Finally finished this one. I'm not really sure how to put what I want to say into words. The game is good. But it definitely has some flaws which surprises me because the game is SO highly rated.
First of all the soundtrack is amazing so many bangers, even if they can get repetitive over time. And I really like the artstyle of the game, with all the watercolour backgrounds and NON-ANIME looking characters.
Not to shit on anime too hard, but I think one of the major reasons this visual novel is extremely highly praised is because it's one of the only VNs that is not weird anime gooner slop. There are no H-Scenes. It has amazing well-depicted and well-developed female and queer characters. It doesn't rely on creepy perverted jokes at the expense of women that supposedly just "come with the territory" of anime/VN games. And it's written really well! All of these things should kind of just really be the bare minimum, but I think the bar is on the floor for the standard of visual novel games and that makes Fata Morgana stand out above the rest.
The characters are very good and especially in the final chapter where you get to know everyone deeper than before, they are really well-written. I also loved the post-game backstage content where everybody breaks the fourth wall and shoots the shit. That was an amazing addition to the game.
On to the flaws :(
The biggest issue was the pacing. I feel the game was way too long and spent too much time in places it didn't need to. I have to keep this spoiler-free but basically, the first four chapters are just prologue.
The first three are all self-contained stories told to build up the world of the mansion. They can drag on and overall it felt like they didn't matter too much after they were done. The fourth chapter is kinda just like nothingness.
After chapter 4, the real game begins. And that's when it gets really interesting and you can start connecting to the protagonists more. Chapters 5, 6, and 7 are good (especially 7), but then chapter 8 is amazing. It's super long but it also feels like the point where the game truly begins. The first 7 chapters were all setting up for the 8th.
At certain points, the story can feel like a trauma competition. I know the story is a tragedy but damn, it felt like the creators wanted to just make everybody have the most excruciating backstory where nothing goes right at all. And I think it caused some of these moments to lose their gravitas.
Overall, Fata Morgana tells a great story with amazing style and presentation. It's not your average run-of-the-mill anime visual novel, and that's why it's beloved by so many - it stands out. But it's held back by some weird pacing that can cause moments to feel unimportant, uninteresting and inconsequential.
Looking forward to playing the DLC!
First of all the soundtrack is amazing so many bangers, even if they can get repetitive over time. And I really like the artstyle of the game, with all the watercolour backgrounds and NON-ANIME looking characters.
Not to shit on anime too hard, but I think one of the major reasons this visual novel is extremely highly praised is because it's one of the only VNs that is not weird anime gooner slop. There are no H-Scenes. It has amazing well-depicted and well-developed female and queer characters. It doesn't rely on creepy perverted jokes at the expense of women that supposedly just "come with the territory" of anime/VN games. And it's written really well! All of these things should kind of just really be the bare minimum, but I think the bar is on the floor for the standard of visual novel games and that makes Fata Morgana stand out above the rest.
The characters are very good and especially in the final chapter where you get to know everyone deeper than before, they are really well-written. I also loved the post-game backstage content where everybody breaks the fourth wall and shoots the shit. That was an amazing addition to the game.
On to the flaws :(
The biggest issue was the pacing. I feel the game was way too long and spent too much time in places it didn't need to. I have to keep this spoiler-free but basically, the first four chapters are just prologue.
The first three are all self-contained stories told to build up the world of the mansion. They can drag on and overall it felt like they didn't matter too much after they were done. The fourth chapter is kinda just like nothingness.
After chapter 4, the real game begins. And that's when it gets really interesting and you can start connecting to the protagonists more. Chapters 5, 6, and 7 are good (especially 7), but then chapter 8 is amazing. It's super long but it also feels like the point where the game truly begins. The first 7 chapters were all setting up for the 8th.
At certain points, the story can feel like a trauma competition. I know the story is a tragedy but damn, it felt like the creators wanted to just make everybody have the most excruciating backstory where nothing goes right at all. And I think it caused some of these moments to lose their gravitas.
Overall, Fata Morgana tells a great story with amazing style and presentation. It's not your average run-of-the-mill anime visual novel, and that's why it's beloved by so many - it stands out. But it's held back by some weird pacing that can cause moments to feel unimportant, uninteresting and inconsequential.
Looking forward to playing the DLC!
Masterpiece.
Don’t think i’ve ever emotionally connected to anything more
Chorei muito.
