This is an approximately 20-30 hour gothic tragedy visual novel, which means that there is no gameplay outside of choices and advancing dialogue. However, the plot and characters more than make up for this, and the art and music greatly add to the experience, as opposed to simply reading a book.

The general spoiler-free overview of the game is that you awaken in a mansion without any memories of who you are, or really anything at all. A maid greets you, and upon finding out about your memory loss, guides you through doors within the mansion, each to a different tale of memory that occurred within the (cursed) mansion. The first 4 of these are seemingly unrelated tragedies that befall those who live in the mansion in different eras, and you view them as an observer with the maid in hopes of regaining your memory.

These first 4 are entertaining, well written stories, however are not super remarkable at that point. However, the game picks up greatly after that, increasing in quality to being the best piece of fiction I have consumed. The characters are all nuanced, realistic, flawed people with incredibly compelling stories. Characters deal with their tragedy and trauma in different ways, butting heads about it many times. It all comes together into one brilliant, cohesive whole that frankly blew me away.

Part of why I respect this game as much as I do is because while it deals with mature topics such as incest, murder, rape, psychological torture and abuse, it does so in a compelling and respectful manner. No scene with a hard topic is played for laughs, has a poorly placed gag, or is is insensitive, and they're integral to why the characters are so compelling. The main characters have amazing chemistry, managing to be wholesome to an extreme when it's appropriate as well as supportive and respectful of each other and others as well, not to mention being reasonably angered or upset. By the end of the game, simply seeing them smile or reading their banter is enough to warm my heart, which no other fiction (and most real life interactions) has been able to match for me.

The music and art fit this game to a T, creating just the right atmosphere for the kind of tales being told. While the music is not as good in the first portion of the game, it really picks up with the rest of the game with incredibly emotional, powerful tracks can really drive home how damaged or scarred these people are, or how much pain they're going through. The UI is also something I think is underrated, despite it being essentially a 2012 game in that department. I won't give any details as I consider them spoilers for the experience, but there are a number of subtle and less than subtle UI changes throughout the game that helps create the tone for each door.

This game is a 10/10, something I can't really say about anything else. It only really stumbles with a bit of lackluster pacing towards the very start, but more than makes up for it. I cannot overstate how amazing this game, even if my level of adoration for it is due to personal value I found in some characters. I've spent over 100$ on duplicate copies and gifting it to others because it impacted me so much, and the devs deserve at least that much for the amazing story they've made. Go ahead and buy it if you're interested - you won't be disappointed - and if the price is a bit too much, it goes on sale every now and then on steam, and rather often on GOG, for half off (although I think even accounting for playtime 25$ is more than reasonable).

This is an approximately 20-30 hour gothic tragedy visual novel, which means that there is no gameplay outside of choices and advancing dialogue. However, the plot and characters more than make up for this, and the art and music greatly add to the experience, as opposed to simply reading a book. The general spoiler-free overview of the game is that you awaken in a mansion without any memories of who you are, or really anything at all. A maid greets you, and upon finding out about your memory loss, guides you through doors within the mansion, each to a different tale of memory that occurred within the (cursed) mansion. The first 4 of these are seemingly unrelated tragedies that befall those who live in the mansion in different eras, and you view them as an observer with the maid in hopes of regaining your memory. These first 4 are entertaining, well written stories, however are not super remarkable at that point. However, the game picks up greatly after that, increasing in quality to being the best piece of fiction I have consumed. The characters are all nuanced, realistic, flawed people with incredibly compelling stories. Characters deal with their tragedy and trauma in different ways, butting heads about it many times. It all comes together into one brilliant, cohesive whole that frankly blew me away. Part of why I respect this game as much as I do is because while it deals with mature topics such as incest, murder, rape, psychological torture and abuse, it does so in a compelling and respectful manner. No scene with a hard topic is played for laughs, has a poorly placed gag, or is is insensitive, and they're integral to why the characters are so compelling. The main characters have amazing chemistry, managing to be wholesome to an extreme when it's appropriate as well as supportive and respectful of each other and others as well, not to mention being reasonably angered or upset. By the end of the game, simply seeing them smile or reading their banter is enough to warm my heart, which no other fiction (and most real life interactions) has been able to match for me. The music and art fit this game to a T, creating just the right atmosphere for the kind of tales being told. While the music is not as good in the first portion of the game, it really picks up with the rest of the game with incredibly emotional, powerful tracks can really drive home how damaged or scarred these people are, or how much pain they're going through. The UI is also something I think is underrated, despite it being essentially a 2012 game in that department. I won't give any details as I consider them spoilers for the experience, but there are a number of subtle and less than subtle UI changes throughout the game that helps create the tone for each door. This game is a 10/10, something I can't really say about anything else. It only really stumbles with a bit of lackluster pacing towards the very start, but more than makes up for it. I cannot overstate how amazing this game, even if my level of adoration for it is due to personal value I found in some characters. I've spent over 100$ on duplicate copies and gifting it to others because it impacted me so much, and the devs deserve at least that much for the amazing story they've made. Go ahead and buy it if you're interested - you won't be disappointed - and if the price is a bit too much, it goes on sale every now and then on steam, and rather often on GOG, for half off (although I think even accounting for playtime 25$ is more than reasonable).