Quickly jotting this all down on my note app after starting this game at 1pm earlier & it's now currently 10pm with me just finishing it up (took a few long breaks inbetween!). Ignore the tenses used here as I'm maxxbraindumping:
Now thats what i call a PROPER romcom. Holy shit this is such a gem im so freaking glad i browsed through the VNs section yesterday and decided to download this.
First of all PHEW, when i tell you this was a rollercoaster of emotions. When it first started i honestly didnt have much expectation with only the goal to pass time (off topic but i got so confused when the first choice i made immediately resulted in the game ending lmao) but quickly it proved me wrong. Like utterly wrong. First of all, the designs and the UI, the soundtrack etc. Love em. Absolutely love em. Chef kisses. Secondly, the characters. Man it's so refreshing to have an actual grown ass MC for a romcom instead of teenagers or young adults. Egen definitely grew rapidly on me (the part where people edited him with rain effects & sad song and him getting babygirlfied by netizens was where i was like yep. Yep this game absolutely Gets It) As a person whos love language is words of affirmation, i feel like hes tailored just for me. Endearing. Wholesome. Fine. This man is down bad and hes not afraid to express it any capacity or ways. The first date was cute absolutely (i may need to rethink some things while imagining his tongue), but the second date was my favorite. Side note i havent explored the other options yet for second date except the game and the bath BUT THE GAME. SEASONAL GROVE WHEN I GET U.
("Can we combine our farms?""But then I couldn't come home to you after a long day of exploration.")
("He walks me home, then waves goodbye. My heart sinks for the first time as I watch his little character trek back home")
("I forget my cattle outside during a nasty thunderstorm at the end of the fall, but Egen's long herded them inside the barn by the time I arrive back at the farmstead") this was such a fluff packed segment that I was convinced my heart grew atleast ten times bigger reading it. Like what if i cry. Actually scratch that i did not need to seeing as to how immediately after this scene we hopped into a much more emotionally charged segment where i wasnt at all mentally prepared for But nonetheless welcomed all the same. The transition from a fluffy and detailed one complete year playthrough of a starde- i mean seasonal grove and then u broke my heart with that angsty filled segment. ("I'll wonder about you if I don't at least try.") LIKE HOW DID WE GET HERE AND WHY AM I CRYING. I fully was immersed and i get both of em like and marvel at how it's not offputting at all at the way theyre already starting to get attached to each other. I find that some other comedy VNs arent very good at building up tensions or actually establishing connections but this is a solidly written one where we explore the characters' vulnerabilities that actually connect them. ("You're neat, Egen. But I have a life here. Lynne's here, and I need her as much as she needs me.") Talking abt connections, i especially love how Lynne's relationship with the MC is integral to her character rather than just an afterthought. I find that platonic relationships are just as important as romantic ones and im glad this game is putting emphasis on it. Lynne may act she way she does but she does deeply care about her sister (i appreciate the lil details on their interactions) & their backstory awww :( (sidenote i absolutely died at the unleashing the older sister power part. Im willing to bet they come from an asian family).
Oh gosh im just realizing how long this is but god I absolutely love the writing! I keep on hitting the log button at least every 10 minutes to reread some lines, the dialogues are gold & the humor is definitely humoring. Some scenes even tore a full bellied laugh from me, which was so cool! I rotated between smiling, chuckling and snorting the entire time - definitely thoroughly enjoyed myself and have nothing but good feelings about this game. So for that, thank you to the team for bringing this masterpiece to life.
Some misc that still lingers that Idk where to place:
- Lynne & Andelle??? I really wasnt expecting this one but when I saw the blushing sprite I was like what. Since when hes capable of that. But regardless THATS INTERESTING
- My favorite way to die was definitely by pressing the red buttons way too many times
- Egen's backstory & how it shaped him…………
- The ending.
- Loren Ipsum company
- Lynne being a woman in STEM
- Smiling Nabo sprite.
- How MC is technically overpowered
- The memes & references made in this game
I'm still gonna go have to go back and explore other choices I haven't tried but just know I'm gonna be rotating this game in my brain for the next couple of weeks if you don't mind. You guys made me happy and I hope this terribly long & messy review will atleast give back a quarter of what I was feeling! Keep up the good work!! <333