TL;DR: Just play the game you goober, it's really good.
Gameplay: 4/5, I really enjoyed the gameplay and the loop provided. I think my biggest issue, was the lack of notification for multi-girl scenes that provide some clarity for other story beats. If you move via map 90% of the time like me, you might miss these.
Story: 4/5
, You can tell there's a story building up slowly but my main issue here is the multi-girl stories. They feel out of place when not included in the main events for some girls. This leads to you feeling like your manipulating the girls and cheating on some when in reality the multi-girl events really clarify that it's fine. Due to this, I think they should be sporadically added to main story or provide a '
!' when they become available that way you don't feel so shitty.
Art: 5/5, Since the developers said they'd go back and fix the old animations, I can't take anything away here. But, be aware that the improvements are drastic and you will notice the animations go from choppy to smooth from character to character. This can be a bit jarring, but it clears up once you get further into each girls path. Very excited to see the old animations get cleaned up.
Main Girls: 5/5, I almost turned away from the game because someone said the girls were boring. Absolutely untrue, while at first they are slightly tropey, they really start to get fleshed out as you develop a further relationship with each one.
Esther: 4/5, she's like a safe room, somewhere you can go to avoid the baggage for a bit. She can feel a bit shallow but that does not mean in anyway she is inferior as she fits her role perfectly.
Fanora: 4/5, super slow build up into what seems like a great story to come. I really enjoy how much she changes but I think I'd like to see her relationship with MC go a bit deeper than it stands now before I can say she's a 5/5.
Naira: 3/5, the character herself is an innocent angel, however, some aspects of the relationship will require you to have seen multi-girl events involving her or you may feel some guilt. I think this should be clarified moving forward similarly to in Nefari's story. Still a phenomenal character and a pleasure to view her change with each arc.
Nefari: 6/5, my ride or die babyyy. I knew I wanted to do her story first but ended up putting it on the back burner due to certain aspects of her character making you feel like a guinea pig. This was the right move for me as I was able to enjoy the slow progression to an interesting relationship. She is definitely my favorite by far, I misread her from the jump and was pleasantly surprised by her developments.
Velle: 5/5, Another character that I loved, she was originally a back burner after playing a bit of her route. That was a mistake, she, like Nerfari, changes so much and has actual depth.
Jade: 5/5, I ignored Jade until I finished almost every side character, because that's what I assumed she was. False, she is a main love interest through and through.
Iris: 5/5, Not technically a "main girl", but she might as well be. Her arc and story is super interesting but it is a bit slow.
Side Girls: 5/5, I have not felt truly interested in side characters more than in this game. Each girl feels somewhat unique in their own way. Paige especially stand out with how much content she has and how much depth there is. My main issue is a lack of diversity, in a game with such a large cast I'd like to see a larger range of colors within the side characters.
Overall: 5/5, The game is insanely polished and feels like it was made by people giving and actual shit about the quality and end product while knowing what they want it to look like at the end. If like me you stared at that version number and assumed a lack of content, just jump in and give it a shot, it has more content than quite a few finished games on the site.
BONUS OPINION: a short ranking of how
my opinion on each girl changed from just their looks before playing to after completion.
This is based entirely on my emotions.
Before:
- Nefari
- Esther
- Velle
- Fanora
- Naira
- Jade
After:
- Nefari
- Velle
- Naira
- Jade
- Fanora
- Esther