I dropped it the beginning of Step 4. It was just too woke. But please hear me out...
At first I wasn't sure about this game since I didn't really like the illustration style, but everyone was raving about it so I gave it a try and bought all ML-related DLCs (yes, even the wedding one although I won't be able to play it after dropping this game). I don't live in the US and I don't watch a lot on YouTube, Tiktok or even Netflix, this means I did hear people complain about lots of "woke" content nowadays, but I never understood what they meant... until I played this game.
Now I get it.
Everything feels so into your face which makes it forced and unnatural. It would have been so much better if there was a one-time short introduction at the beginning asking for my preferred family setting, my preferences and even how I want the male lead's preferences to be. Instead, those questions popped up during the story and it destroyed the immersive feeling every single time. The first thing that got me off guard was that it was mentioned that my character had "moms". Not only, but two. I thought it's not a big deal and it won't be mentioned that much, but I was so wrong. They appear so often and there was even a short text mentioning changes in the US laws that made it possible for them to wear rings in public - I don't care about that at all, in my country nobody would even mention that since it's natural for same-gender couples to be officially together. But that wasn't all. There were all these weird questions, for example the state of my breasts or if I got them removed / bandaged. Or if they are (not) growing because I took hormones or something like that. Then I was asked multiple times if my sexuality has changed. And at one point, the male lead made a big deal about it to tell me his sexuality, which is demisexual and panromantic. I had to google these terms to actually understand what he was talking about. And of course one of the friends changed genders mid-story. AND OF COURSE the love interest has a developmental disability. GOD.
That was the last straw that broke the camel's back. I had to drop this game. It got ridiculous. Again, I don't mind how other people live their lives or whom they love, but all of this happened at the same time, in the same game!? I think there was nothing that didn't happen. What made it so unbelievably bad for me was that all of these things happened instead of showing some afford to make it feel natural, for example, going with 1 or 2 of these topics and use them more sparingly. But no, instead the developers/writers decided for some reason they had to include everything. I hope what I'm trying to say makes sense. It would have been SO MUCH BETTER if all these topics would have been spread across 5 or even more games. There is nothing wrong about wanting to mention and include all that... but it was just way too much. It got comical at some point. Honestly, with everything that happened I expected all the parents ending up in some kind of open relationship together. At this point, it wouldn't have shocked me at all, but I HAD TO DROP IT before it got worse. Now I'm trying to forget about all the forced stuff and try to remember the good memories and moments.
And for me personally, this seems to be the difference between "being inclusive" and "being woke" - at least from my interpretation as someone who isn't from the US and had no clue it's so important for indie game studios to force this kind of agenda and forgetting to make it at least feel natural.
The remaining one star is for the amount of choices - it was really fun to have the feeling that I am shaping the main character and the male lead based of my choices. I played 3 DLCs and loved especially the "Reflection" moment - it was super interesting to learn more about Kyra and Cliff, but the "Happiness" one was amazing as well! I guess without the DLCs all the "woke" options and decisions would have been even more noticeable, so I'm glad I bought them. And I DID like the interactions in general with the male lead a lot.
Just all that unnecessary stuff turned it sour for me. It felt like the team had some kind of checklist and included everything to reach a 10/10 on a wokeness scale. It feels just so... artificial. That's why I'm writing this wall of text here.
I do NOT want to offend anyone. I'm trying to give constructive feedback and explain why this game was such a disappointment for me. Of course, I could have researched and read more detailed reviews, but usually I just read what the story is about and play it blind. I did expect the "familiar everyday moments". But there were so many "unfamiliar" moments, characters and subplots that surprised me. I'm pretty sure the facts that my character has two mothers and the male lead's disability wasn't even mentioned in the "Story" part of the game explanation and I think those were quite impactful informations...
I'm not offended, but I am amused. Who do you think made this game? Not straight people, trans people, nerodivergant people, and people of color. Many of the team falling into multiple of those categories. But you're only allowed to have one or two of those or it's just going too far! It's ridiculous that people not like you made stories that were relatable to them and comment on the actual real world implications of what it's like to be a part of those communities. It's great that you're not a total "anti-woke" troll, but your critiques are still entirely silly.
Wow. I spent a lot of time writing out my thoughts, trying to give honest feedback without being offensive, and you call my critiques "entirely silly"? That's pretty disappointing coming from a developer...
Just because your team falls into various diverse categories doesn't automatically make your storytelling immune to criticism, unless you created this game just for your own team and didn't care about the average user in the first place. My issue wasn't with inclusion in general - it was with how you crammed everything in at once, making it feel forced and unnatural.
Again, it is good to stand up for representation of marginalized groups in media, but what I've been trying to say the entire time is... was it really necessary to put every single one of these topics and groups in one short game instead of using a gentler approach and saving some of these topics as main points for future games?
