The story hit me even harder every time I reached a dead end and replayed the chapter. This game addresses some of the deepest desires and fears we have as humanity: the yearning for meaning and for love.
Story - 4/5 - The length is just long enough that I felt connected with the characters, but short enough that backtracking doesn't feel like a chore. What really stood out to me was the nuances in dialogue that shifted through each playthrough based on my choices. This game makes me seek out a happy ending. That being said, using death to tug at heartstrings is somewhat cliche, but that didn't stop it from being effective.
Mechanics - 3.5/5 - Obviously nothing groundbreaking, but for visual novels, the most important thing is that the mechanics don't break immersion.
Visuals - 4.5/5 - The art style is gorgeous, and the general lack of motion makes scenes with movement more meaningful. The only time immersion was broken was when there was a transition in scene and the characters suddenly looked like they reversed in age 10-20 years. I would definitely recommend fixing that, but otherwise, I have no complaints.
Sound - 3.5/5 - I'm not a fan of Lo-Fi, but the music generally fit the art style and topic. A little variety would be welcome to break the repetition.
Overall - 4/5 Difficulty - Very Easy/N/A
Completed - Playthrough (5 out of 5 endings)(1 hr)