There was so much right with this demo that I can absolutely believe it's gaining so much support from the community. I went into this game knowing quite a bit about it because I saw it being recommended to me and I thought "Hey, this looks fun" and I couldn't have been more right. I even made an account so I could comment about it, because allowing it to have a 4.9 review and knowing that it's going to be paid just doesn't sit right with me — it deserves a 5.0
For those of you looking to get into this for the story and plot: yes. It was a interesting beginning to what is clearly going to be a long, multilayered story. I realize this is the demo, so the fact that all of the plot lines and characters were introduced naturally and expanded on in meaningful ways was genuinely astounding to me.
The 'mystery' is so clearly defined that even after recently going through it, I still don't fully understand what the central focus is supposed to be because that’s what a mystery is. It's also clearly a mystery since the protagonist seems to already know, at least loosely, what's going on but is keeping the readers in the dark — much like other mysteries that use redirection as a way to hide plot lines. A mystery is about putting pieces of a puzzle together and creating a whole image. This is like the game is asking you to solve a puzzle, but it wont give you any of the pieces yet because this is just the demo. To clarify, I'm not saying that the whole mystery should be spelled out for the reader from the get go, so obviously the reader couldn’t definitely know the basics of a main case by the end of the first chapter. Also, the amount of character contradictions that were present in the protagonist makes it very easy for me to root for them because they’re a complex character just like real people who are messed or struggling in life tend to be. As an easy example: the protagonist double checks their locks, but doesn't even try to react like a normal person would to someone they don’t trust teleporting into their home. Should I think they're incredibly vigilant or not? Is it because they knew that person and they trust them (since that person is a romance option), or should I be skeptical of even the ROs? I’m excited to find out.
For those of you looking to get into this for the love interests: DEFINITELY YES. Especially if you have trouble with shady relationships. There were so many instances in this demo where I was confused and intrigued by the way the love interests were treating the protagonist, some of them seeming not to be friendly or warm right away and others clearly moreso, while always being layered and complex characters themselves instead of tropes — especially when interacting with someone who a few ROs don’t even realize is both grieving and obviously dealing with past trauma. This could be to set up character arcs and redemptions later in the story. I understand they might not realize the protagonist's struggles with mental health, and a well-written story might not have characters that I can like within the first chapter so they can grow and evolve as the MC gets to know them. A note to the writer: I promise you that I am excited to discover which RO I get to choose is the most charming, especially since the MC has anxiety and/or PTSD and is a character in their own right with their own reactions to the story that I’ll get to guide.
All in all it was a great experience for me. The fact that this demo is supposed to make me want to fund or buy the game is amazing because I totally do. Those of you who weren't already following the development of this game, please be aware of the above and make the call for yourself if this is the kind of game you want to play.