Congratulations on bringing HFSH to fruition, Arcadekitten!! Seeing this wonderful adventure inch closer and closer to, and now finally reach its finale, has been such a thrilling experience. The buildup to the culminating duology made the twist all the more spectacular to witness, and its placement in the former of the two chapters created the most wonderful sense of suspense throughout the dance sequence. My heart nearly skipped a beat at the reveal, to the point where I literally got up from where I was sitting, right after the conclusion of the first finale chapter, found the nearest person, and just starting raving about it to them like a madman. I hope that helps put to words how much pure unadulterated fun it was going through the ending! These latest chapters are the very clear culmination of every previous Arcadekitten game, excelling in every facet one could expect after a good few years of experience and improvement. Seeing S.F. reach this point has been honestly inspiring as somebody interested in VN design. Completing HFSH, seeing what can be done and what amazing stories can be told, makes me itch to jump back into Renpy.
Anyways, again, congratulations are in order! The finale was, all in all, something wonderful to behold. I can't overstate how excited this makes me to see what Arcadekitten has in store with Blackout Hospital.
Now, for a more thorough, spoiler-ridden review of the finale....
Again, what a wonderful buildup! The twist is so well-done, and the little hints littered throughout make a second playthrough worth it just so that you can pick up on them. The stark change from the lighthearted menu to the Shyamalan-eat-your-heart-out reveal really pulled the Pathospire exposé together. Not to mention that putting the twist in the former of the two chapters created the most utterly pervasive sense of tension throughout the dance.
It's my opinion that buildup/suspense is really the most important part of a story. It allows the storyteller to act on all the care that the audience should, by now, have for the characters and the plot. And, in that sense, the finale is an exemplar of tension! Going into the dance, I was so ridiculously thrilled, and immensely invested in the story. Everything was leading up to what should have been the most amazing point of the game, the cherry on top, the capitalization on all of that tension....
But that didn't really happen.
The ending is much more of a fizzle than a bang. Now, that's not to say that it wasn't enjoyable. That one issue certainly isn't a heartbreaker, and I still had a lot of fun with Twyla's revenge. It's totally understandable as well---there are a number of reasons to end a story, after all. Following one's heart, moving on to wherever passion takes you, is really important. With Blackout Hospital in the depths of development, I can see why it would be necessary to finish up HFSH, and to focus on something nearer and dearer to S.F.'s heart.
Still, the ending remains a little disappointing. It's disheartening to see Twyla knock us over the head with a bat and put such a quick end to all our hard work. I got to a point where I was so invested in the story, in Vanilla and in these wonderful characters, that I was really truly excited to see their hearts broken. Yet that didn't happen.
I see a lot of folks in the comments here saying this ending is bad, or even that the game is made worse for it. And while I can support wearing your heart on your sleeve and voicing your opinions, I don't think that's really true. The game remains as lovely as ever, and the ending is actually quite a good one. But I can sympathize with folks when they say they wish there was more, just some sort of alternative to make it feel like the player's choices matter.
The heart of the problem seems to be in that lack of capitalization on Vanilla's efforts. Their plan is foiled about as quickly as it was revealed. Everything, from Vanilla's odd little quirks, to the reveal and onwards, was building up to something that just isn't there. Personally, I think this could be solved with even just one more ending where Vanilla actually succeeds. That's more of a suggestion to look into in the future, though, as focusing on that at the same time as Blackout Hospital sounds like a wildly difficult workload.
Oh, and of course, like most other people, I'm finding myself longing with all my heart for some more content with Vanilla and Twyla! I have a suspicion that Vanilla might pop up in some future Arcadekitten games, which would certainly provide an opportunity. I'm not really expecting a romantic heart-to-heart---Twyla seems a little too coldhearted for that---but an ongoing rivalry would be so wonderful to see! And, then again, "flirtatious nemeses" is an often-used trope for very good reason. I, for one, would not mind seeing it fulfilled with Vanilla and Twyla. I mean, what a wonderful dynamic, what with Vanilla's playful nature and Twyla's heart of stone! Ooo, what would you call a ship name for that? Twilla? Vanyla? Ah, but I'm getting off track!
Overall, the buildup is stunningly well-done, the writing is even more enjoyable than it has been in past games (which is saying something) and the artwork is gorgeous. Not to mention that the plot and the mechanics twist the traditional dating-sim VN's framework in such a fresh and intriguing way. The ending is missing something, but in truth, that's the only detractor. Even that one issue is almost entirely negated by how compelling the game is otherwise.
So, yeah, congratulations, Arcadekitten!! HFSH was wonderful, it'll always hold a place in my heart, and I'm so excited to see what comes next!
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Alright, how many puns did I get in there? Like, 14? That has to be some sort of record!