Loved what I played so far, can't wait to play more. It's not perfect, but it's good.
The visuals are serviceable for the game engine being used. The models are all unique, love the wide variety of body types, though many faces could use some improvement. I appreciate that it's only been 2 months of development time
(since release) and there's 3000+ renders already, it's a rare occurrence to see this quantity of renders in such a short timespan. One noteworthy point for me, is this MC's body. In many VNs rendered in Honey Select and Koikatsu, the MC's body turns up looking feminine with pronounced hips/waists. But here he has the perfect look, not too macho, not too skinny, athletic and attractive.
Speaking of, the MC is good so far and he's got a decent personality, in contrast to the bumbling, simpering manlet archetypes that plague some VNs. But he seems almost too confident and unabashed when faced with new situations and sexual encounters that he has not had any experience with, given his previously sheltered and isolated life. The scene where he enters the school for the first time and his agoraphobia & anxiety overwhelm him, making him imagine things, was spot on for what we were exposited to thus far. But after that he's confidently flirting with teachers & students, and sexing them whenever possible, like he's
"Chad McPlayboy Thundercock" and it's just another Tuesday.
In my opinion, from the information we were given about MC's life so far, and his present actions which we're witnessing and
(mostly) controlling, I feel a big disconnect. The only two moments where he seemed true to his written character were the: first school entrance anxiety hallucination, and the panic attack post drowning attempt. Otherwise, he comes off as a Gary Stu type that many
"over-powered protagonist - power fantasy" Animes/VNs/Mangas, etc. have.
I adore all the characters (except the obvious villains). We haven't spent enough time with these characters and it's still in the early stages, but they seem to have their own distinct personalities, and they're all endearing. The story is compelling and the narrative mystery is unfolding at a good pace. I like how light-hearted the story seems so far, I just hope it doesn't get too dark in the future. Another great aspect to this VN is, a believable reason
(male version of siren-song drawing in females) why many girls seem to be enamoured by the MC rather quickly and easily.
For me, many AVNs fail to find the right balance for sex-scene/text ratio and end up being too wordy with too less of a focus on the adult aspect. And although this seems to be on the "faster pace to sex" side with a few girls, I still prefer it to the alternative.
Overall, the MC's personality is the weakest part of the whole package
for me, but I like and can tolerate everything else. If a VN has a good story & characters, and the writing is competent & grammatical, I'm willing
(and it becomes easier) to overlook much of the visual shortcomings of the renderings/models. I like what I'm seeing so far, and I'm eager to continue this journey "
by the water". Best of luck,
cureisonline! Hope you're not discouraged by the internet's stupidity and ignorance, and I wish you success in all your endeavours!
PS- All the LIs and kinks being optional is great, can't really argue against it.
PSS- Just a personal wish, but I love some monster-girl action, hopefully we get mermaid or other sea-life related scenes.
