Honestly?? This game was absolutely amazing and though the only problems I saw were ones in grammar, this has been one of the absolute best otome games I have ever played!!
From the encylopedia page to the amazing art and cg's, this game is absolutely of stellar quality! The tiny bits of humor are adorable and I'm just so amazed by how awesome you are as a person- you made this game entirely by yourself and even tackled such a serious issue such as Rama's! More on that later!!
Tip: recommended playing order is Reksa, Mitra, then Rama
*MAY INCLUDE SPOILERS*
1.) Rama. Rama's absolutely my favorite, but I have to say that ALL of the boys were absolutely fantastic. Reksa will always have a special and soft spot in my heart for being the first man I went after and for being absolutely adorable and caring in his route, and Mitra is honestly so good, though sadly he's a bit overlooked due to his clearly-best-option-boy-next-door personality rip hahaha. I love each and every one of these boys and the characters in the story because of how they really did feel like a family, especially after Rama finally told Tamara about his past. Mitra, Yuda and Rama's bantering is one of the best things ever.
MOVING ON TO ACTUALLY TALKING ABOUT RAMA, Rama absolutely stole my heart in his route. Not to say the other boy's routes aren't as valid, but there are usually 'true' routes in otome games and Rama's route is clearly it. I did Reksa, Mitra, and saved Rama for last and honestly, it was the best decision I've ever made. It built up the story just so nothing in any of the stories were spoiled for me other than the common automatic events and it set up Rama's story as a real treat.
Rama's a sweet guy and he's so cute and protective of Tamara. I also loved observing the parallels between Mitra's route and Rama's route. I'd say Rama wouldn't be very proud of his wings, so even if the festival for declaring one's intention was placed later into the story, I don't think he'd participate. That, and he was still sorting things out at the part of the story where it might've happened before the final decisive battle.
I saw him taking care of Tamara with food and protection (similar to an adorable wife, I love him so much) as his way of courting her. Not the village's tradition, but Rama's way. He's always been quirky and funny in that way and I'd say you truly did tackle the subject well. Rama's unpredictable, and though he'd started to get better, he still had major doubts about himself and insecurities on whether or not he really did deserve to be happy again. He thinks of himself like a bad charm.
I'd better wrap this section up since it's already five paragraphs long but long story short, Rama's my definite choice above all and I'm so glad he finally allowed himself to be happy in the end. and APPARENTLY he's the only gentleman out of the three since he left the room when Tamara went to sleep! Though I know that was (partly?) because he didn't trust himself and he still didn't sort out his feelings yet hahaha. He's also super cool, have I mentioned that? He's got a really huge heart, and it's fragile after everything he's been through... I know I can entrust him with Tamara.
Side note: Mitra is the broest of bros and the clear mvp of the game. Best wing (heh) man ever, 100/10, give him the wife he deserves. He and Tamara would make the best parents ever. I'm sad he wasn't really as emphasized as the others :'(
2.) I considered playing this game because poc characters?? Yes. ANTHROPOMORPHIC AWESOME BIRD PEOPLE WITH WINGS??? YES. MYTHOLOGY-ESQUE AND INTERESTING FOREIGN CULTURE???? HELL YES. I'm a sucker for these kinds of things and honestly that was the only reason I needed. The art is also super pretty and when I realized this was based in Indonesia while playing the game, it made me even happier. More representation for Asia ftw!
3.) Absolutely one of the best games I've ever played, period. Some people are grammar nazis and so might have trouble overseeing that, but if they do, I believe they'll find this game very enjoyable, though maybe not as much as I did hahaha. What stood out to me was how loyal the game was to elements of actual Indonesian tradition and that made me really really happy. It wasn't just 'oh it's based in Indonesia, anyway have this American stuff' no. It was loyal in its myths and portrayals and I found the way the traditions were woven into this ancient world very creative.
Also I just have to add that Rama's bird species was especially funny to me because my class held a book fair with an Indonesian theme for Filipino class and we had to translate stories and stuff and I just so happened to have to take charge of the big book we were reading. The folktale of Cendrawasih was one of the stories I read about and may I just say that it was a pretty disturbing and messy story. I mean a woman and her dog eating fruit because the woman wanted to get pregnant? Fun times. Not even scratching the surface. I mean no offense though, so I hope I didn't offend!
