Cardinal Cross

It's no secret that I'm a huge sci-fi junkie. Nor is it a secret that there's a distinctive lack of good sci-fi visual novels. Sure, we have a few treasures like [url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/412830/STEINSGATE/]Steins;Gate[/url] and [url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/802890/MuvLuv_Alternative/]Muv-Luv Alternative[/url], but while they’re amazing stories in of themselves, they’re grounded here on earth, and my soul longs for space! Cardinal Cross gives me exactly that, and it's otome to boot! Now, don't get me wrong, it's not a perfect story, and there are some issues with the writing that keep it from charting higher on my top VNs list, but I was entertained enough to be able to look past its deficiencies and truly enjoy what this unpolished diamond has to offer. We follow Lana Brice, a snarky Peon-5 Raider who makes a living scavenging toxified planets for scraps of garbage to sell off to the highest bidder. Her latest haul, however, has drawn interest from an unusual client, a Morai intelligence agent who appears to be conducting the transaction without his government's knowledge. It's not long before she's sucked into a vortex of political intrigue that'll have her questioning her role in an oncoming galactic cataclysm. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1520195292 Yes, Cardinal Cross is pretty much filled with every sci-fi trope in the book: space pirates, androids, artificial intelligence, enhancement implants, surveillance states, government oppression, political intrigue, rebel freedom fighters, trashy backwater planets, bounty hunting badasses, and a premise that’s pretty much Minority Report in space. But I will never criticize a story for not being unique as long as it iterates on an idea enough to keep me entertained. And I can't say I was ever bored in the 12 hours I spent with it. There's a lot to unpack with this world, and like all good sci-fi, you're dropped right into the thick of things. Trying to familiarizing yourself with how the universe works can be a little overwhelming at first, but if you stick with it you'll be duly rewarded. As counter-intuitive as it sounds, I'd almost suggest not reading through the encyclopedia entries for all of the techno jargon; there’s just so much detail in every little thing that their descriptions will likely confuse you more than illuminate. Besides, how many sci-fi shows have an encyclopedia handy while you watch? I found that absorbing things organically as I read was a much more satisfying experience for me. It didn’t take long to understand exactly what a VX Interface is, who Aegis works for, and how Egons infiltrate their targets. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1520773986 An interesting tidbit, there's absolutely no narration in the story. Everything we learn comes from the dialogue and artwork, almost as if we were watching a movie or TV show. And make no mistake; there is no lack of artwork here. With over 70 CGs, nearly every important story point has one or more images to accompany it, not to mention every single character with a spoken line has a sprite. Yes, even the most minor side characters have one. I don’t think I’ve seen another visual novel (high profile or not) with as many character sprites as this one. Unfortunately, since the entire story unfolds via dialogue, that means we’re not privy to Lana’s inner thoughts. I personally don’t have an issue with this, but it may be a turn off for otome fans who are looking for a little more emotional intimacy in the story. Speaking of otome, it's certainly refreshing to have adult relationships that don't constantly revolve around the whole "will she/won't she" romance plots we get in most otoge. Lana isn't shy about the woman she is, and she can give just as well as she takes when it comes to her flirtations with the three romanceable characters. Although it does remove some of the romantic tension that I so love in these stories, it's nice watching two consenting adults actually respond to each other’s advances rather than freak out like high school teenagers. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1523757181 But for as much as I love the story and universe, the VN could sorely use a good proofreading. The dialogue is littered with grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, and it makes things feel sluggish at times. Fortunately, the overall writing is good enough for me to overlook these errors, but I'm positive I'd have enjoyed things SO much more if I didn't keep stumbling over these issues. I also noticed that the frequency of said errors increases during the last few chapters, which leads me to believe that the final layer of polish was probably skipped over in order to rush the title out of Early Access. The story in the last two chapters also feels a bit rushed. Chapter 11 is something of a jumbled mess with how it almost schizophrenically jumps from scene to scene. I realize that there are a lot of plot threads that need to be pulled together to begin wrapping up the story, but there are times where we’re literally with characters for all of 4 or 5 lines of dialogue, and then we’re off to another part of the galaxy for another short conversation before jetting off yet again. As for the Chapter 12 endings, depending on the decisions you made earlier in the game, you either get a somewhat fully fleshed out resolution to the story, or the ending feels rushed and unsatisfying. I really wish I’d just followed a guide on my first play through, as I felt like not going for Egon hard enough screwed me (and not in the good way). And yet despite my gripes, I enjoyed my time in this universe immensely. No, this isn’t going to win any science fiction awards, but if you’re constantly looking for more space-faring adventures in the entertainment you consume, you could do far worse than Cardinal Cross, especially for the price. [code][h1]Curated by: [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/7593237/]Otome Rakuen[/url] & [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/33004802-Chudah%27s-Corner/]Chudah's Corner[/url][/h1][/code]

I've been following ImpQueen, also known as Rinmaru, ever since the days of Ascension, and I have to say - I am absolutely impressed! I only finished my first playthrough, but let me tell you something... If you are looking for an otome game with a strong female protagonist who is not a blank faced, helpless girl - this is the game for you. Lana is a protagonist with her own past and her own personality (that you can influence through choices), she feels real and relatable, she goes through hardships, experiences joy, has her own flaws, like a character and not a puppet with no past or future, her life doesn't revolve around the love interest. The story captivates you from the very first moments, the art looks absolutely gorgeous and the romances flow so naturally. It does not feel like you have to "act" a certain way to get the interest of your favourite boy (or girl!), and the romance scenes don't feel like "rewards" for saying what they want to hear. And I mean it in the best way possible, everything fits so well into the story, doesn't feel overly sweet and mushy and has a healthy dose of angst. At this point, I feel as if calling this an otome game isn't fair. It's a visual novel, a proper, well written novel with romance, and you should absolutely buy it and play it.

