Friendship Test

I played this with my best friend during summer school! I had just come out as aplatonic/greyplatonic during the summer, and this not only helped me feel more comfortable with myself, but it helped my friend understand me too!

Hello, said friend here! I remember the day when my friend came out as aplatonic, and I, of course, was supportive, but at the same time, I still didn't fully understand the nuances of being aplatonic. Then she told me about this game she was playing and how she wanted me to experience it with her. And throughout the process, I got to learn more about being aplatonic through an amazing game with an amazing theme. This truly did help me understand my friend better and aplatonic as a whole. I sincerely wish you well on whatever projects you may work on next! Thank you for making such a great game.

Hi! It's me, the apple again! I just wanted to close this off by saying Void is the absolute best and so is this game! The way they described their emotions, a void that isn't empty, perfectly encapsulated how I feel! I saw elements of myself in a lot of other characters too, not just the aplatonic ones. Thank you for the amazing experience! If you are reading this to consider playing the game, just play it. You won't regret it!

game so awesome it made me stop pretending to not be loveless and break up with my partner. thank you for making it!!!!!! :DDD

I haven't played the game yet, I just now found out Abt it through some art on Tumblr. As an aromantic person with OCD, possibly other disorders , and who supremely loves robots, it genuinely feels like the game was made for me and I cannot wait to download and play it tomorrow 

i am writing this like an hour after i finished this game. i really liked this game thank you for making it would be the short way of saying what i want to say but i don't think that really captures all the emotions i feel. 

i'm gonna get slightly personal here but i still wanted to express what i feel. sorry in advance. 

i don't really like putting on labels for my identity!! though if gun put to my head i would say that i'm aromantic,, since the idea tends to capture the main idea of what i feel like. its not perfect but its smth that people can understand. i haven't really thought all that deeply abt it. but i do like interacting with media with ace ppl in it so i decided to try out this game. most of the time its comforting? but in a sort of "ahah, i get what you mean" way. but this game.. well i wouldn't say that it completely understands me. i would say the opposite! me and friendprogram are completely on different sides of the spectrum. i think back to the whole movies things. while friendprogram would hate DCOMS, i eat that crap up like a starving Victorian child. while love is something that they can't relate to at all. despite how foreign it is to me, its the only way i can describe the way i feel abt ppl! isn't that strange!! i think that idea is something that really touchs me deeply. 

a lot of media doesn't really try to completely understand the spectrum of aromanticism. its very, cookie-cutter in my opinion. which is fine!! if someone can relate to it then good but it never feels like it completely understands what im feeling. its very superficial relating. and as i said above while this game doesn't get me, it feels so comforting to see media which explores those feelings at all. it's not just "i'm aromantic" it's "i am a person who is aromantic. and what does that mean for me as a person and my identity". this game has made me look at myself,, and those feelings (or lack of them) which i feel the world around me and make me actually think. "who am i? am i happy with who am i? and what does it mean to feel connected in a world which probably will never fully understand what im going through". ig that's why i like it so much?? "i will never fully understand what friendprogram is going through which makes me feel like its okay that no one might understand what im going through". if that makes any lick of sense. whats another way i can put this... yknow when ppl play games that they really relate to and say that they can really see themselves in it? this game is like a broken mirror. while the reflection is cracked and absolutely not perfect, im so glad i can see myself at all. 

this is a piece of media that i dont think i will ever completely get. and thats amazing. its a story which proves that creativity deserves to exist bc this is a story that only someone like you can tell. its so personal, so expressive so so you!! and i completely adore everything about it. it may not be perfect, it may not be 100% understandable, but i can say with confidence that this game has made me feel something that i will never feel in any other piece of media ever again. i'm happy i got to see these complex emotions and gain more complex emotions in turn. and that's just stellar, isn't it?

this game made me want to share my own story abt my feelings on my aro identity and what it feels like to be aro for me. and i think that's one of the best things a creation can do. make someone want to create. you are a once in a lifetime creator. someone who im eagerly awaiting to see anything else they decide to create. this game means a lot to me. and it will mean a lot to me in the far off future. i will keep it in my heart and i will make sure that i will never forget what it has told me today. i really liked this game, and sincerely, thank you for making it.

woah. that was a yap fest. um.
tldr; FUN is the best character in this game. solo no dif. i need it merch of it stat. pillows, plushies, wallpapers, tacky singing statues that ppl by for the cars that sway and move around. everything!! thank you so much.

finally finished the game! now i wanna replay it again! 

i <2 this game a lot, dude i'm not even loveless or anything yet this game resonates w me. i wish i could express my appreciation better; i feel like that ogre meme where i can only identify surface level stuff and not the deeper meanings behind things (that's why i wanna replay it lol)

thank you for making and posting this game! i hope the people who need this game very much find it!

