Uroboros
Prologue and Chapter 1 out!
Currently 50k words w/ code
UROBOROS . A 17+ fantasy interactive fiction novel written in Twine. Play as the deity of eternity, powerless and deemed useless among gods, for nothing lasts forever. A struggle between mortals and gods sparks a conflict that may bring an end to the age of the divine rule.
YOUR CHOICES . Through the choices you make, develop character traits and skills that will define your player's identity and influence the course of the plot. You will dramatically change the outcome of the story through your own agency.
This game will be free to play in its entirety, and no necessary in-game content will ever be monetized. Updates may continue after the completion of the game as well.
Tumblr 🌿 Website
You are the deity of All That Lasts Forever, a being born of the Chaotic Universe and moulded in divinity. One that exists among gods of lore, with the power to change seasons, conjure great storms, and raise life from dust.
Yet, you wield no power. Nothing lasts forever.
Relegated to an errand god, you assist the god of death with the afterlife, guiding lost spirits and hearing the dead's grievances.
Life was simple; the gods weaved the starry night that mortals slept beneath, raised the sun that humans rose to and drew the tides that guided vessels along. All was peaceful.
Until someone dared to defy death.
Your investigations into a strange occurrence will lead you to know far more than you ever intended to, unravelling what may be the precursor to the collapse of the reign of gods…
An outcast among gods and mortals, you are the grey area that bridges the two, and you will decide the fate of the world. Will you side with divinity, preserving power and maintaining order? Or will you support the struggle against them, ending a long era of oppressive rule?
✧CONTENT WARNING: depictions of war, violence, and death; mentions of cannibalism (not heavily depicted) . Potentially sexually suggestive themes. 🌿
✧ PLAY AS THE DEITY OF ETERNITY . 🌿 Though do not expect to be powerful or beloved, with nothing within your domain. Choose your own name, personality, "gender" and "sexuality".
✧ FOUR CHARACTERS TO DEVELOP DEEPER RELATIONSHIPS WITH . 🌿 Four characters to develop deeper relationships with.
✧ A SHIFT AWAY FROM TRADITIONAL NUMERICAL STATS . 🌿 Focused on immersive storytelling, make decisions true to your character, and develop complex relationships with characters that are not easily quantifiable. Your choices will seal your fate, rather than your skill at stat-raising.
✧ DECIDE THE FATE OF THE WORLD . 🌿 Overthrow the current order of divinity, or fight to maintain the status quo
✧ EXPLORE A WORLD OF MYSTIQUE AND WONDER, OF PAIN AND MISERY. 🌿 A sense of loss pervades
✧ NOTE . 🌿 Gods canonically do not have a gender; merely their mortal forms will take on a certain gender presentation, which will be selectable.
Humans have united under one rule, one civilization—Galaio (“one place”). A prosperous and thriving civilization where no one shall go hungry, forgotten or abused — free from the misery and pain of the war that tore the world in the past.
Galaio is beautiful, with cities of gold and flowers, and villages of forests and hearth. Vines hug marble pillars, and trees line the streets. The earth has humans in her loving embrace, and the humans love the gods in return.
Deities rule the humans closely, the space that once seemed vast between them now closed. They've grown wary of humans' ability to govern themselves—they must save them from themselves.
Although many are comfortable with the idyllic lives they lead, they've become oblivious to the corruption and dissidence that grows within them — sentiments that cry for change. 🌿
This list will only cover characters you can form a deeper relationship with, platonic or romantic. All characters are available for everyone and gender presentation selectable. They are, by no means, the only important characters in the story.
SALVATORE // Sal-va-to-reh. Deity of the sun, and the child of the goddess of the gods and goddess of mountains. They have a smile that lights up all their features, and radiates onto others like blessed sunlight. Vivid and cheerful, they possess a deep sense of duty to humanity, one they uphold steadfastly. Always earnest in their efforts, their optimism blinds others from the burdens they bear. Full portrait and character profile here!
LUCIEL // Loo-see-el . Deity of death and one of the original Twelve gods. Their kindness belies their distance, preferring to keep others at arm’s length. They seem to be absent from all matters that concern both divine and mortal beings. Yet, their mere presence brings immutable peace, and you can confidently say they are the kindest of all the gods. Full portrait and character profile here!
CIOCANA // Show-sah-na . Deity of misfortune and suffering, and child of the deity of natural disasters and goddess of the moon and stars. Their smile is charming and practiced, yet the corners of their mouth twist with mischief. Plagued by the role of their own existence, they manage to maintain their confidence, quick-witted and charismatic, yet biting and cynical. Though they're not well-liked among deities, this appears to bother them little. Full portrait and character profile here!
ALESSI // Al-ess-ee . The champion to free humanity from the reign of gods, child to human parents. Their easygoing smile is magnetic, inviting others to take a closer look like moth to fire. A natural leader, they are deeply attuned to the suffering of others and passionate about their cause. However, hidden beneath their friendliness is a righteous fury that consumes them from the inside and threatens to swallow their heart whole. Full portrait and character profile here!
Salvatore, Luciel, Ciocana and Alessi from left to right.
ART CREDITS !
✧ COVER ART . Thanks to Lenoka for an amazing cover!
✧ BANNER . Thanks to nuavanxi for such a gorgeous banner!
✧ CHARACTER PORTRAITS . Thanks to princepol for the beautiful portraits!!
✧ ICON . Thanks to JennyH for the icon!
✧ CHARACTER SKETCHES . Thanks to GiraffeLeggos for the sketches!
✧ DESIGN . Thanks to my amazing partner for editing the sidebar, background images, and headers! Original stock photos by Lana Veter, who made many wonderful abstract, watercolor images!!
CODE CREDITS !
✧ TEMPLATE . Used Vahnya's extraordinary template! Link to template!!
✧ MACROS . Thanks to Chapel for multiple macros (preload, notifications, pronouns, and dialog API)! Link to their macros!! Also thanks to HiEv for their ScrollTo macro! (Link removed, since website seems to hazve malware now!)