I'm really shocked that you are disregarding other players' feedback and even think their opinions are silly. There is nothing wrong with having different opinions and agreeing to disagree. Isn't the point of releasing a game to have a wide range of people play and enjoy it?
If you can't handle critique without getting defensive, maybe you shouldn't respond to reviews. I gave your game a chance and shared my honest opinion. Calling that "entirely silly" just makes me glad I stopped playing when I did. I don't regret buying the DLCs, I just regret reading your answer and seeing how you really think of people with different opinions. All the best.
I think you're very naive with hopefully a lot to learn. This isn't a critique on how well our characters were written or how accurate they were to real people in those groups, your problem is clearly that they are what they are in the first place. You are saying "Hey, people who put in the time and effort to make this game, can you include less of yourselves in it so it stops being off-putting to people who don't want to read about you?" Can you really, truly not see why I can't take it as reasonable advice?
But congratulations on finding your first made-by-and-for-queer-and-neurodivergent-people game ever. You might be shocked to realize one day that there’s lots of games like that and it turns out there’s no such thing as a story with an "unnatural" amount of “inclusive characters”. People have made games where every character was gay and/or trans or so on and that doesn't make it "forced". The world doesn't have ten queer people who aren't allowed in the same room. Often, people who are minorities hang out with other people in that community.
Our players themselves are queer, and trans, neurodivergent, and people who are willing to empathize with those groups without getting uncomfortable when they realize the game isn't including them for the benefit of helping straight cis people feel at ease with them, it's actually so the people in those communities can have something that makes them happy.
"Was it really necessary to put every single one of these topics and groups in one short game instead of using a gentler approach and saving some of these topics as main points for future games?"
Yes, it was! Minorities aren't just talking points. They're not some theoretical concept that only exist to be side characters in fictional stories. They are alive in reality. They play games and they make their own games. The whole world doesn’t revolve "average players" who don't mind seeing minorities in a "gentle way" as long as they’re not "crammed in". Please realize that.
I don't reply to real reviews, and if this had been somewhere other than a public comment section I wouldn't have engaged. But I'm not gonna let our players see a comment like yours and not make it clear that we're not here for you. They don't deserve to be talked about like this, so I will continue to disagree with you.
Also, check out our second game in this series. You think we included everything woke here? Not true. Our Life 2 is even wokier!
And I will add one more thing that might be a missing piece here. We already knew what you said. Anybody in a minority group who intends to make stories more about their own experiences and those of people like them know before they even start development that some players are going to dismiss the game for being woke. That's the reality of being in the minority! But we did anyway. No matter how many “average gamers” tell us to tone it down on the “PC nonsense”, we’re simply not going to. We’re just as allowed to make games that center on us as anyone else is.
Let me see if I'm understanding this correctly. You believe that the game has presented so many societal issues on its plate that, to you, the characters and occurring events are more like token representations instead of actual people and events?
(If that is the case, i have my own opinions on that matter. However if you want to drop it and move on, i will respect that. Good day.)
You sound like you want us to think you have a magical life in some magical country where nobody needs to care about diversity because nobody has a problem with anyone who is "different" to begin with. If that's true and not just a new tactic of the anti-woke crowd, I'm happy for you because you truly don't need this game, you're living it without even realizing it. But please understand that 99.9% of us aren't as lucky as you, and I don't understand why it would offend you that some writers are trying to give other people a glimpse of the kind of life you're blessed to be living.
I understand where you're coming from. For me, immersion is one of the biggest contributors in playing a visual novel, so this mini-review kind of helps me. The game won't exactly be everyone's cup of tea, but that's alright. It's us who decide to play it or not.
And as someone who doesn't really follow all the woke stuff (never was exposed to it, nor saw it promoted in my life), I'm glad I didn't download this. No offense to the developers.
EDIT: I'm a Muslim. Hence why. Got no beef with y'all but I'm just- stating my opinion?? sheesh.
Finally have some money to spend, I proceeded to buy all DLC at once, now i have blocked card bc bank decided it is sus :D :D :D. But well, better false alarm than no alarm when needed so I am not even angry. Just find it hilarious :D. Love the game so much and I am so excited to explore DLC content. I just regret that we cannot marry Cove platonically, you know, QPR/PLP stuff. My MC is already living with him and planning all the future with him, just let them marry :D.I know this game is completed, but maybe you can still add such option in your other game, that would be awesome representation for all 'destroy amatonormativity' people out there :)
I just wanna say... that this game was so fucking beautiful. I really fell in love with Cove. I even bought all the DLC and subscribe for the Pantreon content. Cant wait to play ol2!!!!! love Cove soooo much. Im gonna miss him. Srsly best steam purchase!!!
