Rough around the edges and messy in a way that personal art so often is, but stylish, bursting with earnestness and complicated emotions, and deeply powerful. I found a lot of myself in it, in how it captures the feeling of too-fast love that feels like a gravity well pulling you in, impossible to escape, consuming all thoughts around you. The writing here is often clumsy, but in an intentional and effective way that underscores how it feels to handle these raw emotions, and grants real weight and closeness to this story about how idealized, fictionalized conceptions of relationships can set you up to fall into abuse and exploitation, on both sides of the coin, but also why those dreams of fairytale romance are so intoxicating. The presentation, while simple, is also wonderfully cool and evocative, with some of the best sound design I've seen of late.

One note I should mention is that, as mentioned on the game's various store pages, the game is about a relationship with someone with BPD. I don't have BPD, nor do I have the kind of intimate experience with someone who does that is portrayed in this game. I say this to make clear that while I felt that the game portrayed the relationship with nuance and care, I also don't know what the hell I'm talking about, and could absolutely be wrong about that read.

That said, I think an awful lot of this game is intensely relatable anyway. It won't be for everyone, but it shouldn't be. Sanding off those rough abrasive edges would only dull the impact, and I think the game comes close to that already with an all-too-gamey scene towards the end. Still, Milky Way Prince was for me, and it might be for you too.

It hurts, but sometimes, that's what you need.