing experience, it has honestly changed my life.
Im with you brosky
Stupid question I just want to know is the NSFW content only on patreon now just wondering because I can't really do patreon would love to but can't
The NSFW patch is avaliable for free on patreon. No pay is required.
You can find the patch in v0.50 patch on itch. Should be highlighted as the word 'here'
Nope, it's not accessible TwT. The post where the patch is attached is locked and says "Upgrade to Unlock"
I guess it's not free anymore or maybe at the moment TwT
you need to go into the collections page and find the NSFW patches its avaliable there and for free
Dude... you are an absolute Daddy of a lifesaver. I don't really know the ropes about how Patreon operates even though I've been through multitude of creators' accounts >_< Thanks so much and sorry to bother :3
Is the NSFW version of the current patch not available yet
? Whenever I go to Patreon page, it says I need to upgrade before I can even access the post or the patch TwTI don't know what to do TwT
You can find the patch in v0.50 patch on itch. Should be highlighted as the word 'here'. It's updated regularly.
Got it! Thanks for the help even if I it didn't exactly work for me... Anyways thanks^^
NVM FOUND IT LOLZ SORRY FOR THE MISTAKEN XC LOV DEVON!!!
I NEED TO REDOWNLOAD AGAIN??
Where the iS the day5??? I NEED THE UODATE ASAP TELL ME WHY
i really wanna feel bad for bjorn right now but holy shit his ass IS SO FAT
why was bjorn just carrying an apple with him
this game is so ominous sometimes
I'm sorry but Is the 0.50.8 nsfw patch bugged? I had the old 0.50.7 nsfw patch till i decides to update It today , but as soon as i updated the nsfw patch all bjørns , torulf , lake illustration and jørgens replays dissapeared, did i do something wrong?
I don't think so, but even if, the new one will be out this weekend!
Fyi i have been excitedly waiting for the 0.51 update release for over a month and now i have to wait 2 weeks to read It cuz of exams 💔
I found the issue , i've been too focused rereading the VN that i forgot nsfw content had to be turned on , it's all fixed now 😭
the new devon looks like charlie kirk and i cant get it out of my head haha. I liked all the other sprite changes tho, hope they fix him soon so i can continue his route
why the fuck would hyou say that omg
now I can't unsee it and it bothers me omfg
the most cursed comment
I love your novel so much, it opened my eyes to the world and what it's like to love a person for his character. For example, this is well shown with Bjorn..
Yes I couldn't agree more, would you like to be friends?
what is Pawbba? anyone who knows
I'm pretty sure this is hinting at the band ABBA from the 80's. It's still very popular today, you probably know some songs from them like Dancing Queen or Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight).
Wow, I never thought of it. Thanks btw
If anyone Who plays LoR ever sees this , u gotta agree that "from a place of love" matches mikko's route so well , if not , you can listen to It! (Atleast , most of It)
I kinda prefer Devon's old sprite. But legacy mode isn't working for me, at least not on Android. It doesn't change anything </3
I miss how cute he looked ↓
I really love this vn, but did Devon's sprite really needed to change? I can't see what was wrong with the last one. The new sprite seems a bit out of place compared to the other characters and I feel like the old one is much more expressive. Maybe it's nostalgia on my part, but I don't think so
Also, sorry if this comment is somewhat unwanted, it's just something that bothered me personally
Nah i also think so too, like I don't think anyone asked for it either
We weren't fully happy with it - personally I aimed for a less cute and more stern and dependable look that the previous sprite didn't have. The more muted expressions and firm pose of the new sprite fits Devon's character much better. We don't plan any more redraws, perhaps only small reworks, but the new Devon is the first version of him I'm personally happy with. I'm sorry if you like it less - we know every change to existing sprites is bound to be controversial and we do it only if we feel it's necessary.
- Keo
he needs more face fluff for the new sprite but i see the vision
(Spoiler for Ruen route!!)
Very nitpicky but the replay for Rune's trip is labeled as "Rune's acid trip" Instead of psilocybin/shrooms trip! Very urgent!
I mean sometimes people call it like that when you drug yourself and loose your marbles, I would call it like that too, even if it's not acid
I guess. But I'm super involved in psychedelic/neuroscience circles and I've never heard anyone call Mushrooms acid (Because 'acid' came from the lysergic acid in lysergic acid diethylamide 🤓)
I didn't understood a single word about that but sounds cool man haha
Is anyone else experiencing the issue where, when saving a game on day 3 of Klaus, it shows up as day 2 instead of 3?
