This is a very well-done story so far. I won't recap it; other reviewers have done a great job already.
A couple of points:
No Expectation is primarily a kinetic novel so far. While there are plenty of player choices, it doesn't seem like they affect much more than the immediate circumstances.
The characters are, in many respects, stereotypes. However, they are well written enough for us to at least feel like they are real people with their own motivations.
There isn't much actual conflict. Even the few rough spots have apparently been smoothed over by the end of the chapter. There are at least a few hints of storm clouds, so I'm hopeful that future chapters tell a more complex story.
As this chapter is relatively self-contained, it will be interesting to see where the developer takes the story moving forward.
Our protagonist, Josh, is a young man attending his best friend Liam's wedding. They haven't seen each other in a while, and he hasn't met Liam's fiancée. Josh has had a crush on Liam's older sister Alice for years, and is looking forward to seeing her again.
At the wedding, we quickly meet most of our cast: Andrea, Liam's fiancée; Aunt Emma, the vivacious and lovable mother figure; Celine, Liam's friend who is being pestered by Dave, Andrea's immature brother; Danielle, a young girl mostly likely on the spectrum who is completely enamoured with Dave; and Camilo, an exemplary man whose role I won't reveal
This intro chapter is about Liam's wedding and getting to know everyone. Like Mr. Georgie's previous game, Reunion, this one is also warm, full of heart, and made me laugh and smile on multiple occasions.
The first sex scene was my favourite, despite being the least graphic. It's the duo's first time with each other, and it felt true to life. The attraction is there, but neither wants a mere lustful hookup. There is a lot of hesitation and conflicted feelings. They check in with each other at every step, stay mostly clothed, and stop without going too far.
Anyway, I'll leave some spoilery thoughts below, but you should all play it!
[Reviewed: v0.1 (Chapter 1)]
I found this to be an excellent and emotionally moving story. I'm really looking forward to future updates.
The story begins with you, the protagonist, flying out to a coastal hotel where you'll be the best man at your long-time friend's wedding. You're happy for your friend -- who always was better at attracting girls, but has apparently found "his one" -- and also looking forward to meeting up with your friend's older sister. You've been "in love" with her since at least high school, but you were never able to tell her how you felt. Your plan is that this time you'll tell her and everything will finally be great.
This first chapter of the story covers just the weekend, including a bachelor party , and finishes the evening of the wedding day. Along with the folks you've known since you were young -- your best friend, his sister, and their aunt -- you get to meet several new people. One of these is someone with whom you'll make a real connection.
The characters in the story are all fleshed out with their own stories and behave like real people. You're given a good selection of choices along the way, even though many of these only affect the next few lines of dialogue.
The models are slightly cartoonish and the scenery can be rough/crude, but that's all fine. It in no way distracts from the story, which is ultimately what's important here. There's background music and appropriate sound effects.
There are a few sex scenes, with animations, and they're part of the story -- no cheating with dream sequences or flashbacks. And, even though this chapter only spans a few days, they don't feel rushed.
The developer's primary language is Spanish, and there a few places where this shines through into the English version, with some untranslated words or extra punctuation marks, but it's not enough to be an issue.
I've given this 5 stars (excellent) even though this is only just the first chapter -- keep up the good work here so far!
