'Geiger' is one half heart-warming romance between a ex-military guy and a male nurse, and one part political action triller the with the likes of 'Mission Impossible' or 'The Bourne Series'. Though this is only the 'Jam Release', so it's acts more as a Chapter 1 or demo/preview of the story that is to come, it takes a lot of time to lay out the exposition not only for the background of the main character, but also the secret organization/military operation that draws inspiration from real life events. The presentation of this visual novel is professional grade, as the two stories have widely opposite art aesthetics, where the romance story is shows through soft innocent colorful hand drawings, while the action thriller story is presented almost in a FPS video game HUD screen and point and click mechanics to explore the environment.
The action story is intriguing and rife with conspiracies of secret organizations acting as puppet masters in the world of politics, and the main character acting as one of those shadows to uncover an international level threat. The romance story is surprisingly grounded in the awkwardness of a first date that grows into a connection made between two guys that find a spark between them. Where the story might get weird for some folks, is how these two separate stories mix together into this visual novel experience. I imagine the contrast is on purpose, but it almost feels 'too contrast-y' if that makes sense. That action story seems to embrace the classic 'dead wife/husband' trope as a defining characteristic and motivation of the main protagonist, and once that fact is revealed, it's unusual to continue the shift into the flashbacks, when the reader is now ready to shift into action movie territory. I don't fault the story for dipping into it (it's a staple of the genre), but trying to combine it with the romance story does mean that one side suffers for the other.
Because this visual novel is also still in the demo/WIP phase, I'm so very eagerly looking forward to the resolution of the story and how the tiger guy copes with the methods that this organization uses. There's some bigger themes brewing in the narrative, but until more of the story is written, I can only speculate if they reach satisfying conclusions. The theme for 'a light in the dark' does present itself in both ways, literally and figuratively, with the boyfriend being a source of positivity for the ex-military guy, and also using the neat flashlight in the dark. Though, just like the plot, I'm curious as to how well this theme holds through the full length of the story. Overall, the amount of polish that is put into this will be apparent to anyone that loads up the game, and it'll be no wonder if this visual novel will end up very high in the rankings this game jam.