Les histoires qui commencent comme des anthologies pour avoir un fil rouge c'est plutôt masterclass si on me demande mon avis
This review contains spoilers
This game was honestly so close to perfection. It had really good characters with perfect build up. But the final door and forward felt really forced and Michel started acting uncharacteristic. Him saying he could forgive his gf's rapist?? Or him telling Morgana to smile to the man who locked her up and tortured her. I also didn't like the quick atonement of his 2 brothers as if like they didn't killed and humiliated Michel. Overall, I wish they went for a good but imperfect ending instead of forcing this half assed conclusion.
I wasn't sure what to expect with this visual novel, but I could have never predicted the places that this one was willing to go. This story works best as a visual novel and also brings out the best elements of the medium--maybe better than any other VN I've ever played.
As a fan of VNs, this is easy to recommend. It's by far a must-play for anyone even slightly interested in the medium. However, like with any other VN, this also makes it downright impossible to recommend to anyone not a fan of the storytelling style.
Between the CGs, the immaculate (albeit a bit superfluous) writing, the original compositions (that get even better when you unlock the translations post-game), and the absolutely masterful storytelling, it's impossible to give this less than a perfect score. It's a masterpiece that defines this genre for me going forward.
I will miss these characters. I will miss the music. But I'm also finding my heart warmed on the other side of a tragic love story. I read a lot of books. This is a better story than any fantasy I've ever read.
Pastoral Perspective: This is a challenging story. It's difficult not to spoil the constant twists to explain it, but it's filled with potential triggers. It's boldly willing to be exactly what it is and has plenty of Christian culture thrown into its story--both in a positive and negative light. The most important lesson that this game teaches is that none have fallen so far as to not be capable of being offered grace, if not forgiveness.
As a fan of VNs, this is easy to recommend. It's by far a must-play for anyone even slightly interested in the medium. However, like with any other VN, this also makes it downright impossible to recommend to anyone not a fan of the storytelling style.
Between the CGs, the immaculate (albeit a bit superfluous) writing, the original compositions (that get even better when you unlock the translations post-game), and the absolutely masterful storytelling, it's impossible to give this less than a perfect score. It's a masterpiece that defines this genre for me going forward.
I will miss these characters. I will miss the music. But I'm also finding my heart warmed on the other side of a tragic love story. I read a lot of books. This is a better story than any fantasy I've ever read.
Pastoral Perspective: This is a challenging story. It's difficult not to spoil the constant twists to explain it, but it's filled with potential triggers. It's boldly willing to be exactly what it is and has plenty of Christian culture thrown into its story--both in a positive and negative light. The most important lesson that this game teaches is that none have fallen so far as to not be capable of being offered grace, if not forgiveness.
If you have never played this before it is a must
Masterpiece of a visual novel. The story has a great way to toy with your emotions going from the happiest of moments to the saddest of moments.
Loved all the short stories & the mystery. The stories are all deeply about human nature and exploring love & tragedy across different time periods.
The music/sound design was done really well with the scenes in the story. At times, I put down the controller in order to just listen to the background music. It has a great/uniqueu Portuguese ost
Loved all the short stories & the mystery. The stories are all deeply about human nature and exploring love & tragedy across different time periods.
The music/sound design was done really well with the scenes in the story. At times, I put down the controller in order to just listen to the background music. It has a great/uniqueu Portuguese ost
In my opinion, The House in Fata Morgana is one of the most earnest, sincere and respectful works of fiction I have played. It will make you feel all sorts of emotions through its intense and cathartic tragedies, hopeful and optimistic belief in its characters and to top it all off one of the most beautiful romances I have ever seen. The House in Fata Morgana is a story that takes place across almost 1000 years and delves into all matter of subjects such as discrimination, human nature, self-sacrifice, forgiveness and truth but none is focused on more than perspective as the game pulls back the curtain on all of its cast, thoroughly inspecting them, as it encourages and discusses the importance of coming to understand the circumstances that leads people to the decisions they make - no matter how much they may regret them.
Getting the obvious out of the way, the games presentation is out of this world. The setting is constantly shifting door to door as within each one comes a new era. Whether its 1603, a period of great improvement to the arts, 1707 in which sea trade, travel and discovery thrived or 1869 with great advancements in technology - the game manages to consistently adjust its presentation to fit the time and characters within it, perfectly encapsulating the atmosphere of the mansion in and outside the doors. The sprites are incredibly expressive, the backgrounds are quite distorted and muddy which serves to bring more focus to the characters on screen but also lean into the games gothic and horror elements and the music consists of 68 incredibly high-quality songs that don't shy away from occasionally using vocals - largely spoken in Portuguese. Everything visually and audio-wise just comes together so well it's hard not to get taken in by it all especially when one of the first songs that plays is apart of the best, which is aptly called The House in Fata Morgana.
