EDIT:
Back with approximately 18 hours of gameplay. The common route is very long and leads onto the (currently locked) character routes when it finishes. My first playthrough took upwards of 7 hours.
General spoilers below:
The common route ends on a cliffhanger, with the introduction of a new plot arc and a new antagonist. However, I did not find this unsatisfying. Bacchanalia's common route has 10 chapters and begins by introducing you to the MC, the MC's goal, and an initial antagonist. This sets up a story arc that progresses for 10 chapters and has a satisfying conclusion: after many ordeals, there is a story climax in chapter 9 where the MC "beats" the antagonist and achieves her goals.
Chapter 10 closes things up on this arc, and the chapter's latter half introduces a new primary antagonist based on underlying motifs and themes that were in the background during the common route. I find this works very well: I feel satisfied with the progression and conclusion of the common route as a self-contained story, and because of how themes and mysteries for the "larger" story were introduced throughout the common route, I am also intrigued by what will come next.
However, there are some pitfalls when it comes to the writing, particularly during the dramatic story climaxes. Specific spoilers below:
[spoiler]There is a scene where someone tries to stab MC in a hotel corridor, and one of the male leads arrives just in time and presses the assaulter to the ground. As though the situation is now resolved, despite the assaulter still struggling on the ground with the knife, MC proceeds to leave and return to her hotel room, leaving the other two people alone in the corridor. No security is notified. No police are called. MC just returns to her room and locks the door. My reaction: "er, well". Despite this...you could (perhaps implausibly) attribute such a reaction to psychological shock. So, fine.
However, there is a later scene where MC is in her hotel room and someone with a lighter and gasoline demands to be let into the room, threatening set MC on fire. Aware of this, MC decides to *unlock her door* and let this person into the room, rationalising this as an attempt at deescalating the situation. Obviously the situation escalates. There's really no logical explanation for this, however you spin it. This is made slightly worse because MC has a phone and notifies two other characters before unlocking the door. This raises the blatant issue (that would not be so blatant if the story had not highlighted MC using her phone at all): why didn't MC notify hotel security instead.[/spoiler]
Overall, the writing logic tends to improve tremendously outside of these dramatic scenes (I wonder if they were forcefully written in, in order to fulfill requirements for pre-established CGs or story beats), and I am very happy with the game.
In regards to another review, I find that the "magic" is quite integral to the game story and its underlying themes--the entertainment industry is simply a vehicle for these themes around ambition, sacrifice and excess, which could (conceivably) be replaced by another high-stakes industry with politicking and public personas. You could conceivably read the story as a critique of capitalism, about the sacrifices one makes to climb a hierarchal ladder where morality, integrity, self-conception and relationships with others are consecutively given away in exchange for "success"--and the implausibility of escaping such a system once one is inside it, and consigned to the endless rat race.
Anyway, the game already stresses repeat play in order to obtain locked CGs, scenes, and endings. I have about 18 hours of gameplay so far, and I still haven't seen everything. I will be replaying some more!
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ORIGINAL REVIEW:
Only the common route is released right now. I got this game for $31 HKD (~25元/$4 USD). And frankly for the current state of the game, which contains only the completed common route, I would have easily paid $120 HKD (~100元/$16 USD). Furthermore, I believe that is what the game deserves: the common route is quite long, the GUI is polished and well designed; the art is very high quality and moreover there is a variety of sprite art, there are even different outfits for each character. There are fewer CGs, but it is more than can be expected considering only a common route is available right now.
When the romance routes for the 4 characters are released, I would absolutely pay for them. Although many negative reviews mention the unfinished state of the game...in my opinion, the appalling part is that the game is this cheap when it already contains so much content. The first 5 minutes of the game were enough to repay my (paltry) monetary investment.
I also immensely enjoy the storytelling of this game, and I also enjoy how many choices there are--these are small choices, but they crop up every few minutes and it makes me very happy hehe.
Lastly. If you are into GL, as I am, there are several female side-characters and they all have beautiful sprites. Everyone has very...hehe...sexy and dramatic interactions with the main character, and the writing is even quite overt about the flirtation between the main character and the other villainous (or not so villainous) girls. I am now several hours into the game and although everyone is attractive, I am most attracted to Mia and the little Bean. Ehehehe...
If nothing else, I highly recommend trying this game just as it is (again, unbearably) cheap for the amount of content you get.
(and ahahaha I love the little details in the background CGs! The black cat and white hare playing banjos!! I wonder if the artist who did the background CGs is also a fan of rt0no.)
