i have a question. is this game and My Bully is My Lover, different chapters of the same game? i mean look at the ppl it in. i think its pretty cool. but i havent put my finger on why is it like that?
This is one of those games that's just been sitting on my computer for a while and now that I've finally started playing through it, it quickly got me hooked. I'm still only on chapter 2, but I can definitely say that it has already reached the level some of my other favorite VNs.
Hey dev, just want to say that this and MBML are my first times reading AVN's, and I've so far really enjoyed them. Will you be updating this alongside MBML, or will you be doing one of them this month, and the other next month? I haven't seen anyone else ask really is why I'm curious.
Thanks for the time and effort put into these, it's been very fun!
So we're getting MBML this month and next month we get LCC? Cool! Thanks for communicating! I couldn't find anything resembling a rough timeline on your patreon.
How much are you planning of these? 15-20 episodes of each? If you don't wanna spill the secrets, that's cool too, thanks for the reply!
Hi, NiiChan. First of all, I want to congratulate you on your work on this, since I'm always skeptical about this type of games, mostly about the story since I usually expect at least something decent from the animations. As someone before me has said, your characters do feel realistic and they showcase your best work, which I'd say is creating meaningful and real interactions between characters. But I do have some criticism about some other parts and I'd like you to take it into consideration.
First of all, I've not yet finished all episodes, I'm about halfway done with ep. 4 I think, so maybe these issues are resolved later or you have an explanation for these later down the line once or if the game is fully completed.
Now, about these issues, I think the first is very obvious, and it's that the MC is too good at everything at a very young age. It's a guy that can cook, fight, is a great guy, and has a lot of money (probably, since maintenance of a high-end car like he has is really expensive).
Why do I have an issue with this? Let's start with cooking.
I know this is a huge part in the game (no spoilers in case someone else reads this), but his skill level is unrealistic to say the least. It's something you use as a way to "gain points" with some of the girls, but I don't think it has to be taken to the extremes it does, even if it may make the scene funny. You know how when we watch a movie or play a game that takes place in a fantasy setting or has a character that can fly or use magic or whatever we still believe that what's happening is real (in that movie or game)? It's because we do this "suspension of disbelief" to avoid analyzing something too much in order to enjoy it. However, there's a limit to how much we are willing to believe in. For some people, nothing may detract from their enjoyment, but I just can't believe the MC's cooking skills, I'm sorry. You can still make wholesome scenes of the MC cooking for a girl and that girl falling in love with him because it tastes amazing and he looks great in an apron or whatever, but any more than that and it makes it too unbelievable.
As for fighting, I've not seen any issue with it yet, but if he does anything while fighting as crazy as he does while cooking, Matrix style or something like that, I won't enjoy it either. I don't think you need to make it very flashy or use unnatural speed/strength for it look good. I don't know if it's your plan or I'm jumping the gun here, I hope it's the second.
Not much to talk about the MC being a good guy, although I saw it weird how fast he switched from introversion to social in less than a week, considering that at the start of the game he still has issues with his past. I would rearrange the game so that more or later scenes happen before he goes back to the extroverted version of him.
Money talk. How? Ok, I know that you (barely) touch upon the subject later, but there's no way he can have that car. In fact, the first scene with him and Eliza in the car just threw me off and couldn't help but laugh. Not only I don't believe he has that kind of car, I also don't believe the MC would need or like that kind of car. He doesn't seem like the person that would drive one of those, to me at least. And even though it's not mentioned, considering that he only got a job in the worst paying company he could find (for the type of job he's looking for), I find it impossible to retain the car considering expenses like maintenance, gas, repairs, etc.
I know this was a lot, but it's the stuff I know I can talk about the most without spoiling anything.
Another issue I have is something I've seen done twice, which is having a very long conversation while in a fight. You can actually write most of it before or after those fights. Having a 5 minute talk (or longer) is just not realistic and takes you out of the action. For me it just takes too long, I don't know.
Next, the use of time. I'm actually glad you make use of "time skipping" to help the story progress to avoid making it look like all these relationships are formed in literal days, as some others do. It really helps the immersion. However, I found some "time skips" that were either too large or too small, but won't talk about it because spoilers.
In fact, I'd appreciate if you had a public email or some other way to contact you to speak about this privately just so I don't reveal the story for the others. If not, that's ok, I know you'll still improve the more you keep writing and making games, it's just a matter of time, but I like criticizing the stuff I love and genuinely think that any help I can provide is good.
P.S.: I find the animations abruptly stopping before starting again, and it doesn't look "fluid". The beginning and end of the animations are not connected correctly, I don't know if you can fix that.
Yes, I had some good people send me feedbacks about the things you mentioned too. Which led me to a decision of re writing the earlier episode of LCC. No worries about the animation, I already fixed it in the recent episode and it already loops quite nicely. Thank you for the feedback though. I'll do my best to improve LCC as I still believe that it mas way better story than my other game, MBML.
While I think that some more work on the first episodes could be highly beneficial to bring them up to the same level of awesomeness and quality as your most recent chapters, I'd really, really, really appreciate it if you kept the original experience, mood, feel and genius take on depression and transformative experiences intact!
About the Trauma, Depression and related elements, plus the commentary on your perfect execution of showing how certain sets of circumstances can induce a deep transformative experience, a rebirth for someone suffering from conditions similar to the MC, please read my reply to Valkain, just a few posts higher!
The introduction part of the game is pure gold my man!
I really like your constructive criticism! I totally understand your concerns and/or reasons behind the different points you make.
And you're tackling a FUNDAMENTAL aspect of storytelling: the suspension of disbelief.
~~{It might seem like I'm rejecting many of your ideas at first glance, but please keep in mind that I agree with most of your comments and that I'm bringing my take on your observations in order to add fuel to the debate, the discussion!}~~
Sure, during my first playthrough (I've just started my 2nd playthrough today), there were a couple of details that really shocked me, really making my mind go into a "WTF mode" at first, especially regarding the funny cooking reactions. But to be honest, I find this to be a very creative and humourous approach that just contributes to this Visual Novel's originality and that makes it stand out from the rest. Yes, the first food tasting scene felt a bit weird, but the consequenses were hilarious! But while it hurts a bit the suspension of disbelief, it creates a big mystery... And that's where it doesn't matter if it slightly affects the suspension of disbelief: because it serves the story much more. And as we slowly learn more about the MC's past, we're slowly gaining an understanding of what happened and why... We don't nearly have all the answers yet, but I find that the "ecstatic food tasting experience" is an interesting part of the story and a fun mystery!