Cardinal Cross is a casual science fiction visual novel both developed and published by ImpQueen. Set in the distant future, you're Lana Brice a rookie pilot who makes her living by scavenging and hauling cargo through Moraine space. Life is proceeding normally until Lana's latest "off the books" job with a mysterious new client surprisingly pulls her into a web of political intrigue, questionable motives and life threatening confrontation. Follow her on this daring spacefaring adventure as she and her friends try to solve the mystery behind a huge conspiracy that could affect the lives of everyone everywhere. [h1]PRESENTATION[/h1] Just one look at the spectacular artwork on display here will immediately tell you that the visual presentation of this novel is of the highest quality available. The illustrations are simply gorgeous and wonderfully rendered with fantastic colors and magnificent shading. Like I've mentioned in previous visual novel reviews, I don't care if the artwork is terrible as long as the story is great but if said artwork also happens to be amazing then that's just icing on the cake for me. Also, the immersion factor with this title is quite high as the characters aren't just static 2D images. They don't blink their eyes or move their mouths during dialogue but they do change their body positions as well as facial expressions which really compliments the script as you read along. Add to this the animated sequences, like dust storms rolling by and flickering computer terminals, etc., in many of the backgrounds and locations that you visit and the overall presentation of this visual novel increases substantially. Also, throughout the storyline you'll have to make a number of timed choice decisions which will have an impact on current events, possible romances and the stories ending. Moving on to the aural presentation, Cardinal Crosses soundtrack is wonderful and blends in quite well with the science fiction narrative. There are an abundance of ambient sound effects present which really boosts the V.N.'s immersion factor to an extremely high level. Crowds chattering in the background as you and your people walk around a spaceport, the beeping of computer terminals while you're standing on the bridge of your shuttle...it all sounds marvelous and oh so enveloping. Rounding out the presentation is the inclusion of a codex that details a number of objects, persons and places of interest as well as events that have occured in the Cardinal Cross universe. Speaking as someone who loves to read codex entries in various games I truly liked this unique addition because this is something that you don't usually see included in a visual novel. In short, the developers have put alot of hard work into the presentation of this amazing title and it definitely shows. [h1]CONCLUSION[/h1] I really enjoyed Cardinal Cross with it's highly intriguing futuristic narrative alongside the number of choices that you have to make throughout the storyline and the VERY memorable cast of interesting characters. There's also a nice bit of comic relief thrown in from time to time to break up the tension of the novels often serious natured tone. Overall this is a very solid visual novel experience. As far as options go, there are Steam Achievements and Steam Trading Cards to collect. The novel has the basic settings for sound/music volume, text speed and resolution. You can select whether or not to have a timer on the timed choices as well as an affinity meter for romance options. Also, a C.G. gallery is available for the wonderful artwork that unlocks as the story progresses. In conclusion, if you're looking to go on a great space faring adventure through a wonderfully conceived science fiction universe then Cardinal Cross is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to fans of the visual novel genre!!!

The story was really interesting and unique, exhibiting its own lore. It takes place in a sci-fi setting where all people are connected digitally through implants to their minds. When one first starts playing the game, they might be confused because some characters are addressed by their titles, not their actual names. For instance, Soren is often called "Egon" and Evelyne is referred to as "Pious" which are both titles. A lot of terminology is thrown around, so it's definitely a good idea that they have a codex to reference to whenever the player might be confused about the context of something. Minor complaints: [list] [*] Underdeveloped romances. [*] Wiz wasn't a romance option. She is way too attractive to not be a romance option! Look at her! https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2172556205 [*] A couple of typos. [*] Some cliffhanger endings, which I’m not a fan of. [/list] Bonuses: [list] [*] Some racial diversity. Not as much as there should be, but enough that it isn’t tokenism. [*] One queer romance path. Other queer characters. [*] The player can romance all three romanceable characters in one playthrough. No one gives a sh*t. [*] Lots of beautiful CGs. Probably the most I’ve ever seen in a VN. [*] Several different endings and consequences for choices made. [/list] If you like sci-fi and romance (albeit underdeveloped), then I definitely recommend this VN.

This is the game I've been waiting for. It's like they took the best parts of Battlestar Galactica, Firefly, Mass Effect, and all things cyberpunk and used them to create a universe and story uniquely their own. I knew it would end abruptly (being early access) and before I got halfway through I knew it would [i]hurt[/i] when it did. I was not wrong, but it was worth it. The art is gorgeous, and there are an absolutely absurd amount of CGs compared to most visual novels out there. The timed choices (something you can toggle off) add a tension and a feeling of impending consequences to the game. The romances are beautifully intertwined and add a lot of interest, but don't overwhelm the main plot. The few minor errors are less than I would expect from an early access game and I expect will be tidied up before the finished release. And did I mention the fanservice? It's glorious. Sparkles and speedos, oh my! I didn't expect to laugh so much. I want more than anything to gush endlessly about the plot, but everything I write is so very full of spoilers. Suffice it to say that I am riveted. I can't wait to see what happens next.

I honestly feel like this is one of the best Visual Novels on Steam right now. Up there with [i]Ace Acadamy[/i], this is a VN I'd point out to people who think they are nothing more than gamified Hentai. A really intriguing Science Fiction story, great array of characters and consistent player choices - be it for story pathing or building a personailty for the protagonist (something the majority of VNs leave/miss out). It isn't perfect of course - I had some issues with some of the abusive nature of some characters and how the protagonist seemed to be a bit to 'ok' with it (although the actions made by the characters did have reason and context later on). Also the background SFX loops could sometimes be overbearing, but nothing turning down the volume didn't solve. All-in-all a must buy for VN fans and a great purchase for anyone just wanting a compelling Sci-Fi story. [i]Now if the developers could work alongside Becky Chambers and make a Visual Novelisation of [b]The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet[/b], I will be in VN Heaven![/i]

I can tell that this game is/was a true labor of love for the developer but I just can't reccommend it. I thought that the music and artwork were good and some of the characters were interesting. And there was certainly some kind of a story that the author wanted to tell but I just couldn't get behind it. Most of the characters are somewhat flat. The plot is convoluted and to me, it just wasn't interesting. The UI was clunky which kind of sums up the whole game to me: It's clumsy. I wanted to like this one, but it wasn't my cup of tea.