This game is so choice heavy and i love it. Not only was i able to describe who i was to a T it immersed me into this world, I cried playing this game, gorgeous story and characters. I'll plan on getting the dlc soon when i have actual money to my name.
have been a fan of this game since around october 2021. an AMAZING visual novel, by far my favourite of any i've played and a constant comparison point for myself when thinking of other visual novels - 'oh, that was almost as good as our life!'. as of right now i have about 170 hours on this game on steam (yes, i know, im sad) and couldn't possibly reccomend it any more than i do. i am so so so SO excited for now and forevers release and have been following the demo updates on patreon RELIGIOUSLY.
thank you GB patch for this amazing game and god bless your minds for crafting the perfect man in cove james holden.
I love how you are able to slowly understand cove as you play through the different steps of the game. Love how in the dlc's you are able to explore the two other characters derek and baxter. It's nice to be able to have the fun of spending time with them there the different summers. I really enjoy the process mc have with cove through the different summers!!! Tbh i will never get tired of playing the game over and over again.
My favorite thing about this game, is that while you have the option to explore other love interests (Derek and Baxter) Cove is the MAIN love interest, and you can explore that freely without feeling the need for the other two at all. I find myself falling all over again for Cove without trying on my Baxter route but have to keep reminding myself that it's a BAXTER route and not a COVE route, lol. To me, that's a good example of good writing for a love interest. Other times they feel flat or too perfect in some VNs, but this one you notice qualities of Cove you didn't realize he had in another playthrough. Soft bois aren't usually my forte, but with Cove I find myself making an exception, its so hard to be just best friends with him!
Super random, but how do I get that scene in the 8th image where Cove is shutting his mouth? I've played this game a bunch, and I cannot find that scene. It's not a big deal, but I'm curious.
Hey, not sure how helpful this is but I just got this scene my first time playing. It's the beginning of part 3, A little dialogue after saying the summer ended for part 2, He came over to hangout/grab me for his mom's send off I confessed my feelings, laughed at his reaction, said things don't have to be different, then kissed him. I'm not sure if his personality settings also influence his reaction but I did change them in part 2 when given the opportunity: for his warmness I placed one away from the left and for the bottom one I placed it one away from the right. Hope this helps :)
I've played through the game like 6 times and in only one of the playthroughs I've been able to refer to Cliff and Kyra as dad and mom. Is there anything specific that has to happen for that to be an option?
I'm thinking it's about how much you help the family out and how early on. I got that option first playthrough and I think it's because I chose to talk about the secret in step 2, not later steps. But that's just a guess I have. Not sure if that is really the reason. I think it might also depend on the choices you make during moments? I think.
The game is BRILIANT. It was truly a special experience for me, and I never expected a game to tell someone's stages of life like this. For me it was very nostaligic and I could relate to the story or the events easily. Glad i played it untill the end of step 4. I don't know maybe I will try it again... XD
I liked how a part of story was in the player's hand, the art, the story, specially the characters. Just wanted to thank the creaters or developers, and anyone who had supported the project.
On Macs you might have to go through various folders to get to the right one. You can look at this screenshot, though the current DLC system uses an rpa file rather than another folder (in the screenshot it shows a step 1 dlc folder in the Our Life game folder).
It is absolutely crazy and wild that this game is free! So much customization and options that actually matter. It's insane this game isn't insanely popular. Well done!
i played this game a couple years back but never really got far because my laptop died. but I got reminded of it because of a friend and bought it a couple of days ago and now am on my second playthrough! When I tell you I genuinely almost cried multiple times during the wedding dlc oh my lord. I just really love this game it gives me so many feels. Best money spent 💜
I love this game so much. I found it about a year ago, but I'm only leaving a comment now lmfao. This game will most likely stay as the best visual novel game I will ever play in my life. I cried when I finished the game, and I can't wait to slowly purchase the DLC's when I can- because I love this game so much!!! I'm so excited for the next game too! (I will also be getting all of the DLC for OL2 as well :3) it's 10/10 game!
I just finished this game, and I really don't know how to feel. It's so bittersweet. The game is fantastic. The character development is wonderful and really helps build the relationships between us/the main character and everyone else. I would like to know what happened to Shiloh, Jeremy, and Baxtor though...
Finally finished the game after tones of all nighters (but still gotta get some achievements) and this has really been such a beautiful game and it has made me want to bawl my eyes out alot!! I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!!!! 😻😻😻😻😻😻💗💗💗💗💗💗
i didn't get this on itch, i have it on gog, absolutely love it, clean and the ability to scroll back using the mouse wheel is a life saver when you missclick as much as i do (i have dysgraphia and dyspraxia, its a pain and i make do) but i wanna ask, since over time i do wanna support the devs, im just curious to know, if i subscribe to the patreon, do i get the dlc independently or from from the patreon itself?
