start;again

[b]LOOOONG review[/b] – I like to yap - [b]TLDR[/b]: it's a nice small game (less than 4 hours to complete I think), nice niche art style/soundtrack/vibe - the plot-twist/big reveal of the game isn't mind-blowing but it's still nice (if anything it’ll make you go “oooh, ok yeah that makes sense” and maybe hit you in the feels like it did for me near the end), the "BL" aspect of the game isn't some MLM romance fest – it's a nice touching bond/love that develops/is shown to you throughout the game – and the game is INCORRECTLY tagged as dating sim by users – [b]not[/b] the developers – it's a mystery visual novel that has key-elements that feature MLM characters sure – but not some MLM dating sim/game where the main focus is the romance between 2 characters (like a traditional BL game/BL novel). I personally enjoyed this! Bought in on discount for 1,99€ - a nice small game for a reasonable price. Things to consider before buying (basically my pros and cons): [b]Storytelling/writing/visual aspects & things to note[/b]: • [b]Having trouble seeing/knowing who's talking[/b] – This is a fault that many VNs have mind you not just this game. Sometimes it's hard to tell who's talking before you really memorize or get familiar with the characters and remember their names, in [i]some[/i] scenes they actually have the sprite of the character next to the name which helps! I do wish it was that way for the entirety of the game or that they did what some games do which is bringing the sprite of who's talking forward a bit or "darken" the others etc; but they only do this for characters who are off-screen in specific scenes which I “get” but I still wish it was that way for the entirety of the game. • The characters are well written and say and do things I feel like real people would – I like the snark, sarcasm and playful personalities we see in this game – [b]however[/b] some characters fall under the tsundere trope and/or the more rude/bratty approach (which makes sense for the story as a whole and who they "are") which [i]may[/i] get on your nerves/turn you off from the game if those type of personalities and characters aren't your cup o' tea, which is something I noted in other people’s reviews. Although for me characters like that are a sign of a good character. Like congrats fictional character you made me dislike you for a minute as if you're real, you know? • The game gives you breadcrumbs of the story's premise/secrets/twists throughout the game – I can see how some would be like "oh come on we all saw that coming" or that it's not a good one/maybe find it anti-climactic but personally on my first playthrough I didn't figure it all out right away and it was a touching surprise! • I really liked the art-style and soundtrack of the game! It really added to the air of mystery and just the overall vibe of the game! – [b]the background art isn't ai slop[/b] – in case you also came across that review or might have wondered that yourself and didn't see the developer's reply (which I'll include here): [i]"Just wanted to clarify that we don’t use AI art in any of our games, including start;again. The backgrounds are edited CC0 photographs that were manually processed in Photoshop with layered filters to create that older VN-style look (for better or for worse, haha!)."[/i] – this game came out in 2022, long before people really used generative AI for visual assets in VNs (I think at least?) [b]Actual mechanics of the game[/b] • The puzzles/mini-games aren't this mind-breaking/extremely difficult challenges so if you find those "too easy", wanted more a challenge or maybe you just find them annoying then maybe this isn't the game for you; For this game taking note of things, being able to do basic math, and going back to previous parts of the game to be able to move forward/do specific puzzles/being able to retain previous info is something you'll need to do – there are mechanics in the game to make this easier though! [spoiler]the flowchart & the notepad[/spoiler] - so if that doesn't feel like something you're into – again maybe not your type of game (personally I liked it, I was taking notes and making theories as I played and that added to the "fun" of it) I really loved this game! Made me cry - I'd say it's worth the buy! [spoiler]pinky promise[/spoiler]

I can't stop crying and its this games fault T-T. 9/10 like i saw people say, the art is a little inconsistent but was also impactful. Puzzles aren't too hard that you need a guide as long as you play puzzles once in a while, otherwise the guide for this is pretty good. All that is left is for me to either find or write a fanfic because i beg of you whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

Интересные головоломки, в большинстве своём приятная музыка ХОТЬ И ПОВТОРЯЮЩАЯСЯ! Нет озвучки, а очень жаль так было бы гораздо лучше. Мне нравится то как нарисованы персонажи, а в конце игры я плакал. Не помню плакал ли я до конца. Жаль, что нет других концовок в основной сюжетной линии и что нет русских субтитров. А так советую, если вы любите головоломки и визуальные новеллы. Если ставить сколько-то баллов из 10, то тут сложно. Вообще мне сложно даётся ставить баллы чему-либо и кому-либо, так как у меня неочевидный минимум и неочевидный максимум в желаниях и требованиях. И вот скачу я между ними. В один момент хочется поставить 8-9/10, в другой 2-4/10. Возможно, что это связано в том числе с тем, что меня сложно порадовать и удивить чем-то, но при этом я относительно могу быть неприхотливым. Если бы эта игра стояла 1к и более, то я бы её не купил, так как было во-первых слишком дорого, а во-вторых слишком мало контента для такой-то цены. Но в данном случае я купил её по скидке за 96 рублей. С одной стороны слишком красивая и интересная игра для цены в 240 рублей-то, а с другой маловато контента для такой цены. Если бы в 5 раз дольше длилась игра и это не ощущалось затянуто и если бы была озвучка у персонажей тем более качественная, то за как минимум 500 рублей можно было бы и выставить. Правда я в таком случае не купил бы её на данный момент так как не обладаю большими дополнительными ресурсами, безработный и у меня уже есть цель купить кое-что, НО в подходящий момент я бы её купил и за 1-2к. Надеюсь, что читатели поняли какую итоговую оценку я ставлю этой замечательной игре.

burns slowly throughout, only to knock you in the heart at the end! what an unassuming indie gem

Cute short BL otome of one love interest. Has a interesting mechanic of flowchart that let's you choose any scene so you can replay it and have all achievements on one playthrough. Has a couple of puzzles, not too hard, not too easy. At first a little confusing of what is going on, but the game gives you all the clues and information as crumbs for you to put together. I wish it had a couple more of brachings, but it was really good anyway.

I had no idea what to really expect with this game, and I ended up enjoying it immensely. Both funny and heartwarming. I really enjoyed the puzzles and putting the pieces of the mystery together. I would definitely recommend this game.