This is criminally underrated.
I don't know where to start. From the moment I saw the first manga cutscene, I already knew that this was going to be a banger. The art style is adorable. The dialogue is natural and I love how everyone was characterised so well, from the eccentric Richter to the sharp-tongued Karin. I especially loved the texting scenes, where you can see the massive contrast between Chip and Viv's personalities in a way that complements the pairing. The pacing didn't disappoint as well. I LOVED how instead of rushing straight into the romantic plot (can I call it that?), we got to take our times to explore the supporting cast and both Viv and Chip's backstories. It's a shame that most other VNs I played were basically romance speedrun simulator, and for this one to not only have deeper themes of self-doubt and loneliness, but to also explore them with such loving detail is genuinely mind-blowing to me. My heart genuinely shattered during some of the more serious scenes in the later half, and oh my god, this was the first VN that had me sobbing at the end.
I really hope to see more content of Chip and Viv together. Genuinely shocked to not see any fanfics on AO3 and it was the first time I went out of my way to search for them, because I really wanted to see more of them :sob:
Thank you for the delicious food, xiruo! All of this for free? I could buy this for 20 bucks off Steam and still feel like it's a steal!