Info about LongStory:

Official game description:
LongStory 2 Launch Date
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Are you ready for more LongStory drama? The next installment of this beloved series brings more dates, deeper friendships, trickier dilemmas, and some fascinating surprises!
About the Game
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Who ever said you can't go back?
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LongStory, a charming and LGBTQ+ friendly dating sim set at the weirdly lovable Weasel Heights Middle School lets you pick your pronouns as well as who, or even if, you would like to date any of your romanceable friends.  
On your first day of school you discover that the previous owner of your locker has “mysteriously” disappeared. Do you want to figure out what happened or are you too busy being a social butterfly and trying to avoid your enemies…  
LongStory gives you a chance to find true love as a middle school student (yes with all the awkwardness that entails) but we promise it will be so much better this time around!  
**Episode 1 Locker 1224:** Being a new student at Weasel Heights, you’ve got enough on your plate trying to make new friends and deal with enemies but what happened to the previous owner of locker 1224 and why won't anyone talk about it?  
**Episode 2 Hanna's Notebook:** Things are getting serious with your crush but watch out there is some real Drama with Hanniferjane do you want to get involved with that? What will your crush think?  
**Episode 3 The Party:** The Party: Middle School dances are a big deal, who do you go with? Do you bring your crush or show up without a date? Things at Weasel Heights are never what they seem. It's time to learn more about your friend Colin and his big secret.  
**Episode 4 Drama:** A “new” student is back at Weasel Heights and it's causing all sorts of drama, no matter what you do it doesn’t seem like you can stay out of it. Friendships and relationships are strained, will you be okay?  
**Episode 5 Make Up:** Not every relationship is perfect. It's time to step up and make things right with your friends. Maybe even take the highroad and reach out to those you consider enemies.  
**Episode 6 History:** Middle school friendships and relationships are hard. Attend the intense but informative “Healthy Relationships Workshop.” and maybe the adults will know what they are talking about… for once.  
**Episode 7 Onward and Awkward:** As your final year winds down it's time to choose what high school you will go to. How do you decide? Most importantly how will the TurkeyHawk?

Release date: Dec 6, 2017

Categories: Visual Novel, Dating Simulation, LGBTQ+ Themes, Choice-based Narrative, Character-driven Narrative, Interactive Storybook Style, Dialogue-driven interactions


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $5.00 - $10.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence suggests that while some players find the game enjoyable and worth the price, many others feel that the game should be purchased at a discount. The recommendation to wait for a sale, particularly at least 50% off, indicates that the community considers the fair price to be significantly lower than the current base price. Additionally, the mention of the game being worth it at its current price point by one user suggests that there is a subset of players who find the price acceptable, but the overall sentiment leans towards a lower price range.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 5.5h
  - Story completion: 5.5h
  - Session length: N/A
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The evidence provides direct statements about the playtime for LongStory. Multiple reviews mention that the game takes about 5 to 6 hours to complete, which helps establish the typical playtime metrics. The evidence does not provide specific information about session length or endgame content, so those fields are marked as null.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game initially engages players with its characters and story but becomes boring and tedious over time due to repetitive elements and pacing issues.
  - Stance: Fun then drops
  - Anchor: N/A
  - Time to anchor: 0h 0m
  - Friction: Repetitive music; Excessive clicking; Pacing issues
  - Unlock drivers: Engaging characters; Character problems and dreams
  - Conditions: Focus on story; Character development
- Player Archetypes:
  - Story-Driven Visual Novel Fan (sale)
    - Motivation: Emotional engagement and narrative depth.
    - Playstyle: Immersive and reflective, focusing on story and character development.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: Visual Novel Fan; Dating Sim Enthusiast
    - Reference games: Doki Doki Literature Club; Other Visual Novels
  - Value-Conscious Critic (deep sale)
    - Motivation: Getting the best value for money.
    - Playstyle: Critical and evaluative, focusing on game features and usability.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: deep sale
    - Labels: Bargain Hunter; Critical Player
    - Reference games: Other Visual Novels with better value
  - Positive Experience Seeker (buy)
    - Motivation: Enjoyment and positive experiences.
    - Playstyle: Casual and appreciative, focusing on the enjoyable aspects of the game.
    - Experience: newcomer
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: Casual Gamer; Art Appreciator
    - Reference games: Doki Doki Literature Club; Other enjoyable Visual Novels


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:
- Well-developed characters (weight 0.72): The characters were noted for being nuanced, well-written, and having depth, with detailed expressions and unique personalities.
- Praised art and music (weight 0.62): Many players appreciated the game's art design, style, and music, describing them as beautiful and interesting.
- Engaging and immersive story (weight 0.56): The storyline was highlighted for being engaging, immersive, and resonating with players' nostalgia and personal growth.
- LGBTQ+ representation (weight 0.5): Players appreciated the inclusion and portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters and storylines, finding them well-represented and meaningful.
- Inclusive and customizable options (weight 0.43): Players appreciated the inclusive gender options, character customization, and diverse representation in the game.
- Enjoyable and addictive gameplay (weight 0.32): The gameplay was described as fun, chill, and addictive, with good replayability.
- Overall positive experience (weight 0.31): Many players described the game as good overall, enjoying the combination of story, art, and characters.
- Emotional engagement (weight 0.18): Players felt emotionally involved and engaged with the story and characters.

Common complaints:
- Choices lack meaningful impact (weight 0.63): Players frequently report that their choices feel insignificant and do not have lasting consequences, reducing the sense of agency and engagement.
- Clunky and unresponsive gameplay (weight 0.62): The game suffers from clunky controls, an unresponsive interface, and a buggy save system, leading to a frustrating user experience.
- Missing text skip feature (weight 0.61): The absence of a text skip feature, including the inability to skip already read text, is a significant inconvenience for players.
- Limited settings and features (weight 0.38): The game offers limited settings, music, art, and lacks standard genre features such as sound effects, impacting the overall experience.
- Limited character customization (weight 0.33): Players express dissatisfaction with the limited options for character customization, including appearance and actions, which restricts personalization.
- Forced interactions and limited dialogue (weight 0.31): Players feel forced into interactions and relationships, with limited and sometimes impolite dialogue choices, reducing player agency.
- Low replay value (weight 0.18): The game is criticized for having little to no replay value, making it less appealing for repeated playthroughs.
- Spelling and formatting errors (weight 0.17): The game contains numerous spelling and formatting errors, including typos and missing words, which detract from the overall quality.
- Technical issues with messages (weight 0.16): There are issues with messages not being sent and no responses received, affecting gameplay and communication.

Gameplay feedback:
- Visual novel with branching paths (weight 0.97): The game is a visual novel that features branching storylines and character customization, including LGBT themes. It is set in a Western context and offers multiple romance options.
- Extensive dialogue and choices (weight 0.66): The game offers a wide range of dialogue options and choices that significantly affect the story. It also features a back button to undo choices, adding to the player's control over the narrative.
- Character-driven slice-of-life story (weight 0.49): The game focuses on a character-driven, slice-of-life story with emotional involvement and storytelling.
- Choices impact relationships (weight 0.38): Player choices have a notable impact on relationships and outcomes, although some choices may not significantly alter the resolution or ending.
- High school and teenage relationships (weight 0.37): Set in a high school environment, the game explores teenage relationships and memories, adding a relatable and nostalgic element.
- Unique character interactions (weight 0.31): The game features unique character interactions with engaging choices and immersive writing, including texting mechanics with characters.
- Save functionality and mechanics (weight 0.23): The game includes save functionality and various player choice mechanics, enhancing the gameplay experience.
- Detective and whodunnit elements (weight 0.18): The game incorporates elements of a detective story, adding a whodunnit aspect to the narrative.
- Political and educational themes (weight 0.16): The game touches on political themes in a bonus chapter and includes educational themes, adding depth to the story.

Performance notes:
- Windowed mode issues (weight 0.27): Players encounter problems with windowed mode, including difficulties minimizing the game window and specific issues on Mac.
- Control and UI problems (weight 0.2): The game controls are buggy, and the UI is not optimized for PC, leading to a subpar gaming experience.
- Frequent game crashes (weight 0.12): The game crashes often, leading to a poor user experience and potential loss of progress.
- Porting issues from mobile (weight 0.12): There are several issues due to poor porting from smartphone to PC, affecting overall gameplay.
- Lack of sound effects (weight 0.11): The game lacks sound effects and a text skip feature, which detracts from the overall experience.
- Minor technical issues (weight 0.11): There are various minor technical hiccups that, while not game-breaking, still affect the player experience.

Recommendations:
- Highly Recommended Game (weight 0.2): The game is highly recommended by many players. It is seen as a worthwhile experience despite some flaws.
- Recommended for Story and Romance Fans (weight 0.2): The game is particularly recommended for those who enjoy quietly reading stories and fans of teen romance.
- Quick and Easy Escape (weight 0.19): The game offers a quick and easy escape from usual games, providing a different narrative experience.
- Great Educational Tool (weight 0.11): The game is considered a great teaching tool for high school or college students.
- Worth Trying on Sale (weight 0.11): Many players suggest trying the game, especially with the current sale.

Other player notes:
No miscpoints

Emotions:
- Disappointment (weight 0.17): Players felt let down by the game's lack of attractive characters and player agency. The game failed to meet expectations in terms of gameplay, narrative, replay value, and user interface, with specific criticisms aimed at the story, plot twists, choices, ending, and overall experience.
- Frustrated (weight 0.16): Players experienced frustration due to technical issues such as lack of a skip text button, saving glitches, and UI problems. Additionally, the story's adaptation for a male main character and the flawed save system contributed to this frustration.
- Happy (weight 0.15): Players expressed happiness due to the game's story and characters, which made them feel accepted and genuinely smile. The game's inclusiveness, representation, fresh art style, and reasonable pricing were also significant contributors to this positive emotion.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.13): Players enjoyed the game's well-written scenes and characters, engaging character dynamics, and the focus on interpersonal relationships. The detailed story, emotional engagement, and unique characters also contributed to their enjoyment.
- Frustration (weight 0.11): Players felt frustrated due to the lack of player agency and meaningful choices, as well as usability issues and save system problems. The lack of Simplified Chinese language support and interface issues also contributed to this frustration.
- Joy (weight 0.09): Players experienced joy due to the fun story and characters, which provided a positive experience with the game.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.05): Players felt nostalgic as the game brought back memories of teenage life and previous gaming experiences. Replaying a game from mobile and finishing it after a long time also evoked this emotion.
- Disappointed (weight 0.05): Players were disappointed due to the game's lack of features standard for its genre, short playtime, and unsatisfactory story and characters. The lack of a happy ending with the intended love interest and player choice also contributed to this disappointment.
- Excited (weight 0.04): Players felt excited about the potential for more episodes or a sequel, continuing the story and gameplay. The inclusion of LGBT+ romance games also contributed to this excitement.
- Appreciation (weight 0.02): Players appreciated the game's inclusivity and the developers' responsiveness to feedback and issues.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.01): Players felt satisfied as the game's genre, setting, themes, and price met their expectations.
- Comfort (weight 0.01): Players found comfort in the game as it helped them with figuring out their sexuality and gender identity.}