Aleyna Akyuz

Oh, boy... how do I start? I played the demo of this game on Steam first to see for myself if it was worth playing. And it got me hooked, I wanted to see more. However. Starting off bluntly, no, this game is nothing like DDLC, so if you're a DDLC fan who wanted to give this game a chance with high expectations because of the eye-catching Youtube titles and raving reviews on Tiktok, you're likely going to be disappointed. Sure, there are a few actual fourth wall breaking moments and psychological horror elements to the game, as well as some notable similarities between Mita and Monika, but other than that, I'd say that 90% of the game is purely just a walking and running simulator. No, running away from enemies (which is what you are required to do majority of the game) is not psychological horror, it only ever gave me anxiety. Every time I saw the 'Press shift to run' pop up, my eyes would roll to the back of my head, followed by a loud, frustrated "again?" groan. The most fearful reaction this game ever got out of me was a slight heart leap and an intake of breath from those 'jumpscares'. The story was okay. It's not horrifically bad, but nothing revolutionary either. Sure, the ending was a surprise, but not satisfying. The most I said was "Oh, she really just did that? Game over? Okay, cool." I didn't close my laptop and stare at the wall for hours contemplating what I just played with several unanswered questions and wanting to know more, like a generally outstanding game would make you feel. It was a forgettable experience with no replay factor, other than to see what the other endings might be out of curiosity, but I would rather watch those on Youtube instead than go through those awfully groan inducing running levels again. I didn't quite understand the point of one particularly 'sexual' scene, or the strange physics of Mita's skirt whenever she's walking or going to sit down, if you know, you know. Most likely added fan service to get the teenage boys excited. I mean, there's 100k positive reviews on Steam, so I guess it worked. Was also annoyed by the painfully slow text as well, but maybe that's just the fast reader in me. The word aggressive was also spelt wrong, and there are some sentences that don't make sense. I understand if English isn't the devs first language, though I would expect the dialogue to at least be proofread. Now, what I DID like about the game were the stunningly ethereal graphics, the gorgeous character designs, the colours, the colours, the COLOURS. The easy and convenient layout of Mita's house, the enjoyable mini games, being able to ask questions, even if they were limited. And minus the unnecessary 'sexual' parts, Mita is actually a well written character. That's all I can remember, really. Overall, the best way to describe this game is... mediocre. Not too bad, not amazing, just alright. Was it worth paying $20 AUD on Steam? No, not really. That might be on me for having high expectations.