Review of v0.7a
TL;DR: MIST is an all-around 5-star game. The sandbox is extremely well done, the characters feel like real people in dialog and personality, the MC isn't a douche or a pussy, and the dev did a great job on creating an immersive story and animations. Oh, and the lewd scenes are pretty good so far and keep getting better. Give it a try, you won't be disappointed.
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So, I don't review many games, but I have to for MIST. I'm not usually a fan of sandbox games, as most are done very poorly and/or are very difficult and grindy. It is particularly well done and straight forward, so kudos to the dev. There are hoops to jump through, but the quest tracker makes it easy to figure out what you need to do to progress.
Another thing that at first was a little off-putting is the art style, but also refreshing to see and the character design was well done. The backgrounds as well are very well done, as they don't have the usual overused HDRI panoramic look. It's obvious 395 took their time to create a look that gives the feeling that the characters are actually in the world and not pasted on top of it. Really improves immersion.
The dialog is well done, and I can't say I remember seeing many, if any, misspellings. If the dev's first language isn't English, I sure couldn't tell. The only issue that I saw was it could be a little less wordy. The only improvement would be more conjunctions (I'm, it's, etc.). I'm an avid reader, so really I'm just nitpicking. Like I said, other than that, extremely well done.
The characters (like I said above, not far into the game, so I haven't met many yet) have personality and feeling when they converse with the MC. There are definitely emotions and motivations that drive them and makes them three dimensional rather than the get-to-the-lewds 2D characters that can be seen on a number of other games I've played. While that's all well and good for a quick wank, I'm partial to a well thought out story, or porno with a plot if you will. I end up looking at the clock thinking "holy shit, it's already 2 am," and in my experience, that only happens when I become invested in the story and characters. I also really like the MC, because he's not an asshole, at least not usually intentionally, and he's not a sniveling pussy that whines about everything. He can be stern and forceful, but also considerate and caring when the situation calls for it. All in all, even if there were no lewds, the story would still be well put together and immersive.
The lewds are well done, and so far all are animated. At times they can be a little clunky, like the FPS is a little too low, but they are very well done with no poke throughs that I noticed. They can be a little long at times as loops were used to extend them, but other than that, it's obvious great care was taken to create the body/limb movements and expressions. True-to-life animations are fairly difficult to achieve, but the quality is definitely there. Again, the pros outweigh the cons and definitely justify a 5-star review.
I've seen a few reviews for MIST that say something along the lines of "I can't believe I didn't try this sooner," and I am in complete agreement. MIST is a gem among stones, and not many equal the all-around quality I have seen so far. I know I'll be a bit upset when I reach the end of the latest update, and will be chomping at the bit for the next.
Thanks 395 for the awesome game and keep up the good work!