Finally got around to playing the final version. And all I can say is, I feel like the only reason this game is getting such high reviews is because it's one of the few Adult Visual Novels that actually got completed.
The story is you're a poor boy living with his mommy, and suddenly you're asked to save the kingdom because your dead daddy was important. Cuz that makes sense. And your sister
likes you. Oh, yeah, and you have a magic rock that's seems like it's supposed to be important, but it really isn't.
The story is... functional. It is not worth praise. It's full of loose ends, options that don't make any sense, plot holes, and soft magic (cheat magic).
As far as the actual gameplay goes... it's a visual novel. Nothing unusal to expect here? You pick choices, and deal with the consequences, some good, some bad.
Pros:
Your Choices (Mostly) Matter
The choices are largely geared towards one of two things:
1)Whether or not you get a good ending, and 2)who you end up with.
Otherwise, the story is going to mostly follow the same linear plot each time.
But despite the linear plot, you can get a ton of different epilogues. So, there is actually a lot of replay value if you want to find all the different endings.
Lots of Waifus to choose from
Yeah, there's a bunch of girls you can pick from.
A barmaid. Your mom. Your sister. Your aunt. A half-orc warrior. A dwarf. A dark elf. An elf queen. A succubus. The kingdom's general. If there are others, I can't remember right now.
It's a "Finished" Game
There are still a few bugs and typos here and there, the artwork could get updated, or animations could get added, but otherwise the game is done. There is a beginning, middle, and ending! It didn't get abandoned. Hooray!
Cons:
Inconsistent artwork
I get this does happen. I don't have to like it.
Not Animated
While not necessarily mandatory, animation does go a long way to holding interest.
Implied Sandbox? Never Implemented
Whether you love or hate sandbox games, that is beside the point. I feel there was a direction someone wanted this game to go, and they went partway into it, dropped the whole idea, and then never cleaned up the mess.
Irnia has various maps only ever seen once, maybe twice, and they
really don't matter. Seeing a continental or city map, to me, implies open world options. Never happens. Why did you show me this map of the city when my only locations are to go to the brothel or continue with the story?
The brothel is literally the only sandbox-like option in the entire game, and you can only visit it when the game asks you.
Small Harem
The biggest harem you can get is the incest harem. You can't collect them all.
Each Scene is 1-2 Images
Each scene is mostly going to be two pictures: the act of sex, and the finish. Everything relies on the text and your imagination.
So, while there are quite a few scenes in the entire game, but the story is short, only a few are dedicated to each girl.
This is not so good if you're like me and the succubus is your favorite. She comes so late in the game, you'll be disappointed for the fact she has about only 4 scenes in total between the romance and Master/Slave routes, not including the bad ending one.
Feels Like More Could Be Done
I get burnout. A developer doesn't want to work on one game for forever. They got other things they want to try. But I feel like this game had a huge opportunity for more across a greater period of time, in game.
But, I suppose, to ensure the game was finished, and I suppose for the purposes of avoiding a sandbox mode entirely (which I'm cool with), a lot of things got simplified.
Honorable Mention
This is completely unrelated to VNs, quality of life, fapping, gaming, or anything important, just something I found hilarious:
Trickle-down economics works in this world's game. It's fitting that it would work in a
fantasy game.
You get one option to increase or lower taxes. If you raise them, your kingdom is rich but your people starve and become homeless. If you lower the taxes, the businesses prosper and so everyone prospers. That's not how it works irl. But thanks for the giggle.
Hope this review is helpful. The game is worth playing a few times, but it's not worth five stars or keeping on your hard drive for later.