What a ride! Like, oh my freaking god. This went wackier and deeper than I expected. Whenever I'd think I'm having a firmer grasp of the story line, it'd go in a direction I couldn't have foreseen and surprise me with a twist! It was like one long Monty Python sketch. I loved the absurdity and goofiness of it all. The self-awareness, the puns, the references, the light-hearted banter - it was all simply great and fun.
I honestly did not jump into this expecting much. I thought this was going to be some silly, memey, short game - and I mean, it was. But - it was so much more than that. It had a comprehensive plot, a colorful and funny cast, and a complete story. By the end of it, I actually felt like I went on a genuine journey with Anne, Cilantro, Pizzaro and the others. I felt like I really got to know each and every character (this was all in the span of 3 and a half hours.)
I really appreciated the heroine. I liked her usual stoic, yet honest and sometimes snarky demeanor. Her common-sense, though sometimes disbelief at at all these new things happening to her. I thought it was rather relatable and most of her responses mirrored how I'd likely would respond given her situation. And Pizzaro... my adorably pitiful, poor, naive, pure-hearted baby. It was amusing, though also sad seeing the way he would mercilessly get bullied at times. He really deserves happiness. I felt guilty pairing the heroine with anybody else. I enjoyed their interactions and seeing Anne & Pizzaro together. I truly wished them the best and would have desired to see more quality time spent between them. Same with Cilantro on his route. It was so short!
Nevertheless, the art is superb and the soundtrack was fitting. Writing was well-done as many have already commented. Really helped immersed me more into the game. Liked the crossover with the Ozmafia-esque art style and how it was used to set the contrast between the "normal" and Cal Zone people.
Those break-from-character moments with Anne - where she'd go full on simping/fangirling mode whenever seeing a hot guy was funny and low-key relatable, at least in the context of fiction, haha. I completely felt that when seeing Cilantro for the first time and when Pizzaro removed his makeup. I was like, "damn. I definitely made the right choice in playing this game and subjecting myself to seeing these eye-candy fictional men."
Anyway, absolutely adored this cute, unique, weird game. Totally one of the best otome I've played on itch.io. Thanks for supporting Linux as a platform!