This was a really fun read. At first I worried that the premise was gonna get a bit too busy (first dates, mental health, speedrunning microcommunity drama AND time travel??? Girl you need to slow down!), but the story manages to tie all the elements nicely in its pretty nicely limited run time.
I usually am not a fan of gameplay in VNs since in my experience it most often gets in the way of the story as opposed to helping it, but that is not the case here. The titular high score doubles as a health bar, and watching it go up and down depending on how much the hyrax can prevent himself from dying of self inflicted cringe. The score not being exactly what it might initially appear is a nice touch, and the fact that it can fluctuate wildly in one choice depending on how the conversation goes is also amusing once you realise this little "deception".
The second unique element is of course the ever present coin, always tempting both Saul and the player to use it... This was such a fun substitute for something that many players already do using Renpy's generous save slots and the rollback&skip buttons. It is integrated in Saul's character, and once the game confronts the player and Saul more directly for its (mis)use, that's where it gets really interesting.
The writing was witty and tense when needed. I think that all mini-conflicts between Saul and Alan were pretty well handled, and all of them explored the fine dance between trust and caution we have when trying to open up. From the low stakes of small talk and gauging a stranger on a date, to the tension of both hiding secrets, to the ultimate reveal and confrontation about the coin, and all the frankly horrifying existential can of worms that opens... They were done individually, but tied together even better.
I enjoyed the pixel presentation, and I really like Alan's design, he's so pretty! He has so many good expressions, which is an important point since the entire game consists of trying to gauge his reactions on this first awkward date.
I enjoyed the music a lot, I was honestly shocked when I found out it's free stock music. It was a fucking bop and fit the retro game visuals and feel the VN is going for surprisingly well.
I enjoyed Chmrons's previous work and it was nice seeing his work in a more light-hearted story.