Death of a Wish is a luscious and vibrant follow-up (not a sequel) to melessthanthree's debut Luach: Born of a Dream. Where Lucah was a fearful and taciturn character-action romp through dark corridors, Death of a Wish is boisterous and vengeful, busting open its predecessor's hallways for a complete RPG experience: exploration, party members, item hunting, secret bosses, the works. Death of a Wish's combat is cutthroat, demanding you juice every possible option available to you as the lead Christian recklessly stomps down his bloody warpath without ever making you feel too weak. I completed my first play of the game at level 1 and the hardest difficulty available, while for others there are really generous difficulty modifiers beyond plain difficulty selection. As you advance, the genre-familiar action systems and narrative pieces (for those who've played Luach) unravel to take on new forms and demands. The player and Christian must learn to let go of what they think is right, even if it is painful or uncomfortable, to truly achieve their goals. Death of a Wish is a sublime action game that really cannot be passed up by fans of the genre or those looking for expansive queer stories in fiction that go beyond romance and slice of life.

(this one is a little steam review-y because I wrote over there first hehe)

A really phenomenal development upon Onikakushi-hen, Watanagashi-hen roots the exceptional horror story at its core with something even more fearsome than ghosts and curses: the unreconciled feudal remnants left behind in a rapidly imperializing nation. Ryu07's knows horror doesn't come from pulp or genre, but from the unmistakable shocks of reality, when what happening in front of you cannot possibly be understood alone. Watanagashi is a heart-rending and essential entry in Ryu07's repertoire and in the crawling mystery of Hinamizawa.