Well well well we are back yet again with the path of depression and if you think in my last review The House in Fata Morgana is a painful, heartbreaking journey then the prequel, A Requiem for Innocence doubles all of those emotions that you experienced when playing the base game and it's very very worth it to play after you finish the base game.
A Requiem for Innocence primarily focuses on the backstory and relationship between Jacopo and Morgana, delved into much deeper detail of their relationship that the original game briefly explained in their earlier days before the tragedy we know too well befalls them. Basically retelling of what happened during the last door in the main game not including Michel’s meddling with Morgana’s memories, but things as they happened before Morgana turned into the witch that tormented those around her for around a thousand years.
The character growth and ultimate destruction of Jacopo is another highlight of A Requiem for Innocence. It’s also amazing to see how so many characters could have changed things massively for the better if only they’d taken the opportunity to do so. In many ways, this is an incredibly heartbreaking tale, and absolutely should not be missed. It’s so painful and heartbreaking to see Jacopo come so, so close to being a great man and to have that just thrown away, bit by bit, by a combination of short-sightedness, misunderstandings, and a sense of desperate self-preservation. However it does help the reader to understand his character a bit more although sympathy is less felt than disappointment in his actions. It really is like a snowball effect where all these little mistakes accumulate little by little and before he knows it, he’s on the path of no return.
When I see Jacopo and Morgana's story, I can't help but feel like this is the most interesting interpretation of the "Beauty and Beast" story. Jacopo stared off as a good person, but power corrupted him. However, his feelings for Morgana are genuine and sweet. Enough to make him lament his actions to the point of near self-destruction. After living through three lives, he earns the chance to fulfil the promise he made to Morgana all those years ago. Morgana, despite having been hurt so badly by Jacopo's actions, learned compassion from Michel which lead her to save Jacopo from his self-inflicted curse. Even though she never forgave him, she remembered who he was and could still be. In the last life, she still couldn't bring herself to forgive him, but she saw that he was no longer the man seeking fame and fortune anymore. He was the man she saw before. the man who was kind to her in his own way. Who cared for her despite her childish antics, who would followed her through hail and rain to stay by her side. Together, they overcame their own flaws and personal herdles, and came out as better people thanks to the efforts and effects of the other. And the best part, we as the reader see it as it happens slowly, no snapshot redemptions, no instant forgiveness. Just two people working their way through life.
On top all of that you get a bonus chapter called 'Fragment' which just breaks your soul ten times more and what i like from Fragment is that Jacopo is a lot more forward in his feelings for her and fucking hell it’s just so heartwrenching because it makes me think of what “could have been” had they sat down and expressed their feelings openly towards one another. And just like the base game, once you have completed the game the main title screen changed, it is just perfect down to the last minute detail.
To Jacopo and Morgana i'm wishing nothing but happiness in your next life.
A Requiem for Innocence primarily focuses on the backstory and relationship between Jacopo and Morgana, delved into much deeper detail of their relationship that the original game briefly explained in their earlier days before the tragedy we know too well befalls them. Basically retelling of what happened during the last door in the main game not including Michel’s meddling with Morgana’s memories, but things as they happened before Morgana turned into the witch that tormented those around her for around a thousand years.
The character growth and ultimate destruction of Jacopo is another highlight of A Requiem for Innocence. It’s also amazing to see how so many characters could have changed things massively for the better if only they’d taken the opportunity to do so. In many ways, this is an incredibly heartbreaking tale, and absolutely should not be missed. It’s so painful and heartbreaking to see Jacopo come so, so close to being a great man and to have that just thrown away, bit by bit, by a combination of short-sightedness, misunderstandings, and a sense of desperate self-preservation. However it does help the reader to understand his character a bit more although sympathy is less felt than disappointment in his actions. It really is like a snowball effect where all these little mistakes accumulate little by little and before he knows it, he’s on the path of no return.
When I see Jacopo and Morgana's story, I can't help but feel like this is the most interesting interpretation of the "Beauty and Beast" story. Jacopo stared off as a good person, but power corrupted him. However, his feelings for Morgana are genuine and sweet. Enough to make him lament his actions to the point of near self-destruction. After living through three lives, he earns the chance to fulfil the promise he made to Morgana all those years ago. Morgana, despite having been hurt so badly by Jacopo's actions, learned compassion from Michel which lead her to save Jacopo from his self-inflicted curse. Even though she never forgave him, she remembered who he was and could still be. In the last life, she still couldn't bring herself to forgive him, but she saw that he was no longer the man seeking fame and fortune anymore. He was the man she saw before. the man who was kind to her in his own way. Who cared for her despite her childish antics, who would followed her through hail and rain to stay by her side. Together, they overcame their own flaws and personal herdles, and came out as better people thanks to the efforts and effects of the other. And the best part, we as the reader see it as it happens slowly, no snapshot redemptions, no instant forgiveness. Just two people working their way through life.
