Haaah I've waited for this game for sooo long after replaying the demos numerous times! The wait was agonizing, but the result sooo rewarding! My god this game made me happy! I finished my playthrough right now, and I'm literally squealing from happiness at this little gem.
It's so hard to put my thoughts into coherent words right now as I'm a bit overwhelmed with emotions, but I also feel the need to express myself while this is all so fresh in my mind.
Honestly, it was a long time since I last felt this way while playing a game - any kind of game.
I've already told that after playing the demo, but I really like the characters - all of them. And I've been liking them more and more all along the ride. I was genuinely concerned about them and I've come to care sooo much about them. This game is about people and how they interract and make bonds, and I think you've suceeded masterfuly in that field - seeing them care more and more about each other and understand each other better and better was heartwarming. The overall story was very compelling, and I like the pacing - no moment felt dull to me, as when there was no action, I had emotions, and then action again. Or both haha!
Well, basically I've loved it, no need to dwell on that!
On a more artsy note - music was well chosen and pleasant, and I love watery settings so that was nice too. While I've seen better art from a technical view, it was effective, and I insist again on the fact that I LOVE the character designs. Your interpretation of "merfolk" is so unique and amazing - I love all of the "species", they're weird, interesting and so pretty in their own ways.
Okay so, now I'll go on and answer your questions, and I also want to ask some, but that stuff will be spoilery of course, so I'll start with a warning if someone other than the devs is reading this.
--------SPOILERS AHEAD--------
First, your questions!
--Who is your favorite character and why?
Welp, that didn't change since the very first time I've played the demo - it would be Riu. He's... basically everything I love, honestly. I really enjoy that kind of characters, behavior wise. Also, now that I've played the full game, I also can tell that I love characters with that kind of background stories - harsh customs, not the happiest life because of that, and so on. The way he changes and opens up while the story advances was really beautiful too. And besides, even thought I would have liked him just as much if it wasn't the case, his facial expressions are priceless, and god he's gorgeous. He may be one of the prettiest creatures I've ever seen in a visual novel. Then again, Makani herself isn't that far behind - he's great, and I love how caring she is. Extremely caring yet very strong MCs aren't that common actually.
--What was your favorite moment from the game?
The whole thing? I'm only half joking here, it's hard to choose since I've enjoyed all of it a lot. But I guess I can narrow it to three moments. The first one was the max friendship scene with Riu, in chapter 6. Even setting aside the fact he's my favorite character, the moment was so peaceful, so warm, it made me smile all along. The second one would be the final battle against the Pena. That was one hell of a battle - it was SO epic and genuinely nerve wracking. I was SO affraid for the characters, even with they survival maxed out. And finally... well, the whole epilogue, including the bonus romantic part. Such a perfect and adorable way to wrap things up.
--Any advice or critique I should keep in mind for the sequel/other future games?
Well, already mentionned it before, the art could be improved a bit, but it didn't tarnish the experience in any way, nor did it distract me from the story. It's just a fellow artist being nitpicky. I guess I've also spotted some typos here and there, but I wouldn't be able to list them like that. I don't like interrupting my playing in order to write down things like that.
--Any other comments/concerns?
I guess I can ask my own questions here, actually. So yeah, I was wondering if I got the good or the best ending, actually. The fight with the Pena was great, but it ended up going a bit badly by the end, and I was left very confused at what happened after that, with all the relics glowing all around the sea, the goddess being mad at Makani and all that stuff. Because of that, I'm leaning towards the good ending, but I can't be sure. I had survivability maxed out for everyone, but not friendship - if I didn't get the best ending, was it because of that?
Also, do the friendship / romance bonus endings vary depending whether you got the good or the best ending?
And lastly, about bad endings. Do the game feature a unique bad ending, for example everyone dying, or is it possible for some characters to survive and others to die? And how in depth do the descriptions for the bad endings / deaths go? I'm kind of curious about the bad endings - I've always been one to like to see what they've managed to avoid by doing a good ending. But at the same time, I care so much about the characters I'm afraid of seeing /reading that if it's too detailed.
Well, that was LONG, sorry about that - hope I didn't bore you!
I'll probably wait before replaying from scratch, as I'd rather do so with the walkthrough, since choosing who to spend time with each time was pretty hard, but in the meantime, I'll be replaying with the same choices I've made the first time!
Thank you for making this awesome game - from the bottom of my heart!