This VN is an absolute feast for the eyes. Even the sketchy, rougher CGs are so fucking evocative and mesmerizing, dripping with style.
This is only further complimented by the music, just as evocative and captivating. I don't have as much to say besides that though, since I'm not a musician; I don't really have the language other than saying that it fully contributed to sucking me totally into this world.
And then there's the writing. The fear that your writing wouldn't match up to the visuals and music was completely unfounded. Both those elements are supporting the writing in full force. The characters feel so real and hurt so good.
As for more spoiler-y thoughts, the thing that strikes me the most are the "BIG LINES", for lack of a better word. The large-text "I WANT YOU TO ... ME" statements.
Those make me feel things. The characters last wishes, all of them tragic and selfish, to some extent.
Just watched the video. Came to check out the game. I see. I feel. Yeah.
Sprites would have helped, I had a hard time figuring out who was who in the first scene. The CGs were amazing. The Sky. I won't elaborate any further since this is my spoil free section.
The music was great. When the first song started playing I just let the music play for a moment until I got to a point where I was certain which song was playing. Good thematic touch. Sound effects were well timed and well picked. The songs that needed to get my emotions going did exactly as they should have.
SPOILERS BELOW
It took me my third play through, Val's route, to realize what the endings were. I mean literally, what the end of the game was. Fuck. That's clever as hell. The animation helped me understand, and honestly I think that would be great to reserve for the final route rather than with Vals (or if it's random, to not be random.) But that's nitpicking, because it really was impactful. Like someone slapped their hands together right in front of my face. Loud, sharp, sudden.
I hope this doesn't sound weird, but I could hear your (Keith's) voice very strongly through the writing. Maybe because I've listened to so many of your videos which is just your writing given to me via your voice. (Mostly our character, Jack, but even the others I could hear you). Which is to say, you've got a strong personal writing style. In your video you shared some insecurities about your writing creds compared to your collaborator's in their own fields--I don't think you ever need to feel that way. Writing accomplishments mean nothing, the writing itself is what to measure yourself by. And your writing measures up. It's hard to give more specific writing feedback due to the nature of this being a game, but I think digging into your writing would be a great time (this is a compliment, as I'm also a writer and especially look at rhetoric and craft).
Edgar and Charlie were my favorite. I went in without checking out the content warnings and followed Edgar's route first. It was a lot. But good. Painful. I kept thinking back to the first labels you had given to your characters.
Control. Edgar. Fuck, I mean how else would that end? And how fucking selfish of them. Especially considering how quickly the end of the world came after their death. You (I) are (am) tainted. And then death for all. I think their spiral was well done. Some have called it pretentious, but I didn't feel that way. Maybe that's because I tend to think very deeply like them. It's not out of being so smart or anything like that, the thoughts just. Come. Edgar was scared and mad. So they let it out. Jack's lost responses worked well too.
Rage. Charlie. To be honest, I expected Charlie to rape Jack. He was giving off that connotative dissonance type of homophobia where it felt likely. A violent expression of sex to counter Val's gentle expression of sex. I am also surprised we (Jack) didn't end up killing Charlie, to then counter Edgar's route. Edgar asked us to kill them wanting death while Charlie asked us to fight him wanting to kill. Having us accidentally kill him while trying to protect ourselves, to only see the end of the world so quickly after? I think that would have really landed. (And if I was supposed to leave that route thinking we killed Charlie, I didn't, sorry. Emphasis on Charlie's noises stopping would have given me that idea.) I really would like more of Charlie's route. He's a terrible guy, who did nothing with his life, who's receding to terrible philosophy just because the world is ending. It's fascinating.
Lust. Val. While I agree with Val the most in terms of what I'd care about at the end of the world, I didn't connect with his route as much as the others. Pain and comfort are pretty straightforward. But again, the animation that played at the end of his route was brilliant.
