I Wani Hug that Gator!

My first time experience playing I Wani Hug That Gator:
>Be me
>24 year old virgin Redditard gamer
>Mostly into shooters and violent games
>Never played visual novels
>Purchase this game as a “joke”
>”Lul furry game.”
>Ignore overwhelmingly positive reviews
>Game sits in library for a month
>Finally play game out of boredom
>”Hehe… the gym teacher is Soldier Tf2”
>Get hooked to the story
>Hours go by
>Grow attached to characters
>Cherish the gator girl
>“I’m doing this for her.”
>Friends make fun of my game activity
>Ignore them
>Make bad choices
>”I’m an idiot. I’m an idiot.”
>Start regretting making the bad choices
>Gets Ending 1
>Hate myself
>"I ruined everything."
>Lock myself in bedroom
>Ignore DMs from friends
>”I’ll make things right. For Olivia and Inco.”
>Stay up late in the night
>Make the right choices
>It’s 4 in the morning
>Gets Ending 4
>Get emotional
>Watch credits roll
>Cry
>"Olivia deserves this. They all do"
>Still 2 more endings to go
>Gain the urge to experience more
>But I'm too tired
>Go to sleep
>............................
>Wake up
>Its 3 PM
>Play for one of the other endings
>Avoid dinner
>Experiences Ending 2
>”No… It can’t be like this.”
>Cry a little
>Feel terrible again
>Hate myself
>"The other ending must be better right?"
>It’s late again
>Witness Ending 3
>”I’ll be better...” says Olivia
>”No, I should have done better” I say to her
>”What have I done?”
>Feel sad
>Pains in stomach
>Notice the Epilogue ending
>Plays it
>Watch the final cutscene
>Feel happy
>”It’s perfect”
>It's still 1 in the morning
>Replay the entire game again
>I’m too hooked to go to sleep
>Go for Ending 4 again
>Re-read the entire story from start to finish
>Adore the cutesy banter
>”I wish this can go on forever”
>Re-watch the dance
>Re-read the epilogue
>Close game
>I lay in bed
>Reflect on the game
>Contemplate life choices
Overall, a great visual novel that turned out to be a delight experiencing the personal growth of its characters, which had me hooked from start to finish, as well as the game’s messaging regarding treating others how you would want to be treated (aka, not like an a--hole). I really wish I could experience this game blindly again, and its an experience I don't think I'll ever forget.

The west has risen. Billions must have autistic gator wives

I gave this game a shot after a friend recommend it. I made fun of him for playing a furry game naturally, because of all of its connotations and the repulsive subculture, but I downloaded the demo to try it out.
To my surprise, the writing was good and it was getting better. It has animations and they are good? And the music is great too? No way. Oh no.
Twenty five hours of reading later and I think I just had the most humbling, life changing gaming experiences of my life. Easily the 2024 game of the year, no competition. And while I still can't stand furries this is now one of my favorite games. Are those two things contradictory positions? Yes.
First of all, everything from the colorful style to the name "I Wani Hug That Gator" screams that this is a bad attempt at a self parody, a cringy wifu simulator, or a ♥♥♥♥ post. It completely embraces this expectation, or rather it completely unapologetically embraces its dumb premise and asks itself 'But how do we actually make this kind of game good?'. And the answer is to just tell a compelling romance story, but the impressive part is that they actually managed to pull it off.
The style in a way blindsides the player, the over the top designs make you lower your guard, so when the moment comes, the exploration of more mature themes hits all the harder. And it is masterfully executed.
A big part of the game's charm for me are the multiple endings that give the game real stakes. The main character is not a blank slate, although you couldn't tell by the design. Instead, you guide him in a certain path by picking some choices for him, watch him struggle with his own problems and hopefully by the end of the game he becomes his own person.
To my surprise, there is never a point in the story that feels off tone wise, and the humor is well balanced with the more serious plot points. Despite the fact that a big part of the game is lighthearted banter intermittent with slapstick humor, the game and the story itself never become the punchline. It's so refreshing compared to modern day marvelbrain baby writing today's writers are increasingly afflicted with.
This game is clearly a labor of love, it is what you would call soulfull. In this day and age where products masquerade as art, this is a shining example of what is possible to create when you create with heart.
Everything from the writing, the art, the music, and the animations work wonderfully together to create a cohesive believable world. The music does a lot to elevate the scenes, and there are some real gems in there. You know that a soundtrack is good, when you notice it. "I Dream of a Dance", "Final First Page", "Furious March of Red", "Green Specter", "Teenage Traffic" all stand out as highlights of the original soundtrack. The are fantastic on their own, and paired together with the scenes they are written for they are absolute perfection, and I love them. Even the non original tracks are well picked and add a lot to scenes in which they are used. We are talking about some real tear jerking tracks that will leave even the most grizzled, shriveled up, bonafide crusty sailor complaining about sudden onsets of rain or having some crap stuck in their eyes.
The only questionable parts are the crude pixelated background images that are either passable or stick out like a sore thumb. There was an effort made to make them fit in, but some of them really make the game feel cheap in comparison to the rest of it. The art that is there is great, and while the budget was obviously put into some parts (animations) and not others (background images), there clearly wasn't a lack of effort, because the game is full of details. For example, all over the game there are simple sprite movement animations of the characters visually reacting to something that was said or seen. They add life to the characters and some of them are very cleverly used to convey the story through visuals.
The characters are for the most part well written and very human. They feel as if they are real people, and not just characters there to entertain you or to be a foil to you. While I have given a lot of praise here to the writing, it is not perfect by any means. There are some flaws with the story, but none of them are enough the ruin the good parts. For example not all the characters got the amount of exploration I would have liked. Some parts felt rushed and are left somewhat unfinished, but it's clear that the writers wanted to focus on the two main characters. The reason being, delivering the game's central themes.
The two main characters Inco and Olivia struggle with self actualization, agency and responsibility, and you get two see them at their best or worst depending on your choices.
The game does a beautiful job of presenting those struggles, and it does so consistently, with kindness, and most importantly a real sort of rough sincerity that could have only come from the author's personal experience. The maturity with which the themes and characters are explored makes this one of the best romance stories I've ever seen. If I had to describe the game in two words, it would be unapologetically sincere.
And finally, I don't think a piece of media ever made me cry out of happiness before. I cried like a baby during one of the animations. This wonderful story made me really inspired to create again, something I hadn't felt in a long time. I didn't know how much I needed this game until I got to play it. This piece of art touched me deeply, and it's messages will stick with me forever.
I will never forget your game. Thank you Cavemanon.