~> FIGHT TALK: Having trained for over 12 years in Martial Arts and Combat Sports, I can definitely say that you CAN have a form of conversation while sparring and in certain types of real life (combat) situations, and sometimes... you can't: it really depends on the context.
A long monologue is ridiculous, except for when you're in control of the situation, like when the @$$hole tried to stab his GF and the MC had a strong hold of his wrist, to which he was applying constant force (very painful) up to the point where he crushed it.
And also, I don't think it's appropriate to expect hyper-realistic fighting scenarios from a Visual Novel. The author has been doing an incredible job of keeping the fight scenes as close to a real life scenario as possible!
~> I understand what you mean by saying that the MC is "TOO GOOD AT EVERYTHING AT A VERY YOUNG AGE."
But regarding the Fighting and Cooking Skills, I find that there is absolutely nothing wrong with his skills' level, here's why:
Fighting: As demonstrated early on, he might be good, but he's not OP (Overpowered). From the first scene (his traumatic experience), the MC is shown to be a normal human being, as he says many times later regarding this incident that he's not a manga hero that can take on 6 guys by himself... In fact, he got his ass brutality kicked... And in chapter 5, we again see his limitations...
You said you didn't have any problems with the MC's fighting skills as of chapter 4, and I can tell you that NiiChan isn't going anywhere near superhuman unrealistic fights. I wouldn't have any problems if the characters displayed extreme levels of fighting skills, as long as they didn't go into Marvel, Matrix territory, but as I said: from what I've seen, I'm sure NiiChan doesn't plan to go into crazy manga/anime territory.
~> Still about the "MC's too good at everything for a 24 years old", I REALLY THINK THAT THIS POINT ISN'T ENTIRELY VALID.
FIGHTING & COOKING SKILLS: Anyone who starts training at a very young age for a specific skillset and dedicates his whole life to his training over many years will become exceptionally gifted. And if your parents are masters in their field and that they're the ones who train you, you're going to reach mastery by adulthood...
So I really don't see what's the big issue with being a very good, but not super great fighter, and having developed his mother's supernatural cooking skills to a certain degree...
MONEY-WISE: You've got a point. Coming from a very poor background, it's unlikely that he'd have been able to afford that kind of car. I had NO IDEA how much his car is worth, checked... And HOLY $HIT!
Yeah, it's highly implausible that the MC could have afforded his car, but he's mentioned that he had been working multiple jobs over many years to gather enough money. But seeing as he's been working for years at high paying jobs in Tech Companies, IN A FANTASY SETTING, I don't find this to be such a huge stretch...
I mean... Come on! Yeah, many aspects of the story need to be plausible, but as with Hollywood movies, a big part of the story is about dreaming! And some liberties with social status and lifestyle are very minor details for me, and I suspect they are for the majority of the players...
If the MC could shoot laser beams out of his eyes... THAT would destroy my suspension of disbelief!
~> One last point. You said:
"[...] although I saw it weird how fast he switched from introversion to social in less than a week, considering that at the start of the game he still has issues with his past."
I'm sorry, but I strongly disagree with you on this. Have you ever suffered a traumatic event that caused you a Major Depression? I have. Multiple times.
The MC was 2 years in his depression at the beginning of the story. Even though he was still affected by the past, even though he still though about his trauma from time to time, there were many indications, subtle but very well though of clues in the "intro" (up to the first few days at the house) that, when put together and analyzed, gave a pretty good picture of what frame of mind he was in and at which step he was in his recovery process.
Someone that has been hurting for years inside and has a strong fear of opening himself again, allowing himself to feel emotions again, especially loving again, can SEEM like an INTROVERT. But unless it was the case before the trauma, it doesn't mean anything.
At the very beginning, the MC had already been through a big part of the recovery process. He had reached acceptance, and without going into a lengthy psychological analysis, I'll say that while he still had feelings of guilt and shame over failing to protect and find Irene, those had already been fading away in frequency and severity for a while (the opening dream: he said it had been a while since he had it).
From my personal experience and psychological studies, and from the infos given early in the game when MC moves to the house, it's clear that he was ready, "ripe" for his final step: letting go of the past.
And that's exactly what everyone at the new house told him, showed/taught him by forcing him to live in the moment and experience good feelings, showing him that it was still possible to have positive emotions.
I'll end with saying that the story illustrates one of, if not THE best way (in my experience) to free yourself from this kind of burden.
A total change of scenery, going from living alone to live in a house full of new and supportive people. New job, new town... The more drastic the change, the better!
Meeting new people, especially from the opposite sex, in a positive context/environment, combined with the previous elements, is THE PERFECT SETUP TO TRIGGER A TRANSFORMATIVE EXPERIENCE, a sort of Rebirth.
Meeting, flirting and feeling that people are interested in you for who you are, having $ex, falling in love (even better), can seem silly, but for someone in the MC's Situation, it's like pulling your head out of the water after so long and starting to breathe again, it's really a life changing experience, the electroshock that wakes you up from your stupor, from your old emotional and psychological patterns that were only sustaining a depressive state!
So, I find that the MC getting out of his protective shell (as opposed to being introverted, something he never really was) in the first few days at the new house is just such a brilliant example of how people who are stuck in the past can experience a transformation that enables them to let go of their psychic chains and live again!
I have no idea if NiiChan had thought of this when working on the story and the Main Character's psychological development...
Maybe it's just a coincidence, but all the elements to support such a deep psychological insight are there!
So I would have a hard time believing that it wasn't deliberate on the author's part!
Thanks for the reply! I hear you on your opinion and I think it's valid too.
As I said in my post, some people may be ok with what's happening, and that's because they have a higher tolerance for over the top scenes, but me I prefer a more realistic approach to VNs.
