I really enjoyed the game. I don’t understand the criticisms in the latest reviews, they seem petty. The characters are interesting, with a couple of minor exceptions, and the plot points kept me intrigued. The protagonist being a dick to the new girlfriend of the man he hates the most, even if questionable, is pretty human as a reaction. Maybe the aspect that convinced me the least in the story is the university—it feels a bit out of place at this point even if it's to respect her mother wish, but to be fair, it’s also the least developed part so far, so we'll see.
Visually, I liked the character designs, though I admit some of them look significantly older than they’re supposed to—especially the protagonist and Jude, but also a few of the women. Still, it’s a minor issue.
If there’s one thing I’d criticize, it’s the animations. There are just too many. Don’t get me wrong—if I had to choose between two games with the same amount and quality and content, I’d definitely pick the one with more well-made animations out of the two. But this isn’t a thought experiment, it’s a real-world situation. Animations take a lot of time and effort. In a small team, they should be reserved for the most important moments, so as not to drain resources from the rest of the game and slow progression and energy from the devs. The sex scenes and the car races? Absolutely worth it. The showdown with Keira was thrilling and exhilarating (although I do think the music should have continued during the static cockpit shots—it kind of killed the momentum). But the scene where he grabs a bottle of wine and heads out to the porch? Or all the scenes with cars simply arriving or driving along regular streets (maybe the only expection would be the scene in the prologue when the protagonist goes to the hospital, that was a nice way to keep tension high)? Even the character presentations. They didn’t make enough of an impact on the mood or the scene to justify the production effort imho. Obviously, that's just my take on the matter.
That said, I’m very curious to see how the project develops. The theme the game explores isn’t exactly common, and I’m super excited to see where the protagonist’s illegal racing career goes from here.