The elements that stood out the most was family and friendship. Finding the fault in our actions, revenge, acceptance and forgiveness as well. One of the scenes that really stand out to me is when Mitra and Yuda speak to the villagers, pinning all the blame on Purba, but Granny immediately put a stop to that and scolded the both of them. This game has a very well thought out story that touches on ideas I believe not a whole lot of people really grasp or understand until a certain moment. Thus, I'd say that this game has rather a lot to offer.
4.) What was the undecipherable look on Purba's face before he leaves in Mitra and Rama's route? Was it interest? Does it point towards what could have possible been if he wasn't a jerk? Ho ho, who knows? Reksa's route seems to point a bit towards that in his route though or maybe it's something completely different.
I also noticed that Mitra wears quite a lot of feathered accessories! In Rama's route, he said that wearing the feather of your beloved as an earring is their equivalent of a wedding ring. So what does Mitra's accessories signify? Do other feather accessories have particular meanings? Who was the pained person in Tamara's reoccuring dreams? Even after I've played all the routes and all the endings (Reksa should be drawn with his hair down more, btw) it never really becomes clear though I assume this person to be Rama. Another thing I noticed was that Mitra had less cg's than the two others, which is understandable, but I just wanted to ask about it? Is it because he only has one ending? (My poor homeboi :'( )
As for the game itself, the major problem I found were in the grammar as stated before. Other than that, it's been a fantastic game! Oh, and I found a bit of a glitch? After finishing Mitra's route, I went to look at the gallery and when I looked through Rama's, the cg for his good ending was there. Luckily I forgot it by the time I actually did do Rama's route, but it'd be a pretty sad experience to have such a gorgeous and lovely cg spoiled.
Another problem is how Rama's automatic events kind of mess with the stories of the other routes. It's still understandable in Mitra's route since their best friends, but it doesn't make as much sense in Reksa's route because you barely spend time at the village at all. It would be pretty normal if Tamara just came back after a while and found out Rama went missing without knowing why because she's spent all of her time with Reksa. It would also hint more towards Reksa's route being an opening route before doing the others. Hides a bit of the mystery.
5.) Absolutely. If any extra content was made for this game I'd probably buy it, tbh.
That's about it for my super long comment! Apologies for the long rambling, and I'd still like to talk more about the characters, so I'll put a small indication where you can skip right over it.
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The parts I loved the most in Rama's route were when he finally made himself face his problems and the ugly truth. The other was how he got a bit bad again towards the ending of the game. Some people might say 'hey, but he was getting better!' but I was actually looking for that part and I'm glad it wasn't overlooked. Issues as deep as Rama's don't go away as easily as that, and I'm glad it was clearly stated that Rama would need lots of time to sort himself and his thoughts and feelings out.
Mitra. Ya homeboi, the true mvp, the guy who would drop his coffee if you ran at him and jumped into his arms. I love him, I really do. I hope he gets the wife he deserves, and he's also absolutely adorable in his route?? I love how it goes into his personality showing he isn't actually perfect. and I get it. The Perfect Guy option in otomes usually have that arc in them. But while that was happening, Mitra's confrontation of this was also very.. down to earth and real.
He was ashamed that he'd shown that side of himself to Tamara especially after he'd declared his intention and of how this would change her opinion of him. Enough for him to want to leave, even for just a bit. It was honest in how Mitra said he wouldn't be opposed to trying to forgive the Komodos so everyone could live in peace but at the same time there was still the bitterness over what the Komodos had done. They'd taken his parents and countless brethren and Mitra loves his people.
He has the perfect image thing down but he's also so very human?? Like he isn't sure if sharing some kinds of personal information is okay because he really doesn't have a lot of people who he's close with and the first one after Asih is Tamara. He kind of views his sensitivity as a negative thing too and I just want to hug him sweetie, don't let toxic masculinity get to you,,,, He's so awkward around girls too, sometimes, and at first he isn't sure what to do with his feelings for Tamara which is adorable...... He isn't used to showing his more personal sides, his 'weaknesses'...... I've noticed that while perfection is the trope for his character, it actually tackles 'perfect images' as a whole and how, at the end, Mitra and Tamara see each other's flaws but still love each other for it... They are similar in how they are afraid the over will stop viewing them favorably after the ugly truths come out but even then they choose to help each other with their respective issues...
