While the pure virtue of being a game about talking to handsome anime men would alone be enough to satisfy my taste in games, there's a lot of truly interesting ideas to be found beneath the surface as far as visual novels go. While not too serious outside of a few key moments towards the end, Mystic Messenger is (for the most part!) a very charming and memorable experience!

There's a really satisfying loop of design on display here where its smartphone-styled presentation, real-time structure, and casually-written story all inform and compliment each other in such a way that it really feels like it couldn't have taken any other form. Even when it comes to other visual novels that present its story through a group chat format like this, I've really never played anything quite as special as Mystic Messenger. There's just something about it that feels so natural, immersive, and compelling in a way that I don't often find myself saying about too many other visual novels.

Despite the glowing remarks, however, I think I'm going to have to rank this one just slightly lower than I otherwise would have for one small reason. At the very beginning of the game, one of the first tasks for the player is to answer what their gender is. However, no matter what you pick, the game kind of just decides you're a girl anyways (and suggests that anything otherwise would be creepy?)... Having that option dangled in front of the player, only for the answer to be ignored with that kind of attitude is just a little too insulting of a sentiment to ignore. Pronoun options would vastly benefit this game.

Despite that, I still played several routes of it. Jumin Han was my favorite! The three-and-a-half stars I still decided to give it are very much well-earned. If you like any of the character designs on the front of the box here and the previously-mentioned hurdle doesn't at all bother you, chances are you'll have a good time with it.