What jumps out is the sheer amount of effort the writer-artist-musician has put into the project, but The Red Ballet is the kind of captivating, idiosyncratic artistic whole that it takes more than just hard work to pull off. 

Crucially, the steady directorial paw ensures every piece fits together and makes even some debatable weaknesses feel purposeful. For example, while the writing is somewhat prone to emotional extremes and yelling-in-all-caps-type melodrama, the presentation – between the exaggerated expressions of the sprites and a multitude of tasteful visual effects – supports the transitions in tone incredibly well. The CC assets are thoughtfully curated, too: I knew I was reading something assembled by a pro when an unedited low-res photo of a bus came off as pointedly janky, mundane, and boring in contrast to the drawn and heavily edited backgrounds.

Among the VN's most interesting aspects is its use of nonlinear storytelling. The maze-like structure packed with many meaningful choices and the mysterious framing device add a strong, distinct sense of unease, making it feel like the game is toying with both the reader and the characters. While not every horror scene lands in terms of scares alone, I think this is an area where the VN is engaging productively with its genre and providing an experience that wouldn't work in any other medium.

Similarly, the two routes play off each other in an incredibly smart way. Sid, the protagonist, is suddenly given the chance of his dreams to join a ballet theatre he's obsessed with; in return, though, he would have to enter a sexual relationship with its abusive owner. While that character's route delivers what as of now feels like a familiar tale of "was it worth it?", I think it's strengthened enormously by the inclusion of the sobering other choice where Sid declines the offer and life simply goes on. Being a meditation on (among other things) pipe dreams and what one would give to achieve them, I find it touching that the game is this willing to contemplate the alternative where Sid remains stuck at his shitty store job. We love unglamorous anti-wish fulfillment that nevertheless insists on its working-class characters finding whatever dignity and meaning they can.

I will also say that the story represents one of the more successful attempts I've seen to use furries to explore real-world social issues with its species-as-class allegory. The execution only really falters in the places where the game veers too far into how animal biology affects the state of affairs and comes close to shifting the central metaphor to race; I suppose enough has been said on the internet about why this works less well.

On another slightly critical note, though it arguably serves to distinguish Sid's peers from Misha and his circle, many characters have voices and especially senses of humor with a lot of overlap. Let me just say, the VN doesn't suffer from a shortage of characters who enjoy sex and suicide jokes, and it all gets a little overwhelming when many of them share a scene. This is maybe an authorial tendency worth thinking about, at least with future projects in mind. There was a lot of Emilio hate at the FVN server's bookclub, and I think it comes partially down to his banter being similar enough to what Sid and Awa already do that the game doesn't get to explore a lot of interesting new character dynamics through him. (In contrast, the more reserved and restrained Thanin is a welcome addition to the group!)

Anyway, I don't think I should go deeper into the plot at this point, given the game we're talking about is both unfinished and criminally underread. To put it simply, The Red Ballet is backed by a compelling vision, and the multitalented creator grows more confident in their prose, art, and sound design every update. Go check it out.