I don't even know how to describe how much I enjoyed this game and how glad I am that I stumbled upon it TwT I LOVE(lessness hehe) IT SO MUCH AAAAAAAAAAA


This is probably gonna be very rambly and long, sorry (also english isn't my native language, so please, excuse me for any mistakessss)
ALSO!! Some spoilers below!

I downloaded it thinking "it looks like a silly & simple rpg maker game, that will help me distract myself from irl stuff, yay", but BOY, OH BOY, WHILE I SPENT MORE AND MORE HOURS IN IT (40h in fact) IT BECAME SO MUCH MORE!! It's very important to me now, I hold it dear to my heart <3333
Not only for themes of aromanticism, QPRs(!!!!), neurodiveregence, mental health, and friendship (I looove good exploration and highlight on friendship in media, it sucks that romance so often overshadows it), but ofc lovelessness!!!!!! made me think so muchhhhh (actually i wonder if i might be loveless now (run kids!!! Lovelessness is contagious, the loveless siblings infected me with learning-more-about-myself-virus1!1!)) I absolutely adore media that can open your eyes and help you understand other points of view and how others might experience things!! So well-written also!! I saw your jokes on tumblr about the possibility of people thinking it's anti-love propaganda and they're so funny! That'd be hilarious, did they see Wrench and Keys even??? XDDDD

Okay, but lemme tell you in more detail what I enjoyed: 
CHARACTERSSSS!!!!! They are so great, sO FUN (and GAMES xDDD), COLOFRUL AND LIKEABLE, SO IN CHARACTER IN EVERY SCENE, ALSOOOO THEIR DYNAMICS Arghhhhhhh, the cast is pretty big, it's crazy how every of these silly guys made me attached and invested in their own story <333 even Nick, I think he is such an interesting character (even if i'd hate his guts irl and would like to throw him out the window lol)
Also how did you make Void so relatable, just how. Lately, while dealing with social interactions I think of them and the thought they'd be as awkward as me brings me reasurrance, ehe :3
I absolutely adore TNT (they made act 3 my favorite one, methinks), not only they were so much fun & their development interesting, but also whole FP's cruelty to Enemyyyyyyy-- It was, ofc, cruel and awful to watch, but in a way I wanted to see how it goes and where it brings FP's stance on them being "evil"-- tho I felt very sorry to Enemy... glad she's doing better in general now
FP & Waterbottle ahhhhhh!! Their dynamic and development, top tier, peak!! The moment in act 6 almost made me cry, it was so good,,,,,, I don't have wordsssss,,,, I adore their unlabeled [mutual understanding]-ship and I'm very happy for FP they can be true to themself (and others!!) with not wanting a friend <33 It's heartwarming how other characters try to understand them better, and also WB being the best ally anyone can imagine <3333 also WB in act 5 was,,, chills, literal chills... It was painful to see them feel this way about themself, I wish them all the best
Okay, I think i won't describe in detail how much i like everyone 'cuz it'd take years shabdbfjdabd but even npcs like Buddy, Half, Spark and Teddy & Violet were a delight to get to know!!

Also don't get me started on diverse dynamics, I like very much that the first we get to see is FUN & GAMES's friendship, with a lot of friendly bickering. The player can see since the first encounter this won't be a game about textbook all-nice-and-polite friendships (wow, it makes me think about Clover lol), but how different they may be! It isn't even about regular friendships, we have Pixel and Dreamer here as well and I think it is so, so cool!!! Not only highs of good, healthy friendships, 'cuz here are Void and Nick too, the lowest of low how friendship can look like. Not only you represented huge portion of aro spectrum, but also of many soooo different relationships and dynamics, which isn't something you can see very often!

Artwork!!! I think your artstyle is very cute! Experiments look so adorable, and sprites??? Even with characters like Keys or Waterbottle, their expressions are making a difference! In general i love lineless art, but not only drawings were nice, character design are so memorable and creative!! I loooove how fun Knight's design is or Exe Jester???? SO stylish!!!

