PERSPECTIVE REVIEW
[code][h1]SUMMARY:[/h1][/code]
This is one of the most beautiful stories I have ever read, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes reading.
After having an extra year to reflect upon it, I believe that this game really is a must-play for anyone who can appreciate a deep & meaningful story about actions & consequences.
[b](This game is NOT nearly as sexual as the store tags currently suggest.
The most suggestive items include bikinis & what you see in the screenshots on the front page.
In terms of anything slightly "sexual" what you see in the store is EXACTLY what you get.)[/b]
Not all of the routes go as deep, so I would definitely recommend trying some different routes - not necessarily with different girls. You can choose to be faithful between playthroughs, but it's really important that you see what the backstory & pain of these characters has to offer; that is where the story becomes most impactful, and even mind-blowing.
If you get a happy ending and are satisfied, though, then that's a fine & fair place to stop too.
This game is really short, relative to others, but if you can afford it, it's worth full price (currently $5).
[code][h1]PERSONAL APPEAL:[/h1][/code]
There were some additional things that spoke to me personally & originally, when I wrote this (1 year ago), I mentioned that it might be best suited for someone like myself, for those reasons. However, after having time to see past my own bias, I believe that this game is even better than that, for reasons other than the ones that initially attracted me to it, & were of personal appeal to me.
These are those personal factors that appealed to me :
I may not be short but I consider myself to be a somewhat shy & effiminate boy, like Wally, who prefers tall, capable, women, like Desdemona. (There's a lot of similarities between our personalities too.) ...so, I find Wally really relatable on a personal-level that other people might not. However, I also find Desdemona very relatable. She carries hurtful memories that cause her a lot of pain and frustration - I really wasn't expecting to find her so relatable to my own life feelings as well.
For me, personally, it felt almost as though this game was made just for me...
Now, that aside, this visual novel has a lot more as well, to offer than that...
[code][h1]CONTENT:[/h1][/code]
...Such as:
[table]
[tr][th]🌹 - ice cream[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]🌹 - a beautiful soundtrack[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]🌹 - endearing, & believable, writing[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]🌹 - cutscenes where the music & writing compliment the scene art, in order to portray a powerful mood[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]🌹 - an alternate romance option[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]🌹 - cultural references[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]🌹 - lots of humor[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]❤️ - love[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]💔 - heart-break[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]🥀 - varying degrees of personal loss & grieving[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]🥀 - tragedy[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]🌹 - [spoiler]time travel[/spoiler] (not quite a spoiler but you might want to be surprised)[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]🌹 - ...& more.[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]🥀 - (There are no drugs, Marcus.)[/th][/tr]
[/table]
[code][h1]OVERVIEW:[/h1][/code]
This visual novel can be very romantic & uplifting but it also has several tragic turns, one of which is unavoidable and a few others that are optional but not necessarily easy to control whether you get them or not (in my opinion).
The greater the route is that you're on, the greater the tragedy can become if you make a wrong turn (unless that's what you wanted to experience, in which case... I suppose it's a ..."right" turn? (Are you hoping to cry by encountering tragedy? Because otherwise, that's just sadistic of you...))
This story made me feel kinder & more hopeful. ...then I played it again & got a tragic route & it made me cry a lot as soon as I realized the severity of what was happening.
I feel like my soul was, previously / before-hand, broken - & this game mended it (just a little), then hurt it some more but without breaking it.
Depending on the route (& how fast you read, I guess), it can take anywhere from 20 minutes to, oh - I don't know... 5 hours? To complete a route. So, if you're going to do just 1 route then call it done, this game might be too short but if you're going to explore a little (or just get the longest route first) then it should be worth the full-price if you're sure that this sort of game is definitely for you.
(This is a visual novel. It doesn't really have any gameplay aspects beyond the standard stuff you'd expect from a VN.)
Even, perhaps especially, if you like it, the game is a bit too short because it will [potentially] leave you desiring more from the sweethearts it focuses on. One way around this is to play through multiple routes as there's 2 notable routes (with a variety of sub-chapter variations) for a relationship with Desdemona, a slow-paced one & a fast-paced one, - one of those routes (the slow-paced one) can kind of act like a continuation of the other one, even though it's not.
You'll... know immediately if you're on the fast-paced route (you might want to come back & do this later but don't forget how you got to it because, if I'm not mistaken, it requires a much more specific set of decisions at the beginning). In case you don't find it, though, Desdemona's dialogue, near the end of her slower-paced relationship route, suggests how you can get what is probably a better ending.
Oh, and here's a tip for the people who may want to avoid unhappy endings:
Don't encourage Desdemona's anger [spoiler]stop her from making a big mistake![/spoiler]
There are (currently, as of writing this) a number of typos in the game but not a lot; it shouldn't matter much if you're enjoying yourself.
This game has become my second-favorite game.
[code][h1]CONCLUSION:[/h1][/code]
You'll probably know if this is a visual novel that you'd enjoy just by looking at it on the store but it does have a number of deeper aspects that aren't obvious on the store-front.
If you're unsure about it but considering it, then you should probably consider how generous you're willing to be with your money right now, in order to take a chance on it.
It has a lot of depth to it, though, & for that reason, I'd recommend considering to take a chance on it if you're unsure.