I wanted to love this game so much, so it's frustrating to write this. I wasn't sure if I was even going to, but I've only seen one other review that matched my concerns, so I decided to just do it. To preface, I've been following Rinmaru and her awesome work for a long time; I loved the Ascension games when they came out and played them a ton. I really admire and respect her goal of creating powerful stories focused on strong female characters, they're definitely needed right now. Cardinal Cross just... didn't hit the mark for me. I'll start with the things I really disliked, and I'll try to be brief. My biggest problem with this game: the characters. For the most part, the story's main characters felt unoriginal and uninspired. If you played Ascension, you've seen these people before. Some of the minor characters were interesting, but being minor they didn't get too much screentime. As for the "hero" Lana, she was boring. She didn't feel like a strong female character. She didn't drive the action. She felt pulled around by every other character for the most part, with only a few moments of true independence. I wish I had liked her, but I didn't. Despite this, I disliked one of the central male characters even more. He physically abuses two of the main female characters during the game, and it just... isn't addressed? At all? The female characters are actually both made to feel like they've done something wrong. I don't mind exploring themes like this in games and other media, but here it's done poorly. This is where the game lost me. From this point on I was just uncomfortable and couldn't shake it. Romanticizing abusive behavior is just awful, and I'm really disappointed about this. Other than that, I can say that the art is pretty good for the most part. The CG's vary wildly in quality, but the character sprites are quite nice to look at. Sci-fi is one of my favorite genres, but the story and world of CC was "meh" for me; not bad, but it definitely didn't feel fully original and unique. The writing is alright as well, nothing glaringly bad, but certainly a few typos and instances of clumsy phrasing here and there. Again, I wish with my whole heart that I had liked this game, but I didn't. I have zero desire to play it again any time soon. Once the full game is released I might give it another shot and update this review. And, obviously, this is just my opinion, not a definitive review in any way. Everyone else seems to be loving this game, maybe I'm crazy, maybe I've just grown out of these types of games, I don't know.

I actually want to start with the conclusion, as I want to be upfront that I truly enjoyed this games and it was a wonderful experience. What I often like about the western type of Visual Novels is that they actually give you choices and narratives branches, not just some eventflags you have to get to date someone or to achieve a specific ending. Cardinal Cross is very good at this, I am not really sure how much the many different reactions your character has actually change the relationships with other people - but like with telltale games it is not about the "metagame" it is how I feel about my character and thats why those mattered alot to me. But I did get someone to trust me even though I kinda always been very against anything they did...but then again that actually could be in their character, not liking people that always agree with you but actually trusting those who would defy you. Personally I used the "telltale" comparison alot when I described this VN to a friend, as it has those big choices every once in a while and the conversation choices with the "Character X is amused" lines at the top. As I enjoy that type of narrative game, this game won me over quickly but it felt like those big choices were very much frontloaded and you will go alot of chapters without making any big choice, besides maybe your romance. It is no big deal though. The problem with any Sci-Fi or Fantasy Novel of this type is always the world building, as you have to create something original, but you also have to be aware that you are not writing a big new book franchise so you should never use to much unfamiliar stuff and rather keep it simple. The world of Cadinal Cross is a bit weird at that, as they will throw alot of words at you for certain things, that seems just unneeded and are only there to make you feel like this is a world different from ours. Also that the Antagonists use their rank instead of their name is really stupid, especially when they also use their names later on...plus most of the ranks are those made up words and even though there is a glossary always available to check it, it seems unnecessary. Also it seems weird that the rank of "Videns" is so much lower than expected with how much power that character in the story holds. But hey it was probably supposed to sound cool, but it could have just been a name and he could have been a captain and everything would be simple...but those are minor flaws in the world building. The rest is easy to understand, easy to get and does not keep you out from the story. The story itself also has some flaws, nothing too big and I never truly was lost about what happened, but at the end it does get quite convoluted with so many layers which are not really all that well explained. The biggest flaw in the game by far are actually the many characters and that the creator really likes to cut away in so many situations. In later chapters you sometimes stay on a conversation for 3-4 sentences, then move on to a differenct scene for a bit of dialogue and then move on to ANOTHER short scene and its is just crazy. Sometimes I really wished the game would have just stayed with Lana and not even shown most of the stuff. Also, especially later, it seems to really skip stuff which might have been because of the ending I was on(Herald) but when I expected a big talk scene at quite a few points the game just blacks away and then tells me what happened. Its never really bad, but it adds up. But the thing that truly makes the game are the Characters. I loved them all, even those I hated. What I mean by that? I hated a certain character alot. Which is why in the end I didnt do what they wanted me to do, because of certain stuff they did in the beginning and for me it was clear that they are the villain of my story, even though there is a potential romance there. But I hated them from the story perspective and not because they were badly written so I enjoyed that alot. Lana herself is quite charming and the other romance choices for example are both so amazingly nice that it was not easy to choose, but I am happy with the conclusion of my journey there. Also all the other characters which are more important are fleshed out, they might be not all that complicated or complex characters - but that is GOOD for a game like this. Keeping it more simple and predictable is not a bad choice as that also allows it to very simply twist it in the right ways when the time comes. The art also is very nicely done, is gorgeous to look at, the characters are very expressive and they all get their special certain feel around. I didnt like the zodiac sign motif from a story perspective, but their art also was often quite well done. Music also always nice and atmospheric, nearly always fitted the scences very well it complimented the reading experience. Overall again: Anyone who likes their Visual Novels with the focus on a story and is up for some Sci-Fi will very much get alot from this game. I was invested from start to finish and it actually takes a bit of time to finish it so you will truly get your moneys worth. Replayability is also there if this is important to certain people, but I overall liked the ending of my story, so even though I will replay the game sometime in the future, I might not even change that much. Very hopeful that we see more from the developer at one point, and while the game does have a sequel hook(atleast in my ending), I am fine with this being the end.

Like many others, I, too, have been following the development of ImpQueen since before her first visual novel. She has come so far over the past few years and I am happy to see that all of her hard work is paying off. That being said, I will try to remain as unbiased as possible to give a fair review for those experiencing ImpQueen's style for the first time. Cardinal Cross is a rich, interesting, and fun-filled tale about a ragtag band of characters who have been thrown together in the most curious of circumstances. You play as Lana Brice, a Raider Scavenger who longs for action and adventure in her life. Along the way, you'll meet other well-developed, dynamic characters such as Egon, Pious, Karel, and Wiz. Each one has a unique story that gives them a rich background and, in some cases, a bit of a dark side. Like games such as Mass Effect, you are given dialogue options and pivotal choices that could affect the route and overall tone that your game takes. It's up to you to decide Lana's personality and her path. Though there are a few small errors here and there, it absolutely does not take away from the extraordinary world that has been created within Cardinal Cross. The artwork is absolutely stunning and some of the stills may have you blushing or perhaps even your heart racing. If you so desire, you can also read in-depth lore and details about the Cardinal Cross universe. If I may make one personal comment, it is that ImpQueen has this uncanny ability to make me giddy and excited unlike any other author/game developer out there. Some of the situations she throws her characters in may be a tad cheesy, but the writing is so fresh and fun that it always leaves me smiling. I cannot wait to see what ImpQueen has in-store for the next few chapters.