Battles!! So in general I'm neutral about battles in rpgs? They are nice, maybe not so much if you have to grind for hours, but in FT? I loved the battles, to be frank I missed them a little in later acts! They were a very nice way to get to know npcs better, their problems were diverse, every battle was unique and i liked that very much! Also changes in mechanic (like helping WB and Void, or being mean hehe) were very fun!!
Also since I'm talking about fights: the final-final-final battle was... It was so heart-wrenching, it was painful to see Exe crying and forcing herself to experience the worst she could imagine, it made me want to cry as well. Amazing finale, made me very emotional...

Also, on more serious note, I wanted to thank you for making FT; I discovered it in January, which was a very bad month for me, and playing it brought me so much comfort, it truly was a highlight of this month. Thank you so, so much <333
Now with gratitude in my heart I'm gonna recommend FT to my all friends! And I'll follow your next games too, I can't wait to see your next works! Whatever and whenever they shall be! So I wish you all the best in your creative work and irl, have a great day!! 

I sunk 30 hours into this game. Fantastic game about lovelessness and it genuinely changed my awareness of how i perceive social situations. My goodness. Makes me SICK. I genuinely don't think I've played a game (even my favorites) that's altered my perspective in such a fundamental way. There's an eye-opening level to it that felt deeply comforting as an aroace person and as someone who didn't know lovelessness as a concept before playing. I'm going to be thinking about this game.

My honest review is that this game made me make an itch.io account. None of the other itch.io games I've played have done that. Take this as you will.

(I did still see some spelling errors, but I didn't screenshot or record the part of the game they were at. Mar, let me know if you have a transcript somewhere, because I'd be more than happy to point stuff out! I mostly noticed errors in later acts, like 5 and 6.)

I'm still reeling from finishing this. It's good if you're neurodivergent and any aspec, and good for becoming aware of things you didn't know existed even if you aren't. Seriously, if you can afford the commitment, I heavily recommend sticking with it all the way through. I paused playing this game for like three or four months but coming back to it I'm so glad I did. Goodness.  

Well this is delightful. I was expecting a silly game that would occupy me for a half hour or so, not a fantastic commentary on the human experience told through robots. Admittedly I might not have read the description before downloading it, otherwise I may have gathered that this was not just a silly half hour game. But at the same time, I don't typically play games in this genre to begin with, so I'm glad I didn't read the description.

Also, these characters are all fantastically written. When the purple bunny  tells me it's going to nap and I can just leave whenever I want, I let the game run for a few minutes on that screen rather than leaving right away. I want the purple bunny to know I'm not just there because I have to be <3

Also, I would say my favorite part of the game so far has to be the cables.

This is one of the best games I've ever played! I was streaming it to my freinds and voice acting because I stumbled upon an animatic for the game and thought it might be cool and OH MY GOD best decision ever ( This has become one of my Hyperfixations !!! I wish it was more popular so I had more people to yap about it too!!)

My personal playthrough ended up being around 38-39 hours because I was insistent on checking out pretty much EVERYTHING but it was SUCH A GOOD PLAY I WOULD DEFINITELY RECOMMEND!! 

10/10 story and characters, there's a lot of good banter and personalities and interactions! I could watch the charaters talk back and forth for hours and not get bored, every chatater has interesting perspectives and few that all mingle in fascinating ways!

10/10 Art, the pixel art for the game and overworld is very appealing to me but the scenes and chataters profiles while talking are where the games art direction really shine! Each expression  is full of life and emotion, not to mention there's a lot of original ideas and chatater designs!

10/10 inclusion! I'm pansexual and a Demi-girl myself, and I'm very aware of lots of diffrent identities, but this game taught me about new views I didn't even know about! It was so cool! I love learning about others and new ways other express themselves so it was such a interesting look into other representation!

There are a few typos through out the game but nothing particularly bad, and the game is still very understandable, and it doesn't take away from anything, I would also suggested playing with always run on, as the charaters base walking speed felt slow to me? But the always sprint mode definitely fixed that!

The game handled the serious topics it represents in very respectful ways and offers any warnings for any triggering topics, this is one of the most indepth and respectful games Ive ever played.

I recently got the side story and Me and my friends are currently voice acting Exe saves the Holidays and we're having so much fun, We've all really fallen in love with the characters we voice and how they banter, I would definitely recommend checking out that game aswell!

( Friend program is so entertaining to voice, their internal dialog is always so interesting)

( Water bottle sweep!!! Me and all my homes lobe water bottle >v<)

( Exe, is so cool and werid, sighhhh!!!)

