Alter ego is still one of the biggest surprises I've had with any sort of media ever. I had never heard of it before and came in without any expectations or prior knowledge about it, but by the time I was done with it I got out having seen one of the most interesting stories I've read and meeting one of my absolute favorite characters in fiction.

while it does have gameplay aspects in it, where the game truly shines is in its story and the character study of ES, the thematic complexity created by your interactions with her and how she slowly helps you find your identity being not only a journey for you, but to her and how she subtly changes as the story goes on and discovers more of herself makes it one of a kind story. The necessity of understanding ourselves and finding our place in the world while still abiding by rules and terms, how we are shaped by the people around us and that when we try to see more of others we can see a deeper side withn us, those themes tackled by AE makes it one of the most memorable stories that I've seen. ES' growth is genuinely heartwarming, her yearning for freedom and to truly understand herself and how its tackled within the game's 3 endings is incredible and made her an absolute favorite of mine.

Overall AE offers a very interesting character study in the form of ES and some of my favorite themes in fiction, the nuanced changes throughout the game's progression and the conclusion definitely left an impact on me that it'll be long until I forget