Sloth. Nomi. Nomi's denial is terrible. Her request is terrible. So she's a great character. I think, in a way, Nomi's request is more violent than even Edgar's. She's asking you to forget her while you are still with her? She's given up completely and it's painful. She's real. Having the conversation continue after she asks you to forget her was an odd choice. I was hoping since you chose to stay, she would at that point, get up and leave. I get that would mess with the mathematical side of the story, where two stay and two leave you (sorta? Charlie technically didn't leave? But he turned on you in a way that would denote leaving your side so. It works). But to end up sharing a story where the only "success" is in finding comfort in others would have been a nice symbolic bow.
Overall this was violent. Even the softer endings were filled with rage, and well, why wouldn't they be? I didn't get that way after the election results because I looked at it like a "time to work" kind of thing. But it should have made me furious. I think I was too shocked to feel furious. Thanks, a ton for this game and the video. I've always been making things since I was young, but I've rarely ever shared them. Maybe like, 1/10th of what I made is shared. Clearly, that needs to change. (Also sorry this got long and maybe a bit too personal. I'm in feedback mode because I've been (trying to) work on my assignments which ask us to give feedback and get all introspective :P)
Saw the vid and thought I’d check it out. Thematically, this is the type of content I love - characters ruminating on end of the world/end of everything type scenarios. Wanted to give brief thoughts on each route. (SPOILERS BELOW!)
I’d say the cast is pretty well defined, even if they become mouthpieces for the game’s philosophies, but I personally *like* that in my stories; it’s practically necessary for stuff this short.
I found Charlie’s route the least affecting; he felt superfluous and mostly comes across as a shallow asshole. Even if that shallowness is intentional, I can’t say his route was all that interesting to read. (Tho the fighting game foreshadowing was a nice touch) IMO asshole characters usually have a good reason for being the way they are (i.e. Flynn) but with the absence of a reason Charlie comes across as a borderline psychopath. I understand that every group needs an agitator for drama, but that role was better suited to…
Edgar! I hate this fucking bird. I get their reasoning, but I still hate this pretentious little bastard. Imagine breaking up your friendship group at the end of the world then begging the one friend who stuck by you to kill you. Imagine the incredible burden you’ve placed on said friend, whose final memory will be of killing someone they loved. Ugh, imagine being Edgar T.T;
They’re so self-absorbed in their anxious ‘woe-is-me, nothing matters’ existentialist philosophy I was really hoping the bookshelf would come down and crush them as some sort of cosmic punchline. (You could say they were… burdened by knowledge, eh? Okay, sorry) Point is, Edgar is the type of brainiac who’s so wrapped up in their own anxious, ruminating thoughts - so eager to take control of their own narrative - they never stopped to consider the emotional toll their intellectualism would have on others. As a pretentious philosophy graduate, this is a character I completely understand. And hate.
See, I’d take Val/Nomi’s side in the argument. At the end of the world I’d do everything I can to keep my friends together. I’d put on a movie and/or fuck that one friend I’ve been crushing on. Preferably both at once.
Personally, Nomi was my favourite character, since she felt the most personable. Her anecdotes of the group’s past are amusing and give the friends a much needed sense of history. Whenever a FVN addresses the question of ‘furries and animals’ it always gets a big laugh from me, and the zoo story was no exception. Her routes also the most unsettling of the bunch. Purposefully *not* talking about the apocalypse outside creates this sense of escalating dread. Despite appearances of ‘chill vibes’ I get the sense she’s just barely keeping it together, which we see glimmers of when she begs you to forget her. Ironically, trying to create emotional distance from such a dramatic subject is one of the most affecting ways of evoking it; her route was the closest I came to crying.
Finally, Val. He’s sweet, I suppose. And his sex scene feels pretty plausible too. Might as well fuck at the end of the world. I’m not big on himbos so I don’t have much to say about him. I will say his route feels perfectly designed to be played last. (In fact, if I have to give the routes an order I’d recommend Nomi > Charlie > Edgar > Val)
I don’t know much about art/music but Phwog and Red Means Recording did a really good job bringing this story to life. Especially with the ending, where the art, music and script all coalesce into that haunting final image. The way the dialogue cuts off. The singular crack across the planet. Those first few piano notes. Chills every time. It’s also why I’d save Val’s story for last so that special animatic plays. Kinda makes it feel as if, whilst having sex with him, everything is happening all at once just before it all stops. And sex - somehow - feels like a good metaphor for that… idk. I’m rambling and don’t wanna sound like Edgar.
