this game looks really interesting and I would love to play it, but every time I go to play it after I download it, it pops up with an error saying that it might be missing. If anyone has any ideas on how to fix this they are welcome. I have a windows computer.
My only critique is related to gameplay on Android. You have the option to "skip" dialogue on playthroughs past your first. Sometimes when I clicked "skip" it ZOOMED through the dialogue so fast I couldn't even stop it if I wanted to. There's also no option to go back in case I had entirely missed what I had skipped. I wish there was like, an undo button? But just for the skipping. And when it did pause to let me pick who to spend the day with, there wasn't an "off" function for the skipping. So it would zoom through the next even if I wanted to reread a section.
Spoilers below!
My favorite ending (surprisingly?) was the ending where I spent all my time with the Lady. I liked having a nonromantic, nonfamilial option to forge a new relationship. My next fave was the ending where I got to have TWO boyfriends. Polyamory representation in games, in media, in wherever is nonexistent. This made me feel seen, just by having this option. I think the "single minded" ending is what really broke my heart, but also taught me an important lesson. You can't just neglect your other friends when you're pursuing a love interest without serious repercussions. Friends as just as important as romantic partners.
The extra content, the multiple other stories, I think, were also really important to me understanding the characters. I honestly couldn't pick a favorite extra story. It almost feels as if they should be it a second novel, not just bonus content that people might feel is optional to read. I think in order of importance it's Mom comes for a visit, Dad and the Lady learn of the boy's relationship, the trio discuss their childhood, horror movie night, and private moment. It's not that private moment isn't juicy!! It's just not as integral to my understanding of the plot...The bonus content you can buy is also highly recommended - aka the art books, both SFW and NSFW.
Other bits I love: How the "talking" sound bits are different for Tomai, Malik, and Burdoc. The art! both characters and backgrounds! The dreams! Realistic family interactions with incredible depth! The setting! I would love more stories in this world!
Hmmm, not sure where this Skip problem is coming from because there SHOULD be a back button as well as the game being set to not skip unseen dialogue by default! There should also be an option in the options menu related to your skip button so you can customize what it does, and there should also be a "history" section in the menu that allows you to see text you've potentially missed.
Turning the skip "off" is simply pressing the skip button again, I believe? Never had anyone complain of this problem before so I wonder if it's something to do with your phone or device? Very strange.
Anyways, I'm glad you liked the game and enjoyed the extra stories! I super appreciate your thoughtful comment and am glad you seemed to enjoy all the characters and their interactions! X) Wish I had more to say but really I am just glad you enjoyed it and really appreciate the support and glowing recommendation! :D
Normally I am not a fan or follower of polygamy romance or romance of 3 people (I want to make it clear that I don´t hate IT or I am not against it).
But as I expected from DarkChibiShadow, DCS has once again created a pleasant exception in my heart with Tomai.
I liked everything about this simple game, although I was sad that it was so short, I love it and I love the DLCs too.
What I liked the most was the rural and exotic atmosphere, it was clear that Tomai lived in a small place with not many technological accesses or morden comforts, but that is part of the charm of the place.
I liked all the characters, both in their personality and relationships (Especially in relationships ;D).
Art is impossible not to love it with how adorable it is.
If I had to choose a cocept that represented the game it would be "grow" or "change" or "transition" or even "maturation", something that we are aware and accept but can create doubts and fears as well as surprises and emotional gains.
And I also love the relationship of the this 3, it shows that they have known each other for a lifetime and want to continue being that way, their desire to become a romantic relationship but their fear of breaking what they have in the present, that is quite realistic in my opinion.
I have enjoyed the game quite a lot, and I think it has taught me more about poly-German or 3-person relationships than any other game or story I have read before, and even enjoyed it.
Thanks for the game!
PS: My favorite DLCs have been when the three began to tell their childhood and adolescence stories, if there was a prequel to Tomai about more of these stories, I would buy it (Even if it doesn't have content 18, because they don't start dating until this game ).
Thanks so much for playing and thanks SO SO MUCH for this glowing review! I always love hearing your thoughts and seeing how much you actually think about my work, it's a real honor.💖
It's already on Google Play! But keep in mind that Google Play does not allow any R18 content, so the mobile version is strictly the PG13 route. Enjoy!
babies. they are all babies. i am claiming them as me children. you can own the designs but i birthed these beans clearly. clearly they are baby. all of them. b a b y. UwU (jokes aside i love your art, and this game, so muchhhhhh)
Thanks a ton! I'm super glad to hear you enjoyed the game!
The gallery option is actually replaced by the PDF you can purchase when downloading the game! (It's the two "Art of Tomai" PDF's you can see there with all the other downloadables!)
That way, you get all the pretty art to look at, AND you get to learn more about how the game was made and it's characters, AND you get to support a game you love! It's a triple win, imo.
Hello! I remember this game and I actually began replaying it again. I remember I used to leave a lot of comments here aha. Oh! Weren't you planning on making another game for this? How is it going?
I've spoken briefly about a Tomai 2, but that is far, far down the line! I work full time on comics so that takes up most of my time-- but currently in game dev I'm devoting a lot of time to an upcoming point-and-click adventure/horror game (which should hopefully be out within the next few months) and updates for another, way bigger game of mine that is closer to the Tomai format.
That all said-- I've been considering making another comic for Tomai in the near future because there's still so many fans and people wanting to see the characters which like hey! I can't blame them, I like this cast too that's why I wanna make another short comic.
So for now, most likely a comic is on the horizon and the (hopeful) eventual sequel is possibly years away-- game dev just takes a while when you've got so much on your plate like I do! <3 I'm also a solo team now, because Arcade Party (the original writer for this game) quit game dev and I haven't heard from them in over a year!
I appreciate the patience and support in the meantime and I hope you'll check out some of my other games/comics/series in general because I have quite the archive!
i'm currently in the middle of playing this amazing game, but something i noticed got me to wonder, and then lead me to ask this question. you see, the thing is, i started looking into game jams after i saw the yaoi game jam was a thing (didn't expect it to be a thing), so i got a few games that i thought looked nice (this was one of those games, obviously). i believe there was another visual novel in this game jam (or another game jam, i dunno), that i only know by the file name ("coffeegame.exe") that also runs on python. this got me wondering if it was just a coincidence that they were both visual novels and both ran on python, or if they used the same "engine" (sorry, i don't know what other word to use for this). i wanted to ask you this because if there is a "tool" for making this stuff that uses python, then i could actually MAKE a visual novel without programming it from the ground up. if the answer is a no, that all cool and fine, i'll move on. if the answer is a yes, then all i can say is that i'll be one happy boy. also, this was my first visual novel i played, and im glad it was too. sorry about any spelling errors itch.io isn't picking up, and any run-on sentences that i missed (i have a habit of making those sadly). thanks, and have a nice day (or night, depending on when you get this)
Hi there! First of all, thanks for playing Tomai! I'm glad you like it!
Secondly, this game, and lots of other similair games-- are made with a program called Ren'py. It's a free to use program that's always updating and very easy to pick up, imo. It does require "coding" -- but please do not be intimidated by this.
Ren'py gives you a base framework to work with, and all you need to do is write up the script, where images show up-- and if you wanna get REALLY complex about it; you can do routing, etc, etc. So in this way, it's one of the least coding intensive programs to make games out there right now. But most starter games don't need that, and I highly suggest you make a very simple game for your first. (This was mine!)
People think a game needing coding is somehow a BE ALL END ALL to their game making career-- but the truth of the matter is; any program that promises "A coding free experience!" when helping make your game is usually just getting you to SECRETLY code behind some pretty looking buttons. (Also, those programs are usually ones you have to pay for; which is not always a great thing for beginning game devs!)
So, my thinking is-- if you're going to be tricked into coding by another program-- you might as well just learn the basics in Ren'py. It's very simple once you just learn what each piece and part is and means. Plus, the community is great and super informative and Ren'py itself comes with an easy to understand tutorial.
Any game will require a kind of coding or programing or behind-the-scenes puzzle solving to get to that finished product. If you're not ready for that kind of thing-- all I can really ask is; are games for you? If the process of putting together the game scares you so much that having to code even one line ruins your desire to make games-- you might want to consider another position. Maybe a collab with a programmer? Maybe helping fund someone else to make your idea? Or maybe not a game at all-- what about a comic, a novel, a twine? You've got options!
Whatever you chose though, go into it with confidence and an open mind. Go into it knowing it's not going to be easy at first-- but with time you will begin to understand the process; it's just about not giving up! You got this!
Oh! And next time you're curious what a game was made in, you can click the "more information" link on the profile of any Itch.io page and most people have their tools listed out. Here's Tomai's as an example:
(The button is usually right above the download button!) Hope this all helps! Have a good day!
first of all, thanks for a fast and amazingly descriptive response, i usually don't get those on other websites like youtube and soundcloud, second of all, i used to know quite a bid of python before i started using html5 and javascript to make simple game ideas i had, so that's all cool for me, as all i have to do is view a few stackoverflow pages. again, thanks for the great reply, and i hope to be making my own visual novel soon!
Oh, awesome! Glad to hear you're familiar with python! Sorry for my assuming; usually I end up running into people who have no idea about any type of programming and so they take that as an excuse to never make their game-- so I'm always trying to encourage people to at least check out the program before giving up X)
finally, a polyam visual novel that doesnt make me feel uncomfy or feels forced. thank you very much, this cured me of my depression fora whole-ass night. thank you.
honestly i didnt even know it was a poly game, so thanks for the surprise ! also, happy pride month babes
ok, thing is, I liked the routes but the ending just made me feel really uncomfortable. I mean it acts like it gives you a choice but it really seems like its pushing you towards a poly relationship when I really only wanted to romance one person. Even when I actively avoided it, the ending it gave me was "It seemed like they were all on the edge of something but wouldn't be there for a long time" And bruh, it just made it feel like my choices didn't matter in the end, I was going to be in a poly relationship whether I liked it or not.
Not sure what to say except for-- yep! That's how this game is! We wanted to make a polyam game, so we made a polyam game. It's not for everyone, and that's fine!
There's plenty of games where you can be mono and you're FORCED to be mono so I'd recommend checking those out! (In fact, quite a few of my other games are like that; so check those out!)
I know theres not a lot of poly games, but I just really would have liked it if it was specified so I wouldn't spend hours trying to get the perfect end where I could balance out how my time was spent to get one person. I get now that I wasn't the demographic it was appealing to, but I don't know how I was supposed to know that. I genuinely thought it was a choice to be poly or not. But yeah, nothing I can do about this but put this away and go play something else, but again, really would have appreciated if it was specified so peeps don't have to through the same confusion and frustration of trying to get an end they want and running into a wall every time.
The game never specifically says it's mono or that you can date either Burdoc OR Malik exclusively anywhere-- in fact; it doesn't state it's a dating sim anywhere on this page, actually!
I don't feel like the game being polyam is something it needs to have plastered over every part of the game page to make it appealing; and I don't want it to be such a wild concept that suddenly "it's the hook" or that it needs warning of -- if that makes sense? I even debated for a long time including polyamorous in the tags, because I didn't want people assuming that was all the game had to offer. (Ultimately I decided it was better to include than not to. People who do relate to and need this content in their lives need an easier way to find it, and thus I included it in the tags.)
Again, I appreciate your feedback so much and I do try to do my best to let people know the content of my games/comics here on Itchio very directly -- which is super evident if you've seen any of other games/comics. But again, I don't feel like Tomai is a game that needs to or wants to shout out loud how much of a polyam game it is.
Apologies if you felt you wasted your time on Tomai, that does suck to hear since I know how difficult it can be to find content like this online right now-- but hey, at least it was free? 🤷
If somehow you did buy any of the extra content or donated to the game, I'd be more than happy to refund you! Thanks for your time!
I actually had an opposite experience. I liked Burdoc and Malik both so much and I was kind of really hoping for a poly end and it! happened! it was so cool!