✧ COSMETICS . THANK YOU to...
- HiEv, using their splash screen code as base for the start menu!
- HiEv and greyelf, using their jQuery code as base to develop the code for the radio buttons!
- TheMadExile, for using their code as base to make black and white fade passage transitions possible!
- WT3Schools, for teaching me the basic HTML stuff that I forgot from school and kept me sane!
- Anastasia Goodwin, for their code on twinkling stars background! Their work falls under the MIT licence, which gives the rights to use and copy code freely. Here is the link to the code!!
✧ CODEDIVING — FOR STYLING .. FEEL FREE to look into the stylesheet for reference! However, it is incredibly scuffed and you must know what you're looking at to be able to use it properly. For the most part, also feel free to look into the passages to see how the code is implemented!
However, please do not heavily reference. Code can be copied as a base or even entirely, as long as it's for functional or gameplay purposes (the black and white fade, the radio buttons, making the start menu, etc).
I should honestly have no issue with 90% of things—just please do not completely rip out the stylesheet and use visually similar images in combination! If you use my code as base, as long as over 70% of it is not copied, credit is appreciated, but not necessary. Otherwise, please do credit!
✧ CODEDIVING — FOR SPOILERS . I get the curiosity. I can't police you, but surprises can be fun! If you're like me and like a little spoilers, though, do feel free to analyze the code. If you know it'll be canon rather than just a theory, however, all I ask is that you don't spoil anyone!
For a more exhaustive list of boundaries, however, take a look at my website!
Development log
- Chapter 1 Update BugfixesJun 17, 2023
- Chapter 1 Update & Discord!Jun 16, 2023
Comments
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at first i was hesitant to play this because i dont like playing demos and knowing ill end up on a cliffhanger for what might be a year for each new chapter, but i actually really liked this and didnt mind it. this might be the best written interactive story ive ever read, AND ITS ONLY BEEN ONE CHAPTER
NOT REALLY SPOILERS, JUST PUTTING IT UNDER A CUT SO I DONT SPAM BC THIS IS GONNA BE A VERY LONG LOVEMAIL/REVIEW FOR THE GAME:
the customization was AMAZING, though i do wish there were some more hair color options and perhaps scars (if there was scars and i forgot, im sorry LOL i have a short memory), but even if that doesn't change, it's fine without it.
the characters are also amazing, and i love the diverse pronoun choice for them, even neopronouns; usually games just stick with he/she, and sometimes they/them. this might be the first one i saw with more pronoun options, which was very pleasant. i also enjoy how gods have no gender and it's only presentation, as a femme sapphic who really likes masc/butch women but often has to deal with female characters in games being hyper fem due to the assumption of the people going after them being cishet men. usually i just date male characters and pretend theyre a beautiful butch in my mind to deal with this, but with this game i feel like i dont have to do that. even with characters who are feminine, it feels more natural somehow? all i can describe it as, is that i feel the care that went into this game and making the characters actually realistic.
the gameplay itself is also amazing; the choices, being able to lie and be a little mischievous at times, the skillsets (i dont know what to call them,,), the WRITING IS SO IMMERSIVE ALSO LIKE HELLO?? I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT. THE WHOLE THING ABOUT THE UNIVERSE WAS AMAZING, AND TO BE HONEST, i chose "i dont feel loved by the universe" AND THE DESCRIPTION OF THAT FEELING WHEN I CHOSE THAT?? IT MADE ME TEAR UP IN THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE. it reminds me of classic literature and those amazing poems you'd see on pintrest, or even the mincraft end-game dialouge thigny!!!
i genuinely dont think i have ANY critique from this game. the only thing i do want is more options because i love to play as my ocs in IF games, but this one already has so many options that i could make do without my array of fancy hair and eye colors. i also usually struggle to play games while being neurodivergent due to most choices being,, way too out there, or way too rude, but this game had a very nice middle ground where i felt like i could actually act as i would without it being weird for me, which honestly made me kind of emotional. being able to play as an autistic mc, with my symptoms, who i feel can unmask, is very meaningful for me. of course it isnt exact, and there were still times i had to make ooc (for me at least) choices, but it was still a lot more than any other game.
i will be honest, im really nervous that this game wont be continued because thats a sad trope with IF games, but i genuinely hope it does. im looking forward to buying the game when it comes out, and supporting the developer anywhere i can in hopes of the game continuing, because this is honestly everything ive ever wanted in an IF game! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK DEVS!!! ╰(*°▽°*)╯
Hi vlightowelle!!! I can't tell you how much this means to me.
I am genderfluid myself, and I deeply fear that picking a gender presentation for the deities means having to hypergender them one way or another. For that reason, I focused on still giving them some sense of androgyny, despite the differences between the versions. One disappointment I have in myself is tying gender presentation to their pronouns, however, which I want to rectify soon. I don't believe this currently reflects in their physical description except Ciocana, but perhaps I will make this more explicit by allowing the player to pick their pronouns and their presentation explicitly and separately! I am bisexual as well, and I personally love women who are non-conforming.
I am also blown away by your compliments with the writing!! It is indeed inspired more by some classical stories -- and while I am nowhere near their poetry and skill, it is what I admire and strive to achieve. More modern, casual writing is difficult for me.
But most of all, I am emotional about your comments on neurodivergency. My beta tester is my partner, and they have autism. They worked closely with me on this game, and I really worked hard to ensure that the wording of the choices was understandable, and that the offering of choices accommodated a wide range of personalities.
Please let me know your suggestions for hair and eye colors, as well as dialogue/action options! The first character creation scene is more down-to-earth as it is more your fathers looking at your appearance, but there is a second chance to change your looks with more fantastical colors!
