This review is based on me... avoiding having to pay, so this review doesn't factor in pricing and paywalls.
This game is so neat. I genuinely love the concept, I love the art, I love the characters. The story is surprisingly dark for such an otherwise bright and fun game, and the twists and turns are engaging and interesting.
The translation is pretty good - it's a little goofy in places where certain jokes or figures of speech in Korean don't quite land the same in English - but there's nothing that doesn't make sense.
It's a time commitment for sure if you're playing it as intended; the game lasts for 11 real-life days, with chats triggering once every hour or two up to around 3AM, and unless you want to deprive yourself of sleep you will miss some. I don't play it this way because frankly I hate missing out on content, so I tend to run through routes all at once via my... evasion.
I'm still yet to play V and Saeran's routes, as well as all of the character-specific runs through of the DLC chapters, but from what I have completed:
Jaehee: My first route, and the one I'm most fond of. I love Jaehee - she's probably my favourite character from the game as a whole, and I think she's wildly underrated (I can't blame people, considering most of the people who play this are likely straight girls, but c'mon! At least for the content!). It's sweet, cozy, wholesome, and the least dark of all the routes; the main antagonist is literally capitalism. It's light on the romance and more implications and "gal-pal"ing in the main story thanks to censorship, but it's more explicitly romantic in the DLC episodes.
Yoosung: Yoosung is a sweet one, and the character I probably relate to most. I enjoyed his route by the end, but the first half of it can be pretty frustrating due to his repeated insistence on comparing you to Rika, calling you Rika, telling you he pictures you as looking like Rika, etc. Not exactly inducive to a good romance. He does get over it if you're on the right ending, though, which I was relieved by (that shit did feel pseudo-incestuous at times).
Zen: Zen is probably my least favourite of the main five characters, but I don't dislike him per se - I just find his habit of making everything about him and doing nothing but complaining in every single chat he's in exhausting (seriously, keep track of how many chat rooms he just comes into and complains in when you're not on his route). That said, his route was still sweet; he's very straight-forward and romantic, which is a nice change of pace from the more slow-burn options. The antagonist in his route pissed me off for very personal reasons, and she's pretty much cartoonishly evil, but I suppose there are people out there like that.
Jumin: My favourite of the Deep Story characters, but I'm not sure how I feel about his route itself. His bad endings can be pretty wack, and the first time I played through his route I was left with such an uncomfortable, cornered feeling - and that's with getting his good ending. It wasn't what I expected at all, and there were some truly questionable elements in it. I did eventually come to appreciate it for what it is, but if you have a history of any kind of abuse or non-consensual encounters etc. you should probably know what his romance entails before starting it.
Seven: This one is the fan-favourite, and I do see why, even though it doesn't quite click with me as much as it does for others. This is the most plot-heavy and relevant route, and there's a lot going on here; there's a reason most people say you should leave this one for last. I don't personally like the 'Seven is aware of your replays' theory (it makes me feel guilty!), but I suppose that's another reason to leave this one for last.
Favourite Male Character: Jumin
Favourite Female Character: Jaehee
First Character I Liked: Jaehee
Favourite Character Design: Jumin
Favourite OST: My Half is Unknown
Least Favourite Character: ECHO Girl
This game is so neat. I genuinely love the concept, I love the art, I love the characters. The story is surprisingly dark for such an otherwise bright and fun game, and the twists and turns are engaging and interesting.
The translation is pretty good - it's a little goofy in places where certain jokes or figures of speech in Korean don't quite land the same in English - but there's nothing that doesn't make sense.
It's a time commitment for sure if you're playing it as intended; the game lasts for 11 real-life days, with chats triggering once every hour or two up to around 3AM, and unless you want to deprive yourself of sleep you will miss some. I don't play it this way because frankly I hate missing out on content, so I tend to run through routes all at once via my... evasion.
I'm still yet to play V and Saeran's routes, as well as all of the character-specific runs through of the DLC chapters, but from what I have completed:
Jaehee: My first route, and the one I'm most fond of. I love Jaehee - she's probably my favourite character from the game as a whole, and I think she's wildly underrated (I can't blame people, considering most of the people who play this are likely straight girls, but c'mon! At least for the content!). It's sweet, cozy, wholesome, and the least dark of all the routes; the main antagonist is literally capitalism. It's light on the romance and more implications and "gal-pal"ing in the main story thanks to censorship, but it's more explicitly romantic in the DLC episodes.
Yoosung: Yoosung is a sweet one, and the character I probably relate to most. I enjoyed his route by the end, but the first half of it can be pretty frustrating due to his repeated insistence on comparing you to Rika, calling you Rika, telling you he pictures you as looking like Rika, etc. Not exactly inducive to a good romance. He does get over it if you're on the right ending, though, which I was relieved by (that shit did feel pseudo-incestuous at times).
Zen: Zen is probably my least favourite of the main five characters, but I don't dislike him per se - I just find his habit of making everything about him and doing nothing but complaining in every single chat he's in exhausting (seriously, keep track of how many chat rooms he just comes into and complains in when you're not on his route). That said, his route was still sweet; he's very straight-forward and romantic, which is a nice change of pace from the more slow-burn options. The antagonist in his route pissed me off for very personal reasons, and she's pretty much cartoonishly evil, but I suppose there are people out there like that.
Jumin: My favourite of the Deep Story characters, but I'm not sure how I feel about his route itself. His bad endings can be pretty wack, and the first time I played through his route I was left with such an uncomfortable, cornered feeling - and that's with getting his good ending. It wasn't what I expected at all, and there were some truly questionable elements in it. I did eventually come to appreciate it for what it is, but if you have a history of any kind of abuse or non-consensual encounters etc. you should probably know what his romance entails before starting it.
Seven: This one is the fan-favourite, and I do see why, even though it doesn't quite click with me as much as it does for others. This is the most plot-heavy and relevant route, and there's a lot going on here; there's a reason most people say you should leave this one for last. I don't personally like the 'Seven is aware of your replays' theory (it makes me feel guilty!), but I suppose that's another reason to leave this one for last.
Favourite Male Character: Jumin
Favourite Female Character: Jaehee
First Character I Liked: Jaehee
Favourite Character Design: Jumin
Favourite OST: My Half is Unknown
Least Favourite Character: ECHO Girl