On top all of that you get a bonus chapter called 'Fragment' which just breaks your soul ten times more and what i like from Fragment is that Jacopo is a lot more forward in his feelings for her and fucking hell it’s just so heartwrenching because it makes me think of what “could have been” had they sat down and expressed their feelings openly towards one another. And just like the base game, once you have completed the game the main title screen changed, it is just perfect down to the last minute detail.
To Jacopo and Morgana i'm wishing nothing but happiness in your next life.
This review contains spoilers
I found the pacing of the story to be quite slow even in comparison to the original, however that may be because I played part I of the main scenario across many days, missing days even. On the contrary I finished part II in just one day without much interruption. The story is basically an expansion on Morgana’s backstory which we see as a flashback in Door VIII told with very minimal visuals. This time around the story is fleshed out further, with dialog and character sprites, which are drawn anew here and look much improved. It is told in a more intimate way, largely from Jacopo’s point of view, so we get to see some new scenes in part II regarding his journey into Lordship and consequent moral decline. The game does just about enough to convince you that it is possible for Jacopo to undergo such a severe change in character across the duration of the game. It was fascinating though, to see this transformation, to see Jacopo bound by the strains of power and consequently undone by it. Odilon was endearing, his relationship with Jacopo felt authentic and fatherly, subsequently his death was the perfect device to justify Jacopo’s future bitterness and depravity. Although this felt justifiable, what didn’t was the drastic dissimilarity between Jacopo’s internal monologue and subsequent actions regarding Morgana in the latter half of part II, even in his current mindset this felt unbelievable, and I don’t like how he acts like his time spent at the brothel was eons ago, anyway it felt like a major plot contrivance to me. Experiencing the ending first hand was brutal but anyone playing this already knew what was coming.
Part I does see some significant changes too, such as the introduction of three new characters: Gratien, Ceren and Lord Barnier. Their presence in the narrative does help keep things from becoming a complete bore as the trajectory of the story remains unchanged. I particularly like the characterisation of Lord Barnier, he is utterly insane and quite the memorable villain. I also really enjoyed seeing Morgana and Jacopo’s relationship blossom here, their back and forth was always engaging, and their growth felt organic. The standout scenes between them being when he first treats Morgana with the ointment and when he shelters her after she runs away from the brothel. Unfortunately, the first part is plagued with a lot of drivel dialogue in my opinion, which does drag it down for me.
The soundtrack whilst having some great additions, such as He Love You, doesn’t possess the same variety as the original game, with a lot less vocally orientated tracks which were usually the standout in the main entry. That said, the new piano tracks, which are the most prominently used are excellent, namely Singing the Glow of Sunrise, even if they just aren’t as distinctive as songs like Cicio in the previous entry. However, I do recognise the narrative and tonal reasons behind the inclusion of more sombre paired backed piano tracks in favour of the more dramatic, spectral and gothic tracks from the original game. On another note, I was baffled when certain other tracks played, as these start off sounding incredibly like royalty-free music before progressing into something different further in. I’m not sure if I’m just going crazy but I’m convinced they used melodies from some well-known royalty free music to build off whilst keeping these in at the beginning of the final versions, which is quite the bizarre decision if that is the case, doesn’t exactly do wonders for immersion but maybe the composer(s) thought it was funny I don’t know.
In conclusion I think Requiem for Innocence is worth playing if are a die-hard fan of the main game, however it is not at all essential. It doesn’t really do much to further the story and is missing the element of mystery and non-linearity in its narrative that made The House in Fata Morgana so engaging and original.
Part I does see some significant changes too, such as the introduction of three new characters: Gratien, Ceren and Lord Barnier. Their presence in the narrative does help keep things from becoming a complete bore as the trajectory of the story remains unchanged. I particularly like the characterisation of Lord Barnier, he is utterly insane and quite the memorable villain. I also really enjoyed seeing Morgana and Jacopo’s relationship blossom here, their back and forth was always engaging, and their growth felt organic. The standout scenes between them being when he first treats Morgana with the ointment and when he shelters her after she runs away from the brothel. Unfortunately, the first part is plagued with a lot of drivel dialogue in my opinion, which does drag it down for me.