Thanks for making this. Sorry for rambling on for so-
After watching Boring Kieth's video on the creation of this VN I felt motivated to make an itch.io account and leave my feedback on its writing (the art is amazing albeit unfinished sometimes, and the music is extremely fitting).
The pacing was fast (which is understandable) and the hooks got into me in all the right places. Each character felt distinct and there was plenty of intrigue for each of them.
On my first route I really enjoyed the flow of the conversation, but I began to notice something that carried through the rest of my playthrough: the John Green-ness of the writing. Maybe it's just because of the quote from him near the beginning, but I've read lots of his books and the issue I take with most of his fiction is that the characters are unrealistically pretentious. Not in a dismissive way, I generally love "pretentious" art. Each character has some poetic quirk or way of speaking that makes them more portraits of a person than a real person. As a result, most people's favorite John Green book is their first, as eventually they begin to feel the formula.
That's something that happened here, unfortunately. The character's dialogue during their routes felt more of a mouthpiece for an idea than a fleshed out being, and there wasn't much room due to the pacing for there to be proper dynamics that would allow a more natural communication of their philosophies. I assumed Jack and Edgar were characterized as somewhat nerdy types before realizing they all basically talked like that when it mattered.I think even small changes in the dialogue, such as creating leading statements (like a character asking a question just so they can answer it themselves), creating small in-the-moment miscommunications to invite clarification, and other fun dialogue tricks would go a long way to making these characters feel like they are living their worldviews rather than giving a speech about them.
That all being said, this was a very solid first outing. In my opinion it's better to be "too smart" and learn to integrate deep themes in a more natural way than it is to write well but have nothing to say. I wanted to share my perspective because I see lots of potential here, and I hope to see more works from Boring Kieth in the future.
Interesting, my least favorite John Green book was An Abundance of Katherines, since it slid right off my brain, and I read that one right in the middle. I think my favorite was his most recent (fictional) one: Turtles All the Way Down, since it came from such a personal space. But yes, his then transition into nonfiction was pretty smooth so he didn't necessarily need his characters all along lol
enjoyable but short read. not the greatest of visual novels ever made, but I felt compelled to download it at the end of the day, so what does that say about it, and me?
It is my first time writing on the Itch site, but I had to with this game. I can't believe how well this was written about dealing when everything is at an end, especially with each character's response to you about what they desire the most, I guess it makes sense when remembering the intercom, all 4 actions are in a way a sin, but is their ideal way to live in that moment. The art helps deliver the fear and tension, making it rough and the use of colour is done excellently well, even the music is perfected for each scene. I'm glad I have the chance to check it, I can't wait what you have plans for next Keith, same goes for you too Phowg and Red. I hope you three are doing well and that 2025 be good for you, take care!
beautifully written and presented. every route is unique but so incredibly relatable and really provokes some uncomfortable thoughts about finality and what we're doing with the time we have in this world. hoping to see more!
god, what a game. i don't think i've encountered anything else that touches the specific nerve this did... made me feel simultaneously dreadful and cathartic about the current state of things.
This story and all of its endings are super lovely! Each character had a great deal of depth to them that I enjoyed. It was great to see both the level of characterization and uniqueness for each member of the cast, it made the journey throughout feel both frightening and lovely when it needed it to.
others write how Edgar's route was the most provoking for them
idk, i had a friend like that (not sure if i was a good friend) and that's unnerving and you try to distance yourself otherwise you risk driving yourself into the abyss or something
anyway, for me Val's route was the most dreadful and scary and soul rending. this desperation just seeps through you....
also the epilogue is ingenious but i can't place my finger on it or it's creation. it kinda takes you out of a picture, as if you take one more step from "reality"
I've watched Keith's video essay taking hours to analyze Adastra in-depth and I love it so much! Keith's writing is definitely top-tier. It's not a surprise to find this FVN a masterpiece.
And I also love the art and music. The very aesthetics of liminal spaces, post-modernity, the selection of movies (like 2001), and the hauntological figures of AI and AI-generated spaces fit the narrative so well.
