Amazing game, there is a lot of content to be had and the gameplay loop is quite addicting. Basic premise is that you have 5 days to gather enough people to perform a ceremony at the end, and in order to succeed to you need to help the land's inhabitants with their various requests. Raise your parameters (both combat and sexual) and you'll gradually pave the way to success.
The clock is constantly ticking, but mercifully is paused as long as you're in town so you're free to explore at your own pace. Time will move as you navigate through the different dungeons but it's not at a rate that will jeopardize your success, you just can't dawdle around. To defeat enemies, you simply run into them and you'll automatically defeat them in exchange for some HP, while boss fights make use of the traditional JRPG mechanics. Along with Sylphy's fast movement on the map, this is well paced game that never feels like it's wasting your time.
Triggering events will also cost you an amount of time and HP, so balancing the time you spend resting, budgeting your money, and managing your time is paramount to success. If you like running these types of simulations on a time crunch similar to the recent Persona games, then you'll find lots of satisfaction here. Incidentally, the timer is a lot more generous than it might seem at first. Just for reference, aside from one event that's locked to the final day I finished all the events in the middle of the 4th day with lots of time to spare. No need to be intimidated, and there's always NG+ if you want to try to get a 100% ending.
One thing I really liked about this game is how many different mini games there are throughout all the different requests. There are many homages to classic arcade games and even a level where you play a 1st person view style dungeon crawler a la the original Phantasy Star. These mini games help break up the monotony of the game a bit and are almost always tied some entertaining circumstances.
On top of the superb gameplay elements is of course the quality artwork. The exaggerated eyes and proportions might be a turnoff for some but despite some minor complaints the characters are all very attractive with some nice H scenes to go along with them. Minor events will recycle some stock poses and the major ones have some dedicated CG. Like many HRPGs there are many outfits to unlock that will be reflected in some events so collecting them all is of course another part of this game's appeal.
Lots of poor HRPGs get churned out regularly and it can be hard to find one that is actually worth your time. This game is part of the latter group, and while it might not have the best quality artwork out there the outstanding gameplay alone is worth your time. It's definitely a must-play for the avid HRPG gamer.
