other than some clipping, i unexpectedly loved this game. it's incredibly self aware, leaning into the cheesy anime tropes in a delightfully satirical manner. telling myself it's satire, especially after Three Houses, is the only thing that let the story and characters be fun. it's not deep in the slightest, but that's fine.

it was entertaining and the battles were a lot of fun - the graphics and maps are infinitely better than in three houses. i love the map variation! and it sometimes had me stuck in satisfying ways.

yeah, it could have had more emphasis on relationships, but i found that it didn't detract from the whole as i was aware going in. it isn't exactly a masterpiece but i had a great time which was the whole point!!

while it's beautifully animated with lovely music, and clearly so much heart, that's mostly what i enjoyed!

the first half felt simple and repetitive enough to be a children's game - there's nothing wrong with that necessarily, it's just not what i thought i was getting myself into. the second half is similar but a bit darker with escape room elements. i liked the tone shift though!

however, when the dlc glitched and refused multiple times to let me keep playing, i just... stopped playing.

while it was worthwhile for the studio ghibli-esque vibes, and if it's on a good sale it's worth checking out for the pretty animation and atmosphere alone, it didn't ever fully hold my attention in the short hour and a half i played through.

I have absolutely no idea how to rate this one. Will I pick up season two? Yes. Would I recommend this to others? I don't know??

The art and music are lovely. All the dark blues and the snowy backdrop, the soft character art, cute music... Dreamy and engaging! The core cast of characters is interesting and distinct, each growing as the story unfolds, and perfectly at home in a uniquely surreal setting. The main character, Sayoko, is a cool choice by the author and is very much a figure in natural and intentional opposition to oppressive, dominant social narratives as well - primarily the church, which this story centres around. She's queer, racialized, can mostly see through and stands up against systemic oppression, etc.

Sometimes the writing is a bit clunky or redundant (it tries hard to drive its points home, relying too much on exposition imo), but it's still enjoyable and has a straightforward honesty. The main character is largely not sympathetic, but her struggles with mental health and bitterness feel candid and sometimes relatable. I would have adored this story in high school.

My main struggle with Ghostpia is that it's jarring because of it's contradictory and inconsistent tone. It's dark and melancholic bits were often beautiful, slowing down to reflect on different lessons or aspects of what death, memory, and companionship mean. Most media I love explores grief or loneliness, so I loved that! Sayoko's dark and dry humour is also great.

But. It would follow this up with bathroom humour. So much bathroom humour. And then suddenly hop to a scene that felt like something from a Saturday morning cartoon battle, making things impossible to take seriously when the tone shifted back to emotional. It might do this to appeal to a broader audience, softening its darker tones on purpose. To me, it was just disorienting.

There is also a villain that falls into an ableist trope. They're a strong character, yeah, but it'd be pretty nice if we could stop with those tropes. Although! Most of the glitchy and flashing screen effects in Ghostpia can be turned off! That accessibility feature let me play the game, so I'm appreciative.

Aaaand Clara. She's a warm hearted and eager child in training to be a nun, who the core cast hates and abuses because she is kind and loved by all. She's berated and physically harmed and manipulated as a running gag by characters way older than her. It's kind of fucked up and confusing?

I think she's supposed to be a metaphor for the perceived innocence of the church. Characters react strongly because they know the church is their oppressor even when it is kind... But without that being made apparent, it just feels uncomfortable. The reader is also given no real reason to hate her or see her as more than a sweet kid.

The overall violence people speak of, Clara aside, didn't bother me. In this world if you are killed you simply revive, so there's only so much weight! That was cool to explore in the story. Besides, it's a lot of cops and similarly corrupt figures being stood up against, so, you know. Stand your ground.

Ghostpia is an inconsistent visual novel at odds with itself enough to lose me a few times, but stylistically it's beautiful with compelling concepts!! I'll pick up the second season as I want to know the answers to its mysteries, am curious about the characters, and really wonder where they're taking its themes.

I've knocked a half star off for the six times a glitch caused me to have to reopen the game within three hours and for the two story aspects that required having to do things in a particular order with no indication that this was the case, but otherwise this game is absolutely charming!!!

It's such a love letter to the past, soft and nostalgic and overflowing with care. It got straight to my heart. I also couldn't help but smile when one of the characters spoke of where my Scottish ancestors also came from. 💙

Slow, sleepy, full of heart. Some people didn't like it for its themes are quite in your face, but these honest reflections did nothing but make me appreciate how candid the whole game feels! It's definitely worth a play through.

this visual novel has such stunning music, animation, and art!! it's truly beautiful and i appreciate how innovative and playful the creators were with this whole thing. it has a gentleness to it i really enjoyed.

the story is very queer (like me!), and anyone who also loves stories about seeking found family or feeling like an outsider will likely enjoy this sweet irish story.

the eraser mechanic is sometimes a bit annoying... occasionally it would erase things it shouldn't have, dialogue suddenly disappearing before i had the chance to read. otherwise, i had a wonderful experience.

picked this up due to hype and i wanted something anime and mindless as a quick palate cleanser between disco elysium and baldur's gate 3. i was too successful??

doki doki literature club did feel exactly like a palate cleanser - it mainly served to get me stoked for the next thing. not too engaging, v predictable in a way i personally didn't vibe with, and it also just has little tact in its approach to mental health as a supposed shock factor.

i don't know if i'll finish it or not. maybe my rating will change if i do? anyway. this vn is parsley to me