That's also why I praised the relationships too, I find them true to the characters and the story that's being portrayed. In fact, it's probably because of this that I find some of the scenes too jarring for my taste. The cooking being an out of this world experience is an example, even though it's part of the main plot and I know it's the story the autor wants to tell.
I think I said this, but there's no need for the scenes to be that crazy to make the story work, or create meaningful interactions between characters. You could simply be the son of the world's most renown chef and also be the son of one of the best martial artists in the world, and I would believe that. You can then make funny scenes by other means. But again, this is simply my taste.
As for the fight talk, I agree with you. When you are the one in control, you can talk as long as you please, no problem. The thing is, I didn't want to spoil anything, but you know how there's this "confrontation" we see with Yuna and the second person she ever trusted in? Yeah, that was what I was referring to. Tbh, I shouldn't have called that a fight, but it was a still a monologue that was only there to give exposition that didn't need to happen at that time. Just have them talk the same day about it, then Yuna leaves because she's feeling confused or angry, then returns later to the scene (maybe the door was already opened) with the confrontation already started, and then the other "thing" happens and Yuna "awakens" her "instincts"... I don't know if you get what I'm saying. I'm trying very hard to get my point across without spoiling stuff.
Also, I agree with you in that there's not really a problem with someone being really good at cooking and fighting being young, considering his upbringing. But then you have him also being smart enough to have a high-paying job in IT. How he got into uni in the first place I have no idea, and is not a topic talked about in any way. It just shows, casually, that he works that type of job. That's why I say he seems too good at everything.
About the suspension of disbelief topic, you know what makes me stop and think "no way this is actually happening"? When we have very simple scenes, minimalist decoration at home or the office, simple clothes, honest people that mean well, an MC that doesn't flaunt his riches... but then drives a car that outright looks like something out of a racing game from my Steam library. It just doesn't belong in the scene, and not in the story either. As I said, I don't think the MC, who's had a very modest lifestyle during his childhood and seems like a humble and simple person on the outside, should/would drive a car like that.
Lastly, as for the introversion thingy, I for sure must know way less about depression than you, so this is not my place to speak. However, I should say that for me being in a completely different setting has never really done anything other than learn a couple things about me and others, but otherwise I remain unchanged. With that out of the way, I went into the story fully convinced that this would be the tale of an introverted person, that was hurt by a previous experience, learning to love himself again, learning to love another woman again without fear of losing her, and opening up to people and become more social. I guess I was wrong.
But then you made me think. This is just the cherry on top of that whole "the MC is just too good at everything".
The cooking: too extra. The fighting... well, that's ok, no complaints. The money: too much. The car doesn't belong. The IT job: how? The extroversion, while working in a field that's not really full of social people either, and also coming from a little town in the mountains where, I presume, there aren't that many people to develop social skills with even if you did have the time after hours of training and cooking with your mom: also how? It seems too much for me.
Btw, I don't think you're wrong even if I don't agree on what you say. We look forward to different stuff, and enjoy some other. It's ok. I still liked the game, and I enjoyed this "debate" hahaha.
hi, can i got bgm music files for LCC? i download on android(are there any music files on android), ( i download MBML on pc, so i know how to get the music bgm). or can i get list of music name in LCC, just to enjoy the vibe :) . Thanks great games.
NiiChan, I discovered MBML from a YouTuber (MxR) who recently made a video about it, going over a very short part of the game, with censored NSFW content (it's YouTube!), and while I downloaded the game mainly to see the $ex scenes, after 15-20 minutes of playtime, the spicy content soon became the last reason for playing!
I loved MBML, and I was sad that it ended so quickly, so I came looking for LCC. Since I knew that I had already played your second game, I expected that LCC, being your first, wouldn't be as good...
Boy! I WAS SOO WRONG!
I went through the whole 5 Chapters today, and I must say that it's a masterpiece!
Honestly, during the first 15-20 min of playing, I felt like it wasn't going to be a very good game, or should I say, Adult Visual Novel. But then... Everything kept getting better and better!
Yes, the format is about "daily life" and at first seems like it's just about getting girls into your bed, like the usual games, BUT! I said AT FIRST!
The story is very well crafted and put together. But the aspects that really shine are the "realistic" conversations (of course, there's an important element of fantasy... People, I mean Girls, don't act like this in real life regarding some more absurd aspects of the game, like all the girls you meet instantly fall in love with you, but that's part of the fun of the game!).
I got taken in by the story, I was actually very surprised to realize that very early on this story and the interactions with the other characters made me feel strong emotions and the further I progressed in game, the deeper I got emotionally involved!
What's awesome is how well written each character is, how much work went into fleshing out each one's personality, backstory, and I must say that I'm really impressed at how well you developed the characters' psychology! They all feel like REAL INDIVIDUALS, with drastically different personalities!
That's something even published novels written by well known writers often fail at!
I'VE BECOME A HUGE FAN OF YOURS!
I want to see... play... No. Live the rest of the story so bad! I can't wait for future chapters to be released!
And, if I were you, I'd concentrate on one project at a time, and finish LCC as a priority.
My experience as an artist and creator has taught me that working on multiple projects simultaneously is not very efficient, and over time, feels much less rewarding and encouraging as you're always working super hard on your projects, and yes, they do progress, but at a much slower pace than focusing on finishing one job first.
Why? Because creation-wise, everytime you switch between projects, you need a bit of time to just go check where you left things at, you need to refresh your memory, immerse yourself back into the story, the characters, your plans (story arc), and much more...
Whereas when you're dedicating yourself to one project only, your mind always stays in this universe you're creating and you don't loose focus on any part of your objectives.
There's much more to say about this, but I'll stop here, as it would be way too long to go through everything I want to say, and I also know that as a fellow artist and creator, you totally get what I'm saying, so there's no need to go into any more details!
Oh! Last point!
I noticed quite a few mistakes in the writing. Don't get me wrong: you've done a remarkable job! I feel that maybe English is not your Native Language (or Mother Tongue), and I would be more than happy to lend you a hand in correcting the mistakes, without ever changing the meaning of the original content.
Hi! Thank you for all the lovely words. I currently have a proof reader on my team and he's been with me since day one of my projects. But you're right, I need to focus on a single project, and after MBML's episode 3 release, I will have a word with my patrons who have been supporting me and make them choose as to what project I will focus on. I love making both games and I don't want to make the decision my self, instead the people that have been supporting me. What ever they choose, I would be happy work on it.
