In JUSFASLEX Theodore strives to create the perfect utopia. He struggles between playing the creator and losing himself in his own creations.

The Story
You play through the lens of Theodore, a boy who has the ability to create worlds/dimensions around him. He is trying to create his idea of Utopia. He invites others into his world, each one bringing their own ideas and altering the world's structure. The ones he invites are lost souls who have nothing to lose, hate the world or are dying. The younger the person the less connected they are to the world and more likely to fit in. 

The ones he invites he seeks out, ones that have the "gift". I will not go into further details beyond this point as to not spoil the story.  

This novel centers around two other characters that he has brought in, Emma and Rebecca.
Theodore himself is a recluse, trying to keep separate from those he brings in but at the same time being pulled towards them. 

Game-play & Features
The settings are what you would normally find in a kinetic novel; audio controls, text speed and time controls, windowed or fullscreen and language selections. Extras on the main menu that unlock as you progress include a music box and gallery alongside the game credits.

You can rewind the text by scrolling the mouse wheel, clever. Usually there is a history log but I love how you can just scroll back to re-read the previous text. 

The Visuals & Audio
This novel does have voice acting that is available in Ukrainian. For my play-through I kept the voice volume turned on while my subtitles and interface was in English. I prefer to listen to novels in the language they were created in as part of the immersive experience. Critiquing voice work is always difficult in any visual novel as it is more a personal preference on the viewer's part. Some people like to create the voices of the characters themselves and others like them to be voiced. In this novel I found the voice work for myself to be well done.

The soundtrack is melancholic and mournful, giving an overall feel of somberness to the story. There are moments that are lively, hopeful and unexpected that match the story moments they are accompanying. I especially liked the music that played during Theodore's dance with Emma. 

The artwork for the majority of the game is done in sombre colors. The characters are hand drawn with a slight anime style and minimal shading. The backgrounds are static, very little shading and serve more of a set piece.
The real artwork moments shine in the very few captured special moments. When Theodore dances with Emma for example. I wish the novel had more artwork in that art-style. I adored the artwork for the special moments in this game and because they are so few when they did appear it was like a treat.

My favourite special moments;

Overall Experience
I really enjoyed the writing in this game. There are some moments in what Theodore says that stood out to me. Some great moments of writing. The ending after the prologue was a nice touch and left me wanting to know more of what comes after. Theodore and Emma both pose interesting perspectives during the story. Theodore's perspective portraying himself as a god-like figure and how a god should act or the rules or lack of them in creating a utopia. Emma's perspective on being one of his chosen to live in this utopia. The creator and his creation. It was a very interesting read. The story does not drag and I enjoy the full two hours I spend engaged with it. You can save up to 6 moments in the story to later come back to. I chose to save the special moments and the prologue.

Overall worth a read and a very interesting story. ✨

Otome Lovers wishes to thank Shreibikus for providing a free review copy for this game.

Review originally posted on Steam

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