TW: anxiety. Well I think this game is really cute, the animations are nice, the music is enjoyable and it’s aesthetically pleasing to look at.
My biggest problem and the reason why I scored so low is the biggest problem: the story.
Initially it’s fine, Guitar Girl’s new friend is trying to help her overcome her anxiety (and though she falls short, Joy does really care for her). The class president is kind of the same way, wanting to give Guitar Girl a nudge forward but still not understanding that boundary. Then there’s Moa. I don’t know if her existence makes me want to slap her or cry more. To put it the nicest way possible, she’s a b*tch. To put it less nicely, she’s a gas lighter who likes to shove her own insecurities onto Guitar Girl because Moa knows she won’t fight back. When she’s first introduced, it’s fine, she’s a little aloof and that’s okay, but for a game about relaxing and a girl overcoming her anxiety, Moa is a big trigger for me because she’s a lot like people around me who don’t understand my anxiety and say that it’s selfish I’m anxious and I shouldn’t be.
There’s a lot to love with this game, but I regretfully just can’t play it because it’s too stressful. I hope the story gets better later, but I am not the one to find out (and doesn’t go “I performed and now I’m magically cured of my mental illness!” because I see too much of that already).