Overall, it was a pretty relaxing game to play. It took me a bit under 2 hours (with breaks) to finish it. I don’t usually write reviews for games, but this project looks promising despite the few things of which I was not a fan. Please do take into account I am an editor and by no means a person who frequently plays games, but I do enjoy a good story and this is one of them.
I think it’s a very cute concept and I’ve just seen that it’s a fairly new game. It looks like it’s a passion project and I’m glad you guys got to make it together and hope you had loads of fun creating it. It’s adorable and very easy on the eyes, with lovely music and generally giving a very positive, welcoming vibe, even in the more intense scenes.
I’ll go over the things that I liked and the ones I didn’t like as objectively as possible. They will contain spoilers which I’ll mark appropriately. I will also add a tl;dr at the end, obviously.
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[h1] Cool stuff: [/h1]
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[*][spoiler]In the scene where Aiden and Kaira are on the roof in the junkyard,[/spoiler] there are two very adorable birds. This is very minor, but they made my day. That being said, the background art is stunning and fitting of the atmosphere of the game.
[*]The story is fitting of what sophomores (?) in high school are like and of how they think. While it may sound a bit farfetched [spoiler]to run away because of parental pressure caused by bad grades[/spoiler] to adults, it can’t be denied that their stress is valid and how this mindset is common. It’s admirable they had the guts to do it in the first place.
[*]The music and the visual effects are also greatly adding to the atmosphere. They are not too harsh on the eyes either; as someone with a lot of eye problems, I did not find them jarring in any way.
[*]The message is wholesome. No one can possibly dislike it. It highlights friendships and the mental struggles that teenagers face on a daily basis, and it’s very important to bring awareness to it.
[*]The dialogue is mostly natural of teenagers, with banter and playful bickering.
[*]The game runs very smoothly and I did not encounter any bugs. Steam may tell you, if you own a Macbook, that the game is not compatible and that it may not run, but it very much [i] does [/i] run.
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[h1] Slightly less cool stuff: [/h1]
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[*]Some of the script has not been proofread. This can easily be fixed and is probably not as bad as I’m making it sound, but it’s still a pet peeve for me. A few lines I remember off the top of my head are:
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[*][spoiler]“You still don’t get it do you?” (missing comma)[/spoiler]
[*][spoiler]“The typical scenery greets us. The shops, the crowds, and the bustling commuters.” (the full stop should’ve been a colon)[/spoiler]
[*][spoiler]“Kaira: […] As long as don’t screw up.” (It probably should have been “As long as I don’t screw up.”)[/spoiler]
[*]There are other instances of awkward sentences or missing commas, as well, but I’m not going to list everything. Those are very minor things, as I’ve said before. Regardless, it’s worth pointing out to proofread the lines.
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[*][quote=Pham599]The character sprites have a big difference in quality, for example the difference between Damien, Kaira and Aiden, Nathan. At times these differences were pretty immersion breaking.[/quote]
[*]That ^. Also, there are relevant characters which don’t have any sprites at all—[spoiler]the vendor, for example. I feel like the vendor is there to help Kaira realise she should return to Aiden,[/spoiler] but them not getting a sprite at all seems to undermine their role in the story, which makes one wonder why the scene was there in the first place. [spoiler]The same goes with the random guys who rob them, and the same also goes with the random dude forcing Damien to… do crime?[/spoiler] He doesn’t even get a name, but I’ll go there in a second.
[*]As user [b][i]Zaijka[/i][/b] rightfully pointed out in their review, there are loads of questions left unanswered. [spoiler]Although, yes, I am pretty sure Damien is dead… for some reason.[/spoiler] There are some scenes which appear to be of great importance to the plot, but I could not seem to get how they truly contribute to the story.
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[*]The Damien arc is incomplete. What is his backstory? Why does he do what he does? What exactly does he do, anyway? Who are those people? [spoiler]Why does he die…? I understand he dies in a car crash,[/spoiler] but what was the purpose of it in relation to the main plot?
[*][spoiler]The vendor scene is cute and does bring some positivity amidst the struggle, but while Kaira realises she wants to return to Aiden, it’s unclear what exactly prompts that. So, what role does it play in the story?[/spoiler]
[*][spoiler]Also, what about the money and the brothers? Do they get the money back in any way? Why did they need the money? What happens to the guy Kaira stabbed? They don’t use the money, anyway, so what do the brothers and the several scenes in which they are bring to the plot? What happens to it?[/spoiler]
[*][spoiler]What do the options of Aiden and Kaira realising they love each other add, as well? I understand the dialogues are slightly different for the other options, but they don’t confess to one another and that does not seem to go anywhere. It is heartwarming regardless.[/spoiler]
[*]What happened to the Nate guy? I think he could have played a much bigger role in the story.
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[*]The time skips are a tiny bit awkward to follow at times, but it’s nothing too grave. On the same note, some scenes don’t feel like they tie in as smoothly as they could, but again, that’s also not anything major.
[*]Just as some characters don’t have sprites, some scenes also don’t have any visuals apart from a background which does not seem to relate to the scene. [spoiler](e.g. when Damien and the others rob the shop)[/spoiler]
[*]The ending is nice, but it makes one wonder what the purpose of the whole escapade was in the first place.
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[b]tl;dr:[/b]
There are some plot holes and mistakes in the script. Some scenes don’t have appropriate visuals (or any?), but the rest of the game is fabulous.
All in all, I would still recommend the game to anyone who is looking for an easy, wholesome VN. I can’t deny the work that you guys have put into it and how much your love for the project comes across while playing, which at the end of the day is way more important than anything else and you should be proud of it.
[i]“Aspiring Light”[/i] has definitely made 2 hours of my day brighter. Thank you for the game!
