Circumstantial Criteria

I find the dialog in this VN to be quite stilted. As I went through the current (quite early) version of this story, I gradually got the feeling I was looking at an Ingmar Bergman film, with all the characters interacting stiffly and no one being at all at ease in their own skin. Perhaps this is the effect the dev is trying to achieve, but I find it hard to identify with any of the characters. It may be that this VN is too conceptual and high-minded for me, aiming at the edgy tenseness of Bergman's Scandinavian families where all of the members are full of self-loathing and never relax enough to enjoy interacting with one another. Since this is the first roll-out of this story I will probably give it a try on the next update to see what direction the dev really wants to take this -- whether the story is simply too stark and dry for my tastes or there are more-relaxed interactions ahead that have yet to unfold. I have given this 4 stars in the hope that this beginning has simply failed to take the story far enough to reveal parts that might be engaging. Even if it is intended to have the tension of a Bergmanesque family drama, it may deserve 4 stars even if it is not to my personal tastes. I must at the least give a disclaimer about the graphics. I am no expert on graphic quality. The models are attractive, and although the graphics are unsophisticated, it is easy to imagine that the dev is developing their expertise and hopes to improve the power and capability of their production environment.