Don't Worry Dev i finally installed the app is just matter of attempt. I succed to install the apk at the fifth try. Don't know why it would take this many attempt though
I have binged both this and MBML today alone! Both excellent work! The perfectionist in me is annoyed that I can't find one of the special pictures! I'll have to keep trying :D
That's an error on my part. I forgot to code that one in the game to activate once you hit that part. Haha. I'll upload the fixed version of it together with MBML Episosde 3.
Very beautiful game... Very beautiful story. You want definitely to know how the story goes through and how it ends.... And I'm very sad for not having an credit card to give you some money for that. I know that in the next chapter the quality of the game will be op af
What you mean man? I thank you for making it 🙏 And I'm waiting with pleasure for the next chapter I hope you will try to put speach on it somehow. (that way you will have to make it a hole new game and not just an update) but if not then is ok❤️ and one again thank you for creating this game. Not for the adult things but for the hole game
Well, as you see. The current release is ep4 - p1. And the upcoming release contains Ep4 - p2 and Episode 5 full, so that's basically two updates in one release. That is why it took some time.
No No No No No, you don't need to justify such things, we all know you are giving it your all and all the effort you've put into your work. It's just that, I, personally couldn't hold in my excitement to know what happens next in the story......
Life Changing Choices, just like its new little brother My Bully is my Lover is an amazing AVN, one of the gems in the sea of mediocrity.
Just like MBML the use of fitting and amazing tracks compliments the well written story perfectly.
As a nice mix-up from alot of other AVNs I have played so far the MC actually has both parents alive and is in contact with them which I find refreshing and nice.
Aswell as the parents being alive we also have a prominent male character that is not the MC in the happy go lucky Ken and as much shit as games with other male characters that arent just throwaways or bad guys get, Ken is a great character and I absolutely enjoy when he is present!
The girls, oh the girls!
They are all wonderful with unique personalities and good backstories.
No matter what youre into, you will find a girl that will fit your liking, maybe more then that? Or maybe just all of them are amazing? Lets go with that!
Ken suprised me too. I was afraid it would be like in many other titles, where it would be rivalry or he would be just some dumb jerk but no, he is actually nice, friendly guy. At first I did not agree with him(game choice), but when I got to know him better, I started to regret that decision.
Please note that there are some issues with the Re'npy's latest software update 7.4.2 as I got to know it from a wonderful developer who patiently helped me out with this issue. So, please if you are using Re'npy software to develop your game & planning to release your latest update, then please first downgrade your software to version 7.3.5 and then release it. Also note that if you are going to release the upgrades to your game using the new software and if an individual downloads & installs it, the game will not only not work but your old saved games won't work either. So before releasing it you need downgrade the software to version 7.3.5 and then release. I had to reset my phone and lose my saves from all the games that were installed in my phone just so that we could come up with this conclusion of mine. I wouldn't want any other patron or other players to go through the same process. I'd request you to explain this situation to the Re'npy developers team and get this sorted out.
Note: This is my experience purely based on Android phone with Android version 11. I cannot vouch for any other software or OS. Thank you for hearing me out.
Yes, we are already aware of this while in the process of developing my 2nd game's release. We decided to downgrade to 7.3.5 for now. Thanks for the information.
Alright, First I would Like to thank You for making this AMAZING game, The stories Simple Yet Deep (Especially Yuna's Background) its Shrouded in mystery in the last updates but given light on the recent one. So Many thanks for making this, and One I really love your Mindset In making these, Since I Just started reading your Other Game (My bully my Lover) which is pretty amazing and I love Different game bridging Each other even if it's on a minicule Scale. waiting for more of your games.
I was pretty sceptical about this game from the first 5-10 minutes play time as some of the characters and the premise of the game seemed similar to another game I recently found on itch.io (I hope the NiiChan doesn't mind me making the comparison).
If your like me and you see the link then please give this game a chance as it's got a great storyline and you will be sucked in!
Looking forward to any future updates, great work NiiChan!
Yeah I've now given My Bully is My Lover and I gotta say I love the storyline for that game as well ^^ and the cross over!
It's a bit of a good/bad thing that both are made by you... on one hand it's great that I know the quality is great... on the other hand because your making two games at the same time I've gotta be more patient D:
← Return to game
Comments
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
Dude this has the story line of an over the top anime and i love every moment of it.
i have a question. is this game and My Bully is My Lover, different chapters of the same game? i mean look at the ppl it in. i think its pretty cool. but i havent put my finger on why is it like that?
so far this game is great. when is the next update?
This is one of those games that's just been sitting on my computer for a while and now that I've finally started playing through it, it quickly got me hooked. I'm still only on chapter 2, but I can definitely say that it has already reached the level some of my other favorite VNs.
Just Go to the file location and go the Game folder there should a folder named saves and just copy and paste it after that, your good to go
Hey dev, just want to say that this and MBML are my first times reading AVN's, and I've so far really enjoyed them. Will you be updating this alongside MBML, or will you be doing one of them this month, and the other next month? I haven't seen anyone else ask really is why I'm curious.
Thanks for the time and effort put into these, it's been very fun!
Currently, I'm doing them one at a time each month.
So we're getting MBML this month and next month we get LCC? Cool! Thanks for communicating! I couldn't find anything resembling a rough timeline on your patreon.
How much are you planning of these? 15-20 episodes of each? If you don't wanna spill the secrets, that's cool too, thanks for the reply!
Hi Niichan! Can you please tell me what song you used for the scene where MC promises Kana a teddy bear? It's so relaxing.
I'm now a new fan. Your games have good stories and good choice of BGM. Please keep it up!
Hi, NiiChan. First of all, I want to congratulate you on your work on this, since I'm always skeptical about this type of games, mostly about the story since I usually expect at least something decent from the animations. As someone before me has said, your characters do feel realistic and they showcase your best work, which I'd say is creating meaningful and real interactions between characters. But I do have some criticism about some other parts and I'd like you to take it into consideration.
