我非圣贤 / 我非聖賢

我非圣贤 / 我非聖賢 is a story focused visual novel that I found more interesting once the political side of the story started becoming important. The game is set in an alternate ancient world, following a man who begins as the son of a private school teacher before being pulled into a much larger struggle involving kingdoms, power and survival. What starts as a fairly personal story gradually becomes a tale about restoring a fallen kingdom and trying to change the fate of an entire world. I liked that change in scale because it gives the story more weight as it progresses. The protagonist is at the centre of almost everything, but the three main female characters are also a major part of the story. Each relationship develops differently, and my choices can affect how the protagonist feels towards them. I enjoyed this part because the romance does not exist completely separately from the main plot. The characters are dealing with political pressure, danger and personal problems at the same time, so the relationships can become complicated instead of feeling like simple romance routes. The political and human side of the story is probably what kept me reading. The protagonist is not simply trying to become powerful for its own sake. He is someone who originally wants to help others, but circumstances gradually force him into making much larger decisions. I liked the idea of a scholar being pushed into becoming someone who has to treat the entire world like a chessboard. There are plenty of situations where emotions and practical decisions do not necessarily point in the same direction. I also liked the way the game mixes its serious drama with moments of lighter character interaction. The three female leads each have their own personalities, so the conversations do not all feel exactly the same. The story can move from personal conversations into much more serious situations fairly quickly, which gives it a somewhat dramatic rhythm. There are also different choices throughout the story, giving me some control over the protagonist's relationships and the direction of certain scenes. The biggest problem for me is that the writing and presentation can feel uneven. There are moments where I was genuinely interested in what was happening, but other scenes move too quickly or do not give the characters enough time to properly react to what has just happened. Some transitions also feel abrupt, which can make the story harder to follow than it needs to be. The AI assisted artwork and voice work are another noticeable part of the presentation. They are not necessarily terrible, but they do give the game a less consistent feeling than a traditionally produced visual novel. The game is also quite focused on text and dialogue, so there is not much traditional gameplay outside of reading and making choices. That is fine for me because I went into it expecting a visual novel, but anyone looking for lots of interactive systems will probably find it very straightforward. I also appreciate that it supports both Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese, although there is no English support, which obviously limits who can properly experience the story. Overall, 我非圣贤 / 我非聖賢 has a surprisingly ambitious story for a free visual novel. I liked the combination of political drama, romance, personal choices and the protagonist's transformation from an ordinary teacher's son into someone capable of influencing the fate of nations. The writing can be rough in places and the pacing is not always smooth, but there are enough interesting characters and story ideas here to keep me invested. I think it is worth checking out if I want a free Chinese visual novel with a more dramatic story rather than something focused purely on romance. Rating: 6.8/10