Does anybody know about this?? Is it even something public, i gotta know, im so curious about it
assuming this is for legacy mode? take a look at the release notes for V0.49 :3
thankss
Finally competed all routes, and here are my opinions of the characters (in the order I did the routes in)
Mikko: Supportive, very protective. His route hurt, on some other routes it's also obvious he's hurting. I just want to give him a hug. Favourite appearance outside his own route: Devon's route
Jorgen: Initially mysterious and seemingly reserved, getting to know him better was truly enjoyable. Another hug. Favourite appearance outside his own route: Mikko's route (I'm biased, that was my first time seeing his philharmonic outfit)
Lake: They got a lot of love to give, and I don't blame them one bit. The strong desire of being loved is very relatable. Hug. Favourite appearance outside their own route: Torulf's route (second place Devon's route, the daddy issues line killed me).
Rune: Jack of all trades, master of none. I also relate to the feeling that your worth is attached to your achievements, and seeing someone get over it does make me feel good. I just want to give him a comforting pat on the back. Favourite appearance outside of his own route: Bjorn's route.
Devon: "You can't run, as everywhere you go, there you will be". Older than most of the cast, has trouble fitting in, moved to run away from his problems (which I don't think are actually a problem, it's just who he is). He deserves another pat on the back. Favourite appearance outside of his own route: Rune's route.
Torulf: Kill it with fire. Stab him. The only redeeming quality about this route is you can actually get closer to Gudrun than any other route. Favourite appearance outside his own route: None, hate that guy.
Bjorn: My opinion of Bjorn is the same as Bjorn's opinion on Travis: Too similar in some aspects, too different in others. Pat on the back. Favourite appearance outside of his own route: Mikko's route (I just like him being a part of the friend group in general).
Why isn't travis an option for romance? Does anybody know?
I think he mentions he's straight in a route, however it would've been cool ;w;
I also believe there's a missable piece of dialogue that slightly suggests Travis would actually say no if you asked him to stay at his room. At least that's my interpretation.
Travis would say no because he wants you to stay with Mikko, duh.
So are the spaghetti until they get wet.
Also he's really into getting Mikko and Arvo back together. I think the tanuki boy is a fudanshi.
Does anyone have any idea whats the replay inside the circle? I have every photo and illustration unlocked , done every route , yet whenever i click on this replay It doesnt open , assuming i haven't unlocked It yet , any tips?
it is the torulf alternate ending cg
I actually found out myself by checkikg a reddit post on each 3 torulf endings , i did dogtooth and said to myself "wait , so theres more endings??" Then completely forgot about them , thanks for replying though!
i want routeable travis im tweaking also this games peak luv it sooo much
Hello! I downloaded the game about a month ago, and so far I’ve completed Mikko’s route and Bjorn’s route, both of which were wonderful! However, it seems I’m not quite sure how to unlock or play the other routes. At first, I thought there were only two, but after reading the comments and noticing how empty my gallery was afterwards, I realized there must be more. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated!
As for a few words to the creators:
Even though I haven’t finished the full game yet, I’m genuinely impressed so far. The storytelling is captivating, the art is absolutely adorable, and the cast of characters feels rich and engaging. You’ve created something truly special here. Keep up the amazing work! I can’t wait to experience the rest of the routes!
all routes start when you have to choose who to stay with for the night during the stargazing (and for torulf you also have to say that you are comfortable around him when he flirts with you). you have to talk to them a few times throughout day 1 to be able to pick them. this is with the exception of gudrun and klaus, who are "special" routes that you can probably find the steps somewhere in the comments.
also note that jorgen's route splits into 2 paths on day 4, and torulf's path splits into 3 (4?) different routes (dont know when sorry i havent played his route).
Thank you so much for the answer! That makes a lot more sense now. I didn’t even realize the choices I made could affect who I could choose later on! And I had no idea Torulf, Gudrun, and Klaus had their own routes, I’ll definitely have to experiment with my choices more next time.
By the way, do you happen to know what the “insert code” feature is for? I figured it might be something meant for the devs, but I saw a few people mention using it (I didn’t read too much to avoid spoilers).
legacy mode (the old sprites)
Hey Buddy, how are you doing today? I have a couple of questions to ask if you can help me out. Are there updates planned for all the characters and their routes? I’m also wondering if there are more ideas for sex scenes.
