I just finished The Final Prize is Soup, and I wish I had read this earlier. I found this visual novel months ago but I just never read it, which I regret. It’s a really well-made yuri visual novel with a great mix of story and visuals.
The first thing that stood out to me was how scary the monsters were. The way the characters walked was also a nice touch. The visual and sound effects, backgrounds, sprites, CGs, animations, art, and music were all really impressive and made the game feel immersive.
One thing I didn’t like as much was that the main character and love interests looked too similar probably because they all had black hair. But the characters themselves were great though! Hailu was such a flirt, which made me laugh, and Bru Yanxu was soooo sweet.
Game Spoilers ahead!
I loved the scene where Mimi leans on Lulu’s chest, that was so cute! But damn, Lulu was so cruel breaking up with Mimi like that. Definitely left a bitter taste in my mouth. I also loved the scene where Eleven and Hailu were flirting, even while Eleven was literally dying, it was cute and silly at the same time. The rainbow cloud background absolutely stunning btw.
Side Story Spoilers
The side story about "The King" was one of my favorite parts. Her backstory was really sad, and definitely made me sympathize with her. The side story was so interesting though! Just wished that there was an actual route for her.
Overall, The Final Prize is Soup is a fantastic yuri visual novel with a great story and beautiful visuals. If you like yuri visual novels, this one is definitely worth playing!
Ps. Can’t wait for more Yuri Visual novels! I’ll be checking out your other visual novels in the meantime! :)
Noticed another visual bug yo here, so fix this one too please. Very nice I actually have a feeling that the first ending is supposed to be the true ending the cycle is finally broken and peace is once again restored. While as for the second ending is actually the selfish /ignorance is bliss ending the protag is more concerned about things going back the way they used to be that they become blind to the darker side of things, and the cycle continues I give this a 10/10 It definitely deserves it.
Great game I loved the first episode, now currently trying to reach the second ending. Didn't expect the final trial to change on me like that tbh but glad I was able to reach the end. I also noticed a visual bug which I will show here, so I'd appreciate it someone would fix this.
My guess is a corrupted download or a graphics driver/hardware incompatibility somewhere as we do some file splitting for animations. This doc link describes some Ren'Py graphics-related info: https://www.renpy.org/doc/html/display_problems.html
We can't seem to reproduce the issue on our end, but we'll try to take a look into it. Could you let me know the specs (OS, CPU, GPU, RAM) of your computer that you're using to play this game?
Okay my os is windows 7 professional, ram is 8gb my cpu is an AMD am4 5300 apu radeon hd 3.4 ghrtz oh and my graphics card is an ati radeon 5400 with 1 gb of ram on it. So I took a lot at the graphics page and as it turns out I didn't have direct x 11 installed which is funny because I was able to play elsword without it earlier I think. So I just went ahead and installed it, also it says that open gl can't be down loaded because its an integrated thing apparently. Which i think is dumb they shou ld really allow you to download it, so I looked into add/remove programs and it not even there but open al is there but idk if that'll help or not though.
I love both routes, though Eleven's is more epic, dark, story-extensive and aoishiro-ish, while Mimi's is cute and relationship-focused. And this game looks so beautiful. And most horrifying moment was when shino said she considered not releasing for this spooktober. (and this comment is just in time, ofcourse (i just rewatched the game on someone's letsplay stream xD))
I like both routes as well and both endings, but if you do the first ending first and then the second then you'll see what I mean when I say this. That the second ending is actually the selfish/ ignorance is bliss ending. The protag is more concerned about things going back to the way they were, that they become blind to the darker side of things as the cycle continues. Yes I actually like the first ending better as well because it showed the darker side of things which was a real eye opened and it showed just how twisted that fake king really was. Don't get me wrong though I'm sure some of these people got just what they deserved, some of them might've even criminals who committed heinous crimes for all we know. But to involve innocent people in these atrocities too when they hadn't done anything wrong that's just evil.
