Disclosure: During the early access stages of this game's development, I accepted an offer to proofread it, and repeated the exercise just ahead of final release. This will have no bearing on my assessment of the entertainment on offer.

Albeit with one episode left to follow, this game may represent the end of a journey for this series which has seen it progress from shallow and somewhat under-cooked, to massively improved with engaging plot, character backstories, more graphical interest and more in-game extras.

Welcome to Chichester 2/2 is not so much a story continuation of earlier episodes in this visual novel series, as a prequel. For those already familiar with the earlier offerings, the style remains the same. If, however, you have not come across any of this game's predecessors, this may, perhaps surprisingly, be a good place to start.

You play the part of a senior member of the spy agency “The Phoenix Custodians” whose apparent purpose is to stop the success of opposing agencies who seek world domination. Whilst the Custodians' intentions may be good, their methods appear to be somewhat less pure and leave you wondering whether they are actually any better than those whom they oppose.

The main character name and gender may be player selected, the result of this choice will result in a large number of dialogue entries being different; however, the story does feel that it was originally written with a male protagonist in mind. The number of accusations of sexual perversion levelled at the player did not really sit comfortably with me when playing as a female lead, a little more tweaking with the personality being projected may have resolved this.

The antagonist, for the most part, is once again Grendel Jinx, although thinking of her solely as the antagonist for this game is to ignore the bigger picture. For the first time in the series, the story has real depth. We are taken back in time to when the MC and her nemesis first met, and how this moment triggered a chain of events which led to an unusual relationship developing between them.
We're introduced to Grendel's parents, and their influence on the formation of her personality is clear to see. I cannot say that after playing this game, I liked her any more than before, but I certainly had a much better appreciation of why she is how she is.

This game once again utilises the timed-reaction answers process – it appears early in a fight with Grendel, again during a meeting with her father, and there is a further instance during the latter stages of the story. The developer has however recognised that this concept is not for everyone, and has implemented a choice to bypass the reaction tests in-game. Doing so will limit your outcome possibilities, but will not prevent you from being able to finish the entire story. If you choose to accept the speed-answering passages, I very strongly advise you to use a mouse to play as it is as good as impossible to succeed without one.

Graphically the game enjoys progress from its predecessors, there are far more backgrounds, and some animation and effects also come into play. I counted 59 scenes to unlock in the gallery, and whilst these are only background pictures and not unique CGs; nonetheless, they are useful in their own right as a quick reference to establishing whether there are still parts of the game that you have not yet experienced.

Secondary characters are in plentiful supply within the story, and seeing how some of those you might know from the series-to-date are first introduced is satisfying. “Extras” are intelligently referred to before they make an appearance; and on the whole everyone you will meet along the way feels like they belong in the story. There is a short DLC (with three endings that I found) which also covers a couple of links to people and events that have appeared elsewhere.

In keeping with the rest of the series, this instalment once again shines in the sonics department. There are a few tunes playing away in the background, a couple of them particularly caught my ear, and usage of sound effects is judicious and frequent. On occasion being able to hear the effects will help to explain what is happening when the text stops short.

Be aware that if you play as a female lead, there is a proposed rape scene.

The writing style remains of the “light and fluffy” variety as the author attempts to retain some humour whilst the plot thickens, and for the most part this works quite well. There is a scene later in the game which is quite intense – comparative to the rest of the outing – which is emphasised by the supporting music; and yet the relative flippancy of character remarks remains the same. One wonders if a more serious tone in the short term wouldn't have been better placed where it mattered.

I had been 50/50 on early releases in this series, due mainly to the shallow nature of the stories therein. “No Regrets..” resolves this with a much larger story, fuller characterisation, solid development of the relationship between the main players, and plenty of choices to be made which lead to differing dialogue branches and endings. Many of the decision screens have several options to choose from, and it is worth noting that the “back” button will not allow you to return to the last set of options you were at; however this is largely mitigated by the useful “Quick Save” feature which you can utilise while making a decision. Both quick and regular save and load options are available from the instant access menu at the bottom of the screen while in-play.

Both in its own right and as a comparison point to the rest of the series and its offshoots, “No Regrets” has a lot to like. Familiar readers will find any confusion being cleared, loose ends being tied and source links being provided to items and moments that appeared to be random or just convenient in the chronologically later episodes. New readers will find a story that often threatens to be serious but remains light-hearted; and sets a firm base from which to explore what goes on subsequently in those episodes already released. The material swings towards the adult end of PG without ever openly crossing the line, so should be fine for teens but with a note of caution for younger members of the family.

Overall, this is comfortably the best release in the series. A typical thorough play through will probably take 5-6 hours, and at a mere £1.79, that represents great value. So, the pressure is now on the developer to produce for the finale! If you've ever given a thought to looking at any of the WTC games, I can confidently suggest that this one provides your ideal opportunity to make a start.

Note to developer: I have been impressed by the degree of improvements to these games since I first looked at Episode 1, and have been considering what else could be addressed to finish the series on a high. If costs allow – and I recognise that would require good consumer support for this release – then I would like to see:
1. A discreet, visible indicator after choices, which shows when text following is exclusive to the choice made. This could disappear when narration again becomes “common”. This would be especially useful when trying out all choice options that are not end-affecting, so the player knows where to stop and quick-load back to the relevant decision screen.
2. Animated transitions added between sprite expressions.
3. Some separate CGs for key moments in the story.

Please follow our curator page, Otome Lovers, if you'd like to see more reviews like this one!

