I congratulate you. You made an beautiful game. It made me cry, but mostly think. It has a very realistic story, and I feel kind of concerned about it, because my friend's mother had this problem has well.(don't worry, she allowed me to tell about it) This game is uncommon, but it makes a great difference with what I'm used to.
Oh, and I offer you my condolences for your grand-father. I know it's hard to lose someone you love, and I hope he died peacefully.
Ah, thank you so much for your kind words and sharing a bit of your personal concerns! I'll admit I also cried writing this game. And yes, I haven't seen a lot of visual novels tackling this specific topic, but I know visual novels focusing on realistically handling social/emotional matters do exist on this platform!
And thanks for your condolences! And well, to quote the game, but actually his words, because he's the one who told me so: "If you want roses in life, you have to go get them"!
I don't think I've cried this hard in ages. I wish I could say more...
It's beautiful, and deep, and it just feels real, so real. And um, naming the baby was an experience (I'm still crying for my little Bruce) and I hate you for it (in the best of ways) and you're a genius (an evil one).
I have my own troubles and doubts on the idea of being a mother... and this really made me think. I'm not sure I've changed my perspective at all, but I sure spent a long time thinking about it.
Also, the textbox looking like an ovum... I sometimes stopped and stared at it, I think it was a really good choice.
I guess, what I'm trying to say is that I loved the game. I usually don't stop and think about games or books as more than the finished piece, but I found myself thinking "wow, someone wrote this, Chim wrote this, I see his tweets everyday, that's a realperson" and it really is crazy what we can do with words, the stories we can tell, and the effect those stories can have on people.
(On a side note, I played it right after "meet my weird parents-in-law", needless to say I wasn't prepared at all)
This game sure is a contrast to my shrek obsession my tasteful tweets and to Aïcha's parents-in-law!
I'm sorry you cried but honestly I cried too writing it and that was part of the plan so edfvgbtrfg... And neat! The game isn't trying to force anyone into parentality (even myself want to adopt but don't want kids of my flesh defvgrf) but I'm happy Jasper and Megan's journey still managed to make you think about the topic!
(Thanks for noticing the text-box! Even the rounder shape is supposed to mimic a pregnant belly!)
"I usually don't stop and think about games or books as more than the finished piece, but I found myself thinking "wow, someone wrote this, Chim wrote this, I see his tweets everyday, that's a realperson"" *screams normally* THIS IS SO NICE edfrvgtr'rfh I-I am speechless, this is an amazing thing to say, thank you Mornaistare!!! I'm glad this game was a meaningful experience to you, because, hey, it really was what I was trying to channel! Thanks for your detailed and nice feedback!!
I really liked this game! Go play it before reading this review as it contains...
(spoilers)
Okay, so I am so glad to have played this game as well! I love that the story is equal parts: hurt and comfort.
Jasper was tough to get to love immediately, mainly because of my father issues. So when I found out he also had deep seeded issues in relation to his tragic father figure it was a lot easier to have sympathy. He was so honest in his thoughts, I was worried he would keep it hidden from Megan forever but didn't of course.
Megan was a delight, a perfect angel you want to protect from the world.
I love the building of the scenes, Megan's little quirk of her saying the most disturbing stuff with a happy go lucky tone. The scene with the gyno where Megan tells Jasper to name the child if it's a boy was so well done. Especially for what it sets up!
Jasper asking the gyno to name the kid was pretty funny ngl you balance humor, and serious material so well.
The scene at the park as well as the comforting each other scene was my favorite. When Jasper comes in running and telling Megan the name he chose (I chose Benjamin btw)
It was such a sweet moment aghgfgjlkdjdl coupled with Megan knowing that Jasper would come around, because that was the man she married. So lovely! These two I am entirely sold on! (also they watch tiktoks together like my fiance and I- a match made in heaven hehe)
His turnaround was wonderful, but I of course knew what was to come and was heartbroken right alongside them.
Though it was necessary and painful, and Jasper saying it was because Benjamin could sense he wasn't going to be loved enough, it's such a leap but it's exactly how our emotions work in such horrible situations.
The end scene being a reflection of the opening scene was wonderful! I'm sure they had their little Minnie and she was loved, just as much as the one they lost.
Thank you for writing this with such tact and heart! I'm a huge fan, and shed a nice tear at the very end <3
Oh my god, Joy, this was so thorough, thank you so much!! (note to readers: this answer contains spoilers)
Yes, this was Jasper's biggest difficulty in writing: he's honestly quite selfish at the start of the story - an understandable selfishness, but selfishness all the same. So that's why the first part of the game is solely about him overcoming the ghost of his father, if I can say so.
