Speakeasy

Just wow (･ω･ﾉﾉﾞ This game was so much fun I bought an extra showcase to add it to my steam profile♥️ I'd like to replay happy endings again one day, they were so hot! Tragic endings made me cry more than once T_T They really hurt a lot :( Speakeasy Endings are so lewd and spicy. Absolutely every outcome was way too powerful and emotional. Bravo! <3
Praises :
+The setting is awesome! It felt so good to immerse myself into that period of time: music, clothes, those black-&-white old photos for some characters, historical facts, my own country included, I was deeply impressed!
+All the characters are so bright, unique, with their bracing backgrounds, I couldn't help but sympathize all of them T_T It was so powerful, I couldn't control myself. I was forced to feel such intense hatred to a character in a couple of routes but then I couldn't help but cry my eyes out playing through his own route. Amazing! There was never a boring scene.
+I'd like to thank esp for that immense pleasure of playing through Maxim's route(●♡∀♡))ヾ☆*。 He and his muzh :D are too handsome! All those occasional Russian words, historical facts, like revolution, all that made playing through his route so relatable, extra emotional. I saved his good ending for last, as a final touch of the whole novel. Mmm that kind of relationship is just perfect, like a dream, I can't remember anything similar, no poly route can be compared to this ideal bond<3
+I love how diverse the content here is. So many tragiс things described, they pushed my buttons in every route. I sincerely suffered with the characters, it's written so vividly, I applaud. MC seems insufferable at the beginning of the majority of routes but it's understandable considering her background. It's great to see her change. Her circumstances, despite time difference, still feel too relatable :( I heard myself more than once that it's my duty to my country and society to bear a child, find a husband... If you do what YOU not your parents want you're called selfish, all those details struck a chord with me a lot. I experienced such a wild roller-coaster of emotions. Happy endings were so good I was beaming, my mood lifted for the whole day :D but tragic endings were way too cruel :(( If only every novel was this potent to evoke such powerful emotions(･ω･ﾉﾉﾞ
Complaints :
--I like the overall quality but the text still needs some editing. I've encountered just one typo 'a ornamental' BUT several times it was 'povname' at the start of the sentence O_o once it was 'Archie' not up the text box but at the beginning of the sentence. In three routes O_O in bad endings the name I chose was presented in the text box BUT in the sentences it was default Cora all the time, that weird mixture was too distracting :( But it was this way in so many routes that I started to doubt myself that perhaps it's not a flaw but a feature :D like in such tragic endings you lose your chosen identity :) if it's really like this, I don't like it.
I appreciate my native Russian, I wonder if one of the devs knows it or who they consulted for it. But, for example, 'Speshit' has a weird form as he addresses mc, it should be 'Pospeshim' or even maybe 'PorA' sounding similar to default Cora :D btw about her name, at first I didn't understand what he meant saying mc's name sounds like Russian tree bark :D But then thanks to that bizarre mixture of protagonist's names mentioned above I recollected that's her name the game offers BUT I always change them, so this comparison has zero sense for players like me :( and it's repeated twice in different scenes :( If you really like that joke so much, perhaps it would be a good idea to keep it as a second name. If I'm not mistaken the number of them is not limited to two, or the text should be changed, dunno if it's technically possible to keep it only in case the players stick to a default name.
--I don't like the way the gallery is organized :( Looking at all those slots I was anticipating some juicy images buut in reality every route has only about a couple of sultry scenes, it's just every slight variation of it occupies a separate slot :( ig otherwise they couldn't present all skin options but honestly I found that too distracting :(( I wanted to enjoy all those moments again but found not me, not mc but some other woman with a different skin color, spoils all immersion :((
--It's great that you don't need any patches for adult content. Intimate CGs are so pretty, plus it's really a rare case to have revealing erotic otome :(( So WHY when it's not a CG the chars are always in their underwear O_o You read through such exciting details but it doesn't match what you see in sprites :(
--I need mooooore save slots T_T At least enough to save before EVERY choice :(
I'm so happy I've bought this game, it was an extremely pleasant read. I can't wait to try their fandisk as well. Consider me a fan now :D
More thoughts about the game in a Reading Nook

Surprisingly long story compared to what I was expecting--several hours and I got through to Vincent's "bad" ending quite fast, but I went back and I'm over 6 hours and still have not finished through Vincent's path yet.

