Man, I have no words to describe this VN. I don't think there is any other game on this site that manages to capture the essence of epic fantasy novels as closely as this. It's not even really about the game being "story-first" or "slow burn." Sure, those aspects will certainly help in presenting the game as something more serious than a porn story, but the actual quality of the prose, progression of events, and the overall world building is what really sets this apart.
It's so incredibly rare for me to commit fully to role playing the character in any game I play. I am a power gaming munchkin in cRPGs and full evil corruption router in good/evil porn games. This game though... the way it's been presented just makes me consider all the lore/characters and make choices that feel right for the MC in any given situation.
My baseline for the MC was that he is a naive sheltered boy who still has a strong resolve and self esteem. He has a sense of justice but is also pragmatic. He experiences the racial divide first hand but also found genuine friendship among the humans. Essentially, what I felt the most natural from his childhood expeirences and his mother's guidance was for him to not be swayed so easily by Amaya's zeal. In practical terms, she indeed was the bad guy and the one disturbing the peace of his hometown. I took the middle road when confronting her though. Basically, he didn't hate humans or elves as a whole. From there, it was natural that he would be awed by the elven history and look towards a hopeful future where his kind can coexist in this land. My MC wouldn't have a reason to try and be duplicitous with the Ealdorman. He would try to win his approval and use the advancement of his position to pave a better world for the elves. As hard as it was, this MC would have given the letter to the Ealdorman.
So I have already made multiple choices that seemingly goes against several "love interests," something I very rarely do. However, being the lover of corruption stories as I am, I did pick all options that pull the MC towards the demon. I was glad these choices never broke character and stayed reasonable. The MC is an inquisitive kid and his curious yet cautious response during the encounters made sense.
If this was an average game on F95zone, I would have probably gone for an Elf Hitler playthrough (not that I'm expecting siding with the elves would lead to a less convincing story). And I can almost see the possible story progression where the MC's idealistic path towards a better future is shattered, if not by the Ealdorman himself (in his own justified way), then by the surrounding humans. I would love to see a situation in which the demon becomes the pragmatic answer, even though it will eventually lead to his corruption.
Anyways, what I'm very hopeful about is the constant challenges to our world view as we wrestle with hard choices down the line. The world building is incredibly convincing, and this grey world where no side is clearly in the right is like a playground for role players.
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As for my impressions on Episode 4, it was phenomenal. Maybe the best episode so far. As long as it took, the amount of content did not disappoint. There were several points in the update where I was certain that it would end there, but the next day came lol. There was quite a huge foreshadowing or hints about mom's true identity. The event where they visit the old Elven ruins was extremely powerful. The audio is absolutely perfectly executed in this game. It's great that there isn't a constant looping default track, but scene appropriate music comes up during important events. The environmental sounds are nice as well.
I'm not a huge fan of feet and femdom, so I didn't indulge Trisha's teasing all the way, but I enjoyed her character. As with every other character, she has quite a lot of depth. Becky and the Blacksmith had their moments. I like submissive girls so I'm not bothered by Sunny's low self-esteem like some other posters. That said, since I did commit to playing this not as a coomer, but as the MC, I do want to help her grow as a person. I really liked the clumsy teenage romance they shared. Finally, the ending cliffhanger was awesome. Loved that art.
Maybe a few minor critiques to end things. People snort a lot in this universe lol. If you are unconsciously writing the snorts, maybe mix it up a little bit more. I think there might be some experimentation with the art style. I noticed several different styles throughout the chapter. Honestly, they all look good to me, but it would help to try and develop a unified style. That said, I personally hope that the art isn't the bottleneck in the development of this game. The quality of the art so far is absolutely good enough. This style resembling watercolors is pleasing to look at.