Gotta grab a hand crank charger with me so I can use my phone in the afterlife… 😆
Wow, what an intense, atmospheric journey! The animated BGs, sprites and CGs add a lot of immersion to this 45k word story (super impressive scope!) I appreciated all the references to Chinese mythology and culture, although I felt like it could be incorporated more naturally in dialogue rather than feeling so expository (e.g. how the MC thought of her ex in nickname form but they randomly greeted each other by full names)
————Spoiler thoughts and feedback————
I’m glad I played through and I enjoyed the experience overall!
In the beginning, I was thrown off by how two exhausted women that hiked for hours and hours (one described as very not outdoorsy) could fend off the monsters in pure physical combat. These ghosts are incredibly terrifying on first appearance but during this fight, they felt weak to me, given how slow and incompetent they are at overtaking weakened chars. Maybe a choice to fight smart rather than a blatant physical stand off would fix this?
The rest of the trials were great! I felt so immersed in the recess room with the dark abyss and trial number two with the knocking suspense. The third trial was interesting too with the boxes and rising water even though the it would be nice to have some player input for the puzzle solving. I loved the flashback scene as well and emotional bonding!
Nearing the end, the calling for divine intervention to get them out of the situation felt much too easy. Couldn’t it have been done this whole time? Maybe there could be an obstacle to doing this so it feels earned and it takes more lead up / intentional decisions to accomplish.
————FINISH SPOILER ————
Overall, I love what this VN stands for and I am so glad there’s a wholesome happy ending. The CGs are fantastic and it’s awesome to have more cultural representation. I sincerely hope you continue to develop, smooth out the story and make editing fixes for flow! Below is one of the more wonky grammar examples, which can be fixed by ending the last sentence with *falsehoods. (Quite a few lines like this, but understandable given the immense scope of the script and production.)
Can’t wait to try any updates or whatever you make next! ❤️ I enjoyed Red Queen too!
(Copied from my Spooktober rating page review to help this game within itch.io's algorithm!)
Love some of the camerawork and cinematography you used in this VN. I can tell you've read a lot of VNs because some of the shots you used are utterly breathtaking: like the opening scene, the cut-ins with Eleven announcing the status of each survival game, and the panning up to the starry night sky.
I also can't stop thinking about the trials you created for Hailu and the other dead participants. They're legitimately frightening at times: I was jumpscared by the sudden appearance of a hungry ghost when Mimi and Hailu were running through the seventh floor in the third trial.
All in all, thanks for creating such a great work!
Yes it is! It's the second download button for the-final-prize-is-soup-osx.zip with the Apple logo next to it :)
(Unfortunately, it is not tested internally due to hardware ownership limitations on the team, but thus far we haven't received any reports from players about it not working on Mac)
That would be really appreciated! We plan to keep working on the game after the jam to add enhancements and fixing things that may be broken will definitely be a top priority 👍
Yes. The Mac build is the download named osx and has the apple logo next to it. You may need to control-click the .app and open it manually which is a common problem for Ren'Py games on Mac.
I loved Hailu's interactions with Eleven, but I can't not root for Mimi!
Atmospheric, wonderfully unsettling in many ways, with a heartfelt throughline in both routes to be honest! Both routes complete each other so nicely, this was a fantastic read!
Beautiful graphics and a wonderfully descriptive, dramatic story. I was interested in Eleven but you had me heavily invested in the Mimi route. Honestly may revisit the VN on stream after October to go through Eleven's route! I'm very curious and had SO much fun reading through this one. Ps I still want Mimi's charger.
Thank you for playing and reviewing! We do hope you come back for another play >:9 (P.S. - I had such a fun time at your stream, it was an amazing way to enjoy the story :p)
Wow, the designs of the background was godly. I sometimes paused on them and be like “hooo. Nice background” :<
The animation and sprite were pretty cute too.
If one thing was missing compared to the outstanding art, I thought it was the story (especially the one with the judge - I felt their relationship was a bit hollow), but still I found that the ex-lover branch was pretty endearing ! It was very hard to ignore her to complete the second ending >_>
Very nice ! Is that even a jam game ? Felt way too well polished to be one >_<
Thanks for playing and providing insight! We were a little pressed for time for writing and planning, but we do hope to do more expansion on it in the future!
this vn was so good!! lovely and fitting soundtrack, beautiful character design and such a pretty UI!! i especially loved the monster design, very spooky. very happy to see the accessibility options too. well written and enjoyable, great work all!!