The characters and the writing. Seeing each of the characters react and cope with the existential dread from the end of the world made them feel much more alive. Hell, it even made ME reflect on myself as a person with how philosophically heavy it got.
I liked how abrupt the endings are when the THE happens. It genuinely felt like, "Oh shit, that really just happened.".
Overall, this is a 10/10 masterpiece. The writing gives you so much to think about. (This probably doesn't make any sense but I'll type it in anyways: this VN felt like pillow talk.)
This was pretty great I liked Edgar's monologue the Prose felt very Keith Ballard (yes haha obvious, but like I dunno the writers voice felt familiar to when I read the adastra video essay script) The juxtaposition of the text describing the surroundings as feeling AI generated next to the background being one of the least AI-generated feeling (I mean it was partially in sketch mode) was pretty awesome It was a visual spectacle and a nice foray into 4 Different Ways To Cope With The Apocalypse. Now that's a title that sounds like a Pizza movie ;P
This is really, really, really shocking. When the game automatically quit after I finished the four ending games, I stared at the screen for a long time. Although there is no Chinese translation of this game, I can't say that I fully understand it. But it really impressed me. I really like your writing style and hope to see more of your work in the future.
this may be one of the most shamelessly indulgent things ive seen. and i mean that with utmost sincerity and positivity. it impresses upon me as if it is what it needs itself to be, for itself.
i felt like i was understood by someone who's never known me.
I genuinely didn't expect this to move me the way it did. Not because I didn't expect it to be good, I've loved your essay videos since I've discovered them: Don't undervalue yourself because you're new at this. You did great, all of the team did. It's hard for something this short to have such an impact.
Every character felt real, I love how each of them reacts a different way to this apocalypse. I wish I could respond to these characters, to interact with them, to know them better. As much as I want to disagree with them, to say I would keep on living as much as I could until the very end, how can I promise to do so in such a situation? Their final wish, with impacting big bold text, really shined, specially in my first route.
And the ending comment from you, inspiring people to make art for themselves, for it to be self-serving with no strings attached. I will make queer media, for myself and for others. I wish I'll one day make something as great and touching as this.
Hope you continue making more projects that you love.
DUDE... this was such an amazing game. it really went to 0 to 100 so fast yet so slowly. every single ending was beautifully written, i really liked edgar's, terribly sad. thank u for making this i love you.
Story, art and music all knocked it out of the park, even more impressive given the time limit imposed for the game jam, hope you consider future projects similar to this
I just wanted to say I really loved this vn. The characters, the story, the setting- it's all great. In fact, I loved it so much I went through and made a list of all the edits/fixes I thought of while reading through with explanations + I made a little review at the bottom.
oh wooooowwwwww I really like this, short, introspective, haunting, there's a really good sense of "oh, I think I know where this this is going" while still hitting really hard, really nice cinematography too! made it really feel like no scene was just filler. good job!! :3
My favorite type of story is one where every line matters. One where every scene matters. This game's synthesis between all it's components (writing, art, sound, usage of lyrics and quotations) is absolutely indelible. It was an really cohesive experience, which I found sort of ironic by the end given the themes of the novel.
Incredible job. I'm grateful to you guys for making such an excellent piece of art, and I'm grateful to be alive today to play it. Will be replaying for a long while to come. Fuck.
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This VN is an absolute feast for the eyes. Even the sketchy, rougher CGs are so fucking evocative and mesmerizing, dripping with style.
This is only further complimented by the music, just as evocative and captivating. I don't have as much to say besides that though, since I'm not a musician; I don't really have the language other than saying that it fully contributed to sucking me totally into this world.
And then there's the writing. The fear that your writing wouldn't match up to the visuals and music was completely unfounded. Both those elements are supporting the writing in full force. The characters feel so real and hurt so good.
As for more spoiler-y thoughts, the thing that strikes me the most are the "BIG LINES", for lack of a better word. The large-text "I WANT YOU TO ... ME" statements.
Those make me feel things. The characters last wishes, all of them tragic and selfish, to some extent.
Just watched the video. Came to check out the game. I see. I feel. Yeah.
