Holy moly that was a fucking roller coaster. Thanks a bunch for creating this, especially considering it's such a dark otome visual novel that spans 20+ hours of gameplay is incredibly rare. I've been searching for something like this for years, so major kudos to you!
Heads up for (SPOILERS) in my super long review!
Sebastian: Initially, Sebastian's route didn't click with me. I was surprised because I usually love yandere characters. His route started off strong, which put me off. I also kinda pissed with the MC at first with her sense of danger lol. However, when the story branches, I was instantly hooked by Sebastian's crazy stories. Like, this dude is a mess, and even a therapy can’t fix him. He’s completely delulu and hypocritical and it's amusing how everyone interacting with him ends up going crazy. His twin, Alexander, is my favorite side character in his route. I like his role in Sebastian’s route is being the sane person with a horrible personality.Despite Sebastian not being in his right mind, Alexander always tries to support him. I was disappointed that Isabella didn't have more screen time; I love her badass and sweet attitude. I could imagine her and the MC being best friends.
Julian: Okay so, before his route, I didn't like Julian in Sebastian's route because of his obnoxious behavior. I expected his route to be similar to Sebastian's but more irritating. Hoo boy I was so wrong. I actually enjoyed Julian's route more than Sebastian's. It felt refreshing, maybe because he's easier to talk to than a wall (Sebastian). I was particularly pleased with the MC's behavior in his route. For whatever bad things Julian has done is merely a child’s play to her and it’s hilarious. And she’s cooperative and calm with his behavior which is super surprising to me (i guess that she’s super into Julian but still-). And I know this is weird but I kinda like Brandon and Julius get along lol. The Ethereals' frustration in this route is comical; imagine being so frustrated watching a girl ignore all the red flags. I was disappointed that we didn't get to learn more about Ash; I was hoping for a dedicated route for him.
Brandon: First, I appreciate you for putting his route as an option and not a requirement to access the secret route. Even though I could have avoided his route after encountering this "Trash" character in the previous two routes, my perfectionism got the better of me, and I decided to brave it. I kept hoping to find some tiny bit redeeming qualities in Brandon, maybe some glimpse of decency beneath his fucked up behavior. But— Sigh… He turned out to be the biggest red flag of a love interest in the history of otome games I've played. The fact that he's the MC's actual blood-related brother and still pursues of doing, that, despite feeling guilty, he DOESN’T STOP. He’s manipulative, egotistical, selfish and annoyingly possessive. Yes, his traumatic past in the mafia explains why he sucks. But the moment when he claims to care about the MC, I said “Fuck this guy! He only thinks about himself and his d*ck, not HER!” It's disheartening to see the MC's background reveal itself in this light. I ended up learning more about the MC than Brandon throughout the story. I must say, I impressed you got the guts for making him a route.
Quinn: Quinn's route was the one I looked forward to after dealing with those three psychopaths. Surprisingly, his route was shorter than the others, which disappointed me. After playing his route, I felt a strong desire to hug him tightly after all the hardships he endured. Sebastian was super fucking annoying in this route. I could tolerate him in other routes because he was up against other psychopaths rivals, but Quinn??? Even Brandon was decent in this route, he even respected him! When Sebastian said those cruel things to Quinn like none of his business, that drew the last line for me. I was super pissed lol, Quinn deserves so much better. Maybe because his route was shorter, I felt like I still didn't learn enough about him. Perhaps he's just a very private person, but compared to the others, his bond with the MC felt lacking. His side stories was very nice to see, and I loved the banter between him and Julius.
V: I'll refer to him as V since I don't know much about him, which makes sense since his route is in the DLC. My first impression of him was... pity. I guessed he's trapped in a time-loop between realities, which is incredibly distressing. His situation seems more depressing than other MCs experiencing time-loop stories I've read. I don’t know if I’m wrong, but but from what I’ve gathered reading his route, he’s experiencing countless of time loops and since there’s other worlds/realities, he also experienced that too for another gazillion times. If that’s true, then holy shit this man desperately needs closure, something more peaceful than death. I’m actually excited to see his route latter because this man looks tired and just need some rest. No wonder he always orders black coffee lol.
MC: Before passing judgment on this girl, let's quickly review her background and why she acts this way. She grew up isolated, lacking social experience, and suffered abuse from her mother and brother, leading to a strong but strange attachment to them. Her brother was her only friend, her sole reliance. Her father know her situation but didn’t do shit. Manipulated from a young age, she still struggles to discern right from wrong. Yeah… From this, I could say this girl is a survivor. Given her past, it's a miracle her personality is as pleasant as it is. At first, I found her frustrating, wondering how she could be blind to all the red flags. It’s like watching her dancing through traps blindfolded. Then I thought maybe it's a trope of the game, so I tried to ignore my irritation and see how things played out. It honestly entertaining to watch how miserable she is. Then came Julius's route. Initially, I thought she was just infatuated, but when she witnessed his crime without a flinch, I was surprised. Then I thought, oh, this time it wasn't her friends and she's from a mafia so she's used to see this. Maybe I missed something about her? The Brandon route solidified my understanding of her character. It painted a clearer picture of her for me. One thing that frustrated me was her failure to learn from her past mistakes. She understood the consequences but didn't try to avoid them. And... I pity for her being oblivious by that.
Once again, thank you for creating this game. It's a rare gem in the otome genre, and I eagerly await more. Even though it's not finished, I'm satisfied with the depth and complexity of the story. Reading this VN was like watching a dumpster fire drama with no hope of a good outcome (thanks Sebby). I'm particularly looking forward to Alexander's and V's routes, especially Alexander's because he's my favorite character in the game. Both of them have the potential to be great LIs, but given this game's nature... well, we'll see about that.
My hopes for the next story? Hm... I'd love to see more of Isabella; she has a fantastic personality. Also, in future installments, I hope the MC develops a stronger sense of observation and a backbone.
And lastly, a heartfelt sentiment: FUCK THAT CAT!