I'm incredibly split on this game. The art direction and the way this game presents its narrative feels incredibly refined and creative but the flaws in its storyline just can't be ignored. The soundtrack is immaculate but I resent the jarring decision to stop it every time you die or take damage. The gameplay feels serviceable in a way that feels like it should be better. It's incredibly abundant in bugs and there's one boss that is so unbearable to fight I would've given up had it not been so close to the end. By far the biggest issue with this game though is the ending, it near ruined the entire experience for me. I don't think I've ever seen another piece of media try THIS hard to have an emotional moment. It is so unbelievably sappy which completely contrasts what I liked about the subtle, detached presentation of the entire game prior and they just seem to completely drop the rest of the climax. I was in disbelief that it ended as it did.
Overall this game definitely has what I want to see more of in games, that being an interesting approach to presenting a story, but it hits far too many sour notes to fully realise its potential.

Also just stop writing Futaba-archetype characters please, thank you.

Reviewed on Apr 16, 2024


Comments