Mitra also doesn't like dishonest people, I noticed. Or being manipulated, but who does? I just felt that it was a very human moment in his route, one that was sorely needed. (Also why yall sittin on an absolute Meal like Mitra, it's his boy-next-door personality I know but cmon)
It was also interesting how he was the only love interest who opposed to Tamara going to destroy the blue crystal BUT THEN AGAIN he also wasn't the OTHER TWO LOVE INTERESTS WHO ALMOST GOT THEMSELVES KILLED IN THE ENDING (I'M LOOKING AT YOU, RAMA AND REKSA. YOU GOT LUCKY RAMA, REKSA ACTUALLY DIED FOR A WHILE-)
Moving on, I gotta confess. I thought the woman Rama was referring to as 'her' was Asih and that was why he and Yuda would always fight. Nope. Just a regular case of 'people who are very similar to each other tend to disagree with each other'.
I also found it super interesting how Sari and the other bird actually turned out to be Ayu and Teja! Perhaps they were actually different birds since Sari has a completely different personality than how Ayu was described, but I digress. I immediately realized that the two angels that came to Rama's aid was them. Mainly because of how much his brother actually did look like him rip. (To be expected since they were identical twins, but still)
y'know, for a person who absolutely loved Reksa after first finishing his route, I surprisingly don't have a lot to say about him. Huh. Reksa's a sweetheart, and I'm sure a lot of people could understand how he constantly looked for validation from his dad. Reksa's not built like the usual Komodo should be because of his mom (whom I assume to be of similar species to human for the time) but even so he pushes himself to be the best he possibly can be, for his village, and for his dad's approval. I'm just really happy that by the end of the story, he found that he was enough. He didn't need anyone else's validation (though he still enjoyed it) to know he was strong. I suppose out of all the characters, I relate to Reksa the most. I'm glad he found a person he could trust and depend on in Tamara. A person he can love and protect and who would do the same back...
Purba was also a very interesting character. I feel that he was misguided along the way, though perhaps not by another person, but by his own emotions. It's a shame that the things that happened occurred but no one can change back time. In the end, I suppose jealousy was his demise.
Asih's great, I love her. Especially how she rears Yuda in when needed and how much of a big sister figure she is to the girls she meets. She's got a huge heart! Though that's kinda needed if you ever have to love someone like Yuda, I suppose, rip.
Yuda.. What an ass lmao. I love this guy, he's a total big brother figure. Kinda reminds me of my own brother. He's got a lot of feelings about the stuff the Komodos have done which is understandable but I'm glad he has Asih. They deserve each other.
I just realized something. The spikier the hair outline of a character, the more jaded/edgy they are. Rama = ultimate jaded, Asih = an actual marshmallow.
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Thank you so much for creating this game! All of your time and effort haven't gone to waste and I surely hope you never feel this way about your games. It's amazing and beautiful and stellar, definitely one of the best otome games I've ever played. I really love how it tackles the personal issues the characters have, particularly Tamara and Rama's. They're both given time in Mitra and Rama's route respectively to decide what it is they really want in life. The trio (Tamara, Mitra, and Rama in both of the boy's routes) also trust each other enough to share deeply personal and scarring memories and thoughts and it's just so good and healthy I love it... They (depending on the route) were there for each other when one of them really needed it and it's so good how they let themselves feel and look their weakness in the eye...
I can' t say much other than THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS GAME!!! I'm excited about the new game you're working on, especially since it's in the same world as this one! And how Tamara's in the banner of that game hehehe
If Tamara and the boys gets even a little bit of a mention in the game I'd die of happiness, honestly. Keep up the super awesome work! And sorry for all my rambling, this is undoubtedly the longest comment there is, hahah.
Anyway, please accept my humble tributes...