I actually read the English fantranslation of the original Rewrite, way back in 2015. It was a very solid read. This visual novel was written by KEY who has done stories like Clannad, Little Busters, and Summer Pockets (all on Steam). However the story will be quite a bit different compared to those three. You'll also notice the Steam release is "Rewrite Plus". There were some changes like giving a few characters sprites and voice acting compared to the original, as well as a slightly rewritten ending and additional CGs. However, the vast majority of the experience will be the same as the original.

For those who haven't read the story yet, it has a pretty interesting mix of genres. The common route is similar to many other story/romance oriented visual novels. It will have a good amount of slice of life scenes, fun comedy skits, most of it taking place in the main characters' high school. This part of the game is mostly grounded focuses on the humorous traits of the characters like Kotarou getting into trouble, Kotori's goofiness, Yoshino's 'outlaw' personality, Sizuru's literal minded-ness, Chihaya'a... lack of thinking, Lucia's anger, and Akane trolling everyone.

The common route also has a recurring minigame segment called "Mappie". It's essentially just a way to interact with characters and the environment, and get the main characters' thoughts. This segment will matter more when you complete the main story, otherwise this is mostly just a unique way to show the interaction and movement the characters' make sometimes.

The common route section is loooonng. If you don't mind the slice of life comedy and character jokes, this might not be an issue for you. However, for people hoping to get to the meat of the story, you might be waiting a while. This visual novel is quite long in general. That said, it'll be very obvious when the common route ends. Also the common route does not have many choices, so it shouldn't be too hard to figure out which ones to choose to get on a specific character route.

Once the common route ends, you'll have the ability to access 5 separate character routes, and this is where the story gets MUCH more serious and where more of the genre variation happens. Each route has varying amounts of fantasy action, so the setting that's been built up in the common route will matter much more. While there is drama, typical of other KEY works, it style is a bit darker and more depressing than other KEY works. Depending on the route, there will be some very interesting in-game politics related to warring groups. There is also a bit of philosophical and psychological themes, which makes the characters you got to know in common route a lot deeper than you'd expect.

While the 5 character routes all share these same attributes, these 5 routes were actually written by 3 different writers. 1 route was written by Ryuukishi07 of Higurashi, Umineko, and Iwaihime fame (all can be found on Steam). 2 routes were written by Romeo Tanaka who wrote Cross Channel which you can also find on Steam. Some people may not notice, but if you look hard enough you'll see the narrative style differences between the 5 routes. Depending on your perspective, it can either provide a good variety of storytelling, or can have jarring/inconsistent themes throughout the visual novel.

While you can technically read the 5 character routes in any order, my personal recommendation is to go: Kotori > Chihaya > Lucia > Sizuru > Akane. It's mostly important to do Kotori's first to learn the setting the best, and Akane's last since it connects to the true route the most. The other 3 could be done in any order.

After the 5 character routes are complete, there are a few routes that will slowly be unlocked. These routes sum up and combine the themes from the first 5 routes into one true ending. I personally quite liked this 'true' route since it has some very unique and thrilling storytelling, but some have criticized it due to the main 5 heroines not appearing for a long period of time.

As far as the characters go, I'd say they are overall quite likable, possibly being my favorite part of the VN. Kotarou is very proactive protagonist. He can be a bit on the spazzy side, but he's definitely the type of guy that will get things done when he needs to. Kotori is his childhood friend. She is very goofy and funny all around, with some hilarious Engrish jokes, but she has some surprising depth you find in her route. Chihaya is a kind of blunt tsundere-ish character, but is very honest and pure. Akane is the leader of the group's club, and loves to mess with people, but has a problem with any physical activity. Lucia is the token tsundere character. She is a very serious class president and a clean-freak, and gets angry with the protagonist anytime he does anything perverted. Sizuru is the protagonist's very quiet underclassman. While very reserved, she is also very nice, but also extremely literal-minded. There are whole lot of other minor characters with very notable and fun personalities.

As far as presentation goes, Rewrite is decent, but does also slightly show its age compared to more modern VNs. The original Rewrite was released back in 2011 in Japan. The graphics look nice, though have its own specific KEY flair, some people criticize the characters' very big eyes. Menu options get the job done, there have all the necessary audio, text, and textbox options most people need. The music is easily the best part of the presentation. There are great action-oriented songs, calm slice of life songs, emotional songs, comedic songs, etc.

For those who have read the original Rewrite and are interested in Rewrite+'s changes, it includes:

Inoue getting a sprite
Some more voiced lines for a handful of previously unvoiced ones (example Kotori's mom)
No character route locking. You can do any of the main 5 ones from the getgo
More CGs were added to the Terra route
* The way ending of Terra route was slightly rewritten

Also for this release Sekai Project had to edit 3 sexually suggestive CGs to increase the chances of the title making it onto Steam. Rewrite+ had more suggestive versions of CGs added in Japanese version, but Sekai used the less suggestive CGs that were used in the original Rewrite.

On a personal level, I think Rewrite's storytelling was a bit of a mixed bag in terms of route quality, which prevents it from being one of my all time favorite visual novels. That said, I still think it's a very solid read with some unique storytelling, so I would give it a shot as long as you're interested in something with slice of life, fantasy action, and/or psychological character development.

PS Kotori best girl. Shake it now baby now~

Normal route is really fun. Akane, Lucia and Chihaya's routes are undoubtedly the best part of the game. Kotori's route is good but has a lackluster ending. OST is really great at times but some songs are uninspired and sound like royalty free tracks.

Overall despite calling myself a Key fan and a fan of this VN, I can only recommend it to those that are interested and are fans of Key. Don't go into it expecting anything groundbreaking outside of Akane's route. The final route (Terra) was disappointing even with low expectations.

My route ratings:
Akane Route: 9.5/10
Lucia Route: 9/10
Chihaya Route: 8.5/10
Kotori's Route: 7/10
Moon: 7/10
Terra: 4.5/10
Sizuru Route: 5.5/10