The music was very pleasant, effects p nice (esp for a jam submission), plot and characters fairly well written + all the art and UI beautifully done, realized and fitting (sorry if i forgot something else! pls no offense~ 'w`).
A solid one, though i must admit that among the Shinoverse my favorite is still the Red Queen >:3 best of luck in this jam here and in yalls future endeavors, they are all appreciated and good!!!!!! peace~
P.S. also shoutouts to Pumpkin Spike, for route they wrote was as subtle, bittersweet, and emotionally complex (also - cute!) as time probably allowed, giving some rightfully deserved happiness to Mimi (the adorkablest lil disaster~) and enough depth via self-reflection, introspection and acceptance to Qian!
Finished all endings. Love the visual effects (I'm not a fan of monsters but hey these visual effects are really good). Not gonna give any spoilers here, but I must admit that the mirror grinder, "women hold up half the sky" and spicy strips made me laugh out loud.
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I just finished The Final Prize is Soup, and I wish I had read this earlier. I found this visual novel months ago but I just never read it, which I regret. It’s a really well-made yuri visual novel with a great mix of story and visuals.
The first thing that stood out to me was how scary the monsters were. The way the characters walked was also a nice touch. The visual and sound effects, backgrounds, sprites, CGs, animations, art, and music were all really impressive and made the game feel immersive. One thing I didn’t like as much was that the main character and love interests looked too similar probably because they all had black hair. But the characters themselves were great though! Hailu was such a flirt, which made me laugh, and Bru Yanxu was soooo sweet.
Game Spoilers ahead!
I loved the scene where Mimi leans on Lulu’s chest, that was so cute! But damn, Lulu was so cruel breaking up with Mimi like that. Definitely left a bitter taste in my mouth. I also loved the scene where Eleven and Hailu were flirting, even while Eleven was literally dying, it was cute and silly at the same time. The rainbow cloud background absolutely stunning btw.
Side Story Spoilers
The side story about "The King" was one of my favorite parts. Her backstory was really sad, and definitely made me sympathize with her. The side story was so interesting though! Just wished that there was an actual route for her.Overall, The Final Prize is Soup is a fantastic yuri visual novel with a great story and beautiful visuals. If you like yuri visual novels, this one is definitely worth playing!
Ps. Can’t wait for more Yuri Visual novels! I’ll be checking out your other visual novels in the meantime! :)
Wonderful game! I feel bad for all the background characters who didn't make it haha
One of the best VNs I've played. You do great work!
Great game I loved the first episode, now currently trying to reach the second ending. Didn't expect the final trial to change on me like that tbh but glad I was able to reach the end. I also noticed a visual bug which I will show here, so I'd appreciate it someone would fix this.
My guess is a corrupted download or a graphics driver/hardware incompatibility somewhere as we do some file splitting for animations. This doc link describes some Ren'Py graphics-related info: https://www.renpy.org/doc/html/display_problems.html
We can't seem to reproduce the issue on our end, but we'll try to take a look into it. Could you let me know the specs (OS, CPU, GPU, RAM) of your computer that you're using to play this game?
Okay my os is windows 7 professional, ram is 8gb my cpu is an AMD am4 5300 apu radeon hd 3.4 ghrtz oh and my graphics card is an ati radeon 5400 with 1 gb of ram on it. So I took a lot at the graphics page and as it turns out I didn't have direct x 11 installed which is funny because I was able to play elsword without it earlier I think. So I just went ahead and installed it, also it says that open gl can't be down loaded because its an integrated thing apparently. Which i think is dumb they shou ld really allow you to download it, so I looked into add/remove programs and it not even there but open al is there but idk if that'll help or not though.