First of all, I've not yet finished all episodes, I'm about halfway done with ep. 4 I think, so maybe these issues are resolved later or you have an explanation for these later down the line once or if the game is fully completed.
Now, about these issues, I think the first is very obvious, and it's that the MC is too good at everything at a very young age. It's a guy that can cook, fight, is a great guy, and has a lot of money (probably, since maintenance of a high-end car like he has is really expensive).
Why do I have an issue with this? Let's start with cooking.
I know this is a huge part in the game (no spoilers in case someone else reads this), but his skill level is unrealistic to say the least. It's something you use as a way to "gain points" with some of the girls, but I don't think it has to be taken to the extremes it does, even if it may make the scene funny. You know how when we watch a movie or play a game that takes place in a fantasy setting or has a character that can fly or use magic or whatever we still believe that what's happening is real (in that movie or game)? It's because we do this "suspension of disbelief" to avoid analyzing something too much in order to enjoy it. However, there's a limit to how much we are willing to believe in. For some people, nothing may detract from their enjoyment, but I just can't believe the MC's cooking skills, I'm sorry. You can still make wholesome scenes of the MC cooking for a girl and that girl falling in love with him because it tastes amazing and he looks great in an apron or whatever, but any more than that and it makes it too unbelievable.
As for fighting, I've not seen any issue with it yet, but if he does anything while fighting as crazy as he does while cooking, Matrix style or something like that, I won't enjoy it either. I don't think you need to make it very flashy or use unnatural speed/strength for it look good. I don't know if it's your plan or I'm jumping the gun here, I hope it's the second.
Not much to talk about the MC being a good guy, although I saw it weird how fast he switched from introversion to social in less than a week, considering that at the start of the game he still has issues with his past. I would rearrange the game so that more or later scenes happen before he goes back to the extroverted version of him.
Money talk. How? Ok, I know that you (barely) touch upon the subject later, but there's no way he can have that car. In fact, the first scene with him and Eliza in the car just threw me off and couldn't help but laugh. Not only I don't believe he has that kind of car, I also don't believe the MC would need or like that kind of car. He doesn't seem like the person that would drive one of those, to me at least. And even though it's not mentioned, considering that he only got a job in the worst paying company he could find (for the type of job he's looking for), I find it impossible to retain the car considering expenses like maintenance, gas, repairs, etc.
I know this was a lot, but it's the stuff I know I can talk about the most without spoiling anything.
Another issue I have is something I've seen done twice, which is having a very long conversation while in a fight. You can actually write most of it before or after those fights. Having a 5 minute talk (or longer) is just not realistic and takes you out of the action. For me it just takes too long, I don't know.
Next, the use of time. I'm actually glad you make use of "time skipping" to help the story progress to avoid making it look like all these relationships are formed in literal days, as some others do. It really helps the immersion. However, I found some "time skips" that were either too large or too small, but won't talk about it because spoilers.
In fact, I'd appreciate if you had a public email or some other way to contact you to speak about this privately just so I don't reveal the story for the others. If not, that's ok, I know you'll still improve the more you keep writing and making games, it's just a matter of time, but I like criticizing the stuff I love and genuinely think that any help I can provide is good.
P.S.: I find the animations abruptly stopping before starting again, and it doesn't look "fluid". The beginning and end of the animations are not connected correctly, I don't know if you can fix that.
Yes, I had some good people send me feedbacks about the things you mentioned too. Which led me to a decision of re writing the earlier episode of LCC. No worries about the animation, I already fixed it in the recent episode and it already loops quite nicely. Thank you for the feedback though. I'll do my best to improve LCC as I still believe that it mas way better story than my other game, MBML.
Oh! NiiChan!
While I think that some more work on the first episodes could be highly beneficial to bring them up to the same level of awesomeness and quality as your most recent chapters, I'd really, really, really appreciate it if you kept the original experience, mood, feel and genius take on depression and transformative experiences intact!
About the Trauma, Depression and related elements, plus the commentary on your perfect execution of showing how certain sets of circumstances can induce a deep transformative experience, a rebirth for someone suffering from conditions similar to the MC, please read my reply to Valkain, just a few posts higher!
The introduction part of the game is pure gold my man!
I hear ya. I'll be sure to take note.
Damn! Like others have said...
You're so quick to answer!
Thanks man for your dedication!
Oh and I noticed that the post I was referring to in just below!
Hello Valkain!
I really like your constructive criticism! I totally understand your concerns and/or reasons behind the different points you make.
And you're tackling a FUNDAMENTAL aspect of storytelling: the suspension of disbelief.
~~{It might seem like I'm rejecting many of your ideas at first glance, but please keep in mind that I agree with most of your comments and that I'm bringing my take on your observations in order to add fuel to the debate, the discussion!}~~
Sure, during my first playthrough (I've just started my 2nd playthrough today), there were a couple of details that really shocked me, really making my mind go into a "WTF mode" at first, especially regarding the funny cooking reactions. But to be honest, I find this to be a very creative and humourous approach that just contributes to this Visual Novel's originality and that makes it stand out from the rest. Yes, the first food tasting scene felt a bit weird, but the consequenses were hilarious! But while it hurts a bit the suspension of disbelief, it creates a big mystery... And that's where it doesn't matter if it slightly affects the suspension of disbelief: because it serves the story much more. And as we slowly learn more about the MC's past, we're slowly gaining an understanding of what happened and why... We don't nearly have all the answers yet, but I find that the "ecstatic food tasting experience" is an interesting part of the story and a fun mystery!
~> FIGHT TALK: Having trained for over 12 years in Martial Arts and Combat Sports, I can definitely say that you CAN have a form of conversation while sparring and in certain types of real life (combat) situations, and sometimes... you can't: it really depends on the context.
A long monologue is ridiculous, except for when you're in control of the situation, like when the @$$hole tried to stab his GF and the MC had a strong hold of his wrist, to which he was applying constant force (very painful) up to the point where he crushed it.
And also, I don't think it's appropriate to expect hyper-realistic fighting scenarios from a Visual Novel. The author has been doing an incredible job of keeping the fight scenes as close to a real life scenario as possible!
~> I understand what you mean by saying that the MC is "TOO GOOD AT EVERYTHING AT A VERY YOUNG AGE."
