Amazing!! Was only going to do one ending but I had to do all four. brilliant characters, art, just everything. absolutely heart wrenching though 10/10 would sell my soul to play again
The second game from Angela He I've played, and I'm starting to see a pattern. Missed Messages hits hard on all fronts, covering a multitude of emotional peaks throughout the short but impactful story.
So, Im on linux since im saving up for a macbook and instead of downloading steam i wanted to judt download the files and also i kne games would be laggy on the steam version so i just thought might as well just try do download so i did that and realized that i cant extract the file because i dont have a app to extract and download it so if anyone who is also on linux that checks back here help me so i can stop playing steams laggy version thanks. If you find a way can you message me on discord rano#0116
PROS: breathtaking artstyle....like HOLY SHIT THIS IS SO FUCKING BEAUTIFUL!! CONS: imho the way the game handles mental health falls flat at best and inflicts damage to people with friends/family who are dealing with mental issues at worst (lots of 'wow thanks Im cured' moments and as a mentally ill person it made me feel that everyone probably sees me as a burden)
When I launched the game it started me in the middle of another scene, which I really wasn't expecting. I don't know if it's a glitch, or just really bad pacing. When I kept playing, the rest of the game made up for that. Talking to May made me feel happy, and I could relate to a lot of the problems in-game. When I got the good ending I cried.
But there's another aspect of the game that should be discussed. It's realistic. Painfully so. I've had numerous friends come to me with suicidal thoughts (mostly online), and it takes a lot of attention and work. This game actually makes you feel like someone else's life is in your hands, and if you don't spend every other second you have to care for them, they die. That's what it felt when my friends came to me with suicidal thoughts. Exactly how it felt.
You can look at that as either bad and depressing, or good and transparent. Regardless, the game is great, and it's definitely worth the fifteen minutes it takes to play.
I love how delicate this game is. It makes me feel so "at peace" and maybe even attached to reality (I really liked the scene where you talk with May in her room, beautiful :) ), but at the same time it deals well with its themes, it treats them with not too much heaviness and "drama", for me, and maybe that's what makes me think that this game is... "Delicate".
A comment said that saving May made them roll their eyes. For me, the fact that "the game convinces you that it actually the blood is on your hands", it has to do with the fact that us, the protagonist, really cares about May, and even though a person, normally, tries with all their might to not blame themselves, when someone that you care about dies you always think about your shortcomings towards that person in every case (if I have to say something a bit more "personal": when one of my grandmas died, even though she died for a sickness, I thought about how I should have visited her more, I felt really bad that I wasn't closer to her when she was alive, I even thought that I was a bit selfish for not doing that... And, like I said, I wasn't even that close with that grandma and she didn't die for depression or anything, she was just sick). Maybe that's why the game presses a lot on "it's our fault that May died". She died of suicide, the protagonist thinks that they were "selfish", and with that comes guilt for their shortcomings.
That's what I think. I don't know if I missed some details on the comment that may explain or even debunk my words.
spoilers ahead, please look away if you haven't played the game yet.
at first, I was captivated by the game's incredible visual style. but when I started playing, I found out that things that I did because I wanted to (like meeting a goth gf) were rewarded with another girl dying and me being guilty for it. uhm... okay, it took the game 15 minutes to make me a bad guy. let's try being a good guy now! in my second playthrough, i did nothing except babysitting may (who, despite my best efforts, remained very persistent about killing herself), and got the 'best' possible outcome, which is... may is alive. wow! was this supposed to inspire me? in what way?
but I'll get to that later. so, the best ending is the one where when we don't even talk to the other girl, don't do anything out of the 'save may' lane, and literally subdue our smallest actions to may's needs? great! the message here is hard to miss ('don't overlook the signs, someone may be crying out for help while you don't even notice'), but the story deliberately leaves out this: keeping a wounded, problematic, deeply disfuctional individual from commting a suicide is VERY heavy, burdening and in no way romantic. (been there. should have listened to the trigger warning. nauseating.)
