It's rare that an H game impresses me these days. Finding a standout feels like discovering a diamond in the rough. I've adjusted my expectations over time, knowing that a lot of these games are made by solo developers or very small teams. If certain elements are done well, I usually consider that a success. But this? Even in early development, it genuinely caught me off guard in the best way.
The pixel art is some of the best I’ve seen. The town design actually surprised me. It’s not just a cluster of shops stacked beside each other. There’s care in the layout, and it feels like a real town you'd find in a well-made JRPG. Visually, it's just pleasant to walk through.
The main girl is also a huge highlight. Her model and renders are incredible. It looks like she was pulled from a high-budget title and placed into an indie H game. Her design blows past the usual standards. Great body, great outfit, detailed accessories, and an expressive face. Everything comes together really well. Easily a 10 out of 10 on visuals.
I'm giving this a 5. A strong 5. If I could rate it higher, I would. There's a lot of love and attention to detail here, and it shows. Very impressive work so far.
Now, just to touch on a few things I've seen in other reviews:
- It is very easy to figure out where to go and who to talk to. If you can't follow simple directions like "go to the castle directly north from the library," then that's a skill issue. I like that the layout isn't overly generic or cookie cutter.
- There is a quest log. It's called the data log. Maybe consider renaming it to "quest log" and adding a shortcut key like Q for easier access.
- I agree that some doorways can be annoying to get into. It’s a minor thing, but it’s there.
- I personally found the mazes and minigames a bit tedious, so I cheated. I’d probably cheat regardless, since I’m not really interested in that part of the gameplay. That said, if features are added like being groped while fighting monsters or another character joining to spice things up, it might make those sections more engaging.
- I also agree with the feedback about not being able to hide the text box. Maybe there's a way, but usual shortcuts like H or right click didn’t seem to work.
There aren’t a ton of scenes right now, but I don’t know what people expect from an early release. The ones that are in are really well done. If that’s what you’re here for, I’d say it’s worth checking out.
This is still in early development and the dev has been clear they plan to keep improving things. I hope people focus more on the good and offer constructive feedback on areas that can be polished. There's a lot of potential here, and based on what’s already in place, this could end up being something really special.