The dev really should have held the remake update because right now it feels more like a proof on concept demo. Obviously the change would be devise but if the remake had better ui,map and more chapters then I could see it being better received.
I think it's better they released it early because my problem with it is not the quality, but the fundamental concept and direction. I know it's the dev's project and they can do what they want, but my immediate selfish advice would be to scrap the new direction and pivot to a sandbox approach because that's where you can get the best dev time to play time ratio (and it's just more fun).
It sounds dumb, but as a developer one of your main concerns should be stretching out your content as much as possible without it becoming stale for the player. The current vn format is an extremely poor fit for this model. It might not seem so at first because it's reusing artwork that was already created, but so far it's averages one full splash art for only a minute or two of playtime. Once they've run out of pre-created artwork, development is going to slow down drastically if they continue to pursue this format, only able to extend game length by a minute or two for each artwork that probably took hours.
Unless they're some art god whose able to pump those out faster than they can code, I'd recommend choosing a different approach. Creating a sandbox environment where events can be repeated with variation or combat H could extend the playtime ratio per art piece drastically while arguably being more fun. I know scrapping something you just put a lot of effort into sucks, but that's my honest advice (not that the dev seems particularly averse to the practice).
Edit: I understand the dev's incentives might be different if they consider themselves an artist first and foremost and find that more comfortable, but it's just my two cents.
This thread is getting better and better every day! I guess, just for the giggles, Saria Reclaimed is not totally useless
