Adastra is such a curious case. A project spearheaded by the writer of Echo, joined by Haps' wonderful art and Anthemics' utterly beautiful musical prowess, that somehow manages to fumble the ball over and over. Adastra is interesting in that it serves a fiery romance and a dramatic plot weaving between complex in-universe politics that are incredible as long as you don't look at it for more than 5 seconds.

I'm sure every furry has dreamed of a large, muscular, protective wolf man (or whatever species you fancy) whisking them away from their exhausting, monotonous life to shower them in unconditional love and care for your every need. Who wouldn't want that LMAO. It's all fun and games, however, until said wolf man is kidnapping you to make you his (sex) slave in an imperial colonial empire. I cannot understate how miserable this premise is to an Indigenous person playing this game, let alone a reasonable human being.

And interestingly enough, I find that this premise actually embodies the core of this visual novel's structural issues which are visible in every facet of its creation: Adastra wants wish fulfillment without actually thinking about the logistics required to create it.

You can easily look at every decision written and find that it was done for arousal first, coherence second. Adastra wants the reader to be surrounded by hot, half-naked furry men, so we're going to have a setting reminiscent of ancient Rome where men wear loincloths, communal nudity is common, and women's societal oppression allows them to be irrelevant in this story. To have this version of Rome, it'll be located in outer space where alien societies resemble human cultures. And to have that work, we'll say that every culture on Earth was actually the result of all these aliens colonizing humans at some point and teaching them how to be civilized. Yup, the aliens taught people how to make the pyramids; surely that's an interesting and not at all racially insensitive trope that's been historically used to diminish Black and Indigenous people's intelligence! The main character being designated as a slave (or, "pet," as it's referred to) is similarly just to indulge in a submissive vs dominant power fantasy.

I must give credit that the Roman-era setting, with all its societal misgivings and issues, makes for a fantastic drama that Howly makes excellent use of to keep you on your toes as you read. The political intrigue and tension throughout this story brought on by the issues in this world, issues that are far too great for any one person or group of people can even hope to stand a chance against, is downright enthralling. The interpersonal politics driving every character's actions are so powerful they would bring telenovelas on their knees. This is part of what made Echo so great and is honestly what makes Adastra memorable moreso than its romantic aspects. This sort of conflict between societal norms and personal desires is what Howly does best in my opinion. If Adastra weren't a romance, and instead solely a political drama around queer men in ancient Rome, then I think this story wouldn't have given me the distaste it did.

Now, to be honest, I think I could look past this story's many... many........... MANY misgivings if the romance was actually good. But it just isn't. I despise Amicus, and I'm not sure how I couldn't given how he's written! He's a selfish, entitled brat who can't think for himself, dodges any sort of responsibility, and is just a whiney baby that you're supposedly head over heels in love with because at the end of the day he's just a big dumb puppy :3. Your heckin' doggo is committing human rights violations and upholding the status quo, Johnathan.

From the start to the end, Amicus is downright unpleasant to be around at best and a literal manipulator at worst. The main character is less of a lover to Amicus and more a mother, having to care for his every need, comfort his every tantrum (and there are a lot of them), and clean up every one of his messes. In the story's biggest climax, it's the protagonist who takes the biggest fall for what is ultimately Amicus's problem and it's the protagonist who has to save himself while Amicus sits there and cries. Zero character development with zero redeeming traits. Genuinely what am I supposed to like about this guy. If Amicus broke into my home in the dead of night I'd have beat him with hammers I can tell you that much.

Shoutout to Neferu, though, he's a real one.

Now, with all that said, i think the background behind Adastra's development offers some explanation for why it is the way it is. I remember being a Patreon supporter back in 2018 and reading that the writer was experiencing difficulties and burnout with writing. Adastra was that oil to the rusting door, a place to let loose and get the rhythm going. In that regard, I'm thankful that Adastra had to take the bullet as Echo just got better and better from this point on. It's unfortunate, then, that Adastra became such a wild hit, dwarfing Echo in attention and becoming what Echo Project would be known for to most people for the next several years. The precedents set by Adastra's success would go on to irreparably change the furry visual novel scene, for better or for worse, and open up the wider furry community into its second big visual novel boom.

Make no mistake, this is a furry porn game. There are several unskippable sex scenes, and characters are frequently in the nude. But this is the most well-written furry porn game I've come across. And a great visual novel overall, but yeah. You should know what you're getting here.

I've never been this invested in the politics of a fictional world. The worldbuilding centers around some really interesting concepts. Not all of it is even remotely realistic, but it doesn't need to be. It focuses on the "game" of politics, on social relations, information, blackmail... political drama.

The characters are really well-rounded and fleshed out. Was genuinely invested in the romance between the protagonist and Amicus. And it was interesting to see the other characters gradually reveal more and more of themselves.

I'm asexual, and as such found no appeal in the sexual content, unfortunately. If it appeals to you, or you can at least stomach it, I can highly recommend reading this. It's a great story.