This review contains spoilers
i've thought a lot about this game since beating it. i don't know, i just have such mixed feelings on it after having seen every ending.
don't get me wrong, this is an excellent game! especially as a study on how badly the internet can fuck someone up, in ways no one really likes to talk about. it's a showcase on microcelebrity culture and how anyone can fall victim to it.
except...some of the endings feel like they're there just to be less good than the actual "good" ending. one example would be the bomber girl ending. i dunno the ending text just really threw me off. "be careful of overdosing on emotions" like...this is a perfectly happy ending. the only "bad" thing about it is the high mental darkness requirement to even get it in the first place (which, the game establishes mental darkness isn't necessarily a bad thing if kept in check). honestly i wouldn't even have a problem with this ending if the true good ending didn't feel so cheap.
the actual good ending is just ame unplugging from the internet. as funny as it is to say the moral of this game is to touch grass, it just feels so hasty? not only is her unplugging implied to be the solution to all her issues, but also the issues of most, if not all her fans. on one hand, yes, i agree with the message; the internet is incredibly dangerous, especially if you're predisposed to any sort of mental condition, and we'd all benefit from taking breaks here and there. but, on the other, i don't think the solution to should be just unplugging from it entirely.
hell, i'd go as far as saying i don't think this is the sort of game that needs a "good" ending. i feel like the message would be so much stronger if every ending was a mixed bag. maybe if the true good ending was just the best and secret ending of a bunch of bad endings
spinning this review away from things that threw me off, i have to say, i was very impressed by the religious horror spin some of the endings took. it's definitely not something i went into the game expecting, but in retrospect, it makes perfect sense to take it that route. i don't have anything else to say about it, except for the fact that my jaw dropped the moment i realized what was going on
this game also has a super interesting meta-story! i've seen some people complain about it being kind of cringey/a rip from DDLC, but i couldn't disagree more. if anything, i think it's a fascinating reversal of what DDLC does. since this is a spoilery review, i'll just spit it out. p-chan, the player, is implied to be ame's creation. i don't know, i just think that's a super cool late-game reveal.
but anyways, even though i have some reservations about a few of the endings, i think this game is more than worth playing. just know it's dark in a way that the content warning at the start doesn't express. and also, don't make the mistake i did and 100% it in two sittings
don't get me wrong, this is an excellent game! especially as a study on how badly the internet can fuck someone up, in ways no one really likes to talk about. it's a showcase on microcelebrity culture and how anyone can fall victim to it.
except...some of the endings feel like they're there just to be less good than the actual "good" ending. one example would be the bomber girl ending. i dunno the ending text just really threw me off. "be careful of overdosing on emotions" like...this is a perfectly happy ending. the only "bad" thing about it is the high mental darkness requirement to even get it in the first place (which, the game establishes mental darkness isn't necessarily a bad thing if kept in check). honestly i wouldn't even have a problem with this ending if the true good ending didn't feel so cheap.
the actual good ending is just ame unplugging from the internet. as funny as it is to say the moral of this game is to touch grass, it just feels so hasty? not only is her unplugging implied to be the solution to all her issues, but also the issues of most, if not all her fans. on one hand, yes, i agree with the message; the internet is incredibly dangerous, especially if you're predisposed to any sort of mental condition, and we'd all benefit from taking breaks here and there. but, on the other, i don't think the solution to should be just unplugging from it entirely.
hell, i'd go as far as saying i don't think this is the sort of game that needs a "good" ending. i feel like the message would be so much stronger if every ending was a mixed bag. maybe if the true good ending was just the best and secret ending of a bunch of bad endings
spinning this review away from things that threw me off, i have to say, i was very impressed by the religious horror spin some of the endings took. it's definitely not something i went into the game expecting, but in retrospect, it makes perfect sense to take it that route. i don't have anything else to say about it, except for the fact that my jaw dropped the moment i realized what was going on
this game also has a super interesting meta-story! i've seen some people complain about it being kind of cringey/a rip from DDLC, but i couldn't disagree more. if anything, i think it's a fascinating reversal of what DDLC does. since this is a spoilery review, i'll just spit it out. p-chan, the player, is implied to be ame's creation. i don't know, i just think that's a super cool late-game reveal.
but anyways, even though i have some reservations about a few of the endings, i think this game is more than worth playing. just know it's dark in a way that the content warning at the start doesn't express. and also, don't make the mistake i did and 100% it in two sittings