Our Life: Beginnings & Always
Our Life: Beginnings & Always
Sorti le 16 novembre 2020, Our Life: Beginnings & Always est un visual novel indépendant développé et édité par GB Patch Games sur PC (Windows, Mac, Linux) et Android, propulsé par le moteur Ren'Py. Classé dans les genres simulation et visual novel, le titre propose une expérience narrative nostalgique où le joueur incarne un personnage entièrement personnalisable — nom, apparence, personnalité, pronoms (il, elle, iel) modifiables au fil du temps, y compris pour une transition — qui grandit aux côtés de son voisin, Cove Holden, sur une période de quinze ans découpée en quatre étapes de vie : l'enfance, l'adolescence, le jeune âge adulte et l'âge adulte.
L'intrigue débute lors d'un été d'enfance où le protagoniste, alors âgé de huit ans, est approché par M. Holden pour se lier d'amitié avec son fils solitaire, Cove. Le jeu met l'accent sur les moments du quotidien autant que sur les grandes étapes de la vie, offrant une histoire décrite comme « feel-good » et « feel-better », où les émotions difficiles trouvent écoute et soutien. La relation avec Cove, unique intérêt romantique, évolue dynamiquement selon les choix du joueur, permettant de définir le rythme du lien, du coup de foudre à l'amitié durable. Le tout représente environ 397 000 mots pour une durée de vie estimée entre 16 et 24 heures au total, avec une histoire principale bouclable en 8h30 et une complétion à 100 % autour de 27 heures. Des options d'accessibilité, comme la personnalisation de la police et de sa taille, complètent l'ensemble.
Côté réception, le jeu obtient une note agrégée de 84,42. La presse et les joueurs saluent une œuvre à part dans le genre : un utilisateur de Metacritic la qualifie de « très spéciale » et « aussi cosy que possible », tandis qu'un autre la considère comme « le meilleur visual novel coming-of-age réconfortant de tous les temps », soulignant l'impact de presque chaque choix sur la personnalité des deux protagonistes. Sur Steam, un avis positif met en avant la qualité narrative et le façonnage du personnage, citant Baxter comme figure marquante.
Médias
Avis des critiques et joueurs
Avis des Joueurs (Metacritic)
« In the realm of visual novels and similar types of games, Our Life continues to stand out as something very special. The game is as "cozy" as you can get and creates a place you wish you could just jump into your screen and escape to. The game centers around your life growing up with a new kid in town, Cove, your family, friends, and other characters. You get four stages in your young life to participate in moments, like trips to parks or parties, just events that happen during each summer. Throughout these events you help Cove, a child of divorce who was displaced from his original home and is unhappy, and interact with other characters. As the summers and years progress, you can further your relationship goals with Cove (in the free main game) or with a couple of other great characters through some very cheap DLC that were added later; this takes it into the realm of dating sim. Or you can just remain friends or acquaintances. The story gives you total control over who you are and how your life is shaped with Cove and other characters. The game is fully inclusive and includes characters of many backgrounds, which will make certain people instantly mad. Basically if you can't stand that there are other people in the world that may not be like you, then no, this isn't for you. The art is great, the music is repetitive but pleasant, the game remembers things about you as the story progresses. And if you get so interested in it, it can culminate to a marriage story through the last DLC. This game shouldn't even be free, it's worth paying for, but for some reason it is. The only thing you have to pay for is the DLC additional stories and character extensions. So even if you try it and aren't into it, you aren't out anything at all. But again, I haven't found nearly any game like this one, which keeps it very special in the genre and gaming in general. There is also a sequel in the works, which I can't wait for. »
« This is the best comforting, coming-of-age visual novel game of all time. Almost every choice shapes our main character andtheir best friend, Cove, which I find it rare for a game, even a visual novel from big companies, to respect and reflect player's agency. Totally worth the time you will spend falling in love with this summer city ️ »
« OurLifeBA is an amazing visual novel and my favourite one of all time. I ADORE Cove in all his glory and I love the interactions involved in every platonic and familial relationship too. The amount of character customisation available is astonishing. I cried MANY times. I wish so badly that Cove was real. »
« Our Life: Beginnings & Always hits a sweet spot in the realm of visual novels. It's like a warm, nostalgic trip down memory lane, but with the unique twist of growing up alongside your virtual neighbor. The level of customization is impressive, making each playthrough feel genuinely personal. The game beautifully navigates through the ups and downs of life, striking a balance between joy and adversity in a way that feels authentic and heartfelt. The free-to-play model, complemented by optional DLCs, ensures that the core experience is accessible to all, which is a big plus. »
« I cannot express how much i love this game. It's not something I thought I'd enjoy but here we are 100+ hours later. The character creation is inclusive and it's great to see your characters grow and actually get to show it. I adore all of the characters, each of them are so unique but feel genuine. No one is a "perfect person" everyone has a flaw and the game is very upfront with those flaws. The inclusivity is AMAZING. »
« Good visuals bad everything else the developer is pretty nice and nothing against them. »
« While the artwork is pretty decent the overall presentation of this game is quite lacking when compared to similar titles. Sound and music are good but nothing to write home about. The characters are very poorly written though which was disappointing. I did enjoy parts of the story but then the social politics aspect hits you and you're taken out of the world. The game is extremely woke and focuses on social politics a bit too much. If you're looking for something to entertain you and forget about the real world, this is definitely not that game. »
« Really good game. Really good game. Boy Cove. Cove is boy. Boy baby. Bbay. I bought the plushie. »
