I absolutely LOVED the bulk of the experience: it’s a story that tackles the “end of the world” narrative in an incredibly personal way, containing some of my favorite scenes and character interactions in game narratives—and media in general. The script is tight (and packed with great foreshadowing), the story is presented cinematically with beautiful sprite work, and contains the small but earnest conversations between characters that I love. In those aspects, it's an absolute 10/10 for me since it hits all the marks of what I want in a story.

My issue, however, is exactly those personal preferences: I enjoyed immersing myself with the more sincere, slice-of-life moments than the supernatural details surrounding the entire world. A part of me would’ve have been content with preserving the sincerity of the story, if it meant being left in the “unknown” and never being able to see the truth of the situation completely unravel. Regardless of my misgivings, this is definitely a story that goes places you don’t imagine, and is worth basking in its serene moments and atmosphere.

I'm trying to be as vague as possible, because I think it's best to go into this story as blind as possible. Below is not necessarily a spoiler, but me rambling for those who have very particular tastes:

There's going to be a major turning point in the story (you'll know when it happens). If you are someone who likes slice-of-life and intimate moments between characters, feel free to stop playing the game. If you are someone who likes science fiction and enjoys uncovering every detail of the world, definitely continue playing the game. The genius of this game is that either approach leaves you pretty satisfied.

It's just that for me, I found the slice-of-life moments more appealing than the supernatural elements (at least for this kind of story), and continuing on from that turning point both redeemed AND soured some of the impressions I had about the world and its characters.