Suggestion - Developers, please read!

[arso]

Hi, I just beat my first run through the game!

Fellow players, if you've not beaten at least the Karin run-through (I don't know how much it differs from Klaus, I've yet to play his) - PLEASE don't read through this post. I don't know how to spoiler tag and honestly, the ending... I'm too shook to learn.

It was absolutely amazing. I really enjoyed the entire playthrough, riding it through the emotional highs and lows.

I feel like I need to make a suggestion, though.

When you first boot up the game, it gives you a content warning for bullying and assault - I think this warning should be upgraded to s/xual assault or r/pe as that is what happens during the Karin route during the last half of the last chapter. I'm a CoCSA survivor and if I were having a "down day", those scenes with Karin would've probably made me have a breakdown, especially since I saw so much of myself in her when it came to that scene. Afraid, not wanting to eat, not wanting to be touched or even looked at by anyone... it's too eerily similar.

I want to give you major kudos for portraying CSA respectfully and accurately without playing it off as a joke or something or other, like other media usually does. Thank you so, so much - but man, you gotta boost that warning to include s/xual assault so survivors will know that their mileage may vary when it comes to the game.

Thank you so, so much for making a beautiful game that reminds me so much of This War of Mine and cementing my fear of humanity and having children. It's really a great game.

[arso]

Another thing to fix -

I just realized, after beating the game on the Karin run, I hadn't gotten the achievement for the completion of Chapter Six or the achievement for the plot line where they move to Germany. Am I maybe doing something wrong or is this a bug?

[Lord_William]

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, that was difficult for me too, and I don't have any experience with that. It was even worse that I wasn't able to get her to say anything clearly.
I have to say, the game is unrealistic there, if only because anyone with blood rather than water going trough his veins would probably pay that damn teacher a nice. friendly visit, damned the consequences, and that wasn't an option.

[Lord_William]

In fact, is there any way to avoid that fate? Is it scripted, or somehow is choice dependant? I would like to know if I could have avoided it.

[arso]

Yeah, she won't say anything clear about her experiences, but I didn't either. It hurt so much to just talk about it when I was younger - all I could do was allude to it in general broad strokes, like "My [abuser]... did things to me that a [relation]* shouldn't do..."

Also, I don't think there's any way to avoid that fate. But, thinking about it - it was detention with the teacher following the Incident (you know the one), so forcing her to go to school? I don't know. I'd have to replay the game.

But yeah, this entire topic was really hard for me. When I'm in a better mood, I'll test my theory out on the Klaus run since if it happens to Karin, it probably happens to him, too.


* I'm censoring this part bc people make jokes about it and I don't rlly want any jokes about it

[Lord_William]

If you re-do the Karin route forcing her to go to class to avoid detention, and that changes anything, please let me now. There doesn't seem to be a lot of people playing this game at this moment, and I am certainly not playing it again for a very long time.

[Impos!]

Yeah, it happens with Klaus too.

[Impos!]

I wish you could DO something about that ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ monster teacher.

[studioadina]

Completely agree, I didn't expect it at all and it really surprised me that there wasn't a very clear warning about that part of the game.

[anastasis]

Originally posted by Lord_William:

If you re-do the Karin route forcing her to go to class to avoid detention, and that changes anything, please let me now. There doesn't seem to be a lot of people playing this game at this moment, and I am certainly not playing it again for a very long time.

Hello,

I'm sorry, I know this is an old comment, but I'll answer anyway.

During my first playthrough, with Klaus, he didn't want to go back to school, but I made him go anyway. He got detention because the teacher, Mr Solheim, insisted that the school's reputation shouldn't be ruined by a child like Klaus. Then (it happened) and I felt awful, thinking it was all my fault for making him go to school.

During my second playthrough, this time with Karin, knowing what was to come, I kept her home for as long as I could, and she received detention for skipping class. Unlike last time, though, she wanted to go back to school, and I couldn't convince her to stay home.

Both children's stories are identical. The options offered are the same for both of them. There is nothing else I could have said or done to protect either of them.

