You are the master of this mansion, but you have no memories of it before waking up. The maid takes you on a tour and tells you the twisted history of your home. Starting in 1603 with a young pair of siblings playing in the garden. Then a few years pass, and their lives are never the same again. From there, you visit three other times in the mansion's history to witness the misfortune that fell on its inhabitants. Are you in any of these tales?
My one issue with this visual novel is how modern the language is. No matter if they're in the present day or in 1099, the dialogue is the same. I didn't except the whole game to be in ye olden times dialect, but I could have done without some the lines, such as a character jokingly calling their lover "babe." I know there were other terms of endearment that could have been used.
This story is dark and twisted, touches in the meaning of truth and humanity. There is incest, gruesome murders, torture, rape, and basically everything bad thing that can happen to someone.
Visuals
If you're use to the crisp, sterile backgrounds of most visual novels, be aware that this is not that. The House in Fata Morgana is incredibly stylized. The backgrounds appear hand painted and are at times a bit abstract. Objects blur into the background, things aren't always clear. Sometimes it's dark and dreary. Other times it's bright and dreamy.
The character sprites are similarly interesting. They have an old fashioned look to them, which works given the setting and tone. There was something unsettling about all of them though.
Do be aware of flashing screens. And blood.
Sound Effects + Music
I've never played a visual novel whose background music had vocals before. Honestly, I found it pretty distracting. I don't like music while I'm reading, or really at all, so your mileage may vary. The music is nice though; I just would have preferred all instrumentals so I could stay focused on the narrative. It doesn't match the time period at all though, and sometimes feels at odds with the mood of the scene.
There area other sound effects such as footsteps, thunder, and blood splatters. Lots of blood splatters.
Gameplay + Controls
The House in Fata Morgana is a visual novel, so you'll simply be pressing Enter to progress the text, and then selecting the occasional choice. Despite there being eight total endings, there are only a handful of choices to be made through the entire 30 hour narrative. Just be sure to save before making them so you can get the full experience if you want it.
Replayability
Given the length and heaviness of this story, I'm not sure who would want to go through it again. It's easy enough to experience all eight endings as long as you remembered to make saves before each of the choices.
Overall
I can't really say I enjoyed The House in Fata Morgana, because this story is bleak. Once you think the worst has passed, it just goes further into the dark depths. Definitely recommend though.
My one issue with this visual novel is how modern the language is. No matter if they're in the present day or in 1099, the dialogue is the same. I didn't except the whole game to be in ye olden times dialect, but I could have done without some the lines, such as a character jokingly calling their lover "babe." I know there were other terms of endearment that could have been used.
This story is dark and twisted, touches in the meaning of truth and humanity. There is incest, gruesome murders, torture, rape, and basically everything bad thing that can happen to someone.
Visuals
If you're use to the crisp, sterile backgrounds of most visual novels, be aware that this is not that. The House in Fata Morgana is incredibly stylized. The backgrounds appear hand painted and are at times a bit abstract. Objects blur into the background, things aren't always clear. Sometimes it's dark and dreary. Other times it's bright and dreamy.
The character sprites are similarly interesting. They have an old fashioned look to them, which works given the setting and tone. There was something unsettling about all of them though.
Do be aware of flashing screens. And blood.
Sound Effects + Music
I've never played a visual novel whose background music had vocals before. Honestly, I found it pretty distracting. I don't like music while I'm reading, or really at all, so your mileage may vary. The music is nice though; I just would have preferred all instrumentals so I could stay focused on the narrative. It doesn't match the time period at all though, and sometimes feels at odds with the mood of the scene.
There area other sound effects such as footsteps, thunder, and blood splatters. Lots of blood splatters.
Gameplay + Controls
The House in Fata Morgana is a visual novel, so you'll simply be pressing Enter to progress the text, and then selecting the occasional choice. Despite there being eight total endings, there are only a handful of choices to be made through the entire 30 hour narrative. Just be sure to save before making them so you can get the full experience if you want it.
Replayability
Given the length and heaviness of this story, I'm not sure who would want to go through it again. It's easy enough to experience all eight endings as long as you remembered to make saves before each of the choices.
Overall
I can't really say I enjoyed The House in Fata Morgana, because this story is bleak. Once you think the worst has passed, it just goes further into the dark depths. Definitely recommend though.