And don't worry, this game will be free!! Your verbal support and continued patience will be the only thing I need to keep me going! 🤍
Again, thank you so much, vlightowlle. You don't know how much your words impact me deeply. ❤️❤️
it's no problem for the compliments, i enjoy writing long posts like these on games i like! and i really love the idea of allowing the player to pick the presentation, it's something i've always wanted in a game, so if you do add that in any future updates, ill look forward to it! i'm genderfluid too, which is another reason why the gender presentation in this game effected me so much
and im sorry for missing over the second chance to change your appearance, i thought it'd have the same options before just incase you had doubts, so i skipped over it, but ill definitely check it out when i finish this playthrough and do a second one. for eye and hair colors, i've always liked the idea of deities having weird coloration, like multicolored eyes or just dots of colors that arent naturally occurring, and even changing the color of pupils and sclera if the deity is more non human, though this is probably due to my love for fae and biblically accurate angels, im sure it'd be really hard to do in an IF, so it's more of a comment than a real suggestion. for hair color, the main one i was missing during the original creation was pink, since that's what i went in wanting my character to have: im unsure if thats an option in the secondary creation already though, it probably is! i also hope for jewelry and accessories if that's not in the secondary creation (sorry if it is and im just naming off things that are already there! i wish i didnt skip over it,,) ᓚᘏᗢ
for dialogue/action suggestions, i dont have any specific ones, but some of my symptoms that i very rarely get to see used in any IF are sensory overloads, semi or non verbal moments where someone might have to speak for the mc (not including choices where the mc is just too shy), non aggressive honesty/bluntness, rambling or over explaining things (again, in a non aggressive, genuine way), not understanding figurative language, just generally stimming i dont think ive ever seen that in ANY game, and hyperactivity without it being seen as childish. some of these ive already seen in choices, but i decided to put them all here regardless. i feel like a lot of these things in most IF's are either seen as childish, or always put in a rude way, which kind of hurts when i act like that but mean it kindly.
i think thats all i have to say, but again, it's no problem! im glad you responded so fast and so positively, usually creators brush comments off, but im genuinely glad you took time to respond and address everything i said! IM ALSO VERY GLAD THE GAME WILL BE FREE, because im honestly very poor and was worried about that! again, i hope the development goes well!! i hope everything i said made sense, its a bit late for me and as you can tell from my previous comment, i have issues with overexplaining/rambling
Game with potential.
The writing is nice and character are well written but i can't judge the story yet, it didn't progress much. No idea either how the chosen skill will played out but i hope it will be truly impactful. Still the codex is lacking, the romantic interest aren't there and there is no physical/personality description of each character in the codex.
Still hope the game will not die, good luck
Hello, thanks for the sincere comment, Arthas16!
I apologize for the lack of progression. The first chapter is meant to be a setup and introduction to the characters, setting, and potential conflict. Hopefully it will feel better in the second chapter!
I definitely agree with the codex, however; that is admittedly a rushed aspect of the game so far as it already took me months to design and code it, and thus I prioritized releasing the story to demonstrate the progress I made to those who were following me so patiently. The codex page became a very low priority item. I hope to rectify this in the next update, because I know I can get confused or forgetful myself!
Thanks for the reply again! ❤️
At first I didn't really knew if to play this or not, because I've never played this kind of games (or story?? Idk-), but THE ART.
But now that I have played it, I can say thaaat...
I LITERALLY LOVE THIS SOOO MUCH-
It has very different options to customize your character's personality, you can choose your appearance, the other characters gender... It's just perfection; I really love the writing too, even though my main language isn't english (so there will be misspelling 😭), as a person that's learning like three languages at once, without including my spanish, chinese and my bad english, it isn't a super duper big trouble for me HWKSSLHSKED-
Talking about the game, I want us to be all happy friends with a wholesome friendship or something like thattt 😿😿 I love all the charactersssss they each have that unique personality, Idk, but I know there's something (???)
In conclusion, playing this game was one of the BEST decisions I've made in my life. Looking forward more updatesss
And I didn't expect this to be THAT long, sorry 😭
Hi memori, thank you for the really sweet reply!! 💓 I'm really glad you took the time to play it even though it's not something you usually try!
It's also very admirable you want to learn so many languages - it's something I want to try doing as well! I always wondered how my writing read to non-natives, as English is not my native language, either. I hope it's readable!
I'm also super happy you liked the characters!! 💕💕
All in all, thank you for appreciating my work, and I hope you continue to want to look forward to updates! Thank you again, Memori!!
At first, I was hesitant to play this because it wasn't something I had played before, but the art drew me in!
And when I started playing, I was surprised by the writing and how many options the game offered. I'm excited to see how the story will develop and how our relationships will deepen!
My favourite right now is our dear deity of the sun, can't wait to spend more time with them <3
Hi Phoebus.Sun, sorry I didnt see this comment ealier! I'm glad you like the amount of options so far -- they truly gave me grief, but it is immensely satisfying to offer them! So happy you like Salvatore as well, they remind me of your name <3 Thanks for leaving me your thoughts again, Phoebus!! 🤍
Everyone kept offering me food and I love them for it, omg. And Luciel did mainly catch my attention when I was browsing the page for the first time, but then Salvatore?! Anyway Luciel, beloved, let me open your heart so we could sit right next to each other!
Edit: Okay, been replaying a bit since I can't get enough and MC happily (also giddily) enjoying Ciocana's surprise antics and not thinking ill of them was actually cute. Makes me excited to see more of Ciocana (and Alessi too, the intrigue!)
Looking forward to any progress as it's such a treat, absolutely loved it and it was really fascinating (that includes MC's lore, you could really feel it + wholesome adorable Dads despite everything) so thank you for your hard work, Mistyrious!
Ahh sarkazwho!! Thank you so much for the lovely words, I am so happy that you liked the characters! I will of course continue working on it so I can hopefully make you happy! Thank you again! ❤️
Nauuuur it's all good, you know! I'm already really grateful and happy that you created such a wonderful world (and characters!) Read through all the RO asks, and it's been quite rent free fr so Luciel better lock Lucidio's entrance since I'm ready to hunt them down to give adoration😤 Still, please take your time and stay bongga as always while at it✨
I am genuinely so invested in this game. It's so good and leaves you curious for more by the end of the chapter. Please, for the love of God, make more of it.
