When I first heard a very brief synopsis of this game's premise, my response was "oh, so it's basically just anime WALL-E". WALL-E is probably my third or fourth favourite movie of all time and what I truly do believe to be the best love story ever written so I had very high hopes for this game. I was told the last three endings would change me and I'd have a mental breakdown and all that but honestly... I kinda didn't? If anything, ending E (the actual ending to the story) was more uplifting and hopeful to me than emotionally devastating - a message that, even if all seems meaningless, there's always someone there and you should be there for others too, not because you have to but because you want to. And there's nothing wrong with that, but it's not really what I was hoping for out of this game.

I feel a little bad for giving this the rating I did because I went into the game expecting a solid 9 or 10 out of 10 and I got what I believe to be a 7. That's still a good rating by my standards - 3- is bad, 4-6 is mid and 7+ is good - but it didn't really hit me as hard as I thought it would and I'm not sure if that's on me or the game itself. I'd say it has something to do with the game's conflicts being largely philosophical and relying on the player's own conscience rather than within the actual game itself. In a way, it makes sense; the characters are androids/machines so the player is forced to accept from the beginning that any emotion we see expressed is a result of the characters' programming and the player's own projection of their emotions onto the characters, which is actually kind of genius given the existentialist themes the game explores. Still, that combined with not much downtime for the characters to just talk and rest for a moment does carry the unintended consequence of seeming slightly cold. I know these characters care for each other but everything has to develop at breakneck speed, and ultimately everything stems from their sense of duty. The emotional aspects could have spent a bit longer in the oven.

I felt like some twists were a little lacking/disappointing. For instance, around when I was playing route B I really expected the machines to be vessels for human souls, which I think would have made for a far darker surprise while not detracting from the game's core themes. What takes precedence: destroying machines to reclaim humanity's home or letting the machines live because they are a part of humanity? That's the kind of twist I wanted and unfortunately, it ain't what I got.

Speaking of route B, I'm aware this is a common gripe so perhaps it goes without saying but there was no reason for routes A/B to be separate. They could have just been condensed into one like routes C/D, and it kind of baffles me that they weren't because it was really well done in C/D. Everything flowed naturally there and didn't feel disjointed, which is really difficult to achieve in an episodic format so I have to give them props for that.

Now, onto what I did like. Like many others, I really enjoyed the music, especially Song Of The Ancients, Voice Of No Return and City Ruins. I'm glad the latter song in particular stood out because it's likely what's you're going to be hearing the most and I've always thought more games should put effort into making the more commonly-heard tracks just as enjoyable as the less frequently-heard ones. Goes to show that more "epic" moments can still have weight and great background music without being overshadowed by other good tracks.

Visually, it's beautiful. I know that the graphics aren't technically as stunning as other games of the time but it still holds up and the game has a very cinematic feel to it without feeling too much like I'm just playing a movie with no immersion. The designs are very striking and distinct despite the main three looking practically identical in terms of their colour palettes. Also, the locations were awesome. I especially loved the amusement park; when I first approached the entrance, I really felt 2B/9S' bewilderment.

As much as I feel like the game doesn't do as much with its message as it could, I will say it isn't afraid to take risks in other areas. Having 2B die halfway through with the bunker gone was a bold choice, so respect. It also isn't afraid to be thought-provoking. With your sense of purpose gone, do you carry on living for yourself or do you seek one out by any means necessary, or do you just give up and die instead? Do you hang on to whatever remaining hope you once had or do you try to find something new to live for? Is it better to die as yourself, trauma and all, or live as an empty shell in the hopes that you'll find some new happiness?

I'm not sure I have too much else to say, which may be a good thing as this review's getting pretty long. In conclusion, it's a good game - good enough for me to play it to the end and enjoy it - and there are definitely people I could recommend it to but it's a bit unpolished and doesn't go quite as far as I'd hoped. If only this had a bit longer to develop, it could have been at least an 8 for me.