Review
In general and in essence, Chapter 5 is rich in animations and images. As for me, Chapter 5 showed that you can make a lot of images without resorting to long delays in release dates, unlike MNG. It seems to me that the developer is trying harder than CG and wants to surpass MNG — for that, the developer deserves credit. I don't see him chasing money like CG, lazily delaying the game and making content just to release a short DLC for the sake of it.
But despite all this — I don't know if it's just me or if you feel the same — I can't grasp the story. Either it's a problem with the storytelling itself, or with how it’s delivered: it jumps from one plot branch to another. The characters are poorly written — in fact, I don't care about 80 percent of them.
There's Alice, who is more or less fleshed out in Chapters 1–3. Her story is engaging, it’s clear that she’s important to the main character, and through her, his emotions are revealed. There’s also Sophie, who seems to be connected to Alice, but she feels like an NPC. She had the potential to be an interesting side character, like a mentor to Alice at the coffee shop — but that storyline was simply skipped. The potential — wasted.
Kate is a bright character at first glance, with a hint of sexual freedom and openness. But then she doesn’t get any development. She could’ve been a “pattern breaker” who gently nudges Luke toward realizing his feelings for Alice, or at least added some contrast. But the script just forgot about her.
Andrea and Liam are slightly more interesting because they are the protagonist’s trainers. Andrea had intriguing moments in her dynamic with the main character, and Alice’s arc with Liam in Chapter 4 is genuinely engaging — there’s emotional and physical tension between the characters. Especially in scenes where the relationships heat up — it makes the viewer choose a side. However, Chapter 5 feels like a random compilation of scenes without clear purpose. Okay, Chapter 4 at least builds a spark, but in Chapter 5 it’s like they just wanted to “show some images.”
Olivia and the work storyline — it’s an interesting twist, but unfortunately doesn’t find logical continuation. In Chapter 5 it falls completely out of the narrative. It feels like we were suddenly teleported into another game. The whole setting suddenly starts to feel like a teenager’s dream fantasy, without the emotional or logical consistency that existed earlier.
Lilly is potentially one of the most interesting characters — especially as a “mirror” or even an alter ego for Alice. Her appearance in the clip Luke watches is intriguing, and the office scene in Chapter 5 could’ve said a lot about the boundaries between professionalism, art, and sexuality. But she’s given catastrophically little screen time. In the end, she just looks like a porn star with no character — though she had so much potential to teach Alice or even Luke something.
One strong scene is in the cinema, where Alice has to bare her chest to get out of an unpleasant situation. It’s not just for provocation: the scene shows how Alice can “get out dry,” keeping her dignity. These are the kinds of moments the story lacks elsewhere.
The Nyct storyline is honestly weak. It appears suddenly, with agents and a mysterious atmosphere, but in Chapter 5 it’s completely forgotten. This breaks the feeling of coherence. You only remember Nyct if you decide to replay the story again.
Overall, the game has potential. Some characters are genuinely interesting, and the scenes are made with attention to visuals and eroticism. But if we assess it as a narrative novel — it lacks a solid dramatic backbone. It makes you want to see more respect for storytelling, because as the story grows, the plot becomes just as important as the visuals. Right now, it feels like the author either got tired, or got lost in his own threads.
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. We ultimately just go with what we think is hot, and because Abyss (and the team) have diverse tastes that also reflects in the material. We also want room for further escalation and cool ideas, of which we have so many. If you go too all in one idea you risk losing the impact on future ideas.
