Full Release: TBA

Developer: Mangoku418

Genre: Visual Novel, Role Playing, Dating Simulation, Slice-of-Life, Yuri

Platform: PC (Itch.io – mangoku418.itch.io/dear-mom-my-letter-to-you) Steam – Dear Mom: My Letter to You

Everyone, I’ve been presented a game that I truly believe will be a big success! Not only has it piqued my interest but it has some of the same qualities as my favorite visual novel, Our Life. Now, even though you can’t customize the MC, there’s still a lot of other elements to the game that make it refreshing and give it a high replay value. For example, I do love the role playing aspect where you can build stats and have some freedom on what activities to do or who to talk to. It also has the sweet and wholesome content that I adore from time to time (have to balance it with the smut and violence) that makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside.

Summary

One year following a traumatic event, a high schooler turns over a new leaf. Play the role of Ayame as she confronts reality once again to make amends with her family and friends in this heartwarming dating sim. What journey awaits her since her long absence…?

Inspired by the Persona and the Danganronpa series, Dear Mom: My Letter to You is a dating sim that offers a story-rich narrative over the course of a year, taking a slice-of-life approach to the genre to develop a more thorough understanding of character relationships. Role-Playing Game mechanics are introduced to choices you make as a player, heavily influencing the game’s story and progression. Just as in real life, relationships are built over a long series of moments.
via dear my mom itch.io page

Features

Female Protagonist & 4 romanceable characters, each with their own unique personalities and story arcs!
Point-and-Click adventure where you can navigate to various areas of interest, take part in activities, and interact with characters!
Choices and Stats system that impact the events of the story!
Partial Voice Acting!
Colorful and expressive sprite art and animations!
Stunning environments with daytime/nighttime variations!

The game does offer content/trigger warnings which are as follows:

✧ Content warnings: Dear Mom: My Letter to You may contain content not appropriate for all ages, or may not be safe to view at work. This game is intended for a more mature audience (16+), as it contains sensitive topics like bullying and suicide.

This will be a game where you will definitely need to save frequently and play through to choose new choices, talk or not talk to certain people and also decide which stats you really want to gain. The possibilities can’t be counted! I did finish the demo and had a certain personality I wanted for my MC but I’m going to go back and try to switch things up by making her more snarky. It’s just how I like to play.

Characters

So far each character brings something different to the story but I am leaning towards Miso at the moment. Originally, when I watched the trailer on Steam, I was definitely smitten with Miamo but Miso is just so bubbly and her voice actor has just won me over. Even though I didn’t get too far with Chip, his skittish nature and random screams are probably going to earn him third place. Along with these guys we get to interact with Ayame’s dad and elder brother. All I’m gonna say is yes, dad is a daddy.

Conclusion

I really do love the different mechanics of the game. Having to earn stats and mood points in order to unlock different interactions and scenes is a wonderful idea. It’s so easy to just release a game that may take hours to beat but there’s nothing I love more than getting alternate endings or discovering scripts that I hadn’t gotten with one character. It also makes you earn the romance. A lot of my earlier visual novel games all you had to do was breathe and you pretty much could romance whomever. Realistically, you have to build trust and chemistry with someone before taking that giant step and this game implements that well.

The developer was inspired by other visual novels like CLANNAD and me personally, I LOVE CLANNAD and can see the inspiration. There’s those funny, quirky moments followed by those sad and tragic ones. I was really into the story and wanted to know more but for what it is worth, there’s a lot of content in the demo. Overall, this game was really sweet and refreshing to play. The CGS and graphics are beautiful and the music adds to the game. I highly recommend everyone checking out this game and supporting the kickstart that happens to go live tomorrow, November 16th! Also, if you make it to the end of the demo, there’s a cute little bonus scene!

About The Developer: Mangoku418

Mangoku418 is a game developer, character designer, and voice actor! He started back in 2010 by making fan games with GameMaker. Having an artistic background, he entered the gaming industry focusing on character and UI design. Coming out with a Bachelor’s Degree in Game Design and Development, he wanted to put his skills to the test and develop an original game of his own. Over time, he gained valuable experience, acquired new skills, connected with fellow developers, and collaborated with many wonderful people. He’s had a blast developing this project and hopes to deliver an exceptional experience for everyone to enjoy!

Please make sure to follow them on social media to get more updates on the game as well as support their upcoming Kickstarter that kicks off November 16th!