Sprites would have helped, I had a hard time figuring out who was who in the first scene. The CGs were amazing. The Sky. I won't elaborate any further since this is my spoil free section.
The music was great. When the first song started playing I just let the music play for a moment until I got to a point where I was certain which song was playing. Good thematic touch. Sound effects were well timed and well picked. The songs that needed to get my emotions going did exactly as they should have.
SPOILERS BELOW
It took me my third play through, Val's route, to realize what the endings were. I mean literally, what the end of the game was. Fuck. That's clever as hell. The animation helped me understand, and honestly I think that would be great to reserve for the final route rather than with Vals (or if it's random, to not be random.) But that's nitpicking, because it really was impactful. Like someone slapped their hands together right in front of my face. Loud, sharp, sudden.
I hope this doesn't sound weird, but I could hear your (Keith's) voice very strongly through the writing. Maybe because I've listened to so many of your videos which is just your writing given to me via your voice. (Mostly our character, Jack, but even the others I could hear you). Which is to say, you've got a strong personal writing style. In your video you shared some insecurities about your writing creds compared to your collaborator's in their own fields--I don't think you ever need to feel that way. Writing accomplishments mean nothing, the writing itself is what to measure yourself by. And your writing measures up. It's hard to give more specific writing feedback due to the nature of this being a game, but I think digging into your writing would be a great time (this is a compliment, as I'm also a writer and especially look at rhetoric and craft).
Edgar and Charlie were my favorite. I went in without checking out the content warnings and followed Edgar's route first. It was a lot. But good. Painful. I kept thinking back to the first labels you had given to your characters.
Control. Edgar. Fuck, I mean how else would that end? And how fucking selfish of them. Especially considering how quickly the end of the world came after their death. You (I) are (am) tainted. And then death for all. I think their spiral was well done. Some have called it pretentious, but I didn't feel that way. Maybe that's because I tend to think very deeply like them. It's not out of being so smart or anything like that, the thoughts just. Come. Edgar was scared and mad. So they let it out. Jack's lost responses worked well too.
Rage. Charlie. To be honest, I expected Charlie to rape Jack. He was giving off that connotative dissonance type of homophobia where it felt likely. A violent expression of sex to counter Val's gentle expression of sex. I am also surprised we (Jack) didn't end up killing Charlie, to then counter Edgar's route. Edgar asked us to kill them wanting death while Charlie asked us to fight him wanting to kill. Having us accidentally kill him while trying to protect ourselves, to only see the end of the world so quickly after? I think that would have really landed. (And if I was supposed to leave that route thinking we killed Charlie, I didn't, sorry. Emphasis on Charlie's noises stopping would have given me that idea.) I really would like more of Charlie's route. He's a terrible guy, who did nothing with his life, who's receding to terrible philosophy just because the world is ending. It's fascinating.
Lust. Val. While I agree with Val the most in terms of what I'd care about at the end of the world, I didn't connect with his route as much as the others. Pain and comfort are pretty straightforward. But again, the animation that played at the end of his route was brilliant.
Sloth. Nomi. Nomi's denial is terrible. Her request is terrible. So she's a great character. I think, in a way, Nomi's request is more violent than even Edgar's. She's asking you to forget her while you are still with her? She's given up completely and it's painful. She's real. Having the conversation continue after she asks you to forget her was an odd choice. I was hoping since you chose to stay, she would at that point, get up and leave. I get that would mess with the mathematical side of the story, where two stay and two leave you (sorta? Charlie technically didn't leave? But he turned on you in a way that would denote leaving your side so. It works). But to end up sharing a story where the only "success" is in finding comfort in others would have been a nice symbolic bow.
Overall this was violent. Even the softer endings were filled with rage, and well, why wouldn't they be? I didn't get that way after the election results because I looked at it like a "time to work" kind of thing. But it should have made me furious. I think I was too shocked to feel furious. Thanks, a ton for this game and the video. I've always been making things since I was young, but I've rarely ever shared them. Maybe like, 1/10th of what I made is shared. Clearly, that needs to change. (Also sorry this got long and maybe a bit too personal. I'm in feedback mode because I've been (trying to) work on my assignments which ask us to give feedback and get all introspective :P)
YES.