And I love Megan too! She's light, funny, compassionate and yet she made my heart break the first time I troubleshot the whole game! But the balance of humour and tragedy was important (that is, I think, the main reason this game is waaaay lighter than HSL).
And Benjamin is a great name! I'm sure Megan and Jasper love their little Benjamin very much! And it was fun to write an actual married couple, since they have dynamics we rarely see in VNs (as we tend to focus on the start of a romance).
Yes, it is such a leap, but I think Jasper was trying to find reasons for this to happen... Because, in the end, although he knows there are no reasons behind such things happening, his heart still tries to find one, because he still doesn't understand, deep down, why they took his son away.
Ha ha, I headcanon Megan and Jasper having 4 or 5 kids, in a household full of love and laughs!
And thank you for your lovely review!!! I really love this story and these characters, so I'm glad you enjoyed them too!
I tried to play the game "Again" when I first played it was good and I want to play it again but when you said "It is advised to download the game instead of playing it in your browser for optimal gameplay experience. If, for any reason, you can't download the game (playing on phone, storage issues...), I hope you can enjoy the browser version!" yeah I guess you are right because i try to play the game and it got me this
There are 2 worst part about it, 1. since I'm using a school chromebook to play this it won't work on the downloadable version and it can't run it due to the chromebook did not support the file type or it says it needs Windows and 2. I try playing other games that uses 'Renpy in itch.io it did the same thing but at least some 'Renpy games in Itch.io that supports browser version like "The Witch In The Forest" by Crystal Game Works for example does not have that issue and I can play it without any errors.
Hello! First, and foremost, thanks for wanting to replay the game and for your bug report.
So, to give some indications about the downloadable versions: — they are indeed intended for Windows, Linux and Mac only (as indicated by the icons and the tags). You can’t play them on Chrome OS. — the major difference with the browser version is that the music is less laggy, the transitions smoother and the name box better placed.
Now, I also happen to have a Chromebook (which I don’t use to develop the game, but it helps for checking if everything is alright). I just played the game on Google Chrome and did not encounter any bug. According to your screenshot, you’re encountering a script error you can check in the JavaScript console. Maybe checking the console and sending me a screenshot will help me help you (if you’re on Google Chrome, control+shift+j). I don’t know how familiar you are with Ren’Py games but there is something to know: the language we use to code our games is Python, not JavaScript. Yet, since you’re encountering a JavaScript error, this means the problem isn’t due to the game itself but to something exterior on which I have alas no control (and it makes sense if it worked once for you: the files haven’t changed so the game is no different than the first time you played it). From what I understood from my research (but I don’t know a thing about JavaScript), script errors are bound to occur when a part of the script of a website is stored on another website. So I think the problem might be coming from the way itch deals with the files. Therefore, and once again, I fear it is nothing I can fix and the fact it happened for The Life I Lost and not for The Witch in the Forest is purely contingent. Again, I could be wrong since I really don’t know at all how JavaScript works, but since the game worked once and hasn’t changed since you last played it, the problem is certainly not coming from it. So, the case isn’t hopeless, since it worked once for you and since it works for me. Maybe you can answer these questions or try out some of these suggestions to make things work:
— which browser did you use? Is it the same than the one you used the first time you played the game? — did you proceed any differently than the first time you played the game (did you access the page differently, for instance?)? — refreshing the page might help, if you haven’t tried yet? — try to clear your cache (https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/32050?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop) — maybe try playing it later? (Not sure how efficient it is) — if none of this works, maybe you can try using another browser or restarting your computer (but I know it’s something we try to avoid generally).
Sorry for not being able to find a perfect solution but, unfortunately, I don’t have much control over this website. I hope you manage to make the game work! If not, do not hesitate to reach to me with further information so that we hopefully work out a solution for you which works everytime you want to play The Life I Lost.
I was examining in the Javascript Console like you said and I think I found the culprit but I don't know if this is causing the game to have the error.
and wow that's a whole lots of errors
Plus this game is called "The Life I Lost" now I will call this "The Game I lost" (as in I can't play it anymore for now).
