Let's be honest, I was not expecting much. Looking at the renders sample before downloading, I thought that the cartoon-ish/anime-ish style would bother me and that the FX were too much..
I was wrong, oh so wrong! I got used to the style very quickly and now understand that the effects are not only for sparkles, but actually serve a purpose. A rather interesting purpose at that! What a turn of event right at the beginning. Also, my cat is looking at me weird, had to bring it out of the room when Cadence was introduced...
I don't think I dislike any one of the characters, they all feel part of the story for the moment, they feel dynamic in their personalities, interact with MC in different fashion, and are, in fact, very well designed and rendered! May I say hot as f. Also, finally an MC with a face.. That non-descript MC rant from Chloe was a highlight for me, and the running gag about MC's attire gets me every time. I think I own this outfit btw...
The animation is amazing, the rendering is gorgeous, the music suits the atmosphere, and the dialogues are hilarious and emotional.. I mean why am I hysterically laughing with a boner 95% of the time? This is both outrageous and very welcomed!
I feel like my choices do really matter and that the story is interesting and the overall intrigue is engaging, although I do feel like there are some (not much) small gaps to explain where/when we are and some odd MC's personality shift. All in all, still one of the best crafted story I've seen in AVNs as of lately.
The "free time" and Lore mechanics are a great way to break the otherwise linear feel of a usual AVN.
I will go eat ice-cream and generate some Embers while I wait for more episodes!