This review contains spoilers
Mannnn this game destroyed me.
Let me go over my flaws real quick.
First things first: do NOT play this game for gameplay. The battle system was the most boring shit I've ever played. Besides the UI and BANGER music, you can only handle so much of the repetitive battles. The emotion system have a lottt of potential though and is so conceptually awesome; I just wish the battles were done differently. You'd think they'd rework it a tad after 7 years of work, but I'll give them a pass since development was hell for this game.
The pacing is a little mehhh during Humphrey's arc, but I'm pretty sure it was intentional and I honestly don't mind it that much. This bit is 100% subjective though; you could say it sucks or is genius and I would understand both perspectives.
I also didn't know you could sprint until the end of the final day. So.
Alright, now everything I loved.
Possibly the best storytelling I've ever seen in a videogame. Every bit of the dialogue, sound design, gameplay elements, environment... EVERYTHING is done with intention. It's so brilliant. There is so so much foreshadowing that DOESN'T reveal the twist, but you know there's something. I cannot emphasize how brilliant the storytelling in this game is.
Slowly piecing together the connection of dreamscape & the real world; wondering what happened with Basil and Sunny; What HAPPENED to Mari?? Genius.
The real-world section is done so... realistically? Naturally? I'm not sure how to put it, but from the environment to the characters- every bit of the real world felt like if I went outside this very moment I could experience it. The awkward miscommunication and ghosting of the friend group that spiraled over the years after the incident was very well done. If you go into this game with any experience in grief or loss, this'll hit you very hard. How they managed to make each character of the group represent a different stage of grief- yet also balancing them as complete and complex characters makes every bit of dialogue hit home.
The sound design and soundtrack are perfect condiments to the storytelling. The final fight could not have had better music. The violin persevering through the overwhelming distortion- and when you 'win'; the final duet is the perfect ending note for Mari and Sunny. Also, Sweetheart's theme is a BANGER btw.
I have infinite amounts of praise to give this game in it's story execution, and I can go second by second to analyze each detail that the developers put into each scene.
If you haven't played this game and read this review; then you need to close this website and install the game and play through it as blind as possible. The horror elements are implemented so well, the cold concepts and handling of grief and death is something I've only seen done as carefully as Persona 3. This is a game that will stay in the back of your mind for years to come; you'll come back to it and there will always be more to think about. You can truly tell this game was a passion project.
So please go play it or experience it however you can with as little information as possible, and make sure you have a box of tissues nearby.
Let me go over my flaws real quick.
First things first: do NOT play this game for gameplay. The battle system was the most boring shit I've ever played. Besides the UI and BANGER music, you can only handle so much of the repetitive battles. The emotion system have a lottt of potential though and is so conceptually awesome; I just wish the battles were done differently. You'd think they'd rework it a tad after 7 years of work, but I'll give them a pass since development was hell for this game.
The pacing is a little mehhh during Humphrey's arc, but I'm pretty sure it was intentional and I honestly don't mind it that much. This bit is 100% subjective though; you could say it sucks or is genius and I would understand both perspectives.
I also didn't know you could sprint until the end of the final day. So.
Alright, now everything I loved.
Possibly the best storytelling I've ever seen in a videogame. Every bit of the dialogue, sound design, gameplay elements, environment... EVERYTHING is done with intention. It's so brilliant. There is so so much foreshadowing that DOESN'T reveal the twist, but you know there's something. I cannot emphasize how brilliant the storytelling in this game is.
Slowly piecing together the connection of dreamscape & the real world; wondering what happened with Basil and Sunny; What HAPPENED to Mari?? Genius.
The real-world section is done so... realistically? Naturally? I'm not sure how to put it, but from the environment to the characters- every bit of the real world felt like if I went outside this very moment I could experience it. The awkward miscommunication and ghosting of the friend group that spiraled over the years after the incident was very well done. If you go into this game with any experience in grief or loss, this'll hit you very hard. How they managed to make each character of the group represent a different stage of grief- yet also balancing them as complete and complex characters makes every bit of dialogue hit home.
The sound design and soundtrack are perfect condiments to the storytelling. The final fight could not have had better music. The violin persevering through the overwhelming distortion- and when you 'win'; the final duet is the perfect ending note for Mari and Sunny. Also, Sweetheart's theme is a BANGER btw.
I have infinite amounts of praise to give this game in it's story execution, and I can go second by second to analyze each detail that the developers put into each scene.
If you haven't played this game and read this review; then you need to close this website and install the game and play through it as blind as possible. The horror elements are implemented so well, the cold concepts and handling of grief and death is something I've only seen done as carefully as Persona 3. This is a game that will stay in the back of your mind for years to come; you'll come back to it and there will always be more to think about. You can truly tell this game was a passion project.
So please go play it or experience it however you can with as little information as possible, and make sure you have a box of tissues nearby.