(i ask cus between not being tech savvy at all and simply just not being familiar with how any of this works, im kinda a touch lost on what to do)
I'm glad you like it! The Patreon is for bonus content, it can't be used like a storefront that sells DLC keys for other sites like Itch, GOG, or Steam. Backing there gets you sneak peeks to our upcoming game and can give you extra Our Life: Beginnings & Always Moments that aren't available anywhere besides Patreon.
i thank you, i presume dlc has to be acquired separately like how i grabbed the voiced names dlc from here then? if so, i'll definitely subscribe to the patreon
Hey, so I'm not sure if I'm missing something, but I ended up getting the second Derek CG despite not having any of the DLC. I don't have any issue with it of course, but I'm just confused as to why it happened.
Also, congrats to the whole studio for having the top game on all of Itch.
This game is focused on growing up with a little boy. If you'd like to romance a girl, you can follow the development of the next game in the Our Life series- https://gbpatch.itch.io/our-life-nf
i love Baxter, but he seriously could NOT keep it in his pants the first time he appeared on-screen. like, some of the first things he did were grin flirtatiously, invite himself over to where the player and Cove were standing, and then flirt(?) with Cove. and then he said he wouldn't be opposed to FUCKING US?? like, sir, we just met and you're already dripping all over my driveway- please calm down. that being said, i'm thoroughly enamored with him and will probably buy his DLC when i can. i love the game, and i can't recommend it enough<33.
I realized just now that I've never left a review on this game which is a horrible error on my part. Anyways!!
I bought both the Derek and the Baxter dlc's, and I intend to buy all of the other dlc's too because I always need more Cove in my life <3 If anyone is feeling unsure about buying any of the dlc's, please do! The content is amazing as expected and there's so much more story waiting for you, not only with Cove but with other characters we didn't get to see a lot of in the main game!
This game... Where to start?? It made me cry more than once, both tears of joy and of sadness lol. I especially enjoyed the ways in which we interacted with our family and friends. Growing up with Cove and my sister, getting to know Cove's mom and dad, getting up to crazy shenanigans with our friends, all of it was and is enjoyable for me. Paired with the beautiful art and the different routes you can take in developing your relationship with Cove, it's an AMAZING game. One of my most favorite visual novels out there currently.
I can't put into words on how much I love this sm. I was just looking at games to play then I saw this- I COULD NEVER IMAGINE I WOULD BE ATTACHED TO IT 😭💔
Definitely gonna be downloading all the dlcs when I can. < 333
Do you feel as though your flesh doesn't belong to you? When you fall into a sea of darkness, do your lung inflate from the weight of your sins. If you die will the suffering from this hell hole ever end? I will relive you from the weight of your corrupted and decayed flesh. Let me wear your skin. I will bare the weight of your sinful ways. I will take what I desire. I am the prophet. The savior of this hell scape. I will relinquish the filth that rots this earth. You will suffer as I erase your petty existence. Nobody will hear your screams of agony.
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I dropped it the beginning of Step 4. It was just too woke. But please hear me out...
At first I wasn't sure about this game since I didn't really like the illustration style, but everyone was raving about it so I gave it a try and bought all ML-related DLCs (yes, even the wedding one although I won't be able to play it after dropping this game). I don't live in the US and I don't watch a lot on YouTube, Tiktok or even Netflix, this means I did hear people complain about lots of "woke" content nowadays, but I never understood what they meant... until I played this game.
Now I get it.
Everything feels so into your face which makes it forced and unnatural. It would have been so much better if there was a one-time short introduction at the beginning asking for my preferred family setting, my preferences and even how I want the male lead's preferences to be. Instead, those questions popped up during the story and it destroyed the immersive feeling every single time. The first thing that got me off guard was that it was mentioned that my character had "moms". Not only, but two. I thought it's not a big deal and it won't be mentioned that much, but I was so wrong. They appear so often and there was even a short text mentioning changes in the US laws that made it possible for them to wear rings in public - I don't care about that at all, in my country nobody would even mention that since it's natural for same-gender couples to be officially together. But that wasn't all. There were all these weird questions, for example the state of my breasts or if I got them removed / bandaged. Or if they are (not) growing because I took hormones or something like that. Then I was asked multiple times if my sexuality has changed. And at one point, the male lead made a big deal about it to tell me his sexuality, which is demisexual and panromantic. I had to google these terms to actually understand what he was talking about. And of course one of the friends changed genders mid-story. AND OF COURSE the love interest has a developmental disability. GOD.