Additionally, will the routes include a week-long break for the protagonist, perhaps away from the cabin or wherever they are staying? This could lead to some separation anxiety from the characters due to what route you pick. I think it would be interesting to explore the characters dating and becoming boyfriends, with them being protective and a bit possessive of the protagonist, and a lot more stuff that could happen towards the protagonist.
It would be great to incorporate situations where things happen to the protagonist that require the chosen character to comfort them from their route you picket, like having nightmares or facing other challenges, eta. Would you be open to these types of ideas?
And can I record this game for a series and put the link for the game in the description of the video to get people to play it? If your okay with that...
not a dev but i can answer a few of those questions
there is 1 more day of the game planned and that will be the end (probably). im sure there will be a few nsfw scenes on day 5
there might be a story continuation beyond dawn chorus, but im pretty sure the game will end at the end of day 5 or maybe morning of day 6
Can anyone help me with the three Torulf routes, please? I don't need to know how to get to each one 🫥
https://www.reddit.com/r/FurryVisualNovels/comments/1dte7gl/quick_flowchart_of_t...
Thank Bro, Do you have more pictures like this from other routes?
small spoilers for jorgen route
for jorgen route, you get put onto route A if you confront jorgen during the concert and route B if you go for a beer instead
major spoilers for mikko route
to get the first bad ending, return to your room at the end of day 1. the second bad ending is much more complex, i believe you have to not go on the walk with mikko, but there is also a way to get back into default route if you miss the walk. theres probably a flowchart somewhere and if anyone wants i can make one if there isnt already one
So... thought to mention
On most routes when (if) you meet Gudrun, she is referred to as an ewe.
When going specifically for Torulf's early ending, which results in Gudrun being introduced during day 2 supper, the protagonist (narration) calls her a goat.
So, on current mobile version, an exception occurred while I was trying to replay the concert scene from Rune's route in the gallery... The issue is, while I could replicate it, I just pressed buttons and the issue fixed itself?
Like, every time I tried to replay it, an exception occurred, and clicking ignore just threw me to choosing a name for the protagonist and began day 1. But when I got that again, I clicked rollback twice, the game closed, and when I reopened it that same replay was functioning properly...
Day 1 of asking for Arne Route
Love the game but what gets me most after following for years now is Professor Arne. He doesn't exactly have much dialogue but I wish he was alot more involved with how much of a pretty boy he is. I heard of cancellations of his route back then but a guy can dream.
Did they remove the NSFW visuals? I just reinstalled on a new device so I have to skip through stuff I already did, but I feel like even only on two routes (Bjorn and Rune) I have significantly less NSFW in my gallery than I usually do. Also, the Legacy code isn't working for me. It takes the code but won't actually give me the toggle in preferences.
Edit: saw the news feed for a prior update.
Normally I only comment AFTER finishing everything the build I played has to offer... but damn, this is very well-written and pulls at the heartstrings JUST RIGHT.
I only played what's currently available in Mikko's route, and I loved all the deep lines and metaphors (and the protagonist just makes me feel like they're suffering from depression), and I don't think I've seen romance novels (visual or not) go in the direction of the protagonist still not being sure of their feelings when the love interest confesses...
I'm looking forward to playing the other routes, but I need to take a break because that route broke me (in a good way).
Make sure you get all of Mikko's bad endings, otherwise the experience is not complete. Come back and let me know how you like his kinky side >:3
Makes a mental note you mentioned multiple bad endings
Ok, but really, I'd get around to getting A bad ending, now I know there's multiple, I don't know in which direction to go... I know this visual novel isn't linear, but I'd actually appreciate being told the paths to go (spoilers be damned, I don't care).
Edit: Ok, nevermind, found 1 bad ending for Mikko that triggers on day 1, I'll just explore each option and guess I'll find the endings myself.
And I know I said I'll take a break... but I literally started and finished what I can only assume to be the good route for Jorgen. It's just after some thought I decided there must be at least one less heartbreaking route among the and chose Jorgen at random... and I'm glad that was my choice.
Alright, without spoilers, but you must promise to come back and discuss them with me after you play them.
The Bad Ending - stay with Mikko but ignore him. (I think you only need to ignore his invitation to go outside, but if you're going for a bad ending - might as well ignore him completely, this way the final scene seems more natural).
THE WORST ENDING - Agree to stay with Mikko, but bail on him when you find the key.
Already did...
Worst ending felt a bit sudden, to say the least... It just feels like everything just goes completely unresolved.
