The Wolf of Derevnya

Loved it! Really loved the story beats; well crafted. Really wish I had seen it coming sooner.

Excellent writing, an interesting and gruesome werewolf murder mystery. I liked how the choices seemed to have more of an impact than in most visual novels, although I did notice a few consistency errors where things were mentioned which I hadn't done, or hadn't encountered yet. I wasn't overly fond of the art, but it matches the vibe of the story well. The sound design is subtle, but works well.

Very interesting story, and high replay value. Excited to see what results I can get when I try different routes! Just finished my first playthrough and uh, I didn't do too well lol. A lesson for next time! I can recommend this game, if you're into Choose Your Own Adventure. There's clearly a lot of heart in this game. Very atmospheric as well.

A good but very short visual novel with branching endings. Beautiful prose, appropriately grim visuals, various endings, and a fascinating plot. Would recommend to people looking for a brief, well-written trip. The branching endings also go beyond merely "pick choice A and then choice B for this ending," with you having to curry (invisible) favor with characters and pay attention to smaller actions to get to certain events. That being said, as someone who's played similar games, The Wolf of Derevnya feels...very short and relatively linear. If you're used to games where a mere 3-6 choices lock you into an ending, this game may feel fresh and rich, with a lot of replay value. The other reviews for this game certainly suggest that. But there are a lot of other games for around the same price that deliver not only a longer experience but have more replayability. That's not to say the game is bad. Short but enriching games are fun. And if this game is your first or second jump into the prose-heavy-all-your-choices-matter visual novel genre, or if you just don't want to play VNs that take over 5 hours to finish, then The Wolf of Derevnya is excellent. But if you're looking for something that you can replay for a longer...well, keep these sentiments in mind. From the other reviews I was expecting a meatier game, though it's on me for not checking the playtimes. Still marking this as recommended because it IS pretty good, all things considered. The game also lags whenever I save, but that's more my laptop's fault, and it's nothing more than a minor annoyance. Something to keep in mind if you have a potato for a PC.

Lovely game. Liked it a lot. Would love to explore a bit more of it at a later date to explore the new paths as I feel there's more to the story besides what I caught from that first playthrough I did.

Me encantan los juegos de elecciones y este es uno muy brillante. La historia gira en torno a una villa rusa en la que comienzan a aparecer asesinatos y tú, como protagonista, tienes la opción de resolver el misterio y salvar a sus habitantes. Cuenta con un diseño rudimentario pero muy inmersivo, que te acerca mucho a la estética folclore rusa y yo, siendo búlgara y perteneciente a la cultura eslava, me he sentido fácilmente muy unida a este juego. He rejugado varios de los capítulos varias veces para obtener todos los logros. Hay una guía super bien explicada y con la respectiva orientación sobre qué hacer o no en cada capítulo para conseguir según qué resultados. Yo recomiendo jugar el juego por primera vez sin seguir esta guía y dejarse llevar plenamente por la historia. No olvidemos que está catalogada como terror psicológico y gracias al diseño del juego, los colores del mismo y la música de fondo, se establece un ambiente muy bien logrado. Recomendadísimo, 9/10.

I first came across [i]The Wolf of Derevnya[/i] during Spooktober Jam on itch.io last year. Even though only one chapter was available then, I was already fully drawn into the story. What I like most about the game is the writing -- it is evocative and haunting, and the art style and music used in the game are perfect accompaniments to it, making the game an extremely immersive experience overall. I really enjoyed Zvezdana's little riddles and her character as well. Even though it took me a while to decipher her lines, I got used to her way of speaking as I got further into the game, and found her words extremely poetic and beautiful. Be prepared to run around A LOT if you are no good with directions (like me), but the game does a good job of helping to steer you back onto the right path. There is a realism to the story of the game that is not for the faint of heart, and the ending is quite sobering. I remained hopeful and optimistic till the end, and I was heartbroken by the turn of events and misplaced trust. The game really reminds me of [i]The Village[/i] by M. Night Shyamalan. Even though I am usually no good with such genres, it was truly a worthwhile experience. All in all I'd say the game makes a perfect read for the Halloween season, when it is cold (if you are in the Northern Hemisphere) and quiet outside! And it is best accompanied by a cup of hot cocoa! *EDITED* Misspelt Zvezdana's name!!

A nice little visual novel full of atmosphere and tension (the subtle music and sound effects really compliment the writing here), complete with twist ending that felt right and I probably should have seen coming.