It felt like this game was out to kill me. As a trans latina with a large catholic family, it unearthed some deep seeded memories. I’ve been shades of all three protagonists. Like Han-byeol I recall so desperately wanting to be good, following dogma and precepts, singing in the congregation fully believing it, but with a sense that something was deeply wrong with me. Like Ga-yeong I remember overachieving in academics while feeling driven but alienated, fluctuating between pride and panic. Jenny was me burning out from all that, hating my body and my wasted efforts and my former faith, wallowing in a room, barely able to keep up with obligations. I’m happy to say that I’m in a far better place, away from the yoke of parental expectations and the church, now with my own chosen life. But even still, the world and its weight looms, and fear, or anger, or despair gets conjured up like a phantasm. I’ll fight it forever if I have to.
I could write another 5 paragraphs on how so many beats map neatly onto my past, but that’s secondary. As for the VN itself, I really adore the art work and blue palette. The character sprites are wonderful and the cgs had me sitting up straight. I really love how messy and awful the yuri is; I hope Ga-yeong molests Jenny forever. The chapters all felt really distinct, I think Han-byeol’s was the standout, mixing that childish logic with the deluge of biblical grandeur. Also neat to let it move past any big consequences, it can’t be more hellish than the world they already find themselves in. I’m absolutely not putting it out of my mind anytime soon.