The first game I played from Caramel Column Inc was Alter Ego. Then it was Alter Ego Complex, then AZNANA. I’ve basically played all of their games, and all of them were wonderful, thought-provoking, and immersive with wonderful storytelling! Now I’ve played INSECTARIUM ALTERNATIVE MARCH, and it certainly stands out from the developers’ previous games, giving off a vibe that I have trouble describing. The setting is post apocalyptic sci-fi with a variety characters that are likable and that many people may relate to. It’s an easy game to get through (I knocked out all endings in one day), but the endings are worth it. One of them is even a sort of twist ending about one of the characters that I bet no one would have expected! Overall, a game that may seem simple on the outside but has a multitude of themes and lessons on the inside. I still have the extra content to go through, but I’m sure I’m going to enjoy every second of it. If anyone takes the time to read this review, please check out the rest of Caramel Column’s games! I’m quite convinced you’ll enjoy them as much as INSECTARIUM! :)

I never been into these visual novel type mystery games, but this game truly is joy to play. The characters and their designs is enjoyable and memorable. It’s not the most complex gameplay, but the story is enough to pull you through and keep you truly invested. I spent a good deal replaying the level over and over to learn more about the background of these characters and the world they inhabit. And some nice unexpected twists. It’s not the longest game, or most complex, but it’s very well executed story and concept. Please if you guys who made this game are reading. You guys made something great, I’ll be looking forward to hopefully new future titles. And I don’t say this often. Great stuff.

I thought it was super fun to play and found the story interesting. Even after getting all the endings I still have tons of questions and things that I’m wondering about. For example: what specifically did Natasha do to make Sasha so angry? I feel like there’s more than meets the eye between those two. I’m also curious about what she did to the people that she experimented on

The game itself is pretty alright, basically being a cycle of ‘find out which guy’s quirk won’t get them killed’ sandwiched in between bursts of story about characters. Neat concept, alright execution, even if it ultimately boils down to pressing one of two buttons.My problem lies in the fact that a majority of the content (and most importantly, the story) is tied to about $20 worth of microtransactions. It just leaves a bad taste in my mouth, especially for how ultimately shallow the gameplay loop is. Pricey dlc isn’t a new phenomenon for this studio, but it’s mostly been relegated to epilogue content for after the story’s over, not the meat of the game itself. At that point you could just put it on PC, make it a full visual novel, charge full price for it, and probably find more people willing to shell out that much up front.