This'll forever be the most underrated game of all time for me. I know it isn't technically a game since it's a visual novel but I love it for the same reasons I tend to love games so there's no difference for me. I played this during a time when I thought I was never going to find a game that meant to lot to me ever again and it really revitalised me. I feel bad writing this as I can't say much because it's one of those things where the nature of the story in itself is a spoiler and people who haven't played it will read this, but suffice it to say it's got the single most emotionally powerful story I've ever experienced, the characters are straight up amazing and you get to see so many sides of them that other stories would normally hide away. The music is incredible, especially the further you get into the story, and it has a weird way of replacing the need for voice acting. The art is goddamn beautiful, it really hits my sweet spot, it's a sort of waterpaint-y gothic style, but not the edgy kind, it's a little bit similar to Yoshitaka Amano's style.
I once saw a review call this "Japanese Shakespeare" and in a way it's true, but I think it does Shakespeare ten times better than even Shakespeare himself did. I'll defend that statement to the death.
If you're reading this and you have any interest whatsoever in story-driven experiences, I am on my knees rn, I am begging you to give this a try. It'll change your life yo. It deserves so so much more attention than it gets, it's an absolute crime that this is so unheard of. It genuinely makes me sad.