"Events by themselves do not tell the whole story. Only when you take into account their circumstances, what they thought and felt, their perspectives—only then can you say you've reached the truth"
It wouldn't be a fitting review without discussing Fata Morganas biggest strength, which is its cast. As mentioned earlier, the game lays bare all of its characters thoughts, feelings and emotions for us to see, and it's through this deep exploration of the cast that produces fascinating fleshed out characters coupled with very human interactions, and with this showcase of its characters presents and pasts, the game is able to touch upon an array of themes and subjects that I can only say were handled incredibly well, and treated with the utmost respect. Love is a core part of Fata Morgana and is a major theme consistently shown through the cast, and while the game does show off its beauty it also shows off negative aspects of it, such as the hypocrisy that can be born from love, how love can blind you to another persons faults, or the effects of not talking out issues. Another theme is victimhood, and how the game makes it known that recovery can be a long process, with forgiveness being something that shouldn't be expected but can happen so long as that person makes the choice - they are not obligated to forgive those who have wronged them so deeply, but moving on is very important.
This character-driven plot of The House in Fata Morgana ultimately allows it to unravel its core theme of perspective. How often do we immediately lash out or think negatively of those who have wronged us, seeing them as just the person in front of us, rather than looking at them through the lens of what circumstances might have led them to do what they did? What is the foundation of their actions? Beneath every character in Fata Morgana exists ghosts from the past that haunt their future, phantoms that take the form of previous harmful words and actions, ones they may regret, ones they may not, and yet the game understands that rather than simply categorising these actions into terms such as "good" or "evil" , and that such black and white judgement doesn't exist, it's more important to recognise the basis of them. It could be down to coercion and blackmail, misplaced emotion or the long-term effects of institutions. It may be a simple message, but its an important one nonetheless to come to an understanding with those around you, allowing yourself to see a person from a different perspective might entirely change yours. It is truly remarkable how many different subjects the game explores that is due to its fantastic characters, and furthermore how tactfully each subject is approached.
The House in Fata Morgana's narrative is made up of 1 major route, and while the story does take a long while to show its true colours, that shouldn't discourage you from playing through it as the story is incredibly well-rounded with every section of the game being recontextualized overtime. So much carries meaning throughout, with multiple moments of foreshadowing being present in the earlier parts of the game. It may appear melancholy often, but The House in Fata Morgana is truly a hopeful tale that never gives up, its human to a fault and you will be hard pressed to not find some relation to any of the characters. Mechanically the game has some great features, the choices are interesting (namely the usage of timed choices) and the backlog in certain moments is used to enhance the games mystery which is nice. It also consists of numerous bad and dead endings which may occur due to the wrong choice, they're actually pretty good and provide some very haunting but interesting what-if scenarios.
Outside some minor issues with areas of the game that drag for too long, dialogue where the characters don't speak like they would in their respective time periods and some characters needing a bit more time to their backstories, none of these issues are enough to truly take anything away from the extremely gratifying experience that is The House in Fata Morgana. Don't let the games slow start scare you, this game is truly one of a kind that everyone should pick up. It made me euphoric, it made me distraught - and it also made me cry multiple times, something I respect any game for doing.
Getting the obvious out of the way, the games presentation is out of this world. The setting is constantly shifting door to door as within each one comes a new era. Whether its 1603, a period of great improvement to the arts, 1707 in which sea trade, travel and discovery thrived or 1869 with great advancements in technology - the game manages to consistently adjust its presentation to fit the time and characters within it, perfectly encapsulating the atmosphere of the mansion in and outside the doors. The sprites are incredibly expressive, the backgrounds are quite distorted and muddy which serves to bring more focus to the characters on screen but also lean into the games gothic and horror elements and the music consists of 68 incredibly high-quality songs that don't shy away from occasionally using vocals - largely spoken in Portuguese. Everything visually and audio-wise just comes together so well it's hard not to get taken in by it all especially when one of the first songs that plays is apart of the best, which is aptly called The House in Fata Morgana.