(My actual play time is around 12 hours as of writing this review)
As someone who has first-hand experience with disability, I was really sceptical of this game, wondering if they "got it right".
And boy, they sure did.
Pros:
- Interesting characters, I was interested in character developments, even for characters that I didn't like much.
- I was taken aback by the authenticity of the writing. It feels very natural and flows well.
- The feels! From laughter to sadness, I went trough all kinds of emotions.
- With really similar situations, I related to Olivia a lot, her conflicting feelings, her struggles tied to her handicap. There's no doubt in my mind that the person writing is very aware of disability, the good, the bad, the ugly. And it shows.
- A true slice of life, where the kind-of-boring setting is made interesting by all the characters and feelings around it.
- Very nice music, discrete and mesured, that would match the scenes well.
- The pacing is very good. Slowing down and fast forwarding at just the right time.
Cons:
- Inco, the main character, is a bit uncanny.
> He's supposed to be kind of a blank slate character, but he has enough personal traits to be his own character, so he falls in kind of a weird middle ground.
Not enough traits to be it's own character, but too many for the player to properly insert themselves in the story.
- The beginning was a bit slow, but I'm glad that I kept going.
- Some key/important moments could use more art, but that's subjective.
I feel like the fact that I played the full game, reached an ending(n°3),
played again to reach another ending, and interrupted my run to write this review,
before buying it, -full price on purpose-, is the biggest praise I can give this game.
Well done, Cavemanon, you deserve the money.

If i had a coin for each time a game with a baryonyx girl in a wheelchair forever altered the trajectory of my life i'd only have 25 cents, which is really not much but good lord will i treasure these 25 cents forever.

