Natsu no Iro no Nostalgia

It starts off pretty decent, setting up a nice rural setting for the characters to live in. The characters all bounce off each other pretty nicely as they are all seemingly broken and trying to navigate their way through an isolated system. While the closed off setting is a bit lacking in the concepts it explores, it does set up some interesting ideas and dynamics in the common route. That being said, the setting makes the world around the characters feel really lifeless and bland.

The characters all have unique motivations and grow throughout the story, at least so far as I'm assuming they'll be more character growth in the routes. There's also bits of story and more intense moments sprung in between, which I think helps with the pacing and puts an interesting perspective in the SoL moments. While the more story focused moments are definitely lacking, this is very much a character driven work to start off.

However, the routes are where things really begin to taper off. The routes are split into three chapters: the first being the protagonist and heroine getting together, the second being the chapter filled with h-scenes and the last chapter being where the bulk of the plot takes place. Because the rest of the heroines take a backseat, the setting feels even more lifeless than before, making it feel empty and artificial. The pacing is also absurd as it takes so many twists and turns, which can be pretty head aching inducing. The fact that the majority of the route’s plot is at the end is not a positive in the slightest as it ramps up from 0 to 60 at almost comically fast speeds.

In the end, it sets up some pretty high expectations but fails to deliver on them, which I feel is the epitome of Moonstone works from my experience with them.