I love both routes, though Eleven's is more epic, dark, story-extensive and aoishiro-ish, while Mimi's is cute and relationship-focused. And this game looks so beautiful. And most horrifying moment was when shino said she considered not releasing for this spooktober. (and this comment is just in time, ofcourse (i just rewatched the game on someone's letsplay stream xD))
I like both routes as well and both endings, but if you do the first ending first and then the second then you'll see what I mean when I say this. That the second ending is actually the selfish/ ignorance is bliss ending. The protag is more concerned about things going back to the way they were, that they become blind to the darker side of things as the cycle continues. Yes I actually like the first ending better as well because it showed the darker side of things which was a real eye opened and it showed just how twisted that fake king really was. Don't get me wrong though I'm sure some of these people got just what they deserved, some of them might've even criminals who committed heinous crimes for all we know. But to involve innocent people in these atrocities too when they hadn't done anything wrong that's just evil.
Real good.
Despite being this a horror game.
To me, I find it having a sad vibe and emotional more than horror. (Please forgive me ;-;)
Really like Yanxu's route, By the way.
11 out of 10 for this game.
so good
amazing!!
does it will support chinese language
Currently the only language for the game is English, and no translations are in progress. Maybe one day!
Gotta grab a hand crank charger with me so I can use my phone in the afterlife… 😆
Wow, what an intense, atmospheric journey! The animated BGs, sprites and CGs add a lot of immersion to this 45k word story (super impressive scope!) I appreciated all the references to Chinese mythology and culture, although I felt like it could be incorporated more naturally in dialogue rather than feeling so expository (e.g. how the MC thought of her ex in nickname form but they randomly greeted each other by full names)
————Spoiler thoughts and feedback————
I’m glad I played through and I enjoyed the experience overall!
In the beginning, I was thrown off by how two exhausted women that hiked for hours and hours (one described as very not outdoorsy) could fend off the monsters in pure physical combat. These ghosts are incredibly terrifying on first appearance but during this fight, they felt weak to me, given how slow and incompetent they are at overtaking weakened chars. Maybe a choice to fight smart rather than a blatant physical stand off would fix this?
The rest of the trials were great! I felt so immersed in the recess room with the dark abyss and trial number two with the knocking suspense. The third trial was interesting too with the boxes and rising water even though the it would be nice to have some player input for the puzzle solving. I loved the flashback scene as well and emotional bonding!
Nearing the end, the calling for divine intervention to get them out of the situation felt much too easy. Couldn’t it have been done this whole time? Maybe there could be an obstacle to doing this so it feels earned and it takes more lead up / intentional decisions to accomplish.
————FINISH SPOILER ————
Overall, I love what this VN stands for and I am so glad there’s a wholesome happy ending. The CGs are fantastic and it’s awesome to have more cultural representation. I sincerely hope you continue to develop, smooth out the story and make editing fixes for flow! Below is one of the more wonky grammar examples, which can be fixed by ending the last sentence with *falsehoods. (Quite a few lines like this, but understandable given the immense scope of the script and production.)
Can’t wait to try any updates or whatever you make next! ❤️ I enjoyed Red Queen too!
Thank you so much for playing and for sharing such detailed thoughts, we truly appreciate all your feedback! Stay tuned... and happy Halloween!
Thank you, this piece deserves the attention!! Happy Halloween 😄🎃
Hey Jaqui! Thank you so much for playing TFPIS and for leaving a very thoughtful review + feedback! Happy Halloween!
Hiiii! Omg your monster art and the CGs are incredible! Congrats on the win!!!
Happy Halloween!
Thank you so so much, means a lot to hear especially from you! ^^ Cheers!
I saved your game for the last of Spooktober entries I wanted to try, as I guessed it would be my favorite - and it was! :P
Aww thank you so much for playing, that is so sweet! :p I am glad you liked our game!
Absolutely beautiful visuals and effects, an intriguing and spooky premise, and properly horrifying monsters--incredible work all around!
pretty good game though I would've appreciated a warning for light jumpscares
(Copied from my Spooktober rating page review to help this game within itch.io's algorithm!)
Love some of the camerawork and cinematography you used in this VN. I can tell you've read a lot of VNs because some of the shots you used are utterly breathtaking: like the opening scene, the cut-ins with Eleven announcing the status of each survival game, and the panning up to the starry night sky.
I also can't stop thinking about the trials you created for Hailu and the other dead participants. They're legitimately frightening at times: I was jumpscared by the sudden appearance of a hungry ghost when Mimi and Hailu were running through the seventh floor in the third trial.
All in all, thanks for creating such a great work!
Thank you so much for playing, I am glad the visuals and story left an impact on you! Happy Halloween!
Is this completed?
Yep, this is a full experience. The features listed on this page are what's included in the current build.
Is this game compatible with MacOS?
Yes it is! It's the second download button for the-final-prize-is-soup-osx.zip with the Apple logo next to it :)
(Unfortunately, it is not tested internally due to hardware ownership limitations on the team, but thus far we haven't received any reports from players about it not working on Mac)
Well, I'll report any problems I find! Thank you!
That would be really appreciated! We plan to keep working on the game after the jam to add enhancements and fixing things that may be broken will definitely be a top priority 👍
Yes. The Mac build is the download named osx and has the apple logo next to it. You may need to control-click the .app and open it manually which is a common problem for Ren'Py games on Mac.
I loved Hailu's interactions with Eleven, but I can't not root for Mimi!
Atmospheric, wonderfully unsettling in many ways, with a heartfelt throughline in both routes to be honest! Both routes complete each other so nicely, this was a fantastic read!
Thank you so much for playing, Visual Novelty! It was a joy to watch your playthrough!
Thank you so much for playing! <3
Beautiful graphics and a wonderfully descriptive, dramatic story. I was interested in Eleven but you had me heavily invested in the Mimi route. Honestly may revisit the VN on stream after October to go through Eleven's route! I'm very curious and had SO much fun reading through this one. Ps I still want Mimi's charger.
Thank you for playing and reviewing! We do hope you come back for another play >:9 (P.S. - I had such a fun time at your stream, it was an amazing way to enjoy the story :p)
good novel
Thank you for playing, we glad you enjoyed it! <3
Thank you so much for playing TFPIS!
Wow, the designs of the background was godly. I sometimes paused on them and be like “hooo. Nice background” :<
The animation and sprite were pretty cute too.
If one thing was missing compared to the outstanding art, I thought it was the story (especially the one with the judge - I felt their relationship was a bit hollow), but still I found that the ex-lover branch was pretty endearing ! It was very hard to ignore her to complete the second ending >_>
Very nice ! Is that even a jam game ? Felt way too well polished to be one >_<
Thanks for playing and providing insight! We were a little pressed for time for writing and planning, but we do hope to do more expansion on it in the future!
We're glad you enjoyed the game overall!
this vn was so good!! lovely and fitting soundtrack, beautiful character design and such a pretty UI!! i especially loved the monster design, very spooky. very happy to see the accessibility options too. well written and enjoyable, great work all!!
Thank you so much for playing TFPIS, October! <3
This was pretty lovely, big props to the team.
The music was very pleasant, effects p nice (esp for a jam submission), plot and characters fairly well written + all the art and UI beautifully done, realized and fitting (sorry if i forgot something else! pls no offense~ 'w`).
A solid one,
though i must admit that among the Shinoversemy favorite is still the Red Queen >:3best of luck in this jam here and in yalls future endeavors, they are all appreciated and good!!!!!! peace~P.S. also shoutouts to Pumpkin Spike, for route they wrote was as subtle, bittersweet, and emotionally complex (also - cute!) as time probably allowed, giving some rightfully deserved happiness to Mimi (the adorkablest lil disaster~) and enough depth via self-reflection, introspection and acceptance to Qian!
Ahh thank you very much, I'm glad you enjoyed my writing for Yanxu's route! ♥
Thank you so much for playing and for your review, and as CG artist, special thanks for the compliment on the art! ^_^
Finished all endings. Love the visual effects (I'm not a fan of monsters but hey these visual effects are really good). Not gonna give any spoilers here, but I must admit that the mirror grinder, "women hold up half the sky" and spicy strips made me laugh out loud.
I'm so excited to play!!!
Woohoo! Please let us know whatchu think ~ thank you for checking out our game! <3
please enjoy!! i'm so happy i got to work on this project with you all :)
I hope you like our work everyone, happy slurpy Spooktober! ^^ ♡