Hi SweetChiel,
So I finished all three routes yesterday and I wanted to talk about it some more, I did not read other peoples comments, so I might say things that have already been discussed and addressed by you... No matter what I say going forward, it's important for me that you know that I liked the game.
1. Which guy did you like the most and why?
I'd have to say Reksa's route was the most interesting and fitting in the plot, where a girl suddenly has to unify/bring peace between two factions - it felt balanced that she was integrated with the Avians but actions/events lead her to empathize and understand the "enemy". That said, Mitra's route was fun, playing the whole "Romancing the Chief" with a gentle giant. Rama's route was a mix - it was a heavier subject (when compared to the other two), but it turned out good in the end (I kinda hoped when he was miraculously cured, that his wings would be too, it would've been like a majestic reborn ark or something).
2. Do you play a lot of otome/visual novels? What made you choose to play Nusantara?
I recently got into it - I used to play more offline single campaigns, preferably with choices that influence the story - this is a lighter version of that, I have been lazy lately, so just reading and choosing is fun right now.
As to why I chose it: Well, I was just browsing you know, opening a bunch that I wanted to try, but yours got my attention because of the setting/story, it stood out from the others, it felt more original (and personal) and not just the "generic-romantic-choose-your-guy" type of thing - I'm in this also for the story/plot and how the characters progress/develop and how they all link together and yours promised that and not just some bland dating story.
3. Which element of the game would you say was the best and which ones would you say need work? Consider story, art, characters, music etc.
Okay so I'll try to break it down as best as I can:
Best of the game: The story/plot, the world building (without being too much, just enough to complement the story), the side characters felt "alive", that is, they had their personalities and sometimes clashed with each other or with the MC and that's cool. I liked how you kept the insignificant, but present, characters like the villagers/warriors dark silhouettes only, but there anyway - the world felt a lot less empty in a very good way. I really liked that all three love interests each had a very different and robust story/personality. I also really liked some musics and CGs (Mitra's Wing Ceremony(?) is my favorite) and both complemented nicely at key moments - to me good music is also important in a game - it doesn't need to be all over the place nor too "high production", sometimes I don't even notice it's there because it's doing its job as complement to background, but other times I like it when it pops and it's catchy with the mood/events.
Things that need work: So, here I'll try to say things that are just my personal opinion, I have little to no idea on what it takes (the effort/work/sometimes money) to implement/execute, and am in no way trying to attack your work, forgive me if I sound disrespectful, it is not my intention:
a. The story itself: While I did enjoy the overall story, sometimes it clashed and made it seem like too much, too soon - that is, I imagine that to make something with a dimension like this, you have to think of the general picture and then break it into main events and since we have three romancing options, fragment it further to feel like three different stories. An issue I had was with the way Tamara shared her traumatic past more or less the same exact way with each guy - it only felt "appropriate" for us to know the full extent in Rama's route (in my opinion at least, in the others it felt more like a dump of information, especially in Mitra's route, right after such an happy scene), it would have been nice to give only hints or small disclosures in the others. Like, we only learn more about Reksa/Mitra/Rama if we spend time with them, it would have had more impact (and it would gradually add dept to Tamara's character, or see her in a different light, and to some details - like, conversations with side characters and the answers she gives or the way she chooses to act). It would've made sense to me to know more about Tamara's family in dept with Mitra's route and in Reksa's give full dept about her own father (it would've been cool to see Tamara and Reksa talk about their fathers throughout that route for example).
b. Another thing that I think I found an issue with was the way we know from the start that the Goddess is going to send us back AND that it'll be like only a minute had passed - I feel like that should've been hidden from the player until the end where we are given the choice to stay or go back, it would have created a bigger indecision for Tamara (or she could've been outright not told and return to find that not only had time not passed but also left wondering if everything had been a dream or something like that). Which leads me to another thing I had an issue with, linked to this: So we have this girl, her life has recently been turned upside down, for the worse, she then finds herself removed from that, and although she had to go through hardships, she always says she found herself a loving and accepting family and someone to love and who loves her back - my question is, in what universe would anyone drop all of that, just to, probably, get back at the people who hurt her in the past and be stuck in their world again? The final choice never made sense to me (and to be fair, I never explored them, because I felt like it was undoing all the progress she had made)...
4. Do you have any other questions, comments or constructive criticism?
I think this about covers my main impressions of the game - I really liked it, I see room for improvement and I'll be looking forward to your next game (take your time, don't feel pressured to give us anything, do things as you like)