"Events by themselves do not tell the whole story. Only when you take into account their circumstances, what they thought and felt, their perspectives—only then can you say you've reached the truth"
It wouldn't be a fitting review without discussing Fata Morganas biggest strength, which is its cast. As mentioned earlier, the game lays bare all of its characters thoughts, feelings and emotions for us to see, and it's through this deep exploration of the cast that produces fascinating fleshed out characters coupled with very human interactions, and with this showcase of its characters presents and pasts, the game is able to touch upon an array of themes and subjects that I can only say were handled incredibly well, and treated with the utmost respect. Love is a core part of Fata Morgana and is a major theme consistently shown through the cast, and while the game does show off its beauty it also shows off negative aspects of it, such as the hypocrisy that can be born from love, how love can blind you to another persons faults, or the effects of not talking out issues. Another theme is victimhood, and how the game makes it known that recovery can be a long process, with forgiveness being something that shouldn't be expected but can happen so long as that person makes the choice - they are not obligated to forgive those who have wronged them so deeply, but moving on is very important.
This character-driven plot of The House in Fata Morgana ultimately allows it to unravel its core theme of perspective. How often do we immediately lash out or think negatively of those who have wronged us, seeing them as just the person in front of us, rather than looking at them through the lens of what circumstances might have led them to do what they did? What is the foundation of their actions? Beneath every character in Fata Morgana exists ghosts from the past that haunt their future, phantoms that take the form of previous harmful words and actions, ones they may regret, ones they may not, and yet the game understands that rather than simply categorising these actions into terms such as "good" or "evil" , and that such black and white judgement doesn't exist, it's more important to recognise the basis of them. It could be down to coercion and blackmail, misplaced emotion or the long-term effects of institutions. It may be a simple message, but its an important one nonetheless to come to an understanding with those around you, allowing yourself to see a person from a different perspective might entirely change yours. It is truly remarkable how many different subjects the game explores that is due to its fantastic characters, and furthermore how tactfully each subject is approached.
The House in Fata Morgana's narrative is made up of 1 major route, and while the story does take a long while to show its true colours, that shouldn't discourage you from playing through it as the story is incredibly well-rounded with every section of the game being recontextualized overtime. So much carries meaning throughout, with multiple moments of foreshadowing being present in the earlier parts of the game. It may appear melancholy often, but The House in Fata Morgana is truly a hopeful tale that never gives up, its human to a fault and you will be hard pressed to not find some relation to any of the characters. Mechanically the game has some great features, the choices are interesting (namely the usage of timed choices) and the backlog in certain moments is used to enhance the games mystery which is nice. It also consists of numerous bad and dead endings which may occur due to the wrong choice, they're actually pretty good and provide some very haunting but interesting what-if scenarios.
Outside some minor issues with areas of the game that drag for too long, dialogue where the characters don't speak like they would in their respective time periods and some characters needing a bit more time to their backstories, none of these issues are enough to truly take anything away from the extremely gratifying experience that is The House in Fata Morgana. Don't let the games slow start scare you, this game is truly one of a kind that everyone should pick up. It made me euphoric, it made me distraught - and it also made me cry multiple times, something I respect any game for doing.
Multiple people I know call this the best visual novel ever written. While I expected hyperbole like that to lead to some backlash, I still trusted their tastes enough to give it a try. And boy am I glad I did. It starts off as a relative slowburn, but those sections are still well-constructed, and the structure of the plot both demands and justifies it. And then every time you think you don't really see what the big deal is, something hits. "Oh, so that's why people love this game... Ehh, but still..." and then something else hits. And then something else. It just keeps building up, going further and further, captivating me more and more, tackling subjects I never would have expected.
On top of the incredibly heartfelt story, the game also has striking visuals and an enchantingly distinctive soundtrack.
On top of the incredibly heartfelt story, the game also has striking visuals and an enchantingly distinctive soundtrack.
i will never play this
Beautiful
door 1: 7/10
door 2: 4/10
door 3: 8.1/10
door 4: 7.5/10
door 5: 8.5/10
door 6: 9/10
door 7: 10/10
door 8: 11/10
door 1: 7/10
door 2: 4/10
door 3: 8.1/10
door 4: 7.5/10
door 5: 8.5/10
door 6: 9/10
door 7: 10/10
door 8: 11/10
Read a real book you bums
jesus. fucking. christ.
This review contains spoilers
great story, good character, insane ass twist
every chapter always give me surprises, one chapter can make me felt uneasy and another can make me crying my eyes out.
The character is well written whether how fucking insane the character is or how annoying the character is.
