I should mention I didn't play this game with high expectations. I was afraid of it being another DDLC experience, as many tend to. While the meta horror exists, it doesn't feel so cheap and it makes sense when you finish reading it.

I have barely anything negative to say; in fact, I think other reviews should do a better job on that aspect. I, for one, am happy to state the many things this game excelled at. For starters, the artstyle is genuinely lovely and is what convinced me to give this a chance (that, and the horror tag.)

The composition for the game is another amazing feat. I never get tired of listening to the soundtrack, and I especially love the calmer, slice-of-life tracks with the guitar. When things turn dark, the somber tracks do their job perfectly and leave me on my toes the whole time! Even the little things like sudden transitions between scenes can make an impact when the goal is making you tense up.

The plot itself is an amazingly relatable adventure, one that only makes sense when you finish it—so I am not saying too much here. It is nonsensical in the best, bizarre way; in a way, it feels like you're having a "bad trip", one from which you never seem to awake from. While the characters can feel a bit one-dimensional at first (we've got the Dumb Duo, the Brain, the Mom, and... well, your girlfriend), you quickly realize all of them have their own struggles and sides they would rather not show to their friends. Thanks to that, what begins as merely a chaotic turned-upside-down "adventure" turns into a 15h character study—one that touched on the very core of my soul. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say this game made me a better person.

Because this is (technically) a game, the gameplay aspect shouldn't be ignored. While there are no traditional minigames or heavy-gameplay scenes, this VN uses everything it can think of to give you that bit of interactivity. From meta choices to minigames that require you to think outside the box, you have everything! Hell, even choosing where to go in the map can grant you exclusive scenes to add madness to the ride.

I said I didn't have anything negative to say about this game but that was a lie. While it didn't bother me much, the absence of voice acting can be a deal-breaker to many readers. Many scenes were so intense that I can only imagine how much stronger they could be with voices. The other con is more of a nitpick of mine, but it annoys me how some images from the gallery are so hard to unlock (especially the After Story ones), to the point that I just gave up at 97% completion.

Finally, I just want to thank everyone involved in bringing this game to life. It's not perfect, but that's just what makes it special to me: a flawed masterpiece with visible love and dedication behind it.