Let me say this right from the start - It took a lot for me to not give up on "G-senjou no Maou" in the opening 15 or so hours. The slice of life content was some of the least compelling I've read in a visual novel, mostly due to a lack of humour & endearing early game characterization, which led me to seek advice online about whether or not I should keep on going.

Long story short, I kept going; and I'm very glad that I did. If you're already playing through this story yourself & you feel like you're not getting what you hoped for after the first 10 or so hours, I implore you to continue, as what waits for you just a little bit further on is a very smart & emotionally impactful VN. On the other hand, if you're considering buying/playing through G-senjou no Maou, then I instead suggest that you be mindful of the fact that it takes some time to get going, and that you'd best be prepared for that going in.

The side routes are nothing to write home about, & are overall pretty lacklustre compared to the main route. I went through them as I'm just a bit of a completionist that way, but really, I don't think you'd be missing out on too much if you decided to skip them. However, if you want to see for yourself, then I'd personally rank them thusly: Shiratori Mizuha (the funny option) = Miwa Tsubaki (the feels option) > Azai Kanon.

Artistically, the game is beautifully illustrated, and while I'm not totally sold on the OST as a whole, some of its renditions of classical favourites (especially the playful ones) are excellently done. It's also no slouch in the tech department, although I suppose I would've liked a "Borderless Windowed" option, but ah well.

Overall, despite its pretty horrific start, I reflect on my time with G-senjou no Maou as time well spent. An average opening followed by a long period of excellence that doesn't quite meet the overall standards of the best, but still stands as a very good visual novel in its own right.

Let me say this right from the start - It took a lot for me to not give up on "G-senjou no Maou" in the opening 15 or so hours. The slice of life content was some of the least compelling I've read in a visual novel, mostly due to a lack of humour & endearing early game characterization, which led me to seek advice online about whether or not I should keep on going. Long story short, I kept going; and I'm very glad that I did. If you're already playing through this story yourself & you feel like you're not getting what you hoped for after the first 10 or so hours, I implore you to continue, as what waits for you just a little bit further on is a very smart & emotionally impactful VN. On the other hand, if you're considering buying/playing through G-senjou no Maou, then I instead suggest that you be mindful of the fact that it takes some time to get going, and that you'd best be prepared for that going in. The side routes are nothing to write home about, & are overall pretty lacklustre compared to the main route. I went through them as I'm just a bit of a completionist that way, but really, I don't think you'd be missing out on too much if you decided to skip them. However, if you want to see for yourself, then I'd personally rank them thusly: [spoiler]Shiratori Mizuha (the funny option) = Miwa Tsubaki (the feels option) > Azai Kanon.[/spoiler] Artistically, the game is beautifully illustrated, and while I'm not totally sold on the OST as a whole, some of its renditions of classical favourites (especially the playful ones) are excellently done. It's also no slouch in the tech department, although I suppose I would've liked a "Borderless Windowed" option, but ah well. Overall, despite its pretty horrific start, I reflect on my time with G-senjou no Maou as time well spent. An average opening followed by a long period of excellence that doesn't quite meet the overall standards of the best, but still stands as a very good visual novel in its own right.