I have played so many AVNs that at this point, you would think that I’d stop being surprised at the sight of good writing. Yet after playing EOFA, the demonic urge to write a review possessed my hands and levitated me over to my keyboard. The writing here is utterly genius. It may simply be because of the lack of good writing I’ve seen recently, but I genuinely think that this is one of the best written AVNs out there, especially out of those from the modern era.
In a world where AVNs with pretty renders and writing that reads like ChatGPT on xanax vie to become the next Eternum, this game says something. Still, that description feels off. It is rather not that EOFA says something but that it has something to say.
Sure the visuals… Leave room for improvement, and are frankly, dogshit. That doesn’t matter to me. Great writing is great writing no matter what medium it takes. One could even argue that great writing thrives precisely in the presence of Augean visuals, for authentic expression requires no packaging. You can not imagine the elation I felt when I jumped up from my seat and screamed “Finally, a game written by a human!”
With just the introduction, the absolute ART that is the writing in EOFA is nakedly apparent. The tone of the story is immediately apparent by the first black screen. With the almost poetic opening lines juxtaposed against the silly, comedic line before the flashback. The flashback is punchy, effective and gets to the point. I roast other AVNs for blathering incessantly in dialogue, especially the intro (AHEM MayFly, pretty good game in other aspects, but the damn intro, man).
D-San shows us how it’s done properly. The number of lines in the introduction are much much less compared to most other AVNs, where the intro is this huge, boring monologue delivered by the MC. Here, it’s a realistic internal dialogue which--also realistically to the character--gets interrupted upon the sight of Dora. But wait, there’s more! It is not only the reduction in the yapping that makes the intro stand out from the purgatory of mediocrity, but the lines themselves. Every single line, every single dialogue DRIPS with craft. A intimacy with the personality of the characters and the art of dialogue unparalleled in the AVN genre. The characters are HUMAN, and I, as the player, can empathise with them.
Even when Sam is just sitting inside of a car with Vic, getting the inner workings of a manual transmission car explained to him, the dialogue is never boring. Then again, it might just be my autistic obsession with the most random of things, but the tone in which it is set, the comedic internal thoughts of Sam, and the questions he asks somehow made me genuinely engaged in the story at that moment.
Now the plot. So far, we only have a little part of the plot given to us. Not enough to pass judgement on the wider structure, but even so, I love the postmodern narrative structure. No end goal, no real “tension” in the narrative sense. Instead it’s just chill, following the life of Sam, kind of game. And that is something that I don’t even think the classic legends of AVN writing could (or did) do well, or to this level.
Now, finally, the choices… Ohhh the choices. EOFA doesn’t hold your hand through choices, no. It EXPECTS you to make the right ones. To be emotionally mature, and be a good person. It is SOOOOOO rare to find an AVN game that does this, not only giving you choices that matter, but letting the story TELL you that it matters. The micro-inflections of Dora that change depending on your actions, the realistic portrayal of trust, and the lack of fear to humanise Sam or Dora (One could even say that perhaps, the game is even feminist in that sense). Your actions are not really punished in a narrative sense, for there is no plot here. Instead, you are punished for your crimes on an emotional level. EOFA doesn’t tell you that you are being a dick. No, it SHOWS you, and honestly, that is something more AVNs need to do.
Honestly, from the writing of choices alone, if some aliens came down from the stars and asked me to volunteer one person to become the omnipotent, omnipresent God of everything. I would nominate D-San. Somehow, they can give you free will, and still have that fit nicely into a fixed plot.
I could go on and on about sooo much more of what the game does right. How it actually gives the main character personality, the social commentary, the meta-awareness of character writing, etc. But honestly, I couldn’t say more, because I wouldn’t have anything to say. How does one go to critique writing that is THIS perfect?
I eagerly await future releases of EOFA, trusting that, as long as it is in the hands of someone with as competent of a writing ability as D-San, it will not disappoint.
Thank you D-San, for making something so authentic and expressive. The writing comes from somewhere real, and it shows. Thank you very much for what you’ve done so far, as well as all the great writing you will do in the future.
Also, comedy is PEAK. “Feed my hungry kitty~💘” Had me laughing so violently I almost died from choking on my own saliva. 10/10 would almost die again.
