This game is a rollercoaster.
The sprites was what got me to click on the game. Love the artstyle-- realistic with underlying uncanniness to it.
When it's labeled as Dark Otome it convinced me to play the game right away. I expected twists and turns when it's labeled on my very type genre, but I didn't expected it will give me the whole spring (and red herring, my golly goo-goo, that first ending twist to unlock Doyle's story mode made me spin myself.)
Doyle's story is such a treat, and by that I mean it gave me the pieces of the cake that proven my suspicions that is all about him. From the very beginning, he was already sussy to me. I didn't actually expect him to be indeed a Yandere and reading his entire POV made my skin crawl. He felt real and disturbing--to the point I jumped out of my skin when the meta part pops out doing the deed twice. As someone who had finished Doki Doki Literature Club, it sent war flashbacks XD. The transition from game-like to meta-like was so on point it I almost went Alt-Tab out of the game. The unknown entity was a welcoming touch though, I read that it came from your other game and you intend to make that entity appear throughout other of your games and I think that's quite a nice meta-lore to add in to your games.
Although I personally don't like Doyle, I love his characterization and how the voice actor did the lines in such a polarizing way that he made Doyle truly frightening at his worst, but at the same time sympathetic at his best and when he was being remorseful over what he'd done for/to Leah. What bugs me a bit is that there's little to no backstory for him, like, how did he became homeless or chose to be homeless? Just curious.
Ah, and speaking of crazy antics, Akuji's VA had also done an amazing job in creating a convincing character who is, well, alive and not alive either. It was so weird of him to be too chill and relax and being sunny as Leah going through a tough time (missing most of the days and acting as if everything that's happening to Leah is sort of a normal day by day thing to him whenever he comes back to "check" on her). Alternatively, Yandere Akuji also caught me off guard., I cannot believe that the voice I'm hearing is the same Akuji, hallucination or not.
And, OMAGHERED, Leah's voice acting is so great that I never saw the first ending coming. VA's choice to make her sound like a normal, average woman was pure genius.
Last but not the least, the soundtracks. I wasn't aware they were originals until I checked the information again. Your compositions are all wonderful, my favorite being Apartment No.9 with vocals that I just discovered from your extras. It added to the haunting vibe I'm getting with the music: the dissonant-ish harmony that sounded as if the voices are the duality of her subconscious.
Evidently, I'm actually not fond of Yandere characters, especially in an Otome or Otome-ish setting, but this one is an exception where I enjoyed a whole lot. The plot twist is truly a plot twist and you delivered the endings with various payoffs.
My favorite ending has got to be the Letting Go (B), because I was rooting for Leah's individual happiness at that point and it's relieving that Doyle's retreating (for the meantime, seemingly) this is the best bittersweet payoff in imo. The second would be the Afterlife with Doyle's below anger levels ending because I love redemption arcs to a fault XD. On that note, I may have also liked the Letting Go (A), where Leah and Doyle get together in a wholesome-ish version of effed up couple XD, and also because Doyle's also acting remorseful there and the whole scene is like a fresher air good toxicity XD. Root orange-and-blue-morality!
The experience I had in this game would definitely mark me in some way in my life, and because it's almost 1AM, it will prolly haunt me in my sleep, so thank you help me. I will play your other games in the future I'm a masochist :D