The soundtrack whilst having some great additions, such as He Love You, doesn’t possess the same variety as the original game, with a lot less vocally orientated tracks which were usually the standout in the main entry. That said, the new piano tracks, which are the most prominently used are excellent, namely Singing the Glow of Sunrise, even if they just aren’t as distinctive as songs like Cicio in the previous entry. However, I do recognise the narrative and tonal reasons behind the inclusion of more sombre paired backed piano tracks in favour of the more dramatic, spectral and gothic tracks from the original game. On another note, I was baffled when certain other tracks played, as these start off sounding incredibly like royalty-free music before progressing into something different further in. I’m not sure if I’m just going crazy but I’m convinced they used melodies from some well-known royalty free music to build off whilst keeping these in at the beginning of the final versions, which is quite the bizarre decision if that is the case, doesn’t exactly do wonders for immersion but maybe the composer(s) thought it was funny I don’t know.
In conclusion I think Requiem for Innocence is worth playing if are a die-hard fan of the main game, however it is not at all essential. It doesn’t really do much to further the story and is missing the element of mystery and non-linearity in its narrative that made The House in Fata Morgana so engaging and original.
Since I enjoyed the base game, I was definitely invested in learning more about the antagonist of the base game and this DLC did not disappoint. I had a better experience with the pacing as it does have proper chapter segments as well as optional episodes that can be taken in any order which I think the base game needed. Nothing much else to add but perhaps some minor choices would have been nice to add some flavor.
For the some that care about ratings, I just rated this lower on the basis it was a good DLC but nothing mind blowing on its own. Perhaps an unfair comparison is the free DLC chapter of Celeste but this is still good and elevates the base game more which I think matters most.
For the some that care about ratings, I just rated this lower on the basis it was a good DLC but nothing mind blowing on its own. Perhaps an unfair comparison is the free DLC chapter of Celeste but this is still good and elevates the base game more which I think matters most.
The madlads at Novectacle somehow DID IT AGAIN. Absolutely brilliant piece of art, I came in expecting a fun little prequel (although I did read some comments hyping it up on reddit, kept my expectations low) and it somehow kept the same level of quality narrative and soundtrack experience in a shorter and sweeter package.
Absolutely adored the lovable cast of characters and the story. The newly introduced characters for the prequel were fine for what they were, one of them had a nice twist and the other was whatever. I'm not afraid to admit that I cried again at the end even though I knew what was coming. The other side stories had small segments that gave us insights to the main characters or shed some light on what happened on events that were not mentioned in the main game. A small sequel that wrapped up everything with a nice bow tie was included in the side stories as well, and I had a big grin while reading through that. WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
Absolutely adored the lovable cast of characters and the story. The newly introduced characters for the prequel were fine for what they were, one of them had a nice twist and the other was whatever. I'm not afraid to admit that I cried again at the end even though I knew what was coming. The other side stories had small segments that gave us insights to the main characters or shed some light on what happened on events that were not mentioned in the main game. A small sequel that wrapped up everything with a nice bow tie was included in the side stories as well, and I had a big grin while reading through that. WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
This review contains spoilers
They made Michel a 27 year old software developer who slept in before his date and wasn't able to clean his room before hand. They made him even more just like me fr how does that happen.
thoughts on each story below
Main Story:
This one is slow in parts but I think it's all worth it in the end, it was nice to see what Morgana's time at the brothel was like. I still don't fully understand Jacopo's fall into madness and I don't think I ever will he's fuckin crazy (they really lean into the his romantic feelings for baby Morgana too compared to the first game which doesn't do him any favors)... he's fun though.
Assento Dele:
This one was a little too on the nose for me, I love Michel obviously but I don't think I needed to see these events and didn't really gain much from it. I actually did love Morgana's role in this story and the reveal at the end a lot though.
Happily Ever After:
YEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA LETS FUCKING GO
Fragments:
This was such a nice bit of closure and a really good way to end Morgana and Jacopo's story.
thoughts on each story below
Main Story:
This one is slow in parts but I think it's all worth it in the end, it was nice to see what Morgana's time at the brothel was like. I still don't fully understand Jacopo's fall into madness and I don't think I ever will he's fuckin crazy (they really lean into the his romantic feelings for baby Morgana too compared to the first game which doesn't do him any favors)... he's fun though.
