What a ride. The art, the characters, the story, the drama, it was also so compelling. There are so many themes and ideas and moments packed into this game it’s just wild.
What is the nature of the soul? Can magic be rationalized by logic? What color is Akira’s panties?
These are just some of the questions this game asks you to ponder and there is A LOT to ponder about. While I had a hard time getting a full grasp on the timeline of events and understanding all of the character motivations, it didn’t impact my enjoyment at all, the bits I was able to piece together were very satisfying. It was just fun to be along for the ride and try to solve this puzzle even if the answers aren’t always clear. I wager this is on purpose as the world itself seems to be steeped in secrets and conspiracies; it makes me think of the Metal Gear Solid franchise, you feel like you’re tumbling down this rabbit hole of lies and secrets never fully getting a grasp of the situation but loving the ride nonetheless.
On top of all of the secrets and the dramas and the body-horror, there is another side of the game which is the cute slice of life elements.
Adelle, a hardened cynical warrior-type is essentially forced to live a somewhat quiet and mundane life for a while, going on dates and getting into silly shenanigans with a cast of cute girls, (Adelle’s weakness) and it’s extremely endearing to see her slowly soften and have that cold heart melt a little. I thought the entire cast of girls were just adorable, each had their own flavor and style built on classic anime archetypes… Maybe except for Miriam? I don’t know what box Miriam falls into, she is absolutely unhinged in the best possible way.
A few other thoughts: Miriam’s monologues were amazing, absolutely filled with technical STEM jargon and esoteric philosophy making them almost hard to parse at times but an absolute joy to read. How did someone write like this? I am in awe.
The humor is great in this, which for some reason I wasn’t expecting many jokes or gags, but they were a great balance to the darker themes. I especially enjoyed Miriam’s running gags, like the Adelle injections and the “landmines”
Possible Spoilers
Lavandula… holy smokes. I liked how we learn about her in flashbacks and cutaways and Adelle only meets up with her in that ultimate climax of emotions. I think it really did a good job of building her up to be this huge presence… Loved it.
The art, goodness the art! There are so many amazing pieces of art in this game, it’s so indulgent and I love it all so much, reading the retrospective was a delight and one of the reasons was more art! Also, I think there is something to this mechabare thing… XD
I’m a pretty slow reader so it took me around a week of playing in the mornings to see all of the endings, but it sort of felt like it played out in real-time which was fun.
This is an achievement. I’m inspired. I am glad that this game exists.