Ahh I just finished the demo and I'm super excited to see where this game will go! I love the visual animations and I don't think I've ever played an otome game in this format before. I will definitely be following along with its updates and buying Liam's route the moment it comes out!!
I think it's interesting how the heroine is a "side character" of what is typically a story about a hero and his quest to defeat the big evil that's wrecking havoc on the world. The set up reminds me a bit of April was Fool where an innocent bartender gets swept up in the aftermath of a group's quest to defeat a villain, as well as a Heart of Tales which picks up after the heroine, the "hero" has finished her quest and decides to settle down. Both games were some of my favorites because of the premise and I think this one is sure to be as wonderful and as exciting! *w* Thank you very much for creating and sharing this wonderful game!
I put some of my thoughts to critique the plot and the characters below, and I hope my words aren't too harsh as I don't mean them to be discouraging and it was just how I felt about the story.
____ spoilers underneath ___
I really enjoyed playing through the game but I felt there were times the plot was a bit cliche. There could be a chance I am misunderstanding but I felt from the first few scenes of the game, Sei was more or less in love with the Shizu, who was completely oblivious to his feelings and every time he tried to express them the timing was awful. I felt that was a little bit obvious - but I can't seem to decide if Shizu is also in love with him back (because she mentions feeling sad on multiple occasions when he's cold to her) or whether she sees him as family and fears the day he realizes how "different" their standings are and no longer wants her there? I'm a big fan of angst so honestly that *would* be a very interesting dynamic, however I feel as if Sei is too pure to do that to her and I wish Shizu would realize how much he cares about her. So I suppose I'm not a big fan of the miscommunication between the two and I think it's a bit cliche but that's just my personal view on it!
Moving on to Liam, I think he's my favorite character thus far! When showed up in the first scene where they defeat the King Nightmare the smile he gave Shizu won my heart :') and I'm definitely really excited for his route! I really like the fact that Shizu can basically flirt with him back and make him flustered instead. Their interactions feel extremely natural and I loved seeing them bond. I think there's also lots of potential for drama considering the fact that Shizu and him are from different "classes". How will they reconcile their relationship with both nobility (Liam's father for example), especially when Shizu seems to look down on herself thinking that she's only a "common girl" with "no title" that no one would want? I like how Liam refutes Shizu when she puts down herself and I find it really sweet - and I find it interesting that even though he seems to like her as a person he (realistically) is also torn between his duties and his family. He knows what's proper and what's not (considering the double bed scene) and even though he seems rebellious and nonchalant, I think there's definitely a part of him that still cares about social decorum and perhaps pleasing his father (but uh like all things I could be wrong about that too!)
For my closing thoughts, I originally thought the story would be easily predictable, one where Shizu distances away from Sei (who might or might not love her) due to miscommunication, and then Sei, who thinks Shizu doesn't feel the same, gets swept away by a manipulative rival female lead who acts to drive a wedge between the characters. For example, when Shizu points out the poison and how the princess healed Sei immediately, I thought her wickedness/manipulativeness and her role as a villain was extremely obvious.
*However* I was very excited about the plot twist that ended the demo! Seeing that made me so surprised and makes me wonder if I mistook the story for what it would be completely??? I can't wait to see where the story goes and how "the hero" might not be a hero! c: