In summary, just the life of a broken, lonely soul.
The game put you in full concentration mode as you unpacked the disturbing mess found in an abandoned computer. However, as you removed each layer and reached closer and closer to the truth, you also seemed to be drifting away from reality. There was no time for thoughts, as fate has already been decided: you would be trapped with her, for the concept of "forever".. Whether she was a struggling teen who gave up her life in a moment of despair, or a rebel who failed to understand her loved ones and her own emotions, no one could give an answer. The end indeed stayed "forever", an irreversible fate.
The truth remains, love and affection may exist, but their way of expressing could either heal or break a heart. Communication is ultimately the key to expressing your honest feelings. So dear, let's sit down and have a conversation, just a moment, okay?
All in all, a sisterly bond between spirits.
Despite many appearances of horror elements, the characters' charms pretty much lightened up the mood, and as a result, the game became more of an exciting journey towards discovering a teenage girl's identity with surprisingly powerful magic. Her power gave us a chance to face the shadows rather than running or hiding from them, which was typical in a horror game. The interactions piqued my interest as we slowly found out the truth of her upbringing, and the bonding moments made the game a lot more enjoyable than expected.
The lead may enter the abandoned mansion with fear and doubt, yet she left confidently as she found the answer to her strange ability and life. Moreover, she managed to join a fun spirit sisters group. I don't have any human friends, but i do have a cool circle of spirit sisters thanks to my amazing halfling powers. Now, ready to disappear, shadows!
All in all, you got an insecure yandere bestie as your date.
The game immersed itself in pastel colors with an adorable artstyle, which lessened the horror factor in Vita's creepy behaviors. Nevertheless, her disguise was still a great surprise, more so when her identity came to light as a close friend and not just a stalker. The leads' interaction was pretty cute but rushed, like an invisible barrier stopping the player from divulging further. Hence, the ending left us with curiosity about their personal lives and how their relationship came to be. The mini - interactions were also interesting, especially the idea of serving desserts and drinks to customers while waiting for your date.
Even a yandere stalker couldn't stop this game's cuteness attacks. It felt like riding on a pastel cloud the whole time. Well, you might be a fan, but the bigger fan who knows lots LOTS more about the other isn't you~
In short, care matters.
The game introduces the concept of "Iteration", which can be understood as gruesome human cloning since it's neither consensual nor ethical. With the original purpose of lengthening one's life, it quickly derailed and became an unhealthy obsession with success, leading to many unfortunate deaths along the way. However, this wasn't a horror game only, it also focused on the impact of care. Aside from the dependence on affection between the leads to achieve certain endings, care was shown to influence majority of the gameplay, such as the messy rooms and wilted trees, or lack of affection towards Fio and Icarus from the scientists.
As such, care can bring either eternal happiness or a great sacrifice if you care too much. Even so, dying in the warm embrace of your lover is still better than choosing not to care at all. Fate may separate us, but happiness is what we shall achieve, with or without the other.
In summary, love traverses mortality.
The game started off simple, with clear introduction about the MC and the "time loop" she was stuck in. Though finding fun in killing someone, these murders only ever occured due to being fed up with life, having to live the same day everyday. There wasn't a need to dig deep for clues as everything was guided, which left the fun to reaching all endings and finding the truth. Its cute artstyle indeed lessened the severity of the murders, and the twists left me astonished.
Even though the game might not leave a deep impression among other bloody horror games, it was certainly an enjoyable play, especially for people who want a quick break. Don't bother about my deaths. Instead, shall we travel around the world, my love?
