During the funeral for a local shopkeeper, a firework goes off and burns up the corpse. A rookie investigator checks up on the scene and soon becomes interested in the death of a family living next to the shopkeep. Or maybe the dead family becomes interested in him.
As a puzzle game, Firework is pretty straightforward. There were maybe two puzzles that took me some thinking and one that I took wild guesses at. In the latter case, I think it must have been missing some key translation details. There's no real challenge or danger to the game and its easy to get used to ~spooky changes~ that happen to the haunted house in between different shots.
As a story however, I found this to be a phenomenal journey. Taking cues from Detention and Devotion, Firework focuses on the internal stress and strife of a the Tian family and how those problems spiraled out to numerous parties around them. While the game toys with ideas of supernatural revenge and curses, its ultimately more interested in the tragedy of Tians as people. Their addictions, their goals, and how all those factors conflict with each other in one house. This is combined with gorgeous presentation and game design that just washes you in the mentality and turmoil of the Tians.
The protagonist briefly runs the risk of becoming too hyped up by the narrative. "Oh man, here's the cool cop who can see ghosts and be the Justice that this world needs!" But when it does finally swerve over to his own inner mentality, it actually depicts an interesting character who's grappling with his own temptations and flaws. None of his own problems are truly solved by the end of the game and he can't reach real "justice" for the Tians. He can just remember what he's experienced and move forward with the knowledge that he has. Its a smart way to handle the needs of its protagonist gimmick.
The translation can be a bit flawed and sometimes it drops its clever, ambiguous presentation in favor of just characters explaining to the camera what the truth of the situation is. But when its in its groove, this game takes you on a great little 3-4 hour journey. Its well worth a nibble.
As a puzzle game, Firework is pretty straightforward. There were maybe two puzzles that took me some thinking and one that I took wild guesses at. In the latter case, I think it must have been missing some key translation details. There's no real challenge or danger to the game and its easy to get used to ~spooky changes~ that happen to the haunted house in between different shots.
As a story however, I found this to be a phenomenal journey. Taking cues from Detention and Devotion, Firework focuses on the internal stress and strife of a the Tian family and how those problems spiraled out to numerous parties around them. While the game toys with ideas of supernatural revenge and curses, its ultimately more interested in the tragedy of Tians as people. Their addictions, their goals, and how all those factors conflict with each other in one house. This is combined with gorgeous presentation and game design that just washes you in the mentality and turmoil of the Tians.
The protagonist briefly runs the risk of becoming too hyped up by the narrative. "Oh man, here's the cool cop who can see ghosts and be the Justice that this world needs!" But when it does finally swerve over to his own inner mentality, it actually depicts an interesting character who's grappling with his own temptations and flaws. None of his own problems are truly solved by the end of the game and he can't reach real "justice" for the Tians. He can just remember what he's experienced and move forward with the knowledge that he has. Its a smart way to handle the needs of its protagonist gimmick.
The translation can be a bit flawed and sometimes it drops its clever, ambiguous presentation in favor of just characters explaining to the camera what the truth of the situation is. But when its in its groove, this game takes you on a great little 3-4 hour journey. Its well worth a nibble.