My Eternal Night with a Star

Any chance for a Male MC please?

goddd this was so cuteeeeeeee im smiling so hard rn

That was very sweet, I think you did a great job depicting young love and what it feels like to be absolutely smitten with your partner (which makes the ending extra ominous) (i also remember your posts about the premise of this game so it felt like a punch in the gut after all the love confessions 🥲). And though it seems a little idealistic to me (being in a long-term relationship will do that to you lol), I enjoyed the game for the message about acceptance and respecting your partner's boundaries. It's a cute wholesome romance, just as you promised. 💕

And kudos for the artwork! I liked the pretty colors and the star theme of the art and GUI. 👌 (btw, and I mean it in the most endearing way possible, Arcturus's bangs look like a chocolate churro to me and I can't unsee it 😆)

Ohhh, it was so nice meeting the characters after first learning about them! The aesthetic of the game is so fitting; it's very bright, sparkly, fairytale-esque, a bit surreal - the color choices are reminiscent of solar bodies such as nebulas/galaxies, and the music is tender and a bit dreamlike. The artwork is fantastic, particularly the rendering on the face, hair, and blanket, and I enjoyed the way the CG was animated with zooms/blurs/varying backgrounds to make it more dynamic. Although the game is short, Arcturus and Araceli are both very well characterized within it. You really get the "fairytale" vibe from the two of them, and the strength and authenticity of their bond is palpable. 

Since the game is fairly short, I'll put all my discussion below, since it basically reveals the plot of the game. NOTE that my discussion below also contains some information about the main game that is not discussed in this entry. 

SPOILERS FOR THE GAME

I really enjoyed the genuine, honest, and authentic conversation between Arcturus and Araceli. It does a good job of introducing you to the characters and making you invested in their relationship, and I think that Araceli's apprehension at taking this new step was quite relatable. Her thoughts actually reminded me a lot of "Kissing Snow White" (very strong asexual/demisexual/graysexual vibes!) I really liked Araceli's arc, seeing her gaining confidence and growing more comfortable with progressing their relationship. 

It's a little hard to judge since admittedly I know the basic premise of this story already LOL but I do think that this game does a good job of hinting what MSL will be about, without giving too much away. The game did a good job of being satisfying on its own (resolving Araceli's arc regarding intimacy), while also leaving a lot of unresolved mysteries regarding the overall plot with the time travel and the mysterious voice that appears in the final loop. 

The final loop is VERY intriguing. Noah's voice acting is fantastic and adds so much to the delivery of the monologue! The villain reveals that his philosophy is similar to that of Araceli, but he also reiterates that they are opposed. I wonder if the villain's goal is to trap Araceli and Arcturus in a time loop until they both turn into stardust for each other - to cement their love as eternal through these acts of sacrifice? (Kind of wonder how he'll react to Yale then LOL) I love the distorted track that's used for the start menu during the last loop; it's beautiful and atmospheric, while giving a slightly creepy/offputting vibe. 

The changes to the start menu with every "loop" were very well done, with a lot of attention to detail placed into each iteration (from what I could tell, the image, music, and name of the start menu button all change each time). It's interesting how, after you play the final loop, the start menu returns to color (albeit a much darker color palette than the yellow present in the second iteration), even though the caption "She will be eternal" is pretty ominous LOL

Overall, this was a very intriguing introduction to the characters of MSL, and a lovely birthday present! :) 

HELLO???

WHAT WAS???

THAT???

THE MUSIC GOT SO OMINOUS AND EVERYTHING JUST LIKE TOOK A TURN DAKFJALDSKFAD

What a fascinating turn. I knew you would hit me with at least some kind of foreboding existential question at the end 🤣💦 And now I have to sit here writing this while listening to this creepy semi-atonal-arrhythmic music continue to play...

BUT I DIGRESS.

