*My unfiltered take on this wonderful game, spoiler free*
If I had to choose a few words to describe Ballads at Midnight, I would use these: absolutely delightful and downright magical. I am shocked at how thoroughly this game kept me completely immersed throughout the story! Despite the game not being too long, I still felt and understood the connection that grew between the two characters. Absolutely divine, truly! And the fact that it was free...Words cannot convey how pleased I am with this game. Thank you, to all of you who made this story come to life! I will most definitely be coming back to this game to replay simply to feel the magic of the story all over again. To anyone and everyone looking for a lovely not-too-long but not-too-short enemies to lovers vampire VN, this is an absolute must play.
That being said, on another note and despite my absolute 10/10 rating, I do have maybe a few comments of potential improvements for future projects, or maybe a future continuation of this splendid game. :)
1.) It would be quite nice to have a few different, or even one or two, different outfits to choose from in game. Maybe that's just my ostentatious side speaking- although I did truly appreciate the art, it would've been cool to see some different outfits/ designs for the characters.
2.) Potentially a few more choice decisions to make it more immersive. Though I must sincerely compliment how, despite there not being tons of choices, the game still felt as if the player was still in control.
3.) A finale cutscene after the conclusion. I would've loved to see the characters one last time. Maybe even with an open ending, where it ends with the characters taking some sort of small action against the antagonist (who shall not be named to avoid potential spoilers). Or maybe they live happily ever after and we get to see them marry, orrr....adventures of a sort. They are both so lovely.
4.) I would love to see more art of the characters in the future, such as when they were dancing, maybe spliced between conversation. Such a lovely sequence, by the way.
5.) I would also love to see more romance between the two characters. Maybe a finale scene where they profess their *undying* (see what I did there) love for each other, kind of similar to a finale cutscene like I mentioned before. Or really anything. I just love them so much. I kind of want to know what Lucien's favorite color is. Or maybe they just frolic around all cute together. Oh man, that's how I know I've been entranced by a story- suddenly all of the little details become utterly fascinating.
Overall, I am shocked by the absolute wonder of this game and can't wait to see more from you and your team! Certainly a game and story that I will not be forgetting anytime soon, especially with the riveting plot that had me quite literally gasping aloud. I would highly recommend to anyone with a love for fantasy- a short but shockingly sweet take on a dark fantasy romance between two wondrous individuals that were truly made for each other. Thank you, to you and your team, for creating such a phenomenal work of art!