I played about a dozen hours of the original, shelved it, came back for the DX version, and it was like seeing an old friend. This time I managed to complete it.

Main gripes: No time limit is nice for people (like me) that would normally be scared of it, but with it comes never knowing where I'm supposed to be "at" level or alchemy wise. Lots of areas are unlocked long before you can visit them all and so you can be vastly over or underleveled without realizing (not knowing the main level cap was a mere 20 before I got there was. surprising to say the least)

Mixed: "Story" is also kind of disappointing and barebones-y whenever it tries to go beyond "Sophie is doing alchemy." Could use a lot more show, less tell. But the main cast is pretty endearing and likeable (if not necessarily that memorable).

Good: Music is great. Tetromino alchemy never gets old, and it can be fun to experiment with. There are lots of locations, but not too big to get lost in. Quest and craft system kept me engaged enough to go to the finish. Sophie and Plachta are just really cute and easy to support, so I think they carried the game.

Basically ChronoClock Lite. Entertaining enough ride, but I was kinda disappointed on the routes I was looking forward to. 7/10 tier

Route ranking: Nanami > Urara > Hanayo > Suzuna > Yukari > Mao
Heroine overall ranking: Yukari > Hanayo > Nanami/Urara > Suzuna > Mao


taizen best boi