Arches

What a beautiful story that was!

So... that's it, I finally finished Arches by, well, skipping sleep again (hello, future health issues), and it was such a different experience from Echo. This game focuses more on healthy relationships, and wow, it's such a breath of fresh air. It was truly genius to bring such a duo into the Echo universe. The way they deeply and genuinely love each other adds so many layers of emotion to the world.

And that’s just talking about the characters! Everything else is just... wow: the story, the art style, the plot twists, the OST (oh my god, this soundtrack, TuT). On top of that, I found the themes addressed really interesting, especially since they were handled the right way. This game tackles topics like mental illness, loss, trauma, drug abuse, addiction, suicidal thoughts, and relationship issues without feeling clichéd and even offers some truly helpful advice that, I’m not afraid to say, will actually be super useful in my life (and, honestly, probably in most people's lives).

It's not just a game, it's storytelling at its peak. I'm sure it will provoke something in you, no matter what. (And this is coming from someone who's emotionally exhausted, which says a lot.) Really. Echo is still my favorite, but if I really had to find a flaw, I’d say  the best track in my opinion ("Bridge") could have been used better

Life can be really tough, and sometimes it can feel like there’s no point in keeping on, that nothing will ever get better. But, like everything, this is just a bad chapter you have to go through, and eventually, the next one will bring you much, much more joy than you could have ever expected. It’s just a 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞

this story showed me that I need to work hard in life to achieve a healthy relationship. Devon and Cam love each other dearly and its expressed in many different way.

it made me cry twice, it was honestly beautiful and I'm so greatful i read this.

This VN emphasizes how a beautiful and healthy relationship can look. Of course, the epilogue does not show the entirety of life and all the problems the characters face (and there must have been many, considering the mental health of both Dev and Cam after the events in Echo), but it shows the foundation of what mutual support should look like.

The story fueled my gratitude for having such a wonderful partner whom I love to the moon and back, bringing me happiness every day. After finishing the story, the first thing I did was run to my friend, lover, and hopefully soon-to-be husband, and gave him a big hug, thanking him for simply being there.

Everyone should know this story to see how a true, strong relationship between two people (it doesn't necessarily have to be a homosexual relationship) can endure even in tough times, where the reward is the creation of an immensely strong bond between two individuals.

I'm so happy that I had a chance to take a look at this VN. I'm not necessarily a fan of furries but it wasn't a case since the story could have had those characters swapped to human-like without losing any value.

Thank you so much for sharing such a great story with us!

This broke something inside me. I still don't know very well what it was, but it did. Everything assembles in a beautiful way, the writing, the sound and the graphics. It's all amazing.

Fantastic sequel This game not only continues the Echo universe amazingly but picks the best parts to be focused on.  Brain is one of the scariest characters in fiction and this story is ALL about why. The best parts about echo for me was Brain (most emotional) so now that we have that AND a adorable couple with a guy who can speak to the dead, its just fits in perfectly. 

Love that we get to know about Brains past victims better and really hone in on why this guy is just the worst with no onus of redeeming. Also love how this VN talks about the side effects after going through something so horrible and how it effects people on different ways. The ending really got me, the music is amazing, the visuals are stunning and the story is one of the best I have read.

14/20 

Thank you so much for making this.

Play this game. I was expecting this to be like Leo's route in Echo where I'd feel a lot of emotions and then talk about them in therapy and better myself. But NO! I have hope for the future now because of this game. This fucking gay furry visual novel is the reason why I no longer feel like offing myself. I know it seems like I'm exaggerating but I'm really not. At least it doesn't feel that way. Anyway, the point is that you should play this game. One thing I regret is that I would stand up and walk around when emotional scenes happened and I'm telling you now, don't do that. Experience the emotional moments through to their conclusion if you can. But if you get overwhelmed step away. Your mental health and safety are more important than what an internet stranger has to say. 

Me hizo llorar, creo que es mi Vn favorita.

I don't think any other piece of media has made me feel such strong emotions...

I have depression! :333

wow, I thought the game was over but NOPEEE

this is amazing

I don't know anything about Echo, I decided to check this after Adastra, curious to see how its writer would do without a 1st-person-isekai.
I wasn't ready for it to become my favorite vn / story ever.

Love the thrilling plot alternating between the two perspectives of a cute couple, it also makes them both so wholesome as you get to know their minds (I tend towards Cameron, but could definitely relate to Devon too)
It deals with some difficult themes sensibly, with disturbing horror of all kinds keeping you on edge all the way..
Then it makes you fucking cry.

Thank you Howly and the whole team, I'll remember Arches forever.

Sobbed a few to many times for a healthy man... 

On a serious note amazing job. Not as good as some of your other vn but still hits as hard in the feels, good job!

I just finished Arches for the first time. This is genuinely the most beautiful thing I have ever read every person on the team did incredibly and while this will never be mainstream it is my game of the year and its not even close.

Cam is a precious cinnamon roll and adorable scrunkly who must be protected at all cost.