I waited for this game with much impatience, and now that the early acces is released, I can only say it was worth every minute of the wait! Here is what I think of it, in case any of you is still pondering whether or not to try this VN. Positive aspects: + Really nice characters sprites, illustrations and backgrounds + Quite a lot of illustrations which nicely emphatise the major scenes and make the experience really dynamic + Interesting lore and story (this is really subjective and I can't say much more without spoiling, sorry...) + Reeeeeaaaly good characters (same, avoiding spoilers here!) + Good rythm Negative aspects : - Lana is a really interesting and nuanced MC, but she seems a bit overshadowed by the other characters; they actually seems to drive the story more than her. - It would be nice to be able to save at the choices screens. I like to test every option available in VN, so having to randomly guess when the next choice will be to save before it is a bit difficult, haha! But those are minor inconveniences and I found myself having a real good time! ^^

I will say first and foremost that this game is gorgeous to look at and it runs very smoothly. I enjoy the choose your own adventure format and I'm at least a little bit curious as to what all the different outcomes are. The romance options are a bit of a hit and miss for me. I liked Pious and Karel but Egon really got on my nerves. I found his behavior to be so unlikeable and downright abusive that I just wanted to spite him at every turn. Which is unfortunate because I get the sense that he's supposed to be the "main" romance option. Even if you don't pursue him, you're going to be spending the most time with him because his role in the story is much bigger than the others. I gotta admit, the writing feels like it's in dire need of an editor. There are a lot of moments where you get bombarded with info dumps and terminologies and I know for a fact that I didn't retain a majority of the exposition that was thrown at me. If you like reading paragraphs about sci-fi lore, this is great for you. I personally feel like a lot of it could have been cut. (seriously, I had no idea what was going on half of the time) That being said I enjoyed the action, humor, and character drama. It's cliched and pretty stock, but I had fun with it. Also thank you Rinmaru for including multiple LGBT characters and including a lesbian romance option. It makes my gay heart sing. Overall Cardinal Cross is a guilty pleasure, but unfortunately I can't really say that it's worth the money. If you want fun cheesy romance with a snarky chosen one and plucky side characters, play Ascension. It's literally the same thing but the story is simpler and it's high fantasy instead of sci-fi.

I found the way characters and game mechanics trivialized physical abuse and abusive behavior to be so off-putting that I had no desire to finish the game. It's a shame, because the game has great art and is otherwise decent.

For generations, humanity amongst the stars has been ruled by one machine that predicts the entire life, actions, and crimes of a person before they are even born. Apheta, an overwhelming, omnipotent AI overseen and kept by the wealthiest and most powerful among the Morai planet and government, has only one weakness. Howler Artifacts; priceless relics of a bygone age made of extinct materials that are so unpredictable they cause a glitch in Apheta’s systems, and one is in the unknowing hands of Lana Brice, a scavenger and procurer of valuable ancient items through not-always-legitimate-sources. Born on Peon-5, Lana’s latest haul from a toxic swamp has drawn a noticeable amount of interest from an anonymous client and gets her wrapped up in more red tape, political plots, and rebel dreams than a small-planet girl could ever wish for. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3221746591 9-18 hours to complete, Cardinal Cross is an LGBTQ+ space-themed sci-fi fantasy VN with multiple endings and three personality choices for Lana as you play. 3 romance routes, over 70 CGs, and no voice acting. Heavy on world building, there is more lore than action. Exceptionally well written, there are only a handful of spelling errors with more as the game progresses. While Cardinal Cross isn’t a bad VN, far from it, I will mention a few complaints. The game speeds up considerably when you get in the last two chapters, to the point you are teleporting from place to place which is drastically different pacing from the start of the novel. More endings are bad than good, and the plot gets pretty convoluted. Despite leaving Early Access a bit too early, it’s a solid VN I recommend If you’re really into sci-fi. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3221748300

As someone who detests nearly everything the visual novel genre has to offer, Cardinal Cross came as a most welcome and pleasant surprise. There are no VN tropes here. Instead, we are presented with a dramatic sci-fi story of immense scale, filled with dozens of characters interwoven in carefully crafted storylines. The sheer scale of the game and the effort that went into worldbuilding is extraordinary. From the opening minutes, you are introduced to a barrage of terminology, helpfully indexed and catalogued by a well designed glossary system. It might seem overwhelming at first, but soon, something clicks and the game pulls you in. What follows is an intricate story of right and wrong, power and oppression, morality and pragmatism. You play as Lana Brice, seemingly nobody in the grand scheme of things, who finds herself thrown into the midst of a conspiracy of galactic proportions. As it becomes apparent early on, you are asked to make decisions based on your own morality that will shape Lana's attitude, her decisions and the resulting eventualities. I went into this game expecting a basic good vs evil, paragon vs renegade system à la Mass Effect, but Cardinal Cross is smarter than that. In this world, everyone is varying shades of grey - there are no white knights coming to rescue the galaxy from the evil overlord. You might think "this is clearly the right thing to do" in the earlier chapters and later on struggle to justify it. I cannot emphasize how smart the writing is, it's a pleasure to read. Looking beyond the words, the artwork deserves praise as well. Everything in Cardinal Cross is gorgeous to look at - the UI, backgrounds, character sprites and CGs are all [i]brilliant[/i]! When it comes to music, however, I found it somewhat lacking. Vast stretches of story go by in absolute silence and some low-key background music would have been nice. Overall, this has been one of my favourite games so far this year. If you have any interest in a great sci-fi story, I strongly recommend giving Cardinal Cross your full attention. -- [spoiler]There is a tiny, [i]tiny[/i] bit of romance in the game but it's completely optional and inconsequential to the story. As I said, there are no VN tropes here.[/spoiler]

I am so glad I bought this game during Early Access (although I have never been a fan of EA) because I completely fell in love with the story and the characters. This VN is sweet, exciting, intelligent and incredibly funny. I did not expect to laugh so much. The main character Lana is amazing and I love her personality. Finally an independant woman who stands on her own two feet and can make her own decisions. She feels very real and it was so easy for me to immerse into her story. The romance in the story just flows in with everything else and I love the fact that the story would work even without it - the game isn't centered around the romance part. The writing is really good and feels like an actual novel. The story and the whole feel of this game reminded me a lot of the Bioware games (Dragon Age, Mass Effect) - You have an amazing MC whose personality you shape and throughout the story you gather your group of misfits and go on an adventure. I mean this as a big compliment since I'm a big fan of Bioware stories and relationships so this VN is perfect for me! The art is absolutely gorgeous and I can't wait to see more in the full version. In short: Go buy this game! You won't regret it.