But regarding the Fighting and Cooking Skills, I find that there is absolutely nothing wrong with his skills' level, here's why:
Fighting: As demonstrated early on, he might be good, but he's not OP (Overpowered). From the first scene (his traumatic experience), the MC is shown to be a normal human being, as he says many times later regarding this incident that he's not a manga hero that can take on 6 guys by himself... In fact, he got his ass brutality kicked... And in chapter 5, we again see his limitations...
You said you didn't have any problems with the MC's fighting skills as of chapter 4, and I can tell you that NiiChan isn't going anywhere near superhuman unrealistic fights. I wouldn't have any problems if the characters displayed extreme levels of fighting skills, as long as they didn't go into Marvel, Matrix territory, but as I said: from what I've seen, I'm sure NiiChan doesn't plan to go into crazy manga/anime territory.
~> Still about the "MC's too good at everything for a 24 years old", I REALLY THINK THAT THIS POINT ISN'T ENTIRELY VALID.
FIGHTING & COOKING SKILLS: Anyone who starts training at a very young age for a specific skillset and dedicates his whole life to his training over many years will become exceptionally gifted. And if your parents are masters in their field and that they're the ones who train you, you're going to reach mastery by adulthood...
So I really don't see what's the big issue with being a very good, but not super great fighter, and having developed his mother's supernatural cooking skills to a certain degree...
MONEY-WISE: You've got a point. Coming from a very poor background, it's unlikely that he'd have been able to afford that kind of car. I had NO IDEA how much his car is worth, checked... And HOLY $HIT!
Yeah, it's highly implausible that the MC could have afforded his car, but he's mentioned that he had been working multiple jobs over many years to gather enough money. But seeing as he's been working for years at high paying jobs in Tech Companies, IN A FANTASY SETTING, I don't find this to be such a huge stretch...
I mean... Come on! Yeah, many aspects of the story need to be plausible, but as with Hollywood movies, a big part of the story is about dreaming! And some liberties with social status and lifestyle are very minor details for me, and I suspect they are for the majority of the players...
If the MC could shoot laser beams out of his eyes... THAT would destroy my suspension of disbelief!
~> One last point. You said:
I'm sorry, but I strongly disagree with you on this. Have you ever suffered a traumatic event that caused you a Major Depression? I have. Multiple times.
The MC was 2 years in his depression at the beginning of the story. Even though he was still affected by the past, even though he still though about his trauma from time to time, there were many indications, subtle but very well though of clues in the "intro" (up to the first few days at the house) that, when put together and analyzed, gave a pretty good picture of what frame of mind he was in and at which step he was in his recovery process.
Someone that has been hurting for years inside and has a strong fear of opening himself again, allowing himself to feel emotions again, especially loving again, can SEEM like an INTROVERT. But unless it was the case before the trauma, it doesn't mean anything.
At the very beginning, the MC had already been through a big part of the recovery process. He had reached acceptance, and without going into a lengthy psychological analysis, I'll say that while he still had feelings of guilt and shame over failing to protect and find Irene, those had already been fading away in frequency and severity for a while (the opening dream: he said it had been a while since he had it).
From my personal experience and psychological studies, and from the infos given early in the game when MC moves to the house, it's clear that he was ready, "ripe" for his final step: letting go of the past.
And that's exactly what everyone at the new house told him, showed/taught him by forcing him to live in the moment and experience good feelings, showing him that it was still possible to have positive emotions.
I'll end with saying that the story illustrates one of, if not THE best way (in my experience) to free yourself from this kind of burden.
A total change of scenery, going from living alone to live in a house full of new and supportive people. New job, new town... The more drastic the change, the better!
Meeting new people, especially from the opposite sex, in a positive context/environment, combined with the previous elements, is THE PERFECT SETUP TO TRIGGER A TRANSFORMATIVE EXPERIENCE, a sort of Rebirth.
Meeting, flirting and feeling that people are interested in you for who you are, having $ex, falling in love (even better), can seem silly, but for someone in the MC's Situation, it's like pulling your head out of the water after so long and starting to breathe again, it's really a life changing experience, the electroshock that wakes you up from your stupor, from your old emotional and psychological patterns that were only sustaining a depressive state!
So, I find that the MC getting out of his protective shell (as opposed to being introverted, something he never really was) in the first few days at the new house is just such a brilliant example of how people who are stuck in the past can experience a transformation that enables them to let go of their psychic chains and live again!
I have no idea if NiiChan had thought of this when working on the story and the Main Character's psychological development...
Maybe it's just a coincidence, but all the elements to support such a deep psychological insight are there!
So I would have a hard time believing that it wasn't deliberate on the author's part!
Take care!
Thanks for the reply! I hear you on your opinion and I think it's valid too.
As I said in my post, some people may be ok with what's happening, and that's because they have a higher tolerance for over the top scenes, but me I prefer a more realistic approach to VNs.
That's also why I praised the relationships too, I find them true to the characters and the story that's being portrayed. In fact, it's probably because of this that I find some of the scenes too jarring for my taste. The cooking being an out of this world experience is an example, even though it's part of the main plot and I know it's the story the autor wants to tell.
I think I said this, but there's no need for the scenes to be that crazy to make the story work, or create meaningful interactions between characters. You could simply be the son of the world's most renown chef and also be the son of one of the best martial artists in the world, and I would believe that. You can then make funny scenes by other means. But again, this is simply my taste.
As for the fight talk, I agree with you. When you are the one in control, you can talk as long as you please, no problem. The thing is, I didn't want to spoil anything, but you know how there's this "confrontation" we see with Yuna and the second person she ever trusted in? Yeah, that was what I was referring to. Tbh, I shouldn't have called that a fight, but it was a still a monologue that was only there to give exposition that didn't need to happen at that time. Just have them talk the same day about it, then Yuna leaves because she's feeling confused or angry, then returns later to the scene (maybe the door was already opened) with the confrontation already started, and then the other "thing" happens and Yuna "awakens" her "instincts"... I don't know if you get what I'm saying. I'm trying very hard to get my point across without spoiling stuff.
