I got hooked and played through Cases 2, 3, and 4 in a few days.
Case 2 - Solid case with a solid mystery. I enjoyed the large cast of suspects and the amount of red herrings to make you think it's Frege. The constructs are a fun programming mystery on top of the magic. Being able to detect magic while investigating is a neat mechanic. I do appreciate how brisk the pacing is and how it doesn't waste your time on simple mysteries like why Frege/Nightgrave's lockers are swapped. That said, the rotating wheel deduction can be really specific at times. I got stuck behind a few even though I knew the answer. Eris makes her first true appearance here and...well, she's an archetype that can be really swing-y. I've played my fair share of meta-aware villains in visual novels, so we'll see if she does anything that really blows me away.
Case 3 - Definitely the weakest mystery so far, but I'll give the case credit - this case made me love the characters. I liked the main cast, but I got invested after Tyrion's backstory and the two ships of Tyrion/Celeste and Aris/Aster. I realized over the last year that while I typically don't like half-baked romance, good, slow burn romance might be my favorite genre. Lots of good lines in this too. I especially like that Tyrion's pretty amazing "I won't let nothing stay in my way, whether it be man, king, or god" is actually a kid-like chunbi line is great. While I generally don't like outright internet-isms in games, the keysmash for Aria's thoughts around Aster is perfect.
Case 4 - Really incredible case. There's basically no slow points and a ton of high points throughout the entire case. I'm glad we got to play as Ruby and play against Ruby - she felt a bit too in the background and she is a really good type of character for this role. Tyrion, Celeste, Aria, and Beatrice are all excellent, but the other characters in the case are good too. The two different thieves and three familial bonds are both great twists that feel right at home with the best of AA. The final confrontation with Beatrice and Marrakuth also feels right at home for great confrontations. Even leading up to it, the confrontation with Eugene is also really amazing. Great ending too with Tyrion rejecting Eris's manipulation and choosing to be with Celeste.
I should probably have this done by tomorrow?
I can't live forever
With my head and my heart in the clouds