I've recently played through the demo of Save the Villainess, one of multiple villainess themed titles suggested to me by @Elevator7009@ani.social.
I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it - not because I dislike it but rather because it's very different from what I expected. It's much closer to Umineko (in terms of the atmosphere as well as meta and magical elements) than a straightforward VN. Structure wise however it has more interactivity and actual choices then that series.
I'm a bit mixed on the writing - on one hand it tries to be kind of serious, on the other it plays around with already mentioned meta elements, through the use of a narrator actively participating in the story, and presents the MC as a bit of an aloof weirdo. That last point isn't bad in itself but doesn't really mesh with what's going on and how the game tries to present its creepy vibe. At times the writing makes me confused on what emotions devs want me to feel.
That's how I felt early on anyway.
After finishing the demo I feel like all the characters are aloof weirdos to some extent and the whole things started to feel more like an American McGee's "Alice in Wonderland" interpretation than a mystery romance novel. Despite my initial impressions this story doesn't take itself (too?) seriously and with this approach the whole thing becomes way funnier to read.
Speaking of presentation, it's also all over the place. The art style is very nice and all the illustrations are great from the technical standpoint. There's also a decent amount of dynamism in how the scenes are presented - like panning the camera over various elements of the background or moving characters to represent some actions.
At the same time, the game goes a bit too hard with animating certain character elements (to the point they look weirder/more robotic than if they were static) as well as when employing various effects during some scene transitions or meta focused segments. I hope they tone these down a bit in the final release.
Also, this might be a petty complaint but the semi-regular title drops can get a little obnoxious - the fact they are always accompanied by a full logo reveal doesn't help either. Please let this be a demo or prologue only thing and not a recurring stinger happening throughout the whole story.
Most of what I wrote here might sound like I don't enjoy the game but that couldn't be further from the truth. I do like what I played so far and I hope it improves even more in the full release. This demo seems to be about a year old or so - I'm sure things will be more polished once the full version comes out.
I've you're in mood for a villainess themed story and don't mind a cast being filled with weirdos this title might be worth a look. I'll be definitely keeping an eye on the full release and search for other similar titles in the meantime.
