WOW – this game is probably my favorite current WIP, but I’ve stayed away since maybe chapter 3 or so (I forget exactly) in hopes of not wearing out my enjoyment until it’s finished and I can’t believe there’s actually a complete draft now.
I’m super excited to leap into this and give it all a go, and will definitely need to check in more often to see if the next draft stage will have a joinable beta 
Will report back with thoughts once I’ve made it through this draft.
I totally did a double take seeing the updates, so excited!!!
That is the difference in my case.
I normally talk to Orpheus, demigod to demigod, I talked to her instead and she now gets six months out every year.
Aha, fair point on the “loveless” wording; I’ll look into changing that when I go back to do line edits and things.
The poly routes are not yet implemented. They were always mostly going to be a book 2 thing, but I may lay more foundation for them as I make changes to the draft. Which ones they will be (or whether there will be one or two) is still up in the air, and something I will be deciding soon.
Also you can be successful with either Orpheus or Eurydice under different circumstances. It’s a bit easier to encourage Eurydice if you already have a good relationship with her, but you can use your people skills (persuasiveness, erudition, or I think celerity) to pass a check to bolster either of them.
Alternatively, if you received a gift form a goddess all the way back in Chapter One, you can offer those to them (though not the knife to Orpheus or the girdle to Eurydice), and those can help, too!
So I played a second playthrough romancing Hermes and choosing to stay in Olympus…well that was just heart breaking lmao I need to frantically go bk and pick another option now bc that scene was so awkward and sad 
This was very well written and I really enjoyed your story and the cast. Full disclosure, I’ve only played Hades route with an MC that has a good relationship with their mother, misses the sun, but enjoys the newfound freedom and relationships so is on the fence about staying (which is rough because there are a lot of hate your Mom choices and a lot of the want to go home choices feel a little aggressive). With that in mind others might not have this issue, but in my opinion, certain beats seem a little emotionally disjointed.
For example, you can be completely invested in Orpheus and Eurydice, hoping that they succeed, and can even choose the options where you mention that you would like a relationship like theirs, yet, if they fail you kind of have to be rather accepting about it. I think it would be nice if you had the option to be angry or upset with the outcome, especially since the text describes you grabbing desperately for possibilities for a happier ending, practically beseeching Hades who set the terms of the trial (I realize Hades explains afterwards that due to Fate there was nothing he could do, but the MC in that moment doesn’t have that information, also, emotions are often not rational). It might allow Hades more insight into the MC as well if they could explain why they were so invested in the outcome.
The transition of going from emotional and a little upset at Hades, to do you want to eat a pomegranate and stay? Is a little jarring as well. It would be nice too if you could ask some questions after the offer of the pomegranate if you have an MC that is on the fence about staying. For example, at this point my MC’s made their interest clear (saying they would like the outing to be a date, etc.) and been rebuffed, there hasn’t been any discussions indicating that Hades sees the MC in anything but a platonic light, I imagine it would be rather heartbreaking to stay in an unrequited affection situation.
Which leads me to the overall vibe of the relationship. I played with the NPC initiative “ON” and it scares me to think of what it would be like with it “OFF” because I felt like I was harassing the poor man (Hades) after a point. I took every opportunity to express interest, took all the options about fulfilling the role of a consort, etc. so the annulment question in the epilogue felt like a slap when he mentions that he assumes that is what you want. Also, there is no way to push back on the question, which is frustrating. It would be nice to ask if a real marriage would be a possibility one day or if he only sees you in a platonic light (quite frankly it would be nice to ask this prior to the trial).
I get that Hades is a more reserved character, which is why I think maybe a letter from him prior to the trial might be beneficial? It is high stakes; the MC was potentially kidnapped and if the MC stays in Olympus that is the end of their relationship so maybe that would give him the impetus to be a bit more expressive? Even the “goodbye” if you stay in Olympus would be a good opportunity for some bittersweet emotion, it just felt a little dry as it is now and you can’t even explain why you chose it (staying in a loveless marriage where your feelings are rather unrequited just seems like a cruel ask).
