Review for RPG Maker Web's IGMC 2017 Secret Santa! ...Sort of, I'm just reciprocating because Hiddenone reviewed my game. ;)
This is clearly one of the more serious entries in the contest. It has original artwork, music, and even sound effects. Even the message window graphics and fonts were custom. I didn't recognize a single thing from the RPG Maker RTP. In terms of production values, Dear Edwin is a heavy contender.
What it does not have much of is gameplay. The bulk of the experience is walking through the slums in which the game is set, finding the next plot-advancing event and watching the cutscenes which play out. There are a couple of occasions where the player is challenged to input a button sequence, but they don't seem to have much effect on the outcome. Even at the end, when the mystery is confronted, the player is not asked to choose the correct answers; they merely watch as the main character exposits everything. As the main page for Dear Edwin says, "A story focused game, that feels like an interactive novel." Personally I'd question whether it should be called a game at all, but I understand the practicality of not quibbling the details in the summary.
So, since story is the most central aspect of this work, how is the story? Pretty good, I'd say. The setting is immersion-capable, the characters have personality, the dialogue is well-written, and there's a decent bit of backstory that isn't critical to the main plot. I didn't find it exactly gripping, and I saw the crux of the mystery from a mile away, but it was enjoyable reading.
Bottom line? Just be aware that this is an interactive novel that's on the light end of interaction. If you enjoy that sort of thing, you'll probably enjoy Dear Edwin. This is the first IGMC 2017 entry that gets my up-vote.