Oh, this game is an absolute delight! 

The art style is amazing to the point of me paying attention and appreciating the backgrounds the character designs are beautiful and tell so much about them (on that matter i kinda wonder what our mc looks like and if we'll ever see her without the mask and the veil). Also, in general, I am not too fond of npc being just blobs/shadows, but you made it work so well (I especially loved the beating hearts^^)

Regarding characters, they are all so alive! I mean even the npc had so much personality, they all felt like people and not just plot devices. And the way all the characters (especially our mc) interact with each other? Perfect! Just delightfully perfect. I am greatly enjoying this game now and I know I will enjoy it even more when there is more of it to enjoy :>

As for the story itself it is, just as other elements of the game, greatly enjoyable, I love the way mc acts towards the whole thing especially when Woden is like "Murder mystery time!" and mc reaction is "You do you but leave me out of it." I am quite interested in how the story will go, how different the endings will be, and I look forward to learning more lore :]

Now a bit more of what I think about the characters (tho mainly love interests)

Woden - he is quite fun, I like him, and our bickering is quite delightful (especially the one about being Kamil parents)

Kamil - just a fun lil guy I like him hopefully he'll be allowed to stay the way he is

Royce is amusing in his fear, but he needs to get his shit together if I am to genuinely like him (tho I would choose his sister over him if she were not taken lol)

Kankalin - might just be my current favourite, he's interesting plus his obvious attempts to keep us safe from Demos are genuinely sweet and he gets points for that

Demos -  don't trust him one bit as of now I threw Woden to him bc I did NOT vibe with his examination and its effects on us even if we did better than Woden did he threw it off by the end of the day so yeah he's going to be the one to deal with having his mind affected by whatever is it that Demos does all that being said I do wonder what is up with him because I highly doubt he's as bad as he appears right now 

Child prince - oh how interesting he is I'm very curious about what exactly he is what he used to be and what will be his role in this story in our story

Lady Faustine - similarly to child prince I am quite curious what her role will be, who exactly are the guests to her? because the dream gave me so many questions but mostly what did she do to draw the gaze of who I assume is Rot in itself??

Overall, the game is absolute work of art in all its aspects be it art storytelling worldbuilding characterisation or interactions and I will be looking forward to playing the full version.

The only complaint I have is that when the conversation is happening over cg there are times when I am not 100% sure who said what, but it is not a big problem.

Also, this is the longest comment I have ever made under a game or anything really so that must say something about the game xd

Please… please… just one more Royce blush, and I can die a happy woman…! (Although, since I've had the pleasure of cuddling with Woden, I’m starting to wonder if I’ve already died and gone to heaven...? 🥺 I'm pretty sure my heart melted, and I don't know that it's possible to survive that.)

Rite of Decay is an absolute visual feast. An endless buffet! It’s stylish, unique, and totally enchanting in every way. The characters are all so jaw-droppingly gorgeous and a lot of them wear masks adding to the appeal. Every single detail is thoughtfully designed, even in the backgrounds! This is one of those rare VNs I’ve played in full screen because it’s just that immersive.

The writing? Ohhhhh, it’s just as wonderful. It hits hard when it needs to, but then it lets the characters’ charm and wit shine through, giving my poor sad and weary heart a breather. Each character is memorable, and Nastya is such a fantastic MC—snarky, competent, and totally self-assured. Her perspective is a delight and adds so much personality to the story (and even her codex entries are so freaking funny). 

I have spent like TEN HOURS WITH THESE MEN. TEN HOURS AND TWO PLAY THROUGHS. And I'm still not sure which of them I love the most. Every time I think I've decided on my favorite, I discover a brand new scene, and then my internal man-compass swivels around all over the place.

The world-building in the demo is perfection. I couldn’t stop chomping on every little nugget of lore that came my way. One of my favorite moments was definitely the bar/inn scene for this exact reason. Being able to physically explore from room to room made everything feel so much more alive, and all the different interactions were so engaging. I’m pretty sure I have yet to find all the secret interactions… but lord, did I try. 10/10, would eavesdrop on locals to gather all the juicy gossip while pretending to do my super official job again.

It’s hard to believe this is just a demo because it was so meaty. Can’t wait to see where this story goes in future updates!

Will probably play when i get home, if i remember.