Demo V2 (Supporter Preview) (Patreon)

This is going to be more of a blog post than what I usually do with these previews.

One of the recurring comments I received for Ménage à Moi's first demo was something to the effect of "I like it but we don't get to see the making out part?" I figured since I'm already adding Rico's perspective, I could add that as well. I thought it would be relatively straightforward, but I've been stuck on it for about a week now.

The reason why is I let self-doubt get to me. When Rico wasn't a playable protagonist, there were no additional expectations. However, as I'm sure you've seen in a lot of other male protag VN's, there are a lot of opinions flying around about what a Male MC should be. Mostly having to do with a certain amount of "manliness".

The constant stream of these comments I saw for other games got to me. So many terms like "beta male" and "loser virgin" get thrown around like they're confetti. But really that kind of stuff is toxic and the people saying it aren't who I'm catering to anyways. I forgot that common does not equate to correct or even represent the majority opinion. There are so many more players than commenters and it has taken me some time to see their silence wasn't uncaring ambivalence, but more of a passive approval.

So I went back and looked at what my ideas were behind Ménage à Moi and the main one is exactly what it says on the demo page: "Ménage à Moi is a drama about two people who are coming to terms with the end of their childhood." All the younger characters, including Rico, are dealing with leaving childhood behind. While having a kickass Male MC who knocks down bullies with one arm while the other hangs around his girl can be a fun time, that's not the story I want to tell or what I think my male protagonist should be.

Rico is going to have more emotions than anger and amorousness.

He is going to be inexperienced.

And he is going to be cautious of new situations.

In the first demo, Rico and Annabelle were already a couple, but now they won't be. Players will be brought along on Rico's journey of self-discovery, through his mistakes and triumphs, and see his relationships develop in a more natural way.