Finished the game and did a few of the post-game content. I can only say that it is a great game.
The quality of the story, character, environment, sexual scenarios, are all done well. It is well worth the 10hrs of the main game.
I had very high expectations coming from Goblin Conqueror, and there were quite a few points where I find them subpar or underutilized and these held the game back somewhat.
What I really like this game the most is that we are give many lover routes/options. I hope more hentai RPG games do it. It makes the world more interesting to explore, and more variety to sex event than just r@pe or coercion.
A lot of these are just subjective nitpicks and can be spoilers, so it is only good for those who has finished the game and treat it as things to ponder about.
1. The tension of the story kinda struggles to build itself up to its final battle due to perhaps a few reasons.
- The nightmare of the Black Dragon and Pied Piper is underutilized.
The nightmare gets the player excited and intrigued at the beginning, and then only exists as a silent driving force for Rayleigh. I think it will be more impactful if they used it more often and draws more connection to it during the jounery. So that when the long Pied Piper flashback happens, there can be even bigger payoff of emotion.
- The Black Dragon is kinda a failure as the villain character and as the final boss. He is just a pure "evil" character who hides himself. Little to no nuance to its character. For what reason does he did it? No reason given. At most you could say there is a theme of the betrayer and the betrayed. Like a Disney villain, easily identifiable evil. It will work, but not interesting.The final battle felt quite lukewarm also due to me finding the black dragon not being a good antagonist.
I think Sergio, the previous villain, is done a lot better. His motive, his believe, his pursue, make him a much more nuanced and interesting character. The final battle in Goblin Conqueror felt a lot more epic and meaningful. A clash of intent. The realisation of Kanami not lying about her long list of achievements. The poetic transformation of Sergio. It was an unbelievable fight.
- In the latter half of the game, you will feel that your agency as a player is taken away, and this kinda causes the pacing of the story to go haywire.
I like the prison arc the most, especially playing as Melmeya. I think she is the best character in this game.
2. Combat felt way too easy. The moment you figure it out, you can beat down bosses like they are just an insect. The main thing to know is that once the enemy's guard is broken, they will kneel and do no damage to you, therefore the main way to combat is to have enough stamina to deplete their guard. Recover stamina when they knee, and just keep the process.
In the end, you will feel that you can essentially stunlock almost every single opponent. This is not interesting to me.
Goblin Conqueror is also easy, but it felt more immersive because of the text letting me to better imagine the combat.
3. Rayleigh is not interesting enough for a good majority of the game. She is not a silent protagonist, and yet also not as fun and interesting as Kanami. She is just neither here nor there. I would rather play as Melmeya or Hazel.
Rayleigh is a lot more interesting during sex events, and there are even (important) trivial things said during sex events. We can see more of her personality and character development from those events. Her character development in the main story happens a little too late(during Pied Piper flashback), and when Suzurika recognises her strength and maturity as the next Sword Saint.
The trivial is that and I quote:
. My guess is doctor Gozo.
There is a trivia about Melmeya during Prison arc.
Oh my Devs, why do you hide these juicy lore behind sex events.
4.
. I dunno why, but it left a sour taste in my mouth. I am glad to see her being loving and happy, but I guess I am a little sour that the devs decided to not honour Pure Virgin, which had the best ending. We also do not know who is the father.
To end off, the game is great and I don't need to repeat what most had said in reviews. There are just a few points which is grappling and held the game back. I think the game is a tad bit too ambitious. Cut down on some stuff and then making the whole game more connected and cohesive would be even more effective in delivering an immersive and fun experience.