Hey!! I was wondering how you made the voices for the characters, I've looked around and just can't find anything about it ;-; Btw, I love the game! I hope to see more like this in the future c:
Hi hi! Glad you like the game-- and I will def be making more like it in the future, don't worry about that! ;D
As for the voices-- okay! So, there's a system in Ren'py that allows you to put in characters "voices" (I call them chat sounds or text sounds) that's standard with Ren'py, doesn't take too much code-- I won't put it here since it's kind of annoying to have a bunch of code in the comment but if you want me to e-mail it to you or something I totally can.
Anyways, I use that code with a very simple method-- I find a "beep" or "blip" or whatever that I like, usually from a little beep machine (this one is fun: https://www.bfxr.net/ ) or from freesound.org -- I take it into Audacity and I make sure it's the length I want (usually you want something that's about a second or less? depending on how "fast" you want the characters to talk) and adjust the volume and little bit and viola!
Using the code I have it's just as simple as making a little beep .ogg or .mp3 and Ren'py does the rest for me. I've been doing it basically the same way since I started making VN's and it's always so fun to hear a new character make new beeps for the first time <3 <3 <3
I hope that helps! Don't be shy in asking me any questions and like I said-- I can e-mail you the code I use if you like!
Ah! Thank you so much! I'm in the process of developing my own VN so this helps me so much! (This is gonna be my first one so I'm very unexperienced^^;) I understand about posting the code, I'll try working it out myself first just to see if I can figure it out since I learn better like that, but, thanks for offering to send it over c:
I'll be sure to come ask you some more questions if I get stuck! I hope you're having a good day/ had a good day!
Good luck! I hate having to come up with code myself (and in general coding is not my strong point when it comes to game dev) SO GOOD LUCK!!! Thankfully Ren'py has a very strong community and a ton of resources!
But please do remember I'm just a comment away if you ever want it!
This game is super fun to play! I honestly can't get a route for any of the characters ^^' if somebody who has done the game can tell me a route or two (I don't mind who ^^) I'd love that!
Also, great game DarkChibiShadow! Keep up the good work :)
The route guide is available by donating just $1 to the game! The game is free but making art full-time (which is my job) is not, so any and all donations go to just help keep the team making games like t his! :D
And thanks again! I appreciate your comment and I hope you check out my other stuff! I couldn't had made this game without arcade party who wrote the game and is just so fucking great, so don't forget to check them out too.
I just finished all your comics and your completed visual novels! They were amazing! You art is fantastic and detailed and the stories are so cute! I really liked Space School, you should make more and same with My Master Is A Naga. Good luck on the next Tomai game by the way!
Well, good luck on everything in the future, DarkChibiShadow!
Oh gosh, hey thanks! I'm glad you liked my stuff and checked out so much of it!!! :D
My Master is a Naga is done and finished, and will have no more made (sorry-- there is a book though!) but Space School updates once every week, every week: http://spaceschool.smackjeeves.com/
I've also got a TON of exclusive comics and early game stuff up on my Patreon if you don't mind paying a little dosh to help support me (just $5 goes a long way) https://www.patreon.com/DarkChibiShadow
I'll be sure to check Space School and Solanaceae: Prologue every week! I can't become a Patreon right now which really annoys me but I hopefully will soon!
Excuse me what? My heart is so full from these precious boys. UGH It's unfair how attractive and adorable they are. Just a teensy bit envious but it's whatevs hahaha. Thanks so much for making this VN. It's just beautiful
Tomai is a ton of fun to work on and hopefully there will be some DLC (free, of course) for the game decently soon!!! Keep your eyes peeled and thanks a ton for playing and leaving a comment <3333
Congratulations with the Game DarkChibiShadow! Arcade Party's art style is pretty unique and really stood out, so I decided playing it and wasn't dissapointed. Your story was certainly original and I liked the pace and overall feeling. Not the biggest fan of visual novels but I have to say I really enjoy it!
PS. Just a smaaall not-very-serious funny issue... the sound effect for the character's voices was a bit irritating. "Just turn it off, d'uh!" you might be thinking. The truth is that I like these little sound effects on text intensive games, my "complain" goes towards the one chosen the game. Obviously just a random opinion, :D
Hi there-- thanks a ton! But actually, me, DarkChibiShadow-- drew the art, and Arcade Party wrote the script! :D That's how it is for every game we work on together! We're glad you liked it-- the game will have some free updates soon with new stuff so I hope you look forward to it!
This was the last game I made working with my old system of making talk sounds and I'm proud to say I'm much better at it now. Some of my newer games aren't out yet-- but I hope if you decide to check them out you'll like those better. :}
It's hard to find just the right balance of cute and fun for talk sounds; so I'm glad people at least have the option to turn it off if they need! Speaking of which, Arcade Party and I just released a new game a few days ago, called Yarrow Valley, with better talk sounds (and it's much shorter than this game) so if you liked Tomai I would love if you'd check it out and let me know what you think~
Oh, that's odd! You should have access to it basically indefinitely after purchasing it thru Itchio; but if you can't find it anymore and want it again, send me an e-mail at colinxzain@hotmail.com and we will get it settled.
And I love tommygirl226, at first sight 😍❗ You're sooo gorgeous, and you have a very good taste about games as well 🙄! Too bad itchio.io has no message function ^^, so I have to misuse this forum for romantic purposes to praise you 😇📜💝
You're welcome 😊. Of course one can send semi-private ones about what social media sites one has by writing and posting them, then deleting them, so that the e-mail notification remains ✍️🏻; but DarkChibiShadow would probably remain notified as well I assume 😏... oh, I forgot to mention, to stay a bit in context, that you also look much healthier when it comes to the skin color than The Lady !
the game look good but how can I turn off the sound when the text scroll , i hate this sound , i can't play the game with this sound on , it make me crazy
Check the OPTIONS menu and turn the slider that says "VOICE" all the way down! It will turn off the talk sounds entirely. Hope you enjoy the game otherwise~!
The sound of the text scroll ARE the "voices" of the characters-- that's their purpose!
But no, there's no voice acting and any important sounds (there's not a lot of sound affects, mostly just music) are on a different sound channel; meaning the music slider controls the music and the sound slider controls the sound affects. The voice slider only makes quiet the beeps; as it is the character's "voice".
Hey-- thanks a ton! We're always happy to hear people like Tomai (especially because we'll be adding some new content to the game soon) and I'm always personally so happy to hear people like Burdoc~ I'd love to recommend AWOO to you as well; since it's written by the same person and also draw by me!
Anyways-- about the endings! Usually we would just recommend you buy and check out the endings guide (which can be received by donating $1 to the game!) but since you've already gotten so many endings already; I'll give you a hint!
You're actually missing *two* endings if your list here is correct! So I'm going to suggest to you; Tomai can't become a fully rounded leader by just spending time with JUST his Dad or JUST the Lady, y'know? And once you find this ending; there's also a variant on it involving Burdoc and Malik. So try that out for size! (And to be clear; the endings guide is much less cryptic than this-- so check it out!)
Ahh. I got all endings now :D thanks for the tip. Sorry that I couldn't pay for your game though, I'm still studying. Though I'll be sure to buy the art and guide afterwards to support you guys! Looking forward to the update (omg new content!!).
It's a cute game, and I like there's an ending that's a poly one, but I didn't really enjoy that the game presents what are basically illusions of romantic options in order to do it. I understand the idea, but I genuinely just... did not like Burdock as more than a friend character? I wanted to romance Malik, the game makes it seems as if that's possible, but what it really is (if you're not a bad friend and don't neglect one person just because you're not interested in them, of course), is that your 'romance' of one character is seen as just the less important 'prelude' to the poly ending. Some games are made with a distinct romantic entanglement in mind, and that's a good thing! Having a game where the 'true' ending is the poly ending, I think, is a really great thing. But without knowing that that's the sort of romance game I'm getting into, it sort of feels like my options were to romance a character I didn't want to romance, or don't get an ending with the character I wanted to anyway, and know that eventually the 'right' thing will happen and they'll all get together anyway. I do like that neglecting a friend is deservedly Bad Ending'd, but especially when it amounts to essentially a handful of days next to years of friendship, it feels rather... slanted, to actually penalize the player for what is essentially just not wanting to sleep with one of the friends (since you cannot interact with them past a certain period without being at least physically involved with them).
I think if, perhaps, it was possible to keep interacting with a friend without it becoming something more than friendship, it would feel less like being led on a leash while still preserving the poly-ending as the True ending. As it is... yeah, it kind of just feels like a penalty for not wanting to sleep with both friends. Which, I'll also note, I'd avoided doing at first because the game doesn't make immediately obvious until you've already done it that sleeping with both friends would even be a good thing. You don't tell either friend that you've already begun 'something' with the other friend before you do it, or the person you've already been involved with once you sleep with the other friend, and it just sort of happens to be that they're okay with that and it all works out. Not.. a great way to start a relationship.
Again- it's a really cute game with some very nice ideas, but ultimately the execution just felt... a little off? and a little uncomfortable, for me.
Hi! First of all, thanks so much for your feedback-- I really appreciate reading it and I appreciate your being kind about it!
*SPOILERS AHEAD*
You bring up a lot of great points; and I understand how it's easy to feel how you do when playing a game like Tomai.
However; I also think it's important to keep in mind a few things about the dev process and about Ivan (the writer) and I (the artist) as game creators.
Ivan and I only had this game in production for 3, maybe 4 months? Most of the production was done in just 1 month; so a lot of our "branching paths" are pretty linear. This isn't new to either of our style of game making; as I often make linear games and Ivan makes more-or-less linear games. I understand this style of visual novel can sometimes be annoying or frustrating to players; but we were on a really limited time and budget and just wanted something playable that conveyed our story!
Our games are not about youas a player, but you as someone helping lead Tomai (or any of our main characters, really) thru his life. This game is about Tomai, his wants, his needs, his confusions-- and how you as his guide affect his life.
No where on the game page for Tomai does it state there are "romance options", it only states that there are R-18+ scenes. This was on purpose! We also never stated that the game was poly, because we didn't really feel like there was a need to? We've also never sold Tomai as a dating sim because it's really not... It's really just a game about a set of characters we really enjoyed writing-- we had a story planned for them and wanted to give the player some options to explore the world.
I do think your feedback about essentially "having to get physical" with either boy is fair; in the future we will be sure to add a yes or no menu before those kinds of options-- I think we, as game devs, unfortunately assumed that the player choosing "R-18" at the beginning would, in combination with Tomai's characterization, would make extra choice unnecessary/not fully in line with how he would act as a characterbut I see now that it's still as necessary as ever! And in the non-R18 version we will do that as well. (In the PG-13 version, you just smooch!)
I think we'll also consider a patch to add some dialogue about having slept with the other friend. We can def work that in.
Ultimately; I think it's important to keep in mind that this game is for players who want to or are comfortable being poly (at least in a fictional sense). If you're not and don't want to be-- that might be why you're feeling uncomfortable? But this is my assuming-- so please correct me if I'm wrong! Not every game is for everyone, unfortunately.
Lastly, I wanna make sure you know there are friendship endings with both boys and a amends ending as well! :D I think all the endings are really worth checking out for their own reasons.
On a side note; I'm very sad to hear you didn't like Burdoc-- as he is my favorite and a character I really relate to. ;v;
Anyways; that all said-- thank you again for your feedback and I hope some of what I've said clears up some things about our game for you! Thanks a ton!
Oh no! I do like Burdoc very much, I promise! He seems like a very sweet boy, I just didn't like him as a romantic option? I use this term quite loosely, as I did before, though I'm at a loss since that how they're usually described. But, seeing the three of them together, looking past my issues with how they get there, they do fit together very perfectly. I don't think he was a poorly made character at all!
I'm not uncomfortable with the poly option at all (I'm a little poly myself actually, haha), though I can understand why you'd think that. I actually really like what you were going for! Poly couples get a bad rep far too often, especially non het poly couples, and I think the idea here was really really nice. And, once I worked out what kind of story it was, it felt very natural and sweet for all of them to end up together. It's more like, due to the way the game flowed, it felt like a penalization for not going that way no matter what (despite the few things I pointed out about how it doesn't exactly feel honest in the moment to do so), and a bit unfair toward the player/protagonist for just the idea of him liking one differently than the other, or just not wanting to entangle with both without full understanding. But! Once I realized why that would be (they ALL like eachother!) it made more sense, but until the realization of what I was supposed to do to get a Good ending, it felt quite awkward that they'd respond that way (to the player/protag liking one differently), and still awkward to try and ""romance"" (again, for lack of a better term in the genre) them both.
This is all a lot of words on my part, haha, but I do want to say that actually taking into consideration how much (or little) time you had to work on this does change my perspective. I can see why things like I'd previously mentioned would be non-thoughts with such a small time period! And I should have thought of that to mention in my points, in all fairness. I also should have taken care to better explain that the linear idea of the game was good! Sometimes people have set stories/variations in mind and want to tell them, and I lied that! Honestly, my only discomfort with the linear quality is due to the lack of being able to say 'no' while still spending time with friends in other routes, and the lack of honesty if you choose to say yes to both! Without those things coloring the playthroughs around them, I really wouldn't have a problem with there being a 'set' ending or idea of what the character should do. Quite the opposite- I would have really liked that the 'true'st feeling ending is the one where they're all together!
I was already really looking forward to your other projects, but I feel EXTRA good about it, reading your response. It really did clear things up! I'll definitely go back and get the rest of the endings now, since I feel a bit better about the game after this. :) Thank you!
Hey hey! :D I'm happy to hear all of this! (And thanks for explaining some more stuff too, sometimes things just get confusing in text, ya know?)
I'm happy to hear that my reply helped give the circumstances surrounding this game some more clarity-- and like I said we are definitely taking what you said into the future with us. For now, Tomai is a bit too set in stone (with some CG's and the like) to do TOO much tweaking with the current build-- but we WILL have some extra stories that will be released with the base game once we both get some time. (None of them will involve choices; they are just fun stories to click thru and learn more about everyone.)
I really hope if you happen to see the updates for those that you'll check them out because I think they will speak about/address some stuff you've talked about! I know they're just side stories-- but they are all canon and lots of fun. ^u^9 One will be specifically about Tomai's, Malik's, and Burdoc's past together and how long they've known each other and how long they've LIKED each other too.
Which again-- I wish we could have fit a bit more into the base game but we just had so little time! Agh! That's why we did our stretch goals though-- so we could add stuff that would not only be fun but also clarifying.
Anyways-- I'm totally rambling now. Thank you again for your feedback and for taking the time to read my reply-- it means a lot to me that you did and I'm pumped up to hear you're looking forward to our other projects! <3
I love this game so much I swear to goD!!! I LOVE THIS GAME SO MUCH THAT I EVEN CREATED THIS ACCOUNT JUST TO SAY "I LOVE THIS GAME." WHY?
BECAUSE IT'S JUST THAT FICKEN GOOD.
to give a serious review:
Aside from the stunnng artworks made by the artist : darkchibishadow and the impressive story telling done by the team,and dont forget how REALISTIC it actually is! the replay value is really really high and I have been replaying it non stop for four days just to get all the eight endings and to see that boyfriends ending happen again without skipping three times.
In the world of YAOI DATING SIMS with the stereotypical "I'm gonna spend my time with this specific guy for the duration to this game because he is hot" type of story it is just so REFRESHING to see something that finally captures the essence of humanity: specifically what would happen when you would do this in real-life and how selfish it really is. The writing, the art, and the coding: the whole game just delivers the message so well that it actually makes your heart feel so sick and so so sad it's like you ARE the person being neglected.
Overall this game must be the best dating sim I have played so far.
and trust me when I say this because when you're a desperate gay like me and you have read 90 percent of all yaoi doujinshis and comics and have binged on gay dating sims for a week each night 'til 4 am you know what I'm saying is sugar coated
Hey hey hey! Thanks for your wonderful comment! It always means a lot to Ivan and I to get comments like this// We both love this game a lot and it just feels great when other people do too!!! Tomai is lots of fun, if I do say so myself! (And I'm honored you made an account just to say you liked it!)
We're both really glad to hear you liked how the game played out-- can I ask if you have a favorite character, by chance? (Mine is Burdoc!)
I think the boyfriends ending is by far the most favored by players-- and it's what we usually think of as the true end. (With a little bit of The Lady and Dad's endings thrown in too.)
Anyways-- I'm rambling! Thank you for playing and for your passionate comment! It means a lot to us! <3
My favorite is Malik! and Yes! oh my goSh I also loved the AWOO demo! It's so replayable and that is what i just LOVE about games! The fact that you can just Replay to get a different outcome and the concept of getting something new just from pressing the start button again has always amazed me!
I feel like the TRUE ENDING (the boyfriends ending) WAS THE BEST ENDING. Not just because I shipped them all three at the same time- but because of the representation and how Ivan(? the writer I think from what you said) carefully crafted the relationship- building it up from the very start and I think that was also one of my favorite things about it: the fact that it was natural.
It didn't feel forced.
It felt meant to be.
and Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to my comment and please do keep on drawing! I love your art so much and I just LOVE seeing the progress between all your past works resulting in your current style!
and THANK YOU MOST ESPECIALLY FOR BLESSING MY EYES WITH YOUR PIECES!
Oh!!! I'm so happy to hear you liked the AWOO demo too!!! +0+ I'm really excited and proud of AWOO! I have less involvement (story wise) in AWOO but I helped to shape the look of the game (cuz I drew it, haha) and I helped with some personality stuff for the boys-- I LOVE IT LIKE MY OWN BABY. It's lots of fun!!!
I think multiple endings and choices and tiny differences is where visual novels as a format really shine-- it's a lot of fun to just have a flexible setting. :D And thank you again for complimenting Ivan's writing! I agree that the story feels very natural and you can really feel the boy's complicated relationship *nods* These characters and story were originally just mine, but I had ran into a roadblock so eventually I handed it over to Ivan who did an AMAZING job...I'm so proud!
I'm so glad you like my art and my games and AH! Thank you!!!
I haven't had time to work on my next game (which I have a BIG WIP of) but I do work on lots and lots of comics so I hope you'll check those out too! ;v; <3333 You rock!
It's clear to see that there is so much passion and effort put into this! It really warms my heart to see cute and amazing stories like Toami. The story is amazing, the art is gorgeous and the soundtrack is very unique too. The characters are charming, and I just over all enjoyed this VN very much! I'm definitely looking forward to more of your work (as well as the work of everyone else affiliated)!
[Spoilers]
I tried going for Malik every day only to get my heart broken ;~;
The Boyfriends ending was amazing though! Warmed my heart so much to see them all happy together~
I managed to get all 8 of the endings in one sitting (took me about 3 hours with skip), but I definitely think the Boyfriends one was the most satisfying!
[End Spoilers]
Anyway, thank you for the amazing game! I hope you're able to continue making amazing work like this that will help inspire and entertain people all around the world! I think I would have to give it a 9/10 for the.. Actually, everything!
Aw hey-- thanks so much for your comment! I'm so glad to hear you liked the game!
Ivan (the writer) and I were very excited to get to work on this game together and we're EVEN MORE excited to work on some of the extra stories that we will be releasing for this game! So keep an eye out for those!
Always tough to hear when people get sad over going after just one boy but what can I say! These boys are poly-- so the boyfriends ending is the most satisfying, I agree!
Thanks for the glowing review-- and if you liked Tomai I would def check out the AWOO demo that Ivan has out right now. I'm the artist for it!
:D Also, one last thing, I saw you had put Tomai in your favorite games list on your profile-- which I'm very honored by but you misspelled it as "Toami" when it's actually spelt Tomai! X) Just thought you should know!
Oh, haha thanks for pointing that out! I end up making a lot of spelling errors when I type fast.
I'll definitely check out AWOO, I saw it before and took an interest, but I think I'd rather wait for it to actually becomes released so I can kind of go into it with no previous experience. I like your artstyle, it's very distinct! I think it gives these VNs a really good flair and stand-out look, which is really good to see when most VNs have plain text boxes and backgrounds, while yours are full of life and colour!
Also, it's really nice to see you actually responding to these reviews! It really makes you feel a connection between the creator and the consumer, and it feels really satisfying to know you're hearing the praise your projects receive ^-^
Oh gosh, well thank you and thank you! That's all very kind of you to say and I appreciate it//
I put a lot of thought into the textboxes for when I create stuff and I'm always trying to make it so each of my visual novels look different from one another. (Or as much as I can, considering I'm just one person!) Ivan and I are actually working on 1-2 new games to Yaoijam this month and next month so I think both of us are great to follow if you're looking to enjoy some raunchy good boys in the coming months~ :3c
I just want to say thank you for creating such a well-written story. I was fully immersed in the plot and the lovable characters! I wish there was a way to get malik all to myself tho hahaha. Ive managed to get at least 4 endings so far and Im loving this game. great art and soundtrack too!
Thanks so much for playing-- and we're both glad you enjoyed it!
I think it's important to keep in mind that the three of these boys are poly and Malik cares about Tomai just as much as he cares about Burdoc! ^u^ I don't think any of them would truly be happy without the third party involved.
We will be releasing some extra content for the game within this year too! (For free!) So look forward to that!
I really loved this game and I'm glad I played it! Everyone is so loveable and the background art + music made me feel right at home in this sleepy fishing village.
I'm just gonna start by saying I really appreciate that there were fully-fledged non-romantic routes, and that the pg-13 option for the game actually involves different sprites, narration and dialogue instead of awkwardly skipping NSFW scenes. I'm not aro/ace spec myself but I thought it was great that the options were there for that -- and the non-romantic routes were so good, too! I do wish we got to see the Lady more in the other routes, but given her circumstances it's understandable that we don't. I'm sure everyone gets the chance to hang out with her some time after the true ending though :3
[spoilers]
By the way, before I played I saw someone say that pursuing Burdoc every day leads to a bad ending and I was really sad because I thought that meant he didn't have a good ending -- I was delighted to realize that, actually, his good route was the polysexual one!
Also, both the solo routes are really good (and sad ;A;): I think you do a disservice to yourselves describing them as "one ending," because they play out very differently and gave me tons of insight into Burdoc and Malik's characters. I went through Burdoc's first and expected something similar from Malik, only to feel increasingly uncomfortable when neither Tomai nor Malik tried to include Burdoc the same way Burdoc tried to include Malik. Given their personalities, though (and the fact I was deliberately avoiding Burdoc), it makes perfect sense -- and it only made me more determined to make sure Burdoc knew that he was loved too!
[end spoilers]
All in all, this was really lovely and reaching the true ending made me feel warm and fuzzy. Congratulations on the stretch goals you've reached, and good luck in reaching the rest of them! C:
First of all-- thank you so much! We are both so happy and so pleased to hear you liked the game and checked out multiple endings too-- that's always really important to enjoying what this game has to offer I think! <3
*v*9 Arcade Party really has a knack for writing endings that are heart wrenching in the most realistic ways-- so I'm glad you got to experience one before experiencing more of the 'true' ending!
We definitely have more in store for The Lady but I don't want to say TOO much. (Tho we will definitely be able to see more of her thanks to some stretch goals; and that both Arcade Party and myself love the Lady and want more of her too!) Hehe!
I wish I had more to say in response but honestly I'm just very happy to hear you liked the game and everything you said was a ton of fun to read. I can't WAIT to release some stretch goal content and hear what you have to say! <3
Oh man, i stayed up all night playing this to get all the endings and WOW this is simply amazing, i thought that of Solanaceae too, but this one is even better! I really love how all the characters are written, none of them seem really exaggerated or anything, they're all very believable, lovable, and relatable in some way and that's really great to find in a vn, or well any game really!
(spoiler)
and I really REALLY love that you can have a poly relationship. I was curious what would happen if you spent and equal amount of time with both of them and that wasn't what i was expecting, but i was VERY pleasantly surprised! I also liek that in the Lady's route you get hints that their might be a poly route, that was really awesome when i noticed it!
(end spoiler)
so all in all, great game 100/10 :D everyone who worked on this did an outstanding job. I shared it with some friends so hopefully they'll enjoy it too!
Aw! Thank you so much! We are both very pleased to hear you like the game and all of the characters too!
Funny enough; the poly end is one that takes people a little longer to find so I'm happy to hear you found it pretty quick-- since it's considered the 'true end'! (Since you probably saw how going after just ONE boy went, oopsie!)
If you like the writing for this game; it's written by Arcade Party who I (the artist) am also drawing another game for called AWOO that you should totally check out the demo for. :)
I think if you liked this game-- you will REALLY love AWOO.
Thanks again for your awesome comment! Very excited to release some DLC for Tomai and to hear what you think about it~ <3
I love this game so much. I love the art, I love the characters (and I didn't think I'd like Malik as much as I did), and I love love love the best ending! I wish I could hug this game, I really do.
Aw gosh, thank you so so much! We both appreciate hearing that and I'm always VERY excited to hear from people who played~ <3 (Also, Malik is pretty dang great.)
I finished two routes, and let me give a big tip of the hat to the creator. It is an amazing project that has realized what it’s about. I’ll be sure to recommend it to my friends!
(Spoiler)
Now admittedly I did get a bad ending for choosing to solo a particular green croc, WHICH BROKE MY HEART. PLEASE HEL P.
(End spoiler)
I hope to see you do more, and look forward to your future works!
Hey there! (Writer here, filling in while the amazing DCS is at a convention so your comment doesn't get lost.)
I'm super glad you think our project achieved what we were setting out to do, even if that one ending broke your heart -- Burdoc's character is something I'm pretty happy with overall, so it really makes me glad to know that you loved him enough to try and see his story through to the end, even if that's not exactly how things shake out!
I just played though it! You did an amazing job DCS, I love it so much! The writing, the art, the music was perfect. <3 Also, your inclusion of a *SPOILER* poly romance *END SPOILER* is fantastic! It made me so happy! Thank you for all the fun that I had! <3
Haah! Did 4 endings so far - solo, amends, single-minded and boyfriends, and this is SO AWESOME! It really met all of my expectations! I'll do a little break now, and then try all of the other endings, as I assume they include the dad and the Lady, and I wanted to draw a separation.
Your art is as great as always, and I definitely really enjoy your adult scenes (I'm pretty picky about the writing and illustrations of that kind of stuff). The only thing that bothered me were the evening talks with the dad. I mean, nothing wrong with that per se - it was interesting. But the fact some of them may repeat in a single playthrough bothers me. I mean, that's not such a big deal, but if I'm to nitpick, it would be that!
Your writing is so great I don't even hnnn!!! What I'm going about here is that I'm very - and I mean VERY - picky about polyamorous relationships, even more in games than in series or whatever. It takes a lot for me to like one, and even more to think it's the logical and/or best outcome for the characters. And you succeeded at it soooo well. Since the very beginning I was convinced it was the best way (that's why I tried to avoid it on my first playthroughs, in order to save the best for last - well, the last for now, since now I'll have to do work-focused playthroughs). I really love the way the relationship progresses between the characters and how it doesn't feel "right" for them if one of them is left out. The boyfriends ending is the cutest thing ever, and it's so nice to see such a harmonious relationship.
Now, I must say that I really loved the single-minded ending too, though (did it on Burdoc's side). It's really great (and awful XD) to see how things go crashing down from the half point on, if you don't start to take care of the other character. I find Tomai's reactions very interesting, in that he really doesn't see what's wrong, and makes mistake after mistake without even meaning bad. Of course the ending is awfully heartbreaking and sad, but it doesn't mean it's badly written - it's the opposite! I like the classical otome/BL game formula, but it's nice to see you "stood your ground" with the characters and their relationship. All too often games like that make it "normal" to entirely neglect one or more of your friends to hang out with the one you want to romance only. As I said, I have nothing against that formula as well, it's "only a game", but it's really nice to see a game that actually punishes you for being kind of a jerk haha XD
And one more thing - I love your way of making use of dreams in your stories in order to drop all sort of hints. I love it in Space School, I love it in Tomai, and I'm never bored of it! (speaking of wich, I think I won't be able to resist much longer and soon I'll dive into the current Space School chapter haha)
Aaand I went on for ages, as usual... oh well... XD
Hey hey hey! So glad to hear you played and enjoyed and so glad to hear you'll be doing the other endings as well! (You're on the nose that the other endings include The Lady and your Dad!)
The repeating endings remark is actually something we've gotten comments about from our testers but it's kind of a complicated issue-- a lot of it has to do with how Ren'py's randomization code and routing stuff works. BUT! We have discussed putting in more of these events just to try and sway the chances in a later patch. (Because there WILL be a later patch and it WILL include a lot more content!)
-------RESPONSES TO SPOILERS!!!--------
Oh! Thanks so much! I didn't actually write the game this time though, it was Arcade Party who really brought all of these cuties to life! (The original story concept and character ideas were mine tho-- it was a collab!)
We are both so glad to hear you liked the poly ending and that it felt right and natural! That's important to the both of us. <3
Oh! You should def try the solo-route with Malik as well if you're interested because it also has a lot going on. (and a really great amends part as well!) I think Arcade Party's strength always lies in making the player interested in something that is sort of punishing-- so I'm glad he was able to put it to good use in this game as well, hehe. It's nice but also TOUGH to watch Tomai fuck up, isn't it?!
AND AH! Thank you! For some reason I just LOVE using dream stuff in stories so I'm glad they can continue to be interesting! (I think maybe it's cuz I have such vivid frequent dreams myself?!)
Thank you again for your kind words and long comment, and I'm SO GLAD to hear you had fun!! Can't wait to see how the other endings treat you! <3333
Yeah, I think I'll start with Malik's solo routes, and then use the save to alternate more with all of the other characters, and then start again to try routes with the dad and the Lady.
Also, now I'm hyped about that patch!
And yeah, I think it's really important to make bad endings (whatever they are - not all bad endings are death and guts and blood XD) interesting. Some of my favorite endings in games are actually bad endings, for the sheer great writing or feel of them.
On a side note, I have to say I like Malik a way more than I thought I would! I've started with Burdoc's side for the amends and single-minded endings because he's more my style of character and I really liked him a lot since the moment I saw him, but doing Malik's events made me like him just as much!
Oh! Can't wait to hear your thoughts on those routes~
I'm so glad to hear you liked Malik as well-- both the boys are so different and have their own problems and way of solving issues and stuff, it was a lot of fun to see Ivan really like-- go ham with them! (Especially because Burdoc ended up a lot different from my original idea of him-- which I enjoy because he then just became my type. BIG 'N SWEET!)
Thanks for such an awesome game!! I just finished playing for most of the endings, and the game is so good!! I'm having a hard time trying to get the second to the last ending, care to give a hint? Again, thank you for this game!! :D
Aw, you are so welcome! We're glad you're enjoying it!
If the ending you're referring to is what I think it is-- trying spending all of your time with Malik or Burdoc (choose only one) until the very last available day, where you should then talk to their counterpart. 'v'/ The game gives you a little hint when it's time to make up with your buddy, but keep an eye on your calendar and you should do fine!
WAAAH YAY, IT'S OUT! AND IT'S WONDERFUL!! tomai is so fun and well written and great to look at-- there's so much content to go through and enjoy! arcade party and dcs are both amazing developers, and they both brought their all to make tomai really amazing. all the characters are super fun and bring something unique to the story, and to tomai's life as well! the replay value is really great too; I super recommend everyone play it and fall in love with everyone like I did, eheheh.
omg! I've been waiting for this all day! Yesterday when I saw it was down I got concerned but now I just can't contain my excitement for this game! I can't wait to fall in love with the full version <3
We will have an announcement soon! Ivan and myself both had individual emergencies happen because September insists on being cursed? Our new deadline is before October 15th. Sorry!
We're excited too! This month has been hell for the both of us (yesterday one of my cats had to get taken to the emergency vet, and Ivan has had some of his own issues) but we're still trucking along!
Thankfully both of us have great track records releasing things-- so even if it takes a little time, WE WILL RELEASE! <3
Aah, soon, the full release! I'm so eager and excited about it after playing the demo when it came out!
By the way, since I don't see the answer here, will the full release be free? I like to leave something for the devs, but unfortunately I'm un such a tight situation right now I can't even play the cheapest of games unless they are totally free so yeah, better to know beforehand
Hey hey! We are both so pleased to hear you are excited for the full released, hehe! (So are we!)
The full game will ABSOLUTELY we free to play, as most everything I have to offer here on Itch.io (and elsewhere is!). There's only a select few things that are for sale that I have; and usually none are over $5 to download, OR are otherwise optional to view. (For example, the game is free, but you can donate to see the art PDF, soundtrack, etc but you don't miss out on anything story-wise not seeing them.)
Oh! I will say that AWOO (since I saw you mention it in another comment) will be $5 on release or something like that? I can't remember, since Ivan is the one deciding something like that-- but I know it'll be some small amount just so he can get back some on his investment~
Anyways, I'm rambling now! Tomai, the full version, will be free and fun and FULL OF LOVE and we are excited to bring it to you~
Thanks so much for your comment! You are way too kind~ <3
Hey hey! We actually just posted an update about this-- but to go into more detail, the MASSIVE threesome scene ended up needing a bunch of CG's, and since I (DCS, the artist) was out of town for a week-- we needed some time to finish that up in a way I was satisfied with. (And I'm VERY satisfied with it now.)
Also! Ivan (the writer) recently had some big plumbing issues to take care of, and Nami (the musician) needs a little more time to finish up some songs as well. Just a bunch of small stuff that needs to get done, but it all takes time regardless!
We actually just sat down and talked thru what we need to finish the game just today and things are chugging along nicely. Most of all, we just don't want to rush things because we are all SUPER pleased by how the game is coming out so far. I know it's always annoying to wait, but we really do appreciate your patience.
To put your mind at ease, here's some of the art I recently finished for the game:
Looking forward to giving you the full game before September ends!
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Comments
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this game looks really interesting and I would love to play it, but every time I go to play it after I download it, it pops up with an error saying that it might be missing. If anyone has any ideas on how to fix this they are welcome. I have a windows computer.
I have fixed the problem and will post later on what I think
Sorry you had some trouble, but I'm glad to hear it's fixed now!
My only critique is related to gameplay on Android. You have the option to "skip" dialogue on playthroughs past your first. Sometimes when I clicked "skip" it ZOOMED through the dialogue so fast I couldn't even stop it if I wanted to. There's also no option to go back in case I had entirely missed what I had skipped. I wish there was like, an undo button? But just for the skipping. And when it did pause to let me pick who to spend the day with, there wasn't an "off" function for the skipping. So it would zoom through the next even if I wanted to reread a section.
Spoilers below!
My favorite ending (surprisingly?) was the ending where I spent all my time with the Lady. I liked having a nonromantic, nonfamilial option to forge a new relationship. My next fave was the ending where I got to have TWO boyfriends. Polyamory representation in games, in media, in wherever is nonexistent. This made me feel seen, just by having this option. I think the "single minded" ending is what really broke my heart, but also taught me an important lesson. You can't just neglect your other friends when you're pursuing a love interest without serious repercussions. Friends as just as important as romantic partners.
The extra content, the multiple other stories, I think, were also really important to me understanding the characters. I honestly couldn't pick a favorite extra story. It almost feels as if they should be it a second novel, not just bonus content that people might feel is optional to read. I think in order of importance it's Mom comes for a visit, Dad and the Lady learn of the boy's relationship, the trio discuss their childhood, horror movie night, and private moment. It's not that private moment isn't juicy!! It's just not as integral to my understanding of the plot...The bonus content you can buy is also highly recommended - aka the art books, both SFW and NSFW.
Other bits I love:
How the "talking" sound bits are different for Tomai, Malik, and Burdoc.
The art! both characters and backgrounds!
The dreams!
Realistic family interactions with incredible depth!
The setting! I would love more stories in this world!
Hmmm, not sure where this Skip problem is coming from because there SHOULD be a back button as well as the game being set to not skip unseen dialogue by default! There should also be an option in the options menu related to your skip button so you can customize what it does, and there should also be a "history" section in the menu that allows you to see text you've potentially missed.
Turning the skip "off" is simply pressing the skip button again, I believe? Never had anyone complain of this problem before so I wonder if it's something to do with your phone or device? Very strange.
Anyways, I'm glad you liked the game and enjoyed the extra stories! I super appreciate your thoughtful comment and am glad you seemed to enjoy all the characters and their interactions! X) Wish I had more to say but really I am just glad you enjoyed it and really appreciate the support and glowing recommendation! :D
Normally I am not a fan or follower of polygamy romance or romance of 3 people (I want to make it clear that I don´t hate IT or I am not against it).
But as I expected from DarkChibiShadow, DCS has once again created a pleasant exception in my heart with Tomai.
I liked everything about this simple game, although I was sad that it was so short, I love it and I love the DLCs too.
What I liked the most was the rural and exotic atmosphere, it was clear that Tomai lived in a small place with not many technological accesses or morden comforts, but that is part of the charm of the place.
I liked all the characters, both in their personality and relationships (Especially in relationships ;D).
Art is impossible not to love it with how adorable it is.
If I had to choose a cocept that represented the game it would be "grow" or "change" or "transition" or even "maturation", something that we are aware and accept but can create doubts and fears as well as surprises and emotional gains.
And I also love the relationship of the this 3, it shows that they have known each other for a lifetime and want to continue being that way, their desire to become a romantic relationship but their fear of breaking what they have in the present, that is quite realistic in my opinion.
I have enjoyed the game quite a lot, and I think it has taught me more about poly-German or 3-person relationships than any other game or story I have read before, and even enjoyed it.
Thanks for the game!
PS: My favorite DLCs have been when the three began to tell their childhood and adolescence stories, if there was a prequel to Tomai about more of these stories, I would buy it (Even if it doesn't have content 18, because they don't start dating until this game ).
P.D.2: The NSFW content is HOT!!!
(^///^)
Thanks so much for playing and thanks SO SO MUCH for this glowing review! I always love hearing your thoughts and seeing how much you actually think about my work, it's a real honor.💖
For android please
It's already on Google Play! But keep in mind that Google Play does not allow any R18 content, so the mobile version is strictly the PG13 route. Enjoy!
Put up the R18 version for Android here btw! Have fun! 💖
babies. they are all babies. i am claiming them as me children. you can own the designs but i birthed these beans clearly. clearly they are baby. all of them. b a b y. UwU (jokes aside i love your art, and this game, so muchhhhhh)
This comment is so sweet, thank you! I don't mind at all if you would like to birth these beans, lol.
y e s i have succeeded.
I absolutely adored this game! It's perfect in length, design, and content. I only wish there was a gallery option. Thank you for such a lovely game!
Thanks a ton! I'm super glad to hear you enjoyed the game!
The gallery option is actually replaced by the PDF you can purchase when downloading the game! (It's the two "Art of Tomai" PDF's you can see there with all the other downloadables!)
That way, you get all the pretty art to look at, AND you get to learn more about how the game was made and it's characters, AND you get to support a game you love! It's a triple win, imo.
Ah, that makes sense. Thanks for letting me know. ^^
Of course! <3
Hello! I remember this game and I actually began replaying it again. I remember I used to leave a lot of comments here aha. Oh! Weren't you planning on making another game for this? How is it going?
Hey there! Thanks for replaying Tomai~
I've spoken briefly about a Tomai 2, but that is far, far down the line! I work full time on comics so that takes up most of my time-- but currently in game dev I'm devoting a lot of time to an upcoming point-and-click adventure/horror game (which should hopefully be out within the next few months) and updates for another, way bigger game of mine that is closer to the Tomai format.
That all said-- I've been considering making another comic for Tomai in the near future because there's still so many fans and people wanting to see the characters which like hey! I can't blame them, I like this cast too that's why I wanna make another short comic.
So for now, most likely a comic is on the horizon and the (hopeful) eventual sequel is possibly years away-- game dev just takes a while when you've got so much on your plate like I do! <3 I'm also a solo team now, because Arcade Party (the original writer for this game) quit game dev and I haven't heard from them in over a year!
I appreciate the patience and support in the meantime and I hope you'll check out some of my other games/comics/series in general because I have quite the archive!
i'm currently in the middle of playing this amazing game, but something i noticed got me to wonder, and then lead me to ask this question. you see, the thing is, i started looking into game jams after i saw the yaoi game jam was a thing (didn't expect it to be a thing), so i got a few games that i thought looked nice (this was one of those games, obviously). i believe there was another visual novel in this game jam (or another game jam, i dunno), that i only know by the file name ("coffeegame.exe") that also runs on python. this got me wondering if it was just a coincidence that they were both visual novels and both ran on python, or if they used the same "engine" (sorry, i don't know what other word to use for this). i wanted to ask you this because if there is a "tool" for making this stuff that uses python, then i could actually MAKE a visual novel without programming it from the ground up. if the answer is a no, that all cool and fine, i'll move on. if the answer is a yes, then all i can say is that i'll be one happy boy. also, this was my first visual novel i played, and im glad it was too. sorry about any spelling errors itch.io isn't picking up, and any run-on sentences that i missed (i have a habit of making those sadly). thanks, and have a nice day (or night, depending on when you get this)
Hi there! First of all, thanks for playing Tomai! I'm glad you like it!
Secondly, this game, and lots of other similair games-- are made with a program called Ren'py. It's a free to use program that's always updating and very easy to pick up, imo. It does require "coding" -- but please do not be intimidated by this.
Ren'py gives you a base framework to work with, and all you need to do is write up the script, where images show up-- and if you wanna get REALLY complex about it; you can do routing, etc, etc. So in this way, it's one of the least coding intensive programs to make games out there right now. But most starter games don't need that, and I highly suggest you make a very simple game for your first. (This was mine!)
People think a game needing coding is somehow a BE ALL END ALL to their game making career-- but the truth of the matter is; any program that promises "A coding free experience!" when helping make your game is usually just getting you to SECRETLY code behind some pretty looking buttons. (Also, those programs are usually ones you have to pay for; which is not always a great thing for beginning game devs!)
So, my thinking is-- if you're going to be tricked into coding by another program-- you might as well just learn the basics in Ren'py. It's very simple once you just learn what each piece and part is and means. Plus, the community is great and super informative and Ren'py itself comes with an easy to understand tutorial.
Any game will require a kind of coding or programing or behind-the-scenes puzzle solving to get to that finished product. If you're not ready for that kind of thing-- all I can really ask is; are games for you? If the process of putting together the game scares you so much that having to code even one line ruins your desire to make games-- you might want to consider another position. Maybe a collab with a programmer? Maybe helping fund someone else to make your idea? Or maybe not a game at all-- what about a comic, a novel, a twine? You've got options!
Whatever you chose though, go into it with confidence and an open mind. Go into it knowing it's not going to be easy at first-- but with time you will begin to understand the process; it's just about not giving up! You got this!
Oh! And next time you're curious what a game was made in, you can click the "more information" link on the profile of any Itch.io page and most people have their tools listed out. Here's Tomai's as an example:
(The button is usually right above the download button!)
Hope this all helps! Have a good day!
first of all, thanks for a fast and amazingly descriptive response, i usually don't get those on other websites like youtube and soundcloud, second of all, i used to know quite a bid of python before i started using html5 and javascript to make simple game ideas i had, so that's all cool for me, as all i have to do is view a few stackoverflow pages. again, thanks for the great reply, and i hope to be making my own visual novel soon!
Oh, awesome! Glad to hear you're familiar with python! Sorry for my assuming; usually I end up running into people who have no idea about any type of programming and so they take that as an excuse to never make their game-- so I'm always trying to encourage people to at least check out the program before giving up X)
Good luck with your visual novel! You can do it!
finally, a polyam visual novel that doesnt make me feel uncomfy or feels forced. thank you very much, this cured me of my depression fora whole-ass night. thank you.
honestly i didnt even know it was a poly game, so thanks for the surprise ! also, happy pride month babes
So glad to hear you liked the game-- and yay! Just in time for pride, heck yes. Thanks a ton for playing. ❤️❤️❤️
ok, thing is, I liked the routes but the ending just made me feel really uncomfortable. I mean it acts like it gives you a choice but it really seems like its pushing you towards a poly relationship when I really only wanted to romance one person. Even when I actively avoided it, the ending it gave me was "It seemed like they were all on the edge of something but wouldn't be there for a long time" And bruh, it just made it feel like my choices didn't matter in the end, I was going to be in a poly relationship whether I liked it or not.
Not sure what to say except for-- yep! That's how this game is!
We wanted to make a polyam game, so we made a polyam game. It's not for everyone, and that's fine!
There's plenty of games where you can be mono and you're FORCED to be mono so I'd recommend checking those out! (In fact, quite a few of my other games are like that; so check those out!)
Thanks for playing regardless!
I know theres not a lot of poly games, but I just really would have liked it if it was specified so I wouldn't spend hours trying to get the perfect end where I could balance out how my time was spent to get one person. I get now that I wasn't the demographic it was appealing to, but I don't know how I was supposed to know that. I genuinely thought it was a choice to be poly or not. But yeah, nothing I can do about this but put this away and go play something else, but again, really would have appreciated if it was specified so peeps don't have to through the same confusion and frustration of trying to get an end they want and running into a wall every time.
The game never specifically says it's mono or that you can date either Burdoc OR Malik exclusively anywhere-- in fact; it doesn't state it's a dating sim anywhere on this page, actually!
I don't feel like the game being polyam is something it needs to have plastered over every part of the game page to make it appealing; and I don't want it to be such a wild concept that suddenly "it's the hook" or that it needs warning of -- if that makes sense? I even debated for a long time including polyamorous in the tags, because I didn't want people assuming that was all the game had to offer. (Ultimately I decided it was better to include than not to. People who do relate to and need this content in their lives need an easier way to find it, and thus I included it in the tags.)
Again, I appreciate your feedback so much and I do try to do my best to let people know the content of my games/comics here on Itchio very directly -- which is super evident if you've seen any of other games/comics. But again, I don't feel like Tomai is a game that needs to or wants to shout out loud how much of a polyam game it is.
Apologies if you felt you wasted your time on Tomai, that does suck to hear since I know how difficult it can be to find content like this online right now-- but hey, at least it was free? 🤷
If somehow you did buy any of the extra content or donated to the game, I'd be more than happy to refund you! Thanks for your time!
I actually had an opposite experience. I liked Burdoc and Malik both so much and I was kind of really hoping for a poly end and it! happened! it was so cool!
I'm so glad to hear this!
Hey!! I was wondering how you made the voices for the characters, I've looked around and just can't find anything about it ;-; Btw, I love the game! I hope to see more like this in the future c:
Hi hi! Glad you like the game-- and I will def be making more like it in the future, don't worry about that! ;D
As for the voices-- okay! So, there's a system in Ren'py that allows you to put in characters "voices" (I call them chat sounds or text sounds) that's standard with Ren'py, doesn't take too much code-- I won't put it here since it's kind of annoying to have a bunch of code in the comment but if you want me to e-mail it to you or something I totally can.
Anyways, I use that code with a very simple method-- I find a "beep" or "blip" or whatever that I like, usually from a little beep machine (this one is fun: https://www.bfxr.net/ ) or from freesound.org -- I take it into Audacity and I make sure it's the length I want (usually you want something that's about a second or less? depending on how "fast" you want the characters to talk) and adjust the volume and little bit and viola!
Using the code I have it's just as simple as making a little beep .ogg or .mp3 and Ren'py does the rest for me. I've been doing it basically the same way since I started making VN's and it's always so fun to hear a new character make new beeps for the first time <3 <3 <3
I hope that helps! Don't be shy in asking me any questions and like I said-- I can e-mail you the code I use if you like!
Ah! Thank you so much! I'm in the process of developing my own VN so this helps me so much! (This is gonna be my first one so I'm very unexperienced^^;) I understand about posting the code, I'll try working it out myself first just to see if I can figure it out since I learn better like that, but, thanks for offering to send it over c:
I'll be sure to come ask you some more questions if I get stuck! I hope you're having a good day/ had a good day!
Good luck! I hate having to come up with code myself (and in general coding is not my strong point when it comes to game dev) SO GOOD LUCK!!! Thankfully Ren'py has a very strong community and a ton of resources!
But please do remember I'm just a comment away if you ever want it!
This game is super fun to play! I honestly can't get a route for any of the characters ^^' if somebody who has done the game can tell me a route or two (I don't mind who ^^) I'd love that!
Also, great game DarkChibiShadow! Keep up the good work :)
The route guide is available by donating just $1 to the game! The game is free but making art full-time (which is my job) is not, so any and all donations go to just help keep the team making games like t his! :D
And thanks again! I appreciate your comment and I hope you check out my other stuff! I couldn't had made this game without arcade party who wrote the game and is just so fucking great, so don't forget to check them out too.
I just finished all your comics and your completed visual novels! They were amazing! You art is fantastic and detailed and the stories are so cute! I really liked Space School, you should make more and same with My Master Is A Naga. Good luck on the next Tomai game by the way!
Well, good luck on everything in the future, DarkChibiShadow!
Oh gosh, hey thanks! I'm glad you liked my stuff and checked out so much of it!!! :D
My Master is a Naga is done and finished, and will have no more made (sorry-- there is a book though!) but Space School updates once every week, every week: http://spaceschool.smackjeeves.com/
And the Solanaceae: Prologue comic is updating too! https://tapas.io/series/Solanaceae
I've also got a TON of exclusive comics and early game stuff up on my Patreon if you don't mind paying a little dosh to help support me (just $5 goes a long way) https://www.patreon.com/DarkChibiShadow
I'll be sure to check Space School and Solanaceae: Prologue every week! I can't become a Patreon right now which really annoys me but I hopefully will soon!
I'll be here when you're ready and I'm glad you're enjoying my stuff! <3
Okay so do you want the threesome ending cause that just requires you to alternate between Malik and Burdoc and that ending is super hot.
Excuse me what? My heart is so full from these precious boys. UGH It's unfair how attractive and adorable they are. Just a teensy bit envious but it's whatevs hahaha. Thanks so much for making this VN. It's just beautiful
Oh gosh, hey! I'm so glad to hear you liked it!
Tomai is a ton of fun to work on and hopefully there will be some DLC (free, of course) for the game decently soon!!! Keep your eyes peeled and thanks a ton for playing and leaving a comment <3333
Congratulations with the Game DarkChibiShadow! Arcade Party's art style is pretty unique and really stood out, so I decided playing it and wasn't dissapointed. Your story was certainly original and I liked the pace and overall feeling. Not the biggest fan of visual novels but I have to say I really enjoy it!
PS. Just a smaaall not-very-serious funny issue... the sound effect for the character's voices was a bit irritating. "Just turn it off, d'uh!" you might be thinking. The truth is that I like these little sound effects on text intensive games, my "complain" goes towards the one chosen the game. Obviously just a random opinion, :D
Hi there-- thanks a ton! But actually, me, DarkChibiShadow-- drew the art, and Arcade Party wrote the script! :D That's how it is for every game we work on together! We're glad you liked it-- the game will have some free updates soon with new stuff so I hope you look forward to it!
This was the last game I made working with my old system of making talk sounds and I'm proud to say I'm much better at it now. Some of my newer games aren't out yet-- but I hope if you decide to check them out you'll like those better. :}
It's hard to find just the right balance of cute and fun for talk sounds; so I'm glad people at least have the option to turn it off if they need! Speaking of which, Arcade Party and I just released a new game a few days ago, called Yarrow Valley, with better talk sounds (and it's much shorter than this game) so if you liked Tomai I would love if you'd check it out and let me know what you think~
Thanks again!
I will definitely take a look at Yarrow Valley as soon as I get the chance. Thanks for the reply and sorry about the confusion! ^^
No problem, it's an easy mistake to make! <3
I love this game~ I paid for it but the dl links to the ending guide isn't showing up anymore. did I miss anyhing?
Oh, that's odd! You should have access to it basically indefinitely after purchasing it thru Itchio; but if you can't find it anymore and want it again, send me an e-mail at colinxzain@hotmail.com and we will get it settled.
(I'm glad you like the game!)
I loved playing this game and I'm really looking forward to the extra content that will be added.
Oh gosh-- thank you! We're really excited to release it-- there's been so many obstacles but we're gonna do it!!!
And I love tommygirl226, at first sight 😍❗ You're sooo gorgeous, and you have a very good taste about games as well 🙄! Too bad itchio.io has no message function ^^, so I have to misuse this forum for romantic purposes to praise you 😇📜💝
Thanks.A message function would probably be a good idea
You're welcome 😊. Of course one can send semi-private ones about what social media sites one has by writing and posting them, then deleting them, so that the e-mail notification remains ✍️🏻; but DarkChibiShadow would probably remain notified as well I assume 😏... oh, I forgot to mention, to stay a bit in context, that you also look much healthier when it comes to the skin color than The Lady !
the game look good but how can I turn off the sound when the text scroll , i hate this sound , i can't play the game with this sound on , it make me crazy
Check the OPTIONS menu and turn the slider that says "VOICE" all the way down! It will turn off the talk sounds entirely. Hope you enjoy the game otherwise~!
will it also cut other important sound , like ambiant sound or voices ?
The sound of the text scroll ARE the "voices" of the characters-- that's their purpose!
But no, there's no voice acting and any important sounds (there's not a lot of sound affects, mostly just music) are on a different sound channel; meaning the music slider controls the music and the sound slider controls the sound affects. The voice slider only makes quiet the beeps; as it is the character's "voice".
Hope that makes sense!
yes i understand , thank you for your fast awnser , now i can fully apreciate the game
Hope you like it~ <3
I adore this game! I wish there were more simple yet lovely games like this in the world but alas~
Beautiful artwork, cute characters (Burdoc's a little cinnamon bun oWo) and amazing play through.
But I need help. I can't get one ending ;^; I have single minded, amends, dad, lady, dad+lady, friendship and poly.
Please help.
>3<~~
Hey-- thanks a ton! We're always happy to hear people like Tomai (especially because we'll be adding some new content to the game soon) and I'm always personally so happy to hear people like Burdoc~ I'd love to recommend AWOO to you as well; since it's written by the same person and also draw by me!
Anyways-- about the endings! Usually we would just recommend you buy and check out the endings guide (which can be received by donating $1 to the game!) but since you've already gotten so many endings already; I'll give you a hint!
You're actually missing *two* endings if your list here is correct! So I'm going to suggest to you; Tomai can't become a fully rounded leader by just spending time with JUST his Dad or JUST the Lady, y'know? And once you find this ending; there's also a variant on it involving Burdoc and Malik. So try that out for size! (And to be clear; the endings guide is much less cryptic than this-- so check it out!)
Ahh. I got all endings now :D thanks for the tip. Sorry that I couldn't pay for your game though, I'm still studying. Though I'll be sure to buy the art and guide afterwards to support you guys! Looking forward to the update (omg new content!!).
Thanks a ton-- glad you got all the endings!
-Spoilers abound!-
It's a cute game, and I like there's an ending that's a poly one, but I didn't really enjoy that the game presents what are basically illusions of romantic options in order to do it. I understand the idea, but I genuinely just... did not like Burdock as more than a friend character? I wanted to romance Malik, the game makes it seems as if that's possible, but what it really is (if you're not a bad friend and don't neglect one person just because you're not interested in them, of course), is that your 'romance' of one character is seen as just the less important 'prelude' to the poly ending. Some games are made with a distinct romantic entanglement in mind, and that's a good thing! Having a game where the 'true' ending is the poly ending, I think, is a really great thing. But without knowing that that's the sort of romance game I'm getting into, it sort of feels like my options were to romance a character I didn't want to romance, or don't get an ending with the character I wanted to anyway, and know that eventually the 'right' thing will happen and they'll all get together anyway. I do like that neglecting a friend is deservedly Bad Ending'd, but especially when it amounts to essentially a handful of days next to years of friendship, it feels rather... slanted, to actually penalize the player for what is essentially just not wanting to sleep with one of the friends (since you cannot interact with them past a certain period without being at least physically involved with them).
I think if, perhaps, it was possible to keep interacting with a friend without it becoming something more than friendship, it would feel less like being led on a leash while still preserving the poly-ending as the True ending. As it is... yeah, it kind of just feels like a penalty for not wanting to sleep with both friends. Which, I'll also note, I'd avoided doing at first because the game doesn't make immediately obvious until you've already done it that sleeping with both friends would even be a good thing. You don't tell either friend that you've already begun 'something' with the other friend before you do it, or the person you've already been involved with once you sleep with the other friend, and it just sort of happens to be that they're okay with that and it all works out. Not.. a great way to start a relationship.
Again- it's a really cute game with some very nice ideas, but ultimately the execution just felt... a little off? and a little uncomfortable, for me.
Hi! First of all, thanks so much for your feedback-- I really appreciate reading it and I appreciate your being kind about it!
*SPOILERS AHEAD*
You bring up a lot of great points; and I understand how it's easy to feel how you do when playing a game like Tomai.
However; I also think it's important to keep in mind a few things about the dev process and about Ivan (the writer) and I (the artist) as game creators.
Ivan and I only had this game in production for 3, maybe 4 months? Most of the production was done in just 1 month; so a lot of our "branching paths" are pretty linear. This isn't new to either of our style of game making; as I often make linear games and Ivan makes more-or-less linear games. I understand this style of visual novel can sometimes be annoying or frustrating to players; but we were on a really limited time and budget and just wanted something playable that conveyed our story!
Our games are not about you as a player, but you as someone helping lead Tomai (or any of our main characters, really) thru his life. This game is about Tomai, his wants, his needs, his confusions-- and how you as his guide affect his life.
No where on the game page for Tomai does it state there are "romance options", it only states that there are R-18+ scenes. This was on purpose! We also never stated that the game was poly, because we didn't really feel like there was a need to? We've also never sold Tomai as a dating sim because it's really not... It's really just a game about a set of characters we really enjoyed writing-- we had a story planned for them and wanted to give the player some options to explore the world.
I do think your feedback about essentially "having to get physical" with either boy is fair; in the future we will be sure to add a yes or no menu before those kinds of options-- I think we, as game devs, unfortunately assumed that the player choosing "R-18" at the beginning would, in combination with Tomai's characterization, would make extra choice unnecessary/not fully in line with how he would act as a character but I see now that it's still as necessary as ever! And in the non-R18 version we will do that as well. (In the PG-13 version, you just smooch!)
I think we'll also consider a patch to add some dialogue about having slept with the other friend. We can def work that in.
Ultimately; I think it's important to keep in mind that this game is for players who want to or are comfortable being poly (at least in a fictional sense). If you're not and don't want to be-- that might be why you're feeling uncomfortable? But this is my assuming-- so please correct me if I'm wrong! Not every game is for everyone, unfortunately.
Lastly, I wanna make sure you know there are friendship endings with both boys and a amends ending as well! :D I think all the endings are really worth checking out for their own reasons.
On a side note; I'm very sad to hear you didn't like Burdoc-- as he is my favorite and a character I really relate to. ;v;
Anyways; that all said-- thank you again for your feedback and I hope some of what I've said clears up some things about our game for you! Thanks a ton!
Oh no! I do like Burdoc very much, I promise! He seems like a very sweet boy, I just didn't like him as a romantic option? I use this term quite loosely, as I did before, though I'm at a loss since that how they're usually described. But, seeing the three of them together, looking past my issues with how they get there, they do fit together very perfectly. I don't think he was a poorly made character at all!
I'm not uncomfortable with the poly option at all (I'm a little poly myself actually, haha), though I can understand why you'd think that. I actually really like what you were going for! Poly couples get a bad rep far too often, especially non het poly couples, and I think the idea here was really really nice. And, once I worked out what kind of story it was, it felt very natural and sweet for all of them to end up together. It's more like, due to the way the game flowed, it felt like a penalization for not going that way no matter what (despite the few things I pointed out about how it doesn't exactly feel honest in the moment to do so), and a bit unfair toward the player/protagonist for just the idea of him liking one differently than the other, or just not wanting to entangle with both without full understanding. But! Once I realized why that would be (they ALL like eachother!) it made more sense, but until the realization of what I was supposed to do to get a Good ending, it felt quite awkward that they'd respond that way (to the player/protag liking one differently), and still awkward to try and ""romance"" (again, for lack of a better term in the genre) them both.
This is all a lot of words on my part, haha, but I do want to say that actually taking into consideration how much (or little) time you had to work on this does change my perspective. I can see why things like I'd previously mentioned would be non-thoughts with such a small time period! And I should have thought of that to mention in my points, in all fairness. I also should have taken care to better explain that the linear idea of the game was good! Sometimes people have set stories/variations in mind and want to tell them, and I lied that! Honestly, my only discomfort with the linear quality is due to the lack of being able to say 'no' while still spending time with friends in other routes, and the lack of honesty if you choose to say yes to both! Without those things coloring the playthroughs around them, I really wouldn't have a problem with there being a 'set' ending or idea of what the character should do. Quite the opposite- I would have really liked that the 'true'st feeling ending is the one where they're all together!
I was already really looking forward to your other projects, but I feel EXTRA good about it, reading your response. It really did clear things up! I'll definitely go back and get the rest of the endings now, since I feel a bit better about the game after this. :) Thank you!
Hey hey! :D I'm happy to hear all of this! (And thanks for explaining some more stuff too, sometimes things just get confusing in text, ya know?)
I'm happy to hear that my reply helped give the circumstances surrounding this game some more clarity-- and like I said we are definitely taking what you said into the future with us. For now, Tomai is a bit too set in stone (with some CG's and the like) to do TOO much tweaking with the current build-- but we WILL have some extra stories that will be released with the base game once we both get some time. (None of them will involve choices; they are just fun stories to click thru and learn more about everyone.)
I really hope if you happen to see the updates for those that you'll check them out because I think they will speak about/address some stuff you've talked about! I know they're just side stories-- but they are all canon and lots of fun. ^u^9 One will be specifically about Tomai's, Malik's, and Burdoc's past together and how long they've known each other and how long they've LIKED each other too.
Which again-- I wish we could have fit a bit more into the base game but we just had so little time! Agh! That's why we did our stretch goals though-- so we could add stuff that would not only be fun but also clarifying.
Anyways-- I'm totally rambling now. Thank you again for your feedback and for taking the time to read my reply-- it means a lot to me that you did and I'm pumped up to hear you're looking forward to our other projects! <3
That all sounds great!! I can't wait.
I love this game so much I swear to goD!!! I LOVE THIS GAME SO MUCH THAT I EVEN CREATED THIS ACCOUNT JUST TO SAY "I LOVE THIS GAME." WHY?
BECAUSE IT'S JUST THAT
FICKENGOOD.to give a serious review:
Aside from the stunnng artworks made by the artist : darkchibishadow and the impressive story telling done by the team,and dont forget how REALISTIC it actually is! the replay value is really really high and I have been replaying it non stop for four days just to get all the eight endings and to see that boyfriends ending happen again without skipping three times.
In the world of YAOI DATING SIMS with the stereotypical "I'm gonna spend my time with this specific guy for the duration to this game because he is hot" type of story it is just so REFRESHING to see something that finally captures the essence of humanity: specifically what would happen when you would do this in real-life and how selfish it really is. The writing, the art, and the coding: the whole game just delivers the message so well that it actually makes your heart feel so sick and so so sad it's like you ARE the person being neglected.
Overall this game must be the best dating sim I have played so far.
and trust me when I say this because when you're a desperate gay like me and you have read 90 percent of all yaoi doujinshis and comics and have binged on gay dating sims for a week each night 'til 4 am you know what I'm saying is sugar coatedHey hey hey! Thanks for your wonderful comment! It always means a lot to Ivan and I to get comments like this// We both love this game a lot and it just feels great when other people do too!!! Tomai is lots of fun, if I do say so myself! (And I'm honored you made an account just to say you liked it!)
We're both really glad to hear you liked how the game played out-- can I ask if you have a favorite character, by chance? (Mine is Burdoc!)
I think the boyfriends ending is by far the most favored by players-- and it's what we usually think of as the true end. (With a little bit of The Lady and Dad's endings thrown in too.)
Anyways-- I'm rambling! Thank you for playing and for your passionate comment! It means a lot to us! <3
P.S.
If you like Ivan's writing, and you like my art style; we are working on another game over on his account called AWOO that has a VERY LONG and awesome demo out right now-- and is worth following for when the final product comes out, I think! <3
My favorite is Malik! and Yes! oh my goSh I also loved the AWOO demo! It's so replayable and that is what i just LOVE about games! The fact that you can just Replay to get a different outcome and the concept of getting something new just from pressing the start button again has always amazed me!
I feel like the TRUE ENDING (the boyfriends ending) WAS THE BEST ENDING. Not just because I shipped them all three at the same time- but because of the representation and how Ivan(? the writer I think from what you said) carefully crafted the relationship- building it up from the very start and I think that was also one of my favorite things about it: the fact that it was natural.
It didn't feel forced.
It felt meant to be.
and Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to my comment and please do keep on drawing! I love your art so much and I just LOVE seeing the progress between all your past works resulting in your current style!
and THANK YOU MOST ESPECIALLY FOR BLESSING MY EYES WITH YOUR PIECES!
Oh!!! I'm so happy to hear you liked the AWOO demo too!!! +0+ I'm really excited and proud of AWOO! I have less involvement (story wise) in AWOO but I helped to shape the look of the game (cuz I drew it, haha) and I helped with some personality stuff for the boys-- I LOVE IT LIKE MY OWN BABY. It's lots of fun!!!
I think multiple endings and choices and tiny differences is where visual novels as a format really shine-- it's a lot of fun to just have a flexible setting. :D And thank you again for complimenting Ivan's writing! I agree that the story feels very natural and you can really feel the boy's complicated relationship *nods* These characters and story were originally just mine, but I had ran into a roadblock so eventually I handed it over to Ivan who did an AMAZING job...I'm so proud!
I'm so glad you like my art and my games and AH! Thank you!!!
I haven't had time to work on my next game (which I have a BIG WIP of) but I do work on lots and lots of comics so I hope you'll check those out too! ;v; <3333 You rock!
This VN is soooo amazing!!
It's clear to see that there is so much passion and effort put into this! It really warms my heart to see cute and amazing stories like Toami. The story is amazing, the art is gorgeous and the soundtrack is very unique too. The characters are charming, and I just over all enjoyed this VN very much! I'm definitely looking forward to more of your work (as well as the work of everyone else affiliated)!
[Spoilers]
I tried going for Malik every day only to get my heart broken ;~;
The Boyfriends ending was amazing though! Warmed my heart so much to see them all happy together~
I managed to get all 8 of the endings in one sitting (took me about 3 hours with skip), but I definitely think the Boyfriends one was the most satisfying!
[End Spoilers]
Anyway, thank you for the amazing game! I hope you're able to continue making amazing work like this that will help inspire and entertain people all around the world! I think I would have to give it a 9/10 for the.. Actually, everything!
\(^-^)/
Aw hey-- thanks so much for your comment! I'm so glad to hear you liked the game!
Ivan (the writer) and I were very excited to get to work on this game together and we're EVEN MORE excited to work on some of the extra stories that we will be releasing for this game! So keep an eye out for those!
Always tough to hear when people get sad over going after just one boy but what can I say! These boys are poly-- so the boyfriends ending is the most satisfying, I agree!
Thanks for the glowing review-- and if you liked Tomai I would def check out the AWOO demo that Ivan has out right now. I'm the artist for it!
:D Also, one last thing, I saw you had put Tomai in your favorite games list on your profile-- which I'm very honored by but you misspelled it as "Toami" when it's actually spelt Tomai! X) Just thought you should know!
Oh, haha thanks for pointing that out! I end up making a lot of spelling errors when I type fast.
I'll definitely check out AWOO, I saw it before and took an interest, but I think I'd rather wait for it to actually becomes released so I can kind of go into it with no previous experience. I like your artstyle, it's very distinct! I think it gives these VNs a really good flair and stand-out look, which is really good to see when most VNs have plain text boxes and backgrounds, while yours are full of life and colour!
Also, it's really nice to see you actually responding to these reviews! It really makes you feel a connection between the creator and the consumer, and it feels really satisfying to know you're hearing the praise your projects receive ^-^
Oh gosh, well thank you and thank you! That's all very kind of you to say and I appreciate it//
I put a lot of thought into the textboxes for when I create stuff and I'm always trying to make it so each of my visual novels look different from one another. (Or as much as I can, considering I'm just one person!) Ivan and I are actually working on 1-2 new games to Yaoijam this month and next month so I think both of us are great to follow if you're looking to enjoy some raunchy good boys in the coming months~ :3c
Thanks again! <3
I'll definitely check back by then, already can't wait! Good luck!
I just want to say thank you for creating such a well-written story. I was fully immersed in the plot and the lovable characters! I wish there was a way to get malik all to myself tho hahaha. Ive managed to get at least 4 endings so far and Im loving this game. great art and soundtrack too!
Thanks so much for playing-- and we're both glad you enjoyed it!
I think it's important to keep in mind that the three of these boys are poly and Malik cares about Tomai just as much as he cares about Burdoc! ^u^ I don't think any of them would truly be happy without the third party involved.
We will be releasing some extra content for the game within this year too! (For free!) So look forward to that!
I really loved this game and I'm glad I played it! Everyone is so loveable and the background art + music made me feel right at home in this sleepy fishing village.
I'm just gonna start by saying I really appreciate that there were fully-fledged non-romantic routes, and that the pg-13 option for the game actually involves different sprites, narration and dialogue instead of awkwardly skipping NSFW scenes. I'm not aro/ace spec myself but I thought it was great that the options were there for that -- and the non-romantic routes were so good, too! I do wish we got to see the Lady more in the other routes, but given her circumstances it's understandable that we don't. I'm sure everyone gets the chance to hang out with her some time after the true ending though :3
[spoilers]
By the way, before I played I saw someone say that pursuing Burdoc every day leads to a bad ending and I was really sad because I thought that meant he didn't have a good ending -- I was delighted to realize that, actually, his good route was the polysexual one!
Also, both the solo routes are really good (and sad ;A;): I think you do a disservice to yourselves describing them as "one ending," because they play out very differently and gave me tons of insight into Burdoc and Malik's characters. I went through Burdoc's first and expected something similar from Malik, only to feel increasingly uncomfortable when neither Tomai nor Malik tried to include Burdoc the same way Burdoc tried to include Malik. Given their personalities, though (and the fact I was deliberately avoiding Burdoc), it makes perfect sense -- and it only made me more determined to make sure Burdoc knew that he was loved too!
[end spoilers]
All in all, this was really lovely and reaching the true ending made me feel warm and fuzzy. Congratulations on the stretch goals you've reached, and good luck in reaching the rest of them! C:
First of all-- thank you so much! We are both so happy and so pleased to hear you liked the game and checked out multiple endings too-- that's always really important to enjoying what this game has to offer I think! <3
*v*9 Arcade Party really has a knack for writing endings that are heart wrenching in the most realistic ways-- so I'm glad you got to experience one before experiencing more of the 'true' ending!
We definitely have more in store for The Lady but I don't want to say TOO much. (Tho we will definitely be able to see more of her thanks to some stretch goals; and that both Arcade Party and myself love the Lady and want more of her too!) Hehe!
I wish I had more to say in response but honestly I'm just very happy to hear you liked the game and everything you said was a ton of fun to read. I can't WAIT to release some stretch goal content and hear what you have to say! <3
THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Oh man, i stayed up all night playing this to get all the endings and WOW
this is simply amazing, i thought that of Solanaceae too, but this one is even better! I really love how all the characters are written, none of them seem really exaggerated or anything, they're all very believable, lovable, and relatable in some way and that's really great to find in a vn, or well any game really!
(spoiler)
and I really REALLY love that you can have a poly relationship. I was curious what would happen if you spent and equal amount of time with both of them and that wasn't what i was expecting, but i was VERY pleasantly surprised! I also liek that in the Lady's route you get hints that their might be a poly route, that was really awesome when i noticed it!
(end spoiler)
so all in all, great game 100/10 :D everyone who worked on this did an outstanding job. I shared it with some friends so hopefully they'll enjoy it too!
Aw! Thank you so much! We are both very pleased to hear you like the game and all of the characters too!
Funny enough; the poly end is one that takes people a little longer to find so I'm happy to hear you found it pretty quick-- since it's considered the 'true end'! (Since you probably saw how going after just ONE boy went, oopsie!)
If you like the writing for this game; it's written by Arcade Party who I (the artist) am also drawing another game for called AWOO that you should totally check out the demo for. :)
I think if you liked this game-- you will REALLY love AWOO.
Thanks again for your awesome comment! Very excited to release some DLC for Tomai and to hear what you think about it~ <3
I love this game so much. I love the art, I love the characters (and I didn't think I'd like Malik as much as I did), and I love love love the best ending! I wish I could hug this game, I really do.
Sticking around for more <3
Aw gosh, thank you so so much! We both appreciate hearing that and I'm always VERY excited to hear from people who played~ <3 (Also, Malik is pretty dang great.)
We are actually working on stretch goals right now to get some extra content added to the game (for free, of course) so check those out if you're interested, hehe! <3
I finished two routes, and let me give a big tip of the hat to the creator. It is an amazing project that has realized what it’s about. I’ll be sure to recommend it to my friends!
(Spoiler)
Now admittedly I did get a bad ending for choosing to solo a particular green croc, WHICH BROKE MY HEART. PLEASE HEL P.
(End spoiler)
I hope to see you do more, and look forward to your future works!
Hey there! (Writer here, filling in while the amazing DCS is at a convention so your comment doesn't get lost.)
I'm super glad you think our project achieved what we were setting out to do, even if that one ending broke your heart -- Burdoc's character is something I'm pretty happy with overall, so it really makes me glad to know that you loved him enough to try and see his story through to the end, even if that's not exactly how things shake out!
Thanks for playing! <3
(I'm at the con replying to this message, hehe!)
I'm so glad to hear you liked the game! I'm so sorry to hear the sad end broke your heart, WAH!
If you try spending an equal amount of time with both Burdoc and Malik, I think you'll like the ending a lil better hehe.
THANKS AGAIN!!!
I just played though it! You did an amazing job DCS, I love it so much! The writing, the art, the music was perfect. <3 Also, your inclusion of a *SPOILER* poly romance *END SPOILER* is fantastic! It made me so happy! Thank you for all the fun that I had! <3
P.S. Burdoc is bae
Oh gosh! THANK YOU! I'm very pleased with this game myself andArcade Party has done SUCH an amazing job with the script!
Very happy to hear you enjoyed the poly aspect (I don't consider it a spoiler myself) as it's such a core part of the game~
And I AGREE! Burdoc is THE BEST!!! <3
That was awesomely good, thanks for making it :D
You are so so welcome! We were MORE than happy to make it and release it to everyone, hehe~
Haah! Did 4 endings so far - solo, amends, single-minded and boyfriends, and this is SO AWESOME! It really met all of my expectations! I'll do a little break now, and then try all of the other endings, as I assume they include the dad and the Lady, and I wanted to draw a separation.
Your art is as great as always, and I definitely really enjoy your adult scenes (I'm pretty picky about the writing and illustrations of that kind of stuff). The only thing that bothered me were the evening talks with the dad. I mean, nothing wrong with that per se - it was interesting. But the fact some of them may repeat in a single playthrough bothers me. I mean, that's not such a big deal, but if I'm to nitpick, it would be that!
And with that being said...
---------------------- SPOILERS AHEAD!!!-----------------------
Your writing is so great I don't even hnnn!!! What I'm going about here is that I'm very - and I mean VERY - picky about polyamorous relationships, even more in games than in series or whatever. It takes a lot for me to like one, and even more to think it's the logical and/or best outcome for the characters. And you succeeded at it soooo well. Since the very beginning I was convinced it was the best way (that's why I tried to avoid it on my first playthroughs, in order to save the best for last - well, the last for now, since now I'll have to do work-focused playthroughs). I really love the way the relationship progresses between the characters and how it doesn't feel "right" for them if one of them is left out. The boyfriends ending is the cutest thing ever, and it's so nice to see such a harmonious relationship.
Now, I must say that I really loved the single-minded ending too, though (did it on Burdoc's side). It's really great (and awful XD) to see how things go crashing down from the half point on, if you don't start to take care of the other character. I find Tomai's reactions very interesting, in that he really doesn't see what's wrong, and makes mistake after mistake without even meaning bad. Of course the ending is awfully heartbreaking and sad, but it doesn't mean it's badly written - it's the opposite! I like the classical otome/BL game formula, but it's nice to see you "stood your ground" with the characters and their relationship. All too often games like that make it "normal" to entirely neglect one or more of your friends to hang out with the one you want to romance only. As I said, I have nothing against that formula as well, it's "only a game", but it's really nice to see a game that actually punishes you for being kind of a jerk haha XD
And one more thing - I love your way of making use of dreams in your stories in order to drop all sort of hints. I love it in Space School, I love it in Tomai, and I'm never bored of it! (speaking of wich, I think I won't be able to resist much longer and soon I'll dive into the current Space School chapter haha)
Aaand I went on for ages, as usual... oh well... XD
Hey hey hey! So glad to hear you played and enjoyed and so glad to hear you'll be doing the other endings as well! (You're on the nose that the other endings include The Lady and your Dad!)
The repeating endings remark is actually something we've gotten comments about from our testers but it's kind of a complicated issue-- a lot of it has to do with how Ren'py's randomization code and routing stuff works. BUT! We have discussed putting in more of these events just to try and sway the chances in a later patch. (Because there WILL be a later patch and it WILL include a lot more content!)
-------RESPONSES TO SPOILERS!!!--------
Oh! Thanks so much! I didn't actually write the game this time though, it was Arcade Party who really brought all of these cuties to life! (The original story concept and character ideas were mine tho-- it was a collab!)
We are both so glad to hear you liked the poly ending and that it felt right and natural! That's important to the both of us. <3
Oh! You should def try the solo-route with Malik as well if you're interested because it also has a lot going on. (and a really great amends part as well!) I think Arcade Party's strength always lies in making the player interested in something that is sort of punishing-- so I'm glad he was able to put it to good use in this game as well, hehe. It's nice but also TOUGH to watch Tomai fuck up, isn't it?!
AND AH! Thank you! For some reason I just LOVE using dream stuff in stories so I'm glad they can continue to be interesting! (I think maybe it's cuz I have such vivid frequent dreams myself?!)
Thank you again for your kind words and long comment, and I'm SO GLAD to hear you had fun!! Can't wait to see how the other endings treat you! <3333
Yeah, I think I'll start with Malik's solo routes, and then use the save to alternate more with all of the other characters, and then start again to try routes with the dad and the Lady.
Also, now I'm hyped about that patch!
And yeah, I think it's really important to make bad endings (whatever they are - not all bad endings are death and guts and blood XD) interesting. Some of my favorite endings in games are actually bad endings, for the sheer great writing or feel of them.
On a side note, I have to say I like Malik a way more than I thought I would! I've started with Burdoc's side for the amends and single-minded endings because he's more my style of character and I really liked him a lot since the moment I saw him, but doing Malik's events made me like him just as much!
Oh! Can't wait to hear your thoughts on those routes~
I'm so glad to hear you liked Malik as well-- both the boys are so different and have their own problems and way of solving issues and stuff, it was a lot of fun to see Ivan really like-- go ham with them! (Especially because Burdoc ended up a lot different from my original idea of him-- which I enjoy because he then just became my type. BIG 'N SWEET!)
Thanks for such an awesome game!! I just finished playing for most of the endings, and the game is so good!! I'm having a hard time trying to get the second to the last ending, care to give a hint? Again, thank you for this game!! :D
Aw, you are so welcome! We're glad you're enjoying it!
If the ending you're referring to is what I think it is-- trying spending all of your time with Malik or Burdoc (choose only one) until the very last available day, where you should then talk to their counterpart. 'v'/ The game gives you a little hint when it's time to make up with your buddy, but keep an eye on your calendar and you should do fine!
Hope that helps! Can't give too much away! <3
OOOOHHH, I got it!!! Again, thank you for this wonderful game!! :)
<3 Glad I could help! <3
WAAAH YAY, IT'S OUT! AND IT'S WONDERFUL!! tomai is so fun and well written and great to look at-- there's so much content to go through and enjoy! arcade party and dcs are both amazing developers, and they both brought their all to make tomai really amazing. all the characters are super fun and bring something unique to the story, and to tomai's life as well! the replay value is really great too; I super recommend everyone play it and fall in love with everyone like I did, eheheh.
;___; Thank you so much!
congrats on releasing the full version!!! i think it turned out so wonderful~ i hope everyone falls in love with this cast as much as i did!
Thank you again Nami for everything! You are my hero, AS ALWAYS!!! <3
This countdown has me so excited for the full release. I've gone back and played the demo at least 10 times in the past few days :3
AW! We are both so flattered to hear that!!! The final version will be 10 times better than the demo for sure~ ;3
omg! I've been waiting for this all day! Yesterday when I saw it was down I got concerned but now I just can't contain my excitement for this game! I can't wait to fall in love with the full version <3
Oh, hehe! We just had to put it into draft mode because we were making so many changes-- sorry for the spook!
We hope you love the full version!!! <3 *V*
Down to the wire, can't wait for it to drop!
We will have an announcement soon! Ivan and myself both had individual emergencies happen because September insists on being cursed? Our new deadline is before October 15th. Sorry!
The full game is out now! <3
No rush, but very excited to see the full release when it comes out :D
We're excited too! This month has been hell for the both of us (yesterday one of my cats had to get taken to the emergency vet, and Ivan has had some of his own issues) but we're still trucking along!
Thankfully both of us have great track records releasing things-- so even if it takes a little time, WE WILL RELEASE! <3
The full game is out now~ Enjoy!
Aah, soon, the full release! I'm so eager and excited about it after playing the demo when it came out!
By the way, since I don't see the answer here, will the full release be free? I like to leave something for the devs, but unfortunately I'm un such a tight situation right now I can't even play the cheapest of games unless they are totally free so yeah, better to know beforehand
Hey hey! We are both so pleased to hear you are excited for the full released, hehe! (So are we!)
The full game will ABSOLUTELY we free to play, as most everything I have to offer here on Itch.io (and elsewhere is!). There's only a select few things that are for sale that I have; and usually none are over $5 to download, OR are otherwise optional to view. (For example, the game is free, but you can donate to see the art PDF, soundtrack, etc but you don't miss out on anything story-wise not seeing them.)
Oh! I will say that AWOO (since I saw you mention it in another comment) will be $5 on release or something like that? I can't remember, since Ivan is the one deciding something like that-- but I know it'll be some small amount just so he can get back some on his investment~
Anyways, I'm rambling now! Tomai, the full version, will be free and fun and FULL OF LOVE and we are excited to bring it to you~
Thanks so much for your comment! You are way too kind~ <3
The full game is finally out! YAY!
OMGOMG thank you for poking me!
Downloading right now!
Any new updates available on a release date? Last projected estimate was early September and, well, it's early September. Any delays or problems?
Hey hey! We actually just posted an update about this-- but to go into more detail, the MASSIVE threesome scene ended up needing a bunch of CG's, and since I (DCS, the artist) was out of town for a week-- we needed some time to finish that up in a way I was satisfied with. (And I'm VERY satisfied with it now.)
Also! Ivan (the writer) recently had some big plumbing issues to take care of, and Nami (the musician) needs a little more time to finish up some songs as well. Just a bunch of small stuff that needs to get done, but it all takes time regardless!
We actually just sat down and talked thru what we need to finish the game just today and things are chugging along nicely. Most of all, we just don't want to rush things because we are all SUPER pleased by how the game is coming out so far. I know it's always annoying to wait, but we really do appreciate your patience.
To put your mind at ease, here's some of the art I recently finished for the game:
Looking forward to giving you the full game before September ends!
do we have a possible ETA? D:
Late August/Early September! <3
oh sweet early bday gift to me :D
<3 hehe glad to hear it
The full game is out now~ Enjoy!
I really liked the demo and am so excited for the final game! Burdoc is so cute :3
Thank you and we're excited to hear that! <3 (I also love Burdoc so so much!)