'Remember the Forefathers' is a dramatic tragedy that examines the purpose of folklore tales within communities and how they can bring peace of mind and hope to those dealing with uncertainty and fear. 'Absolute cinema', is how I'd describe this visual novel entry. It knows what kind of message and tone it wants to set, it gives just enough context and details to immerse the reader, and it develops in a way where the as the narrative goes along, the layers peel back and more and more of the what the reality of the situation is. It leaves a lasting impact, and is extremely effective and efficient with what it needs to convey to give a resolution to this story. It's highly recommended that you read this visual novel going in blind, just to get the authentic experience. I'll be spoiling the climax and the twists and turns as I talk about it, so last chance to go read it if you're looking at the reviews before picking it.
The story itself starts out as if the main character, Lucas, is sitting in a forest, lighting a small pyre/campfire being prepared to talk about a tradition of 'remembering the forefathers'. He seemingly is talking to no one in particular, which is odd, but goes on to ramble about what the traditions mean and what they mean to him. Then comes in the wolf man, who knows Lucas but something is wrong. Turns out that it's the wolf's time to tell a story, and it's about how he was depressed, apathetic, and suicidal, but there was someone who made him feel like he should live towards being alive, very much the savior backstory for these two. Cut back from this really nice flashback, and we're actually in a war torn zone, and not a forest, and Lucas is actually dying after being caught in some kind of collateral damage next to rubble, the pyre actually just a flashlight. The reveal that these are the dying thoughts of Lucas as he reconciles with the unfairness of life and death, and how he faces death with dignity despite it all.
I only summarize it cause it wouldn't do it justice to retell the whole thing, but this is an extremely effective presentation of this story. Everything from the way the start screen only has the start button right at where the pyre is starting, the very creepy and dramatically dark art work with characters having blacked out eyes, the way the CGs are then presented in this black and white sketchy form, to how so much visual storytelling is done through the art itself. Also, the audio design is on point, extremely effective in conveying what's going on with the ambient noises, from crunching leaves, the lighting of the pyre, the gun shots in the distance, it's all combines together into a package that is a multiplicative combination of it's parts. The writing too, it's very evocative, with so many good descriptors in it's prose. The emotion coming through for the wolf in the dialog, the resignation from Lucas. Even the quick cut ending, to really put a period at the end of the story, is just so effective.
The folklore aspect is front and center. In a way, this particular entry makes me scoff at all the folks who claimed that the theme was uninspiring because this is a great example of how folklore is an important aspect of the story, without it being just a simple retelling of a folk tale. It tells a particular folktale, but also gets philosophical about the purpose of them, which is quite a nice bit of introspection. The creativity to put this together and present it in a way is great. There's so many bold choices made for this one, the way that the start screen is built into the narrative, the choice of the sudden ending, the way to present the story one way only to reveal what the true nature was later. This is a great example of knowing what bits are important to the emotional arc, and which bits are important to the plot narrative. We as readers understand the fears of Lucas through what stories he tells himself, and we understand how much Lucas means to the wolf through the story that he told.
If there's any feedback that I would give this for the sake of giving feedback, I think maybe a little bit more detail in grounding the narrative in reality once the reveal has happened. This is more of a personal preference, since I'm sure plenty of the more artsy readers would love reading the subtext between all the details to determine where in the world this would be. The wolf's backstory could be used to help reveal a bit more of who exactly these characters are, rather than speaking in more emotional general terms (the classic 'I was alone, but you came along and made life worth living') maybe play more into the reality of being a war torn area, and that's what could really make it just a bit more impactful when the reveal comes right after. Otherwise, CMoon has made amazing strides in their visual novel entries over the past year, and it's kind of crazy how quickly they've improved in their presentation skills and honing in on their author voice. There's definitely a running theme of embracing the tragedy in his stories, and I wouldn't change that at all, it's a tough skill to be able to write emotionally tiring subject matter. Keep doing what you're doing dude, whether you want to keep doing these darker stories or branching out into other genres, you've got some solid chops.