[0.6] - overall rating: 3/10
A kinetic novel in a trench coat.
THE GOOD
The premise behind the story is genuinely interesting and I'd love to see more games explore the "already established" main characters. Having the existing baggage of life experiences makes the story feel more grounded and focused.
The UI is an upgrade over the default one - simple but effective, though more customization options are welcome.
The renders, for the most part, look good. Bonus points for the grandma.
THE NEUTRAL
The music and SFX are there, but they are nothing special - they are just alright.
Faceless MC is a bit of an "eh" point, but the shots with him aren't jarring.
THE BAD
Renders.
Whilst most of them are good, they are still tons of issues with how that aspect is handled.
Firstly, the artist opted for the "mouths closed during dialogue" renders - which is acceptable if it wasn't for the lack of consistency. Some scenes are more "animated", some completely static (at times even the transitions disappear), but my favorite is the shot of one character smiling for ten (10) consecutive renders for no reason. The author focuses on so many odd or unnecessary details that I'm finding it hard to believe they couldn't animate the lips for the dialogue.
Secondly, I've spotted numerous instances of drastic and illogical lighting changes within the same scene (e.g. MC gives a woman a ride home and it suddenly goes from midday to evening).
Thirdly, the renders very often focus on female body parts in a borderline creepy way (more on that later).
Characters.
Let's start with the MC and how people react to him. Our protagonist is a middle-aged man, a person of success and authority. His ex-partner was apparently infatuated with him until her very end. You are supposed to play as someone with distinct personality and established role, but no interaction seem to indicate this. Your mind chases after every young women you see (who, for some reason, trust you on the spot), describing them in detail reminiscent of a complete deviant. The language used in this game can be undoubtedly beautiful, but I felt physical discomfort where a man in his supposed forties (or fifties) fantasizes and sexualizes every little move some girl half his age does in front of him. All this would makes sense if we could go the route of dark fantasy corruption, but we can't - MC acts like he's scared of young women...
Then we have Chloe and "The Girl With No Name" - two main female protagonists.
The former is a young girl that you apparently grew up with - it's not particularly clear. What is clear is the fact that all of her in-game content is bound to her being a streamer. Not a generous up-and-coming streamer, but someone who will only interact with your "internet persona" when you donate an absurd amount of money to her. If you don't go that specific route, your interactions are pretty much non-existent. I'm sorry, but being a glorified gold-digger is not a positive personality trait.
The latter is a young girl that you meet in a cafe. She has a first-ever job interview and she's stressed about it. The problem is, you cannot get rid of her. Even if you decide not to engage her in a conversation and just leave the coffee shop, you will still meet her, you will still offer her a job at your company, and she will still accept going with you on a road trip. Her entire personality is just being hot and young - there is no substance.
Pathing and plot.
Perhaps the most egregious sin this game has committed. The developer tries to convince you that their game has this intricate branching system allowing for complex relations and outcomes. Yet there is no obvious indication that a single decision made in the first thirty minutes will lock you out from major scenes in the future. Furthermore, that decision whether you decided to lie about going upstairs to see the girl streaming somehow influences the possibility of the one (and only) sex scene in the game. A sex scene with a character that has nothing to do with the girl from the game's intro!
And the best part is that the developer knows this - their patch notes literally say what you have to do to get to the content they put into the game simply because the PATHING MAKES NO SENSE.
Oh, and the game spoils the entire plot by allowing you to the name the young girl from the cafe whilst everyone else has an established name (aka she's your long-lost daughter). Well done...
Also, this game needs a proofreader - there are tons of major punctuation omissions and oddities in the game's walls of text.
Overall, I cannot recommend this game as is. If the plot and branching were to get a revision, the game would be great.
A kinetic novel in a trench coat.
THE GOOD
The premise behind the story is genuinely interesting and I'd love to see more games explore the "already established" main characters. Having the existing baggage of life experiences makes the story feel more grounded and focused.
The UI is an upgrade over the default one - simple but effective, though more customization options are welcome.
The renders, for the most part, look good. Bonus points for the grandma.
THE NEUTRAL
The music and SFX are there, but they are nothing special - they are just alright.
Faceless MC is a bit of an "eh" point, but the shots with him aren't jarring.
THE BAD
Renders.
Whilst most of them are good, they are still tons of issues with how that aspect is handled.
Firstly, the artist opted for the "mouths closed during dialogue" renders - which is acceptable if it wasn't for the lack of consistency. Some scenes are more "animated", some completely static (at times even the transitions disappear), but my favorite is the shot of one character smiling for ten (10) consecutive renders for no reason. The author focuses on so many odd or unnecessary details that I'm finding it hard to believe they couldn't animate the lips for the dialogue.
Secondly, I've spotted numerous instances of drastic and illogical lighting changes within the same scene (e.g. MC gives a woman a ride home and it suddenly goes from midday to evening).
Thirdly, the renders very often focus on female body parts in a borderline creepy way (more on that later).
Characters.
Let's start with the MC and how people react to him. Our protagonist is a middle-aged man, a person of success and authority. His ex-partner was apparently infatuated with him until her very end. You are supposed to play as someone with distinct personality and established role, but no interaction seem to indicate this. Your mind chases after every young women you see (who, for some reason, trust you on the spot), describing them in detail reminiscent of a complete deviant. The language used in this game can be undoubtedly beautiful, but I felt physical discomfort where a man in his supposed forties (or fifties) fantasizes and sexualizes every little move some girl half his age does in front of him. All this would makes sense if we could go the route of dark fantasy corruption, but we can't - MC acts like he's scared of young women...
Then we have Chloe and "The Girl With No Name" - two main female protagonists.
The former is a young girl that you apparently grew up with - it's not particularly clear. What is clear is the fact that all of her in-game content is bound to her being a streamer. Not a generous up-and-coming streamer, but someone who will only interact with your "internet persona" when you donate an absurd amount of money to her. If you don't go that specific route, your interactions are pretty much non-existent. I'm sorry, but being a glorified gold-digger is not a positive personality trait.
The latter is a young girl that you meet in a cafe. She has a first-ever job interview and she's stressed about it. The problem is, you cannot get rid of her. Even if you decide not to engage her in a conversation and just leave the coffee shop, you will still meet her, you will still offer her a job at your company, and she will still accept going with you on a road trip. Her entire personality is just being hot and young - there is no substance.
Pathing and plot.
Perhaps the most egregious sin this game has committed. The developer tries to convince you that their game has this intricate branching system allowing for complex relations and outcomes. Yet there is no obvious indication that a single decision made in the first thirty minutes will lock you out from major scenes in the future. Furthermore, that decision whether you decided to lie about going upstairs to see the girl streaming somehow influences the possibility of the one (and only) sex scene in the game. A sex scene with a character that has nothing to do with the girl from the game's intro!
And the best part is that the developer knows this - their patch notes literally say what you have to do to get to the content they put into the game simply because the PATHING MAKES NO SENSE.
Oh, and the game spoils the entire plot by allowing you to the name the young girl from the cafe whilst everyone else has an established name (aka she's your long-lost daughter). Well done...
Also, this game needs a proofreader - there are tons of major punctuation omissions and oddities in the game's walls of text.
Overall, I cannot recommend this game as is. If the plot and branching were to get a revision, the game would be great.