"In the Pursuit of Something Greater" is another strange dream-like impossible world that explores life though fantastical circumstances. This is another crazy project by StrawberryNoodles. I feel like this is one of those times where context and knowledge behind the team's previous projects are going to inform just how this visual novel is received. My impression of the type of story this team makes is one where things are never as they seem, the world building is dream-like and doesn't follow conventional reality rules, you come to understand how the world works and you never really understand why, because it's not important. Super steeped in metaphor, you can try to read it straight up, but it really challenges the reader to figure out the hidden narrative. The previous project was more about fae-fantasy, while this one is a take on post-apocalyptic cyberpunk.
The plot presents itself a high-brow exploration of the nature of life and death, a desire for freedom and purpose, and maybe something about the duty of the individual in a greater society. There's some really cool visual spectacle and fantastical scene aesthetics. However, the prose, while evocative, is definitely hard to relate to and comprehend. The plot tries to operate on many different layers of interpretation, but I feel like in doing so, it loses focus on what it's thesis statement it's trying to convey. Forgive me for saying, but it almost comes across as putting the onus on the reader to place their own meaning or interpretation, as it tries it's best to make 'show don't tell' an absolute.
This is a really cool read. I love the presentation of it all, from the UI elements, to the weird audio choices, and the haunting imagery. I don't think the experience was as well done as their previous work, but I think they were trying something new, and really stretching the style that they like to write in. It gets a little bit too lost in it's own sauce. It's an enigma this one.