Hades is older, time is different for him, and more reserved so it makes sense that it would take him longer to develop feelings. While MC is younger, more sheltered, etc. and more inclined to fall faster. I guess my issue is that the narrative never addresses this imbalance that feels like the elephant in the room and there is what feels like a lack of emotional intimacy between the two.
Yeah. I think six months out of the year is the best outcome? I’ve never gotten better than that.
@loyallyroyal I agree with your points. The annulment discussion particularly felt weird when he said he assumed it was what MC wanted when my MC said that one of the main reasons they chose the underworld was for him. But figured I’d mention that the author has said they’re going to focus quite a bit on the romances/the pacing of the romances in the next draft (as they start working toward making it ready for release) so hopefully some of these things will be addressed!
Thanks so much for this feedback. It’s helpful to know how things read; the game is so long and I’ve been working on it for ages, so it’s sometimes difficult to ‘see’ pacing, or which things actually happen ‘next to’ each other, so to speak, and how that can be jarring or ill-matched.
I definitely do intend to do a lot of this kind of work on the romances in the editing phase. My two main points of concern are going to be making them more responsive (that is, the game will remember more prior choices and respond in ways hopefully more fitting of those choices) and to give a little more on the NPC initiative end, because that feature is certainly not fully implemented yet.
Hades’s route will always be slow-paced; that’s the nature of it. But it definitely shouldn’t feel like it’s giving nothing, or that there’s a lack of emotional intimacy by the end. I’m going to do my best to adjust in a way that feels more satisfying, for sure.
I really love the Hades Route. He is so sweet and kind. The slow pacing suits him for sure. He has such a tricky domain, and its good to see him learn to love and trust the MC. 
I just finished playing what’s available on dashingdon and made an account so that I could tell you how much I enjoyed it.
It was so good I actually didn’t want to put it down!
I do wish that there was more romance and that the romance choices were more impactful. I chose every 
option and it never really seemed to go beyond a friendly status. I saw from the comment above that that may be added to in the future though so I’m looking forward to that.
It would also be interesting to be able to spend more time with Makaria and get to know her better. All of the Underworld characters are worth getting to know.
Thanks for making this, and I look forward to seeing what comes out in the future.
Isn’t the full version out already?
It’s only the first draft. I’m making substantial edits before I submit for publication, including the addition of new scenes.
Hey everyone! (Crosspost from tumblr; feel free to pass on by if you’ve seen it there.)
It’s been too long, again, since I posted an update publicly, but I thought it would be a good idea to let everyone know where I’m at with editing.
The short version is, the Prologue through Chapter Six are now edited, with a bunch of new scenes added in as well and a few things removed. This month, I hope to finish Chapters Seven through Nine, with some additions, subtractions, and edits as well, of course. This should see me finished with the edits by mid-May, at which time I’ll finally be able to submit the game for publishing!
It’s a long road, and I’m definitely still on it, but rest assured that I’m working hard, and soon enough, you’ll be hearing updates from me as I get stuck into writing the sequel, Blood of the Living.
You are working so hard! And you are already thinking about the sequel, which, I am very excited for. I have to say that this is one of my favorite COG - probably my second favorite, and that is saying a lot since I have read so many of these. You truly are a talented writer, and update quite quuckly as well. Keep up the amazing work!
Thanks for putting in the little markers on the choices. I am quite sarcasm blind, and it’s helpful.
I’m the same in the sense that I never know if a character is flirting or joking so the hearts help haha
In the final version of the game, you’ll need to swap this option on via the stats page/options menu, but it’s definitely staying for everyone who wants it. (I’m like this too, so I’m my own target audience in this respect.)
I love the game, will there b a sequel?.also is there a a kissing scene with hades i missed?
Yes, there’s a sequel in the making for people who choose to live in the Underworld. No, there isn’t a kiss scene yet.
Btw, is Hades somewhere on the ace spectrum? Just wanna know what to expect, will there be an allo romance or a qpr or is it just a very slow slowburn?