I'm guessing there's a deeper meaning that I'm not getting. The only thing i could maybe think about is that feeling when u see an island in the distains and ACTULLY going too it which is a cool idea. The music was good, the background where mostly good I didn't exactly like the way the text was formatted but that's a personal problem (I'm dyslexic).
And my biggest gripe was the fact that this isn't in first person, like this would be SO much better in first person? The describing how the character felt while swimming to the island would have been fascinating and I think make sense way more
Overall, I wasn't a huge fan it felt more like I was reading a book at parts and I don't understand the story, I'm guessing there is something here that I'm not getting.
re: the text formatting: i've implemented an option to use a dyslexic-friendly font into my engine for use in future projects, should make it easier to read.
if you're using Windows, i believe what you're talking about is how it flags all .exe files as suspicious unless the developer pays a lot of money for certification (Ren'py-based VNs avoid this by using the same executable file to launch the game, though this doesn't make them any safer in practice)
well obviously you have no reason to trust what i say as the developer but the game has been out for more than a year now and plenty of people have played it, as evident by the comments on this page
Hello！I'm coming to ask if I can translate your work into Chinese.It will not be used for commercial purposes.Just to share your fantastic work with more furry-loving people.I'm looking forward to getting a reply from you whether you permit it or not.PLEASE！
as for Chinese specifically, though: be aware that i'm not sure how well the font in the game supports various scripts, and the translation system doesn't currently allow supplying your own. i plan to rectify this issue as i continue to work on the engine and the larger VN project, but i won't be updating this self-contained release of THE OTHER ISLAND anymore.
It was a lovely read and captivating too. I enjoyed it reading and i was left with many questions of the fate of the fox and things to come. Hope you can make that dream of yours a reality. Good work on this one
This is a story very much in the European-style of media. While we 'Muricans tend to play around with more tangible story elements, The Other Island is heavily introspective in the way it portrays isolation and mystery. Add in a sprinkle of ambiguity and some well-written prose, and you've got something pretty darn good on your hands.
Look forward to seeing what happens in the future.
The fox's situation is so sad. Knowing that he's already spent 9 years alone on that island doing the same things every day and having no one to talk to is sad enough, but then he convinces himself (and me) that there might be something (someone) on the other island and decides to risk himself to get there, getting to the brink of death, only to realize that it was hopeless, that he knew there was no one there, and that is heartbreaking.
Then we end up going back to point 0, where he goes back to his island to continue spending his days alone 😭🥺
The worst part of all this is that we see it in third person, only being able to watch him take risks alone from far away, without being able to do anything, not even be close to him, to give him (or our own mind) the comfort of knowing that he is not going through all of that alone.
The ending left me empty and anguished (my heart is heavy), but it was beautiful in a poetic way. I loved this demo, it speaks volumes about the quality I can expect from the main project, and I can say for sure that I'm looking forward to playing The White Tigers.
PS: I hope our protagonist get to meet lots of people and make lots of friends and get lots of love and care... (copium cause I know thats not how VNs work) Cause he deserves it.
PPS: Also, I hope Im not making the writer uncomfortable by using "him" for the protagonist, Im just used to talking like this, and I am more comfortable than using they
As you may imagine based on the tone of the demo, the main game will go into some fairly dark places as well, and (most of) the endings will lean towards bittersweet 😔 Well, at least a lot of what happens in it will probably be nicer than being stuck on an island forever.
As for the pronouns: generally speaking, I think it's best to refer to fictional characters with whatever pronouns they themselves or the narration use. However, in this case, there is some nuance due to the multilingual nature of the work.
As you might know, Finnish doesn't have gendered pronouns, and nothing in the Finnish script (which I consider to be the authoritative version) genders the protagonist directly. Gender is all subtext in the game, most visible in how the protagonist orients themselves towards masculine ideals and archetypes, but still up to interpretation.
The decision to use they/them in the translation was not an easy one. It certainly doesn't reflect the protagonist's sense of self-identity – the fictional languages the characters speak, like Finnish, lack gendered personal pronouns. But in the end, I thought it was the most sensible way to reflect the inherent ambiguity of the original script and worked best with how the rest of the story goes.
If they spoke English, I imagine the protagonist could also choose to use he/they or even accept any pronouns. Maybe they'd go with he/him at this point, since nothing in the text speaks of their personal understanding of gender. The story won't say anything definite either way, since the characters will not talk about pronouns.
When discussing the story in English, I'm personally going to go with they/them for the same reasons I chose to do so in the script. I'm not that strict about it, however – the choice is regardless an artifact of translation, and the ungendered personal pronouns of the original script are what most closely reflects my artistic intentions.
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My review, not really spoilers
I'm guessing there's a deeper meaning that I'm not getting.
The only thing i could maybe think about is that feeling when u see an island in the distains and ACTULLY going too it which is a cool idea.
The music was good, the background where mostly good I didn't exactly like the way the text was formatted but that's a personal problem (I'm dyslexic).
And my biggest gripe was the fact that this isn't in first person, like this would be SO much better in first person? The describing how the character felt while swimming to the island would have been fascinating and I think make sense way more
Overall, I wasn't a huge fan it felt more like I was reading a book at parts and I don't understand the story, I'm guessing there is something here that I'm not getting.