That was the last straw that broke the camel's back. I had to drop this game. It got ridiculous. Again, I don't mind how other people live their lives or whom they love, but all of this happened at the same time, in the same game!? I think there was nothing that didn't happen. What made it so unbelievably bad for me was that all of these things happened instead of showing some afford to make it feel natural, for example, going with 1 or 2 of these topics and use them more sparingly.
But no, instead the developers/writers decided for some reason they had to include everything. I hope what I'm trying to say makes sense. It would have been SO MUCH BETTER if all these topics would have been spread across 5 or even more games. There is nothing wrong about wanting to mention and include all that... but it was just way too much. It got comical at some point. Honestly, with everything that happened I expected all the parents ending up in some kind of open relationship together. At this point, it wouldn't have shocked me at all, but I HAD TO DROP IT before it got worse. Now I'm trying to forget about all the forced stuff and try to remember the good memories and moments.
And for me personally, this seems to be the difference between "being inclusive" and "being woke" - at least from my interpretation as someone who isn't from the US and had no clue it's so important for indie game studios to force this kind of agenda and forgetting to make it at least feel natural.
The remaining one star is for the amount of choices - it was really fun to have the feeling that I am shaping the main character and the male lead based of my choices. I played 3 DLCs and loved especially the "Reflection" moment - it was super interesting to learn more about Kyra and Cliff, but the "Happiness" one was amazing as well! I guess without the DLCs all the "woke" options and decisions would have been even more noticeable, so I'm glad I bought them. And I DID like the interactions in general with the male lead a lot.
Just all that unnecessary stuff turned it sour for me. It felt like the team had some kind of checklist and included everything to reach a 10/10 on a wokeness scale. It feels just so... artificial. That's why I'm writing this wall of text here.
I do NOT want to offend anyone. I'm trying to give constructive feedback and explain why this game was such a disappointment for me. Of course, I could have researched and read more detailed reviews, but usually I just read what the story is about and play it blind. I did expect the "familiar everyday moments". But there were so many "unfamiliar" moments, characters and subplots that surprised me. I'm pretty sure the facts that my character has two mothers and the male lead's disability wasn't even mentioned in the "Story" part of the game explanation and I think those were quite impactful informations...
I'm not offended, but I am amused. Who do you think made this game? Not straight people, trans people, nerodivergant people, and people of color. Many of the team falling into multiple of those categories. But you're only allowed to have one or two of those or it's just going too far! It's ridiculous that people not like you made stories that were relatable to them and comment on the actual real world implications of what it's like to be a part of those communities. It's great that you're not a total "anti-woke" troll, but your critiques are still entirely silly.
Wow. I spent a lot of time writing out my thoughts, trying to give honest feedback without being offensive, and you call my critiques "entirely silly"? That's pretty disappointing coming from a developer...
Just because your team falls into various diverse categories doesn't automatically make your storytelling immune to criticism, unless you created this game just for your own team and didn't care about the average user in the first place. My issue wasn't with inclusion in general - it was with how you crammed everything in at once, making it feel forced and unnatural.
Again, it is good to stand up for representation of marginalized groups in media, but what I've been trying to say the entire time is... was it really necessary to put every single one of these topics and groups in one short game instead of using a gentler approach and saving some of these topics as main points for future games?
I'm really shocked that you are disregarding other players' feedback and even think their opinions are silly. There is nothing wrong with having different opinions and agreeing to disagree. Isn't the point of releasing a game to have a wide range of people play and enjoy it?
If you can't handle critique without getting defensive, maybe you shouldn't respond to reviews. I gave your game a chance and shared my honest opinion. Calling that "entirely silly" just makes me glad I stopped playing when I did. I don't regret buying the DLCs, I just regret reading your answer and seeing how you really think of people with different opinions. All the best.
I think you're very naive with hopefully a lot to learn. This isn't a critique on how well our characters were written or how accurate they were to real people in those groups, your problem is clearly that they are what they are in the first place. You are saying "Hey, people who put in the time and effort to make this game, can you include less of yourselves in it so it stops being off-putting to people who don't want to read about you?" Can you really, truly not see why I can't take it as reasonable advice?
But congratulations on finding your first made-by-and-for-queer-and-neurodivergent-people game ever. You might be shocked to realize one day that there’s lots of games like that and it turns out there’s no such thing as a story with an "unnatural" amount of “inclusive characters”. People have made games where every character was gay and/or trans or so on and that doesn't make it "forced". The world doesn't have ten queer people who aren't allowed in the same room. Often, people who are minorities hang out with other people in that community.
Our players themselves are queer, and trans, neurodivergent, and people who are willing to empathize with those groups without getting uncomfortable when they realize the game isn't including them for the benefit of helping straight cis people feel at ease with them, it's actually so the people in those communities can have something that makes them happy.
