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You absolutely succeeded in making a horror game fun and creepy without it being overwhelming!! I cannot understate how much I generally avoid horror, and yet Karamu hit a lot of solid narrative notes. The atmosphere helped a lot, I believe; the game was really dynamic with unique animations that drew me into their world, and as someone that used to go on 5am runs, you nailed how quiet the world is at that hour. But mostly, I think it's the lack of jumpscares and assuming your audience needs shock to be horrified? Karamu reminds me of older horror films (like Psycho and other Hitchcock films), where your imagination does a lot of the work, and *that's* the kind of horror a wider audience can get behind, I think.

Nelli was FANTASTIC. While her VA did such a great job at invoking her emotions, I truly wasn't expecting to love her as much as I did. ♥ You've certainly made a fan out of me, lol! I look forward to playing your other games and leaving reviews on them too (and honestly, sharing your games with my friends who DO enjoy horror!! I know that if I'm having a grand time, they'll enjoy it even more)

Ohhhhhh my goodness. This game was delightfully creepy - I normally don't play horror games, but I had heard such wonderful things about this game that I wanted to give Karamu a shot, and my god, I am so glad I did!!

Nellie is such a unique protagonist in otome land (I can't think of anyone heading off to veterinary school!) and the composition and animation made the game feel like I was flipping through pages of a comic book.

I also want to add that the walkthrough was super helpful, and that you did a fantastic job of capturing that creepy five AM atmosphere! I was sitting on the edge of my seat the whole time, and also: the arachnophobia warning was honestly a bit of an understatement LMAO, but we persevered!! Thank you for sharing this with us. It was a treat, and I can't wait until I have more time to play the sequel!

The demo was super fun and cute! I loved the commitment to the comic book aesthetic - I really felt as if the game had been lifted off the pages themselves. Looking super forward to seeing your next updates :)

I don't have a ton of details in this overall review, but I will say that I was super intrigued by the clammy woman in the demo - and at the sheer variety of choices you could make in interacting with her! Each interaction felt real and grounded, despite the extraordinary world you've created for us to play in. 

I do have one question for the final game, though: are you planning on CGs for the portraits you have on the resume? This isn't for the demo or your progress, since that does feel like a lot of work, but I was wondering if it would be in the final game (or if it could be something we could pay extra for - I know I wouldn't mind paying a little extra for a cosmetic bonus, esp. as a thank you for working so hard)!

Oh, I absolutely loved the game! Your team worked so hard on it and that love and passion shone through with each playthrough - it was delightful! Seriously, I was laughing and crying with all the various bits of characterization, and your choice of friends was *superb*. I cannot commend you enough for those routes and on letting us choose which one we wanted to befriend. I even wanted to befriend Iris - you made her that sweet and inviting.

I was a little late to your Kickstarter, but I look forward to seeing In Blood when it comes out, and wish you all the best of luck!! I think you've got a tremendous amount of talent, and time will only refine and hone that skill (:

This game had such a fascinating story! Let me preface this with: thank you so much for making this game part of the Racial Equality bundle (and for sharing it with such a wide audience). After going through several routes (thank you also for the guide - i would've never gotten some of them on my own), I can tell this world was carefully built with consideration for those from all walks of life. 

I also appreciated how details about the world were nudged out, bit by bit, from various friendships - and how you learned just enough from one person to understand how another's life would be impacted (and vice-versa). 

That said, I do have to echo other sentiments re: "the big choice" being way less obvious. On my first run, I had no idea it would lead to the love interest being on the opposite side (and how it automatically locked me into bad ends). It was clear in hindsight, with multiple playthroughs, but definitely threw me for a loop my first time around. 

* also, i don't know how feasible this would be for a future game, but when you're given such an impactful choice - the ability to change either the player's or the LI's POV would be so neat! I was half-expecting a discussion about all the shades of grey involved. Maybe I've yet to unlock those endings? But to be clearer: the ending hinging on one choice was only shocking because i believe it comes way sooner than who you romance - and depending on who you pick, the bad ends were much easier to obtain in my gaming experience.

Overall, this game was an unexpected delight, and the world felt so rich, inclusive, and diverse without once feeling preachy or heavy-handed in those themes (I'm especially thinking of the non-romanceable NPCs; I would regularly re-play Trevor's and Sam's 'routes' because they were both such compelling characters, and I really wish we'd gotten the chance to befriend Iris in the same way! Homegirl deserves some love, and not just forever pining after Vince!!). Your team has a great voice re: writing narratives, and I look forward to future games. Any critique offered here is to hopefully help re: future installments, and to explain what I personally would've loved to see!

This was such a sweet and fun game! I don't think (?) I've seen many games about urban exploring either, if at all, so that aspect was really neat. I think I actually learned a thing or two from reading, haha! 

I have to echo an earlier comment about Finn - I really appreciated the depth given to his character (and his personality affecting other routes such as Paxton's), and that he felt so fleshed out and well-rounded. All the love interests did, really; it's a testament to the writing in this game, and also how much love and passion the team placed into the project. Great job; I had a wonderful time with this game.

This was such a sweet and thought-provoking game (and honestly, an underrated gem that I hope more people get to play in the future)! I wasn't quite sure what I was expecting when I initially purchased and downloaded this game, but the warmth and sincerity in Evalise's story was so much more than I anticipated. 

The NG+ details were really neat, too; it was great to see things from the perspective of the love interest, and to sense just how tormented and difficult their initial decision was. The most unique thing, I think, was the ability to play with the sprites' clothing and BGs in the gallery - you don't see that much in VNs, so thank you! I really had a blast getting to play around with it all.

This was a lot of fun! I really enjoyed each and every party member's personalities, and how much you could feel Brynn holding them together (or not together) every step of the way.

Thank you so much for sharing this with us!

This game was so hilarious and heartfelt!! This really took me back to when I played D&D - while it took me a minute to get that it was a tabletop game, it really added to the atmosphere (especially considering the boys were brand new and yet totally gung ho, in  their own ways). 

Thank you so much for sharing this with us - it really was a treat of a game.