Ok, I managed to recreate the bug (on Windows) and analyse the problem more deeply. It seems the problem is an error 403. Long story short, itch “forbids” your browser to play the game. The bug occurred in Google Chrome; I tried running the game in Opera and it worked. So I suggest you try another browser to play the game (Opera, Firefox…). Let me know if it worked for you!
Thanks but I wish though because since this is a chromebook and it's a school version meaning I can't download anything No Internet Explorer, No Firefox, No Opera and nothing I will wait for now and not for Chrome to be fixed I'm waiting to use a different PC that can actually has other browser and not Chrome.
OK, I've been meaning to write a comment since I played this a few days back—it's been hard putting my thoughts into words, so I've kept having trouble getting started. Mostly because in some ways, it was hard for me to relate fully with the characters since I don't have children, will probably never have children, don't really want children, and don't have any strong thoughts about children lol. HAVING SAID THAT— despite not having that innate connection, it was still quite emotional, and I found myself still resonating really deeply with some of the thoughts and themes that came up. I thought it was really well done, the transition between all the different key moments and emotions that come with pregnancy, from the initial discovery to the bumps along the way (even aside from, of course, what eventually happens). And I felt like Jasper's journey and working through his thoughts was really well done and you could really see some of his inner conflicts in his dialogue and how he interacted with Megan.
Overall just really nice, and I felt really attached to both characters by the end (also such a nice touch that you get to name the baby!). I like how it leaves you with room for hope for the future, too. A poignant and touching experience from start to finish!!
This review is the best birthday present ever! Thanks a lot for having shared your thoughts with so much detail (and for the kind words, obviously!)! I'm happy you resonated with the characters although you couldn't relate to the "wanting children" thing!
(And naming the child was important for bonding with him to prepare the last act -welp, it was at least what I had in mind-)
"A poignant and touching experience from start to finish", that would make a great headline! Thanks again, truly, that's really sweet of you!
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this was an amazing experience
Thank you so much, I'm glad you appreciated the game!
The gacha life playground though 😭 (IM SORRY)
LMAOOOO IT IS FROM UNCLEMUGEN, GACHA LIFE STOLE IT!!!!!!
I congratulate you. You made an beautiful game. It made me cry, but mostly think. It has a very realistic story, and I feel kind of concerned about it, because my friend's mother had this problem has well.(don't worry, she allowed me to tell about it) This game is uncommon, but it makes a great difference with what I'm used to.
Oh, and I offer you my condolences for your grand-father. I know it's hard to lose someone you love, and I hope he died peacefully.
Ah, thank you so much for your kind words and sharing a bit of your personal concerns! I'll admit I also cried writing this game. And yes, I haven't seen a lot of visual novels tackling this specific topic, but I know visual novels focusing on realistically handling social/emotional matters do exist on this platform!
And thanks for your condolences! And well, to quote the game, but actually his words, because he's the one who told me so: "If you want roses in life, you have to go get them"!
I don't think I've cried this hard in ages. I wish I could say more...
It's beautiful, and deep, and it just feels real, so real. And um, naming the baby was an experience (I'm still crying for my little Bruce) and I hate you for it (in the best of ways) and you're a genius (an evil one).
I have my own troubles and doubts on the idea of being a mother... and this really made me think. I'm not sure I've changed my perspective at all, but I sure spent a long time thinking about it.
Also, the textbox looking like an ovum... I sometimes stopped and stared at it, I think it was a really good choice.
I guess, what I'm trying to say is that I loved the game. I usually don't stop and think about games or books as more than the finished piece, but I found myself thinking "wow, someone wrote this, Chim wrote this, I see his tweets everyday, that's a real person" and it really is crazy what we can do with words, the stories we can tell, and the effect those stories can have on people.
(On a side note, I played it right after "meet my weird parents-in-law", needless to say I wasn't prepared at all)
This game sure is a contrast to
my shrek obsessionmy tasteful tweets and to Aïcha's parents-in-law!I'm sorry you cried but honestly I cried too writing it and that was part of the plan so edfvgbtrfg... And neat! The game isn't trying to force anyone into parentality (even myself want to adopt but don't want kids of my flesh defvgrf) but I'm happy Jasper and Megan's journey still managed to make you think about the topic!
(Thanks for noticing the text-box! Even the rounder shape is supposed to mimic a pregnant belly!)
"I usually don't stop and think about games or books as more than the finished piece, but I found myself thinking "wow, someone wrote this, Chim wrote this, I see his tweets everyday, that's a real person"" *screams normally* THIS IS SO NICE edfrvgtr'rfh I-I am speechless, this is an amazing thing to say, thank you Mornaistare!!! I'm glad this game was a meaningful experience to you, because, hey, it really was what I was trying to channel! Thanks for your detailed and nice feedback!!