The music is fantastic, background for the bar in the speakeasy has a cartoon sloth? which is very distracting, but kind of funny.
I absolutely cannot stand the lingerie/underwear. Modern undergarments in a 1920's inspired game? Jarring and the developer putting their name on it as a logo like it's Calvin Klein? Worse.
The dialogue is so good! Then comes the underwear and I'm like it was better with clothes on, just cut away and put in more cut-scene art.
You don't have a whole lot of time to get to know the characters and their preferences prior to choosing who you want to romance--I wish you got to learn a little more about each character first. Playing through Vincent's story, there are a lot of things I found out about other characters that may have made me more interested in those paths had I known them before choosing Vincent.

Like I said before, it is well written, albeit verbose at times.
Not many choices truly change the course of the story. Recommend saving at those points because it is not obvious when choices may force the story in a different direction.

Overall, compelling--feels like a novella--I wish the cut-scenes were actually like the videos they play at the beginning, but alas...

I liked the game, but Silas was definitely my favorite! He was a breath of fresh air in the game, we need more 18+ otome games!

Wish the game was longer, I'll keep an eye on the studio for other projects

do NOT play this game and get vincents tragic end, you WILL end up sobbing at 1 am.

Some of these reviews....
I LOVE this game, super refreshing for an otome to go way more edge and mature. Had to play zaddy Vincent immediately *sweat*. Loved the mature content, its tough finding otome with h scenes. Wish there was sone pregnancy plot though that would have been chefs kiss.
My only one complaint is the weird creepy human portraits of lesser characters. Totally took me right out whenever those came up. Would have prefered just black silhouettes or nothing at all.

Great story! all of the love interests had very different stories but they were all engaging. I would recommend doing Vincent's route first because the rest of the stories made me at least dislike him. I did get the DLC as well because they are cute epilogues and it was only 7 dollars. So if you like the game also get the DLC! I can not wait for any future game this company releases I will be first in line if it is similar to this one!

Speakeasy is a game I find myself liking more than loving, but it's worth the run-through.
This review will be a bit long.
As of right now I've played through three routes, and intend on finishing them all.
Mild spoilers.
Firstly, the positives:
● Characters' blasé attitudes towards sex and sexuality are SO REFRESHING. It feels fitting for their occupations and backgrounds, which is something you don't see often enough in the genre (especially amongst what we get localised).
● The setting is unique, vibrant and fun. I can't say anything about historical accuracy, but the Speakeasy and surrounding areas feel alive. Characters have lives that stretch way further than the main story, and I found myself looking forward to learning more about those that weren't necessarily "my type".
● The OST is really nice! I don't often notice VN OSTs too much, but this one really jumped out at me. There aren't too many tracks, so get ready to hear them again for each route, but they're great.
● The art is lovely. It's clean and polished-looking, especially for the sprites, so even just sitting there having basic conversations makes for a good viewing experience.
● The cast is great. I would probably hate them if I knew people like this in real life (except Silas). Their personalities are all different and don't feel super one-dimensional.
● There are lots of action sequences, which I really enjoyed!
● I thought being able to change the MC's skintone was a sweet touch. I liked that.
● The story is just straight up fun. This game is far, far from boring.
Things I wasn't super jazzed about (ha):
● Although I understand why she is the way she is. The main heroine is the most annoying protagonist I've ever played as. I didn't find out she was 25 years old until later on, which surprised me because she has the maturity of a 16-year-old! I get that her upbringing is sheltered, but the secondhand embarrassment seems to be a mandatory part of every route. Not only is she immature, but she makes awful decisions, and whilst I wanted to like her, I only tolerate her. TT
● The pacing. I actually enjoy that the plot for each route isn't a slog, but it really feels like the characters fall in love so fast that they almost flip a switch, leaving me wondering why they even feel that way (especially with our heroine's misbehaviour). Plots feel resolved a little too quickly, but it's not terribly-written. All-in-all, I still had fun reading.
● This is a nitpick, so this likely won't bother many people, but the heroine looks too different between CGs and her sprite, and I found that the inconsistency took me out of things a little. Her hairstyle changes from sculpted finger waves to loose, almost straight hair, and her proportions are different. It would have been nice for the two to be closer together aesthetically.
● Again, this could be considered a nitpick. Sometimes it felt that the CGs weren't as nice as the sprites, with characters often looking a tad more awkward/anatomically incorrect. It's not game-ruining, but something some people might notice.
All in all, I like Speakeasy. It's a good game and an enjoyable experience, full of personality and style. I'd recommend it to people who want a break from the "waiting 10 chapters to hold hands with someone" otome experience. I will play Speakeasy: Last Call, and I will be keeping an eye on this studio's releases.
7/10