Gloom and Doom

Мне очень понравилась эта новелла. Конечно специфичный стиль рисовки, трудно сказать хороший он или плохой. Некоторые арты выглядят отлично, есть пара ужасных. Сюжет и сценарий интересные, много философских бесед и рассуждений, вперемешку с отсылками к попкультуре. Юмор разбавляет атмосферу, но не перегибает. Все таки игра старается передать атмосферу ангста. Фабула простая и старая как мир. Персонажи пытаются понять чего они хотят и объединившись ради одной цели, пусть и с разными мотивами, в итоге находят ответы на свои вопросы и растут над собой. Трогательно и поучительно. Жаль хронометраж хромает, больше бы времени лучше бы раскрыть героев чтобы читатель больше привязался. Так тоже хорошо, но могло быть и лучше. Этакая коротенькая история для мотивации отчаявшихся. Рекомендую почитать.

The plot is a little bit like Steven Brust's book "To Reign in Hell." Heaven and Hell are not black and white but shades of grey. This may offend religious people as it is heresy. That said it was an entertaining v.n. with two lonely characters who find each other. It has a number of endings and choices matter and they can be figured out from common sense. For me that is a big plus. The characters are likable and the puzzle of how to do that which can't be done helps keep your interest. The comedy was smile inducing not lol funny but it helped keep the mood light.

I could write too much about how amazing this game is, but I will leave you to discover it by yourself. If you like creepy Halloween, underground, weird humor with multiple references to old cool things, then buy the game. I guess if you like VNs you can buy the game too. Also buy at full price, not on sale, game is definitely worth every cent. Note to dev: If you read this, do the next part of this gem please, it is needed. I'm betting you can do a trilogy of this story or at the very least a second part, pretty please? :) (Also include the hidden scene, you know the one, it was promised, and I looked at the decrypted game files, there is no hidden scene :( ...)

This game took me back to my teenage years. A relatable story backed up by quality stylised art, it really is amazing that one guy pulled this off on his own! I enjoyed the 90's vibe, and the subject matter while being fantasy based was really well grounded in the reality of the modern world. I look forward to seeing what Neo Tegoel Games comes up with next.

Criminally overlooked VN with a good story, amazing style and unlike most other VN quite a lot of choices or just dialogue lines. Can be confusing a lot of times though if you are not that much into 90s because there is A LOT of references but nothing game breaking I still involved into story. Looking at number of reviews I seriously concerned about devs and really hope we will see another story from them.

I was never really a fan of visual novels, the only one I've actually enjoyed being Doki Doki Literature Club. However, Gloom and Doom doesn't really adhere to what I always assumed were the standard cliches of that genre that Doki Doki is satirising. It forgoes the standard dating sim tropes and instead tells a story far more along the lines of a 90s slacker comedy (as it says in the description, so that's accurate!). In fact, the game is set around the turn of the millennium, and is obsessed with 90s culture and references. Video stores (remember those? I do, I worked in one for years), old school game consoles, action movies. It's a game seeped in nostalgia but it also feels kind of fresh, because it's endlessly self-aware of what it's doing. Like Doki Doki, it breaks the fourth wall on occasion though not to the same extent. This is a fully formed narrative that doesn't pull the rug out from under you. The fourth wall stuff is more like a Kevin Smith wink at the camera than anything else. It also oscillates between serious conversations about depression and ♥♥♥♥ jokes. Mostly it navigates those two things pretty successfully and doesn't insert it's ♥♥♥♥ jokes where they're not welcome. Consent is important, and Gloom and Doom respects the moment MOST of the time. The art is pretty as well, and has a fair few specialised screens for important events and reactions, rather than just literally two or three character portraits that are reused from beginning to end. The music also is varied and every main character has a theme that suits their personality and the tone of their scenes. Sorry to compare to Doki Doki again, as it's my only point of comparison, but the repetition of the same music in that game drove me kind of crazy. Here, it actually enhances the dialogue and mood (the skate park music is the best), instead of making you want to switch it off after an hour or so. The UI is pretty basic, but it does the job. It does allow you to just run backwards and forwards even after making decisions, so there's no need to ponder too long I guess if you wanted to just quickly change your mind. Depends on whether you consider that cheating or not, but most choices you can't really know immediately if its the 'right' one or not anyway. It reminded me of Life is Strange a bit in that way, in that you could always go back, but the long term repercussions weren't so easy to predict. I've only played one ending, but there are apparently others, and I can definitely see how some of the later changes especially would drastically alter the outcome, even if the earlier ones are a bit more minor. I'm sure there's a lot going on under the hood that affects what options were even offered to me later but it doesn't wear that on its sleeve so it's hard to say after only one playthrough. Overall, I was impressed and enjoyed this 90s throwback quite a lot. A lot of whether you're going to like it depends on your sense of humour, as it manages to be quite lowbrow with its jokes whilst being highbrow with its overall themes. And then of course, there's badass angels and demons fighting each other in a comic book world, so you could just enjoy it on that level as well.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, this game made me smile way more than it should have.

