I don't normally post long reviews or w/e but I really enjoy this game. It has great bones for an early access game, however it has some glaring issues that the devs need to look at. I'm primarily posting this as a negative review because one of them personally ruined the experience I've had quite a bit and so people who are looking to buy the game as it is get to know a bit more about the game and it's issues.
I was gonna' start off with the stuff I really like about this game but I actually hit the word limit...So....I'm just gonna talk about the issues I have with it. Obviously things can (and will) change since it's still in early access, and that's also exactly why I want to point them out already and I'll most likely come back to edit the review throughout it's development c:
1. The biggest issue this game has in my opinion is that the group chats literally do not matter. They're fun and entertaining, but what you say in them has literally no effect on your relationship with anyone in the game, nor does the script ever change. Obviously there are dialogue options in each conversation, but again, it doesn't matter. It changes a few lines throughout the conversation (or end it early in one case) but that's it?
There are literally no 'consequences; for anything you say which for a romance (chat) game is honestly unbelievable, especially when the game is inspired by Mystic Messenger where what you say and do has an actual impact on your relationship with those around you. I mean, you can literally lock yourself out of a route/romance there if you say the wrong thing in the group chat, but here the only way to ruin your chances or advance your relationship with a character is through DM's. You're guaranteed to get one DM from every character, and depending on what you say there you might get another one, or lock yourself out of that route. But that's it?
There's just no replay value to the group chats; once you've gone through the conversation once, you've pretty much seen it all and can just skip it entirely if you simply want to swap routes.
They also don't change at all once you're locked in a romance route. It's always the same thing, the same dialogue options - nothing changes, nothing matters.
I understand that branching off the common route can be a huge undertaking, especially for an indie company when there's so many love interests, and I'm not asking for everything to be different once you're going down a specific romance route, but please gives us at the very least unique dialogue options or small unique interactions within the group chats depending on who you're pursuing.
It doesn't have to be big, just....something.
2. The email minigame (and the search engine) has some issues too. To me personally I found them very intuitive as I already know what to look out for when it comes to such things, but I understand that not everyone is the same (through no fault of their own) and can find it very frustrating and confusing when they suddenly get told that they clicked wrong. It's a genuinely good and honestly educational feature, but that's exactly why there needs to be a sort of 'cheat' sheet that tells you what to look out for in such situations.
Okay so the remaining issues have spoilers in them so please don't read unless you're fine with that.
[spoiler] 3. What's up with that transition card telling you that the other members are starting to suspect there's a VTuber in the server??? Where and when did that happen??? They only mentioned that they once suspected that someone in the server was one, but that was never confirmed and happened way before MC joins the server, and that's it? It's never brought up again, aside from that transition card. Like??? Who is thinking that??? And why??? What makes them believe that someone is, and who are the suspects???
It genuinely threw me off guard when I read that the first time and I 100% thought I missed something, but upon replaying it a few times, I'm still so confused where that came from. To be fair, it could definitely just be a me issue, but I just genuinely don't get it.
4. In that same vein, what is up with MC being immediately suspicious of everyone in the DM's? Why are there so many options to assume that whoever you're talking to is Equinox??? Like obviously we, as players, know that he is in the server and one of the romance options, but why does MC think it? Like??? It's genuinely so weird. Who joins a server then immediately suspects that every single you're person talking to in DM's might be your favourite VTuber? Why can't you just have a normal conversation, with people sharing the same interests as you, and then over time you can be a bit more suspicious? Why is it from 1 to 100 immediately??? It just comes out of nowhere.
Again though, maybe it's a me issue. Maybe I missed something, or maybe it's a simple manner of personality clash. I just find it very confusing and in a way rather rushed? It would be really nice if a new group chat gets added where you talk about that with the others. Like a little conspiracy corner.
4. Wizardpit. Oh boy, this dude is something alright. If there ever was a character that's rushed, it's him. He's genuinely the worst written character in the game so far in my opinion, and honestly this isn't even a personality clash? At the start he obviously annoyed me, but I was interested in him. His hatred for Equinox intrigued me and I thought maybe when you romance him you get to find out more as to why he blames him so much for Momoka leaving, and I mean you sorta do? He mentions the nothing burger that sends him down the path and says he wants to send a clip that 'justifies' his conspiracy theory, but we don't get to see the clip which was...disappointing. Especially since it kinda seemed like there might be more to it than him just being bitter about her graduating primarily because of a comment he makes during a group chat that alludes to him knowing who Equinox is. Which made me think oh maybe he actually knows him personally, and knew Momoka personally too, but then he didn't.
That part is honestly fine. I love a conspiracy nut being a conspiracy nut (well...not when it concerns actual real life people, but this is in a game so-) but what personally isn't fine is that every single conversation with him was about Equinox in one way or another. Like, seriously. It was always 'Equinox this, Equinox that, wow you think I'm him I'm so sad, why do you keep comparing me to him'. Like PLEASE give me a break. Give me a normal conversation, just one!!! I understand he's very bitter about the whole thing, and again conspiracy nut, but where is the bonding? Where is the chemistry? Where is anything but Equinox??? Like Wizardpit's romance felt so...rushed and sudden and just...I don't even know man. It just needs more work, that's for sure.
Especially, awe man this part really annoyed me, what's up with the one day ban? I thought maybe we would get more information on that, but nope! Nothing! All we get from him that day is the nothingburger about Momoka... Like I genuinely want to know what happened? They said he got banned for hacking, but hacking who? To be fair with that, it could, again, just be a me issue. Maybe I missed something that explains it properly, or...something, but!!! What isn't a me issue, is that we can't we ask him about that in the DM's. He doesn't talk about it or complain that it happened, and we don't get the option to talk about it either. At all.
This is just another example of the group chats literally not mattering! It's so frustrating. [/spoiler]
Anyways, I think that's all I have to say? Again, I want to stress that I'm not saying these things to trash on the game or anything like that, I just personally think these are issues that need to be addressed/worked on in the future for the good of the game.