Your comment has been extremely motivating in ways that I cannot explain. Thank you so much, paper albatross!!
I need more pleaseeeeeee
Ahhh I want to write more too! Hopefully I can get it to you soon ❤️ thank you Boing Boingg!
LOVING this story. It's unbelievably satisfying to have so many choices to dictate the tone of the player character. I like adapting one of my more harsh/cold OCs into games like this and rarely do they have so many options to accommodate her personality!!
Really beautiful writing, fascinating worldbuilding, and overall game. Very intriguing plot. Can't wait for chapter 2!!
Hi Addered! I am so glad that you feel that you have many options for that kind of character! I feel that such a character has amazing potential for the kind of story I want to tell; exploring the different personalities of MC sprung from how they responded to their circumstances growing up has been immensely satisfying. I hope to continue to accommodate for them!
Thank you so so much for your lovely words ❤️
Cant wait for chapter 2!
Thank you, London!! ❤️❤️ I hope to bring it to you soon!
I love the story line. Your not gonna put this up for money are you? :(
i really enjoy the game and yes money it's deserved but many wouldn't play maybe like a tip thingy? i dunno it's a good game.
Hi Aiedaeil! My game personally will never be put up for a price, so please be assured. However, the vast majority of other authors with the same medium will and have monetized their stories upon completion, to success. Thank you so much for your interest again! ♥️
No worries i love the game! and the art :)
I was looking for good stories to read on itch.io, and I finally found one!
This story not only had amazing imagery, but finally I found a story with more diverse choices! No more 'I'm sad' 'I'm mad' 'I don't answer' nonsense, this story even has 'I'm mad but i'ma joke about it' and it's amazing!
This story is a work of art, and I can't wait too see more!
I do have a quick comment that the 'X' button when you look at something is like right at the end of the screen, I wish there was some padding around it.
I also wish when the setting is picked to choose genders as I go, I wish the default selected was the intended gender, instead of always being 'they,' I feel this would allow us to keep it faithful to the intent but allow us to change some things around as we please.
Also sometimes the OpenDyslexic font doesn't work properly, and I have to reload the page to fix it.
Hi Goose, thanks so much for the feedback!! I'm glad you liked the diversity in the choices <3 I wasn't sure if it was going overboard to have such choices; I wish there was a way to accommodate a wide range of responses without filling the screen with links! Alas, it'd feel too gamey if the choices were in a dropdown box of all things. :)
I am sorry about the X button! A lot of styling for the game was done when I was still quite amateurish with Twine, so I will look out for that <3
Secondly, I had initially written so that the canon language did not actually have any pronouns besides "they/them"... until I realized that would then defeat the purpose of selecting your pronouns! As cool as it would have been, it came with it a slew of issues. I would say "they/them" is the closest to intent. :) Before adding the gender variables, I refer to all of them simply by they/them in writing!
Lastly, sorry for the font issue! I think I have a clue why that is, which is related to why font sizes initially didn't work great at first either :S so I will also investigate that further! Thank you so much for letting me know <3
Once again, thanks again for considering everything and taking the time to let me know your thoughts. I promise it is immensely helpful, and I strive to incorporate them ♥️♥️
Hey! I really enjoyed this story, and can't wait to see where you take this!
I get the pronouns thing, that makes sense! Choosing pronouns in writing is challenging to say the least, and I am just glad to see representation with xe/xem and ey/em pronouns, as well as fully customizable pronouns sheet! It really shows that you care and support your fans, and it allows for more diversity between stories!
I'm not [diagnosed] dyslexic, so I can't know for sure, but I do know reading is difficult, but the font issue wasn't a huge inconvenience, because of how easy it was to fix ( I just pressed refresh XD ).
I really loved the end of the chapter, that twist was incredible, and really shows a layer of depth to the story that many writers don't incorporate until later in the story, and shows you care about the context and emotion behind the scenes!
Overall, this story was beautifully (took me 4 tries before I spelled that right) crafted and incredibly immersive, and I loved every moment of it! Keep up the amazing work!
On the note of pronouns/language since you bring up the canon language perhaps only having 'they', I spent a while working on a more gender inclusive language a while back and came up with a neat idea. Read if you wanna (its long, sorry).
The basic idea takes the concept of keigo - literally translated to respectful language, it's the Japanese grammatical structure for adding respect/formality. The language would have several different levels of formality, for the purposes of pronouns we only really need 2 however so I'll only go into the 2 we need.
The idea is that when speaking to strangers - and in situations where you need to be respectful and formal - gender is entirely absent. Thus there is not really a risk of misgendering a stranger without learning their preferred pronouns. Then when two people become close enough, they will switch to their familiar pronouns and thus affirm each other through their language as a sign of their closeness.
Since exchanging familiar pronouns is baked into the structure of the language, it becomes a natural part of introducing oneself. An English approximate would be like introducing yourself as "X, familiarly Y - xe/xer" or even simplified to "X, Y - xe" where X is one's family name/formal name/title and Y is one's personal name. For my MC it would be like introducing her as "The Eye, Lyria - she". It also implies some rude, culturally significant ways to introduce oneself like only introducing their formal title without their familiar pronouns and name thus implying that they do not intend to let you get close to them.
This makes a language that makes no default assumptions about a stranger's gender, but still retains gender expression and affirmation through language. Furthermore I think it canonizes gender affirmation as something more intimate and friendly, a sign of respect and friendship.
Sorry if that was a bit long and rambly but I am a language nerd, couldn't pass up the opportunity to talk about pronouns and gender inclusivity in fictional languages. Hope it was an interesting read at least.
Hi Hexling,
That was a FASCINATING read, I am so grateful!! I wanted to hearken back to my own native tongue because all its pronouns are entirely neutral, only that we add an extra word in our sentences to denote politeness or formality.
Knowing this, I think I can make it canon! ❤️ My one sadness is that some stories or IFs automatically already know the neopronouns of the MC without asking. I think it's great that they already include them, and there is no harm in that at all! But I think it would make it more real this way.
