Version Played: 0.4
Time Played: 4 hours.
Like many of your days at actual work, this one is a slow burn.
While the story and setting are extremely engaging, there is a decided lack of sexual content (so much so that I missed every single sex scene with my choices save the flashback ones >_> ).
I really enjoyed a lot of the dialog: particularly the banter between Elsa and the MC is humorous and you feel like they are friends with a genuine rapport. There's also a big mystery around just who Elsa is that I liked and am intrigued by. The MC himself is relatable, or at least able to be empathized with in part. The only thing to really note on the writing front is that, for as good as it is, there's a vague sense that the writer(s) aren't native speakers, since every now and again, there will be a strange turn of phrase or something that just feels off.
Positives
+ Beautiful girls (Alice is one of my fav DAZ3D models and the devs did a great job of making her a total "girl of your dreams" type.)
+ Intriguing story with good writing
+ Bush! (well, a bush)
Negatives
- Barely any sexual content. You need to be ok with playing to enjoy the story and characters without getting any payoff at this juncture.
- End of content is extremely abrupt and jarring. (It really doesn't help that it ends with a "The End" screen instead of a "TBC" or something that lets the player know it's the end of current content update.)
- The overall theme of self-improvement isn't really well-defined yet and I am very wary of where it could go.
Speaking specifically to that last point, it could be just because I used a mod in order to see the sex scenes that I missed, but I got the vague sense that the game has a "You have to be an 'Alpha 'to get ahead" undertone. (The choice labels in said mod were things like "Alpha" and "Loser" so that didn't help...) I find that worldview incredibly tiresome and unhealthy and found myself rolling my eyes when making the choices that were on that path just to open scenes. That said, I think it's very important to note that said mod gave those names and I don't know if they represent the creators' actual intent. Also, many choices, with the exception of bedding one character, currently have no resolution, so it could be that just one character responds to the "Alpha" treatment. In any event, it's way too early to pass judgment, but I am slightly wary and hoping that the game offers multiple outcomes for choices and that the different characters respond to different behaviors.
Note to Devs: Great game so far; I could really see it being one of my all time favs down the road. Please consider taking into account alternate ways for approaching the choices that still lead to positive character outcomes and interactions. That said, if my final paragraph is incorrect I apologize and will amend accordingly as more updates are released.