"Was it really necessary to put every single one of these topics and groups in one short game instead of using a gentler approach and saving some of these topics as main points for future games?"
Yes, it was! Minorities aren't just talking points. They're not some theoretical concept that only exist to be side characters in fictional stories. They are alive in reality. They play games and they make their own games. The whole world doesn’t revolve "average players" who don't mind seeing minorities in a "gentle way" as long as they’re not "crammed in". Please realize that.
I don't reply to real reviews, and if this had been somewhere other than a public comment section I wouldn't have engaged. But I'm not gonna let our players see a comment like yours and not make it clear that we're not here for you. They don't deserve to be talked about like this, so I will continue to disagree with you.
Also, check out our second game in this series. You think we included everything woke here? Not true. Our Life 2 is even wokier!
And I will add one more thing that might be a missing piece here. We already knew what you said. Anybody in a minority group who intends to make stories more about their own experiences and those of people like them know before they even start development that some players are going to dismiss the game for being woke. That's the reality of being in the minority! But we did anyway. No matter how many “average gamers” tell us to tone it down on the “PC nonsense”, we’re simply not going to. We’re just as allowed to make games that center on us as anyone else is.
Let me see if I'm understanding this correctly. You believe that the game has presented so many societal issues on its plate that, to you, the characters and occurring events are more like token representations instead of actual people and events?
(If that is the case, i have my own opinions on that matter. However if you want to drop it and move on, i will respect that. Good day.)
You sound like you want us to think you have a magical life in some magical country where nobody needs to care about diversity because nobody has a problem with anyone who is "different" to begin with. If that's true and not just a new tactic of the anti-woke crowd, I'm happy for you because you truly don't need this game, you're living it without even realizing it. But please understand that 99.9% of us aren't as lucky as you, and I don't understand why it would offend you that some writers are trying to give other people a glimpse of the kind of life you're blessed to be living.
I understand where you're coming from. For me, immersion is one of the biggest contributors in playing a visual novel, so this mini-review kind of helps me. The game won't exactly be everyone's cup of tea, but that's alright. It's us who decide to play it or not.
And as someone who doesn't really follow all the woke stuff (never was exposed to it, nor saw it promoted in my life), I'm glad I didn't download this. No offense to the developers.
EDIT: I'm a Muslim. Hence why. Got no beef with y'all but I'm just- stating my opinion?? sheesh.
Dude, out of all of the glowing reviews, you listen to the single negative one?
yeah.
That wouldn't be so much of an issue if that guy's review didn't sound like a schizophrenic, terminally online rant.
blud does NOT like minorities 🙏🙏
Wait... you had to google demisexual and panromantic? Why? Cove literally explains what they mean in the conversation you are referencing.
Finally have some money to spend, I proceeded to buy all DLC at once, now i have blocked card bc bank decided it is sus :D :D :D. But well, better false alarm than no alarm when needed so I am not even angry. Just find it hilarious :D. Love the game so much and I am so excited to explore DLC content. I just regret that we cannot marry Cove platonically, you know, QPR/PLP stuff. My MC is already living with him and planning all the future with him, just let them marry :D.I know this game is completed, but maybe you can still add such option in your other game, that would be awesome representation for all 'destroy amatonormativity' people out there :)
absolutely beautiful
just had to show my steam hours because of how invested i am in this game. gonna miss my ocean boy but i always come back to visit him😂💜
COVE»»»»»»
THE BEST OCEAN BOYYY
I just wanna say... that this game was so fucking beautiful. I really fell in love with Cove. I even bought all the DLC and subscribe for the Pantreon content. Cant wait to play ol2!!!!! love Cove soooo much. Im gonna miss him. Srsly best steam purchase!!!
This game is so choice heavy and i love it. Not only was i able to describe who i was to a T it immersed me into this world, I cried playing this game, gorgeous story and characters. I'll plan on getting the dlc soon when i have actual money to my name.
Cove you best BOIIIII I will never forgive you :(
have been a fan of this game since around october 2021. an AMAZING visual novel, by far my favourite of any i've played and a constant comparison point for myself when thinking of other visual novels - 'oh, that was almost as good as our life!'. as of right now i have about 170 hours on this game on steam (yes, i know, im sad) and couldn't possibly reccomend it any more than i do. i am so so so SO excited for now and forevers release and have been following the demo updates on patreon RELIGIOUSLY.
thank you GB patch for this amazing game and god bless your minds for crafting the perfect man in cove james holden.
I teared up when the game ended. This game is fantastic i enjoyed every second of it! Im gonna miss this game (and cove) a lot!
Thank you for this amazing visual novel!!!!
