Weird Shit is Going to Happen [v0.4]
TL;DR: the story is basically what it says on the tin, things happen that are random and sometimes make absolutely no sense, but that’s part of it’s charm and the reader isn’t overburdened by information and is easy to follow whilst making one wonder where the story will go next
Gameplay - Minor & Quasi-Openworld
There are some decisions that the player can engage with but these are either simply for flavour (not affecting relationships or game progression), provide some Q&A or are to decide between engaging in sexual activity. As a result the story is rather on-rails, but given how the story progresses adding any gameplay elements would just feel like pointless busy-work, so it still provides active engagement for the player whilst still getting the story across that the developer wants to tell.
Story - Haphazard but easy to follow
The story starts out very bleak but considering how it develops, one could argue that it’s almost a side dressing as things get progressively layered. The random events that happen do actually have intersecting points, as the lore from the characters in this world (or worlds, unclear for now) seems to overlap, with certain races and social stratas are familiar to the denizens whilst being unfamiliar to the MC and his family. It’s an experience, and it could probably be best described as using a tabletop RPG rulebook on magical teleportation spells, and rolling the dice on both when and where the transportation occurs.
As the VN is still currently in its early versions, there’s still more of the story to be revealed, but if the developer continues with the slow layering of various story elements it shouldn’t be difficult to follow. It is, however, at risk of becoming oversaturated with characters so I can’t imagine that too many more characters will be introduced (and there’s a character that’s been there from the very beginning that is still a mystery).
Characters - Various & Diverse
Currently the cast consists of 10 women and the MC (the grandmother has yet to be revealed so isn’t counted). Each character gets their own “introduction scene” but the reader isn’t overwhelmed with narrative exposition, with details being revealed during later encounters which makes them feel more organic and not simply peppered in for flavour or background noise (and allows for secrets to be revealed, which compels the reader to want to learn more).
The characters haven’t had much time to shine but practically none of the interactions are pointless busywork, either conversing or driving the plot forward in minor ways. Personally, I find the weakest character to be the sister as she seems to be somewhat stereotypical as a “doting, overinvested sibling”, however her behaviour is explained and one can’t expect every single character to be a homerun.
Lewdness - Fairly Common & Animated
The VN almost starts off with a sex scene, however it feels more like a showcase of things to happen rather than how things are always going to be. The MC has a decent habit of managing to walk in on women masturbating without them realizing (or in one case oral sex), or is woken up after being molested in his sleep (whilst having a dirty dream, which may have caused the molesting or been influenced by it, unclear as of yet).
Most of the sex feels very casual, however it is never forced on either party and feels more like a recreational activity than for any other reason. The animations are very smooth (benefits of the Honey Select models) with increasing tempo in stages and most scenes have two angles to choose from (typically in the first person).
Artstyle - Honey Select Renders
For a number of players, these models will seem quite familiar as it uses the Honey Select game models. Whilst there aren’t many variations in character models in terms of body types, every character looks and feels different, making it very easy to put names to faces. None of the characters have ridiculous body proportions (which I, personally, find distracting) and feel rather balanced, all things considered, with older characters having a certain amount of sag which is to be expected, showing that the developer paid a fair amount of attention to detail in this regard.
The main menu animation could do with a bit of a tweak though…
Sound - N/A
The VN uses no audio of any kind, so whilst your eardrums won’t be blown out, you may want to find your own suitable background music for your reading experience.