- Apr 26, 2020
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It's an AVN Adult Virtual NOVEL. These aren't games in that sense (there are some with some elements of it but they aren't all that good usually). There are choices regarding which LI to go with.
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I like both type of "games". The choice based and only story driven. If the story is interesting that is.
Unfortunately I have found too many choice based games stories are boring. It's mainly the MC and his/her interactions with the characters and their daily lives. Which is can be an interesting story development to a point. Without a clear story to tickle my mind I loose interest in so many "choice" based games though.
And as you rightly said, there are Li choices close to the end, which does make this a "game" .
Unfortunately I have found too many choice based games stories are boring. It's mainly the MC and his/her interactions with the characters and their daily lives. Which is can be an interesting story development to a point. Without a clear story to tickle my mind I loose interest in so many "choice" based games though.
And as you rightly said, there are Li choices close to the end, which does make this a "game" .
The only problem I had with this one was that it was far too short lol But it was enjoyable nonetheless. Ultimately I ended up down the path that ended with Eve. But did save at the branching points so I could go back in and play out the other two arcs at a later time.
- Nov 20, 2018
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Really? You thought it was "far too short"? This isn't really a short game IMO, especially given it's three seasons of content. Maybe it's not as long as it could be (although I'm not sure where the plot could've gone beyond where it did without feeling forced), but to me it's an average-length game.
- Jul 10, 2018
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It absolutely could have been (and was actually originally planned to be) at least one episode longer. However, by the time the game was reaching the final few episodes, and the dev had already invested years into the project, he was actually pretty keen to get this finished and move on to another project with what he felt he'd learned from feedback. An entire episode was cancelled at the 'last minute' and the final episode and epilogue were changed from the original plan. I left the project at this time, and receive no royalties or payments for the finished project, and have no regrets at that decision. If the final showdown feels a little rushed and anti-climactic, well, that's because it is rushed and anti-climactic. The previous plan had the final showdown be far more epic and many reviews and feedback have stated the ending that appeared felt at least a little rushed or lacking. That said, the dev put a lot into the epilogue, and I think that in such respect, the overall finished product is satisfying.
In addition to the ending, throughout the story one frequent complaint or criticism was that the story at times leapt very suddenly from one scene to another. This too was a decision made to compress the overall story into a manageable amount of episodes and seasons. There was an awful lot of story crammed into the original plan, and telling it all was always a pretty big challenge. It would have been very easy to make the transitions less jarring by expanding and extending what was created, but it was felt it was a better overall decision to move the whole story along, and not further extend the amount of time it would take to reach an eventual conclusion. (Which is why I myself left when, at the last minute, all such previous decisions and commitments to the story and scope were cancelled to change the plan and simply finish it faster).
- Nov 20, 2018
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While I agree with the criticisms about it feeling rushed in some places and what you say shed light on why that's so, I still don't think I would say the game is "far too short". Sure, it's shorter than it ought to have been or than it was planned to be. But I was only stating my opinion and personal feeling about it. I've played games that are far shorter than this — whether they should have been or not — so this definitely does not feel short to me. Again, it feels about average in length when held up against other games I've played (and I'm talking outside of adult-content, story-based games as well).
It likely felt short because I started playing it while having two days off back to back, so I had far too much time to keep going. When one considers that yes it has 3 seasons and works out to about 18 episodes in total it is probably on the longer side really.
- Jul 10, 2018
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Oh, absolutely. I wasn't agreeing in any way that the game was 'too short', given it took literal years and right up to that final end we stuck to the story that was envisioned and what it took to tell that story well. Rather, I was responding mainly to your line "I'm not sure where the plot could've gone beyond where it did without feeling forced". I took that as a genuine point worth discussion, and an interesting one to think about.
The truth is that we could have added a lot more, very easily. Heck, it was a regular part of my own work on the project to request an extra frame or two in a scene to better get the core story across, such as asking for a shot where they hug to show affection rather than just say it in a particular dialogue. Even more often, I might ask for a 'reaction shot', where we see a particular character's face reacting to something. Those little details matter. With such a huge cast of characters, and such a huge plot, it was an exercise in self-control to continually attempt to focus just on the things that furthered the central plot, or showed you deeper aspects of characters central to that plot, where such aspects had a direct bearing.
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- Jul 10, 2018
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No need to defend the statement. Trust me, that you wanted more is the highest compliment. They always say, "Leave them wanting more", so thank you for being a sign we achieved that for you.
I'm reminded of the joke about a woman's long legs where one guy remarks on them and the other just responds "Well if they'd been any shorter they wouldn't reach the ground, stupid". This AVN is longer than most games, AVNs, and even manga, and light novels, in that it does actually reach conclusion. We all know how many are never finished. Its legs reach all the way to the ground.
Do play the other paths. I think one of the greatest strengths of this story is the characters, and most especially that there's no 'right' or 'wrong' choice of girl, only the one that is right for your tastes at that time. Each of the women are completely worthy in their own way, and each is a fully developed character with a full character arc of growth. None are greater or lesser other than subjectively, in their suitability to that particular reader's tastes. It really is worth experiencing the full story for each of them.