I love how you are able to slowly understand cove as you play through the different steps of the game. Love how in the dlc's you are able to explore the two other characters derek and baxter. It's nice to be able to have the fun of spending time with them there the different summers. I really enjoy the process mc have with cove through the different summers!!! Tbh i will never get tired of playing the game over and over again.
My favorite thing about this game, is that while you have the option to explore other love interests (Derek and Baxter) Cove is the MAIN love interest, and you can explore that freely without feeling the need for the other two at all. I find myself falling all over again for Cove without trying on my Baxter route but have to keep reminding myself that it's a BAXTER route and not a COVE route, lol. To me, that's a good example of good writing for a love interest. Other times they feel flat or too perfect in some VNs, but this one you notice qualities of Cove you didn't realize he had in another playthrough. Soft bois aren't usually my forte, but with Cove I find myself making an exception, its so hard to be just best friends with him!
Super random, but how do I get that scene in the 8th image where Cove is shutting his mouth? I've played this game a bunch, and I cannot find that scene. It's not a big deal, but I'm curious.
Hey, not sure how helpful this is but I just got this scene my first time playing. It's the beginning of part 3, A little dialogue after saying the summer ended for part 2, He came over to hangout/grab me for his mom's send off I confessed my feelings, laughed at his reaction, said things don't have to be different, then kissed him. I'm not sure if his personality settings also influence his reaction but I did change them in part 2 when given the opportunity: for his warmness I placed one away from the left and for the bottom one I placed it one away from the right. Hope this helps :)
Oh, I also had my feelings for him in part 2 placed as relaxed crush
I've played through the game like 6 times and in only one of the playthroughs I've been able to refer to Cliff and Kyra as dad and mom. Is there anything specific that has to happen for that to be an option?
I'm thinking it's about how much you help the family out and how early on. I got that option first playthrough and I think it's because I chose to talk about the secret in step 2, not later steps. But that's just a guess I have. Not sure if that is really the reason. I think it might also depend on the choices you make during moments? I think.
The game is BRILIANT. It was truly a special experience for me, and I never expected a game to tell someone's stages of life like this. For me it was very nostaligic and I could relate to the story or the events easily. Glad i played it untill the end of step 4. I don't know maybe I will try it again... XD
I liked how a part of story was in the player's hand, the art, the story, specially the characters. Just wanted to thank the creaters or developers, and anyone who had supported the project.
Is there any kind of video instruction on how to install the DLCs on Mac? I can't seem to figure out how to do it and I've tried everything
On Macs you might have to go through various folders to get to the right one. You can look at this screenshot, though the current DLC system uses an rpa file rather than another folder (in the screenshot it shows a step 1 dlc folder in the Our Life game folder).
Wow, I did not expect a reply so soon! Thank you, but I finally figured it out. 😅 Turns out I was looking at the wrong “game” folder.
No problem. I'm glad it worked out :D
Thank you for the tuto
It is absolutely crazy and wild that this game is free! So much customization and options that actually matter. It's insane this game isn't insanely popular. Well done!
:) I'm still here <3 I miss this game, I just replayed it once more and it never fails to tug the heartstrings. I love the creators!
I'm sobbing the ending caught me off guard: "thank you for starting a life here" i definitely will be buying the DLCs! Especially the wedding one :3
i played this game a couple years back but never really got far because my laptop died. but I got reminded of it because of a friend and bought it a couple of days ago and now am on my second playthrough! When I tell you I genuinely almost cried multiple times during the wedding dlc oh my lord. I just really love this game it gives me so many feels. Best money spent 💜
I love this game so much. I found it about a year ago, but I'm only leaving a comment now lmfao. This game will most likely stay as the best visual novel game I will ever play in my life. I cried when I finished the game, and I can't wait to slowly purchase the DLC's when I can- because I love this game so much!!! I'm so excited for the next game too! (I will also be getting all of the DLC for OL2 as well :3) it's 10/10 game!
10000000000000/10 game! I will forever be rooting for Jamie and Cove <3 Amazing work!
i would literally die for this game
I just finished this game, and I really don't know how to feel. It's so bittersweet. The game is fantastic. The character development is wonderful and really helps build the relationships between us/the main character and everyone else. I would like to know what happened to Shiloh, Jeremy, and Baxtor though...
Shiloh and Jeremy are actually from a previous game of their's, XOXO Droplets.
Really? I didn't know that. Thank you!