But in Yusuke chapter i'm gonna be honest, i got so bored. Too much bullshit in the beginning so i spamming enter button. BUT the twist in the end is crazy anyway. It makes me felt loss for not reading it thoroughly sobs (i re-read it later)
but for non native english language for me, the ending confuses me so bad lololol. i need to read some explanation in the end because they use some heavy and ambiguous word.
but overall 10/10 will recommend friend to play this
every chapter always give me surprises, one chapter can make me felt uneasy and another can make me crying my eyes out.
The character is well written whether how fucking insane the character is or how annoying the character is.
But in Yusuke chapter i'm gonna be honest, i got so bored. Too much bullshit in the beginning so i spamming enter button. BUT the twist in the end is crazy anyway. It makes me felt loss for not reading it thoroughly sobs (i re-read it later)
but for non native english language for me, the ending confuses me so bad lololol. i need to read some explanation in the end because they use some heavy and ambiguous word.
but overall 10/10 will recommend friend to play this
Nao gostei nao tem como falar
not much to comment in terms of technical side i guess its... a visual novel... the OST is probably the strongest part but even that has its pitfalls like. omg if i never hear march of time.mp3, cicio.mp3 and hex.mp3 for another hundred or even thousand years it will still be too fucking soon
i guess i expected more from it?
early chapters are relatively fun gothic horror-esque romps and i think the classic true final route was the strongest part after all that setup, but in the end something about it just didn't click with me
the experiment with the form in terms of backlog vs dialogue in chapter 4 was really good though
all in all a cool story about love and humanity and acceptance, but at the same time, idk how much i'd care if the big reveal had nt happened to draw me in
which also makes me feel kind of bad because i want to care about all kind of stories, and not only those i feel myself reflected in but... well...
i think without it i would have dropped it around chapter 3 because i was bored F. at some point it was just sunk cost fallacy keeping me going which is kind of sad
but i'm glad i stuck out because the final arc is quite good! and the message of the story as well as the characters were excellent
i guess i have some minor gripes with the art and female characters' treatment but eh
i guess i expected more from it?
early chapters are relatively fun gothic horror-esque romps and i think the classic true final route was the strongest part after all that setup, but in the end something about it just didn't click with me
the experiment with the form in terms of backlog vs dialogue in chapter 4 was really good though
all in all a cool story about love and humanity and acceptance, but at the same time, idk how much i'd care if the big reveal had nt happened to draw me in
which also makes me feel kind of bad because i want to care about all kind of stories, and not only those i feel myself reflected in but... well...
i think without it i would have dropped it around chapter 3 because i was bored F. at some point it was just sunk cost fallacy keeping me going which is kind of sad
but i'm glad i stuck out because the final arc is quite good! and the message of the story as well as the characters were excellent
i guess i have some minor gripes with the art and female characters' treatment but eh
This review contains spoilers
this game ruined me
Took a while to get going but once it hits, it really fucking hits and I bawled my fucking eyes out good lord
You're only able to bear them because they weren't your tragedies...
Took a while to get going but once it hits, it really fucking hits and I bawled my fucking eyes out good lord
You're only able to bear them because they weren't your tragedies...
one of the most beautiful stories i've ever experienced whose emotional impact and philosophy i know will stick with me forever. this is one of those vns that takes everything i love about the medium, everything unique to it, and knows how to really play into its potential. i have to cite its soundtrack as one of its peaks besides the narrative and storytelling (which warrants a whole other review lol)—i'm amazed at how much atmosphere this game manages to create despite having zero voice acting; it really achieves this otherworldly and ethereal feel like no other. and no spoilers but i'm glad i have a habit of frequently checking backlogs in vns... fatamoru rewarded me for that. if you know you know.
while i do have contentions with a few writing decisions in the latter doors (namely some graphic torture scenes which felt a bit gratuitous in their violence and resolutions for certain characters) which dampened the reading experience a bit for me, i still cherish and enjoyed my time with this game and honestly wish i took more time with it. definitely a top 5 vn for me.
while i do have contentions with a few writing decisions in the latter doors (namely some graphic torture scenes which felt a bit gratuitous in their violence and resolutions for certain characters) which dampened the reading experience a bit for me, i still cherish and enjoyed my time with this game and honestly wish i took more time with it. definitely a top 5 vn for me.
actual peak
papo reto a melhor história já escrita
one of the most compelling and compassionate stories ever put to writing, atmospheric in ways no other vn has approached, and a masterwork in both music and illustration.
oh my god
Honestly in my top 3 visual Novels of all time. Loved everything about it!
