I have managed to finally get all the endings, achievements, CGs, and looked at the extra scenes! So finally, I can post a review of my final thoughts.
This game was generally very enjoyable. I loved the art and the mystery, and the horror scenes put me on the edge of my seat!
The opening video was a real treat! It seriously looks like a professional otome opening, and I love the song! I also love how the soundtrack is entirely original, which is rare for free indie games. I really love the sentimental and sad piano tracks the most.
Artwork... it's really gorgeous! There's 60 CGs you can unlock in the gallery, but some other sketchy looking art and I recall a couple other CGs that do not appear in the gallery. There were some sprites that felt out of place though, as they didn't look as polished as the rest, but generally everything is eye-pleasing!
Unlockables... I really love the achievement system as it encourages players to make a variety of different choices. Also keeping the extra scenes and sketchbook locked behind getting all of the endings is a genius way to get players to desire a 100% completion.
Prologue... the opening scene at the mansion really drew me in, which I feel is the prologue's strength. Some felt the prologue as a whole dragged, but I didn't think it was that bad. Some character introductions were more interesting than others, sure. Even so, the opening scene was enough to keep me going because I feel it really helps set the supernatural mystery tone! And I am sure at least one of the character introductions will pique your interest!
Routes.... I ended up playing in this order: Kurato > Junoru > Sachiro > Zeikun. Getting on routes is very straight forward, you literally choose who you want to investigate from the four suspicious individuals you meet in the prologue, and walla. I picked Kurato first simply 'cause he was weird and I wanted to know what was up with him. He's a pretty fun character, and his route has a lot of action and horror. Junoru's route ended up being my favorite of them all. He is so sweet, and whilst the romantic ending was lovely, I also equally enjoyed the tragic ending. It held a well written emotional weight to it that showed how much the MC cared about him. I also loved the MC's portrayal the most on Ju's route, especially how she'd always refer to him as "my friend". Sachiro's route was very interesting, and I must say the "Normal" ending actually was my favorite opposed to the romantic route. I feel it felt more natural and that ending felt so warm and sweet. Lastly, Zeikun... whilst interesting, it was sadly my least favorite route. Whilst I enjoyed many scenes in it, I didn't really feel much chemistry between the two (romantically or friendship wise). The highlight on this route for me was actually the moments with Ikuya and Lioji on the "Normal" path.
The story itself.... whilst there's many well written horror moments, emotional moments, heart pumping action, and an intriguing supernatural mystery, there's a lot about the story that feels very rough around the edges. Not everything adds up and rather than the routes complimenting each other, they almost seem like different versions of the story. One character in particular seemed to change to suit what was going on in a particular route. Even the MC herself feels a little different per route. So depending on what route you're on (even what version of said route you're on), some paths are written better than others. As I mentioned earlier, I enjoyed Junoru's route the most as I loved the entire route as a whole. Kurato's route would probably be my second favorite, whilst Sachiro's I liked the normal path most, and Zeikun's felt a little bit more messy to me. I also wish we could see some of the other main characters make more than just a short cameo appearance in the other routes, I think that may also be why it felt a bit disjointed at times.
Even so, the dev's hard work and passion shows in this novel and despite these flaws, this is a very memorable game I know will become a beloved classic in the OELVN community! It's obvious a lot of love went into this project, and it shows, and I think the dev should be proud of it! I look forward to whatever you come up with next, Pinlin!