4/10
thanks for your review!
re: the text formatting: i've implemented an option to use a dyslexic-friendly font into my engine for use in future projects, should make it easier to read.
My PC says this is a Virus or something, can someone confirm?
if you're using Windows, i believe what you're talking about is how it flags all .exe files as suspicious unless the developer pays a lot of money for certification (Ren'py-based VNs avoid this by using the same executable file to launch the game, though this doesn't make them any safer in practice)
So it is safe? It's just with this one I have only seen a post about it talking about he game so its not as well know uk
well obviously you have no reason to trust what i say as the developer but the game has been out for more than a year now and plenty of people have played it, as evident by the comments on this page
oh i didnt know you made the game! Sorry i would have worded that last sentence better @_@
no problem haha
Hello！I'm coming to ask if I can translate your work into Chinese.It will not be used for commercial purposes.Just to share your fantastic work with more furry-loving people.I'm looking forward to getting a reply from you whether you permit it or not.PLEASE！
ヽ(｡･ω･｡)ﾉ
you have my permission to translate!
as for Chinese specifically, though: be aware that i'm not sure how well the font in the game supports various scripts, and the translation system doesn't currently allow supplying your own. i plan to rectify this issue as i continue to work on the engine and the larger VN project, but i won't be updating this self-contained release of THE OTHER ISLAND anymore.
Thank u and you don't need any worry, our coding person can solve the font problem!
It was a lovely read and captivating too. I enjoyed it reading and i was left with many questions of the fate of the fox and things to come. Hope you can make that dream of yours a reality. Good work on this one
This is a story very much in the European-style of media. While we 'Muricans tend to play around with more tangible story elements, The Other Island is heavily introspective in the way it portrays isolation and mystery. Add in a sprinkle of ambiguity and some well-written prose, and you've got something pretty darn good on your hands.
Look forward to seeing what happens in the future.
thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
This visual novel is something else.
The story is oh so beautiful and the art too. I'm reading slowly, so that it lasts longer.
thanks a lot!
d a m n.
SPOILER...
....This small adventure made me depressed.
The fox's situation is so sad. Knowing that he's already spent 9 years alone on that island doing the same things every day and having no one to talk to is sad enough, but then he convinces himself (and me) that there might be something (someone) on the other island and decides to risk himself to get there, getting to the brink of death, only to realize that it was hopeless, that he knew there was no one there, and that is heartbreaking.
Then we end up going back to point 0, where he goes back to his island to continue spending his days alone 😭🥺
The worst part of all this is that we see it in third person, only being able to watch him take risks alone from far away, without being able to do anything, not even be close to him, to give him (or our own mind) the comfort of knowing that he is not going through all of that alone.
The ending left me empty and anguished (my heart is heavy), but it was beautiful in a poetic way. I loved this demo, it speaks volumes about the quality I can expect from the main project, and I can say for sure that I'm looking forward to playing The White Tigers.
PS: I hope our protagonist get to meet lots of people and make lots of friends and get lots of love and care... (copium cause I know thats not how VNs work) Cause he deserves it.
PPS: Also, I hope Im not making the writer uncomfortable by using "him" for the protagonist, Im just used to talking like this, and I am more comfortable than using they
Thanks for your thoughtful comment!
As you may imagine based on the tone of the demo, the main game will go into some fairly dark places as well, and (most of) the endings will lean towards bittersweet 😔 Well, at least a lot of what happens in it will probably be nicer than being stuck on an island forever.
As for the pronouns: generally speaking, I think it's best to refer to fictional characters with whatever pronouns they themselves or the narration use. However, in this case, there is some nuance due to the multilingual nature of the work.
As you might know, Finnish doesn't have gendered pronouns, and nothing in the Finnish script (which I consider to be the authoritative version) genders the protagonist directly. Gender is all subtext in the game, most visible in how the protagonist orients themselves towards masculine ideals and archetypes, but still up to interpretation.
The decision to use they/them in the translation was not an easy one. It certainly doesn't reflect the protagonist's sense of self-identity – the fictional languages the characters speak, like Finnish, lack gendered personal pronouns. But in the end, I thought it was the most sensible way to reflect the inherent ambiguity of the original script and worked best with how the rest of the story goes.
If they spoke English, I imagine the protagonist could also choose to use he/they or even accept any pronouns. Maybe they'd go with he/him at this point, since nothing in the text speaks of their personal understanding of gender. The story won't say anything definite either way, since the characters will not talk about pronouns.
When discussing the story in English, I'm personally going to go with they/them for the same reasons I chose to do so in the script. I'm not that strict about it, however – the choice is regardless an artifact of translation, and the ungendered personal pronouns of the original script are what most closely reflects my artistic intentions.
Oh, I see, thank you for clarifying.
Also... bittersweet endings 😖
NSFW?
The demo isn't, but the main game will be
ahh okay....do you have a pateron?
Not yet; it will be launched when the main game is closer to completion. For now, you can donate on itch to support the project.
This looks like it will be great, can't wait to try it out when it's further along.
(I personally dislike being slapped with the message "End of Demo")
Currently on a Holiday but I saw this in my feed so I can’t wait to try it when I’m home
This was beautiful, in a depressing way.