Hello everyone. I have created this post to inform you all as to why I recommend Marco & the Galaxy Dragon and selected it as the VN to put in the sidebar.

Marco & the First Impressions Pre-release

I was introduced to this VN when I was searching around Steam one day. First, I watched the video in this VN's store page. It was a video of its opening. I thought the song in the opening was great. I still listen to it from time to time to this day. Looking at the visuals, I noticed that there are points in the opening where it shows characters drawn in a different art style. I scrolled down on the store page and learned that not only does this VN has scenes animated in a cartoon art style, but it also has 1000 images and stills!? Those things were enough to get me interested in this VN and to buy it the day it was released.

Marco & the Production Value

Going through Marco & the Galaxy Dragon was a unique experience. There are many reasons as to why I feel that way, but one of the main reasons is the use of the aforementioned 1000 images and stills. Instead of almost every VN where you usually see the character portraits in a background with an occasional CG, Marco & the Galaxy Dragon have A LOT of CGs used for scenes. Each CG is well made. Additionally, the visuals from the character portraits to the background are nice to look at. While there are still scenes that consist of character portraits over a background, they don't detract the presentation. The use of CGs for scenes made the VN feel more animated. It almost felt like I was watching an episode of a show on TV. Helping this case are the fully animated scenes in a cartoony art style. Like the CGs, each of these scenes are well made. They were fun to watch and helped make my experience with this VN better.

Marco & the Cast of Characters

This VN has a large cast of characters. They vary in personalities from the narcissist Tera who was an entertaining character thanks to her voice actress's performance to the serious Onda. We even have a threatening villain with his emotionless daughter and not-so-serious subordinate. The interactions between the characters were great. Then, we get to Marco and the Galaxy Dragon aka Arco. Despite their sorrowful pasts, they seem to be really happy and have a good friendship. The two are entertaining characters and I enjoyed reading through their what they went through on Earth, whether it was good or bad. Also, both Marco and Arco had some entertaining moments as well thanks to Marco's stoic personality and Arco's never-ending hunger. Overall, Marco & the Galaxy Dragon has a good cast of characters.

Marco & the Magnificent Music

When it comes to visual novels, the soundtrack is something I tend to ignore when I talk about VNs. Also, I am not an expert when it comes to music. Aside from the OP and ending songs, I don't really pay much attention to the music in visual novels. That being said, Marco & the Galaxy Dragon made me appreciate all of the music in a VN more. Some songs in Marco & the Galaxy Dragon being less than a minute long doesn't change the fact that the soundtrack for this VN is great. Here are some of my favorites:

Red and Blue

Bouquet

Action

Was I Found!?

The Galaxy Dragon (ED song)

Hunger and Orb (OP song) -short version- -full version-

With 50 songs, you should find one you like.

Marco & the Comedy-Focused Story

While Marco & the Galaxy Dragon does seem to prioritize comedy, some serious and emotional scenes are sprinkled in this VN. I cannot go into further detail without spoiling a part or two from the story, but the emotional and serious scenes work despite the focus on comedy. The problem with this is that it could turn people away and I wouldn't blame them. Sometimes, it does feel weird when on a few occasions, a comedic scene shows up after a more serious scene. Personally, it did not bother me that much due to how fast this VN was going. Not to mention where some of these serious scenes are placed in the story, allowing me to expect these sudden shifts.

Marco & the Unforgettable Experience

Is Marco & the Galaxy Dragon just a VN to marvel at its pretty visuals and nice animated scenes? No. During the fast paced story and countless obstacles in our heroes' way, there are emotional and serious moments sprinkled in as I said above. Despite the large amount of comedic moments, these scenes were able to land and caused me to feel for these characters. The use of CGs and transitioning back to character portraits at the right moment makes those emotional and tense scenes even better. The CGs contributed to make reading this VN different from the others I have read through. Whether it was to make me smile or make me sad, Marco & the Galaxy Dragon succeeded in making me express the intended emotion. As a result, you end up with a VN that stands out above the crowd.

Are the large amount of images and stills the reason I like this VN? Maybe. Marco & the Galaxy Dragon uses them well in the story. They aren't just there to be shoved in the reader's face. It could be easy to mess this up and use these images to flaunt. While the developers did highlight this part of this VN in the Steam store page, Marco & the Galaxy Dragon uses them to make parts in the story unlike anything seen in any visual novel I have read through before. As a result, this VN gave me an unforgettable experience from start to end.

Marco & the Galaxy Dragon's Grand Conclusion

Marco & the Galaxy Dragon doesn't have a story that will blow you away. There are some parts to the story that didn't get a proper conclusion and some that confuse me. Also, it is a VN that prioritizes style over substance. Regardless of those things, I had a lot of fun reading through this VN. It gave me an experience that I haven't had in a VN before. Overall, Marco & the Galaxy Dragon turned out to be a great visual novel and gave me both a story AND an experience that I won't forget. As of today, it is still one of my favorite visual novels. If you are in the mood for a short, fast paced visual novel with a lot of comedic moments that goes all over the place, then I cannot recommend this VN enough. Thanks for reading and stay safe, everyone.