what have we got instead? the game's visuals are stunning, its atmosphere powerful, but all the artistic magnificence serves a superficial story that basically romanticizes suicide. i've read some comments from below, the 'I/my friend wanted to commit suicide, and I cried my eyes out', and you know what? i think the only way for a player to enjoy this game is to associate themselves with may. if somebody is hurt, suffering or depressed, it's easy for them to accept the message so easily reversed: I am in pain! if you don't give me attention, I'll die! My fate is not in my hands, it is in yours! how comforting it must be, for a 'maylike' player, to feel that somewhere, in a beautifully painted wonderful world, they are finally getting the unlimited attention they craved.
to a player without this scorching desire to be tenderly cared about, the game feels different. when you prevent someone's suicide, your reaction is a mix of relief, fear, and anger (with a burst of affetion if you rescue your loved one - a classic hurt/comfort cliche). when I saved may, I just rolled my eyes. i didn't associate myself with her, I didn't want to take care of her because I didn't care about her, I just wanted to live my life like I do in reality. and this is.... the most horrifying part, because in reality, when you leave someone and go to a date just to return later and find that person dead by suicide, it is SUPER hard to convince yourself that their blood is NOT on your hands - but your game is telling us that it actually IS! The most obvious way to play, to do our thing and go to a date, leads to May's death, and it is CLEARLY SHOWN that it's our fault.
so real the message is this. if someone, even a person we don't really know and care about, commits suicide after you didn't do something the way they wanted/needed you to do, it is your fault. their life is not in their hands. their decision doesn't belong to them, but depends on how much attention you pay to their wellbeing, even if it costs you your own personal life. and this isn't just stupid, this is dangerous for all those gentle mayflowers out there who would accept the idea not as 'help others' but 'others should help me', killing themselves if not surrounded with unconditional love and care.
tldr: the visuals are gorgeous, but the writing sucks, and the whole point is unhealthy.
Imagine if both May and the “Goth GF” were both suicidal in the same exact way and as soon as you finished spending that day with May the “Goth GF”‘s last message on your laptop was “Too late, it’s not your fault.”
It would become impossible (much like it is in real life) to help everyone simultaneously and you would still be villainized for playing favorites and helping one person over the other (or choosing the closest person).
I hope the actual take away is – dedicate all of your time to improving your own (and your loved ones) mental health and do your best to not commit suicide as it will only bring down the people who do care.
wow, this was one of the best games I ever played. It really touched me and it gives me such a nostalgic feeling, every time I play it. I always play it when I feel down and it somehow gives me hope...
Although i only finished 2 endings, i think the worst one first and the better one last, for me i completed the game; it was just incredible, the narrative just clicked with me and i feel like i cant see may die again, every scene just looked so warm to me; i loved this game, i would like you to translate it into spanish so i can show this wonder to my friends.
This game is freaking beautiful!! I've bought the goodies! And I was wondering if I can show them at the end of my YouTube video since I've made a gameplay on this? Since you're selling the goodies I just wanted to see if It's alright to show them off on my video?? If not it's alright and I understand!
I love this game! I got all 4 endings and played for an hour. I also discovered some new dialog that I didn't notice when I first played through. The art style has a soft feel to it so you wouldn't really expect what's to come. I'll for sure check out the other games they've developed.
← Return to game
Comments
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
game was crazy deep absolutely LOVED it
Amazing!! Was only going to do one ending but I had to do all four. brilliant characters, art, just everything. absolutely heart wrenching though 10/10 would sell my soul to play again
Simply a spectacular experience.
NOOOOOO estuvo muy triste me encantó :ccc
We are excited to discuss missed messages. on Indie Game Club!
Twitch: https://twitch.tv/potionsandpixels
I love this game so much! I highly request it for people who are thinking about playing it!
This is such a good game, I already recommended it to some of my friends. Keep up the good work!
Beautiful game and much love from me! Thank you for all the hard work put into this!
So, Im on linux since im saving up for a macbook and instead of downloading steam i wanted to judt download the files and also i kne games would be laggy on the steam version so i just thought might as well just try do download so i did that and realized that i cant extract the file because i dont have a app to extract and download it so if anyone who is also on linux that checks back here help me so i can stop playing steams laggy version thanks. If you find a way can you message me on discord rano#0116
If I only knew from the beginning the “goth gf” was just a chat mate, I would’ve just ignored her lol...
