I have played a few visual novels in the past year or so that really captured my attention and told fantastic stories - 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim being one of the absolute best. I remember hearing, however, that The House in Fata Morgana was one of the greatest stories in gaming, one of the best visual novels to ever be released, and a must play for any fan of the genre. So, once I was able to pick up a Playstation Vita, I decided to give this purported masterpiece a try. After several hours with the game, however, I cannot recommend it to anyone.
Every visual novel I have played started out strong and is typically interesting or at least entertaining from start to finish. There are of course dips in every story and the focus of the narrative is not always on the main plot, but The House in Fata Morgana takes this to a new level. Not only is it barely interesting to begin with, and I'm not sure it was ever entertaining in the several hours I played, the story went nowhere and just meandered along in no particular direction. There was never any true purpose to the story being told and no end goal ever became obviously apparent. Maybe I was unable to read through the lines or missed some crucial backstory, but I seriously doubt it. I likely would have suffered through more of the game if there was at least something engaging to keep me interested, but after several hours there was nothing compelling me to finish the story. It is unfortunate considering the hype this game had, that I simply cannot recommend it unless you seriously enjoy the artstyle and reading hours upon hours of text that likely has nothing to do with an overarching plot that I’m not sure even exists.
Every visual novel I have played started out strong and is typically interesting or at least entertaining from start to finish. There are of course dips in every story and the focus of the narrative is not always on the main plot, but The House in Fata Morgana takes this to a new level. Not only is it barely interesting to begin with, and I'm not sure it was ever entertaining in the several hours I played, the story went nowhere and just meandered along in no particular direction. There was never any true purpose to the story being told and no end goal ever became obviously apparent. Maybe I was unable to read through the lines or missed some crucial backstory, but I seriously doubt it. I likely would have suffered through more of the game if there was at least something engaging to keep me interested, but after several hours there was nothing compelling me to finish the story. It is unfortunate considering the hype this game had, that I simply cannot recommend it unless you seriously enjoy the artstyle and reading hours upon hours of text that likely has nothing to do with an overarching plot that I’m not sure even exists.
inferno60x
7 months ago