Sarah's House, a game with potential but it goes unused.
Spoiler warning:
I have done everything there is to do in this game and I believe I have a decent grasp of how it will turn out, so let me offer my thoughts, feedback, and criticism. (This comment comes from a place of good-faith and care, I want to help provide a better experience for all players, apologies if anything comes off harsher than intended).
Let's start with what I did like:
First off, the 3D aspect is a nice breath of fresh air, it's nice to actually be engaging in the game.
I also like that I can actually choose to lock myself out of Sarah's route instead of being forced to do it.
Mia seems genuinely pretty well written, especially if a mental-health route is the one you're going for.
Now, let’s move onto the critiques.
I'll start with bugs, things you're likely aware of or may want to hear about.
Bugs and glitches:
[Assets & Clothes]
I'm sure everybody has noticed, but the clothing physics are wild; the skirts constantly fly around or just become completely rigid.
The clothing assets continuously either clip through skin or have skin clip through them. Although it's admittedly funny, it does take the steam out of any intended narrative.
There are random assets lying about the gym: one that seems to be a barcode scanner floating beside the desk, and one that's just a pink phone. I assume the phone is the camera; it disappeared after the second workout with Lucy (the stretching).
[Playability issues]
Speaking of which, the camera faces up into the sky during this scene, meaning you have to use the second camera even if you don't want to.
You can work out infinitely, which messes with some actions. For example, if you compliment/flirt with Sarah and then workout in the gym from noon Monday to noon Tuesday, you can no longer compliment or flirt with her until you skip the day.
The UI often gets stuck (especially in the dates with Mia), meaning you can't do anything but bring up the interact menu, which is an issue when you need to drink to progress (I had to use an autoclicker to click "end date" to un-softlock myself).
If you save your game, it unlocks your mouse; you have to pause and unpause to fix it.
In the scene with Sarah during movie night (where you end up kissing), she takes your phone from you, yet the asset is completely missing, she just holds air.
Now onto my critiques.
Criticism and feedback:
[Gameplay]
First off, I want to be fully transparent: the gameplay loop doesn't differ from any other visual novel in this genre. The only difference is that I'm holding WASD to perform it, which probably contributes to half the playtime. Working three times, sleeping to skip the day, and repeating is not gameplay; it's an unnecessary chore. Skipping time to get to an event just to skip time, do a thing, and then skip time again is not fun at all.
[Writing & Characters]
The same goes for the writing: the concept is very generic and every character feels like they lack depth. The writing is generally very null, there isn’t much to see.
Mia is probably the only character with good writing: a girl who seems to struggle with her self-control and is (likely) depressed or has some form of depression. If that is the intent, you've done pretty well to avoid the typical gloomy, sad, quiet stereotype. She drinks a lot (as implied by the text) and doesn't exactly clarify why, the only semblance of explanation is "it feels nice," which is never further expanded. This is a good thing; however, I feel the date mode and the loop to progress her story are extremely monotonous, especially when they feel buried under bloated interactions and gameplay.
Sarah is just the textbook lonely, motherly character: either her husband is distant and works all the time, or he's a POS. She reacts the exact same way — "Our love is bad, this is cheating, but I'm having second thoughts straight away" and I believe she needs a writing overhaul; she is very generic. Benjamin is similar.
This pretty much goes for every character, but one stands out amongst them all.
Lucy is based on the average "You're a perv" tsun type, but she sticks to this for about three seconds before pivoting into affection; it's like she randomly had a writing change. She starts off greeting you with a hug and generally wholesome interactions, then it's tsun, and then it's closed-off because of a really random breakup plot thrown in which seems to have very little effect, not even on schedule or how she acted. She then returns to being friendly and affectionate. She is multiple archetypes that have no depth, just a blend of them all. I believe she desperately needs to be rewritten.
My last critique of the writing is that the MC isn’t written well. Even if you try to pick good options for him, he somehow makes situations lack empathy or just ruins the mood. Not only that, but he'll actively be a terrible human, have a moment of "this is bad," and then do it again, he is literally a "whoopsie, I shouldn't have done that; whoops, I did it again" character. The thing is, you can do this in a way that allows growth and change for a character, but the way he flip-flops is unnatural and just weird.
[Summary]
Overall, the story is very non-existent, lacks depth, and is extremely predictable. I managed to predict every single plot line and the rough verbiage just from how things were playing out. It pains me to have anything bad to say, because the potential for this kind of game is extremely high, and I did enjoy the 3D aspect, but at the moment it feels like bloat, it's the same visual novel formula as the rest, only now you can move.
Suggestions:
[Gameplay]
I think the entire story needs an overhaul and so does the gameplay. You have such amazing potential with the 3D thing,like sports, jobs, etc. But for now it's "work shift?" and then that's it: no game, nothing. And the dishes "mini-game" is just me spinning my mouse in circles. With this style you could make it more in-depth, cleaning the dishes spotlessly and such, adding stats such as mental health or hygiene to keep the same visual novel feel but change it up and make it unique and fun.
[Writing]
Either entirely change the story or heavily rework it; it just doesn't work and lacks depth. I didn't, and still don't, care for any character except perhaps Mia.
Work on the worldbuilding. I know nothing about the world or the city; I don't even have a general grasp. It's all about the characters and not the world we're in. If I knew, it'd help push these characters' stories, knowing what a character potentially deals with day to day or how they feel or what they like helps give them personality.
[Graphics & Aesthetics]
Lighting. That's all I need to say, just add some subtle lighting.
Work on smoothing out the animations; at times they feel rough. I think there is a ton of potential, but it felt rushed and there should be more focus on polish. Quality > Quantity.
[Miscellaneous]
And lastly, if you don't already, try to look into some books or research papers about mental health, romance, and any social theme you intend to employ. With knowledge comes great writing; it helps avoid poor-taste storylines, miscommunication, and general stigma. It also helps provide awareness and depth to the characters and world.
Overall:
I really want your game to do well. I think it has potential, and despite all my critiques I did enjoy my time, but I wouldn't suggest this game to friends, nor would I play it again if these issues persist. This review spurred from a 5:30 a.m. three-hour play session out of pure boredom.
(Yes I wrote this all, I have autism in my name for a reason :p)