[i]Disclaimer: Multiple causal mentions of suicide. Don't continue below if you're feeling any urges.[/i] [hr][/hr] [h2]Word power:[/h2] Suicide, a word that both holds significant power and meaning for the mere mention of it, has to be carefully navigated through discussions and in the media. There are different ways to talk about it, some with respect and dignity, some with humour and cynicism. Eitherway, there is always a risk factor associated with the subject matter. I argue there's no 'right' way to talk about it, but rather it is important who you are discussing it with and how it is mandated, especially in places with some lack of control, like social media, but that is a discussion for another time. I got ahead of myself. As you could probably guess, this game is about suicide. [h2]The Gloom without the Doom:[/h2] Gloom and Doom, a game I have been anticipating playing for about a year now (maybe longer). I've seen a glimpse of it before, and I was interested in how the subject matter was handled, as I heard positive things about it. What I didn't expect was for this game to answer an age-old question of [i]'How does one kill someone if they are particularly immortal, or in other words, feel they are like a burial to the world?'[/i]. Do we either try to go through with it or try to find another alternative, even if that person could possibly bring about the end of the world? The answer to that is by making dorking pop-culture references, being optimistic, helping others (animals included), making friends and finding a purpose. It's really as simple as an answer as it is, but the act of doing it is much harder, but it is possible. I may have spoiled this game a bit, but I'm just to letting you know there is an optimistic route with a very special message, but that's all up to you, as this is a multiple-choice game, so you choose affect the outcome, and yes, there is a 'bad', but it's not as bad of an ending as you may imagine. [h2]Feeling:[/h2] Based on the name, if anyone expects this game to be miserable to play through, don't. There's generally a lot of laugh-out moments. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3570974118 Philosophical moments. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3594675081 Too precious moments. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3594674617 Playing through this game, you will go through a range of emotions, good ones, mind you. This whole experience is a roller coaster of emotions, which I think is suitable for someone struggling with life and trying to get themselves back on their feet. [h2]Humour: [/h2] What's not to say? I laugh and smile a lot. The video game references, the cringing dialogue, and the argument on which is better, 2D or 3D? It doesn't get any better than that. I may not be a pop-culture guru, so I don't get all the references, but I can appreciate them. This game just knows how to balance with dealing with serious subject moment whereby finding the appreciate moment to cast funny joke here and there to relieve the attention for a bit to make the tension less [b]'gloomy'[/b]. [h2]Characters:[/h2] Even the characters are a fun re-imagine trope of angel and demon, like Michael being a complete d*******, only for to God and himself (more so for himself), pardon my language. There are also some fresh new characters like Mr Yesterday, who owns a dental store, can look into the past and can play video games. Furthermore, there is a random lady we keep meeting up whose whatever choices we make with her could have an impact on what happens to her. It may not be relevant at first, but by the end of it, I see it as a good storytelling to be there for strangers, even if you don't feel like you will see them again. 'Even every small gesture can lead to a greater gesture. ' [h2]Hand-holding:[/h2] In case anyone is new to playing visual novel games, this one has you covered, as it may have the best tutorial for playing a visual novel, first, by being self-aware of being a video game and being humorous about it and giving clear instructions on what to do. [h2]Conclusion:[/h2] I never doubt I wouldn't enjoy this game; I'm just happy to experience it for myself to see how it tackles a tricky subject. I said before there may not be a wrong way to do it, but I like how it is discussed this way. The creator really put in the time and care into putting a positive comedic twist that feels very genuine and very personal to help others dealing with it. I hope more people out there find this game and come out of it with the will to keep moving forward and bring their own spark into the world. I can't tell you how much I adore this being present for others to enjoy and being a love letter to all movies, video games, comic books and much media ever created. I'm so happy to have this as part of my life. [i]P.S. The song at the end (or when you fail the game), chef-kiss.[/i]

Gloom and Doom is like comfort food for your inner emo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7ML8Xntw5E If you want to watch my first impressions as they happened, click on my video above. Gloom and Doom opens like a horror movie with our viewpoint character Roger, the lucky schmuck who might get laid if you play your cards right. Sophy, the cheerleader who picked us up so she could buy some beer, definitely isn't out of our league and nothing about the red dye in her hair suggests blood. The dialogue is exactly what you expect in the best possible way. The obvious innuendos are obvious, and either they're comfort food for your soul or you'll immediately know that Gloom and Doom isn't for you. Best of all, if you haven't played a Visual Novel before, Gloom and Doom holds your hand through the basics. That might be annoying for long-term fans of the genre, but I appreciate giving newbies the entry point. The intro is surprisingly lengthy, lasting upwards of a half hour before finally introducing our main characters, and their introductions deliver. The humor is straightforward and obvious in the best possible way. The art style is distinct and creepy. And the music has unsettling undertones. Like with most visual novels, check out some gameplay to get a feel for the style and the writing, and then decide if Gloom and Doom is your next guilty pleasure.

So far I've only completed the canon ending and I must say I was very enthralled by the story and I felt like the characters are very fleshed out! The likeable characters were relatable, and even the one character I didn't like, I was able to reasonably believe why he was such an ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ [spoiler]with an ugly man bun[/spoiler]! Overall I also liked the art style and the music complemented the game very nicely. I do wonder however had this game featured voice acting (Apart from some vocal effects every now and then) if it would have enhanced the gameplay process. Definitely going to spend some time to get all the other endings! Edit: I took some time to get all the other achievements/endings and I must say I very thoroughly enjoyed myself and will be looking forward to a sequel. (: