Info about VIDEOVERSE:

Official game description:
Relive the days of past social gaming networks in **VIDEOVERSE** – A decision-based narrative adventure focusing on character development, friendship and love, from the developer behind _One Night Stand_.
As Emmett, a young video game fan and aspiring artist, dive into this fictional video game era, where the _Kinmoku Shark_ gaming system and its online social network, _Videoverse_, were still popular. Strengthen Emmett’s friendships, share fan art and browse the lively gaming communities. Make decisions that will change how Emmett grows, his approach to Videoverse and, ultimately, the final outcome!
Will your actions help Videoverse thrive, or will you get caught up in teenage drama, video game fandoms and corporate conspiracies?
Relive the Days of Retro Gaming
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VIDEOVERSE is inspired by Miiverse, MSN messenger, early internet forums and 00’s technology. The chill soundscape of the Kinmoku Shark, composed by Clark Aboud (_Slay the Spire, Kind Words_), will uncover memories of your favourite retro gaming consoles.
Browse Videoverse
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Meet a huge cast of characters, unlock multiple side stories, enjoy the pixel doodles, and seek out the truth behind the troubled social gaming network! Personalise your Videoverse experience by choosing your avatar, personal quote and favourite theme.
Join Feudal Fantasy Fans
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Accompany Emmett as he plays the Kinmoku Shark’s most popular JRPG, Feudal Fantasy. Swap theories and discover tips from other FF fans in its exclusive Videoverse community…and find out whether or not Hanzo will be able to stop the evil Nobunaga!
VIDEOVERSE contains several accessibility options:
*   Clear Font
*   Closed Captions
*   Colourblind Friendly Themes
*   Content Warnings
*   Sound, Music and Voice Volumes
*   Tip Button

Release date: Aug 7, 2023

Categories: Choice-based Narrative, Character Development, Narrative Adventure, Visual Novel, Social Simulation, Interactive Fiction, Nostalgia-driven Gameplay, Community Management


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Authentic early internet nostalgia (weight 0.97): The game captures the essence of early 2000s internet culture, including the aesthetics, interactions, and community dynamics of online forums and social media platforms. It resonates with players who experienced the early internet, evoking a strong sense of nostalgia and emotional connection.
- Choice-driven narrative (weight 0.91): The game offers a story driven by player choices and interactions, leading to multiple endings based on the decisions made. This interactive element enhances the game's replayability and allows players to explore different story paths.
- Emotional and relatable storytelling (weight 0.88): The game features a heartfelt and bittersweet narrative that explores themes of community, belonging, and the impermanence of digital relationships. The story is emotionally impactful, with well-developed characters and realistic dialogues that resonate with real-life experiences.
- Unique and appealing art style (weight 0.84): The game's retro-flavored pixel-art aesthetic and 1-bit art style are visually appealing and accurately capture the charm of early internet communities. The nostalgic music and sound effects complement the art style, creating a cohesive and immersive atmosphere.
- Realistic social interactions (weight 0.79): The game features realistic and detailed social media interactions, including dialogues and DM exchanges. These interactions feel authentic and are reminiscent of early internet communication styles.

Common complaints:
- Unrelatable and shallow characters (weight 0.18): Characters in the game are often described as boring, shallow, and cliché. Many players found it difficult to relate to or identify with the characters, which affected their overall enjoyment of the game.
- Short and slow-paced experience (weight 0.14): The game is criticized for being too short and having a slow pace, which made some players feel bored. The linear narrative and lack of branching storylines also contributed to this sentiment.
- Technical issues and bugs (weight 0.11): The game suffers from various technical issues, including auto-save problems, progression-stopping bugs, and minor hiccups like chats not triggering immediately. These issues detract from the overall gaming experience.
- Weak beginning and ending (weight 0.09): The game is criticized for having a weak and cringe beginning, as well as an unsatisfying ending that leaves players wanting more closure.
- Translation and localization problems (weight 0.04): Some players encountered odd translations and occasional machine translation-like phrasing, particularly with the Japanese translation. This affected communication and immersion in the game.
- Repetitive gameplay and music (weight 0.04): The game and its music are criticized for being repetitive, which can make the experience feel monotonous. Additionally, some players feel the game is overpriced for the content it offers.
- Predictable and poorly explored story (weight 0.04): The game's story is described as predictable and poorly explored in its ideas. This lack of depth and originality made the narrative less engaging for some players.
- Visual and thematic issues (weight 0.04): Some players found the color themes in the game to be visually uncomfortable, and the overall themes and writing style were criticized for being inspiration-porny, self-congratulatory, and aggressively twee.
- Lack of game-focused content (weight 0.03): The game is criticized for focusing too much on romantic side stories rather than game-focused content. This shift in focus did not appeal to all players.
- Limited perspective and representation (weight 0.02): The game is criticized for being limited by the experience of a straight white cis-dude, which may not resonate with a broader audience.
- Unclear mechanics (weight 0.02): Some game mechanics, such as the 'liking top posts' feature, were not clearly explained, leading to confusion among players.
- Desire for more Videoverse content (weight 0.02): Players expressed a desire for more content related to Videoverse, indicating that the current offering may not be sufficient or engaging enough.
- Procedurally generated content issues (weight 0.01): There are issues with the procedurally generated content in the game, which may affect the overall quality and coherence of the gameplay experience.

Gameplay feedback:
- Emotional character investment (weight 0.35): Players become emotionally invested in the characters, who grow and change based on interactions and decisions. The variety of characters and their development contribute to a heartfelt story of connection and community.
- Narrative-driven visual novel (weight 0.34): The game is a visual novel with a strong focus on narrative and dialogue. Players interact with a fictional social media platform, making choices that drive the story and affect relationships and outcomes.
- Retro early 2000s internet aesthetic (weight 0.17): The game features a nostalgic, retro aesthetic reminiscent of the early 2000s internet culture. This includes a 1-bit art style, nostalgic music, and sound effects that evoke the turn-of-the-century digital community.
- Nostalgic social media interactions (weight 0.15): The game includes nostalgic interactions with social media, reminiscent of early 2000s internet relationships. Players can engage in activities like posting, replying, and private messaging, similar to old platforms like Facebook or Skype.
- Community management and moderation (weight 0.1): Players can manage and interact with an online community, including moderation tasks such as reporting inappropriate posts and dealing with trolls. This adds a layer of community building and management to the gameplay.
- Interactive forums and comments (weight 0.06): The game features interactive forums where players can like posts, post comments, and engage in forum simulations. This includes activities like scrolling through different forums and interacting with posts.
- Drawing and publishing mechanics (weight 0.03): Players can create and publish drawings within the game, adding a creative aspect to the gameplay. This mechanic allows for additional interaction within the community.
- Fictional games and references (weight 0.03): The game includes references to old video games and features fictional games like Feudal Fantasy. Players can discuss their favorite games, adding a layer of nostalgia and engagement.
- Unique and interesting world (weight 0.02): The game offers a unique and interesting world that blends elements from different periods, creating a distinctive setting for players to explore.
- Unlockable themes and artwork (weight 0.01): Players can unlock various themes and artwork, adding a collectible aspect to the game and enhancing the visual experience.
- Tight-knit niche hobby communities (weight 0.01): The game features tight-knit niche hobby communities, allowing players to engage with specific interest groups and build connections within these smaller communities.
- Animated narrative segments (weight 0.01): The game is split into chapters with animated segments featuring the protagonist, Emmett, who narrates and reflects on his past. These segments add a dynamic storytelling element to the game.

Performance notes:
- Progression-stopping bugs (weight 0.02): Players have encountered bugs that halt their progress in the game, causing frustration and disrupting the gaming experience.
- Auto-save issues (weight 0.02): There are problems with the auto-save feature, leading to potential loss of progress and inconvenience for players.

Recommendations:
- Highly recommended game (weight 0.16): The game comes highly recommended by reviewers for its delightful overall experience and engaging story and characters. It is suggested to play the game in small doses to enhance immersion and is particularly recommended for those familiar with early internet culture and visual novel fans.
- Support indie development (weight 0.02): Reviewers encourage supporting the game as a way to promote indie game development, highlighting the importance of backing smaller, innovative projects.

Other player notes:
No miscpoints

Emotions:
- Nostalgia (weight 0.41): The game evokes a strong sense of nostalgia through its depiction of early 2000s internet culture, pixel-art aesthetic, and references to old video games. Players are reminded of their teenage years, early online communities, and the simplicity of early internet interactions, creating a deep emotional connection to the game's setting and narrative.
- Joy (weight 0.25): Players experience joy from the game's charming art, moving story, and well-written characters. The emotional impact, realistic social media interactions, and the heartwarming narrative of teenage relationships and community-building contribute to a positive and engaging experience.
- Empathy (weight 0.06): The game's realistic and diverse characters, along with its portrayal of meaningful and fragile online friendships, resonate with players' real experiences. The protagonist's struggle with losing contact with friends and the relatable story evoke a strong sense of empathy.
- Disappointment (weight 0.05): Some players feel disappointed due to the lack of game-focused content, anachronistic memes, and weak character writing. The weak beginning and shallow characters, along with unmet expectations for dialogue and character interactions, contribute to this sentiment.
- Sadness (weight 0.05): The game's touching and relatable story, which explores themes of connection, alienation, and community, evokes a deep sense of sadness. The emotional rollercoaster ride and heartfelt narrative leave players emotionally impacted, with some even shedding tears.
- Reflection (weight 0.03): The game prompts players to reflect on the impermanence of digital communities, personal growth, and the emotional investment in online relationships. It addresses both the positive and negative aspects of the internet, encouraging introspection.
- Frustration (weight 0.03): Players experience frustration due to language translation issues, a tiresome chat mechanic, and the slow pace of the game. The lack of quality-of-life features also contributes to this frustration.
- Boredom (weight 0.03): Some players feel bored due to uninteresting DM and video chat sections, as well as the perceived pointlessness of certain activities like drawing.
- Gratitude (weight 0.02): Players express gratitude towards the developers for creating the game and for the opportunity to relive the early internet days.
- Criticism (weight 0.01): Some players criticize the game's handling of diversity and disability, feeling that it could be improved.
- Appreciation (weight 0.01): Players appreciate the developer's active involvement in helping players and addressing their concerns.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.01): Players enjoy the game's compelling narrative, which keeps them engaged and entertained.
- Amusement (weight 0.01): The game's funny and engaging references provide a source of amusement for players.
- Surprise (weight 0.01): The game's ending surprises players, adding an unexpected twist to the narrative.
- Connection (weight 0.01): Players feel a sense of connection as the game highlights the importance of online relationships and their impact on personal growth.
- Engagement (weight 0.01): Players are deeply engaged by the game's story and characters, becoming emotionally invested in the narrative.}