I knew little about this visual novel and I'm thankful I wasn't spoiled. The storytelling is absolutely done well. I only had an understanding this was a mature VN. There are warnings of triggering subjects when you load the game. It is necessary since there are many, many instances of depressing, awful events. The only slight negative following the story was watching the series of inhumane events happening to the characters. Thankfully, it does balance out with kind, sweet moments.
The music is beautiful and haunting. All of the characters are well rounded; the antagonists show moments of humanity. Not an easy task when you're creating people doing monstrous acts. I am most impressed how the writers handled trauma. Most media shows a character suffered for either plot device or to "make them stronger." This game had discussions of how the characters processed their trauma. It is a very important topic, especially considering the actions and events they went through. Not something you could merely brush off.
A Requiem for Innocence:
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 half 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.
Reincarnation + Stories:
This was the DLC chapter I was craving for Fata Morgana. Instead of the previous prequel, it is a continuation of the story. I don't want to spoil anything; just know, it's so, so good. I cried twice. This game is going to stay with me for years. Hands down, the best VN I have ever experienced. It is very dark and depressing; however, the ending made it all worth it.
The first ten hours was Reincarnation. The other ten was reading the side stories. There are extra backstory scenes for different characters, including some minor. Most do not have new illustrations to go with the text. There were a couple chapters I have read that weren't on the main menu. I found them through chapter selection. Those were very worth reading! Fantastic game.
The music is beautiful and haunting. All of the characters are well rounded; the antagonists show moments of humanity. Not an easy task when you're creating people doing monstrous acts. I am most impressed how the writers handled trauma. Most media shows a character suffered for either plot device or to "make them stronger." This game had discussions of how the characters processed their trauma. It is a very important topic, especially considering the actions and events they went through. Not something you could merely brush off.
A Requiem for Innocence:
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 half 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.
Reincarnation + Stories:
This was the DLC chapter I was craving for Fata Morgana. Instead of the previous prequel, it is a continuation of the story. I don't want to spoil anything; just know, it's so, so good. I cried twice. This game is going to stay with me for years. Hands down, the best VN I have ever experienced. It is very dark and depressing; however, the ending made it all worth it.
The first ten hours was Reincarnation. The other ten was reading the side stories. There are extra backstory scenes for different characters, including some minor. Most do not have new illustrations to go with the text. There were a couple chapters I have read that weren't on the main menu. I found them through chapter selection. Those were very worth reading! Fantastic game.