While I didn't max it out, I played through every route and I feel like I tried everything this game had to offer.
And honestly? It felt really mid.
5/10
While I'm glad to be able to support indie creators, I felt like the game wasn't worth its price (which, to clarify, wasn't that high!). I've played through a lot of free Visual Novels/Otome Games, and most of them offered more narrative depth than Mythic Love (some examples include: Cinderella Phenomenon base game, Halloween Otome, Re: Alistair, even Seduce Me saga, I feel, was comparably better).
Characters felt underdeveloped, and their routes mirrored one another too much to feel narratively distinct. Sure, they each had some unique personality traits, but their motivations rang hollow and references to folklore seemed really surface level. I couldn't get into this aspect, which to me was the most appealing part of the premise, the so-called hook. It hooked me in, but offered no real pay off for my interest.
I wanted them to be more whimsy, more complex -- even perhaps a bit creepy, actually monstrous considering their mythological origins. And I think people would be into it, just browse some tumblr or AO3 tags like #terato xD Instead their mythical aspects were like accessories, kind of like underdeveloped Monster High characters.
The world itself could also use some polish - I would welcome more unique sceneries, maybe some ambient music that would fit the setting. I feel like the characters could be also either more modern or more archaic to make the Iberian Legends set-up better communicated to the player. It would also serve to make the game more memorable.
Endings felt kind of lackluster, and I wasn't a fan of CGs, a lot of ending illustrations were small pieces, WIPs, which I felt unsatisfied by.
The game was also very short, and while that's not necessarily bad, the events of each route were so same-ish, even interactions with characters were almost 1:1 in each route, which took away the depth. I liked Gaueko's route the most, because it offered the most distinct experience.
WARNING: MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD
I also feel like the creators should've just made Gaueko and Tiago be canonically together, regardless of player actions, because even if you ignore their attraction to one another while playing for mono- outcomes, you still have to reference them in the ending conversation with each man, so if the choice is illusory at best, why leave it in at all?
Imo the game would benefit from reducing the number of dateable charcters or from a longer development period. The story required more time to reach enough depth. How else would you convince me that Tiago, who was traumatised by the loss of his partner and with complex attraction to the main villain, would fall for my absolute nobody of a character within, what, 3 days?
Sure, it's wish-fullfilment fantasy, but it's still a narrative-driven game and a piece of art, so I feel like some good faith criticism from a fan of the genre is in order, and a lot could've been improven. I sincerely wish the creators a lot of energy and more good ideas, and certainly more time and space to develop them properly. The genre is still vastly unexplored and a lot of stories can be told.
GGWP, I wish I could join Coru's LoL team instead of playing her route tbh.
