The first part of this game is amazing.
Lovable short vn, has a really high quality writing for a FREE visual novel. The music is so good that i downloaded a pair of OSTs for my personal collection. A seemingly simple game with really good characters and unexpected twists.
Vote: 8
Time in psychiatry : 4 H 34 M
Vote: 8
Time in psychiatry : 4 H 34 M
In a world recoiling from the effects of the virus "the Dolor," (alt. Depression AIDS), our protagonist Blackiris must use his "mneumonicide" powers to suppress the traumatic memories of his "guest," La to cure her psyche corrosion. A masterwork of the classic Visual Novel (or general storytelling technique(?) of immersing you into the world & making you like the characters, then giving you an emotional nutpunch in a manner that's too good to spoil.
And if you did read it, my man Adze made a great video on that scene which catapults this VN from "solid and enjoyable" to "holy moly." ~ https://youtu.be/J1mSC3apSoc
And if you did read it, my man Adze made a great video on that scene which catapults this VN from "solid and enjoyable" to "holy moly." ~ https://youtu.be/J1mSC3apSoc
I'm not usually a fan of this type of vn - the short kinetic down to earth nakiges, but this wasn't the case here. The comfortable yet dreary atmosphere, the charming cast, the theme of memories and how they make us who we are, of living with your emotions, and finally the plot under the surface; this came together to make a great ride in the span of only a few hours that left me misty multiple times.
Unfortunately what makes me dock points is that the vn is too short to completely capitalize on everything it introduces. I feel like if there was even more time to flesh out the characters and their dynamics, I would be even more attached to them. What especially irks me is that there's such fascinating worldbuilding there that feels almost wasted. I can imagine this being an absolutely amazing magical realism and charage if it was longer and produced better.
If you do plan to read this I recommend using this patch
https://www.thejulysociety.com/projects/true-fragments
Unfortunately what makes me dock points is that the vn is too short to completely capitalize on everything it introduces. I feel like if there was even more time to flesh out the characters and their dynamics, I would be even more attached to them. What especially irks me is that there's such fascinating worldbuilding there that feels almost wasted. I can imagine this being an absolutely amazing magical realism and charage if it was longer and produced better.
If you do plan to read this I recommend using this patch
https://www.thejulysociety.com/projects/true-fragments
The last part of the game is amazing.
This is not my favorite visual novel, but I have to acknowledge the insane quality in both writing and localization. So much care was put into this project and every single detail matters. There comes a point where the entire story is recontextualized and it blew my mind. The VN is free. Read it.
For a more in-depth discussion on that pivotal turning point, watch this video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1mSC3apSoc&
For a more in-depth discussion on that pivotal turning point, watch this video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1mSC3apSoc&
This review contains spoilers
What do you do with a work like this? I found it genuinely boring for hours, with little emotional highlights here and there—I'm a huge mark for any character trapped in a pattern of self-denial, so La's perspective in particular hit me like a truck—that couldn't save the overwhelming just-okayness of it all.
And then the twist comes, and I feel like that tricked me into thinking the VN's way better than it is.
But at least the twist is better than I thought it was. My first impression was that it was a cheat, abandoning everything we knew about the characters—and it's not NOT a cheat, since multiple chapters of the game are from La's perspective and she conveniently leaves details out—but mostly the revelations recontextualize, rather than alter, the characters and their relationships. There's still a continuity between who they are and who it turns out they were.
(And hey, it's a story about memory erasure, I can forgive a slightly cheap twist about memory erasure.)
Interesting choice to lead La's backstory with Blackiris' half-joking worry that Analye is a pedophile, because it really colors how the Omega storyline ends up coming across. Stating the subtext out loud, but it works somehow.
And then the twist comes, and I feel like that tricked me into thinking the VN's way better than it is.
But at least the twist is better than I thought it was. My first impression was that it was a cheat, abandoning everything we knew about the characters—and it's not NOT a cheat, since multiple chapters of the game are from La's perspective and she conveniently leaves details out—but mostly the revelations recontextualize, rather than alter, the characters and their relationships. There's still a continuity between who they are and who it turns out they were.
(And hey, it's a story about memory erasure, I can forgive a slightly cheap twist about memory erasure.)
Interesting choice to lead La's backstory with Blackiris' half-joking worry that Analye is a pedophile, because it really colors how the Omega storyline ends up coming across. Stating the subtext out loud, but it works somehow.
A short and sweet experience. Competent in its simplicity, and it doesn't stretch itself too thin. For better or worse, the story progresses exactly as it first appears, with little in the realm of surprises. I enjoyed it as I was reading it, but it's not really gonna stick with me.