Entropic Float is an experience I'm grateful for the existence of. Where I often feel invisible, this game made me feel a little more seen.

I was surprised by how much content there is, especially considering that it's available for free!! I opted to pay a few dollars when I initially got it through Itch, as I didn't know what to expect, but it was worth far more as an experience.
EF is a fantasy time-loop mystery story, the larger part of which is non-linear. I tend to think that games with multiple routes/paths have an ideal order in which they should be played, but EF is one case in which I think the different parts could be played in any order; each a wonderful way to experience the story. Various moments are made more intriguing or mysterious, or lead to different readings of situations, depending on what one saw prior. Maybe there is an ideal in some cases, but most orders have differing benefits both ways. It's very consistent, minds what knowledge the player should have obtained from a specific "loop", and doesn't rehash the same information unnecessarily. It was fun theorizing as I went along!
Some of the references definitely went over my head, but I did catch a fun GNOSIA reference in there! EF clearly takes inspiration from the aforementioned and from Zero Escape (among others, surely).
The game explores many sensitive themes in ways that seem well-informed, and always does so with empathy. There are many content warnings, so if it's relevant for you, I recommend reading those before playing! A full list of them can be accessed from the game's main menu.

It's so supremely queer. I've never seen more LGBTQIA+ rep in a single game before, and felt a little spoiled! This queerness isn't at all incidental — it is inextricably woven into the fabric of the story. There's a depth to the representation that I rarely find in other fictional media, which comparatively often leans into stereotypes and misconceptions, or just plasters a label onto a character with little to no thought put into how such experiences of the world would shape and inform other aspects of them as a person. (Notably, this is the first and ONLY time I've seen a non-binary character who is over 50 years old.)
Entropic Float's characters are all written with abundant love, and with compassion for them in their struggles — and this extends well beyond LGBTQ+ specific experiences.
They're all fairly eccentric characters, but in a way I found much more tasteful than, say, DanganRonpa characters. Even with their quirkiness and more unrealistic aspects, they retain a human element (which I found DR characters to generally be devoid of).
I can honestly say that I like all of the main cast of characters! I do, however, have some favorites~ I'm glad that at least some of these characters will be returning in subsequent games (and I'm planning on checking out the DLC for EF as well).

There are lots of cool character designs and some wacky fashion. The 3D character sprites are far from perfect aesthetically, but they're still expressive and fun, just like the characters themselves. Many different art styles (drawn by different artists) are present in CGs, and this lack of visual consistency took me out of the experience here and there, but I can't really complain, especially at this price (free, if you didn't catch that).

While I'm on the topic of complaints to note:
• Shinjiro and Jazz's voice actor has no right to sound so goooood. Especially Jazz had me dyingggghhhhjdr
• the song that plays on the title screen made it difficult to load my save file, because I wanted to keep listening to it (it's good)

As for an actual complaint, though; the sound is really poorly balanced. Some music tracks are much louder / quieter than others, and although the voiced lines aren't many, when they appear, they're often too quiet to be audible, or really loud suddenly! All things considered, I was adjusting my volume controls one way or the other very frequently.

As for the system, everything necessary is here. Quick Save/Load, Skip, Log, the ability to easily rewind text going quite a ways back using the mouse wheel. Simple and convenient.
Each route/loop has two endings (both are significant and necessary to reach the true ending). Once one is reached as a result of in-game choices, the player can go through again picking other choices, or can even skip right ahead to the other of the two endings (not that I ever did the latter, as I liked seeing the alternate text/scenes following the choices. It seems very convenient, though).

I can't not recommend this one. Entropic Float is a heartfelt, suspenseful, fun, and sad mystery. It's a bit rough around the edges, but it's something special.

Shout out to Pudding.

(I played this on my desktop PC but, this is playable on Steam Deck. It's not optimized for it, but the controls are simple, so it works.)

OK, I dunno -- maybe it's not that good but, I had a blast with this one. It was thoroughly amusing, weird, and fun to play with company (although it mightn't have been half as fun on my own). However, my relative lack of exposure to this genre of games may mean I'm more easily impressed than the average person who plays this game.
It kept me guessing right up until the end, so I think it succeeded in the way it was intended to! Also, playing as (optionally) a male character in a fictional society that treats his attraction to men as something completely expected is nice.
The gacha game mechanic got a little annoying at a couple of points, and there is an instance of flashing imagery which I wish wasn't present. Otherwise, I feel this silly game was worthwhile for the time and few dollars it cost. But you won't get much romance out of this one!

Beautiful, sad; real. For no good reason, I think I was anticipating something more fluffy and light-hearted, but it was a good experience, and a more valuable one to me in this way. It feels at once heavy and inspirational.

I want to cling. I don't want to cling.
When I can help it, I want to ride the waves, and will do so with grace at times, and clumsiness at other times. I'll resist, and then I'll lovingly embrace my self who wants to resist, whose hands will open slowly, and clumsily embrace my gracefulness, and gracefully embrace my clumsiness.