Käyttäjän avalinda viimeaikaiset arvostelut

Pros:

• Decent overarching plot and worldbuilding
  
• Cool settings
  
• Beautiful art
  
• Good piano compositions

Cons:

• Story appears to get cut off at the end
  
• Inconsistent pacing - flip-flops too much between lighthearted and dark
  
• Needs actual chapter titles
  
• Frequent and unclear POV switches
  
• Overly flowery dialogue
  
• Awkward/unrealistic interactions (on occasion)
  
• Repetitive (and sometimes annoying) soundtrack

---

Perhaps I've been spoiled by the countless classic novels I've read over the years, which have made me extremely picky about writing style, but I feel the same rules should apply to any text that aims to tell a story. Don't get me wrong, the premise behind this game is wonderful. The concept of an endless dream world, juxtaposed with the real world which has endured countless horrors and still fights against the mysteries that surround it, is something I'm always willing to read about. However, the execution just felt flawed in places and hence I couldn't give this game the resoundingly positive review that it would otherwise have deserved. There were several key points that didn't quite work for me, which I'll break down below, along with the things I did like. I can get very long-winded when it comes to anything writing-related, so consider yourself warned.

WRITING:

• The author has an elegant writing style, which is both a blessing and a curse for this game. There were certain lines that I simply had to screenshot, because they were just that beautiful and powerful and told undeniable truths about humanity. These I can never get enough of. However, the game makes the mistake of using that same writing style with basic interactions between different characters, even very young ones, which makes their exchanges seem overly flowery and unrealistic. I wouldn't expect children/young teens from 10-15 years old to talk to each other like they're quoting from a book, unless a convincing explanation is provided, which it unfortunately wasn't. As a result these parts of the story became a chore to read and I found myself skimming through them at top speed.

PACING/PLOT:

• Again, some things are done right while others appear glaringly flawed to me. The overarching plot and the ideas behind it are original and strong - especially when it came to the darker parts of the story, which threw me for a loop at first, but I'd always rather read something depressing that reminds me to appreciate and think more deeply about life. But apart from that, the pacing just feels so disjointed, jumping back and forth between lighthearted and sad way too often, as well as switching POVs without warning which creates unnecessary confusion.
  
• For instance, starting out in the dream world with its endless loneliness gave me the early impression that this story could get dark, but then we skip to cheerful and pointless interactions between children who sometimes talk like well-read grad students. (And a lot of them talk the same, which doesn't really make them seem like distinct characters.) They do little kid things like pulling random pranks, tickling each other, and playing games at school, but because we suddenly jump to their depressing pasts, the happy stuff just feels like a cheap device to hit us with some contrast and shock value later on. And then, after some dark background has been covered, we switch right back to the kids doing random kid things. Perhaps a case can exist where this sort of plot device could be used skillfully, but because it's used so often, I simply couldn't warm up to it.
  
• The frequent POV switches also got off-putting after a point, since it would take me a minute to realize I was in one kid's flashback or other, or had jumped even further back in time to when their parents were younger. It might have helped if some consistent visual transition had been used, along with labeling new character names right off the bat. (All we get is an image of a random character against a black background before the switch, which doesn't help much.) Once again, not sure if this is an intentional plot device, but it simply doesn't work with the format of this game. Perhaps it would have been better suited for a novel, where chapters are clearly separated so that the switch doesn't feel so jarring.
  
• Finally, the revelations about each of the characters seems to be done in an arbitrary order. I had so many questions about the MC - mostly why she spent half her life in a dream world and why she doesn't behave like other children. But then for some reason every side character's past is covered before hers, and it's almost like MC has been forgotten for the time being, fading into the background like she herself is now unimportant. That was particularly annoying since the beginning made it seem like the entire story was framed through her POV, and that she had some special ability which would be crucial later on. Probably another thing that a novel would have done better.

MUSIC:

• Really loved most of the piano soundtracks, but the happy ones that played during the kids' cheerful everyday routines were so repetitive that they began to grate on my nerves. And then we had excessive goofy sound effects from when the kids engaged in tackling/tickling/cheek-pinching/you name it. It just detracted from the serious parts of the plot that were intended to send a real message, and so I ended up muting the sound partway through the game. This might also have been why I didn't enjoy those particular story sequences - music can make or break any story or game that intends to make you think and feel.

ART:

• No complaints here. I always love the anime art style, and the watercolor-esque depictions of the cities and countryside were beyond beautiful. Even the violent, dark, and depressing scenes were done very well, though they did refrain from showing a lot of actual gore. Included here is the formatting of the game - loved the font and the little borders used for the text boxes.

MECHANICS:

• The UI is appropriately user-friendly. I liked that there were options to speed up the text, which saved me from quitting this game cold-turkey when I was trying to skip through the boring and annoying sequences. Other than that, not much to say here, since it's a text-based game.

I guess, long story short once again, I wouldn't exactly recommend this game because it either rushes too much or drags on in points, which can be off-putting when you're there for a good story. However, it does have some redeeming qualities, so if you have the time and patience for the occasional gem it has to offer, you might still have a good time. As I'm a completionist when it comes to games, I'll still see this one through to the very end, and take away from it some life lessons as well as how best (and how not) to write a story.

---

(with something resembling spoilers)

"Finished" this game about 10 min after my last save point, and I can't believe this is supposed to be an ending. Replayed from my save twice just to make sure I wasn't tripping - I was at the point where Callia had just made up with her father. Suddenly, skip to Evighet's Garden with an image of Tris just standing there, red marks all over his face reminiscent of his mother in her fits of madness. And then.... you just get taken back to the home page. No "The End," "To Be Continued," or anything. The story just stops there. No loose ends wrapped up. In what universe is this an effective conclusion?