I really liked this game! Go play it before reading this review as it contains...
(spoilers)
Okay, so I am so glad to have played this game as well! I love that the story is equal parts: hurt and comfort.
Jasper was tough to get to love immediately, mainly because of my father issues. So when I found out he also had deep seeded issues in relation to his tragic father figure it was a lot easier to have sympathy. He was so honest in his thoughts, I was worried he would keep it hidden from Megan forever but didn't of course.
Megan was a delight, a perfect angel you want to protect from the world.
I love the building of the scenes, Megan's little quirk of her saying the most disturbing stuff with a happy go lucky tone. The scene with the gyno where Megan tells Jasper to name the child if it's a boy was so well done. Especially for what it sets up!
Jasper asking the gyno to name the kid was pretty funny ngl you balance humor, and serious material so well.
The scene at the park as well as the comforting each other scene was my favorite. When Jasper comes in running and telling Megan the name he chose (I chose Benjamin btw)
It was such a sweet moment aghgfgjlkdjdl coupled with Megan knowing that Jasper would come around, because that was the man she married. So lovely! These two I am entirely sold on! (also they watch tiktoks together like my fiance and I- a match made in heaven hehe)
His turnaround was wonderful, but I of course knew what was to come and was heartbroken right alongside them.
Though it was necessary and painful, and Jasper saying it was because Benjamin could sense he wasn't going to be loved enough, it's such a leap but it's exactly how our emotions work in such horrible situations.
The end scene being a reflection of the opening scene was wonderful! I'm sure they had their little Minnie and she was loved, just as much as the one they lost.
Thank you for writing this with such tact and heart! I'm a huge fan, and shed a nice tear at the very end <3
Oh my god, Joy, this was so thorough, thank you so much!! (note to readers: this answer contains spoilers)
Yes, this was Jasper's biggest difficulty in writing: he's honestly quite selfish at the start of the story - an understandable selfishness, but selfishness all the same. So that's why the first part of the game is solely about him overcoming the ghost of his father, if I can say so.
And I love Megan too! She's light, funny, compassionate and yet she made my heart break the first time I troubleshot the whole game! But the balance of humour and tragedy was important (that is, I think, the main reason this game is waaaay lighter than HSL).
And Benjamin is a great name! I'm sure Megan and Jasper love their little Benjamin very much! And it was fun to write an actual married couple, since they have dynamics we rarely see in VNs (as we tend to focus on the start of a romance).
Yes, it is such a leap, but I think Jasper was trying to find reasons for this to happen... Because, in the end, although he knows there are no reasons behind such things happening, his heart still tries to find one, because he still doesn't understand, deep down, why they took his son away.
Ha ha, I headcanon Megan and Jasper having 4 or 5 kids, in a household full of love and laughs!
And thank you for your lovely review!!! I really love this story and these characters, so I'm glad you enjoyed them too!
Solid 5/5!! Will be looking forward to play more of your games <3
My Twitter Review~
~ Nameless L.W. of WingedHares
Once again, thank you so much for your amazingly nice review for The Life I Lost! It’s really brightened me up!!!!! 💞💞💞
You're very welcome!! <3
I tried to play the game "Again" when I first played it was good and I want to play it again but when you said "It is advised to download the game instead of playing it in your browser for optimal gameplay experience. If, for any reason, you can't download the game (playing on phone, storage issues...), I hope you can enjoy the browser version!" yeah I guess you are right because i try to play the game and it got me this
There are 2 worst part about it, 1. since I'm using a school chromebook to play this it won't work on the downloadable version and it can't run it due to the chromebook did not support the file type or it says it needs Windows and 2. I try playing other games that uses 'Renpy in itch.io it did the same thing but at least some 'Renpy games in Itch.io that supports browser version like "The Witch In The Forest" by Crystal Game Works for example does not have that issue and I can play it without any errors.
Hello!
First, and foremost, thanks for wanting to replay the game and for your bug report.
So, to give some indications about the downloadable versions:
— they are indeed intended for Windows, Linux and Mac only (as indicated by the icons and the tags). You can’t play them on Chrome OS.
— the major difference with the browser version is that the music is less laggy, the transitions smoother and the name box better placed.
