This review is of [v0.10]
Is there anything wrong with this VN? I have a hard time conceiving that there is. I'm not a natural member of the audience for a harem game. I usually avoid them, but I'm glad I didn't avoid this one. Maybe there is a lack of deep emotional connection between the applicable characters? Some people seem to have thought that. But I'm not convinced. I think MC and Kaylee care for each other deeply. They just aren't possessive about it. I could even see this as perhaps a norm that has arisen in the dystopian hellscape into which they were born. They're both lucky enough to have access to wealth, but it's tenuous, and comes with baggage. They are each one step away from poverty and powerlessness, if not death. In a situation like that, maybe you don't dare try for love? Maybe you can't afford to hitch your wagons?
All the other love interests have reasons not to be, or to even want to be committed to the MC. But they don't really fit the 'friends with benefits' trope, either. There is a real need and care with all of them. It's well written and believable in this context, anyway. None of the sex feels gratuitous (yes, in a porn game!) or exploitative.
And the story is rich, and detailed, and so immersive. I believe in this universe, and I believe in these characters. (Even if maybe the universe is hard enough on parents that even Disney would blanch.)
Indeed the only truly unbelievable elements are the obvious comedic relief characters, and that too-often used trope seen since the earliest westerns: 'we'll all stand in close proximity and aim our guns at each other while monologuing (or not) and when the dust clears, the MC will still be standing.' There is the one case where this is actually believable, because it happens through the use of a cybernetic enhancement, and it comes with a cost. But otherwise, it feels perhaps a little too cartoonish for some of the heft of the rest of the VN. But even this is not something wrong with it, it's an artistic choice.
The animations, the posing, even the intricate details of eye position and simple movements of the eyes are at a level almost unmatched in this space. The cutscenes all flow perfectly and are a true enhancement of the narrative, rather than a distraction as they almost always are in other VNs.
The sex scenes are real and intimate, with meticulous care in the animation.
The sounds, voices, and the soundtrack are all appropriate, and again, a true enhancement of the experience.
The script is almost too good for the format. One could imagine this VN rendered in a much more expensive form. Completey animated, live action - anything.
The humor feels effortless and appropriate. The pathos is never overplayed in any individual character's arc, but perhaps it's a bit unbelievable that everyone but the MC has such a tragic backstory. (Indeed, he may also and we just haven't seen it yet.) Yet each character feels so psychologically real, that the stories work.
(As a quick for-instance, and a breathtaking psychological study: why does Emily need validation? Why do you have the unique power to change her character? Because she did not receive a solid emotional or psychological foundation at home, with parents who did not love her. She is still searching for it, like a baby bird, waiting to pattern on the first who will accept her. Such a character would be impossible in the hands of a lesser writer.)
(And I just thought of this one! Why does the 'ninja assassin' Ashe counsel Emily to use restraint? Because Ashe knows intimately what indiscriminate, impersonal killing costs. Rather than become a monster herself, she seeks to help Emily not to become one.)
There's a lot more packed into this VN. One could spill an awful lot of ink saying what is right about it.
Projekt: Passion. I'm just going to say it. It's a masterpiece.
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