Rot in Paradise

Played both endings. I think it is about toxic friendship but understand why ppl think it's also about losing friends to addiction (it can be both, perhaps?)

[Spoiler Ahead!]

As a daughter with toxic parents, I really feel June and Ryan. Those friends/family might not be bad people, but you feel drained when they're around. 

From the beginning of the game I notice Vonnie bosses her friends around, McCoy is almost like a bully (describing June as lazy and messy, pushing her into the hotel fountain), and Carmen is all about herself and a bit of an alcoholic. And their overall reactions to June are pretty passive-aggressive. If I have to say, the only thing in common among them is that they are empty inside, so they find others to suck energy. And this is not enough; that's why they're withered, and look for food and water to fill them.

My interpretation of June being the last to their meet-up is that she unconsciously resists showing up. And Ryan perhaps feels the same, but for some reason Ryan can't get himself out of the group. It is a shame that we can't save Ryan, but at least June has the chance to save herself :(

(Spoilers)

OMG WTH bro I wanted to get off the dang island but NOoOoOOoo freaking RYAN just HAAAAD to go DROWN!!!

I Went to an Island FULL of FREAKS

amazing but so short :((( hope it gets expanded some day

i had the f and t flabergasted and traumatized

interesting little game, despite the fact that I don't really know English and it's not my native language, I played it with the help of a translator. I liked the presentation and the open endings, which can make you think about what could happen next. and also, on the poster of this game, these hidden hints in the characters' actions are simply wonderful, the authors are brilliant. good game, definitely recommend. (I still use the translator, there may be errors)

I lov ur work creator, pls dont go bald <3

ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND, DEAR CREATOR?! WHAT WAS THAT ENDING? HELLO? I NEED TO KNOW MORE? EVERYTHING WAS PERFECT, I DIDNOT EVEN EDGE CAUSE I WAS SO LOCKED IN. THIS GAME WAS PERFECT UNTIL THE ENDINGS. YOU HAVE LOTS OF EXPLAININNG TO DO. THE ENDING WAS VERY MYSTERIOUS BUT DO I LOOK LIKE I WANT MYSTERIOUS? NO. 
am not mad, I am just disappointed
love your games, please make more. #loveyou

I loved this game.

hey could i have a little help im closing and opening the game over and over again after moving it to the applications folder yet my laptop is saying its open but no new windows open or anything. Is my laptop just broken to investigrave games?

IT'S SO FCKG GOOD ???? THIS AMOUNT OF QUALITY FOR A FREE GAME ? YOU GUYS ARE INSANELY TALENTEND. I'm a big fan of psychological horror and my stomach dropped a few times. Thank you for this 

DID RYAN GO INSANE ASWELL?? WHY???/

game so good at horror i had a nightmare about it after playing it 10/10

great game!

I enjoyed the Game 

I am really disturbed, but in a good way.

like always your game is good, maybe i just little bit cofused what happend with everyone in the ending

I really enjoyed the different endings and how spooky/sad they were. :O Me and my partner played through it side-by-side and it was so excellent!

as we all know, every racheldrawsthis game is an amazing play 

she NEVER disappoints my gosh

also the ending is quite sad, june came with all her friends and... well stayed and they went who knows where without her

that scene of her all alone is so sad sigh

STOP I JUST REALISED ITS FORESHADOWED IN THE FIRST PIC omg the creator is a genius

Oh, also, as my username implies, I am indeed a total simp. No joke, proceeding to simp for Ryan.

I HECKING LOVED THIS. Not only is the art stunning, but the story and character dynamics are well done. (But I want to know what happens to June in the ending when u go back!)

Sprites are really cute, love how June's friends have such different personalities, and make jokes very differently. I find that an issue with so many games in this genre, everyone talks the same way! so great, so refreshing to find a game and creator this amazing, have played some of their other stuff, (Dead plate specifically, cuz it's the best)

i love this, i'm still a bit confused but I really like the idea of this symbolizing the usage of dr#gs or toxic friendhips 

I just realized it is meant to symbolize toxic friendships and cutting them off (I think]. Really good game, but I am still confused on the story itself and why everyone (with the exception of June and Ryan] went rabid and joined the ocean. Also wondering where Ryan went, because he was on the beach at the end, but then you plummet into the ocean and either it cuts off there or you swim back to the bay and then it just ends. Anyways, this was real cool and imo both Ryan and June seem like chill friends. 

