RHETT MY BELOVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (+) justice for Steven!!!!!!!!!
Okay, more seriously, I'm here to give my feedback about this wonderful new game from Meant to Bee Studios!
First, per usual: everything is so polished! The GUI looked amazing and was perfectly implemented, the backgrounds were all so great-looking, they are amazing and I had a lot of fun trying to catch all the crab details in some of them! The sprite and CG art was STUNNING too (my favourite being the kiss, of course)!
Special mention to the voice acting which really was amazing: the actors brought the characters to life and I could tell, from hearing their lines, how much fun everyone had working on this project! I loved the bartender's tone, Lola's enthusiasm, Makai's vulnerability, Sunny's slyness and Rhett's sweetness!
Also, I'd like to highlight how wonderful the music was: it was really great to listen to, and the OST gave to the game a sense of softness and - dare I say? - melancholy which feels very summer-like... Like the idea of a summer romance, which autumn has made fade away, but that we still keep in our hearts... And yet, YET, there is this flame, deep down, burning a bit more, proving this romance CAN be more? And of course, everything was deliciously summer-themed!
Writing-wise, I beta-read the story so I knew what I could expect from it, but seeing it coded that well, with all the different quality assets really elevated the experience! But for players reading this, I'm going to underline the wonderful and many qualitifes of this game:
- The characters were all EXCELLENT (but Nathan, screw Nathan, nobody likes you!!!!!!!!!!). But okay, more seriously, I even got attached to Steven who barely appears! For the main cast, I love how Lola is able to support Makai while still calling him out for his wrongdoings, how Makai's insecurities regarding dating and his confusion about his budding feelings for Rhett were portrayed, and how supportive Sunny was as a friend! In general, Meant2Bee's games highlight the importance of friendship, which is as necessary as romance for a healthy life, and this game doesn't fail to portray it in an amazing way.
- Of course, I have to give Rhett his own point because GOD!!!!!! He manages to bring so much love and romanticism to this game: he really embodies a lot of things I enjoy about romance. Loving from afar, looking at the one you love as if they were a distant star... the shivers you experience when you approach them and feel that, yes, you could touch the star! Rhett really was an amazing character, and he touched me a lot.
- The game tackles a very specific situation, regarding the theme of relationships: when one is too used to hook-ups, it might be frightening to experience more romantic feelings and to have this nagging feeling of stability. In a full M2B-fashion, it is tackled in a very subtle and realistic way, without judging the characters, but instead trying to give us a dive into their mind.
- Also, the game tackles a relationship with quite the age gap, which is something that can make me quite uncomfortable in general, as age can imply some unbalanced dynamics. But here, the relationship is portrayed as it should: the game doesn't pretend both have the same age, and yet, the age gap never makes the relationship unhealthy at all, quite the opposite: the game is hopelessly romantic, and I enjoyed it a lot.
So, to anyone reading this: go play it, this game is worth your time!! And to all the team: congratulations, everyone did a stellar job, so I hope everyone is proud!!