The name tricked me .that’s why I had to make her a priority than my roommate 🤦🏻♀️
Nice game btw. Life lessons
I really like the game.
The overall experience is phenomenal
The reference of Madoka Magica is cute.
PROS: breathtaking artstyle....like HOLY SHIT THIS IS SO FUCKING BEAUTIFUL!!
CONS: imho the way the game handles mental health falls flat at best and inflicts damage to people with friends/family who are dealing with mental issues at worst (lots of 'wow thanks Im cured' moments and as a mentally ill person it made me feel that everyone probably sees me as a burden)
Omg, I played this game before and I didn't know that it is made by you. I definitely love your games!!
Spoilers inbound.
When I launched the game it started me in the middle of another scene, which I really wasn't expecting. I don't know if it's a glitch, or just really bad pacing. When I kept playing, the rest of the game made up for that. Talking to May made me feel happy, and I could relate to a lot of the problems in-game. When I got the good ending I cried.
But there's another aspect of the game that should be discussed. It's realistic. Painfully so. I've had numerous friends come to me with suicidal thoughts (mostly online), and it takes a lot of attention and work. This game actually makes you feel like someone else's life is in your hands, and if you don't spend every other second you have to care for them, they die. That's what it felt when my friends came to me with suicidal thoughts. Exactly how it felt.
You can look at that as either bad and depressing, or good and transparent. Regardless, the game is great, and it's definitely worth the fifteen minutes it takes to play.
I love how delicate this game is. It makes me feel so "at peace" and maybe even attached to reality (I really liked the scene where you talk with May in her room, beautiful :) ), but at the same time it deals well with its themes, it treats them with not too much heaviness and "drama", for me, and maybe that's what makes me think that this game is... "Delicate".
A comment said that saving May made them roll their eyes. For me, the fact that "the game convinces you that it actually the blood is on your hands", it has to do with the fact that us, the protagonist, really cares about May, and even though a person, normally, tries with all their might to not blame themselves, when someone that you care about dies you always think about your shortcomings towards that person in every case (if I have to say something a bit more "personal": when one of my grandmas died, even though she died for a sickness, I thought about how I should have visited her more, I felt really bad that I wasn't closer to her when she was alive, I even thought that I was a bit selfish for not doing that... And, like I said, I wasn't even that close with that grandma and she didn't die for depression or anything, she was just sick). Maybe that's why the game presses a lot on "it's our fault that May died". She died of suicide, the protagonist thinks that they were "selfish", and with that comes guilt for their shortcomings.
That's what I think. I don't know if I missed some details on the comment that may explain or even debunk my words.
But for me... You made a great job, Angela :D
-Ele, Ludi Tarantula team
.
Nice little game! keep up the good work!
spoilers ahead, please look away if you haven't played the game yet.
at first, I was captivated by the game's incredible visual style. but when I started playing, I found out that things that I did because I wanted to (like meeting a goth gf) were rewarded with another girl dying and me being guilty for it. uhm... okay, it took the game 15 minutes to make me a bad guy. let's try being a good guy now! in my second playthrough, i did nothing except babysitting may (who, despite my best efforts, remained very persistent about killing herself), and got the 'best' possible outcome, which is... may is alive. wow! was this supposed to inspire me? in what way?
but I'll get to that later. so, the best ending is the one where when we don't even talk to the other girl, don't do anything out of the 'save may' lane, and literally subdue our smallest actions to may's needs? great! the message here is hard to miss ('don't overlook the signs, someone may be crying out for help while you don't even notice'), but the story deliberately leaves out this: keeping a wounded, problematic, deeply disfuctional individual from commting a suicide is VERY heavy, burdening and in no way romantic. (been there. should have listened to the trigger warning. nauseating.)
what have we got instead? the game's visuals are stunning, its atmosphere powerful, but all the artistic magnificence serves a superficial story that basically romanticizes suicide. i've read some comments from below, the 'I/my friend wanted to commit suicide, and I cried my eyes out', and you know what? i think the only way for a player to enjoy this game is to associate themselves with may. if somebody is hurt, suffering or depressed, it's easy for them to accept the message so easily reversed: I am in pain! if you don't give me attention, I'll die! My fate is not in my hands, it is in yours! how comforting it must be, for a 'maylike' player, to feel that somewhere, in a beautifully painted wonderful world, they are finally getting the unlimited attention they craved.