I LOVE YOU COVE, DEREK, AND BAXTER
I MISS HIM
REAL
Finally finished the game after tones of all nighters (but still gotta get some achievements) and this has really been such a beautiful game and it has made me want to bawl my eyes out alot!! I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!!!! 😻😻😻😻😻😻💗💗💗💗💗💗
i didn't get this on itch, i have it on gog, absolutely love it, clean and the ability to scroll back using the mouse wheel is a life saver when you missclick as much as i do (i have dysgraphia and dyspraxia, its a pain and i make do) but i wanna ask, since over time i do wanna support the devs, im just curious to know, if i subscribe to the patreon, do i get the dlc independently or from from the patreon itself?
(i ask cus between not being tech savvy at all and simply just not being familiar with how any of this works, im kinda a touch lost on what to do)
I'm glad you like it! The Patreon is for bonus content, it can't be used like a storefront that sells DLC keys for other sites like Itch, GOG, or Steam. Backing there gets you sneak peeks to our upcoming game and can give you extra Our Life: Beginnings & Always Moments that aren't available anywhere besides Patreon.
i thank you, i presume dlc has to be acquired separately like how i grabbed the voiced names dlc from here then? if so, i'll definitely subscribe to the patreon
Yeah, the bonus moments are separate builds from the main game. You don't add them to your main our life folder.
Hey, so I'm not sure if I'm missing something, but I ended up getting the second Derek CG despite not having any of the DLC. I don't have any issue with it of course, but I'm just confused as to why it happened.
Also, congrats to the whole studio for having the top game on all of Itch.
Thanks for letting us know! I'm not sure why that happened either, but we'll check it out.
is it possible to fall in love with a girl? or its possible only play gay with cove? is it a yaoi game?
All the love interests are male and u can date them regardless of gender. But you can also be lesbian/bi/pan and just be cove's friend
so basically, cant i date and fall in love with a female?
nope, as far as I know
That's too bad I was really hyped for a second there
This game is focused on growing up with a little boy. If you'd like to romance a girl, you can follow the development of the next game in the Our Life series-
https://gbpatch.itch.io/our-life-nf
i actually love this game so much that for some reason it breaks my heart to see him
(MINOR STAGE 3 SPOILERS/SUGGESTIVE HUMOR)
i love Baxter, but he seriously could NOT keep it in his pants the first time he appeared on-screen. like, some of the first things he did were grin flirtatiously, invite himself over to where the player and Cove were standing, and then flirt(?) with Cove. and then he said he wouldn't be opposed to FUCKING US?? like, sir, we just met and you're already dripping all over my driveway- please calm down. that being said, i'm thoroughly enamored with him and will probably buy his DLC when i can. i love the game, and i can't recommend it enough<33.
this game made me realize how gay i am for cove. Thanks!
I realized just now that I've never left a review on this game which is a horrible error on my part. Anyways!!
I bought both the Derek and the Baxter dlc's, and I intend to buy all of the other dlc's too because I always need more Cove in my life <3 If anyone is feeling unsure about buying any of the dlc's, please do! The content is amazing as expected and there's so much more story waiting for you, not only with Cove but with other characters we didn't get to see a lot of in the main game!
This game... Where to start?? It made me cry more than once, both tears of joy and of sadness lol. I especially enjoyed the ways in which we interacted with our family and friends. Growing up with Cove and my sister, getting to know Cove's mom and dad, getting up to crazy shenanigans with our friends, all of it was and is enjoyable for me. Paired with the beautiful art and the different routes you can take in developing your relationship with Cove, it's an AMAZING game. One of my most favorite visual novels out there currently.
I truly cannot praise this game enough.
Cove is best boi!
words seriously cannot explain how big of an impact this game had on my life
left me feeling so empty when I finished it and I still cry over cove till this day :'))
This is in Spanish??
Awesome VN. Although I have a question: Is Cove's booty hair green too?
HELPP 😭
Having played all the dlc and patreon content, I can say.... yes, it sure is.
OMG ?2?1?!21?2!1? when i get a job this will be the first thing my money goes to...........
I love this comment
I can't put into words on how much I love this sm. I was just looking at games to play then I saw this- I COULD NEVER IMAGINE I WOULD BE ATTACHED TO IT 😭💔
Definitely gonna be downloading all the dlcs when I can. < 333
I LOVE THIS SO MUCH AAAAA
i cannot believe this is free, its so good!! HOW did i not click on this when i saw it before??
Do you feel as though your flesh doesn't belong to you? When you fall into a sea of darkness, do your lung inflate from the weight of your sins. If you die will the suffering from this hell hole ever end? I will relive you from the weight of your corrupted and decayed flesh. Let me wear your skin. I will bare the weight of your sinful ways. I will take what I desire. I am the prophet. The savior of this hell scape. I will relinquish the filth that rots this earth. You will suffer as I erase your petty existence. Nobody will hear your screams of agony.
I dont remember writing this mb
bro what were you on 17 hours ago 😭
maybe they were high
uhhh
HUH????