I really would be here all day if I talked about everything I loved about this game... I could talk about how amazing this game was for really days on end! This one will definitely stick with me for a long time!
First off - phew! Storytelling! I have read hundreds of visual novels for over a decade now, read so many books and stories and watched so many films, and in my experience, it has been extremely rare to find a game (or film plot) that not only tells an interesting story that keeps you gripped the entireeee time, but also paces that story so, so well. There wasn't a single moment I didn't feel invested in this story; I spent an entire weekend playing because I simply could not stop.
As much as I like to have all the answers, I love the way that the routes ended. I love how unique they were to each character, how much thought your team put into each route and ending and how perfect they were to suit the character and theme of each route. I'm not sure if the quote was on the start of August's route or the start of the game since I played his route first, but I remember it said something about life being an enigma and something about it being worse when we try to assign meaning to it or puzzle it out? I couldn't find it again but that just really stuck with me as I played and finished this game; I definitely took this approach to it. I didn't have all the answers and to me, that was one of the whole points of the game. I feel that not having all the answers, and how we deal with lack of knowledge, how our beliefs change, how we treat each other, etc, is what this game was all about. I really appreciated how true and consistent you guys stayed to the themes you wanted to convey. Your storytelling went beyond the words but in how you ended the routes, how you paced and plotted them, how you hinted at certain things, the small details of the game that readers unconsciously pick up on...Really you invested so much thought into every single element and each one felt like it really supported the message you were sending. Again just a huge huge nod to a gripping story and pacing, I honestly cannot remember any game I've played in years that paced as well.
Characters - Oh lord, I'm someone obsessed on the topic of characters so I just have to keep this as broad as possible or I'll make this review way longer than it already is. Basically I LOVED them all, even the ones I hated haha. By that I mean that they all had such depth that even though I disliked the close-minded personalities of some, I can appreciate their place in the story. Amazing character development and dimension. None of them seemed to do anything just for the sake of doing it or just to move the plot along. They had really believable motivations and stayed true to that on each route. I've recently discovered that I find myself drawn to reading fictions about mentally disturbed / 'dark' characters, especially in romances (Why am I like this?!). I find these characters interesting -- so without a doubt I really loved Augusts's character a lot. I loved how dimensional Erika was as well. She is far from some insert protagonist -- I found myself getting so frustrated with her sometimes and I really loved that because she was her own person. Honestly, I learned a lot from her point of view. I would disagree with her way of acting and then realized that she was right to act the way she did and so it balanced my own personality out. I won't ramble on any more about the others, but I really enjoyed them all and only wish that there was more information revealed about them all!
Art - AHH!!!! I have played you guy's games since I have been a teen and gotta say, whoever is in charge of the art has grown so much! Anytime I see your characters, I know when I'm playing a Woodsy Studio game because I have always loved the style a lot. The style seems to have changed between now and the last game I've played of yours and I absolutely love it (Quantum Conscience - holy hell that game released in 2014?! No wonder!) I love the comic edge it takes in this game, and appreciate the talent you've invested so much into. Really love how you put so much detail in what these characters look like (for example, August's shirt being half tucked, half out?! Little details like that are so damn genius to me!) The style of art and character detail tells you so much about these characters even without the help of the dialogue and other elements of the game. If a character can speak in appearance alone without actually having to speak , you're doing something amazing as an artist. Simply love your work!
I speak for the 3D art too, really love how the world was designed and how the 3D art tied in so well for this game!
Music - So perfect! I'm hardly adept enough at music to analyze or praise it as much as I'd like to, but just WOW. The music and ambiance in this game were AMAZING! Even finishing the entire game, the music left me feeling unsettled and tense and entire time. It really helped keep me on edge and never got annoying. In fact, I had to do some chores and house errands and the music accidentally was left to still play. I was too busy to turn it off but I didn't even care to. It's so mood-setting and atmospheric; let's just say washing my dishes has never been so creepy lmao! It really gets to you emotionally and fits the theme of the game perfectly. It reminded me a lot of Quantum's music.
Voice actors - Gonna be blunt here, most English voice acting I've heard in VNs is pretty bad IMO lol. I have cringed and been embarrassed a lot. Not this game!!! It's a job well done on casting for these characters. The voice actors are top notch and fit the characters perfectly. I think I've heard August's voice actor as of late in VNs and oh lawddd I don't understand why I'm attracted to sound waves but that man's voice is pure seduction. So fitting for a manipulative character like August. I really loved Julian's and Liam's too, I'm attracted to all the sound waves that their actors produce LOL.
I don't want to ramble any more! I feel bad having typed all this in this hour long review, but I just wanted to give credit where credit is due because I have been playing you guy's games since I was a kid and have always loved them! You guys have grown so much and I'm so blessed that I get to experience the great stories and hard work you all put in. You guys definitely break the limits of typical English visual novels and make top notch work that goes beyond the standards and is incredibly unique. Love the synthesis of 2D and 3D art in this engine for this game, I didn't expect the 3D gameplay and enjoyed it a lot. I am so excited to see what you guys make in the future! Thank you for yet another beautiful and provoking story.