Gilded Shadows

I Highly recommend this game. It is super intriguing story with a rich and well thought out world and amazing characters. Each route is completely different and I've put so many hours into it and I still haven't finished all routes and ends.
PROS:
* It has really deep, well thought out and intriguing world building
* Beautiful art - Sprites, BGs and CGs
* Amazing writing - Sci-fi, mystery, romance
* 9 Routes with very different story routes touching on many different themes
* Sprite creation and Morgan (MC) is really well written

This game is excellent. The world building is astounding and each character is unique. I even found myself loving all side characters. Each route is different and unique but all of them are wonderful. I have played all the routs and loved them all. though Lance will always have a special place in my heart. lol.
I would definitely recommend this game.

I've waited too long to leave a review because I kept trying to figure out how to explain how wonderful this VN is. And I still can't, but I wanted to leave a good review anyway. Every single character has a completely different story line and many different endings. You can end one and start another and play an entirely new game. Or just go back to one you've done before and make different choices and explore different routes.
The world is big. And it is intimidating. But you cannot tell me that's not literally how every fantasy genre book/film is? I don't remember getting a lorebook when I read LotR for the first time, at least this has one that's clear and concise. It's not for everyone, and that's okay. If you're looking for romance without plot, this isn't it. But the romances are very fulfilling, and the plot is incredible. I've cried a lil too much.
This is amazing. Esh is amazing. Ari is baby. That is all.

This game rocks, and I highly recommend it if you like sci-fi or just enjoy a dating sim with a good story. I bought it on sale, but it's absolutely worth full price for the amount of content.
Story: 10/10. Solid writing with few grammar issues, though the UK English threw me off at times (in a fun way--who knew they spell curb like kerb?). SO MUCH LORE. There's literally an in-game glossary because the world building is that deep. If you're into sci-fi at all, I think you'll be into this game. You get a variety of psychic powers with a ranking system, space travel, psychic cops, a god-like planetary AI, androids (who don't like being called androids), a dash of mind control, and the mob! Most impressive, in my opinion, is that every route has a unique story--you're not just playing through the same events with different guys and a couple unique scenes. The actual main conflict changes depending on who you decide to romance, and what you learn in one route often adds context to what you experience in another. There aren't a ton of pivotal choices (maybe 2-3 per chapter), but the ones you do get are notably impactful--either to the plot or your relationship with the love interest. My one warning: you need to love to read if you want to have fun with this game. It is very much a visual NOVEL, not a fast-paced dating sim. Getting through every route took me 60+ hours, and almost all of that was reading with minimal input from me.
Character customization: 8/10. Great compared to otome games with no customization, but not as in-depth as something like Our Life. Points off because you can't pick gender/pronouns (you will be a girl), body type, facial features, or hairstyle. But you CAN customize your name and the character's color palette (hair, skin, and eyes). Even though you can't pick hairstyle or clothes, each route gives the character a slightly different style, which I found really fun. You also choose three personality traits at the beginning of the game that influence some of the narration & scripted dialogue as well as available dialogue choices and your first impressions with the love interests. With all that said, your character's base personality also seems to be influenced by which route you're playing, which can downplay or emphasize the traits you choose.
Romance options: 10/10. Nine love interests to choose from! The guys are all lovable in different ways without falling into overly predictable tropes. And because the plot is different in every route, they're all worth playing--even if you don't find the love interest attractive. In my first playthrough, for example, I went self-insert and made the choices I felt I would actually make in MC's situation. I ended up on the route of the love interest I find least attractive (sorry Reuben), but MC takes on such a fun role in that route that I still had a blast. Beyond that, the relationships each progress at different rates. You might have your first kiss with one love interest in chapter 6 and have to wait until chapter 10 for another. The only thing they all have in common is that, if you're passing affection checks, you will get a first kiss moment, a first spice/love scene, and a final-chapter spice/love scene. There's a built-in option to have the steamy parts fade to black, but they don't show full nudity either way. It's just a matter of whether you want a description of what's going on, and even that doesn't get very specific once they escalate past making out.
Angst: Minimal, which I prefer. There are definitely some dark themes, but most of that comes from past trauma the guys are working through--torture, experimentation, forced memory loss, deaths in the family, etc. Within the actual routes, things usually don't get too heavy. The game features a flowchart you can monitor to see if you're hitting affection checks or if you run the risk of falling into a bad ending. For the most part, the bad endings are easy to avoid. You can easily save and load anytime (even on choice screens), and while I couldn't find a Log screen, you can scroll back through if you miss something or want to try a different choice. Lastly, you'll still get a good ending, relationship-wise, even if you don't min-max the affection meter. The bad endings end the game prematurely and are typically the result of a specific choice. The canon endings are either "Passionate" (spicy) or "Sweet" (no spice). MC ends up in a happy relationship either way.
Comments should be on, so lmk if there's anything you'd want to know about that I left out here. But in summary? If you're thinking about buying the game, just buy it. So good.

loved absolutely everything. The scifi elements are almost as good as Technetium(better than gold)

The story and art are pretty good, but there are just too many explanations about this world that make it a bit boring. I feel like some of the descriptions aren't really needed. For example, in Ari's route, the whole point of mentioning the mc's siblings is to show how much she cares about her family and how messed up the city is. This is just my suggestion, but I think cutting out some of these sentences could make the story easier to read without messing with the main plot.

I have finished five out of nine routes and normally I would wait until i finished all routes before posting a review, but I already know i would recommend this game, the amount of options and the different stories are fantastic, its not like other games where similar paths would be the same outside of a few scenes, each person has their own romance and their own story. I love this game. I love Lance and Caleb the most (holding off on choosing a favorite until i finish all routes, I still need to finish Yuu, Jack, Quill and Rueben) this game is 100% worth it and 100% would recommend