Now, I also happen to have a Chromebook (which I don’t use to develop the game, but it helps for checking if everything is alright). I just played the game on Google Chrome and did not encounter any bug.
According to your screenshot, you’re encountering a script error you can check in the JavaScript console. Maybe checking the console and sending me a screenshot will help me help you (if you’re on Google Chrome, control+shift+j).
I don’t know how familiar you are with Ren’Py games but there is something to know: the language we use to code our games is Python, not JavaScript. Yet, since you’re encountering a JavaScript error, this means the problem isn’t due to the game itself but to something exterior on which I have alas no control (and it makes sense if it worked once for you: the files haven’t changed so the game is no different than the first time you played it).
From what I understood from my research (but I don’t know a thing about JavaScript), script errors are bound to occur when a part of the script of a website is stored on another website. So I think the problem might be coming from the way itch deals with the files. Therefore, and once again, I fear it is nothing I can fix and the fact it happened for The Life I Lost and not for The Witch in the Forest is purely contingent. Again, I could be wrong since I really don’t know at all how JavaScript works, but since the game worked once and hasn’t changed since you last played it, the problem is certainly not coming from it.
So, the case isn’t hopeless, since it worked once for you and since it works for me. Maybe you can answer these questions or try out some of these suggestions to make things work:
— which browser did you use? Is it the same than the one you used the first time you played the game?
— did you proceed any differently than the first time you played the game (did you access the page differently, for instance?)?
— refreshing the page might help, if you haven’t tried yet?
— try to clear your cache (https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/32050?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop)
— maybe try playing it later? (Not sure how efficient it is)
— if none of this works, maybe you can try using another browser or restarting your computer (but I know it’s something we try to avoid generally).
Sorry for not being able to find a perfect solution but, unfortunately, I don’t have much control over this website. I hope you manage to make the game work! If not, do not hesitate to reach to me with further information so that we hopefully work out a solution for you which works everytime you want to play The Life I Lost.
I was examining in the Javascript Console like you said and I think I found the culprit but I don't know if this is causing the game to have the error.
and wow that's a whole lots of errors
Plus this game is called "The Life I Lost" now I will call this "The Game I lost" (as in I can't play it anymore for now).
Ok, I managed to recreate the bug (on Windows) and analyse the problem more deeply. It seems the problem is an error 403. Long story short, itch “forbids” your browser to play the game. The bug occurred in Google Chrome; I tried running the game in Opera and it worked. So I suggest you try another browser to play the game (Opera, Firefox…). Let me know if it worked for you!
Thanks but I wish though because since this is a chromebook and it's a school version meaning I can't download anything No Internet Explorer, No Firefox, No Opera and nothing I will wait for now and not for Chrome to be fixed I'm waiting to use a different PC that can actually has other browser and not Chrome.
seconding this comment: Game freezed at start screen 2x on Google Chrome. Launched on Mozilla Firefox; game runs
Thanks for confirming switching to Firefox works! Hope you enjoy this story!
OK, I've been meaning to write a comment since I played this a few days back—it's been hard putting my thoughts into words, so I've kept having trouble getting started. Mostly because in some ways, it was hard for me to relate fully with the characters since I don't have children, will probably never have children, don't really want children, and don't have any strong thoughts about children lol. HAVING SAID THAT— despite not having that innate connection, it was still quite emotional, and I found myself still resonating really deeply with some of the thoughts and themes that came up. I thought it was really well done, the transition between all the different key moments and emotions that come with pregnancy, from the initial discovery to the bumps along the way (even aside from, of course, what eventually happens). And I felt like Jasper's journey and working through his thoughts was really well done and you could really see some of his inner conflicts in his dialogue and how he interacted with Megan.
Overall just really nice, and I felt really attached to both characters by the end (also such a nice touch that you get to name the baby!). I like how it leaves you with room for hope for the future, too. A poignant and touching experience from start to finish!!
This review is the best birthday present ever! Thanks a lot for having shared your thoughts with so much detail (and for the kind words, obviously!)! I'm happy you resonated with the characters although you couldn't relate to the "wanting children" thing!
(And naming the child was important for bonding with him to prepare the last act -welp, it was at least what I had in mind-)
"A poignant and touching experience from start to finish", that would make a great headline! Thanks again, truly, that's really sweet of you!
This was a very good game. i got emotionally involved and loved it.
Really great job!
Thank you so much for your feedback and your kind words! It has made my day brighter!
No problems! Keep up the good work!