Should you buy it? Short answer, no. There are better things even for free on Itch.io.
[b] Edit: They actually lowered the base price with 75% in one go a month after I wrote this review. On the one hand this was the price range I myself recommended. But a sudden, massive drop in price without any updates as to why makes it feel a bit off to me.
It may be an honest reaction from the developer to the lower than expected reviews. But a cynical part of me says they never meant to sell it for 12 euro's and just jacked the price way up in hopes of fooling people with a discount on launch.
If you are reading this Royal Guard: It would have been better to fix some issues or post an update as to what is happening. This just makes people who did buy your game for full price feel like crap. [/b]
Back to the review:
Long answer?
Art: It is serviceable but nothing to write home about. The artwork is reused with a few new elements added to trick you into thinking they have drawn more than they actually did. A drawing of a woman yelling for help because she is drowning? Just slap a few monsters on it and you can reuse it 2 minutes later when she is attacked and killed.
Voice-actors: There are two, one man and one woman. They are decent at it but they are both from the UK while this game takes place in Florida with the protagonist being from Chicago. What's worse though is that they suck at doing different voices from their own. They are so bad at it that I think they should've just kept talking, in the same manner, no matter the character. Clearly not professionals.
Story: Alright. Again, clearly not done by a professional but more on the level of a decent fanfiction.
Music: One (royalty-free) track. 'Nough said
The worst thing about the game is probably that it suffers from 'high school teamwork' syndrome. Meaning it seems everyone just did their own thing and they all meshed it together the day before the deadline.
The script, the voice actors, and the artist who made the drawings seem to all have been working with different assumptions. About 5% of the time what the voiceover was saying was not what was written down, and I don't mean they just got 1 word wrong. Even the drawings are different from the text. Main example: the protagonist has a "dad bod" according to the writing. But one look at the guy shows he is ripped to an impossible level. Furthermore, he is supposed to be wearing a wetsuit while the drawings are of him in his swimwear. Even the first girl you save is described as heavy boned but she is just your average big-breasted anime girl when they show her on screen. Why even bother describing the characters if you're just going to show use different ones?
While I might continue to play the game since the money has already been spent, it is almost an insult that this game is more expensive than games like 'City of Broken Dreamers'. Even Crystalline and Ethereal Enigma are only a few euros more expensive and those are far superior VN's in every way.
If you play this for the harem/erotic aspect, please go to Itch.io and enjoy hundreds of free games or have a look at games like 'Funbag Fantasy'. If you want to buy it for the story, just pick something like 'I walk among Zombies' or 'Acting Lessons'. There is nothing this game does better than anything that is on the market right now for a similar price. There isn't even something in here that is clearly above average.
Final verdict: For 3-4 euros, maybe. For the current price, a clear no. For the non-discounted price, how dare you.
If you have one friend who likes to write stories, one friend with decent drawing skills, and two with decently pleasant voices. You could have made this game yourself.