(SPOILERS)
What kills me is that Val's wolf is real, thing is: he was outside. And he got his shit kicked in by Charlie
i'm glad someone else noticed this.
Saw the vid and thought I’d check it out. Thematically, this is the type of content I love - characters ruminating on end of the world/end of everything type scenarios. Wanted to give brief thoughts on each route. (SPOILERS BELOW!)
I’d say the cast is pretty well defined, even if they become mouthpieces for the game’s philosophies, but I personally *like* that in my stories; it’s practically necessary for stuff this short.
I found Charlie’s route the least affecting; he felt superfluous and mostly comes across as a shallow asshole. Even if that shallowness is intentional, I can’t say his route was all that interesting to read. (Tho the fighting game foreshadowing was a nice touch) IMO asshole characters usually have a good reason for being the way they are (i.e. Flynn) but with the absence of a reason Charlie comes across as a borderline psychopath. I understand that every group needs an agitator for drama, but that role was better suited to…
Edgar! I hate this fucking bird. I get their reasoning, but I still hate this pretentious little bastard. Imagine breaking up your friendship group at the end of the world then begging the one friend who stuck by you to kill you. Imagine the incredible burden you’ve placed on said friend, whose final memory will be of killing someone they loved. Ugh, imagine being Edgar T.T;
They’re so self-absorbed in their anxious ‘woe-is-me, nothing matters’ existentialist philosophy I was really hoping the bookshelf would come down and crush them as some sort of cosmic punchline. (You could say they were… burdened by knowledge, eh? Okay, sorry) Point is, Edgar is the type of brainiac who’s so wrapped up in their own anxious, ruminating thoughts - so eager to take control of their own narrative - they never stopped to consider the emotional toll their intellectualism would have on others. As a pretentious philosophy graduate, this is a character I completely understand. And hate.
See, I’d take Val/Nomi’s side in the argument. At the end of the world I’d do everything I can to keep my friends together. I’d put on a movie and/or fuck that one friend I’ve been crushing on. Preferably both at once.
Personally, Nomi was my favourite character, since she felt the most personable. Her anecdotes of the group’s past are amusing and give the friends a much needed sense of history. Whenever a FVN addresses the question of ‘furries and animals’ it always gets a big laugh from me, and the zoo story was no exception. Her routes also the most unsettling of the bunch. Purposefully *not* talking about the apocalypse outside creates this sense of escalating dread. Despite appearances of ‘chill vibes’ I get the sense she’s just barely keeping it together, which we see glimmers of when she begs you to forget her. Ironically, trying to create emotional distance from such a dramatic subject is one of the most affecting ways of evoking it; her route was the closest I came to crying.
Finally, Val. He’s sweet, I suppose. And his sex scene feels pretty plausible too. Might as well fuck at the end of the world. I’m not big on himbos so I don’t have much to say about him. I will say his route feels perfectly designed to be played last. (In fact, if I have to give the routes an order I’d recommend Nomi > Charlie > Edgar > Val)
I don’t know much about art/music but Phwog and Red Means Recording did a really good job bringing this story to life. Especially with the ending, where the art, music and script all coalesce into that haunting final image. The way the dialogue cuts off. The singular crack across the planet. Those first few piano notes. Chills every time. It’s also why I’d save Val’s story for last so that special animatic plays. Kinda makes it feel as if, whilst having sex with him, everything is happening all at once just before it all stops. And sex - somehow - feels like a good metaphor for that… idk. I’m rambling and don’t wanna sound like Edgar.
Thanks for making this. Sorry for rambling on for so-
Holy shit, dude. That was … I needed this. Thank you.
After watching Boring Kieth's video on the creation of this VN I felt motivated to make an itch.io account and leave my feedback on its writing (the art is amazing albeit unfinished sometimes, and the music is extremely fitting).
The pacing was fast (which is understandable) and the hooks got into me in all the right places. Each character felt distinct and there was plenty of intrigue for each of them.