So I can picture the MC and a new character introducing themselves and using gender neutral pronouns until they've become familiar or simply ask the other to refer to them properly if they dislike being formal or being referred to by anything else. Great!
Thank you so much -- this is a great compromise to allowing flexibility in gender expression for the protagonist, and yet also incorporating the neutrality in the language that I intended! You have singlehandedly saved the language. Thank you, Hexling! ❤️
Glad you liked it and it clicked some things into place for you!
I loved it. Absolutely loved it. One of the small portion of games I actually really read!! Didn't regret a single moment of the game from download to impressed while closing it to check the comments at the end. Can't wait for Ch.2!! Need more like dis
Thank you so much ratlover!!! 🥺🥺♥️♥️ I also have a hard time really reading, so it is such a high honor to know you gave your attention to it. Thank you so much for your kind words :)
This game is amazing.
I was so into the game, and realised that it was JUST a demo. Thank you for this game, I'll be waiting for the next chapter with glee and gyrate.
Hi PlayCharacter!! I keep forgetting to write explicitly that it's a demo and misleading other people, since I thought marking it as in development was enough -- I am a fool (I just now edited the game page)! Thank you so much for checking it out anyway, and I hope to bring you the next chapter so soon! Thank you so so much for dropping a comment as well! 💓
Just finished and I love it so much! I forgot this was a demo and got so immersed that I was shooked when I reached the end 🗣️ Also, I want to say more but I fear it will only end up in incomprehensible keyboard smash gushing so 🕴️
Thank you and I'll be looking forward for the next chapter! Oh, and happy new year!
Hi cocorunchz, thanks so much for dropping a comment!! 🥺🥺💓💓 I am so happy that it ended up being immersive, and I completely welcome the keyboard smashing!! And happy happy New Year to you too 💕 thank you so much again!
I played through this last night and I really enjoyed it! The setting has a fantastic atmosphere that's beautiful and slightly eerie, and I'm intrigued by the characters! I'm excited about this, thank you for making it!
Thank you, Leon!! I am so grateful to you for taking the time to read my writing as well 💕💕 it means more to me than you can know!
I know there's only one chapter, but this one is my favorite Interactive! Really looking forward to where it goes! (Ciocana has my heart already)
!!! That's extremely high praise Puufi, thank you so much!! I hope not to disappoint you 🥺💖
i'll be waiting for chap. 2! this was a very well made game <3
Hi astra!! Thank you so much for your sweet comment <3!!!
Hey. The HiEv link in your credits seems to be hacked and leads to a security alert.
Oh no! I will have to investigate that ASAP -- it used to lead to an online demo for the macro, but it seems I can't find it online anymore. Thanks for calling it to my attention!!
I really enjoyed the Demo + Chp 1. Very intriguing. Clever integration of character creation & choosing the identity of some of the characters. I assume we're waiting for chp 2, and not that I just don't know where to find it?
Keep up the good work!
Haha, yes, Chapter 2 is not out yet! I forgot some people who come across the game don't come from Tumblr, so they may be unaware of how far the demo goes! Either way, thank you so much!! I always prefer the customization of the character to be integrated into the story, rather than thrown at you from the beginning! ❤️❤️
Thanks again, Kiljek! 💕
I just want to let you know that we're looking forward to the chapter 2 <3
🥹🥹 thank you ziye ❤️❤️❤️
the dialogue and description is so good, it has me speechless? ??? i love the premise and the navigation between the story and the different branches and the layouts are gorgeous?? i'm so looking forward to more! it's been a while since i've been able to immerse myself into a character.
AAAA thank you so much playerlou!! Your words mean more to me than I can say 🥹 I'm glad you were able to be so immersed!
is it wrong to say that i'm a sucker for ciocana? 😩
Not at all, I am too!
Absolutely not! 💕
Love it so much I cry a alot for the mc D:
🥺🥺 I'm sorry to make you feel this way for the MC!! Hopefully they will earn everyone's respect soon 💕
This game is absolutely FIRE!!! Words are not enough to describe the just how much I adore this already!! Will definitely be following along and cannot wait for what else u have in store, its already so promising!!!
AAAA your enthusiasm is so infectious, thank you so so much for taking the time just to let me know your excitement! It makes me excited just to write it knowing someone like you will be following it!! Thank you so much again ImSooprCereal, you're the sweetest! 💕💕
salvatore i will actually die for you
Salvatore would for you 💕
This entire story is absolutely beautiful. I love all of the characters, the writing style is fantastic, and the MC customization is actually so freeing. Thank you for making this, I enjoyed every single word of it!
!!!! Thank you so much picklenugget1, that is so gratifying and awesome to hear. Ironically, those are all the things I feared about the story, so I'm so stoked to hear you liek them!! ;A; Again, thank you so much for leaving a comment, that means the world to me!!
Wow! I was impressed!! I liked that there were no stats for a change. It really gave me more freedom in choosing from the choices.
Hina, I'm so glad you think so!! <3 I love stat-heavy games, but I think I always get bogged down trying to maximize them. I even go so far as to try to "maximize" my relationship points with characters that I completely throw roleplaying out the window! I hope you won't have to feel this way in the future. Thanks so much again for taking the time to comment something lovely :)
Yes! Yes! I get you a lot! I like stat-heavy games too, but sometimes, I want to mix it up with games like this.
WHOAGH WHAT THIS IS SO COOL ACTUALLY I LOVE IT SHAKES AND FALLS OVER??? WHAT!! I ADORE THE CHARACTERS AND THE WORLDBUILDING SO FAR THE CONCEPT MAKES ME FEEL SO /POS!
KAKDKS your enthusiasm is AAA 😭💕 thank you so much Kk_sys, I'm so glad the characters and the story inspired positive feelings, as it does in me! I've chosen some of my favorite aesthetics to incorporate into the game!
Again, thank you thank you for your excitement!! 🫂💕💕
HOW COULD I NOT BE EXCITED WITH THIS KINDA STUFF ITS SO PRETTY AND FUN GHJDGJDHW
THANK YOU FOR THE GAME!!!
