I'll give Crimson High by Vertigo a solid 4/5
I'll split the review in following topic:
- Settings
- Plot
- Characters
- MC
- Quality of Renders/Ambient
The overall setting of CH is good. I like the world-building around it and premises it sets. Some details to get a bit freaky or some misplaced (e.g. the watch) but otherwise I really dig it. It's kind of bland to have it set up in Japan and I would have very much liked an european setting as most of the myths mentioned and portraited are from european folklore. I wouldn't mind if it were set up with more asian 'myths' to make a greater immersion for the story happening in Japan (think of snow-woman, onis, kitsunes and so on...).
The setting has a rating of 5/5
The overarching plot so far is quite fetching and I find it intriguing. Although the it ist quite cumbersome how some points are conveyed in a roundabout way but I will comment on this on more in the writing. There are definitely some anime/manga tropes I find quite amusing but also sometimes exhausting specifically how they are set up in the story. I think one or two story revisions on some points and how they would be conveyed could make the plot in general more enjoyable and highlight the strengths further. I'm excited how the story unfolds.
Side-stories are mixed in quality. Some stories are beautifully phrased and presented for the players in what gives the character a nice depth and background setting (Anzou setting and Aki/ Yukari as well as Okami's encounter with the other guy was hilarous as fuck AWOOCHIE) while other side-stories are a bit weird to read through (Hibiki). Although the side-story content is again interesting to read I find myself exhausted reading them because how the MC handles those situation - more in the MC section. The pacing of the story begins somewhat relaxed but speeds up considerable later on. While a lot is done from one day to another I feel again MCs monologues to not reflect the pacing what I would assume would appropriate. Here I would propose to either scale down the pacing to have either max. three plot lines going forward while holding out or slowing down other plot lines. Although the aim to have what would feel like a Game of Thronesesque story development with many plot lines pacing dynamically is noble, I think it is not achieved here and hinders the readability and understanding in general.
The plot section has a rating of 4/5
The characters so far have a wide range of nicely developed in terms of personality, story and writing. I respect the author for the amount of work being put in but I feel sometimes confused for the sheer amounts of characters introduced at once. It is a bit hard to keep track of every person's development and hints dropped in dialogues. Maybe the pacing can be here adjusted to make it easier for the player to read through and process the information.
Again there are many character tropes to be found and filled in a somewhat cute way. Albeit all characters are above 18 I find it somewhat weird for some characters to feel like too childish (looking at Jun here). She might be overly sheltered but she is completely oblivious in comparison to Ori in terms of general education and especially in sexual eduction (taking into account her upbringing in Europe).
The characters have a rating of 4.5/5
The MC. Honestly I am devestated in how the MC is writtin and what his decision making is. He's a child who grew up without a mother and was tought that his mother was murdered. So he pursues a career in the police in order to strife to solve his mother's murder case - so far a strong motivation and reasonable character. He is a detective on his first case and starts of strong in his initial dialogues and and how he approaches the case - again strong character writing. But as soon as the first major developments happen he becomes unable to use any ability to use rational thinking or analytical approach to solve issues when he is not acting as a detective for WAP it seems. Why can't he take any knowledge he receives as a piece of information and start re-evaluating previous information. I sincerely believe the author was in this respect lazy on his research about police/detective work and how solving crimes is done.
Having a hypotheses (as mentioned by the MC in the beginning and evaluating every piece of evidence against the hypotheses) and reviewing it constantly is fundamental.
Why is he constantly dropping any possibilities of investigating hints. One good example is the observation of Hibikis necklace and the missed opportunity to ask Stryx 20 lines later while he writes her anyway. Resigning on himself before opportunities presented clashes with he follows up on other leads.
His pacing is shifting faster and harder than professional dirt rally race drives do in muddy terrain. It is what feels like just plain lazy writing.
Even with taking the benefit of doubt here are often lines where I can totally not understand where those come from. Reading about emotional weights suddenly lifted which were never mentioned is not immersive. Those kind of mistakes can be avoided if they are hinted by missing a person or just completely replacing with leaps of euphoria instead. I tried hard to find immersive perspective for the MC but I just can't find it. Sometimes the immersion just cracks with how the MC interacts. While in the flow of a conversation it is pleasant to follow, the decision are at times immersion-breaking.
What's irritating as well is the MC switching between bashful virgin at the tender age of 14 and confident man being a working adult. Sometimes asking for a kiss can be conveyed with simple body language, sometimes circlejerking is not the way someone with sexual and romantic experience - although not much(?) - behaves. If the inconsistencies are adressed properly the quality increase would be tremendous.
The MC has a rating of
2/5 3.5/5
The quality of the renders are superb. I love the anime look and and colouring of those. Fashion is a thing and characters have different outfits matching their personality. Facial and body expression generally depict the mood of the scene on point and I often enjoy just one of those renders and take a closer look how small details are depicted in the background.
Edit: With further development of the story the MC starts to get more consistent in thoughts and actions. I love how the developer improves on this point
Quality of Renders/Ambient have a rating of 5/5
To sum it up: Crimson High is a solid piece of art. If the author adresses the pacing and foremost the writing of MC I dare say this is one of the top-shelf games here on f95 regarding VNs with the respective tags.