Playtest the alpha

Mistflower Crossing is a stat-raising dating sim set at a small liberal arts college. Before it goes to anyone else, I want a few people to play the alpha and tell me, bluntly, how it went. If that sounds like you, the form at the bottom is the way in.

What you'd be playing

One semester, fall of your first year, with two of the twelve cast members available: China, your RA, and Kenji, the campus courier. You plan your weeks, raise your stats, work a job, and take either of them from Acquaintance to Friend. The other ten are written but waiting their turn. A full run takes an evening or two.

China's art is final, by 53C, and Kenji's is on the way from the same artist. The music and backgrounds are by the people credited in the game. Item icons and some interface art are placeholders. The alpha is free and runs on Windows.

What I'm hoping you'll tell me

• Where you got confused, and where it dragged.
• The exact moment you'd have quit if nobody had asked you to play.
• The moment you smiled.
• Whether China and Kenji felt like people by the end.
• Anything broken. A screenshot and one sentence is plenty.

There's a quick bug form and a ten-minute survey for all of that, and you'll get the links with the build. You don't have to be nice. Blunt is a gift here.

How it works

Sign up below. When the build is ready, I'll email you a download and a short welcome note. Play it however you like: chase one person, chase both, or ignore them and build your stats. Then fill in the survey, and keep the build and screenshots to yourself until the public alpha is out.

You'll get a handful of emails over the alpha: the build, a reminder for the survey, and a thank-you. Nothing else, and you can unsubscribe any time.