RAGH
That's exactly how MC feels like to me, vague and yet sharp like so much of the story's own setting! I'm so happy you loved the story and characterization, as well as the art ❤️❤️ it is the culmination of so many people's kindness!
I'm so so happy you liked it, and thank you so much for your rating and comment. You've made me week much lighter and better Cibilka 💕
oh man this is so interesting
I'm glad you like, eggsoup!! 🫂💖💕
I could go on a very long review to display my newfound love and affection for this game... Or I could simply say that this a simply divine.
Considering I'm quite lazy, this is divine and I can't wait for more!
You're so sweet Osty-kun!! 🥺 Thank you so much for your high praise and if you ever find the energy to go on that long review... I'd love to hear it someday ❤️
Nevertheless, in spite of everything, you took the time and energy to comment and I'm extremely grateful. Thank you so much for reading 💖💕
i am s0 hooked, i can't wait for more chapters!
Thank you so much Kal, I'm super excited to work on them as well!! I hope you'll like them too <3
I honestly love Rafaele and Nero too much…
Waaa I love them too! <3
THEY’RE SO SWEET!!
Really enjoyed this game a lot. The writing, the interactions between the characters and how the MC really seemed to be molded based on the choices really made this a wonderful and immersive experience. I really can't wait to experience more.
I'm so glad you feel that way GameAg 🥺💕 I'm still figuring it all out, but I truly want the game to be reactive to your choices and the character interactions to feel complex! It's probably not so apparent in Chapter 1, but I hope to improve on it to be able to deserve your praise 💖💖 thank you so much again!
The game is fantastic and super well written, especially like how much meaning each customisation option has. Can't wait for more updates!
But I also have to mention that the default name if you want to make your own is Morbius. Almost fell out of my chair laughing 10/10 would morb again.
Waaa thank you for the high praise, TrotskyBoi!!! That means so much to me 🥹💖💕 and I've been waiting forever for someone to comment on it, I can't believe everyone just took it in stride! Once again, thank you so much 😭😭🫶
Really enjoyed this so far. My MC Eilam, which I chose for its meaning "forever" or "eternal", is a kind but reserved God with a slight bitter take on life. He's curious and tends to fail to adhere to social graces when his curiosity gets to him, as he has the gift of way to much knowledge and perception. (being Everlasting and Universal Eye) He has black hair with a blue streak in it, violet eyes, fair skin, and wears a style of clothes that no other being mortal or immortal wears. (and lots of black and dark blues and silvers in my mind) He never changes his appearance either, preferring to be exactly as described.
Though he's friendly and playful to those friendly to him, he's also quick to anger when disrespected or demeaned as an errand boy. He got mad and ignored Salv for not believing him when he trusted him with his glimpse of the universes pain, but otherwise does value his friendship. He sees the good in Ciocana, knowing what its like to be outcast for what you are. (And they share a spark for being cinical and snarky. poss future besties) But his heart is drawn to Luciel, who he desires to protect and get closer to. He's neutral to Alessi, lacking interaction. (but my guess is if she's mean to him, he'll be mean to her but also merciful in the end as he has a good heart. unless she hurts someone he loves...like his dads or Luciel)
While curious about everything, he's neutral towards humans since he always has to deal with the whiny ones in Lucidia. He does like his job as he enjoys helping others and solving problems, but he does hate dealing with to many people and the difficult ones. In that sense, he takes after Nero in being more of an introvert and needing some recharge time away. He also dislikes being around most of the other gods outside of his fathers, Luciel, Ciocana, and Salv.
Whether he'll side with divinity or mortals will depend on Alessi's reasoning and whether its enough to stir his sympathy, otherwise he's the type to protect those he loves and that currently consists of only a handful...all divine.
blue_shayde, I'm sorry I couldn't get to you any sooner! Things have just been so hectic 🥺
Thank you so much for telling me about your Eilam 💖💖 it still astounds me that people put such incredible thought behind their MCs, and that's just the highest form of love and flattery I can receive!
Ah, Salv 💔 despite caring for Eilam, I think they find it difficult to break away from some of their stubborn beliefs -- or at least, their stubbornness to look away from the truth.
Eliam is incredibly kind to sympathize with Cio, and oh--Luciel!! That would be such a sweet union ❤️ I do suspect Alessi will he very unkind to Eilam... but their mercy will be very surprising!
They most definitely take after Nero, who keeps his affairs away from mortals, and is fiercely loyal and protective to the things and people he cares about!
I think the conflict will then be doubly interesting for Eilam. I wanted there to be a conflict between wanting to stay loyal to your friends and family, and yet having to do that at the cost of potentially wronging the Universe and humanity.
Thank you so much again for telling me❤️❤️ it's incredible valuable to know about other people's MCs so I can tailor and keep in mind what dialogue choices to include to accommodate different personalities!
It's ok. Thanks for your thoughts. I find it hard to really roleplay and get into the mind of a character without having an idea of what my character is going to ultimately be. I'm not the self-insert type, so I love to flesh out a MC that has an initial format that can grow and develop with the story I've put them in. Eilam started out as my idea of a very wise but misunderstood God with a kind heart, who'd probably hang his head and stick to the wall like a typical wallflower. However...as your story went on...he became a bit more proud and his job in the underworld just reminded me of my retail job days. Thus...he now has a bit of that harsh cynical nature you tend to develop when you work retail jobs for to long. (anyone who's worked retail will understand the pain of dealing with idiots and entitled assholes)
I also love the idea of the God of Eternity and the God of Death as a pair. Leave it to a God of Eternity to have zero fear of a God of Death. Even though around Luciel, Eliam becomes less introvert and more simp. (Luciel deserves someone to love and be loved. Not being alone at a table during a feast. I wonder what the child of Death and Eternity would be...... Fate? Destiny? Rebirth? Probably Rebirth. Could be all three.)
