Charming game — they knew exactly what style they were going for and nailed it. Tifalia's sassy inner monologue gave me life. The classic RPG feel was surprising and a nice touch (the "circus" aspect feeling more like a code for the campiness associated with that era of roleplaying games). The worldbuilding was really well-done and the performance theater retelling of the lore helped add to the fantastical atmosphere of the game.
I liked the theme of selfishness (i.e. choosing 'love') vs. selflessness (i.e. choosing sacrifice) in this game. It helps the story feel like a partial commentary on the games that inspired it; we have the MC often making choices in the routes that go against the greater good because they're at the expense of the LI. I like seeing that story beat "otomefied", if that makes sense. It's interesting to think about and Vilio's route — the 'true route' that unlocks only after you've finished everyone else's route — encapsulates this well.
Of all the routes, I would say I liked Zafora's the best. The others were good, with only Radie's drawing closer to being average or mid (which hurts to say as he really is the prettiest character in the game, it isn't even close when you compare the CGs). I believe that Zafora's route is the most universally disliked but I felt there was a lot of repetition in the stakes for the other four routes (without spoilers, they all involve the same mindset on the LI's part). I liked that Zafora's reasons for initially "rejecting" Tifalia make sense and the slowburn in their route was engaging and made their moments have more impact. The reactions of the other characters on this route were also natural and it felt like everyone waiting for their two stupid friends to get together.
After Zafora, Radie's route felt the most distinct and I love that his route involves Tifalia's origins (I like story focus on the MC). Paschalia, Ion, and Vilio had good routes for sure and there's details I appreciate about each of them individually; however, it's hard to look past the similarity in motivation. Their routes (with the exception of some absolutely crazy plot twists in Paschalia's route) end up following the same conflict resolution progression as a result, making the story feel really linear.
I liked the theme of selfishness (i.e. choosing 'love') vs. selflessness (i.e. choosing sacrifice) in this game. It helps the story feel like a partial commentary on the games that inspired it; we have the MC often making choices in the routes that go against the greater good because they're at the expense of the LI. I like seeing that story beat "otomefied", if that makes sense. It's interesting to think about and Vilio's route — the 'true route' that unlocks only after you've finished everyone else's route — encapsulates this well.
Of all the routes, I would say I liked Zafora's the best. The others were good, with only Radie's drawing closer to being average or mid (which hurts to say as he really is the prettiest character in the game, it isn't even close when you compare the CGs). I believe that Zafora's route is the most universally disliked but I felt there was a lot of repetition in the stakes for the other four routes (without spoilers, they all involve the same mindset on the LI's part). I liked that Zafora's reasons for initially "rejecting" Tifalia make sense and the slowburn in their route was engaging and made their moments have more impact. The reactions of the other characters on this route were also natural and it felt like everyone waiting for their two stupid friends to get together.
After Zafora, Radie's route felt the most distinct and I love that his route involves Tifalia's origins (I like story focus on the MC). Paschalia, Ion, and Vilio had good routes for sure and there's details I appreciate about each of them individually; however, it's hard to look past the similarity in motivation. Their routes (with the exception of some absolutely crazy plot twists in Paschalia's route) end up following the same conflict resolution progression as a result, making the story feel really linear.