jl260

This is not your typical Japanese visual novel, but more of a modern take on gothic fiction that takes advantage of the visual novel medium. Get this one if you enjoy a great story dealing with mature themes accompanied by amazing music and art. Gameplay is basically non-existent outside of dialogue choices that are few and far between. There is only one canon story route, accompanied by numerous very short bad endings. I'd recommend watching this (much more cinematic) trailer instead of the one on Steam as the former does a better job at representing the overall tone and atmosphere of the game while also being less spoilery: ****/Z5JRsH3g6wY And before you ask, yes, we are getting the Vita/PS4 version of this game in the West in 2019. ------------------------------------------- Before I begin, let me clear some things up: The store page description of this game only covers [REDACTED]% of its total content (the length of this game is a spoiler, in case you were wondering); these first four tales can be hit-or-miss for some, but they merely serve as a prelude for what's to come. Also, don't be mislead by the store page artwork; this isn't lesbian smut. I know that's most people's knee-jerk reaction, but it takes on a whole new meaning once you finish the game. The devs have said that the game is not targeted at any specific demographic. There is also a content advisory page by the localizers with out-of-context spoilers: ****/2016/05/12/the-house-in-fata-morgana-content-advisory/ There are some rather heavy subject matters involved, but they are treated with the respect they deserve; I wouldn't recommend reading it unless you are very sensitive. ---------------------------------------- Story, characters, music, art --- this is a well-rounded package for a visual novel. While the writing may not hold up to the best paperback novels out there, its overall presentation (including sound design, visuals, clever use of its interface) pushes this title into elite territory. All these facets of the game come together to create a highly immersive and captivating experience. There is no voice acting, though the game's hauntingly beautiful vocal tracks (whose lyrics are basically the inner monologues of the characters sung in Portuguese, Latin, and French) more than make up for it. The art is a perfect blend of eastern and western art styles, retaining the expressiveness of Japanese anime art while giving off a dark-fantasy/gothic vibe befitting of the setting. Special mention goes to the top-tier character sprites. Not only are they detailed and aesthetically pleasing, the artist Moyataro also breathed life into them by giving them many variations in their facial expressions; the sprites are very expressive even without the typical enormous, out-of-proportion sparkling anime eyes you find in so many other VNs. One of the characters alone must have at the very least 30 different variations for her sprite, and they all convey her emotions very well without looking unrealistic. I didn't even notice one of those variations was her puffing her cheeks until my 2nd playthrough due to how subtle it was. Consider me a new Moyataro fan. Word of warning though: (imo) the weakest portion of the story, art and music are all frontloaded in the first few hours of the game, which is unfortunate. Thankfully, it only gets better from there; the entire thing takes [REDACTED] hours to complete. So what's the story about? Actually, the less you know going into it the better, as this game keeps its cards close to its chest and enjoys playing with the reader's expectations. Without spoiling anything: It's about human nature, in all its beautiful and disgusting glory, laid bare. I appreciated how the heavier themes seldom explored in video games are handled with maturity and grace here. While I wouldn’t call it life-changing, I feel like this story made me, if only slightly, a better person. ------------------------------------------ P.S. If you do decide to give this one a shot, make sure to read between the lines (both figuratively and literally) when going through the tale set in 1099. The story of this game is multi-layered, and this tale is a perfect encapsulation of that.