On my first route I really enjoyed the flow of the conversation, but I began to notice something that carried through the rest of my playthrough: the John Green-ness of the writing. Maybe it's just because of the quote from him near the beginning, but I've read lots of his books and the issue I take with most of his fiction is that the characters are unrealistically pretentious. Not in a dismissive way, I generally love "pretentious" art. Each character has some poetic quirk or way of speaking that makes them more portraits of a person than a real person. As a result, most people's favorite John Green book is their first, as eventually they begin to feel the formula.
That's something that happened here, unfortunately. The character's dialogue during their routes felt more of a mouthpiece for an idea than a fleshed out being, and there wasn't much room due to the pacing for there to be proper dynamics that would allow a more natural communication of their philosophies. I assumed Jack and Edgar were characterized as somewhat nerdy types before realizing they all basically talked like that when it mattered.I think even small changes in the dialogue, such as creating leading statements (like a character asking a question just so they can answer it themselves), creating small in-the-moment miscommunications to invite clarification, and other fun dialogue tricks would go a long way to making these characters feel like they are living their worldviews rather than giving a speech about them.
That all being said, this was a very solid first outing. In my opinion it's better to be "too smart" and learn to integrate deep themes in a more natural way than it is to write well but have nothing to say. I wanted to share my perspective because I see lots of potential here, and I hope to see more works from Boring Kieth in the future.
Interesting, my least favorite John Green book was An Abundance of Katherines, since it slid right off my brain, and I read that one right in the middle. I think my favorite was his most recent (fictional) one: Turtles All the Way Down, since it came from such a personal space. But yes, his then transition into nonfiction was pretty smooth so he didn't necessarily need his characters all along lol
Turtles All the Way Down was ironically my first John Green book so that might also contribute lmao
enjoyable but short read. not the greatest of visual novels ever made, but I felt compelled to download it at the end of the day, so what does that say about it, and me?
I need to do another play through but oh my goodness. I'm in speechless....
Congratulations. More!
It is my first time writing on the Itch site, but I had to with this game. I can't believe how well this was written about dealing when everything is at an end, especially with each character's response to you about what they desire the most, I guess it makes sense when remembering the intercom, all 4 actions are in a way a sin, but is their ideal way to live in that moment. The art helps deliver the fear and tension, making it rough and the use of colour is done excellently well, even the music is perfected for each scene. I'm glad I have the chance to check it, I can't wait what you have plans for next Keith, same goes for you too Phowg and Red. I hope you three are doing well and that 2025 be good for you, take care!
beautifully written and presented. every route is unique but so incredibly relatable and really provokes some uncomfortable thoughts about finality and what we're doing with the time we have in this world. hoping to see more!
Shivers man, damn
No piece of media has ever elicited such an emotion from me before now. Bravo man, I'm speechless.
god, what a game. i don't think i've encountered anything else that touches the specific nerve this did... made me feel simultaneously dreadful and cathartic about the current state of things.
Phenomenal. Art, music, story was just awesome. This VN did a great job of compressing existential anxiety into a ~1.5 hr reading format.
This story and all of its endings are super lovely! Each character had a great deal of depth to them that I enjoyed. It was great to see both the level of characterization and uniqueness for each member of the cast, it made the journey throughout feel both frightening and lovely when it needed it to.
others write how Edgar's route was the most provoking for them
idk, i had a friend like that (not sure if i was a good friend) and that's unnerving and you try to distance yourself otherwise you risk driving yourself into the abyss or something
anyway, for me Val's route was the most dreadful and scary and soul rending. this desperation just seeps through you....
also the epilogue is ingenious but i can't place my finger on it or it's creation. it kinda takes you out of a picture, as if you take one more step from "reality"
I've watched Keith's video essay taking hours to analyze Adastra in-depth and I love it so much! Keith's writing is definitely top-tier. It's not a surprise to find this FVN a masterpiece.
And I also love the art and music. The very aesthetics of liminal spaces, post-modernity, the selection of movies (like 2001), and the hauntological figures of AI and AI-generated spaces fit the narrative so well.
Thanks for creating such a wonderful story.
Wow, now that was something...
Anyway, thanks for the amazing work, Keith, got me crying at Edgar's route. So much existential dread compacted in a single short VN.
