Main Review
From the previous version to this one, the game has been greatly expanded from just being a visual novel. It now really feels as if the user is controlling the phone with more dynamic gameplay instead of just feeling like a spectator with minor control, using the new sandbox style of the game. Thanks to this new freedom, many functions that were missing in the Ren'Py version, such as scrolling up to see the chat history, are now here. In my previous review, I and many others suggested a less abrupt beginning, giving more exposition, which actually has been included in this update. Optional features such as all the new apps are nice to see, but could be utilized more (e.g. more interactions with the apps, like Carla posting more often, interacting with different websites in the browser). I also encountered some minor bugs while playing (some images weren't loading in properly, just showing white small squares in the chat bubbles), but restarting the day seemed to have fixed it. The performance was also extremely smooth, as the game ran perfectly on my rather old Android phone (Galaxy A50). A small detail that can be easily missed is the camera updating depending on the location at which the main character is at, which is a level of detail that shows the developers really put their soul into this game, which I can only say is admirable. Looking at other comments/reviews saying that the game is extremely unrealistic, I must say I disagree. People say Carla should just call the police, and that in real life most people would just do that. But realistically speaking, many victims are afraid to speak up due to social stigmas (which is even addressed in the game), and besides, for the players who want a happy ending for Carla; there is an option to call the police extremely early in the game, granting a fast way out.
Hopes for the future
I hope that updates in the future will include more content & will take less time to release with this new version. Additionally, the saving system is a little bit iffy, as it only saves at the start of the days, which can be annoying sometimes. More precise saving would be a very desirable feature (not removing a star since the devs have been saying they're planning to fix it in their discord. Hoping to see it in the next update.)
Conclusion
The game has significantly improved since the older entry, but still has some extremely minor tweaks necessary to truly be perfect for what it is.
From the previous version to this one, the game has been greatly expanded from just being a visual novel. It now really feels as if the user is controlling the phone with more dynamic gameplay instead of just feeling like a spectator with minor control, using the new sandbox style of the game. Thanks to this new freedom, many functions that were missing in the Ren'Py version, such as scrolling up to see the chat history, are now here. In my previous review, I and many others suggested a less abrupt beginning, giving more exposition, which actually has been included in this update. Optional features such as all the new apps are nice to see, but could be utilized more (e.g. more interactions with the apps, like Carla posting more often, interacting with different websites in the browser). I also encountered some minor bugs while playing (some images weren't loading in properly, just showing white small squares in the chat bubbles), but restarting the day seemed to have fixed it. The performance was also extremely smooth, as the game ran perfectly on my rather old Android phone (Galaxy A50). A small detail that can be easily missed is the camera updating depending on the location at which the main character is at, which is a level of detail that shows the developers really put their soul into this game, which I can only say is admirable. Looking at other comments/reviews saying that the game is extremely unrealistic, I must say I disagree. People say Carla should just call the police, and that in real life most people would just do that. But realistically speaking, many victims are afraid to speak up due to social stigmas (which is even addressed in the game), and besides, for the players who want a happy ending for Carla; there is an option to call the police extremely early in the game, granting a fast way out.
Hopes for the future
I hope that updates in the future will include more content & will take less time to release with this new version. Additionally, the saving system is a little bit iffy, as it only saves at the start of the days, which can be annoying sometimes. More precise saving would be a very desirable feature (not removing a star since the devs have been saying they're planning to fix it in their discord. Hoping to see it in the next update.)
Conclusion
The game has significantly improved since the older entry, but still has some extremely minor tweaks necessary to truly be perfect for what it is.