Also, I agree with you in that there's not really a problem with someone being really good at cooking and fighting being young, considering his upbringing. But then you have him also being smart enough to have a high-paying job in IT. How he got into uni in the first place I have no idea, and is not a topic talked about in any way. It just shows, casually, that he works that type of job. That's why I say he seems too good at everything.
About the suspension of disbelief topic, you know what makes me stop and think "no way this is actually happening"? When we have very simple scenes, minimalist decoration at home or the office, simple clothes, honest people that mean well, an MC that doesn't flaunt his riches... but then drives a car that outright looks like something out of a racing game from my Steam library. It just doesn't belong in the scene, and not in the story either. As I said, I don't think the MC, who's had a very modest lifestyle during his childhood and seems like a humble and simple person on the outside, should/would drive a car like that.
Lastly, as for the introversion thingy, I for sure must know way less about depression than you, so this is not my place to speak. However, I should say that for me being in a completely different setting has never really done anything other than learn a couple things about me and others, but otherwise I remain unchanged. With that out of the way, I went into the story fully convinced that this would be the tale of an introverted person, that was hurt by a previous experience, learning to love himself again, learning to love another woman again without fear of losing her, and opening up to people and become more social. I guess I was wrong.
But then you made me think. This is just the cherry on top of that whole "the MC is just too good at everything".
The cooking: too extra. The fighting... well, that's ok, no complaints. The money: too much. The car doesn't belong. The IT job: how? The extroversion, while working in a field that's not really full of social people either, and also coming from a little town in the mountains where, I presume, there aren't that many people to develop social skills with even if you did have the time after hours of training and cooking with your mom: also how? It seems too much for me.
Btw, I don't think you're wrong even if I don't agree on what you say. We look forward to different stuff, and enjoy some other. It's ok. I still liked the game, and I enjoyed this "debate" hahaha.
Cheers.
hi, can i got bgm music files for LCC? i download on android(are there any music files on android), ( i download MBML on pc, so i know how to get the music bgm). or can i get list of music name in LCC, just to enjoy the vibe :) . Thanks great games.
sorry, i have found ways, just unzip the apk, and find the obb music files, thanks.
NiiChan, I discovered MBML from a YouTuber (MxR) who recently made a video about it, going over a very short part of the game, with censored NSFW content (it's YouTube!), and while I downloaded the game mainly to see the $ex scenes, after 15-20 minutes of playtime, the spicy content soon became the last reason for playing!
I loved MBML, and I was sad that it ended so quickly, so I came looking for LCC. Since I knew that I had already played your second game, I expected that LCC, being your first, wouldn't be as good...
Boy! I WAS SOO WRONG!
I went through the whole 5 Chapters today, and I must say that it's a masterpiece!
Honestly, during the first 15-20 min of playing, I felt like it wasn't going to be a very good game, or should I say, Adult Visual Novel. But then... Everything kept getting better and better!
Yes, the format is about "daily life" and at first seems like it's just about getting girls into your bed, like the usual games, BUT! I said AT FIRST!
The story is very well crafted and put together. But the aspects that really shine are the "realistic" conversations (of course, there's an important element of fantasy... People, I mean Girls, don't act like this in real life regarding some more absurd aspects of the game, like all the girls you meet instantly fall in love with you, but that's part of the fun of the game!).
I got taken in by the story, I was actually very surprised to realize that very early on this story and the interactions with the other characters made me feel strong emotions and the further I progressed in game, the deeper I got emotionally involved!
What's awesome is how well written each character is, how much work went into fleshing out each one's personality, backstory, and I must say that I'm really impressed at how well you developed the characters' psychology! They all feel like REAL INDIVIDUALS, with drastically different personalities!
That's something even published novels written by well known writers often fail at!
I'VE BECOME A HUGE FAN OF YOURS!
I want to see... play... No. Live the rest of the story so bad! I can't wait for future chapters to be released!
And, if I were you, I'd concentrate on one project at a time, and finish LCC as a priority.
My experience as an artist and creator has taught me that working on multiple projects simultaneously is not very efficient, and over time, feels much less rewarding and encouraging as you're always working super hard on your projects, and yes, they do progress, but at a much slower pace than focusing on finishing one job first.
Why? Because creation-wise, everytime you switch between projects, you need a bit of time to just go check where you left things at, you need to refresh your memory, immerse yourself back into the story, the characters, your plans (story arc), and much more...
Whereas when you're dedicating yourself to one project only, your mind always stays in this universe you're creating and you don't loose focus on any part of your objectives.
There's much more to say about this, but I'll stop here, as it would be way too long to go through everything I want to say, and I also know that as a fellow artist and creator, you totally get what I'm saying, so there's no need to go into any more details!
Oh! Last point!
I noticed quite a few mistakes in the writing. Don't get me wrong: you've done a remarkable job! I feel that maybe English is not your Native Language (or Mother Tongue), and I would be more than happy to lend you a hand in correcting the mistakes, without ever changing the meaning of the original content.
PM me if you're interested!
Hi! Thank you for all the lovely words. I currently have a proof reader on my team and he's been with me since day one of my projects. But you're right, I need to focus on a single project, and after MBML's episode 3 release, I will have a word with my patrons who have been supporting me and make them choose as to what project I will focus on. I love making both games and I don't want to make the decision my self, instead the people that have been supporting me. What ever they choose, I would be happy work on it.
Help i can't install the game.
I have No problem downloading the game but when i want to install it i can't it Always say 'apk not installed'. My phone storage:4gb/64,
RAM:4g
Processor:helio p60
Hmm... It should work properly. Do you have other versions of the game installed?
Don't Worry Dev i finally installed the app is just matter of attempt. I succed to install the apk at the fifth try. Don't know why it would take this many attempt though
Hey i have a question did anyone went throgh a problem running the game like a virus ?
I have binged both this and MBML today alone! Both excellent work! The perfectionist in me is annoyed that I can't find one of the special pictures! I'll have to keep trying :D
That's an error on my part. I forgot to code that one in the game to activate once you hit that part. Haha. I'll upload the fixed version of it together with MBML Episosde 3.
