this is it folks this is ciconia no naku koro ni phase two ryukishi's just masquerading as someone else this time around trust me /j

i'll preface my english review saying i've read this in russian per developer's recommendation and you should too if you happen to know it i guess

regardless this is a very well-woven love letter to When They Cry in particular but it works with at times deeper themes than love, truth and identity crisis, though i mean that too obviously, lots of overlaps in art in general so it doesn't matter

what i'm trying to say is that this is worth anyone's attention if they like a story trying to tell something indirectly and for seemingly a good reason as well

most characters appear broken as fuck now that i think about it, a memoire of Ciel's and a few final bonus dramas really cement that for both old and new characters (the cast keeps expanding throughout the story but it's rather organic, though at times it may be less clear who serves what purpose but word through the grapevine is there's a sequel in the works so that's perfectly fine anyhow)

i'm a big fan of the setting and the antagonist having been born from negative emotions. i dunno if that's considered cliché by now but i like when games do that to highlight the innate human evil or something. there's that whole inherently sinful and not thing too touched on briefly, and i find it strong it kinda just disappears in the end. like you the protagonist don't seem to ever return to the usual human realm. and by the end of the narrative you're not even you. feeling a bit guilty over controlling the guy now but i think there's enough spoilers here alone so i'm avoiding names for the most part lol

this is mighty strong especially if Rushi13 is a beginner which i presume to be the case

a lot to think about but you don't get lost forever if you do, puzzle pieces every which way really

the cast's pretty colourful and quite alive, pretty much everything the world has to offer it keeps giving to you should you bother reading all the bonuses - as i encourage you to - so it's pretty nice to dissipate in all that all in all

people tend to slander that nowadays but i liked the diversity of the cast even so eh might matter for someone too

the ending is sudden but fitting i also think but it might feel cliffhangerish and for a reason as well, though i think there's really a loooot to piece out on your own based on the chunks of lore you keep constantly getting from the game so like fun fun fun fun

Rushi13's secured an ambitious masterpiece so if not flawless it's at the very least a niche gem for sure