And I got the memo and plan on joining in. Keep making queer art.
talk about dark and unique!
Great character writing and atmosphere! Extremely impressive for their first work.
Wow. That's all I could think; wow.
The characters and the writing. Seeing each of the characters react and cope with the existential dread from the end of the world made them feel much more alive. Hell, it even made ME reflect on myself as a person with how philosophically heavy it got.
I liked how abrupt the endings are when the THE happens. It genuinely felt like, "Oh shit, that really just happened.".
Overall, this is a 10/10 masterpiece. The writing gives you so much to think about. (This probably doesn't make any sense but I'll type it in anyways: this VN felt like pillow talk.)
Heads-up, the pc file isn’t tagged as playable on linux despite being so
This was pretty great
I liked Edgar's monologue
the Prose felt very Keith Ballard (yes haha obvious, but like I dunno the writers voice felt familiar to when I read the adastra video essay script)
The juxtaposition of the text describing the surroundings as feeling AI generated next to the background being one of the least AI-generated feeling (I mean it was partially in sketch mode) was pretty awesome
It was a visual spectacle and a nice foray into 4 Different Ways To Cope With The Apocalypse.
Now that's a title that sounds like a Pizza movie ;P
This is really, really, really shocking. When the game automatically quit after I finished the four ending games, I stared at the screen for a long time. Although there is no Chinese translation of this game, I can't say that I fully understand it. But it really impressed me. I really like your writing style and hope to see more of your work in the future.
this may be one of the most shamelessly indulgent things ive seen. and i mean that with utmost sincerity and positivity. it impresses upon me as if it is what it needs itself to be, for itself.
i felt like i was understood by someone who's never known me.
Nice visual novel with animal characters.
I genuinely didn't expect this to move me the way it did. Not because I didn't expect it to be good, I've loved your essay videos since I've discovered them: Don't undervalue yourself because you're new at this. You did great, all of the team did. It's hard for something this short to have such an impact.
Every character felt real, I love how each of them reacts a different way to this apocalypse. I wish I could respond to these characters, to interact with them, to know them better. As much as I want to disagree with them, to say I would keep on living as much as I could until the very end, how can I promise to do so in such a situation? Their final wish, with impacting big bold text, really shined, specially in my first route.
And the ending comment from you, inspiring people to make art for themselves, for it to be self-serving with no strings attached. I will make queer media, for myself and for others. I wish I'll one day make something as great and touching as this.
Hope you continue making more projects that you love.
i sat there staring at the screen.
i think this won't leave my mind for a long while
DUDE... this was such an amazing game. it really went to 0 to 100 so fast yet so slowly. every single ending was beautifully written, i really liked edgar's, terribly sad. thank u for making this i love you.
We'll get through this.
Story, art and music all knocked it out of the park, even more impressive given the time limit imposed for the game jam, hope you consider future projects similar to this
:,3
I just wanted to say I really loved this vn. The characters, the story, the setting- it's all great. In fact, I loved it so much I went through and made a list of all the edits/fixes I thought of while reading through with explanations + I made a little review at the bottom.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kTnuu3XrreYdI2NhIb9yPYIwLAz9W38PqUZ_avw9hdA/...
forgot to add, spoiler warning for the end of the game. If you haven’t played every route don’t read this.
BURROWING time, eh?
BWAHAHAHA!
Cool!
the intensity, the characterization, the pacing, it's all so powerful and masterfully executed. calming and harrowing all at once
oh wooooowwwwww I really like this, short, introspective, haunting, there's a really good sense of "oh, I think I know where this this is going" while still hitting really hard, really nice cinematography too! made it really feel like no scene was just filler. good job!! :3
My favorite type of story is one where every line matters. One where every scene matters. This game's synthesis between all it's components (writing, art, sound, usage of lyrics and quotations) is absolutely indelible. It was an really cohesive experience, which I found sort of ironic by the end given the themes of the novel.
Incredible job. I'm grateful to you guys for making such an excellent piece of art, and I'm grateful to be alive today to play it. Will be replaying for a long while to come. Fuck.
Incredibly evocative and interesting work. Gonna be thinking about this one for a while.