You my good sir respond ludicrously fast, and your dedication is admirable! I will watch this career with great interest :D
guys if you have extra money donate to niichan i just read about his father having Pneumothorax and Ulcer even just a dollar would help him
Very beautiful game... Very beautiful story. You want definitely to know how the story goes through and how it ends.... And I'm very sad for not having an credit card to give you some money for that. I know that in the next chapter the quality of the game will be op af
No worries, mate. All I want is for you guys to enjoy. And thank you for playing the game.
What you mean man? I thank you for making it 🙏 And I'm waiting with pleasure for the next chapter I hope you will try to put speach on it somehow. (that way you will have to make it a hole new game and not just an update) but if not then is ok❤️ and one again thank you for creating this game. Not for the adult things but for the hole game
Nice one bruv really liked the story :D
Ahh! Finally the new update is here.
Thank you so much! @NiiChan
Ohh helll yea nice an update and its 2 in one :O
Buddy keep it up u are amazing luv the game
Hey Dev,
Can you please let us know when is the next update of LCC & MBML is going to released??? Can't wait.... I'm sure it's going to be awesome....!!!
LCC's episode 5 will be posted publicly on 29th! Almost there! XD
The anticipation is killing me 😬😬😬😬🤯.... How come most of the games release at about the same time....??? 😫😫😫😫
Well, as you see. The current release is ep4 - p1. And the upcoming release contains Ep4 - p2 and Episode 5 full, so that's basically two updates in one release. That is why it took some time.
No No No No No, you don't need to justify such things, we all know you are giving it your all and all the effort you've put into your work. It's just that, I, personally couldn't hold in my excitement to know what happens next in the story......
Where can I get Episode 1???
Episode 1 and all the past episodes are included in a single game.
Legit one of my fav game! The game are really funny and also pretty fun! I will be waiting for a new update!
MBML and LCC Teaser:
A character appearing in both games!(MBML - LI, LCC - Side char)
Who's that? Aine and........ who knows....
Let's find out at the upcoming LCC update.
Review time!
Life Changing Choices, just like its new little brother My Bully is my Lover is an amazing AVN, one of the gems in the sea of mediocrity.
Just like MBML the use of fitting and amazing tracks compliments the well written story perfectly.
As a nice mix-up from alot of other AVNs I have played so far the MC actually has both parents alive and is in contact with them which I find refreshing and nice.
Aswell as the parents being alive we also have a prominent male character that is not the MC in the happy go lucky Ken and as much shit as games with other male characters that arent just throwaways or bad guys get, Ken is a great character and I absolutely enjoy when he is present!
The girls, oh the girls!
They are all wonderful with unique personalities and good backstories.
No matter what youre into, you will find a girl that will fit your liking, maybe more then that? Or maybe just all of them are amazing? Lets go with that!
Great work Nii, looking forward to more!
Ken suprised me too. I was afraid it would be like in many other titles, where it would be rivalry or he would be just some dumb jerk but no, he is actually nice, friendly guy. At first I did not agree with him(game choice), but when I got to know him better, I started to regret that decision.
Hey Dev,
Please note that there are some issues with the Re'npy's latest software update 7.4.2 as I got to know it from a wonderful developer who patiently helped me out with this issue. So, please if you are using Re'npy software to develop your game & planning to release your latest update, then please first downgrade your software to version 7.3.5 and then release it.
Also note that if you are going to release the upgrades to your game using the new software and if an individual downloads & installs it, the game will not only not work but your old saved games won't work either. So before releasing it you need downgrade the software to version 7.3.5 and then release.
I had to reset my phone and lose my saves from all the games that were installed in my phone just so that we could come up with this conclusion of mine. I wouldn't want any other patron or other players to go through the same process. I'd request you to explain this situation to the Re'npy developers team and get this sorted out.
Note: This is my experience purely based on Android phone with Android version 11. I cannot vouch for any other software or OS.
Thank you for hearing me out.
Yes, we are already aware of this while in the process of developing my 2nd game's release. We decided to downgrade to 7.3.5 for now. Thanks for the information.
You're welcome friend....
what's the music name when one of the girls taste kei's food?
Damn can't lie. Really liked the game. It's pretty funny and fun. Waiting for the new update.
How to don't miss event with Alice to join harem ???? I try it all but i can't
Just found out I missed one +1 from her when I told her she was crazy for using emoji. Don't do that ;)
Alright, First I would Like to thank You for making this AMAZING game, The stories Simple Yet Deep (Especially Yuna's Background) its Shrouded in mystery in the last updates but given light on the recent one. So Many thanks for making this, and One I really love your Mindset In making these, Since I Just started reading your Other Game (My bully my Lover) which is pretty amazing and I love Different game bridging Each other even if it's on a minicule Scale. waiting for more of your games.
(REALLY REALLY LOVED it)
This really inspires me to do more. Thank you!
I was pretty sceptical about this game from the first 5-10 minutes play time as some of the characters and the premise of the game seemed similar to another game I recently found on itch.io (I hope the NiiChan doesn't mind me making the comparison).
If your like me and you see the link then please give this game a chance as it's got a great storyline and you will be sucked in!
Looking forward to any future updates, great work NiiChan!
Thanks! You should play my 2nd game too just incase you haven't tried it out yet.
No worries :)
Yeah I've now given My Bully is My Lover and I gotta say I love the storyline for that game as well ^^ and the cross over!
It's a bit of a good/bad thing that both are made by you... on one hand it's great that I know the quality is great... on the other hand because your making two games at the same time I've gotta be more patient D:
I'm releasing a full episode of MBML next month.
Awesome :D really looking forward to it!
Looking forward to the next update, great work and great stories!
https://www.patreon.com/posts/life-changing-ep-44900430
In-Game Teaser for Episode 3 is uploaded! Go and check it out!
Is episode 2 contains the episode 1 also?
Yes
ok thanks going to download now
Life Changing Choices [Ep.2 - Full] is now available to the public
https://www.patreon.com/posts/43914124
Life Changing Choices [Ep.2 - Full] is now available on my Patreon page. Come check it out.
Nice game just like the other games that I play right now
Nice game love this gam
Love this game 😆
Thanks for playing, hey! Episode 2 estimated to come on the 15th. It's not a final date yet though. Still subject to change.
Nice one
How big is the game size?
About 300mb.
You guys go ahead and check it out!