Cardinal Cross was a better game than i thought it would be, although it has some flaws. The good news is that it's a solid sci-fi with a plot that feels fresh. Although it has spaceships and rebels and royals and all the usual space opera trappings, it manages to tell a story that doesn't feel like it's been done before. The plot is convoluted and drags in the middle, but it was interesting enough i wanted to see how it played out - even though my choices ended up in the "preserve the status quo" option. The most unfortunate part of the game, for me, is that one of the main characters is essentially a serial rapist - or at the very least a sadistic torturer - and you are forced to stick with this guy and follow his whims right up until the last chapter when you can finally tell him to fuck off. It's really jarring to spend most of the story reading all these cheerful interactions with a psychopath who attacked and abused half the cast. I don't buy it, and that makes all the other characters feel like cardboard cut-outs too. A smaller down-side is that this game follows the philosophy of pick a reaction based on one or two words, then after you click it turns out what you said was something totally different from what you thought was going to get said. You can reload a save and try again, but it's annoying that the characterization isn't good enough that you know what to expect from a choice between friendly, cheeky and antagonistic. I suspect a big part of that might be related to the storyline that railroads you into following the aforementioned psychopath, so regardless of what personality you choose you aren't going to change the actual result. All that said, it was a fun ride. The graphics are excellent. The music is cool until the second half of the game where - bizarrely - it disappears. The romance options are kind of cute. Normally i don't like romance in games because it feels contrived, but i let myself get taken in by this one. It was a sweet sort of opposites attract thingy. Didn't feel cheap. Didn't detract from the story. I still got to not save the universe. I just zoomed around in my spaceship, talked to some people, saved a few lives and that was that. So yeah, Cardinal Cross. Not great. But pretty good.

You can make choices that impact the story. I have always enjoyed the stories this creator makes. It's a lot of fun getting to know the characters. I like the game. I can't wait to see what more will be created. I've followed this creator for a while online with some of their older stories and games.

I don't think I have the words to explain how good this game is, but I'll try, for those wondering if it's worth the money. It is. It absolutely is. I played it just picking whichever options I liked the most the first time through, and I recommend that to get used to the world and the story and the characters. Then I tried one of the romance options. And it was beautiful. It added a whole new depth to the story, and fully made me cry. The story itself is clever, it hooks you in and never lets go. The characters are well fleshed out, and routinely do things you might not expect, or behave in their own ways rather than as just followers for the main character. Lana is exceptionally well fleshed out, realistic and both funny and relatable. The world is interesting and well designed, with well thought out history and culture. What really sold me on this was the characters. The good old found family trope means nothing if you don't love the cast of characters. And these characters made this story amazing. So take the risk, buy the game and have a wonderful journey. And when it's over, head over to the gallery for the beautiful drawings of the most emotional moments from the story, I have already got like ten of them saved for screensavers.

Honestly I'd tell people to go for it, try this game out, that it's worth it. But I did go through the reviews and I gotta agree with some of them - especially those concerning Egon. And his one scene with Lana where things went south. Rin, listen, I love your games and you have immense talent for storytelling, and I support the hell out of you and your work, but... how come nobody addressed his awful behavior and just glossed over it? Other than that - love the art, the soundtracks, the CGs; looking forward to the full release!

I fell in love with Impqueen's (known as Rinmaru on the website it was on) first visual novels, Ascension. When I found this, I was freaking thrilled. So far, I love it. Lana is a great main character, strong and fierce but not a jerk like you find in so many stories nowadays. As an aspiring author myself, I admire Impqueen's writing abilities and creativity. Keep it up! You have a longtime fan here.

Simply put, this is a Diamond in the rough. What seems like a typical VN is something so much more, so detailed, so deep. Whether you'll like the lore of this universe, it is unquestionable a lot of thought was put into this and that "thought" really creates a rich, easy to love universe that one can't help but want to get lost in. If i would to compare this to something recent, it's like Mass Effect, but in VN form without all the BS. My only complaint is that I wish there were more love interests but other than that, i'm glad I gave this the time. I think if you give it the time you will not be disappointed, especially if you love good Sci-Fi, rich lore, and good writing. Please ImpQueen, keep delivering this quality in your next title and i will be first to hand you more money.

This is a well written visual novel. Haven't reached the end yet, but I am hooked. The graphics/art is well done helping you get gripped into the story. Worth playing.

So Far I love it! It has a great story so far from what I've played and I'm love with all the different personalities. The only problem I had was trying to save my game and It wouldn't let me so I had to start from the beginning of chapter 2 again. Also as some personal feedback from a visual novel lover, I got slightly bored during the long conversations but I enjoyed what I learned about the lore. The backstory to this is so creative and imaginative. Another reason why I recommend this is because of the lore and stories behind each character. The stories perfectly show why the characters have certain personality traits and I really love that aspect of the game. I'm glad I tried this game out! EDIT: Hey Rin! Game wouldn't save halfway through Chapter 5. Tried saving but when I clicked on it the game just crashed and I had to restart it. Hope this helps

Well, the game is done good enough: various backgrounds, wide range of sprites, a lot of CG, adjustable text size, and I hadn't any technical issues while playing. However that's ... all. Music is nice, but not catching, sometimes CGs feel like depicting some other characters rather than sprites, and the writing is plain. And, for me, text and plot is the reason game is boring. It consists of just dialogs that are mainly factual and serve only to drive the plot. So that results in, first, quite schematical characters to whom I didn't manage to get any attached, second, lack of depth in relations between characters. And romance options, in their turn, give out the impression that they are put into just because of "it has to be in such game, so we added it". Another question is choices. Yes, there are a lot of them, and that should be a good thing, yet they are posed with uncomfortable irregularity - in one part of scenes you have to make them after a couple of sentences and it seems pointless and annoying, other part goes without any of them for a long time. So, I couldn't say that it is completely unplayable game, but I didn't get much pleasure from it. Игра достаточно хорошо сделана: разнообразные фоны и спрайты, очень много иллюстраций, можно настроить размер текста, и технических проблем во время прохождения у меня не возникло. Но на этом... все. Музыка хоть и приятная, но не запоминающаяся, иногда кажется, что на иллюстрациях изображены совсем не те персонажи, что на спрайтах, а текст не отличается живостью. И, по моему мнению, именно текст и является причиной, по которой игра скучна. В игре одни только диалоги, в основном призванные изложить факты, необходимые для развития сюжета. И это выливается, во-первых, в то, что персонажи довольно схематичны, и мне так и не удалось хоть в какой-то мере привязаться к ним, а во-вторых, в отсутствие какой-либо глубины в их взаимоотношениях. И складывается впечатление, что романтические отношения вставлены только потому, что "они должны быть в подобных играх, вот мы их и добавили". Еще одна проблема - это опции выбора. Да, их в игре много, и вроде бы это должно быть хорошо, однако же расположены они довольно нерегулярно - в части сцен нужно выбирать вариант едва ли не после каждой пары предложений, что раздражает, в другой выбор отсутствует в течение долгого времени. Не могу сказать, что в эту игру совершенно невозможно играть, но и особого удовольствия она мне не доставила.