SO COOL ENGLISH TRANSLATION!!!
heartwrenchingly tragic, unflinching and brutal, and one of the greatest love stories ever told. incredibly solid soundtrack, to boot.
fatamoru has one of THE most rewarding true endings ive ever experienced in a game period. watching everything fall into place the further in i got was an experience like not a whole lot else ive read. its really something special, and a game i hold close to my heart for giving me a big push and a lot of courage almost 4 years ago when i sorely needed it.
fatamoru has one of THE most rewarding true endings ive ever experienced in a game period. watching everything fall into place the further in i got was an experience like not a whole lot else ive read. its really something special, and a game i hold close to my heart for giving me a big push and a lot of courage almost 4 years ago when i sorely needed it.
CW: Incest, assault, sexual violence
Spoilers for Chapter One.
Completed the first “door” and decided I wouldn’t finish the game; everything I say in this review is limited to that opening vignette. What’s set up here is certainly well-intentioned: three central characters, each on the verge of adulthood and trapped by the rigidly defined gender roles and class structures of their 1600s environment and bearing the weight of several conflicting needs. However, in the two hours I spent with Fata Morgana, the game world’s overarching patriarchal capitalist system isn’t seriously interrogated or explored. There are a number of supporting adult characters subtly maintaining the oppressive framework: the priest insisting Mell marry within his class, Nellie’s chosen fiancée Arthur, solely interested in keeping up appearances, Nellie and Mell’s parents, the owners of the house exerting their influence from afar; a larger societal order and hierarchy are clearly hinted at, offering a possible canvas for the game to seize upon the concrete mechanics undergirding this type of systematic oppression, perhaps even explore potential solutions. This isn’t something Fata Morgana seems to be interested in, however: the characters perpetuating the system either have no lines at all (the mother and father) or only speak from off-screen! We only receive surface-level insight into this world’s politics and social dynamics, which is enough to rationalize the chain of events presented in the plot, but bereft of any deeper knowledge or meaning for the reader to extract.
We’re therefore presented with a relatively narrow character drama. This isn’t a flaw with the story necessarily — whatever you end up focusing on, it just needs to be compelling somehow. Unfortunately, what we do get is incredibly banal squabbles and eyeroll-inducing escalations that feel designed for shock value rather than to provide deeper insight. “Why won’t you spend more time with me dearest brother, you’re the only one for me,” “Okay number one that’s weird (you’re my sister,) number two I just fell in love with this white-haired chick at first sight,” “Didn’t you tell me you haven’t even met her yet? 🤨” “Uhm uhm.” In a word, the level of emotional strife and disagreeing motivations here comes across as juvenile; you might say this is because these characters are literally kids and that that’s kind of the point, but that’s not actually what I mean. It feels quaint to be reading this unremarkable back-and-forth dialogue about who spends too much time with whom, who has feelings for whom and who is instantly bewitched by whose beauty in a game about conventionally attractive people regularly described as such; specifically when you have books and films like A Girl on the Shore or How to Have Sex that navigate what I find to be much more challenging and actually-applicable-to-real-life topics like the intersection of romance, the craving for bodily intimacy and self-worth in subtle, artful and original ways. I’m throwing around a lot of adjectives here so I hope you’ll just see where I’m coming from and not ask for more specific scene-analyses LOL but I suppose this point in particular I’d be curious to hear more thoughts on.
To get at least a little more specific, Nellie’s character is a painful example of the jealous-friendzoned-girl doing a textbook version of the “I’m gonna pull some strings to make my object of desire think he has no chance with the bitch I’m competing with” trope. The misunderstandings pile up in the exact way you’d expect, until Nellie, devastated by the arranged marriage looming over her head and Mell’s apathy toward the situation, suffers a psychotic episode in which she physically assaults the white-haired girl and makes an explicitly sexual, non-consensual advance toward her brother. Since I’m critiquing the effectiveness and value of this type of writing, I feel the need to point out that any given player’s reaction to this arc will be incredibly subjective. If Metacritic and backloggd are any indication, you’ll likely have left off with a much different impression than I did, and it may be hard to see where I’m coming from (maybe you can tell that this is very different from my usual mechanics-focused analyses and that I have to reason from a mostly emotional angle LOL.) The argument I will make is that Nellie is an undeniable victim of an oppressive system, and yet she’s the only character in this self-contained story to carry out serious physical violence against another victim; and to me this does not function as effective critique of the system! (Quick aside, I had a very similar issue with Last Night in Soho’s final third and that shit seems way less bad in comparison now LOL) Instead, it comes across as unsympathetic and callous. Nellie is not just trapped by the patriarchy, but her incestual feelings toward Mell, and rather than seriously explore the internal whirlwind and self-analysis you’d expect to be part of that experience in any kind of depth, it genuinely feels more-so used as a way to gross out the player and lean into incredibly distasteful “freaky” Yandere iconography.
