some of the writing especially early on comes off as overly twee earthbound-derivative shit a la undertale BUT the third act goes into some really surprising places, with some memorable sequences that explore when one becomes uncertain of who they are. and then its "figured out" nice and neat by the ending, which wants to feel revelatory but just comes off as whatever to me. im hesitant to say the game is not worth playing at all, but i wish its cooler aspects werent layered under gameplay and storytelling sensibilities that are the essence of "quirky yet largely unchallenging", becoming too comfortable with predictability in its conclusion when its much more compelling at doing the opposite.

e: kinda want to keep this review mostly intact to give credit to my disappointment with the game, but now i feel like i shouldve turned down the vitriol a bit, so ill elaborate and chill a little. if you asked me whether i liked or disliked the game, no in between, id probably just barely say i liked it, bc the highs, the parts of the game that feel outside the scope of the main story but arent, are SO high. the writing just annoys me w its preciousness often, and i feel like the conclusion of the game rides too hard on that writing being better than it actually is once you center back onto the main story. i know its part of the charm of its influences as being awkwardly written yet evocative nonetheless, but in this case i was left wanting by this game's central argument. idk. maybe could use a replay but im not confident my opinion will change