[Impos!]

Hello,

I'm sorry, I know this is an old comment, but I'll answer anyway.

During my first playthrough, with Klaus, he didn't want to go back to school, but I made him go anyway. He got detention because the teacher, Mr Solheim, insisted that the school's reputation shouldn't be ruined by a child like Klaus. Then (it happened) and I felt awful, thinking it was all my fault for making him go to school.

During my second playthrough, this time with Karin, knowing what was to come, I kept her home for as long as I could, and she received detention for skipping class. Unlike last time, though, she wanted to go back to school, and I couldn't convince her to stay home.

Both children's stories are identical. The options offered are the same for both of them. There is nothing else I could have said or done to protect either of them.

Uck, that's rough. I, wish something more could be done to prevent that.

[Lord_William]

Originally posted by anastasis:

Thanks for the reply. It seems that the event is scripted to happen regardless of your choices. It does... kinda... make sense, after all, our character cannot see into the future or look for alternate timelines, and doesn't (though should) know that it was going to escalate that further.

However, I still would prefer if the option to bail the hell out of that place was presented earlier. I remember a scene in which Karin is tied up to a tree, in the middle of the woods, with no-one knowing where she is, and us left there for hours until you manage to find her there.
That should be enough to leave. That is legitimately a way she could have died, from hypotermia to being attacked by a wild animal; that point is where it goes beyond severe bullying into actual lynching.

But alas your character doesn't seem to see it that way.

Thank you anyway for taking the time to respond.

[arso]

Originally posted by anastasis:

Hello,

I'm sorry, I know this is an old comment, but I'll answer anyway.

During my first playthrough, with Klaus, he didn't want to go back to school, but I made him go anyway. He got detention because the teacher, Mr Solheim, insisted that the school's reputation shouldn't be ruined by a child like Klaus. Then (it happened) and I felt awful, thinking it was all my fault for making him go to school.

During my second playthrough, this time with Karin, knowing what was to come, I kept her home for as long as I could, and she received detention for skipping class. Unlike last time, though, she wanted to go back to school, and I couldn't convince her to stay home.

Both children's stories are identical. The options offered are the same for both of them. There is nothing else I could have said or done to protect either of them.

Thank you so much for sharing this with us, even if it's "an old comment". It's saddening to know that it doesn't change, no matter what you do, but... that's the reality of the situation, I think. It's sad. Thank you so much for telling us about this, I'll definitely play the game through again when I'm mentally better.

Originally posted by Lord_William:

Originally posted by anastasis:

Thanks for the reply. It seems that the event is scripted to happen regardless of your choices. It does... kinda... make sense, after all, our character cannot see into the future or look for alternate timelines, and doesn't (though should) know that it was going to escalate that further.

However, I still would prefer if the option to bail the hell out of that place was presented earlier. I remember a scene in which Karin is tied up to a tree, in the middle of the woods, with no-one knowing where she is, and us left there for hours until you manage to find her there.
That should be enough to leave. That is legitimately a way she could have died, from hypotermia to being attacked by a wild animal; that point is where it goes beyond severe bullying into actual lynching.

But alas your character doesn't seem to see it that way.

Thank you anyway for taking the time to respond.:APTrose:

I hugely agree - the behaviors the bullies did were extremely dangerous - that's straight up lynching. Obviously, the school wouldn't get involved, but the least the parent could've done was kept the child home or left. Money was tight, though... tough decision all around.

[GalaxySchmoove]

Originally posted by Lord_William:

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, that was difficult for me too, and I don't have any experience with that. It was even worse that I wasn't able to get her to say anything clearly.
I have to say, the game is unrealistic there, if only because anyone with blood rather than water going trough his veins would probably pay that damn teacher a nice. friendly visit, damned the consequences, and that wasn't an option.

Sorry to necro this, but I think the character didn't 'damn the consequences', because if they did that, it would likely lead to the child having no one to protect/care for them, they'd be alone with their heritage in a hostile environment for the rest of their lives.

[Lord_William]

It is a good point, true, It was just my gut reaction at the time.