I can lay out all the plot beats and see the themes that are being touched on and understand the rationalizations being presented, but it doesn’t change the fact that presentation is narrative just as much as that Wikipedia summary. And in presentation, moment-to-moment, what I played of Fata Morgana rarely reaches past shallow, puerile and cowardly. I say “rarely” because as eyeroll-worthy as the aforementioned love-at-first-sight dynamic between Mell and the white-haired girl is, once they did confess their feelings to each other I couldn’t help but be surprisingly endeared by the hopelessly romantic prose and sensitive staging employed by the scene. The strength, or lack thereof, of the white-haired girl’s grip over Mell’s neck is something visual novels are uniquely poised to convey, in this case by suddenly flipping between slight alterations in otherwise static illustrations and buoy them with careful descriptions of subtle movements and bodily expressions.
But I also said the game was cowardly, because I can’t help but question its worldview when it chooses to have the white-haired girl “disfigured” by Nellie and then completely refuses to show her on-screen again from that point forward. I already noted earlier that Fata Morgana places repeated emphasis on conventional beauty, and flirting with this topic so much while blatantly skirting around any kind of alternative portrayal seems damning in my eyes. Mell’s assurances that he’ll love her regardless of her appearance can only read as hollow when the game doesn’t even seem to love its own characters enough to give them that kind of respect.
Fata Morgana consisting of, to my knowledge, at least a few largely self-contained stories has me relatively confident in the validity of this review; the main game does not revisit this particular scenario past what I played from what I understand. You might still think that this is shaky ground for me to stand on, but the entire point I hope I made here is that as a storyteller, you’re communicating things to your audience from minute one. If this opening isn’t an accurate representation of the game as a whole, then what was the point of it? If I’m to expect crucial subversions deeper into the story, how am I supposed to believe that they are any more tasteful or substantive than the dramatic turns utilized here? If the game spends two hours on this completely unoriginal love triangle, how will it tackle more difficult subjects? I’ve experienced complete, rich stories in that time-span, stories that consider their themes just as much as their form. I can certainly have Fata Morgana’s themes explained to me by its fans and acknowledge the sincerity ultimately laying beneath, but what I really needed in those two hours is for Novectacle to convince me they’re equipped to tell this kind of story; and I can’t say that I am.
Spoilers for Chapter One.
Completed the first “door” and decided I wouldn’t finish the game; everything I say in this review is limited to that opening vignette. What’s set up here is certainly well-intentioned: three central characters, each on the verge of adulthood and trapped by the rigidly defined gender roles and class structures of their 1600s environment and bearing the weight of several conflicting needs. However, in the two hours I spent with Fata Morgana, the game world’s overarching patriarchal capitalist system isn’t seriously interrogated or explored. There are a number of supporting adult characters subtly maintaining the oppressive framework: the priest insisting Mell marry within his class, Nellie’s chosen fiancée Arthur, solely interested in keeping up appearances, Nellie and Mell’s parents, the owners of the house exerting their influence from afar; a larger societal order and hierarchy are clearly hinted at, offering a possible canvas for the game to seize upon the concrete mechanics undergirding this type of systematic oppression, perhaps even explore potential solutions. This isn’t something Fata Morgana seems to be interested in, however: the characters perpetuating the system either have no lines at all (the mother and father) or only speak from off-screen! We only receive surface-level insight into this world’s politics and social dynamics, which is enough to rationalize the chain of events presented in the plot, but bereft of any deeper knowledge or meaning for the reader to extract.
We’re therefore presented with a relatively narrow character drama. This isn’t a flaw with the story necessarily — whatever you end up focusing on, it just needs to be compelling somehow. Unfortunately, what we do get is incredibly banal squabbles and eyeroll-inducing escalations that feel designed for shock value rather than to provide deeper insight. “Why won’t you spend more time with me dearest brother, you’re the only one for me,” “Okay number one that’s weird (you’re my sister,) number two I just fell in love with this white-haired chick at first sight,” “Didn’t you tell me you haven’t even met her yet? 🤨” “Uhm uhm.” In a word, the level of emotional strife and disagreeing motivations here comes across as juvenile; you might say this is because these characters are literally kids and that that’s kind of the point, but that’s not actually what I mean. It feels quaint to be reading this unremarkable back-and-forth dialogue about who spends too much time with whom, who has feelings for whom and who is instantly bewitched by whose beauty in a game about conventionally attractive people regularly described as such; specifically when you have books and films like A Girl on the Shore or How to Have Sex that navigate what I find to be much more challenging and actually-applicable-to-real-life topics like the intersection of romance, the craving for bodily intimacy and self-worth in subtle, artful and original ways. I’m throwing around a lot of adjectives here so I hope you’ll just see where I’m coming from and not ask for more specific scene-analyses LOL but I suppose this point in particular I’d be curious to hear more thoughts on.
