No one in this ball is quite who they seem, and I love how the game perfectly captures that! Alright, my round of praises and appraises (in no particular order):
- THE UI IS STUNNING! Beautiful colors, striking silhouettes, and smooth animation! The font is also readable and pretty!
- THE ART IS GORGEOUS!!! The sprites are stunning, the CGs are chef's kiss! The outfits and the amount of detail!!! so good!!!! and the backgrounds are so beautiful and honestly, great for a wallpaper!!! Really enhances the immersion in the game.
- Soundwise, the music is catchy and gives a good feeling of the tone and individual characters! Voices are amazing and add to the whole experience of investigation and romance <3 (Noelle's voice is sooo dreamy <3)
- The writing is evocative and engaging!!!! The story's premise itself is so fun (catching down a phantom thief while being in disguise at a ball!! so exciting) with the MC having a strong, independent girlboss personality that never forgets her relatable flaws (that can logically lead to bad endings), adorable quirks, and admirable strengths (that, of course, reasonably lead to the good endings should the player choose them.)
- Each route has its charms as each gentleman has an intriguing perspective, allure, secret, and dynamic with Noelle! I loved her and Butler Everly's banter (I'm a sucker for friends to lovers) and his backstory made me gasp. (I accidentally got his bad ending on the first try asghfkl). Mystery Man Marsden's route was a surprising delight and brilliantly executed play on one of my favorite tropes! Of course, the host himself was an absolute Darling(ton) with how much depth he had (though his bad ending got my jaw dropping too). They also provoke different sides of Noelle, the tsundere she is, and I highly enjoyed trying to get all the endings!
Overall, a fun, fantastic game that I cannot recommend enough!