Updated review for v.04a
What I truly love about this game right now is its sense of lightheartedness. It's something I really hope the game keeps as it develops. Boasting a large cast of characters, this has managed to create a lot of fun interactions between them. I really enjoy how they interact with the MC. Though sometimes a bit tropey, I find the dialogue and characters just working really well. There's a scene specifically that I think was wonderfully done. Without spoiling it too much, some of the girls play a little prank on you, the new guy. Instead of making it a big deal, or them all doing it out of malice, it plays out as a light hearted joke with everyone smiling and laughing, MC included, as that was the whole intention. It's pretty simple in the grand scheme of things, but just sets such a great tone for the game and hit all the right spots for me.
Now the game admittedly starts off a little rough with the overused amnesia trope, but it really doesn't have that much bearing on the plot or anything so don't let it deter you. You're also the new guy in school (you've seen this one before as well I'd assume) but the way the events played out felt unique to me, and truly enjoyable.
And rejoice! For once, the MC isn't a huge pussy/nerd/blushing virgin. He's also not some weird edgy tough guy either. He just feels like a mostly normal dude, which sounds a bit boring, but it works well here. He doesn't stop functioning with a little teasing from a classmate, and even has good dialogue that plays into it without being super weird and gross.
Speaking on characters more specifically, seeing such a large cast tends to give feelings of doubt. It's hard to balance out like 20+ characters? But I'm happy to say the dev is doing a good job with it so far. Not only do they interact with the MC, but with each other as well making the game feel more alive. Everyone is getting their own little moments to shine. Again some characters are a bit tropey, but I'm finding myself really getting attached to some of them.
A fair mention that English isn't the devs' first language. Sometimes dialogue does read a bit weird. I was able to look past it pretty easily, and it is being improved as updates come out.
I originally thought this had hit a perfect balance of lewd and story, but some recent updates have added more lewd scenes throughout the beginning. I'm probably one of the only people who is going to complain about more sex scenes, but the new ones felt a bit out of place (or perhaps rushed from a plot point of view). I hope it wasn't just done to appease people complaining about lack of lewd content, as the game is starting to give me fuckfest vibes a bit. Those typically are not my thing, but I'll trust the process for now. Despite my misgivings, the animations really are top tier for a honey select game.
This is something you should be paying attention to if you're a fan of these types of lewd games. It's ambitious, but I'd say it has set a really good precedent for things to come. Hoping to see this continue developing into something nice.