I apologize for taking so long to leave a comment! Just hadn't been too in the mood for vns, but the second I did, I devoured the new update and loved every second!!! And have quite a bit to say about it!
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I will admit, the whole tone change of escaping on Berno's boat and arriving to the castle threw me for a loop at first, but then thought it over, and ultimately thought it was a good call! While the escape was heavy and dark, it did help having a moment to break the tension and return to the fun vibe this story does well!
The time spent at the castle was a blast! Got some good lore and really cute moments with everyone! When Berno was introduced, wasn't too big on him, but everything has changed my mind. I honestly can't help but love him the most now, cause he feels like he has a genuine reason on having romantic interest in Finn. Seeing the family dynamics and interactions made this chapter so fun!!! Just seeing him and his family's silly moments endeared them all so much to me, hope to see them soon! The two brothers putting aside their differences and giving Finn the chalice were my favorite moments!(Will also admit that I have a bias of having the Mcs top whenever I can, and them acting like they did when Finn spies on them give me hope of clapping Rottie cheeks in the near future)
While I do love the fun and joy everyone has the most, it was great to see the main overall plot proceed. I will admit it seems kinda suspicious of the staff suddenly betraying the royal family after Finn confided in the Dad about what happened, but I'm hoping its correlation and not causation. Was nice seeing Mary again... even though I forgot who on Earth she was how we knew her, until I decided to do some playthroughs to get the other cgs and saw her at the party. Really great learning more of Rajiv's ideals. When I saw him, originally had the "I can fix him!" vibe, then realize how twisted his views are, I have now realized I was truly delulu.
Now getting to the debatable biggest reveal: Mert and Artyom definitely have superior motives. Will admit, was thrown off by Mert's violence and the reveal that he seemingly hated every moment with Finn broke my heart for poor Finn.(btw, this is more how I understood it) While we don't know what Artyom's motivation is, I have hope that he truly does love Finn, even though I feel like his motives might be pretty dark themselves.(little theory he as some connection to the American royal family with the jet at the very end). And I am not complaining what so ever, I actually love this all so much! While I do love the cute moments, I did find it really suspicious how quickly Mert and Artyom try to seduce Finn, and glad to know I might be right in the end. Really excited to see both their true motives as we continue the story. Really hyped to see how their romance make or break with what we'll learn later down the line.
Loved the ending party with the girls, a moment to give poor Finn to digest everything going on since he got on the damned island. Really want to see more moments between the four of them, their dynamic always caught my interest, so curious on how they'll play into the plot overall.
While I feel bad with how often Finn is infantilized by everyone around him, it's great that he's taking this all more seriously then he was originally and trying to improve. I'm hyped for his future character arc.
Can't wait to learn more about the differences between the USA and this world's version on it, though have a feeling my curiosity might go too far tbh.
Also never tried a Holger route, but realized some cgs is tied to it, so I did a new playthrough to focus on him and solely Artyom to see the differences. Even did another where I pursued solely Mert when given the option, so curious how those routes will continue. Also Finn, I feel for ya for falling for a straight man, just gotta let your heart recover.
I probably say this with each update, but this was my absolute favorite update, and I am so ready to see how everything continues, and where you'll take us through this story. Thank you again for starting this one, I can't wait to see what you'll do in your future!!! Also sorry every review is essentially an essay, but I'm really loving this story and I want to let ya know!!!
(P.s. feel bad for asking, but the only cg I'm missing is the one between Berno and Finn on the jet ski and Artyom telling Finn to remove his speedo so Finn gets a better look. If you could help, I'd greatly appreciate it cause I no matter what I do I can't get it.)