I wish I could give this 3.5 stars. First of all I have an issue with GOG tagging this and similar VNs as Adventure games when there is no interactivity. No puzzles, no point-n-click, no dialogue choices and not even any costume choices one would expect in a dating sim. This is a paper doll show with a script that lasts well over a dozen hours but what surprised me was how entertaining it was! The ladies of your new home at an all-girls school have very distinct personalities that create interesting, if massively contrived, conflicts for you to passively navigate through until you reach the drawn-out hentai scenes. I love the voice cast but the art is really dull to sit through for so long. Environments are repetitive and character faces don't stand out from generic anime girls. I haven't "played" enough VNs to compare this to anything yet but about a third of it felt pretty decent and a lot of the rest felt like skippable filler especially considering the MC winning is a foregone conclusion. Also, you should be able to date the headmistress!
I've been lousy at rhythm games since the DDR craze from over a decade ago but this game has honed my skills up such a pleasant yet exacting difficulty slope that I'm not only hooked but continually feel like I'm improving. After 100 hours I still don't think I can survive as Aria any time soon, dying if I miss a beat, but it's still thrilling to get in the zone in normal mode and outsmart and out-step raves of monsters and some truly catchy boss fights. I had to spend a while in the practice rooms before I could beat the game, which you're allowed to do in chunks as well as upgrade your character for a run should you desire. I don't know of any rogue-likes with decent stories but the game does a fine job with the voiced cut scenes. There's also a slew of unlockable characters with different restrictions. There's an awful lot of game here that delivers its core premise with style and diversity. And of course, the killer soundtrack.
