Stumbled upon this amazing VN while playing from the list of games I've been putting on hold for a while. Got to say this is one of the best grounded VNs out there that focuses a lot of internal struggles and what motivate people to do things. I really loved how developed the psychology parts were and how immersive it felt. Also the chess parts were also a standout, these 2 things were something that make Nothing is Forever stand out.
Graphic: the art style is beautiful, at first it felt a little bit hard to get used to but after a while it grew on me. The animations are lacking but I did not feel their absence.
Story:It's not something grandiose just a MC that has fallen out due to some unethical decisions regarding his profession and slowly getting himself out of the pit he put himself in while trying to avoid making the same mistakes. It is not something spectacular but having a more grounded one is a breath of fresh air. Mostly it's not black and white focusing more on character development and their internal struggles to make the decisions they think they are right
Characters: this is the first category where the game shines the most, each one of the LIs coming with their own distinct personality and kinks which you slowly discover through the 6 chapters. Now not every LI is fully fleshed out some having less involvement than the other others being mostly absent if your kinks don't align with theirs, but most of the times there are plenty of content for each main MC side Sub/Dom. My favorites from the get go remain Emma for her fiery attitude, Lea, Olivia, the chess player (I loved how you can maintain a strictly professional relationship and still never feel like it's out of place), even Kim for as much as how despicable she is, she is very intriguing to follow. The males characters are also fleshed out compared to other games and finally due the the more realistic and grounded approach the world feels more alive having others just living with you, them having their own relationships and problems, also giving them life and not just being there for the sake of it.
Dialogue: is the other category where the game stands out from most of the VNs. There is actually a character development carried by the dialogue, for some it may be overwhelming how much they talk to each other, especially how much internal monologue seems to happen but for me it was not an issue. I enjoyed every bit of dialogue, maybe a little too much considering how much I spent in one go to read simply because it was so engaging.
Music: the bits of looped songs fit well in their perspective scenes but due to the huge amount of dialogue between the characters and how long it takes for scenes to switch made the music very repetitive, but that does not mean it is bad.
Choices: I like the skill based system where you put points depending on your kinks slowly unlocking and improving the relationship with other LIs, also it seems like you need more than 3 saves to see most of the dialogue and scenes variations which helps a lot with replayability.
Final Impressions:For my first go I maintained a strictly professional relationship with the patients but still it never felt that I was missing something. Will have to try again for a more unethical route but I cannot wait to see how different things are. I'm so invested in this and honestly it was a great surprise how good this game was. There are more things to say about it but it is enough for now. Kudos to the dev for making this lovely gem. Added it to my steam wishlist and will definitely grab a copy once it comes out.