A Brief Introduction
Sometimes, when a person is damaged, it is easy to see. Sometimes, it isn’t. And sometimes, the person who is damaged doesn’t even know it themselves. It helps to have friends and family that can offer guidance to get you through the tough times…. but only YOU can fix your own problems. They cannot be fixed for you.
I Wani Hug That Gator! appears on the surface to be a funny dinosaur/crocodile dating sim. This is true. It is filled with references, jokes, and often has a naturally silly flow. But just beneath that layer of meta humor and entertainment is one of the deepest and most realistic stories of self-healing and support I have ever witnessed in not just gaming, but in all of media.
Let me tell you why the funny gator game is worth your time.
In-Depth Analysis
Story
In IWHTG, you play as Inco G. Nito, a human attending a school of anthropomorphic dinosaurs. While his name and appearance would lead you to believe he’s a parody and caricature of the typical “self-insert protagonist”, he is very much his own character, with his own story, morals, and goals. However, Inco is not a very competent person. While his family is quite well off, his parents are intensely neglectful, pursuing their own careers instead of being at home with him. He’s moved from place to place his whole life, and as he says himself, “a rolling stone gathers no moss.” This has made him disconnected, naive and unsure of himself or his goals in life. He has never been given the attention nor forged the relationships to begin to understand what he truly desires, how to assert himself, nor how to properly interact and connect with others. As the player’s character, it is the player’s responsibility to make the choices that will help push him towards achieving self-actualization.
But Inco is not the only major player in this story. The other is the titular “Gator” the game refers to, a girl by the name of Olivia Halford. Just like Inco, Olivia is not in a good place in life. Despite her prodigious skill in art, and a genuinely good person under the surface, Olivia has been beaten down by life to the point of simply giving up. She is coasting, unable to summon forth the willpower to try anymore, believing herself to not be worth the effort, and that she cannot amount to anything of her own skill. She mistrusts everybody she doesn’t know, having been burned too hard in the past to believe anybody genuinely cares for her anymore, and even doubts the love her own family has for her at times. She has resigned herself to believing she will always be given pity as a handicapped person, and can never stand on her own merit. She is truly at the lowest point.
I Wani Hug That Gator is a story of two people healing, coming to terms with who they are, and becoming the best of themselves. It’s a great, feel-good concept, and if that was just it, I’d still probably enjoy it. To my surprise, IWHTG takes things a step further.
I rarely see ANY form of media so accurately portray how people with these issues would act, and on top of that, how true the hidden message of the game is. Healing from issues like these is a long process with several steps. It’s not a straight line, and it’s not as simple as being told to be better. Sometimes life kicks you while you’re down, and sometimes it kicks you while you’re trying to stand up. Olivia does NOT immediately trust Inco. In fact, it takes quite a long time for her to do so. Equally, Inco tends to still fumble at the worst times and be unsure of himself until very late in the story.
But it’s the unspoken message of the narrative that truly struck home with me. Friends and family are important. They can provide kindness, affection and advice in the worst of times. But true change, and true choices can not be made for you. They must be made by YOU. A choice you do not make for yourself can not lead to lasting, impactful change.
Like all visual novels, the choices the player makes guide them towards one of multiple endings. IWHTG has four endings, ranging from absolutely terrible outcomes to the best case outcome. Throughout the story, there are choices that are deeply important to the characters. But unlike most VNs, where some choice/ending connections are kinda vague or arbitrary, every key choice in IWHTG has a significance. I think of them as a “healing” choice, because the “correct” decision is one that pushes Olivia or Inco towards the path of self-actualization and healing.
But what gave me reason to stop and think is how the choices are presented. As the player, Inco’s “correct” choices are ones he can make for himself. He should speak up for what is right, stand up for himself when he needs to, and reach for the connection with others. But Olivia is just as important as Inco. However...... the player is not playing as Olivia. They are playing as Inco. And Inco making a choice FOR her is not helping her. In fact, it actually does the opposite.
By making a choice for Olivia, the player is robbing Olivia of her ability to prosper on her OWN merits. You cannot succeed in life by having everything handed to you, and chosen for you. Olivia’s entire issue is that she feels as if everything is given to her only out of pity, and that she cannot succeed on her own. If Inco makes that choice for her, he simply proves that more true, and drives her deeper into that hole.
Inco and Olivia must make their own choices to improve. Inco can only help Olivia, he CAN NOT make her change for the better by making that choice for her. She must decide that on her own, like a real person. Both characters must be the catalyst of their own journeys. It is only when they both improve, on their own choices, by their own merit, that they flourish.
Gameplay
IWHTG plays nearly identically to any traditional visual novel or dating sim. It’s a text and image based format, where you read it like a book and occasionally make choices, some of which are important. Almost everything gameplay-wise is what you would expect from a VN / Dating Sim.
Visuals
Some assets are better done than others, but on average, the quality of the art, and especially the animations is better than what I’d expect from a visual novel. When I normally play a VN, I expect static images. This was a nice surprise.
Audio
It has music, but it’s not very memorable. It does its job, and that’s all it really needs to do.
Technical
GeForce RTX 3050Ti 4GB | Intel i7 | 16GB | Windows 10
The game runs fine, and I had no issues. However, the “point tracker” debug mode seemed to be enabled by default for me, which I had no personal issue with, but some people might. It can be disabled in the settings.
Conclusion
I went into I Wani Hug That Gator expecting an amusing, simple story about a guy hugging a gator. What I got was a shockingly deep story about mutual self-healing and the importance of taking control of your own life. I spent nearly a full week thinking about this game after finishing it. It even pushed me to start working out and rekindle my old passions like video editing and writing. With my ADHD, dedication is incredibly hard, and the fact that I am STILL working out four weeks later is astonishing, even if I am having some issues figuring out a routine.
But what matters is that I made the choice to improve for myself.
I heavily recommend this game to anybody that feels like they’ve been struggling to realize their potential in life. It may just speak to you like it spoke to me.
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This game broke me.
After playing this game I was sent into a spiral of depression from realizing I have been taken advantage of my whole life. But then this game built me back up and I am a better person now. I wish I could thank the Cavemanon team personally because they truly created a masterpiece.
Thank you so much for everything Team Cavemanon.