I'll leave it at that to avoid any spoilers but I have so much to say about all of the characters!! I'll leave that out of here for now though!

Overall, If your not sure if you want this game you should try it! It's free, has lots of content, a very genuine story, likeable characters, good art and lots of inclusion, trust me it's worth it!

(I made an itch account to review this because the game was so good and I need the world to know)

I just finished this game right now and OH MY GOD IT'S SO GOOD.
(Maybe some spoilers ahead? Idk... There shouldn't be.)

The story, the lore, the games, the characters (Waterbottle deserves the W in his name), the designs, the art, it's all SO FREAKING GOOD. I'm also a big fan of robots, so that's definitely a bonus. This game took so long to complete, and it was a freaking EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER. I'm delighted to have discovered this game. I could see the amount of thought put into this game, and it seriously pays off. 

I really rarely see games with such heavy queer representation! (Neopronouns, aplatonicism, aromanticism, asexuality, QPRs, lovelessness,  familial attraction, etc...) And it's so GOOD. There are also characters with disabilities.
I love (no pun intended) how this game represents being aplatonic (I actually realized I might be aplatonic myself from this game! Though nothing confirmed yet. I know so far I'm demiplatonic, but that's a whole entire other conversation). I'm generally on the aspec spectrum (and I'm neurodivergent), and this game made me feel so seen. This is a one-of-a-kind media. I'd recommend this to anyone.

The only annoying part was how long the hallways were (and the character moves so slow-) and there were confusing layouts of some areas (I wish I had gotten to see all the extra lore and stuff) :( And sometimes you had barely any direction on where to go.
I would also say one pet peeve would be how being aplatonic is handled as "corruption" or "being made wrong", so it's as if something is inherently wrong about being aspec. This feels like it was never addressed, though I could have missed something.
(Though no hate, just saying so others know.)

But otherwise, this game is probably one of my favorites that I have ever played, and it has been so influential on me. I wish to create a game like this someday, and I'm thinking of getting into a bit of game development because of this game. I absolutely loved everything about it. I'll definitely be recommending this to others!

I just finished this game and I absolutely adored the writing and care put into the story. I can't really put into words how much I really enjoyed the entirety of Friendship Test. The characters were so well-written and the ending of the game was so satisfying. 

I have to ask, is there anyway to tip/donate to you? I find it crazy that this was a free game but I understand if there were reasons for doing that. I'd love to support you either way!

Keep being you and keep up the fantastic work!! :]

this game is really really fucking good im gonna be running around in my head in circles about it for ages. thank you so much for creating it. 

yo there are spoilers in this comment
I'm not sure what exactly to say tbh, this game has me speechless. It introduced me to aplatonicism and afamilialism in a very good way. Generally, overall, the game was very enjoyable. I especially love the world it takes place in! (lord knows i'd kill for a short epilogue detailing their efforts to reform society and post-reformation).

I would've loved to see Off & FriendProgram meet so they can both find someone they relate to. the scene where FriendProgram wakes up WaterBottle by acting very out of character and WaterBottle's overall bluntless (mostly in the library test) was hilarious imo. Spark's TTS is very cool. 

uh here's a list of typos since you said to not be shy about letting you know and i'm a pedantic nerd:

• When Knight is talking to WaterBottle & FriendProgram during the 3 keys segment (after key 2), specifically in "The thoughts... The 'Forcess of darkness' as I like to call them, as a reference to my books...", "Forces" is misspelled as "Forcess"
• During the scene where Keys and Ray talk, specifically in "How you feel it's none of my business", "is" is misspelled as "it's".
• During the green-and-black section with Enemy there's a typo somewhere but i forgot which line of dialogue specifically
• When Clover activates their friend_test_mode with the couple who give out Off's code, they call it "fried_test_mode"
• Not sure if this counts but in Nick's lab, in the hallway above the room labeled "4?", one of the signs says "... -THEY- also -KNOW- exactly what to say to make us feel guilty for rebooting them." Should the last "them" be a "-THEM-"?
• Similar to above, in the experiment room of Nick's lab, the lower left sign says, "We thought it could help -THEM- develop their social skills." Should that "their" be a "-THEIR-"?
• In Nick's lab, on the sign about Sparks near the switch (the switch you press with Void & after FriendProgram is fixed), it says "They have mix feelings about them" & it should say "mixed".
• Right before the Dreamer replays FriendProgram's memory the 1st time, he says "If you that's what you want." The first "you" shouldn't be there.
• During the face-off (can't think of a better word for it rn) against BFP, in the room with the 6 hearts of dialogue, the top left heart says "-One of the scientist told me about reboots." "Scientist" should be plural.
• In the room right after FUN & GAMES's speech, the heart talking about how BFP recruited the friend_programs says "-They know the most about friendship than any other program." Either "-They know the most about friendship." or "They know more about friendship than any other program." is right here.
• Against Exe, Wrench&Hammer's power of love speech has "Use my love to give you strenght!" where "strength" is misspelled.