Really good vn, worth the price. Even without the romance aspect, the story is solid and interesting. The CGs are really beautiful too. Though one down side is no Wiz romance, i would have liked to see that. Anyway, Pious best girl.

I liked this VN for the most part: the setting, lore, art, and characters. I appreciate that the author took the time to think about the history, economy, and even the linguistics of this setting. I didn't care as much for the overly convoluted plot points, vague antagonist, and long or pointless conversations between lesser characters. I struggled to get through it near the end, watching videns give the ensign orders, director give adepts orders, characters explain things for the umpteenth time and it still makes no sense, side characters doing side character stuff and then falling off the plot completely. Nevertheless, it kept my attention for a long time, and I would play a sequel.

Very much recommended if you like visual novels and like sci-fi. That said there were a couple of totally opaque coin-toss choices i could not make a reasonably educated guess on - but overall a great story i enjoyed even with my pretty high, A.Reynolds and P.Hamilton fan, standards.

Give this little indie gem a try! If you've played "Ascension" by Rinmaru in the ye' olde days of free browser games, you'll LOVE this! (I'm looking at you, older gen z and young millennials ) I only wish it was longer, as the ending felt rushed, but maybe it was to set up the next game? (Damn you for the cliffhanger!!!) It was all in all a great ride!

The lack of good Sci-Fi stories that take place in outer space is sad, and mostly because there's so much potential for it. You have bigger sci-fi worlds that are, for the most part, simplistic but explored through expanded universe content, such was Warhammer 40K and Star Wars, and you have smaller sci-fi world masters like Bladerunner, Ghost in the Shell, and 2001 Space Odyssey. Very few sci-fi stories actually take the stage into space, and to such a grand scale. I believe the term is 'space opera'. Star Wars is referenced as being this but I never felt that Star Wars lived up to that name. I think a series better fitting that genre title is Mass Effect, and that's exactly the vibes I got from this visual novel. Not quite to the grand scale that Mass Effect as a series managed to accomplish but this visual novel definitely mimics some of tropes and themes that Mass Effect ultimately ended up being about. Specifically, what if our society was entirely dependent on an ancient technology that we don't understand nor can control? In this game, this idea comes in the form of a giant machine that can predict future events, the future of people and locations, and is used to prevents future crimes, wars, etc. However, what if that same power wasn't used in the name of good? This game's story was great. Sci-fi can usually be pretty hit or miss, but sci-fi has a trend of having these advanced civilisations hundreds and hundreds of years into the future, being just as flawed as our modern civilisations, plus a philosophical/ethical question about ideologies that seems to be timeless. This game's story is based around that, and I really loved it. I won't say it's perfect, but it was done well enough that each side wasn't just "good" or "bad". It actually felt like there were genuine ideals that each character stands behind. On a bigger scale, this VN could go a lot deeper and be a lot better, but for what you get in about 8~ hours, it's pretty good. So, I won't jerk its horn, so to speak, but it gives me good memories of other sci-fi stories that have great world building and pacing. This game had both, in my opinion. It doesn't just take place on a single ship. You travel throughout different areas and you get to see a little bit of each area and get a little information of each area and its inhabitants. Art style is amazing. I don't know how long it took them to do it but I love it. Whether not people like to admit it, humans are inherently aesthetic and this game's art looks fucking pretty, especially the characters. The music is kinda eh, but I guess didn't bother me at all, so it's not a negative. It melted into the background but I never really noticed it except for like one track that I can't pin the tune. I got this game for 6.74 or so and it's a steal at that price. Most VNs of this length would go for twice or triple that price, but its base price of 13.49 is even pretty modest. I would definitely suggest this game if you like VNs. Maybe kill an afternoon or a weekend blasting through this game. Mass Effect still has one of the biggest space opera worlds I've ever experienced however and yes, I am shamelessly tooting its horn in this review. Mass Effect 10/10 This game 7/10 it's okay

A quite good visual novel, with an interesting story and a good choice system. It's not the best on the market, and considering the sheer number of VNs out there it's probably not your first pick, but if you're looking for something decent, short and out there, you'll want to try this one out.

An excellent sci-fi visual novel with plenty of endings and an intriguing storyline with choices set up like Dragon Age 2 "tones". One of the best I have ever played, considering romance wasn't its main focus. The endings are fairly open, in terms of a possible sequel as well. Yes, it could have benefited from a few more choices/player agency, as well as a renameable player character however. Hopefully the dev takes this to heart in their future endeavours.

Interesting story, good replayabilty, nice cgs, some mild romance moments {don't recommend playing just for romance or you will be disappointed}. Played 13hrs and completed all achievements - so it's not a long VN but was enjoyable and I liked the MC. It was clear thought had gone into creating her personality! Would have loved for this to be longer and have more developed relationships between the characters but for it's length - it was a fun journey. Some great humorous moments - the outfits were great!

Is it a perfect VN? Nah, but it does at least try. The story is mostly pulled off well, with only a few hitches. The good: 1. Choices are impactful. While sometimes the execution is a bit obvious, there are other choices that come into play well past when you expect them to, which shows that this is a planned and well-executed story. 2. The story is believable, for the vast majority of the entire VN. There aren't many places where you go "Yeah but is that really how it would go?" I like this story a lot. The mixed: 1. Some endings feel like they were missing a final scene. In particular, when you go with you-know-who to you-know-which-station to end you-know-what. Some execution was clumsy and felt either rushed or incomplete. 2. I just really didn't like one character in particular. This isn't a personal gripe, it's just the way they're presented. You're told they used to be a friend, but everything they do suggests otherwise until the game kind of forces you to like them in the choices you're given. I think a change in the way they're presented would do them favours. Summary: Very good VN with some clumsy elements, but an overall incredibly enjoyable experience.

