Letter to Neml

An interesting idea for a game that is poorly executed. The premise is that at the start of the game you must write a letter; each ending will teach you what to add to the letter to keep Neml safe. However, the premise is poorly done, first by the awful AI art. The character sprites have little variation; the backgrounds are awful and boring. But even that is just a small annoyance, since I know not everyone can afford an artist. But it's not the only problem. The game is held back by the writing, likely due to poor translations and also because the original script was also probably pretty poorly made. At best, dialogue is boring; at worst, it's confusing. The biggest issue is unfortunately its main feature. The advertised use of AI (Gemini) implies to people that this game is very open to exploration. It is not. You must click the button in the top right to "Look around," then use those items. It is as strict as a typical point-and-click adventure puzzle game. Only instead of clicking on the items or picking from some choices of dialogue, you have to try and figure it out on your own. And not in a fun puzzle way. I mean retyping a letter over and over because you are told it d…

As much as I didn't want to give a yuri game a negative review, but this is just so bad. This is just a lazy abomination of VN made with AI slop. You could just make this with good old 'if-else', you didn't need to implement Gemini AI or something for this VN to work.

⢸⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⡷⡄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⢸⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡇⠢⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⢸⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡇⠀⠀⠈⠑⢦⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Are you crying son? ⢸⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⠖⠒⠒⠒⢤⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠙⢦⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⢸⠀⠀⣀⢤⣼⣀⡠⠤⠤⠼⠤⡄⠀⠀⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠙⢄⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⢸⠀⠀⠑⡤⠤⡒⠒⠒⡊⠙⡏⠀⢀⠀⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠑⠢⡄⠀ ⢸⠀⠀⠀⠇⠀⣀⣀⣀⣀⢀⠧⠟⠁⠀⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡇⠀ ⢸⠀⠀⠀⠸⣀⠀⠀⠈⢉⠟⠓⠀⠀⠀⠀⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸ ⢸⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⢱⡖⠋⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸ ⢸⠀⠀⠀⠀⣠⢺⠧⢄⣀⠀⠀⣀⣀⠀⠀⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸ ⢸⠀⠀⠀⣠⠃⢸⠀⠀⠈⠉⡽⠿⠯⡆⠀⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸ ⢸⠀⠀⣰⠁⠀⢸⠀⠀⠀⠀⠉⠉⠉⠀⠀⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸ ⢸⠀⠀⠣⠀⠀⢸⢄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸ ⢸⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⠀⢇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸ ⢸⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡌⠀⠈⡆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸ ⢸⠀⠀⠀⠀⢠⠃⠀⠀⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸ ⢸⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⠀⠀⠀⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠷

I wrote a ton of different things, it didn't seem to change anything. Neat concept though.

Letter to Neml is a really unusual little story game because the main thing I actually do is rewrite a letter. I am not controlling Neml directly or picking from a normal list of dialogue choices. Instead, Nina leaves her a letter before going away, and I can change what that letter tells Neml to do. Neml is shy and not used to being outside on her own, so the advice in the letter can make a huge difference to what happens next. I like how simple the idea is because it gives the whole game a very different kind of interaction. The setting is also much stranger than it first appears. Neml and Nina are part of the Noctarian race, whose nightmares can become real, and the story slowly builds around that idea. Neml starts running into unexpected problems while she is alone, and I have to use dialogue, important lines and things happening in the background as clues when deciding what to write. I like that I am not simply choosing between good and bad options. I actually have to think about what advice might help Neml in the situation she is facing. The most interesting part for me is the AI system. What I write into the letter is interpreted by AI, which then changes Neml's actions an…