I think this game got me interested in stories about time travel. As someone who mostly spends time with people the same age as me, I sure didn't expect that.
I didn't expect to like the game as a whole (or as much of a whole as it currently is), either, but I just love the overall effect the varying art styles have in my experience with the game. The art from the English and Microbiology routes feel surreal yet hyperrealistic somehow, surreal in that, even through my avatar, I can't be in the same world as Louis Pasteur, and hyperrealistic in that, since I'm 2D in the real world in the game, the dreams being in 3D feels similar to having a very vivid dream.
I usually have a bias when it comes to art style and at first I wasn't sure if I'd be able to finish a game combining different styles from FOUR artists with the character sprites alone, but I think it actually worked. I feel as if the different styles gave atmosphere to each route the way decors and lighting and stuff affect the feel of a room.
Sorry for fangirling right now, I was looking around Itch bored but now I'm just mind-blown. (SorRy as in Sorta, but not Really. So, sorry not sorry.) From here on, I might start making less sense.
Music choice was pretty good. I just hope you polish it in some areas where the change is abrupt. (Played version 1.1 and I noticed it somewhere in the Microbiology route and in End 2 of the Photography route.) But yeah, it helped set the atmosphere/tone/mood, idk my literature terms anymore, you know what I mean.
Other stuff I liked: Attic-like room, magic realism, LOWKEY MAGICAL CAT?!- I don't know if it's because I'm not that deep into magic realism and time travel genres, but small cozy rooms are just the best for the lowkey fantastical for me. The cat's perfect. I think if you change it to any other animal, I'd be heartbroken because ...what other creature is more aloof but needs taking care of, more mysterious but whose mysteriousness we take for granted more than a cat? Name's perfect, too.
Now I might be getting ahead of myself calling it magic realism but I guess that's how I'd describe it. It could just be lucid dreaming, but that kinda takes away the charm of the MC's dreams.
After three days of playing, I've reached five endings (forever alone end, Sinclair cliffhanger, Damien cliffhanger, random photography guy confession, English route cliffhanger, passed everything and meeting Vivi's sister end). They were all interesting in their own way, so I hope I could hear more from these characters.
Cool game~