This game means everything to me. So many characters make me feel seen in a way most media doesn't. The artstyle is adorable and appealing, the writing is witty and creative. Definitely a singular experience, and I highly recommend it. Please play it. You will not regret.

This game means a whole lot to me ngl. I always had a very strong hunch that I was aplatonic but was like never FULLY sure. This game not only confirmed that I was aplatonic, but also loveless. I'm very glad I eventually got around to playing it. Not only did it make me feel more comfortable with my lovelessness, it gave me perspectives on aplatonicism that I might've never otherwise considered. The game is wonderful, and the story reaaally hit home. Thank you for making this game it is truly the game ever :33 (I had a lot to say about this game AAA its so good!!!)
Me and someone I know are very Friendprogram and Waterbottle coded. If you're reading this you know who you are /SILLY

Fun fact: This is how somebody I know and care for found out both what aplatonicism is and that they were, in fact, aplatonic, I'll be downloading a copy when I get the chance (on data as of writing) but thanks for creating this, hope to see more out of ya in the future!
P.S: How do you get the android version working? Not quite sure how to approach that one.

I stumbled across this game while complaining about the lack of a-spec (much less for aplatonic characters/discussion!) media and I haven't finished Act 2 yet, but I wanted to leave a comment anyway because I'm really enjoying it so far and, my god, I am so glad this exists. I think I'll be replaying it a while after I finish. Wonderful game

hello!! i have no idea how to begin this comment because i truly do not have the words to express how much this game meant to me, haha. <3

exactly how the story articulates the theme, i have never seen anyone like me in something like this (and especially never anyone intentionally written to be that way) — but watching friendprogram felt like someone had taken my heart and written right from it. it was indescribably surreal, in the absolute most positive way, to see my experiences so thoughtfully portrayed, in an incredibly creative world but with a heart-wrenching, precise realism. i can say without a doubt that i have never connected with a protagonist more. (i don't want to include spoilers in this comment of course, but in vague words: yellow also happens to be my favorite color, and the scene preceding that moment had me in many tears.) <3

the art style of this game was a constant joy — the character designs are so fun, i adored the art of the talksprites and CGs and the feelings they evoked — as was the humor (the aplatonic and loveless jokes friendprogram would make to themself in their head always had me smiling, and their banter with waterbottle was everything). the gameplay complemented and enhanced the themes perfectly, and i was so excited about how the elements of it changed over time and were used to fit specific unique scenes (the friendship battles, friendprograms' functions to repair others' relationships, etc.). there was such a wonderful harmony of art, writing, and game design, and i enjoyed every second.

i hope this rambling isn't a bother, i'll just end it with this, haha: :') this story has really changed how much hope i have had for my own life. thank you for making this, and for showing that people like us aren't alone in this. i will be thinking about this game for a long time. 💛

hello!!
YOUR GAME IS ABSOLUTE CINEMA, 5/5!!! really enjoyed playing your game!! I even cried at the end, the game is too peak q(≧▽≦q)
really thank you for making it🙏

hello!!! i just started playing this game (along w/ a friend spectating me), i think it's already got a really nice story and characters!! i will comment once more once i've finished it!!

does mac version even work? i installed it and tried opening the game but all it said was "The application "Game" can't be opened." i wanna play thouughh,,

in the linux version jester.png isnt able to be found... plays great otherwise on steamOS!

Hello, I'm here to make known that the game keeps crashing/quitting for no apparent reason after launching it, specifically when I try to start the third act. I'm on MacIOS by the way.

Hey, I'm just here to let you know... I left after getting to... pretty much late in the game? Within the school, to be precise, and... my progress got wiped. is that normal, or is the save located somewhere I didn't see? I REALLY liked this game and to have it all wiped REALLY sucks.

Ah im so excited i'm going to tell all my friends hahah this sounds like a ad on tv haha , I need to get home to install it on my computer omg I'm so excited