To get at least a little more specific, Nellie’s character is a painful example of the jealous-friendzoned-girl doing a textbook version of the “I’m gonna pull some strings to make my object of desire think he has no chance with the bitch I’m competing with” trope. The misunderstandings pile up in the exact way you’d expect, until Nellie, devastated by the arranged marriage looming over her head and Mell’s apathy toward the situation, suffers a psychotic episode in which she physically assaults the white-haired girl and makes an explicitly sexual, non-consensual advance toward her brother. Since I’m critiquing the effectiveness and value of this type of writing, I feel the need to point out that any given player’s reaction to this arc will be incredibly subjective. If Metacritic and backloggd are any indication, you’ll likely have left off with a much different impression than I did, and it may be hard to see where I’m coming from (maybe you can tell that this is very different from my usual mechanics-focused analyses and that I have to reason from a mostly emotional angle LOL.) The argument I will make is that Nellie is an undeniable victim of an oppressive system, and yet she’s the only character in this self-contained story to carry out serious physical violence against another victim; and to me this does not function as effective critique of the system! (Quick aside, I had a very similar issue with Last Night in Soho’s final third and that shit seems way less bad in comparison now LOL) Instead, it comes across as unsympathetic and callous. Nellie is not just trapped by the patriarchy, but her incestual feelings toward Mell, and rather than seriously explore the internal whirlwind and self-analysis you’d expect to be part of that experience in any kind of depth, it genuinely feels more-so used as a way to gross out the player and lean into incredibly distasteful “freaky” Yandere iconography.
I can lay out all the plot beats and see the themes that are being touched on and understand the rationalizations being presented, but it doesn’t change the fact that presentation is narrative just as much as that Wikipedia summary. And in presentation, moment-to-moment, what I played of Fata Morgana rarely reaches past shallow, puerile and cowardly. I say “rarely” because as eyeroll-worthy as the aforementioned love-at-first-sight dynamic between Mell and the white-haired girl is, once they did confess their feelings to each other I couldn’t help but be surprisingly endeared by the hopelessly romantic prose and sensitive staging employed by the scene. The strength, or lack thereof, of the white-haired girl’s grip over Mell’s neck is something visual novels are uniquely poised to convey, in this case by suddenly flipping between slight alterations in otherwise static illustrations and buoy them with careful descriptions of subtle movements and bodily expressions.
But I also said the game was cowardly, because I can’t help but question its worldview when it chooses to have the white-haired girl “disfigured” by Nellie and then completely refuses to show her on-screen again from that point forward. I already noted earlier that Fata Morgana places repeated emphasis on conventional beauty, and flirting with this topic so much while blatantly skirting around any kind of alternative portrayal seems damning in my eyes. Mell’s assurances that he’ll love her regardless of her appearance can only read as hollow when the game doesn’t even seem to love its own characters enough to give them that kind of respect.
Fata Morgana consisting of, to my knowledge, at least a few largely self-contained stories has me relatively confident in the validity of this review; the main game does not revisit this particular scenario past what I played from what I understand. You might still think that this is shaky ground for me to stand on, but the entire point I hope I made here is that as a storyteller, you’re communicating things to your audience from minute one. If this opening isn’t an accurate representation of the game as a whole, then what was the point of it? If I’m to expect crucial subversions deeper into the story, how am I supposed to believe that they are any more tasteful or substantive than the dramatic turns utilized here? If the game spends two hours on this completely unoriginal love triangle, how will it tackle more difficult subjects? I’ve experienced complete, rich stories in that time-span, stories that consider their themes just as much as their form. I can certainly have Fata Morgana’s themes explained to me by its fans and acknowledge the sincerity ultimately laying beneath, but what I really needed in those two hours is for Novectacle to convince me they’re equipped to tell this kind of story; and I can’t say that I am.
I went through all the stages of grief but absolutely love this game.
Quite fire