Dies Irae: Amantes Amentes is a quite polarizing visual novel for me. On one hand I don't have too fond feelings towards any of the first three routes, only really enjoying their endings and what they do for the final route. Yet on the other hand I believe that Rea route, the fourth and final one within this game, is truly mind blowing.
-
Each route stems from the same first 6/12 chapters called the Common Route, the choices within these are what locks you into one of the rest of the 4 actual routes. Kasumi, Kei, Marie, and Rea are the routes within this visual novel in that exact order.
-
The first three routes will be talked about within this one paragraph as, besides Rea route, I genuinely feel the same way about the routes. I honestly do not care about these routes. Although I can recognize their importance towards Rea route and understand how others can say they're mandatory to do I see no positives towards them within themselves besides their conclusions. The endings of each of these routes were all positives, however for the time investment that goes into each route it just isn't worth it to me. I initially dropped this series a while ago due to this issue within the first route yet due to some hidden masochism or a feeling of needing to finish it I decided to stick my way through it and wade through the garbage.
-
I truly cannot state truly how fantastic Rea route was. After some time I may need to come back and only replay Rea route in order to view it more positively as my thoughts upon it, although fantastic, are still muddied by the previous routes experiences. Everything within this story has been building up towards this and it was executed in such an amazing way. Ending 1 personally is my less favored of the two endings, however the conclusion to Mercurius was genuinely fantastic as well as the final conversation between Merc, Rein, and the girls. Ending 2 to me is easily the better ending, especially after truly sitting on it and thinking back upon it. The final three way fight, 'Amantes, Amentes', final talk with Lotus, and the conclusion itself are all genuinely so mind-blowingly fantastic.
-
Mercurius himself is a fascinating character and one in which I'll have to go back to and think about. Alongside himself, his dynamic with the rest of the main cast is very interesting too. Ren, Reinhard, and Marie are all fairly good too and characters I'll have to think about more to gather thoughts upon.
-
Overall this was a positive experience, but not one in which I could force myself to reread in its entirety anytime. It has it's positives but these positives are heavily shadowed by its own former inconsistencies and flaws.
-
TLDR; Rea route saved Dies Irae.
-
Each route stems from the same first 6/12 chapters called the Common Route, the choices within these are what locks you into one of the rest of the 4 actual routes. Kasumi, Kei, Marie, and Rea are the routes within this visual novel in that exact order.
-
The first three routes will be talked about within this one paragraph as, besides Rea route, I genuinely feel the same way about the routes. I honestly do not care about these routes. Although I can recognize their importance towards Rea route and understand how others can say they're mandatory to do I see no positives towards them within themselves besides their conclusions. The endings of each of these routes were all positives, however for the time investment that goes into each route it just isn't worth it to me. I initially dropped this series a while ago due to this issue within the first route yet due to some hidden masochism or a feeling of needing to finish it I decided to stick my way through it and wade through the garbage.
-
I truly cannot state truly how fantastic Rea route was. After some time I may need to come back and only replay Rea route in order to view it more positively as my thoughts upon it, although fantastic, are still muddied by the previous routes experiences. Everything within this story has been building up towards this and it was executed in such an amazing way. Ending 1 personally is my less favored of the two endings, however the conclusion to Mercurius was genuinely fantastic as well as the final conversation between Merc, Rein, and the girls. Ending 2 to me is easily the better ending, especially after truly sitting on it and thinking back upon it. The final three way fight, 'Amantes, Amentes', final talk with Lotus, and the conclusion itself are all genuinely so mind-blowingly fantastic.
-
Mercurius himself is a fascinating character and one in which I'll have to go back to and think about. Alongside himself, his dynamic with the rest of the main cast is very interesting too. Ren, Reinhard, and Marie are all fairly good too and characters I'll have to think about more to gather thoughts upon.
-
Overall this was a positive experience, but not one in which I could force myself to reread in its entirety anytime. It has it's positives but these positives are heavily shadowed by its own former inconsistencies and flaws.
-
TLDR; Rea route saved Dies Irae.