i cried, thank you...really, it's the first time that i cry for a game

Thank you for the game! Great art as always, but I just felt that maybe some bits of the story was missing? Like everyone else has said, the ending felt incomplete and the story and setting just wasn't established properly. Looking forward to your next game.

i enjoyed the whole experience EXCEPT the ending which idk didnt really give that satisfaction,,, but i feel like this one has a lot of potential and could be expanded on in the future...maybe??? hopefully??? since ya know this was prolly made on a time crunch, and honestly it came out awesome, great job team

I don't really get this game. it felt so unfinished. Like most of it is still missing. And the dialoge with Ryan at night was strange. Also how you travel is a pain! I like it when you can move from one map to another, this system was just annoying.

This game is truly phenomenal, and its exquisite artwork is nothing short of breathtaking.

I MADE AN ACCOUNT JUST TO COMMENT ON THIS GAME OF YOURS SPECIFICALLY

ok i dont wanna be toooo harsh because i enjoyed it much and most of my complaints other people have already said so methinkles i'll put my highlights first !!

it was so fucking weird. i love it.
ofcourse, as always. PERFECT ART !!!! waaaah i love the artstyle and the character designs and just how diverse it all looks and feels, the lineart being kinda blurry or uneven just makes it so good to look at and you guys just did so awesomesauce as always
THE CHARACTER WAAAAAH THEYR ESO GOOODD !!!! your other games i feel are much more story driven (especially so since theyre longer) and obviously they have character but this one i feel focuses sooo much more on interaction and personality and just making the characters feel so real. they all have their own dynamics and blend so wonderfully with one other. you can see the little trio/duos in the group but they all get along so well as one unit and it truely feels like no one is left out. reminds me of my own friendgroup a lot :) 
the creepy shots in this are so. good. SOO GODFODD DGRPDGUEGEJ i was actually sooo spooked oh my goddd. when we first go to the buffet and that weirdo guy grabs our hand i my stomach actually dropped, and when mcwhatever was chugging water? CHILLS !!! especially since the game really nailed everybodys mood and personality so seeing that get totally flipped in such a short time is sooo scary ! you know mcboy is happy and silly, you know that carmen is super comfortable and carefree, you know that von is playfully snarky, so when you see them act totally wrong it wrenches your gut and leaves you not only scared and concerned but also hurt.

ok im glazing, im a sucker for character interaction. dont even get me started on ryan,, AND JUNE AND RYAN... and jsut

my complains areeeee pretty standard from what ive seen. the game was really short and i wish we got more time to play around with all the characters. studio investigrave is pretty horror focused on most of their games (atleast the endings are) but i feel like this game couldve done really well as just like a cute thingy. maybe a spin off would be cool? something different from their usual vibe, because i feel like if expanded upon people could really become attatched to these characters !
ofcourse the ending was very abrupt and confusing. i replayed it a few times because i was sure i missed something that would give me a longer finish, but no. you just end at the ocean. (however this is not an entirely bad thing. ive had fun all day wondering what happened and trying to think of theories !! just wish we had more to go off of)

ok thats it. those were my only complaints, and one of them wasnt even a full complaint it since it was half compliment. i really like this game, i wish it was longer, and i think you guys did really good considering it was made in one month. i could neverr !! i hope you guys will expand on it or make a spin off, or i hope to see LOTS of fanart of these dudes atleast. even if u dont, excited to see your next game ! stay fantastical -johnny

I feel like the game had a lot of potential but it was like getting cut off after the first half hour of a movie. Not enough puzzle pieces were left for the audience to really have much to ponder over after the ending. Or rather, there were too many questions and not enough clues for the audience to try and answer them. It set a lot of things up  and just ends up falling flat due to a lack of information. I get that it's supposed to be open ended and there are certain themes it wants to convey but it just ended up feeling too empty. I think using open ending as an reason for why this game is the way it is, ends up falling too short, because it's not just open ended, it's open middled and open beginning'd too. The story isn't fleshed out enough and to top it off, there's no real climax. Usually I enjoy this studio's games but this one was a bit boring. I liked the characters and the art was really good, it just felt like it could have been a shorter game if this was the ultimate goal. It was a really interesting concept though!