Hooked me in a way I genuinely wasn't expecting-once I started reading I couldn't think to do much else until I had finally finished the game. Misericorde is a kinetic novel, not a visual novel, so unfortunately there are no branching little paths or choices you have to make but for its type it doesn't really need them. Your character is barely socialized shut-in who could at best recite the dictionary definition of guile, so there's virtually no chance of them solving much of anything. Running around in their head and trying to figure out what the hells going on as they poke around aimlessly, sort through their emotions, and try to learn to be a person is as much a game of picking apart clues and trying to read the general writing on the wall as any game that purports to be about Big Choices.
The game completely nails what this genre requires, which is a cast of vibrant characters who, despite most of them coming off as deeply neurodivergent weirdos, all feel like genuine people with histories and rich interior lives. Conversations hit a really good balance between "it sure is fun to hang out with these loveable kooks" and "what does it mean that they said this? Is what you told me true? What can I learn from how you're reacting right now? Is the way you're acting right now the way you really are?". It's a mystery that is first and foremost about character analysis, about trying to guess why someone did what they did, where someone goes when you're not seeing them, and when someone is only telling you a little bit of the truth, and it perfectly captures the feeling of being a shut-in suddenly thrust into social situations where you're not sure how to look after your own best interests.
Of course, it's only half a story and I'm ravenous for the next part, but I'm extremely confident that whatever volume 2 looks like, I'm going to very much enjoy it, especially since I"m pretty sure this game just gave me a nun fetish.