(WARNING: SLIGHT SPOILERS) I’ll try not to do spoilers, but just in case, a small heads up. (IF YOU HAVEN’T PLAYED THE GAME YET, WHY ARE YOU READING THIS? GO PLAY THE GAME!)
Objectively speaking, this is not the single best AVN (It's quite close), but it is definitely my number one personal favourite. I do not think I have ever gotten this emotionally and intellectually attached to the world of an AVN before. Sure I do have some small complaints of smaller pieces of the story, but the general story and the execution of the premise is probably one of the strongest in any AVN game. The world built within the game is probably the SINGLE most thoroughly thought out and carefully crafted worlds. The tension, action, and conflict in this AVN is also very strong. However I do have two complaints, first, the beginning feels quite slow, and even if a lot of it is necessary to build context and foundational emotional connections with the characters, I feel there are much more concise and effective ways to do this. Also, near the end of ACT 1, the story kind of "ran out of gas" in the way that, immediately after the Congress, the action felt slightly unsatisfying and non-continuous (In my head, the actions of the characters in that situation were slightly nonsensical, but I guess the justification makes sense). In addition, the Deus Ex Machina resolution of the first act could be criticised but here, instead of it being a cop-out resolution, it feels earned and correct. It feels emotionally justified and creates a sense of catharsis successfully when, in most cases, Deus Ex Machina resolutions tend to feel empty and random, which is not at all the case here. In fact, when the “Deus” from the “Machina” showed up, I was silently cheering in my head.
Another thing this game does quite well is the emotional aspect, by the beginning of Act 2 I was already completely emotionally engrossed in the game, and the idea of not having Noel around viscerally hurt me. I really empathically related to the story in Act 2. Which I feel really solidified my fondness for this game. The action was gripping, the pacing was perfect, and Act 2, although not finished, has probably the single strongest story of any part of an AVN. The interaction of the main plot and the subplots are cohesive and flowing. Even though the action jumps from place to place, it never feels like the action breaks, the scenes just fit together perfectly. I have high hopes for the ending of Act 2, and the ending could really solidify this game as one of the greatest AVNs. The choices of which information to provide to the player is also done perfectly, we always know just enough to create an idea of what is happening, but never enough to completely predict the future, and when a new piece of information is given to the player, there is an “Aha!” moment that is just so rare in AVN games (Most of them when you get information, it causes you to be more confused than anything).
I also like how the game touches on deeper social-philosophical ideas, especially of power, or more specifically, vertical structures of power. Power and abuse of power may be quite an overused thematic idea in fiction, but I think this game pulls it off quite well. Especially with Samuel (Wisdom lies not in utilising power, but knowing not to) and the parallelism of the actions of the leaders of the High Order (This can also be related to historical events in the real world). This central idea permeates every aspect of the story and is central to the conflicts, not just present as just some superficial idea that is there only to make the creator feel smarter than they actually are.
There is something very human about this AVN. It feels that it has genuine care and thought put into it, and everything is done with intention. That is what I like about an AVN that I feel is lacking in most other AVNs, sure they have passion, but also they try too hard, making it difficult to emotionally connect with the story. Which is what makes Companion of Darkness so special.
(That concludes my 3 am weed-fueled review)