So, I'm not a huge fan of visual novels, but after playing the first few minutes, I realized there was COMBAT, which really made me love this game. You don't throw too much story at the player right away, jump right into the adventure and combat... so that really grabbed my attention from the start.
THE GOOD:
1. Fantastic opening, effects, and visuals.
2. Artwork is great! Love the character busts and backdrops!
3. I Love the fact we have equipment and can shop in town. Plus, chatting with the shop owner.
4. The skills, animations, and camera zooms/pans are really well done!
SUGGESTIONS:
1. It would be nice if we could control the text during combat. I read pretty fast. Plus, anyone who reads slower might miss some dialogue.
2. Boss battles were pretty easy. I didn't even come close to death, and they didn't feel overwhelming at any point (which they should IMO). Personally, I think you could increase the difficulty a bit (more HP, stronger attacks, more monsters summoned, etc). Maybe I should try your game on something higher than normal. Could be my fault, too.
3. I'm sure she gets better once we level her up a bit, but Athena felt very weak when I first got her. Great healer, but her attack (and no offensive ability) made her feel useless when she didn't need to heal. Maybe even start her off with a debuff ability she can cast on an enemy (that does no damage), but I can then chain the knight or Rhea's attacks/abilities to do increased damage, etc.
OVERALL:
1. Overall Fun: A had a blast and really enjoyed the story and characters. I can tell you put a lot of work, effort and love into this game. Well done! BRAVO! 5 STARS!!
2. Art/Graphics: Fantastic. Love the different busts, the breathing effect when they talk, and the different facial expressions during cut scenes. All of the artwork was great!
3. Controls/UI: Easy to understand and great tutorials. You kept the UI very user-friendly, and I had no issues understanding what to do next. Very well done here.
4. Sound/Music: Great music, sound effects line up perfectly, good combat music. The sound design in this was also well done.
Honestly... this game was great, and I didn't think I'd like it. I saw the first few screenshots and was like... Uhg. A visual novel? I'll still try it, and I'm glad I did. Definitely giving this a follow and will keep my eye on this game! <3