**Spoiler Warning**
(Since the update just came out)
Update Review
So, just before starting, I am sincerely shocked at the amount of content. For just one update, this proved pretty large, even by the massive standards Cactus has for their updates, which I would assume is why it was delayed. Despite this, it all flowed perfectly. I think the real reason this update was so large was just because the whole day was all one big arc, and even with all this content there wasn't anywhere to really split it, so to say.
This, of course, meant that there was a lot to go through while playing. Two new characters, somehow(no idea how Cactus continues to print them out so easily), or one if you don't want to count the previously hinted at character in Bart's daughter, Penny.
The consistency of the characters remained, well, consistent, and the author here somehow managed to make it seamlessly feel like the rest of the game(Which I should really expect, at this point, but it'll never cease to amaze...) in its general vibe.
I feel like with this update, we got to see a lot more of the main character's side of things. And to be honest, he is real as hell. I mean, the thoughtalogue after(and during, I guess) meeting Morgan was just great. I also like how it didn't force the issue, even in the dialogue, though the mc was a bit... Curious, I guess I could say? It seemed like the mc was just like the rest of us, really, in discovering a new kind of sexiness showcasing itself. To be honest, I was really agreeing with all of his thoughts, I mean it's like Cactus was peering into the future of my brain when he wrote it. Suspicious...
Also, I REALLY love how the author portrays the MC in general. Even in the dialogue, where the mc picks up new habits as easily as breathing, like memorizing routes to the bathing river, it's like he was meant to be here. It doesn't feel like some odd-man out, but more like, within a matter of days, he's acclimated completely to the new world. I guess his grandma's genes really do run through him, huh?
But, changing the topic a bit, am I crazy, or did Cactus steal something straight from my last review? I'm not gonna point fingers, but one of us might as well have been reading the other's mind, and it shocked me when I saw it(I may have been screaming internally, though that's better left unsaid).
Specifically, I'm talking about the part where out of nowhere, Lily just straight up said(basically), "I'm not monogamous," and it blew me off my feet, really. I had known she wouldn't really care, but as if to address any future concerns people may have with the thought of being an NTR monster, and being morally concerned with 'cheating' on best girl, Lily just straight up said she didn't really care all that much. Of course, it's completely in character. Not like someone like Lily would hide anything behind closed doors, after all. I also felt like it really stole from me because she called out her own role right to the mc's face. "I'm the main girl", she said. But whatever. Maybe I'm just a prophet.
And I think this was really the perfect time to do that, out of any in the plotline. It'd be horrid if you woke up next to your beloved, and a goblin you NTR'd her with(though it doesn't apply anymore, since Lily doesn't gaf), is just standing at the doorway. But more seriously, the mc is at a major crossroads right now(though it's too happy to really call it that, but whatever). He's just gotten a true, loving confession from Lily, and he's reciprocated it. Lily being so straight up, and amazingly honest about it, just patched up any potential holes that would arise in the future. I think this also helps to support you in the way you format the game, where outside of the particular particulars, like anything outside of overall vanilla(such as our new femboy friend), you'll probably never lock any routes, at least in my eyes, and that'd require hard locking a lot of the content in the unskippable VN part. I think it'll be helpful for that, where a lot of players would've had a problem, this one bunch of sentences perfectly fixes all issues, apart from the issues of those who are the utmost loyal partners. I sincerely doubt they'll resist when seeing all the amazing characters, but still.
To the other characters, besides the mc and Lily, we have Penny. A perfect character, if I do say so myself, and personally the only real fit to be Bart's daughter(Unless, of course, you introduce more). Her personality perfectly coencides, in my mind, with an upbringing hosted by Bart's amazingly big heart. She's the perfect little ball of nervousness we all deserved. I can't help but think the family loving food so much is a gag on them being pig-anthros, but for sake of not sounding rude I'll ignore it.
Then we have Morgan. I do love femboys, a bit more unfairly than other archetypes of characters, but I'll try to remain as unaffected by that as possible with my review of him.
For starters, he's just great. The misunderstanding at the start of their conversation, which, I also had a bit of, since the AI didn't really think to include a bulge in his sprites and his proportions seemed a bit more feminine than you'd expect, was pretty funny. I knew that the 'Morgan' name would probably be a boy's, but it still somehow made me think in the other direction in their convo. The character trait that really wowed me with him, was how he's genuinely like a cat in terms of personality. I never really thought about it before, but the species of all of the anthros kind of matches their general IRL behavior, albeit different when it has to be. Morgan is a bit finicky, just like a cat, and his overall demeanor seems kind of like he only really gets comfortable enough to talk to someone honestly when he gets a good grasp on their overall personality. The dialogue also engrained in my soul how these guys are really entirely different species than us humans. I mean, just him so simply calling his child form a kitty, made me remember that. It's great.
Another part about Morgan I really liked, was how his upbringing didn't force anything from our society, on how femboys are generally brought up, onto his backstory. He was simply a bit smaller than the others, a bit more feminine, and still that never really turned completely, well, gay. It seems to me like his wide variety of books, specifically how he has romances(where I'll assume men are the saviors) probably will be the reason he'll be interested in the mc, since it seems relatively unheard of around these rural parts.
But, ah, I've ranted for too long again. Wait, I can't say that yet.
ROXIE! She's been turned into even more of a dumbass, to put it roughly. It really matches her, ya know? Not really thinking of the consequences of her actions, and only seeing the benefits laid out right in her face. I say this, because, well, she keeps thinking she's gonna completely ignore all the consequences of continually seducing the MC. She won't, she won't get even close. Though, I wouldn't really doubt it if it was revealed later that she was actually realizing it the whole time, and was just sort of ignoring it for the time being. or maybe even hoping for it, seeing as her attitude probably blocks everyone apart from the MC from even considering her in a sexual way. Overall, her character was the same in this update, though she seems to be devolving her intelligence whenever she's around the MC. Amazing dynamic.
Finally, I can finish up. Amazing update, as always, and the little features like Roxie's sort of 'magnifying glass' aspect, and the new memory card game(which really shocked me, I didn't think that'd be the minigame when I first saw Penny tell us there'd be one) continue to make the game even greater.
I hope to see this progress continue(which will probably happen no matter what, seeing how dedicated is to the game) into the far-far future, and beyond. Can't wait to see what the game evolves into in the next update, so I'll see you in a month(hopefully I can review two updates at that month mark, but we'll see)!
1500 words on a fucking review is insane. I'm sorry for going on for so long 😭