Luciel: Wait...we're already talking children? o_o
Eliam: At least three! <3
And Eliam having this vast library like knowledge in his head, like the personal history recorder of the universe itself. I wanted to make him a fighter because he's definitely the protective type, but Perception and Knowledge were just to perfect for a God of Eternity. Somehow Eliam went from a kicked puppy in my mind to a prissy black cat that will hiss if you poke him the wrong way. But I like it. I'm looking forward to future development
Final thoughts...I totally adore his dads. And from the sounds of it, Alessi and Eliam are going to be like two stubborn cats fighting over floor space. He won't back down from kicking her ass...and seems like neither will she. Thus...I suspect we've got a good ol' fashion rivalry/frienemy relationship in the future here.
Sorry for another rant. I've always loved mythology, so I can get passionate when it comes to this sort of thing. xD
This demo is (pardon my french) absolutely fucking gorgeous. And not just the aesthetics- though the ui is probably some of the prettiest I've seen on twine. The beauty pervades even the text itself; the writing is lyrical and flowing, yet clear and crisp. If I had to use one word to describe the writing style of Uroboros, it would be ethereal. It is dreamlike, as though you're walking through someone else's hazy recollections. Yet, the text always manages to remain sharp and focused, never losing sight of the plot. The writing is always so easy to visualize, at a mere whim bringing in images of decadent halls and the shimmering night sky to the forefront of the readers mind.
And the choices. The sheer depth of choices we have, this early on, makes me squeal with glee and clap my hands with joy. There's such a wide range to choose from, allowing the mc to spring to life fully realized. MC isn't shoveled into an archetype, but instead is allowed to roam the world, feeling out each and every interaction they have. And you're never penalized by the game for choosing the "wrong" option whatsoever. If you want to be mean, be mean. If you want to be kind yet bitter (my MC, thanks for asking) you have the freedom to do so! Any combination under the sun is possible, and the game won't lock you out for having the 'wrong' mc.
And the relationships we can have with the characters also makes me giggle and clap my hands like a toddler in a candy shop. There's no relationship points or values or anything like that; instead, you can craft your relationship with each character as you see fit, letting the game keep track of your attitudes and mannerisms. As another commenter said, there's no need to second guess whether declining a piece of bread will lead to a decreased relationship- this game says, 'fuck that!', and lets you decline the damned bread without losing anything whatsoever to the relationship. You can create actual, meaningful relationships in this game without agonizing over being stuck in Route Lock Hell.
I know that so far I've written what may amount to a whole ass essay, but this wouldn't be complete if I didn't have a whole mini rant about my wonderful little MC, Roselle the Imperishable, The Universal Eye, All Who Lasts Forever. (Whoo writing that was a dozy.) Kindhearted and outgoing, yet tactful and courteous; ever curious and open, yet keeps their secrets close to their chest. Charming, thoughtful, caring- they're a well of contradictions. When they were born, they were bathed in love from the Universe. Yet, after being cast aside by the gods, after being ridiculed and thought of as lesser, they now doubt the Universe's love towards them. It must all be a ruse, because how could this count as love?
They're pretty curious about everything- about how the wind flows, about the way the water laps against the beach, and most of all, about humans. They've studied human anatomy extensively, and was more than a little excited to dance with the humans at the festival! Yet, despite having a job that allows them to speak to humans on the daily, they, well...they hate it. They never let that show though; instead they go about their duties with their head held high, dutiful to their task. They would much rather travel and see the world, but for now they will stay in the afterlife, guiding souls to their destination. What good were they worth outside of this?
Roselle, while they are kind and loving, also has a well of bitterness inside of them that they try not to acknowledge, yet always manages to rise up unbidden. They love their fathers, yet in the same breath loathe the two for bringing them into the world, worthless and then tossed aside. They loathe Salvatore, due to pure jealousy. Salvatore, the miracle, the golden child, the beloved. They always attempt to act civil around her, and know that their loathing isn't justified, yet they loathe anyways.
One of the only deities that is uniformly on their good side, however, is Lucille, above all grateful to xem for giving them a chance when no one else would. Ciocana is amusing, funny and playful, yet also a (potential) friend in the making- outcasts are drawn to other outcasts, after all. And they are definitely looking at Alessi (and may help out with the rebellion. Idk, whichever route proves to be the most chaotic...cackling like a witch rn).
Now as this long winded rant falls to an end, I merely want to re-iterate my thoughts on this game: it's really fucking good. Like, really. Play it, replay it, and bask in the wealth of choices and the beautiful writing. Meanwhile, I will be banging my hands over and over again, waiting for chapter 2. Thank you so much author for making this incredible game!
Over the Moon,
You have no idea how many times I've read reread your comment. There is nothing more inspiring and beautiful to me than someone who receives your labor of love with so much love, too. Being able to resonate with someone is the impact that I've always dreamed to have, if there's one thing I must do; in a way, that's true eternity.
I'm so glad you could see what I was aiming for with the writing style! Simultaneously hazy, yet clear -- a waking dream, as said in the prologue. I can't even state my ecstasy in at least succeeding convey the way I wish my writing is read, even for just one person!
I've always found that one of the issues I had with IFs is having to play to fit a certain archetype perfectly. Sometimes, it feels like they punish me for responding differently than how I've characterized my MC until that point. That's not something I want to penalize people for, but rather reward -- to give them nuance, and not lock them out of options unless it's jarring or wildly illogical. I'm so happy you're really enjoying the depth of the choices so far, and I hope to continue that trend in the next chapters!!
Of course, another issue I found in other IFs is needing to say the perfect words, the perfect choices to gain the approval of my chosen romantic options. It's difficult to work with, because on one hand, I want to please the characters -- and yet, changing my character to fit the RO also feels like the RO can't love them honestly. This time around, I simply want to acknowledge MCs who agree and MCs who disagree with them. I also can't help myself, since I love opposites attract!
Thank you so much for telling me about Roselle. Learning about other people's MCs is truly valuable information. It helps give me insight as to what matters to readers and their deities of eternity, and that helps me mold the IF's choices and direction much better to cater to both you guys and myself! I especially hope to cater to MCs with as much nuance as Roselle, who can be sweet and lovely, and yet bitter and jealous (rightfully or not so rightfully).
