Hits very close to home. For a game often focused on the simple act of hanging out with friends, there's a huge array of topics juggled, from the setting deeply embedded in the slow death of small-town america and effects of late-stage capitalism to the more personal ideas of mental health and young adult disillusionment. While I'm not quite in a similar predicament to Mae, she embodies so much of where I imagine I'll be in five years. I don't think I've related to a video game character so much before, if at all. And while this game isn't entirely optimistic, especially in it's general lack of resolution (which I actually really love here though I understand why people don't), it kind of convinced me that everything might work out all right? But hell, even the solidarity offered by Mae's character alone is a comfort.

Beyond that, there's so much that I love about this game. The town environment is top-notch, and I adored exploring the nooks and crannies of it. The gameplay itself is pretty rudimentary, often revolving around dialogue rather than anything else, yet the writing is excellent enough to carry the experience. The main characters themselves are lovely, and their interactions are genuinely a joy to read, certainly some of the best I've seen in the medium.

I don't think this functions super well as a mystery, and perhaps that aspect could've been integrated a bit better, but I thought that the cult stuff fit pretty well thematically. Perhaps the cosmic horror, good as it was, could have been developed more? But it's certainly not the most important thing at play.

Great stuff, all in all, with phenomenal characters and atmosphere. A wonderful game, and also one that really resonates personally.