[SOME SPOILERS HERE AS I CAN'T REALLY NOT TALK ABOUT THEM]

I enjoyed this a lot!!! I had no real idea what I was getting into beforehand despite your ominous posts leading up to it, so my mind was relatively Fresh. The first two "cycles" for lack of a better word were wonderfully sweet and I was extremely touched. I loved how positively understanding and loving Arcturus is??? Like??? As an ace person, it felt very cathartic to me to hear something like that, and even though I assume Araceli is not ace but more just not quite ready yet, it still had a lot of the same overarching themes of literally just... sexual boundaries. And loving your partner no matter what and focusing on their needs above all else. And I found that incredibly sweet and moving and My Heart Stirred 😭

In the first cycle, they simply end up cuddling. HHHHH. It was very cute. And was just such a soft moment. I enjoyed how Arcturus really kinda took it upon himself to ask Araceli straight out, her thoughts and feelings about everything, rather than just assuming??? And also the soft and heart-warming way he responded to everything that Araceli said. GUHHHH MADE MY HEART SQUISH.

Then in the second cycle, a cycle which I assume is not actually the "second" but probably the next of many cycles that we just haven't seen as the audience, we see Araceli's comfort (and confidence) levels grow a bit, even taking her her own cues from things that Arcturus has said in the past. It was a sweet and gradual build-up that really solidified how deep their relationship and feelings are. Also I loved how we got little glimpses of Araceli questioning the Arcturus "of this timeline" as though assuming he will somehow change when given the (albeit unknown) chance and yet every time, he's still the same, there's nothing hidden there, must Arcturus's pure and unconditional love and resolution to be there for her no matter what.

The first two cycles left me feeling very warm and fuzzy. Also helped by the fact that the visuals are so soft and magical??? From the GUI to the bright and warm colors to the soft style of your beautiful artwork, everything just felt like it was straight out of a fairy tale (OUAT anyone alskdjfalsd), which helped to amplify the soft warm yet somehow ephemeral feeling of the whole game. Also the music!!

OK BUT THEN THE THIRD CYCLE CAME AND I WAS LIKE UMMMMMM.

The change in the music?? The sudden desaturation?? WHO IS THIS SPEAKING??? WHY ARE THEY TURNING ARACELI AND ARCTURUS INTO STARDUST??? WHAT IS HAPPENING???????

So ominous. It was such a flip-the-switch moment that I had to go back and read that cycle again a bit more carefully to see if I had missed any potentially important key hidden within it or something ldkjfasd It was just such a good juxtaposition of style and feeling, and the use of timing and pacing of the final bit at the end was so good and impactful. GUHHHH. Ok now I have to assume this is the leadup to something else yes?? LIKE??? YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE US WITH THAT?? I have so many questions LOLOL I really want to know who this other being is and what exactly is going on because it feels like despite the warm fuzzy feelings of this game as a whole, it seems like the overarching premise is leading into ominosity AND I NEED TO KNOW.

Sob. Ok. I will stop rambling now. But I really enjoyed this! From the writing, to the soft magical art and vibes, to the interesting time-travel mechanic, TO THE OMINOUS FINAL CYCLE. You always leave me with a deluge of feelings and questions when I get done with your games and this was no exception!! A really fantastic job 😍

ohhhh this is lovely!! teared up at the end haha, it's very sweet and I love the way you used the game mechanics to tell the story, [redacted] is one of my favourite tropes and I love seeing it in visual novels because of the way they are designed!! it is sweet and wonderful and Arcturus is so dreamy! thank you for making this!

I played the game and all its endings! They were quite fun to see the changing menu and all the camera work! I love Arcturus what a precious man! Araceli and I just starstruck hehe 🤩 it wasn’t as sad as I thought but instead I shed tears much easier cause it was beautiful and loving! 

I love this genre of game like Intertwine and Threads of Snow that touch on time travel and soulmates! It was fun seeing your take on this and the color scheme was so pretty and comforting!

And of course the subject matter of not needing to rush yourself into anything, specifically sex to show your partner you love them! I loved Arcturus’ line about he’d rather Araceli be comfortable! He was so relaxed and understanding and the blurry screen effect is just me 90% of the time with my loved ones when they say something sweet!

loved the background art and the changing menus and sparkly goodness throughout! 

Great game as always Chime! Going to be recommending it and of course it’s infinite/5 stars ⭐️!