Aiyoku no Eustia

I can definitely say that Eustia will be an experience I will never forget. So many things stick out to me as I recall them in my mind and I'm not sure if I'll be able to express everything that I want to say.

Eustia is, through and through, a fantasy story. It has a clear goal in mind and sets straight out towards it, without meandering around. In its starting moments, the tone is immediately established. Eustia will be a grim story. This isn't some fairy tale with dashing white knights in armour to save the princess and everyone smiling as the story ends. Eustia's take on a fantasy world shows all the sides of the world, to its religion, politics and much more and displays it with a more realistic brush, showing all the corruption and selfish desires within. Each chapter escalates the scope and scale of the world and narrative and builds upon everything in the previous chapter, with the final chapter being the culmination of all the ideas and themes explored in all the other chapters, closing out with a near tear jerking ending. Throughout its run, Eustia explores many ideas and themes that are meticulously analyzed and not done so in an overbearing manner. The writing really lends itself to being simple enough where it doesn't feel bloated, but complex enough to be able to convey its ideas properly in a concise format. There's a fine balance and Eustia managed to maintain it. The narrative is one with many twists and turns that caught me off guard, making it difficult for me to stop reading. The narrative feels so cohesive that no place feels like a good one to take a break for the night. What really stood out for me in the final chapter was the idea of choosing between saving the lives of the unknown many or saving only the precious few, something explored really well here. The final fight between Caim and Lucius was compelling, seeing their ideals clash with each other. The ultimate culmination of Tia choosing to sacrifice herself to the land to save everyone instead of spending her final moments happily with Caim got to me as well. There is no right answer and Eustia isn't afraid to explore all angles of a given idea.

The characters are another integral piece to the whole that is Eustia. The narrative would not have the same impact if the characters were not as charming as they were. Each major character has their time to shine in the spotlight, especially the heroines in their respective chapters as they are thrown into desperate situations and are forced to adapt and grow out of it. Their interactions with each other are also fun to read through as it humanizes them and fleshes out their character. The touching character moments were as impactful as they were because the characters were people I had gotten to know over the course of the story. Of course, a story isn't complete without a protagonist, and Caim is an amazing one in spades. He is his own character in the grand world of Novus Aether and is only a pawn in the grand scheme of things. He doesn't always play a big part, yet his impact is definitely felt, just as every other important character. He is pragmatic, yet kind, given his interactions with Tia, who is just an amazing bundle of energy. Characters like Lucius and Licia are also amazing and seeing them going through their respective arcs is amazing. The main antagonists serve as great foils to various characters, with Lucius and Caim being amazing parallels. The torn apart brothers grew up in similar harsh environments after they were separated, yet gained different ideals from them and it all culminated in their showdown in the tower.

On a side note, the art for Eustia is a treat for the eyes. The backgrounds are absolutely stunning to look at, with many small details drawn into them. While the character art for August VNs are usually memed as being same-face, the art is aesthetically pleasing and I have no issues with it, especially as many of the characters look very attractive, including the males. The voice work is done splendidly. Each performance is brimming with energy and passion. The fact that Caim is voiced too is a nice touch as I wish more VN protagonists were voiced. The OST, for the most part, felt atmospheric. Most tracks were used to set the atmosphere instead of enhancing the emotional weight of the story and supporting the strong writing. Roots and La Rosa were the two tracks that definitely hit the hardest, especially La Rosa as it played in some of the most emotionally charged scenes in the VN and got my hyped for the upcoming events.

My biggest complaint I have towards the narrative is Chapter 2 as a whole. It dragged down the quality of the story and many elements felt out of place in the grand scheme of things. Everything before and after it was overall very solid and engaging, while chapter 2 is the sole chapter that felt weak and dragged on more than it should have. Chapter 3 and onwards, however, Eustia's narrative takes an almost immediate upwards spiral in quality as everything feels written much more cohesively. Given that this is my biggest complaint, Eustia has consistently impressed in basically every other aspect.

Overall, Eustia is a great fantasy VN that is a breath of fresh air to read and experience. It feels unique in the narrative it is telling and an emotional engaging story that will keep you reading throughout most of its runtime. If you have the chance to check it out, I wholeheartedly recommend it.