Assento Dele:
This one was a little too on the nose for me, I love Michel obviously but I don't think I needed to see these events and didn't really gain much from it. I actually did love Morgana's role in this story and the reveal at the end a lot though.
Happily Ever After:
YEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA LETS FUCKING GO
Fragments:
This was such a nice bit of closure and a really good way to end Morgana and Jacopo's story.
This review contains spoilers
The first chapter was incredibly good. I was a bit worried that some moments might overstay their welcome, just because we already knew the base story of what happened, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that they didn't. I also loved and teared up a bit at some of the moments between Jacopo and Morgana in those early days of happiness. The interlude was also a great addition. I feel like it added a very much needed explanation about a very important character and helped me see things from that distorted perspective. Ngl, initially I was raising an eyebrow, thinking, "Was this done just for the shock factor?" but I think they did a very good job on the explanation afterwards. The second chapter was also good. It was interesting to see how Jacopo went down the path that he did, but I still found it hard to completely empathize with him. I did find it interesting to read as a pure observer, just taking a look at the past and seeing what led to that seemingly inconceivable development.
I finished the main game but I still need to check out the side stories
I finished the main game but I still need to check out the side stories
It feels bad to give the first DLC story an average score, when the main game is perhaps the best visual novel I have read. A real tragedy.
The prequel focused on one character you meet in the main game. It's entirely in their point of view. The majority of this DLC is nothing new. If you played The House in Fata Morgana, you know who this is and you know what's going to happen. Thus the downside of prequels, especially in this case. Sadly I was bored by the first half, I kept putting off reading this for weeks. It's the same story, only more detailed.
The later is more interesting because it is new information. There are two new characters that add background for the main character here. But in the end, it's a prequel. You know the entire time what is going to happen. The saving grace is the quality of this VN. The illustrations, the storytelling, and extremely well written characters.
The prequel focused on one character you meet in the main game. It's entirely in their point of view. The majority of this DLC is nothing new. If you played The House in Fata Morgana, you know who this is and you know what's going to happen. Thus the downside of prequels, especially in this case. Sadly I was bored by the first half, I kept putting off reading this for weeks. It's the same story, only more detailed.
The later is more interesting because it is new information. There are two new characters that add background for the main character here. But in the end, it's a prequel. You know the entire time what is going to happen. The saving grace is the quality of this VN. The illustrations, the storytelling, and extremely well written characters.
I was eager to jump into this after finishing the main game, but I think that timing may have been a mistake - for unrelated reasons, I was quite depressed, and I didn't find myself feeling very strongly about a lot of what was presented, though I can tell I was supposed to.
I suppose a tragedy of a foregone conclusion is a very different type of story to the beguiling mystery of the main game, and it may be that's just not as much to my tastes - Fata Morgana enraptured me when it hit me with its big surprises, and that's often what I enjoy most in this medium. It's not a flaw of this game that it's not that kind of story, and certainly that should have been obvious from the premise, so it's not so much a letdown as much as just a mismatch. At the same time, it also feels so much like an extension of the main game, retreading so much of Door 8's content, that it feels hard to think about and rank it as a separate experience.
Whichever reason it didn't resonate with me - quite possibly a combination of both - it doesn't feel fair to give it a numerical rating. And all this rambling is not to say I didn't feel anything about the game, it was definitely interesting to get a more detailed look at the original history of the setting, and Morgana's character remains fascinating.
I suppose a tragedy of a foregone conclusion is a very different type of story to the beguiling mystery of the main game, and it may be that's just not as much to my tastes - Fata Morgana enraptured me when it hit me with its big surprises, and that's often what I enjoy most in this medium. It's not a flaw of this game that it's not that kind of story, and certainly that should have been obvious from the premise, so it's not so much a letdown as much as just a mismatch. At the same time, it also feels so much like an extension of the main game, retreading so much of Door 8's content, that it feels hard to think about and rank it as a separate experience.
Whichever reason it didn't resonate with me - quite possibly a combination of both - it doesn't feel fair to give it a numerical rating. And all this rambling is not to say I didn't feel anything about the game, it was definitely interesting to get a more detailed look at the original history of the setting, and Morgana's character remains fascinating.