It's nothing exceptional, but the writing is strong. It does tend to wax poetic and jump around more than I'd like, but it's good English and the author did put some thought into developing their world and its characters. If you're going into this with an eye on the romance aspect, don't expect much. It's T rated, or even G. We get a smooch, or, at least, that's all I could find on the yuri path. It's got some cute, old-married-couple dialogue, but any sort of deep delve into their romantic life is not there. Visually, it's not very exciting, but it gets the job done. It's the standard two models on the screen bouncing highlights back and forth the whole way through. The art is pretty good to look at and at least it's consistent, so I can't complain too much. The strong point of the game is the dialogue choice system. There's quite a bit of RP value to be had which, I imagine, could lend itself to replay value if you care to re-experience the story with a different alignment. All told, this was a story I don't regret reading, but I think I'm perfectly happy with a single playthrough. Visuals: 7/10 Sound: 3/10 Writing: 8/10 Lewds: 3/10

To Rinmaru fans that are lovers of Ascension and other works I def say check this out. its nostalgic to me who was loving every second of playing the simulation game with Aida and her love triangle...square? lol, either way I hella missed the sassy responses from Aida, the push and pull of the romantic interactions with those love interests, ESPECIALLY zander honestly, but i made sure to try all the routs i had the chance to before she shut her website down. i was very sad when i could not play anymore and still look for ways to find an avenue to play the original again but holly cow is CC so much more advanced in details! I love it!! I cannot wait to be able to be a patreon member of hers to view and play more <3 Go ImpQueen! Go Rinmaru! Long time fan here (I'm 24 years old and have three kids but have been a fan since i was in school)

Amazing graphic novel!! story is really interesting! and the romance options are on point, my favourite was with Egon, it fits beautifully with the main story! precious! amazing art!

I really enjoyed this game! I was very into the lore/world and I loved a lot of the characters. I played through without spoilers the first time, was wrecked beautifully by the ending I got; then I played through again later with some spoilers, got a better (in my opinion ending), and truly enjoyed the experience!

Non Spoiler Game Play Recommendation for First Time Players: I recommend turning off the affinity notifications for the first play through. This way I was able answer based on what I actually wanted to say and not have to be so worried about each characters affinity reactions Review: This was an awesome experience. It gave the feel of the original mass effect trilogy (which is one of my favorite series) in visual novel format. There were at least 100+ dialogue choices, with each compounding to affect how other characters viewed you, how it locked and unlocked different story paths based on who trusts you and who doesn't, it determines who lives and who dies, and of course which ending and final climax you get not only based on what your character chose to try and do, but what the butterfly effect of all your games choices allowed to happen. Overall the game felt very well planned out and that a lot of effort was put into it. It was very nice to know that every single choice mattered, and it was cool to see characters referencing past choices by making little comments here and there. It made you feel so much more involved in the story instead of just being along for the ride. Even the romance options, which were all kinda jerks in their own ways, were flushed out so well that you sympathized with them and understood their sometimes jerk-like actions. But even if you disliked the romance options as romance options, the story is still great even without any romance or flirty choices, and the romance options were still enjoyable characters as just crew mates. However, my one and only minor criticism lies with the romance routes, particularly if your try and romance more than one. I kept expecting one of them to comment on the fact that I was essentially sleeping with all three of them at the same time (Don't judge, I was testing the waters with each romance route, I didn't expect it to let all three go at the same time). But no one ever said anything about it, which was kinda weird, especially at one point where the female option (I'm using this way of saying it cus I was kinda surprised who it was cus I thought it was going to be someone else) was becoming interested in me and asked the 2nd male option if we were together together, to which he replied something along the lines of "I don't know, we slept together once and haven't really talked about it, why?", "I think shes cute", (again these are the lines that I remember they aren't 100% line for line). But after this convo none of the romantic options ever talk to each other about any romance stuff ever again. Even the other characters don't mention anything outside of the one comment about all 3 being outside my bedroom door and me having to chose who I wanted to see that night. It would have been nice to some reaction to all of this, even it was just to briefly acknowledge it. But again this is just a minor criticism to an overall fantastic story and game. Overall, It was so good that I almost want to replay just to see the other endings, but I got IMO the best ending with everyone surviving on my first play through, and I don't have the heart to ruin it. :)

Love this game. Really REALLY LOVE THIS GAME. beautiful art, funny interactions btw character. At first, I felt a bit overwhelmed by all new info/lore/politic/etc it threw in my face(especially when you are the type of person...you know, who has to root everything, go to every possible corner to clear the entire surface of the map, read all the codex, ...etc) BUT, its engaging enough to keep you on board....and then you will find yourself in the middle of Raider territory with the crew in no time. Every important scene has a CG, and its not necessarily romantic scene CG. Which I feel is rare in otome games nowadays. and I super appreciate it! This really helps you immerse in the story. Aaand it has beautiful art. did I mention that already?

I love love this game! Even though I only played through once it was totally worth it! Immersive world, consistent and amazing lore, great characters! The art is amazing and the choices are very plot heavy that helps a lot to understand how intense the situation is. I know I've said this to Rin already but well done! I loved it and would HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who wants a scifi cyberpunk spunky VN that's choice heavy and comes with consequences! Well done!

A pleasant and fun game with good art and A LOT of choices. Most of them are fairly small, yet it's always pleasant to break up monotony of a visual novel with tone setting choices. A lot of smaller choices still have pay offs and your relationships to characters matter in the long run. A sequel would be not out of place, but the game stands very well on its own as well.

Very interesting story line, I really enjoyed it! Thank you for creating this game and putting in so much effort. I loved that there were three romantic choices as well. I will definitely be playing again to find out what other endings there are. Great game!