Bad ending felt more definitive. Sure, it ends with day 3, but the protagonist truly felt broken by the events of that route. I feel their choice at the end was understandable, even if I find it a bit rushed. Very well-written, but I still think Mikko's good ending (at least as far as was released) is the best in terms of the emotional range it made me feel, tied with the bad ending for pure writing quality.
(And I know what you meant by kinky... in the protagonist's place, I'd find that terrifying)
Keo keeps rewriting the axe murder ending, and it just keeps getting weirder because of it.
I don't know what the scene originally was, I only came around patch 0.28, I think. But I caught the tail end of someone giving Keo shit over changing it. I think it might have used to end with the axe sound, or maybe the axe sound was meaty, or maybe there was blood - something gruesome like that.
In 0.35.1, which I have kept, the cuffs were real(screenshots attached)
Now it's 0.51.1 and there's no blood, no axe, no cuffs... And since there's no Mikko - the scene now suggests that it was all purely imaginary, Arvo simply freaked out from being around Mikko and ran.
That feels more anti-climactic than the jumpscare of the worst ending, IMO. That one at least follows the motif of Mikko's repeating monologue about how nothing we do matters, and we're less than dust on the cosmic scale. You're dying, never having made up for your betrayal to your best friend/love, but at least you both happened, no matter how inexplicably unlikely, and managed to enjoy each other's company for a bit. And if it ended poorly - well... None of it mattered in the first place.
p.s. Imagine Travis' face in the morning when he found out that Arvo fucking DIED! 😳How would he try to make amends for his sticky paws? Would he tell Mikko? How would Mikko feel about it? I love exploring the doomed timelines like this, they are so rich for good meaty developments.
p.p.s. The Bad Ending, if read as "it was all a dream", shouldn't really be the end, as it invites a continuation of the story - Mikko going ballistic from Arvo not just leaving the lodge, but straight up dropping out of the university. Running way from him. FUCKING. AGAIN. It could actually lead to a satisfying ending where Mikko actually corners him with cuffs to make sure this time he stays around long enough for them to talk. How it would go from there - imagine for yourself, fanon is bae. ;)
I realized what I like about the old sprites.
I like how artistically artificial they look. Their expressions, their poses - they are aimed directly at YOU, the viewer, the only real person here, whose act of witnessing the show makes it real.
When it's a one on one dialogue, your companion stands in the middle of the frame, staring right at you, unblinking, like they are a character in a Wes Anderson movie. His works exude the same artistic artificiality as the old Dawn Chorus sprites - everything is not just artificial, but draws attention to its artificial nature.
I always loved works of fiction that are not afraid to make a nod, or better yet, a full bow to their artificial nature. "Pathologic" is a great example - it has main characters, background characters, and then the extras that don't even get a costume, they are just wearing a black bodysuit and a mask to create the sense of scale and numbers.
But back to Dawn Chorus. It's not just the old sprites that have this artistically artificial nature, other aspects of the FVN share that quality.
The background extras are not even black-clad shadows, they straight up don't exist. There's several dozen people in the lodge, you only ever see less than a dozen.
A lot of the writing here is unnatural in an artistic fashion as well.
Every single OOC dialogue about ships at the sea the characters have is non-diegetic, it doesn't actually happen in the world of the VN.
Every single perspective change is just the omnipotent storyteller lifting the curtain only to you, the viewer.
Every single monologue is saturated with theatrical pathos, like there's a literal spotlight shining on the speaker. Especially the self-analyzational sermons you shouldn't hear, because they are happening inside another character's head, or even in another time. It's completely fake but also extremely awesome.
And the old sprites really add to that feel - they grasp your attention demanding you witness them.
And the best part is that it's all entirely accidental. The creators of this FVN did not intend this at all, it happened by completely improbable sheer cosmic occurrence. The universe just shuffled the deck of reality 14 billion years ago and a never-ending sequence of happenstances made it just so happen that the people behind Dawn Chorus had created this deeply artistic artificial feel to their work while just trying to tell a story.
I think it's fantastic.
Don’t understand half the things you said, but sounds really cool. Also the pic is just awesome. :-D
Wes Anderson is a good catch, watching Asteroid City was what emboldened me to go further with the non-diegetic elements of narration. My first inspiration behind these would likely be Kunihiko Ikuhara's animes, mostly Penguindrum and Utena. I like the idea of these moments fading in an out, weaved into the narrative, complementing the more life-like fabric and vice versa.