I don't read VNs; or read much at all. Nor do I ever feel compelled to voice my opinions about a media in any public capacity let alone something like a review on a game. But between the video about the game's journey, and the completion of the game I feel more confident to put perspective to be out there.
Maybe this is because of my inexperience of the genre but the presentation and execution of this VN really changed how I view what a VN can be. I always thought of them as just a book where you can see what character is talking; but the combination of artistic scenary and well composed music (sometimes the lack there of) felt more like a movie.
I feel, if the game was presented with sprites, where each emotion of the characters was portrayed accurately the emotions wouldn't have felt the same way. The lack of sprites made the story moves in a set perspective felt immersive, even if unintentional.
I understand giving the player choice, but with the choices provided I ended Val's route 3rd, the sudden appearance of the animation felt jarring and I thought I had did something wrong. Whether to limit Val's ending to a final play through, or to play the animation only at the end of all four playthroughs, isn't something for me to decide but I do know that something along those lines would make the story feel more cohesive.
My favourite route and charater is Edgar, and the rest are equal to each other. Playing through their route first, and seeing the severity of their request set a strong hook to keep me playing. The other three are great in their own way, but nothing will ever be as strong as the first time you read the lines "I WANT YOU TO..."
Alas, I hope this pushes me to consume and create something new. Even if the world ended, it feels good to know that we have left our mark in our own way.
Thanks for the great game