+ Lots of dialogue choices and branching storylines with vastly different endings (I particularly enjoyed all the sarcastic options) + High production value; lots of varied high quality art, good music, and detailed menus. + Fun/interesting main characters. Side characters are a mixed bunch. - Pacing is a bit all over the place and sometimes I found myself just skipping through entire sections. - Too much lore and too many characters for a single novel (enough for a trilogy). It's best to start simple and gradually get more complex / introduce more concepts. - Text box is too wide; means you're looking more at the text rather than the art. It's like reading an ultra-wide document. Text should be centered with more lines instead of longer ones for easy/quick reading, as detailed here: https://baymard.com/blog/line-length-readability

This is one of the best games I've played in a while. The characters are very interesting and well-crafted, and even characters that I was wary of at first (Kieran mostly) I ended up being very invested in. The characters all have interesting and heartbreaking motivations that I sympathized with. It didn't hurt that many of them were simply gorgeous, either. The worldbuilding was simply wonderful. I could really feel the struggle and pain of the Raider planets and the corruption in Moirai. I also really enjoyed the implant junkie aspect of it; Egon especially but Atheer as well were both incredibly creepy when they CrossConnected into other people's brains. Especially that scene with Kieran -shivers- I loved all the characters but I'd have to say that Lana, Pious, Egon, and Wiz were my favorite main characters- Pisces was my favorite secondary character. Didn't hurt that they were all super hot. Lovely lovely work. I played the ascension games a while ago and there was true potential there; this game fulfilled my expectations of the dev's potential and more. I'm looking forward to future games by the developer and I can't wait for the final version of this game. Absolutely wonderful, I'm recommending it to everyone I know.

Cardinal Cross is a great visual novel. I am actually not a fan of sci-fi, but I still loved it. The plot is intriguing and makes you want to read more. The world building is genuinely interesting. The characters are hilarious and each one of them has their own unique personality. The female protagonist is strong, but not a Mary Sue. She has her own flaws and feels like a real person. The art looks nice and there are many, many gcs, you can actually see that the creator put a lot of work into it. You can choose to romance 2 male and 1 female characters, but I would say that romance is only a very small part of the game, which is more story based. You could remove the romance all together and it would still be good. My personal favorite of the romantic interests is Karel, the handsome professor. There were some things I didn't like about the game. There was a scene where I felt that one of the characters acted very out of character. I think those who have played this will immediately understand what I'm talking about. However, overall there are more positives than negatives to this game. I would definitely recommend this game to all visual novel fans and I already wish for a Cardinal Cross 2.

Cardinal Cross was a fantastic visual novel. It had a great story, good art and a good soundtrack. It felt like a more mature VN than many can be. It focused more on characters and story than nudity and sex although the sex is there if you want it. It uses the Ren’Py engine but looked far different than any other VN I have played that I thought the developer had created their own engine. The game allows manual saving and has plenty of slots to use which is great. The great story praise I gave earlier does come with one caveat which is that they went a little off rails near the end and seemed to cram too many plot twists into the story that it just felt a little implausible. It didn’t hurt the enjoyment and I still say it has far more depth than most VN’s do. One issue I had was that the menus seemed a tad laggy when you click on any part of them. Sometimes took more than one click or other times just took what felt like a second or two longer to load than it should have. I don’t usually have this issue with Ren’Py games. Overall I would advise anyone who enjoys visual novels, especially science fiction ones to give the demo a try. The game itself took me 8 hours to finish my first playthrough which felt like a great length given the depth of the story. It didn’t drag on or race to the end. There are still other endings I can go back to do. Voice acting would have been nice but i’m not deducting marks for that as not many visual novels have it and I would rather no voice acting than bad voice acting. The game didn’t crash once on me and I didn’t notice any spelling errors. I played on Linux. I paid $13.49 CAD for Cardinal Cross and it was well worth that price, i’d even have paid a higher price if need be. My Score: 9/10

Seeing how this is my first time making a review on here, to anyone reading this I'm sorry if I've missed out on some key aspects. After playing through the game a few times, choosing different dialogue options and seeing how the characters interact with each other I've got to say I'm exceptionally pleased with this VN. There are a lot of CGs which are drawn remarkably well, the sprites themselves being very pretty, not to mention, every character with any semblance of a line has a sprite in this game which earns bonus points from me, not a lot of VNs make sprites for each background character. The universe that the game has created can be a little bit confusing at first when you first open up the Codex entries to get more information about it but once you get used to the terms and the environment the game places the player in - you're in for a ride. I think whenever anyone buys or is looking to buy a new VN, they usually look for either good plot or good character personalities and immersiveness, this game brings both! I'm not going to sugarcoat it and say each character is likeable but they all have their own roles to fullfill in the story and it makes the immersiveness that much better. One of its core aspects has to be the ability to influence the protagonist/player and build them up as a character through the choices presented. From witty and sarcastic, maybe with a bit of snark on the side - to generally a goody-two-shoes or at least the closest you could get to that idea - and even a rather loathsome and rather furious at the world for most things kind of player, too. This 3 type persona system might remind anyone out there of games like Mass Effect and Dragon Age in a way, which I personally thought was great. I'm looking forward to seeing how the plot thickens once the entire game is out, seeing how the characters develop as well as seeing the results and consequences of my choices in the ending; oh, and of course, really enjoyed the romance options and looking forward to seeing them continue in the final version of this game. *Edit: After playing through the entirety of the game, I stand by and say that the game is beautiful, the CGs are wonderful and the story is amazing. Worth the money.

I recommend this for the story, the relateable fixed protaganist, but not the romances or the price to read ratio. On sale for $12 and only got 9 hours of reading out of it. and I even left it on a couple times while I took phone calls so... Additionally, dialogue changes very little of anything, and there really isn't much branching until the very very end. You know where the skip button is. Why do I not recommend the romances, which is probably why you were going to buy this in the first place, so it's a big deal. Non spoiler: there is Love interest abuse towards MC from both men. One is unforgivable and the other just soured the relationship. LUCKILY, you can end the game solo! I vote for that. Spoiler: LI 1: So like, mind raping is a thing in this game. And he attempts to do it to MC. There is literally nothing that can excuse that unless you were literally enemies trying to actively kill each other. He knows why you did what you did, it's a rational reason, and he it just too morally bankrupt to see any issue with doing it it to you to blow off some steam. Maybe I could have let it slide, but he literally sounds like a psychopath as he comments on how much pleasure he's getting from seeing you cry. W.T.F. Their little Apology banter later does not even come close to covering what he attempted to do. It's literally body violation, it is mental rape. I'll pepper on another W.T.F. LI 2: there is this long conversation you can have with your sis where you get onto her for dating a Morai where she implies that the Morai fiance is never not going to think he's slumming by marrying her. Its like the writer wanted to drive this home by representing this exact scenario in the romance with K. He tells you you look terrible, and then tries to white knight it later, only to make you a different kind of fool. Not into women, so didn't do the third romance. But the plot was super interesting. Just won't reccommend abusive digital boyfriends.

I loved this game so much! All the characters are very loveable! Even the main character was just so wonderful, she's very strong in personality and I had a fun time playing as her. I enjoyed the story and the setting too. This is definitely one of my favorite VNs now.