Initially rated this at least 6/10 but with that "ending," dropping it down to a 4. Just one too many careless writing blunders for me; I'm no longer interested enough to even attempt a sequel.

Plays like a space-opera version of Skyrim, the running mechanics remind me a bit of WoW, and you can also endlessly shoot aliens on the side if you so desire. Character customization is pretty good and as a sucker for graphics, I of course loved those, down to the high-tech appearance of the maps and loading screens. I have yet to get very far through the storyline, but all around an awesome game.

A very bittersweet and nostalgic story about coping with loss, connecting with your predecessors and the love that can be expressed through something as simple as cooking. Beautiful graphics as well, and I loved the little details that reminded me of my heritage. Wonderful game.

Light anime horror game that's reminiscent of Misao, except as the main character you're trying to enter / make contact with a paranormal plane to find someone you've lost. The retro graphics are of course lovely, and I enjoy the bit of occult background and creepy POV of walking through abandoned hallways with strange creatures outside the windows. The game also appears to have multiple endings depending on how you play it, but as someone who saves religiously I would have liked a few more save points / save slots to avoid too many repetitive playthroughs.

Update: After getting through all the endings I was still left with some questions, which I hope will be answered in the upcoming installments! Especially with how the ritual came to be, if Kat will return in the next chapter, and if she ever finds who she set out to find. A very well-made little game!

Short and sweet little game with what looks like multiple possible endings. I love the retro graphics and the bittersweet depiction of life in Poland during the Communist period. The family problems and small friendships you strike up along the way were very relatable and reminded me that despite everyday hardships, life goes on.

EDIT 8.15: Completed all endings with some help from a walkthrough. I wouldn't say the game is super story-heavy, and I kind of wish it was, but the soundtrack is god-tier and nostalgic so I'd still give it a solid 7/10.

Pros:

• Top-notch music
  
• Awesome graphics
  
• Immersive and creepy atmosphere
  
• Story (mostly) well-done
  
• Reading old and mysterious documents

Cons:

• Mechanics could be more user-friendly
  
• Slightly boring ending

---

A creepy atmospheric game that fits right in with the time period in history I'm currently studying. I've always loved escape room games, and I loved the first-person POV, great graphics, and realism of this one except for two things:

1. You aren't free to move around, just turn, and in dark rooms it's really easy to miss a clue.
   
2. There's no hints to what you might need in the first place, and the items are either really small or hard to find, so I was basically reduced to clicking all over the screen right off the bat. Cue the excessive, accidental switching between scenes when I hit a corner that I didn't know was meant for that purpose.

Unfortunately, this does take away from the game, despite the mystery/escape element and the dark atmosphere.

---

Final Edit (spoilers below):

Finished the game with the help of a walkthrough, which obviously isn't the most ideal way to play. But with the tedious point-and-click out of the way, I really enjoyed unraveling the mystery behind what happened in the bunker where MC was trapped. Some of the rooms were creepier than others, which tingled my horror-lover nerves, and the experience of reading the old documents on the facility's experiments was quite interesting (full disclosure, I'm a sucker for old papers and books).

However, the ending was just a tad anticlimactic. I was hoping to learn Chernogoryev had escaped, and MC's life history after his own escape was very ordinary. It would've been nice if he had gone on to infiltrate and investigate other research operations, or if anyone else with special abilities had turned up elsewhere. If nothing else, I would've liked a plot twist after hearing about MC's future: that he was actually dead in the present day and communicating from beyond the grave, with the same mechanism used in the research facility, and that we had actually gone through some of his memories that he chose to share.

Beautiful, relaxing little game! I absolutely love the floating island concept with sea animals swimming through air, and the manta ray is the cutest. The landscape reminds me a bit of Genshin Impact's Sangonomiya Shrine, except without all the extra-OP monsters and grinding. Being able to just run or fly across the islands and appreciate their peaceful scenery is everything. I do wish the flying controls were a little less clunky, though - flying 0.0001 mm off to the side of a gem and still not being able to collect it was slightly frustrating, lol.

Played this after watching The Witcher and I'm so glad to see they were faithful to the character portrayals. As always, I was drawn to the insane graphics and getting to explore everything like in an open-world game (until I inevitably stumbled across some high-level enemies and got slain - which is more of a me problem than anything). My only complaint with the mechanics is that Geralt can't jump very high and takes fall damage very easily, which I wouldn't expect from a guy who isn't entirely human lol. And maintaining my equipment and saving up money was another difficulty for me, possibly because I didn't do enough side quests. However, the combat's pretty realistic with cool effects when he uses his abilities, and sometimes the creatures you run into are truly scary to look at, which makes the experience unforgettable. Another well done game by CD!

One of my faves from the cute-to-horror type of anime game. I was at first put off by the slight harem concept (which I should have expected) but the story broke the 4th wall in such an unexpected way that I had to see it through to the end. Of course, as the warning might indicate, there's some very disturbing and depressing elements to the story, but that was what made it unforgettable as well. Totally didn't watch the PewDiePie and Markiplier playthroughs 10x each either.

Cutest little study aid ever - I love the minimalist graphics and color scheme as well as the option to add ambient noise. I do wish there was a bigger selection of songs and that you could rotate the little room! Not a deal-breaker for me though, will definitely be using this again.