As a huge Undertale fan, I was looking forward to trying this game.
However, as harsh as it may sound, I must say I was dissapointed in many ways.
Before I continue, I want to say that the graphics are phenomenal. The pixel art in every sprite is super well done! And it's clearly the strongest point of the game.
Everything else though, not so much...
The main issue here is that there is basically no gameplay at all, it's all just walking and reading text. No combat, or events take place anywhere except for ONE puzzle that's very inconsequential and you can beat 1st try.
The second biggest issue is the writing, it starts by unpacking a huge load of information that becomes irrelevant (aside from being the main character's back story) right after leaving the house at the beginning, to then try to give some semblance of lore about the circus we're in, without explaining anything of it, to then an ending that feels empty and meaningless. It's like the story is trying to tell itself as fast as possible without even taking a moment to explain itself, it all feels disjointed and rushed.
This problem is only worsened by the lack of save points, really long sets of dialogues that you can accidentally trigger twice (having to manually skip them all over again), missing dialogues with place holders in it, and grammar mistakes.
In terms of theme, aside from the clown character (who only appears once if you fail the puzzle) and the curtains, there's nothing else resembling a circus, and we can only tell because the game tells us we're supposed to be in one.
And lastly, while I appreciate the Undertale aesthetics and the few references in the game, it draws parallels to the point where if feels like an undertale fangame rather than it's own thing, which takes away from the experience a lot because it doesn't necessarily contain any of the characteristics of UT.
I understand time constraints and lack of experience can be a lot to deal with, but they are hurdles that you can always overcome eventually!
I'm sure your next project will turn out much better!