When I saw the artstyle, very reminiscent of Glass no Kamen but mostly of The Rose of Versailles, in a theatre setting (just like Glass no Kamen) and saw Phantom in the title, linking this game to The Phantom of the Opera... I knew I was in for a treat!
I am very impressed with how well put-together the game was! The animations were simply out of this world, the artstyle is extremely faithful to Ikeda's (I just think you tweaked the way she draws profiles, and in my opinion, for the better, I think Igarashi does a more appealing job when it comes to side profiles!), but honestly, I REALLY dig this artstyle, and seeing it reproduced so perfectly is beyond what my brain can comprehend, I'm just in love!!! The artstyle was also particularly expressive, which I enjoyed a lot!!
The music was also rightfully retro, it felt both Phantom-like and yet 80s shojo-like (although I'm not sure it makes sense to talk about a book's music haha)? The sound design was also excellent!
I would like to underline the implementation: it is often a bit disregarded, but honestly, it was just grandiose, and that's an understatement. The coding was absolutely perfect, and really made the music and the art shine.
The story was very interesting! Of course, very reminiscent of the Phantom, but it felt like more than a copycat. Sure, we see the connections (Raika being Raoul, Chihiro being Christine, Madame Kaede being Madame Giry...) but these characters really feel like their own thing, rather than just remakes. The writers did an excellent job basing the characters on 80s tropes (Tomiko feels VERY classical shojo as a rival; maybe not as dignified as Ayumi in Glass no Kamen, but as refined, rather than goofy) , and to expand on them (the simple CG involving her after... what happens at the end of the act was enough to make her so much more than a Carlotta!).
So, the story really felt like the Phantom of the Opera but in a classical shojo fashion, and yet, you can tell it was made nowadays, as tropes and codes are really taken into consideration and used cleverly and, dare I say, more poetically. The writing style was also absolutely lovely.
I really fell in love with this first act, and I am looking forward to see the tragedy(?) unfold! Even as a theatre enjoyer, I was pleasantly satisfied with what you did! Congrats on the release, it was absolutely brilliant!!