A rough guide to how the game works


I have been asked to provide a walkthrough or at least some sort of guide. Now, making a comprehensive walkthrough would not be quite practical. Unlike most visual novels, there is no simple correspondence between the choices you make and the consequences suffered. That being said, I've tried to give a rough primer on how the game operates. I hope it will be of some use to you or at least that you will find it interesting.

The next few paragraphs will be a bit spoilery. I encourage you to play the game once or twice before reading them.

Overall, the major twists and turns of this game are not decided by particular choices, or even by a combination of particular choices, but by how you play the game as a whole. Roughly speaking, if you want to get to the good end*, the best way is to become a paragon of toxic masculinity. It's not the only way, but it's the easiest. If you fail at some of the challenges (like not managing to sustain Natacha's gaze), life will become harder for you, but you can always come back by becoming an even more radical figure.

Then there are smaller branches that are directly decided by what you choose. This is usually fairly obvious, at least in retrospect. For example, if you do not admit not having enough money to buy drinks, Henri will not suggest a manly (but a bit dangerous) way to earn gold (which will in turn change the following scenes).

Then there are numerous small variations that can hinge on a number of things. Some of them are determined by what you have answered in the past. For example, if you confess your feminist leanings, you will get feminist responses here and there. Some, on the other hand, will be shaped by the way you acted in general. And some, finally, will depend on a specific combination of choices you have made. A few of the latter are almost secret and you will only find them by being playful enough with your answers. In any case, none of these variations on their own have a substantial impact on your fate.

These 3 levels are very intertwined, especially in the second half of the game. But there are no minor branches or small variations that, by themselves, will force you onto one or the other of the major branches.

And that's it. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I won't bite.

* There is two ending (I'm not talking of the epilogue, but of the previous scenes, you know which ones...). That being said, while the bad ending has only one scene (with small variations), the good ending has two different scenes. One is very short and mostly implied (you take Natacha to your room). As far as I can tell, this is the one most players choose. The other one, where you don't take the gamine to your room, is much more explicit (for all concerned).

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