[b]Disclosure: During the early access stages of this game's development, I accepted an offer to proofread it, and repeated the exercise just ahead of final release.[/b] [i]This will have no bearing on my assessment of the entertainment on offer.[/i] Albeit with one episode left to follow, this game may represent the end of a journey for this series which has seen it progress from shallow and somewhat under-cooked, to massively improved with engaging plot, character backstories, more graphical interest and more in-game extras. Welcome to Chichester 2/2 is not so much a story continuation of earlier episodes in this visual novel series, as a prequel. For those already familiar with the earlier offerings, the style remains the same. If, however, you have not come across any of this game's predecessors, this may, perhaps surprisingly, be a good place to start. You play the part of a senior member of the spy agency “The Phoenix Custodians” whose apparent purpose is to stop the success of opposing agencies who seek world domination. Whilst the Custodians' intentions may be good, their methods appear to be somewhat less pure and leave you wondering whether they are actually any better than those whom they oppose. The main character name and gender may be player selected, the result of this choice will result in a large number of dialogue entries being different; however, the story does feel that it was originally written with a male protagonist in mind. The number of accusations of sexual perversion levelled at the player did not really sit comfortably with me when playing as a female lead, a little more tweaking with the personality being projected may have resolved this. The antagonist, for the most part, is once again Grendel Jinx, although thinking of her solely as the antagonist for this game is to ignore the bigger picture. For the first time in the series, the story has real depth. We are taken back in time to when the MC and her nemesis first met, and how this moment triggered a chain of events which led to an unusual relationship developing between them. We're introduced to Grendel's parents, and their influence on the formation of her personality is clear to see. I cannot say that after playing this game, I [i]liked[/i] her any more than before, but I certainly had a much better appreciation of why she is how she is. This game once again utilises the timed-reaction answers process – it appears early in a fight with Grendel, again during a meeting with her father, and there is a further instance during the latter stages of the story. The developer has however recognised that this concept is not for everyone, and has implemented a choice to bypass the reaction tests in-game. Doing so will limit your outcome possibilities, but will not prevent you from being able to finish the entire story. If you choose to accept the speed-answering passages, I very strongly advise you to use a mouse to play as it is as good as [b]impossible[/b] to succeed without one. Graphically the game enjoys progress from its predecessors, there are far more backgrounds, and some animation and effects also come into play. I counted 59 scenes to unlock in the gallery, and whilst these are only background pictures and not unique CGs; nonetheless, they are useful in their own right as a quick reference to establishing whether there are still parts of the game that you have not yet experienced. Secondary characters are in plentiful supply within the story, and seeing how some of those you might know from the series-to-date are first introduced is satisfying. “Extras” are intelligently referred to before they make an appearance; and on the whole everyone you will meet along the way feels like they belong in the story. There is a short DLC (with three endings that I found) which also covers a couple of links to people and events that have appeared elsewhere. In keeping with the rest of the series, this instalment once again shines in the sonics department. There are a few tunes playing away in the background, a couple of them particularly caught my ear, and usage of sound effects is judicious and frequent. On occasion being able to hear the effects will help to explain what is happening when the text stops short. Be aware that if you play as a female lead, there is a proposed rape scene. The writing style remains of the “light and fluffy” variety as the author attempts to retain some humour whilst the plot thickens, and for the most part this works quite well. There is a scene later in the game which is quite intense – comparative to the rest of the outing – which is emphasised by the supporting music; and yet the relative flippancy of character remarks remains the same. One wonders if a more serious tone in the short term wouldn't have been better placed where it mattered. I had been 50/50 on early releases in this series, due mainly to the shallow nature of the stories therein. “No Regrets..” resolves this with a much larger story, fuller characterisation, solid development of the relationship between the main players, and plenty of choices to be made which lead to differing dialogue branches and endings. Many of the decision screens have several options to choose from, and it is worth noting that the “back” button will not allow you to return to the last set of options you were at; however this is largely mitigated by the useful “Quick Save” feature which you can utilise while making a decision. Both quick and regular save and load options are available from the instant access menu at the bottom of the screen while in-play. [h1]Verdict[/h1] Both in its own right and as a comparison point to the rest of the series and its offshoots, “No Regrets” has a lot to like. Familiar readers will find any confusion being cleared, loose ends being tied and source links being provided to items and moments that appeared to be random or just convenient in the chronologically later episodes. New readers will find a story that often threatens to be serious but remains light-hearted; and sets a firm base from which to explore what goes on subsequently in those episodes already released. The material swings towards the adult end of PG without ever openly crossing the line, so should be fine for teens but with a note of caution for younger members of the family. Overall, this is comfortably the best release in the series. A typical thorough play through will probably take 5-6 hours, and at a mere £1.79, that represents great value. So, the pressure is now on the developer to produce for the finale! If you've ever given a thought to looking at any of the WTC games, I can confidently suggest that this one provides your ideal opportunity to make a start. [b]Note to developer[/b]: I have been impressed by the degree of improvements to these games since I first looked at Episode 1, and have been considering what else could be addressed to finish the series on a high. If costs allow – and I recognise that would require good consumer support for this release – then I would like to see: 1. A discreet, visible indicator after choices, which shows when text following is exclusive to the choice made. This could disappear when narration again becomes “common”. This would be especially useful when trying out all choice options that are not end-affecting, so the player knows where to stop and quick-load back to the relevant decision screen. 2. Animated transitions added between sprite expressions. 3. Some separate CGs for key moments in the story. [quote] Please follow our curator page, [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/4680120/]Otome Lovers[/url], if you'd like to see more reviews like this one! [/quote]