I can't even begin to explain how emotional this comment made me. Again, there is no higher honor than being seen. I can only hope to show it by hopefully marching your energy, which is why I delayed writing until I feel I could give a response that could do my feelings justice. Even now, it still doesn't feel enough -- and yet it'll have to do. You've singlehandedly forced me to write today, even for just a few minutes, because I desperately want to write the story that you say it is -- that someone could love as much as I do. ❤️❤️
Thank you again, Over the Moon! 💕 :)
Oh. Em. GEE!!! This game is so. Freaking. COOL!!!! Hellooo, there are GODS in here, like you're playing a literal god. You're useless but you still get to bully dead humans so I enjoyed it. There are also other gods that are Cute like the sunshine god. Have yuo ever seen that teletubbies baby face in the sun, that's what I mentally imagine them to look like (I kno there are drawings showing what they look like but I like to be using my IMAGINATION!!!!) There's also boss mommie god and daddy gods which I much liked. The writing is freaking great it has this whimsical tone which goes with the setting and you really feel like you are a god, but like a useless one. The demo ended in a cliffhanger so I'm a little bit angry thinking of complaining abt that. But it's still so yummy I think I won't and I look forward to reading MORE!!!!
(This was a silly little joke but my love for this game is not. I can't describe the experience of reading it in just words, but believe me when I say that it's well worth it. The whimsical, magical feeling that the writing inspires really helps to paint the world and unique situation you find yourself in as the god of eternity. There is so much freedom given with how you're allowed to interpret this story, to the point where some instances have completely different choices depending on how you've felt about something previously. You wouldn't realize it if you only play through it once, but gems like that just goes to show how much effort the author has put into making this as personal of an experience as possible, despite the fantastical setting. The only complaint I have is that I want more </3)
I FREAKING CHOKED ON MY WATER WHILE READING YOUR COMMENT 💀
If I die and become a useless god, it's on you! (Jk)😭⚰️
SDIFGJKLDFG TELETUBBIES BABY FACE?! 😭😭😭 well,. ,, , all the more power to you and your vivid imagination blablabuble,,,,,, don't cook again 🗣️🗣️💯💯🔥🔥
In any case, thank you so much for your compliments 🥺🥺 I know I asked you to do this as a joke, but I'm so glad that you wrote such genuinely nice things for it as well!! I truly write this for you and the others, and I hope that love comes across. The choices I made for this IF are defined by how much I wish this IF to be so personal to the audience and the people I care about.
Thank you so much again for humoring me.......... Carl 💕💕
A staggering amount of personality variations that allows you to cook up the most complex and interesting MCs your little heart could ever dream of. Angry Wet Cat (read: tsundere) options are very much available and readily received by the world within the game, so one can live their tsundere MC dreams to the fullest without having to worry about getting 34785 negative relationship points along the way. MCs intent on being the meanest, most ruthless piece of ice in the general vicinity are also welcomed.
Favorability meters? Relationship points? They don't exist here. Choices actually bounce off of non-MC characters to create interesting relationship dynamics instead of kicking you into Route Lock Jail. Unless you say something that's extremely opposed to their core morals, you're fine. The game won't kick you out for being mean, promise <3 Go wild with the variables. Be free.
And, no. You don't get negative relationship points for refusing a piece of bread. There are no relationship points. The game tracks the attitudes, opinions, and actions you express to the characters and bounces off of that. Refuse that bread. They won't mind. This is a safe space for bread haters. More bread for me, at least 😌🍞✨
— (If I sound a bit unhinged, I'm sorry <//3 this is a personal blurb I wrote for Uroboros while I was working on making actual different collections for my beloved IF games instead of tossing them all into one collection 💀 I figured I should post it here as well.)
Aspen, thank you again for such extensive praise!! 😭😭 I will work even harder to make sure that what you say is fully true in the next upcoming chapters — I want to accommodate even the wettest and angriest cat MC ❤️❤️ there is so much more to people than arbitrary dialogue choices you make and small decisions that largely don't matter in the long run. I've personally struggled so much to always say the right things so that my RO won't hate me, and that's an anxiety I definitely don't hope to encourage in readers for my IF!
I'm really glad you tok the time to recognize that! The SAFEST space for bread haters :) thank you so much for dropping this comment even though it was meant for your collection! (PS I totally checked it out!!)
I absolutely adore this, you do not even understand the extent of how much I love this.
The customization is awesome, being able to choose multiple pronouns & even change forms as we please is just so amazing I adore that.
The complexity of the choices & characters & how its not just superficial stats, which, I enjoy stat based games, but this is refreshing to say the least & it makes everything feel so much more real.
I love being able to choose if my character likes being touched as well, the amount of customization is just awesome.
The setting & little clues we get on the lore & the way it was executed, it all just makes this an amazing experience, even with only one chapter out.
I feel like I will become addicted to this game.
Edit: Before I forget, In profile, after ‘as befits’ rather than showing the pronoun it shows $mc_their
Angie,
Thank you so much for your kind words!! I am so glad that you enjoyed the level of customization and the choices so much—what you're saying is what I strive to achieve, and while I can't say myself if I deserve your high praise... I'd love to be worthy of it and be confident of saying as much as well someday! ;O;
I will check into that bug, and again, thank you so much!!! This means the absolute world to me <3
saw luciel and immediately had to play this game. and now look where i am. writing fanfiction. oh my god.... ten minutes until i write more luciel fics amen. see you on discord 🫡
(on a different note. i love this game!! first one i've played and it's really fun! :D)
Oh Desatana, hi phobia!! 🥺🥺 I'm glad you like Luciel's portrait so much, and I loved your writing too!!! See you on Discord, and thanks so much for commenting and sending your love! 💕
i promise i'll write more when i see something that catches my eye!!! i've been wanting to try my hand at writing my mc + luciel
amen 🫡