to a player without this scorching desire to be tenderly cared about, the game feels different. when you prevent someone's suicide, your reaction is a mix of relief, fear, and anger (with a burst of affetion if you rescue your loved one - a classic hurt/comfort cliche). when I saved may, I just rolled my eyes. i didn't associate myself with her, I didn't want to take care of her because I didn't care about her, I just wanted to live my life like I do in reality. and this is.... the most horrifying part, because in reality, when you leave someone and go to a date just to return later and find that person dead by suicide, it is SUPER hard to convince yourself that their blood is NOT on your hands - but your game is telling us that it actually IS! The most obvious way to play, to do our thing and go to a date, leads to May's death, and it is CLEARLY SHOWN that it's our fault.
so real the message is this. if someone, even a person we don't really know and care about, commits suicide after you didn't do something the way they wanted/needed you to do, it is your fault. their life is not in their hands. their decision doesn't belong to them, but depends on how much attention you pay to their wellbeing, even if it costs you your own personal life. and this isn't just stupid, this is dangerous for all those gentle mayflowers out there who would accept the idea not as 'help others' but 'others should help me', killing themselves if not surrounded with unconditional love and care.
tldr: the visuals are gorgeous, but the writing sucks, and the whole point is unhealthy.
That is very interesting Moonbird.
Imagine if both May and the “Goth GF” were both suicidal in the same exact way and as soon as you finished spending that day with May the “Goth GF”‘s last message on your laptop was “Too late, it’s not your fault.”
It would become impossible (much like it is in real life) to help everyone simultaneously and you would still be villainized for playing favorites and helping one person over the other (or choosing the closest person).
I hope the actual take away is – dedicate all of your time to improving your own (and your loved ones) mental health and do your best to not commit suicide as it will only bring down the people who do care.
I got the worst ending right away!
This was awesome and so sad.
Nice game...!
see gameplay and like subscribe
wow, this was one of the best games I ever played. It really touched me and it gives me such a nostalgic feeling, every time I play it. I always play it when I feel down and it somehow gives me hope...
Although i only finished 2 endings, i think the worst one first and the better one last, for me i completed the game; it was just incredible, the narrative just clicked with me and i feel like i cant see may die again, every scene just looked so warm to me; i loved this game, i would like you to translate it into spanish so i can show this wonder to my friends.
simply incredible.
10/10.
5 stars.
Hope you have a nice day.
:)
desearia que el juego tuviera una versión en español para windows
This game is freaking beautiful!! I've bought the goodies! And I was wondering if I can show them at the end of my YouTube video since I've made a gameplay on this? Since you're selling the goodies I just wanted to see if It's alright to show them off on my video?? If not it's alright and I understand!
goodies? were can I get them??
The download link has 3 links the third one says missed messages goodie, but you can only obtain then if you donate 5 dollars to the developer.
cool
Cool
No Commentary :)
I loved this game so much!
why'd ppl cry?? I loved this game, but it's not emotional, I do respect the game creator tho.
⚠️⚠️ DONT BE LIKE MAY !! ⚠️⚠️
⚠️ IF YOU ARE A SUICIDAL PERSON THEN VISIT A THERAPIST ⚠️
Absolutely loved this story. It truly is so soft and gentle while packing a punch. Adhere to the content warnings and this game is a wonderful play.
I would highly recommend playing all four of the endings. One of them is absolutely beautiful.
Lovely game, I couldn't actively go for the "bad" endings because I cared too much about the characters but really enjoyed the softness of it all.
sweetheart NO
AAAAAAAAAAA. TEARS. 10000000/10
I ALMOST CRIED TmT
I love this game! I got all 4 endings and played for an hour. I also discovered some new dialog that I didn't notice when I first played through. The art style has a soft feel to it so you wouldn't really expect what's to come. I'll for sure check out the other games they've developed.
this game is amazing!!