Just within the first ten minutes of playing this game, I've come across the following. I will still attempt to play through the entire thing. But these factors are major deterrents, in my opinion, as they really take you out of/away from the game.
Actual Errors:
- spelling & grammar issues, correct-tense issues
- MC says she sees herself "in his turquoise blue eyes", when guy literally has purple eyes
- MC’s asked to get rope – you can inquire or not, but even if you don't, next scene is still MC questioning guest’s “work”, which she wouldn’t even know anything about (or that rope was for work) if she hadn’t inquired
- guest’s speaking in paragraphs, the paragraph displays all at once, outside ‘speech bubble’; you cannot read half of it, & no way to scroll – you have to wait until next phrase, then check log
- guest’s not speaking (there’s just “…” or "?" in speech bubble), but mouth is moving (& for a while)
- MC says there’s somebody w/ sunglasses & facemask, but sunglasses are on head, & no facemask at all; you later know it was supposed to be worn, b/c MC later says “takes off his shades & the mask, revealing the beautiful, handsome face underneath”
- NPCs say they’ve found guest “dressed in all black”, but guest is clearly wearing white t-shirt
- in POVs for guests, it shows it’s going to be one guests' POV, but shows picture of another
Function Issues:
- saving game does next-to nothing - when you load, starts you over, or @ start of chapter – I’ve not once been able to save/load correctly
- every time you click save/load, takes you to 1st pg, rather than the pg you were on
- no setup/keyboard actions in options/menu - so no easy way to go thru/skip - even then, "skip" is just "skip to next choice", rather than fast-forwarding
- rather, if there are quick-keys, I'm not sure what they are - I've tried almost every button on keyboard, nothing has any action but "continue”
- pop-up windows are a bit much (obnoxious – big/loud) - & there’re pop-ups to confirm everylittlething, even after selections’re made
- b/c said pop-ups, & .5s delay, you may accidentally click an choice/response instead of just "confirm" (which is the confirmation after you already confirmed) - oh, & you cannot click out of pop-ups, you’ve to click "x"/"confirm" (for 2nd time)
Playability/Enjoyment Issues:
- really over-dramatic/obnoxious reactions/actions sometimes - there's tropes, sure, but some of this’ just beyond that (since I can handle tropes) - & it's *very* repetitive
--- once, guest & MC’re running, she says “w/o warning, I lift up [his] legs & carry him. He’s even lighter than I thought” –what? haha – later, when she realizes he (also) knows her/name, “oh well, time to go home”, what?
--- as another review mentioned – “oh well, guess I’m the owner now”, “oh, must be a burglar, & I’ve got to confront him”, “that nice car arriving in driveway must be mob, & I’ve got to confront them, too” – that kind of crap is just the beginning – & it leaves you hoping it’s not as off-putting by end of game (time will tell)
- if you ever decide to leave or something – while you would think you run into a non-guest, or experience bad-end, even run into guest that’s outside (rather than in B&B) – no, you just basically quit game; & it’s the same-exact thing each time “I was on flight next day, never heard anything about grandpa, B&B, guests ever again” – not only does this make enjoying various endings non-existent, it adds to ridiculousness
--- when option for leaving (or similar) comes up, there’s only two options – you either quit the game (“game over”) or ignore whatever the plot-issue is
- the “strange, why does this feel so familiar?” plot-point is incredibly repetitive
--- she hasn’t lived there in 15yrs, yet every single person who “knew her when” says she hasn’t changed – nobody not only recognizes somebody after 15yrs, but not when the last time was @ 3yo; this adds to gravitas of plot-point, but also ridiculousness
- MC says she remembers days w/ grandpa at B&B very well, but is blank for months before leaving – he won’t explain why, even though she’s plagued w/ nightmares/depression since --- more ridiculousness, haha; not just comparison of what she does/n’t remember, but also general unrealistic aspect, & how most would’ve exp therapy, somebody would’ve told/explained, something – not just left dormant for 15yrs w/ nobody saying a single thing
- sometimes, it’s like the game cannot decide if the MC’s on vacation or running B&B; that’s not even talking about how overbearing guests can be on MC – granted, that’s clearly part of plot mystery – but the game def waffles between MC acting either/or
- chibi pop-ups (not-quite animations) that accentuate/animate a scene/event are also big/loud - but mostly just b/c they cover 80% of screen, covering characters you're trying to see. it should be either/or - either chibi pop-up be 100% of screen, so nothing else to focus on; or have it offset from main story screen/view
I’m really hoping the mystery of the guests obviously knowing the MC when she lived there as a child is resolved/revealed reasonably, if at all. If I get to the end/ings, and that’s not the case, this will be an utter flop. Dangling a mystery-to-solve carrot to do nothing with it? That’s even more ridiculous as this game has been so far, which is saying a lot. I’d have to whole-heartedly agree that you have to go into this with an open mind, ready for ridiculousness. But, you should generally go into *any* game with an open mind – so this shouldn’t get any handicap just because it’s legit required before any enjoyment could be had.
As of yet, I *want* to like the game. I’m trying to stay positive and hope that the plot/twist isn’t just a fishing hook, and I’m just going to be left hanging at the end (especially with how repetitive the topic was). Until then, the game is cute, and I can see it being fun if not so critical. The art is great, though there’s a couple of spots where the angle/body-structure is a bit off (and off-putting), but that can easily be ignored for the art as a whole. The little chibi animations/pop-ups are done with significantly more detail/clarity, but there is something to be said for the prettiness of the rest. Each of the guests and their blush is adorable, to boot. I have been playing in English - I haven't played in the other languages, yet, but the fact that there are four language options is really nice to see - I would be interested to hear opinions of those at some point (if I don't get to play through them as well).
While *I* can handle this - for now - I know that most cannot. Especially these days, when every little thing is a world-ending problem. As such, as of yet, I cannot recommend this to most people.
PS, now that I think about this, this has a lot of similarities to 7’Scarlet, with the latter being done extremely well (one of the best I’ve seen). So, now I’m not sure whether to be upset that much of the plot is similar, or that it’s just done in a ridiculous and much-less-polished way? Referencing a gun, and a gun/incident in the past, and the one guy saying “I won’t let anything happen to her, *this time*”.. yeah, this is getting really familiar.
PSS, I'm basically gonna be out of text room soon. So, anything additional, I'll add as comments. But basically, just a lot to consider before playing this game. If you can get over all this, have at it. If not, please don't subject yourself to this, and/or just to subject others to your complaints.
