Over the past few years, I have routinely covered a transformation-centered visual novel by the name of Press-Switch. I’ve written several reviews of the game, compiled a page of information on it and its history, created a series of labyrinthine flowcharts to map out the games contents, and I have routinely sung its praises.
Unfortunately, as I discussed in a prior Rundown, the creator of Press-Switch has recently had issues with an aggressive stalker. While I am not privy to many of the details of what this stalker did, I know that they have materially and negatively impacted the creator’s personal life. I hoped that the ramifications of this stalking would die down in the following weeks, but per details I have been provided by a trustworthy source, that has not been the case.
Based on what this source has told me, and upon learning of how much harm this stalker has done to the creators personal life, I have reached an unfortunate decision.
Effective immediately, all of my reviews of Press-Switch, and my dedicated Press-Switch page, have been removed from Natalie.TF.
This is not a decision that I make likely. I adore Press-Switch, I want to sing its praises, and have been honored to serve as a hub for people to learn about this game. However, to prevent further harm to the game’s creator, all dedicated posts about Press-Switch will remain delisted for the foreseeable future. This move will push Press-Switch into further obscurity and, hopefully, help its creator move on with their life.
My inner preservationist hates the fact that I am doing this but, as the saying goes, nothing is ever gone from the internet. If you know where to look, there is an archive of just about everything.
This whole thing sounds coerced to me, like maybe he wrote too close to home one day. Otherwise I can’t really see how removing everything actually helps get rid of a stalker.
Removing my reviews will not get rid of the stalker, but it should minimize some of the fallout from the stalker. I know more than I am letting on in this update, but I am not going to make that information public.
Looks like even the private Discord has been shut down too?
I guess there’s always the VNDB forums, but the subforum for Press-Switch is super inactive (only a single thread with two posts that are a decade old). But big thanks to whoever “beliar” is (looks like a major contribute on VNDB?) for doing some heavy-lifting to update the page and stuff.
VNDB has never been an avenue for Press-Switch discussion, and I frankly would have never considered it to be one. The community was based on the TFGamesSite forums for a while, then the Discord took off, and that was privated in May, leading into the release of Version 0.6c.
Ah, yeah I read your previous Press-Switch page that described all of that. I mean like, is the Discord server fully shut down now? I was a lurker but it disappeared from my list of channels or whatever. Or was it made like super-duper private with only “known trusted people” or something allowed in (people like you)?
The Discord situation is one that is on a need-to-know basis, and I don’t think the owner wants the exact status to be public knowledge.
However, I can say that it went private in May and, this past month, there was an exodus of lurkers.
This is so heartbreaking. I hope Trigger is doing okay, wherever he is. I first heard about this game from you, by the way, and only played it once before life got in the way. Now feels like the perfect time to dive back in. Thankfully, I managed to figure out how to download it (thanks to you!). So, honestly, this will be my first time really playing it properly, and I’m super excited. It’s such a shame about a talented creator like Trigger, though. The TSF community isn’t huge, and losing someone who contributed so much, leaving their legacy behind like this, is just really sad.
From what I’ve pieced together, this also affected his family in real life—man, that’s rough. I can only imagine the chaos it must have caused. F that stalker. It’s chilling to think about how this played out, with your online presence exposed to family and friends, revealing deeply personal secrets. I truly hope things are going well for his family now.
Also, thank you for all your reviews. Even though I haven’t played much, they’ve always made me eager to try the game someday and sparked my curiosity about what scenarios to explore when I play this.
This is all a deeply upsetting event, even after having had a few weeks to breathe, but I can vouch that Trigger is still okay, albeit dealing with the fallout, which is probably going to persist for a while. (I’m sure he’s not looking forward to this year’s Thanksgiving.)
I hope you enjoy Press-Switch, as I find it a very special game, a massive inspiration for me and many other TSF enthusiasts. If you are looking for my flowchart to help you navigate this maze, you should be able to find it through similar methods that led you to the download link.
Oh, is that why the discord for press switch is gone? I remember boosting the server cause I like to lurk on it, so I went to check and it was gone. I hope the creator gets better and the stalker get karma! I loved your content too so its sad that the press switch stuff is gone. Hope you have a good day, and give Trigger my condolences.
It’s heartbreaking. I’ve quietly followed this since the early days, and each update, though rare, felt like a gift. I never stayed connected through Discord, so every release after 0.4a came as a quiet surprise. I wish there were more I could do.
Thank you, Natalie, for explaining what happened and for sharing 0.6c, even if only briefly. I hope the creator is safe.
The creator is safe and continuing on with their life, though I’d imagine their family situation is going to be messy going forward. Technically, you can still find v0.6c if you know where, or when, to look, but I’m trying to keep that information on the down-low.
I really bad new i hope trigger is okey
It’s very bad news, but I can vouch that Trigger is okay.
Bummed to hear about this. I love Press Switch and have quietly enjoyed each update for it. I’ve also enjoyed your coverage of it through the years, so thanks to you for your hard work. Wishing the author and their family the best!
This made me deeply sad because press switch was a promising game with promising ideas, but now it’s never going to happen.
Press-Switch, for better or for worse, was a game that never had an intended final form. It was a side project that Trigger pursued for about 15 years, and while there was always room for more to be added and more to be explored, I’m ultimately glad that we got what we got.