First impressions are important and I realize this project is a wip right now so I will keep this brief until the time comes when I can talk about this work in greater length.
As of now the build is 21, July 14 2021 at 6:50am (for personal records haha) No spoilers ahead.
Visual novels aren't something I obsess over - im choosy and I am likely to enjoy a fine dinner or eat fast food without complaint but if given the choice it all comes down to how good it's cooked. Santa Lucia feels like both. The characters are satisfying enough to make me care for each of them and have something to both love and dislike about them. Sometimes more than the other. Bryan for example, rubs on me like a cheese grater on my nuts but despite his bad humor and pathetic attempts to get into my pants something about that panda and the sincerity behind his finest and more sincere qualities make me laugh him off more than dislike him. He has grown on me and I am loving it. It takes some real careful skill and carefully orchestrated charm to make a character who can have this effect on someone and this is just touching a most basic example for how complex some of this story is and how the characters affect the reader in an immersive way. For this to be a first and true original works done by a team who has had ambitions to make a visual novel this has been quite impressive. It is clear from the writing that real discussion and care has gone into crafting what has been done so far. It is absolutely not without blemishes but then again neither are wrinkles on a shirt. Just takes a little ironing out and it will be so much better and I do truly believe the team can achieve this, continue it, and make this project work magic.
Visually this visual novel has taken me to nostalgic places because I am constantly reminded through the setting and images used within of my own time in college. It scores high here for me because I am the biggest sucker for nostalgia. The character designs are memorable, the painted projectile pants-shitting jumpscares during some nightmares make me feel like my computer is trying to kill me, and the mystery surrounding the events almost has me tempted to do a crazy wall of my own trying to figure out what could be happening in the near future or the inevitable end.
No bugs, a couple typos tho. Never crashed a single time.
Some moments I wish were longer or happened at all like the bonfire. Yes the story has a bonfire-its not a spoiler-deal with it XP.
Read it, support it, and dig in. I cannot describe in a single post why I feel this project needs spread and should be read by anybody who can prize themselves from video games, work, maybe even sex if you are particularly bad at it. It has so far been well worth my time and worth several more reads.
My verdict is simple, its unfinished much like the story so I wonder how this will change later on when it grows. Unfinished but confident I am going to read this again and spread it around.