Gonna be honest, guys, the game was a mess. Every single element of it was top-notch at times - the writing, the art style, the mood of it all chef's kiss - but fuck me, I’ve never felt this conflicted about a novel. The sum of all its parts often left me confused in my own perception of it, unsure if I should be liking it or not. I couldn’t put my finger on it even if I tried, but I’ll give it a lot of thought because I’ve never had this feeling before, and it kinda baffles me.
There was obviously so much love behind it all, so much genuine heart and soul, but fuck... At times, I really had to force myself to soldier on. I’d love to say it was worth it in the end, but I’m still not sure. What I am sure of is that it got me invested like nothing else. That much is for sure. I cared about the main cast a lot, especially Leah and Val.
That’s why I’m here, even though I rarely ever comment, to tell you from the utmost bottom of my essence and spirit: Fuck you. Fucking goddamnit. Y'all had the gall to even put the ending I wanted in the Premium Scene with Leah and Val, only to drive it all in like a salted stake covered in lemon juice and chilli sprinkles with that spinning top at the end. Like, holy shit! I know it's not real, but fuck god, if I didn't wish it to be so ;_;
You see, I’m a “Once in a Lifetime” type of guy, an “Artemis” type of guy (hopefully), a “Now and Then” wincest type of guy - the "everyone loves each other in the end" type of guy. And every epilogue just left me so heartbroken - to an extent! Gosh, you really did get me good with the characters and then just left me blueballed, not giving them the group happy harem happyend they all deserved... But I understand it, I'd say - even though I fuckin' hate it - the endings were what they were supposed to be. The epilogues too.
All the flaws aside it was a good move - albeit a toothless one at times - with most of the characters. It did jerk my heart around proper, and I think art should have an impact like that. It really did fuckin’ affect me, that’s for sure. Any ending without Leah, Val, or, by extension, Emily felt like it wasn’t the correct one. The “correctest” one pretty much had to be the not-so-evil Valerie ending, with all of us catching melanoma at some unnamed beach.
But hell... I’ve never finished a novel I both liked and hated this much at the same time. Most of the feelings I got were anxiety, betrayal, and sad rage, yet I’d still slap a solid 8/10 on the cover. And I hate it. The only time I felt this miserable after finishing a VN was with Leap of Faith, and that was fucking BRUTAL.
I know I’m probably all over the place, but I just needed to share this, lest I explode into a fine mist.
I hate it. 8/10.
Great game. Will recommend.
Fuck you.