Posted on: February 18, 2025
Early Access review
Gene_Starwind
Verified ownerGames: 70 Reviews: 4
Delightful, confusing and original
The artwork and animation definitely set this game apart. I generally don't go for "dating sims", but this has the makings of something special. Yes, it's in Early Access, as of Feb 2025, but it holds the promise of being more than just a graphic novel with a superficial Choose Your Own Adventure decision tree. I don't want to speculate too much about what the game devs intend, but I can see a future version of this game with more meaningful choices presented to the player. It would be nice to have a JRPG element incorporated into it, including inventory, combat, measurable stats. A system of random encounters could be put in, where the protagonist might be able to leverage his charm, his strength, his intelligence to come out on top. Whatever may come, I think the game is off to a great start. As convoluted as some of the plot elements can be, you actually end up caring about the characters you interact with. Not just the women, but you begin to see the male allies as friends. There's a scene where a guy acquaintance. whom I initially disliked out of reflex, is getting the defecation beaten out of him by some local thugs. I genuinely felt bad for guy and felt responsible for his condition. But that aside, the women characters (though quite a bit on the fantastic and improbable side of reality) grow on you, too. You understand their motivations (mostly) and want to help them. A couple of them... well, you wanna smash them over the head with a shovel at first. But eventually, you come to care about those inanimate (mostly) 2D sprites on your screen, despite their stinted dialogue and over-the-top dramatics. Yeah, the game plays like a victim simulator for long, unpleasant sections. There are times where you feel like a passenger in a Torture Train. For a game that asks you what you would do differently, it does lock you into some annoying story arcs with no ability to break free. But, I can forgive that, ALL of it, if the games lives up to its promise.
Is this helpful to you?