Aloners, To the Edge of the Sky, The Blind Griffin, Asagao Academy, The Crossroads, and more!
Well-written. Great inclusion of POC and a transgender matriarch. A lovable, diverse cast of characters. Authenticity to the racial tensions and culture of 1920s. Wonderful mechanics, with the exception of the lag in the skip option. The MC is Chinese American and kickass.
Two issues:
1) Pacing takes a turn for the worse after the confrontation with the LI. Endings feel rushed and underdeveloped, and the climax of the story, which is MC's test, is barely touched on. Romance feels a bit awkward and out of place, which is disappointing, because of all the great build up in the first half.
2) Lack of choice. We only get 3-4 choices per LI, that I didn't feel held enough weight to have so many influence on the ending. I liked the MC's personality and responses, but I wished we had more control over that.
Asagao Academy and Aloners are my favorite otome/visual novel romances of all time. Well-paced relationship development, engaging, diverse characters, discussion of realistic issues, and the inclusion of important PLAYER CHOICES that affect the storyline--something that so many visual novels lack.
Short but sweet, and very well-executed. The character art and romance is enthralling. The game was created within a short time span, but the pacing of relationship development is nice, and you get to make many substantial decisions as the player. Both boys are so hot well-written and lovable. The ending is achingly good.
