This is a true VN, not much a game. There is very limited replay value, you'll play it once and probably never touch it again. But for its part, that one playthrough just might feel like a bit of magic.
The work is visually simple but stunning. Everything is drawn out 2D art, but you can tell there was some care placed in the design. Characters look beautiful but lifelike in their own way. Backgrounds look bright, vibrant, and fit the setting. Every once in a while, in a particularly romantic scene, you'll get full screen drawings that look incredible.
Everything about this VN just fits right. It tells a story that has a very distinct sense of time and place. It can't take place anywhere other than when and where it does. A fascinating intersection of culture and character, the VN leaves you with a profound appreciation for the people and places involved. Even though I've never been to Hong Kong in the 80s, I can envision it clearly through the VN, which is more than you can hope for. You can feel how the setting informs the characters.
The story and setting are memorable and interesting. The VN does an excellent job of bringing the world—with all of its colors and vibrancy—into the story. It establishes characters who feel real and human, with independent dreams and ambitions. You believe in their story, even if it takes place at an extremely accelerated pace, because you believe in the characters as people. The MC is pragmatic and confused. Sam is adventurous and magnetic. The energy when they collide is explosive and the tension on panel comes through the screen.
There are some minor criticisms that probably boil down to matters of taste. The romance progresses very fast—maybe a bit too fast—and skirts on the extreme end of believable. The tension with MC's mother, particularly in the final act, feels like it comes to a head and then is just dropped, with a lot of unexplored potential. The ending/epilogue hits you quick and is probably a touch too abrupt. These things are all nitpicks and potential areas of improvement, but not enough to knock down the rating.
This is one of those stories I'm glad to have played, even if I never play it again. It's short, there's barely any porn in it, and the ending sneaks onto you too fast, but the entire story and its ability to transport you into another world is nothing short of art.