Nerus

 Of all the gay furry visual novels to come from the post-Blackgate, post-Echo, post-Adastra explosion, the currently in-dev Nerus is by far the most unique and intriguing. At first glance, the visual novel is pretty unassuming—one might even say unappealing and visually crude. Its sprites and teaser material do indeed lack the visual polish of some of its popular contemporaries, but this is a flaw that I found easy to overlook once I settled into its writing.
 To describe what Nerus is about without oversimplifying to the point of uselessness is a difficult task. It's easy to say that Nerus is about two powerful beings whose supposed immortality proves to not be enough to fight against the social and physical barriers that keep them away from each other. At its core, this is the case, but Nerus is a visual novel with many moving parts. It has a large cast, with some characters and side-plots appearing entirely disconnected from the main story for significant amounts of time. Many of these characters' backgrounds are explored in-depth, and many get their turn to be the narrator, offering readers a look into their views and thought processes. The plots all take place over long periods of time, and readers are expected to remember a significant number of events and details. Nerus is intricate, but it's also a slow burn. I was certain I was reading for several hours when I saw the on-screen text notifying me that I had finished with just the prologue.
 With this many pieces at play, Nerus is tasked with the burden of now sticking the landing. It's not always easy to put faith in an in-development work, and Nerus has a lot of work to do to justify its grandiose narrative decisions. That said—with its likeable cast, solid prose, and multiple engaging storylines, I haven't been given a reason to believe it won't remain a satisfying experience in its future updates.