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GOODBYE WORLD is a short story rich game that comes with a puzzle platformer mini game in it. It sports a unique pixel art styled retro graphics reminiscent the games that are made in earlier days, while also provide one of the most realistic, heart-wrenching story to tell.
The plot focuses on 2 girls, Kanii and Kumade who are a best friends to each other about there journey of developing games and the harsh reality they've met. This game can be considered as the struggle that most developers will feel as one of the main theme of the plot centered on "The Game I want to make or The Game I made for it to sell", the struggle between passion and realism brings out the darker side of the gaming industry which is something that not much people knows. This story beautifully shows the struggles that developers face as we can see one of the protagonist breakdown more and more as the story progress. The plot twist in the end is a nice touch to the story too.
In terms of art style, the pixel arts are illustrated beautifully along with the sprites. The game overall looks lively and cute, then there's a constant slight blur effect to supposedly emulate early days consoles screen. Not everyone is a fan of that, but I liked it a lot. It certainly feels unique compared to other retro games as this went beyond just pixel art, so kudos to the studios for deciding to go with this graphic style.
Overall, this game is like a love letter to us retro game lovers and also an acknowledgement to the struggling game developers. It delivers one of the most heart wrenching story with a little twist in the end while still manage to present a message to the players. Although to be honest in terms of gameplay it's a bit underwhelming as it is basically just puzzle platformer with story scenes. My advice is treat it more like a Visual novel rather than expecting unique and fun gameplay. But it's good enough to be considered a great game for me.