[u] TL:DR: This game has an amazing grasp and certainty on its story, characters and artstyle, combining all of those into an experience that will be very memorable to some, and might resonate to those that could currently be in the situation of the protagonist, as well as making great use of its Time Loop aspect, something that is quite difficult to do, with the only real downsides being the subpar combat mechanics and the soundtrack serving its purpose well but not being as marking as the rest of the game. [/u]
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As a fan of certain games like Outer Wilds and Deltarune, I was already wondering if this game would manage to stand out in its mechanics and narrative from other similar titles that try to handle Time Loops or even a meta narrative, but I don't intend to compare this to the other two titles, as it certainly can stand on its own with flying colours (pun intended).
The protagonist is quite the unique type of character that I never seen most media do properly (and sadly can relate with deeply): Siffrin is already established early as an essential member of the group, being recognized by all as having quite the light mood, being relaxed and someone you can trust on, as they all do, with the caveat that becomes a trigger that keeps the main conflict of the story going behind the scenes, that being that [b] Siffrin doesn't know that [/b] - as you go through the loops, you understand the fact that behind his puns, he is a deeply insecure man, always taking any mistakes and troubles they come across to heart, being his worst critic.
Because of those insecurities, and they extend to how he thinks the group views him, to the point that he believes no one there sees him as more than an ally, as we get put in his headspace and stress in quite the realistic and disturbingly accurate way. And later down the line, those get even more intense as he begins to lash out more and more, and question his origins - with what happens to be one of the best representations of a narrative haunting I've seen from a game so far.
Despite the whole aspect of the game revolving around repetition - and due to such, the basic and simple combat becoming quite easy to win and walk over - the King somehow still manages to stay and represent a very intense threat to the story. Not only is his battle impactful, but somehow still manages to bring in new experiences to the user to go through every once in awhile, despite the loop, and thanks to those, you never stop seeing the King as a true threat for the narrative - no plot twist villain or surprise power up from him to push that either.
The soundtrack itself is very charming as well, something worth listening by itself. While it doesn't have anything that stands out compared to other indie soundtracks, there is no ill-fitting track, as they all do great at fulfilling the narrative role they are there to do at each moment, at worse being bland but fitting, while at best being all you need to relive a moment of the game in your head.
Overall, I believe that this game is an amazing experience for those that have an interest into rpgmaker-like games, or those that are in a similar place as Siffrin - I say that last part from experience, and can confirm that this game is great help at processing it.
