I started playing Chapter 1, and I'll just leave some of my initial thoughts here:
I'm impressed by the renders and some of the camerawork during the introduction, I've never really seen such a dynamic approach to these kind of games. The UI could do with some polish, the classic RenPy format looks a bit dodgy, but it isn't that big of a deal in all honesty.
The music during the intro sequence was passable, but it didn't really leave an impression. I hope that in later chapters music becomes more consistent and generally just kept in the background as the story progresses. Having dead silence while reading the campy dialogue is depressing.
The dialogue is pretty camp. So far, there hasn't been a single line that felt like it came from an actual human being. But I'm hopeful that's only temporary.
I don't mind the classic incel protagonist trope all that much, I can only acknowledge the Sasuke hair and the vague, typecast statements about society, and hope that it grows on me somehow. Man, the characters they've introduced so far are so comically trope-y. I don't like a single one, I've read reviews and it seems like that should change with time.
The creator is a one piece fan though, I don't know why Nami is the abomination she is right now currently but again, I hope for quite the turnaround. Hopefully the writing isn't of the same quality of the recent one piece arc, I actually want to have a good time.
First ever post on f95, I'm usually just lurking and reading. First impressions are important, but they are usually irrelevant once you get hooked. Unpolished UI, missing images, glitches are all things you can forgive when you're just interested in continuing the story.
I always find it super difficult to get started, even new books where the author has the possibility to shuffle or completely rewrite the opening before the book is even released. The author is usually experimenting with styles, and haven't found a proper workflow yet. Try to get through the first chapter, things really kick off later on.
That being said, as others have mentioned Ocean is going back and reworking Chapter 1, see
#8431919, which I imagine is probably just as difficult as starting a new chapter, involving new scenes, better models, rewritten script. I think the new renders look absolutely stunning and on-par with the quality in later chapters. Considering that there isn't really any new content (story) being added, but touching up the overall quality of the whole game, very brave, it speaks to their interest in quality over quantity. Practice makes perfect, Ocean's other story that's being developed in parallel, Where It All Began, had a much more better start.
For the dialogue, I've read plenty of novels where it feels very plastic. At least for the first chapter, I get it, when you're just starting out working on a story, you're trying to figure out the environment, game mechanics, etc.
The Darkness mechanic seems to have been completely scrapped after Chapter 1, for example. But as I said before, after having completed the game several times, even decompiling the script files to make sure I haven't missed any sequences, it becomes irrelevant. And when there are holes, you fill them with your imagination.
Quick note on the music, it's really hard to get licensed music for this type of game, there's been a lot of discussion about it on this forum. From my understanding, Ocean just got some sweet deals, expect great things, I think it's already much improved in the last chapters. I've found that a chill ambient mix on YouTube complements game silence quite nicely.
If you don't enjoy it, that's fine, you'll likely encounter a few people that will try to strongly defend it here, like with anything really. I was really on the fence at first, with the scene quality and a story and set-up that I found ridiculous. I'm not a hardcore anime fan, when I saw that mop of hair and the mood, I was really put off. I was trying to find something to live up to Being A DIK (Derek!) and was really put off by the first chapter, now I think it's one of the best novels I've ever encountered, given that I found it on F95 (and not a national literature competition). Unfortunately, the only way you'll know whether you enjoy it is to keep going.
Do I wish for a iron-tight script, flawless renders and frequent releases? Of course, but this is already super impressive given that it's a one-man show. I was completely taken back by the image quality in the last chapter, you could easily mistake it for a small budget film or a triple-A game cinematic.
I did find it to be a waste of precious update, considering its length and independence from the main story, but given the amount of planned content in the future, it will be an interesting "intermission". Huge thanks to Ocean for making this, it motivated me and pushed me through my final Bachelor exams, despite the "post-book blues" that I got. I came for the porn, stayed for the story.