Every bad thing you've heard about this VN is probably true. They play to tropes way too much with little payoff; what is an incredibly interesting character at times is too often used as the butt of a tsundere joke, another character makes perverted, unfunny comments, and the main character is too high on his own fumes for most of the game that he comes off as a pretentious jackass even when they're trying to not paint him as such. The dialogue is overly verbose, which could be a side effect of poor translation for all I know, but it makes for some exhausting conversations at times, and it takes an absurdly long time to get started, with the first two or three chapters being potentially grating to someone not willing to put up with the overly trope-y characters. And, while I wouldn't call it transphobic, the way it handles a certain character's gender identity is questionable at best. Now, all that aside, what's good about this game?

Literally everything else.

There's some of the most lovable and fun chemistry between all of the characters here, whether it be banter at thinking each other to be overdramatic or having to help someone understand quantum mechanics with strings of yarn. They all play an important role to the story, everyone is so essential in their own unique way, even ones you never expect. There's a certain pink-haired girl who I absolutely loathed in the beginning only to find myself having incredibly strong feelings towards her situation, and even relating myself to her story. No one feels like they're there just to move the plot along, they all feel like integral parts to the overarching narrative and it's just fantastic. However, the true gem of this game, without a doubt, is its examination of time travel. It does such an amazing job at introducing scientific theories and how things function in-universe at the perfect intervals in the story so that it makes sense when things start getting more and more complicated; by the end of the game, half of the dialogue is just science stuff, yet I was nodding along, not once thinking it didn't make sense. All the rules are crystal clear, there never feels like any huge contradictions or shoddy logic; even if something doesn't immediately make sense to you, the game will help you understand it and presents it to you in a way that will wrap your head around it. Beyond just the science, it's also an incredibly intriguing look at fatalism, changing the past, the butterfly effect, playing god, the dangers of losing our humanity, and so much else that makes the time traveling much, much more than just a plot device.

I was going to give this a 4/5 due to my aforementioned issues with pacing and tropes, but the final chapter really elevated my feelings for the game and left with a beautiful message that rendered some of my previous concerns completely obsolete. It's some of the most compelling sci-fi storytelling you'll get your hands on, and I really recommend it to anyone interested in a humanistic approach to the wonders of science.

El Psy Kongroo.