its fun and quirky simulation. The art style is charming, and the mechanics of managing your own game studio are enjoyable, though the pacing can feel a bit slow at times. It’s a great choice if you enjoy casual management games, but don’t expect complex mechanics. For those interested in the world of game development, it’s a lighthearted and accessible experience. :))

OMG, I did not see that ending coming. I could compare it in some aspects to another greatly popular game I've played, but I won't, because it would give too much away if I made the comparison. There's a good deal of content here, enough to keep me playing for over a dozen hours. The game plays much like a visual novel. There are portions where you can walk your little avatar around the area, or use a map to get around quickly, and I found it more convenient and expedient to use the map.

I enjoy games where the main character builds relationships with other characters, and that's what drew me to play this game. The main story line in the game is all about creating a video game with four fellow high school students as part of a game development club. Each of the others in the club have a particular role (Art, Music, Design, or Programming), and it falls to you to help whoever needs it the most at any given time. Play is broken into time slots within days of the week. You get to choose where to focus your efforts within free time slots, while other time slots are fixed with regards to certain main events, though even within those fixed events there's plenty of freedom to make choices.

Quizzes pop up in the game on a regular basis, and the answers typically deal with one of the four game dev stats you're so keen on raising (Art, Music, Design, and Programming). Correct answers increase related stats. If you know the correct answers from your real-life experience, then great. Otherwise, you can pause the game to do a web search and likely determine the right answers. In this regard, the game becomes an educational opportunity, something I've rarely seen to this extent in other video games I've played.

Mi♥♥♥ames pop up on occasion, and doing well at these can also increase your game dev stats. Some of them are timed, and the quicker you finish the mi♥♥♥ame, the more the associated game dev stat increases. I did decently well on most of them, but sometimes only got the minimum amount of points available. Save the game before playing a mi♥♥♥ame so you can try again if necessary.

Nearly every in-game Friday, you're asked to have one or two game dev stats at some minimum level. I always managed to do pass the check, so I'm not sure what happens if you don't. As long as you put in the effort and do decently well on quizzes and mi♥♥♥ames, you should make the Friday checks. Toward the end of the game, I had a close call, but still made it.

The humor in the game had me laughing more than any other game I've played recently. You may need to know certain things to get the jokes, and it might help to be a game dev or at least an aspiring one yourself to get all the humor. But if you get it, it's great. If you don't get the in jokes, there's still plenty of other humorous moments. The banter between the characters is awesome, and all dialogue is well-written. It was a pleasure to read it, and a welcome change from so many other visual novels where the English is translated from some other language.

This is Act 1 of the game, with a promise of a continuation. Act 1 ends on such a cliffhanger, especially given how the game starts. When you start a new game, pay attention to the week number and who you're talking to. That's all I'm saying about it here.

Pretty much every named non-player character in the game has a relationship stat which you raise by interacting with that character. As the stats reach certain levels, you can get new stories unlocked for that character. While playing Act 1, I unlocked several stories, but there were many that I didn't have a chance to actually open and play. I'm assuming I'll get the chance to continue open and play the unplayed stories once Act 2 is released. Even if that's not the case, the missed stories could be played during another playthrough, which increases the replayability of the game. A skip feature is implemented to help with replaying the game.

The game includes background music and sound effects. I typically turn off background music in a game and listen instead to music from a paid streaming service. That's just how I operate, unless a game's music is so integral to the experience that I'm compelled to listen, and that wasn't the case here except for a couple of places in the story. So I won't comment on the music in this game, even though my Music score at the end of the game was higher than any of the other game dev stats. I did keep sound effects turned on, and those included in the game helped with immersion. I really liked the ocean waves.

Sometimes the character sprites or background images were displayed at times or in ways that didn't quite match what I was reading, causing minor breaks in immersion. Also, I don't remember seeing (m)any CGs or animated cutscenes, and having a few of those strategically placed in the game would have been nice.

Some scenes have characters in skimpy swimsuits, but there's no nudity as such. The game doesn't have mature content per se, but there is some colorful dialogue that parents might not want younger children reading. This game really isn't intended for kids anyway.

I thoroughly enjoyed this game, and will be among the first to buy and play Act 2 when it's released. I'm more than ready to see where this game goes from the twisted ending of Act 1. For me, the game rates 9/10. Throw in some CGs and/or animated cutscenes, and maybe I'd give it 10/10.

I LOVE THIS GAME SO MUCH, THE DEVS BETTER MAKE ACT 2 :c